Film Festivals

Canada’s Whistler Film Festival to Open 2012 Edition With Michael McGowan’s STILL

[caption id="attachment_2930" align="alignnone" width="550"]Still[/caption]

The Whistler Film Festival opens on Wednesday, November 28 and runs through Sunday, December 2, 2012 in Whistler, British Columbia Canada.

Canadian writer and director Michael McGowan’s STILL (Western Canadian Premiere) is this year’s WFF Opening Night Gala presentation, an inspirational film based on the true story of 88 year old Craig Morrison, who took on the bureaucrats and the challenges of building a home from scratch with equal aplomb. WFF’s Closing Night Gala film is the World Premiere of THE SHEEPDOGS HAVE AT IT by Canadian director, John Barnard and featuring Saskatchewan rock band The Sheepdogs.

Additional World Premieres include: BIRD CO. MEDIA by Vancouver director Jason Bourque, THE MOVIE OUT HERE directed by David Hicks, MAD SHIP directed by David Mortin, STATUS QUO? directed by Karen Cho; and TEMPTING FEAR directed by Mike Douglas.

The complete 2012 lineup:

World Premieres:
BIRD CO. MEDIA (Canada) Dir. Jason Bourque
THE MOVIE OUT HERE (Canada) Dir. David Hicks
BRUCE COCKBURN PACING THE CAGE (Canada) Dir. Joel Goldberg (World Premiere of Director’s Cut)
MAD SHIP (Canada) Dir. David Mortin
STATUS QUO? (Canada), Dir. Karen Cho
THE SHEEPDOGS HAVE AT IT (Canada) Dir. John Barnard
North American Premiere:
BLOOD PRESSURE (Canada) Dir. Sean Garrity

Canadian Premieres:
BETWEEN US (USA) Dir. Dan Mirvish
FEW WORDS (France) Dir. Candide Thovex
I AM NASRINE (UK/Iran) Dir. Tina Gharavi
KNIFE FIGHT (USA), Dir. Bill Guttentag
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ROSALIND LEIGH (Canada) Dir. Rodrigo Gudiño
WHITE DEER PLAIN (China) Dir. Wang Quan’an
56UP (UK) Dir. Michael Apted

English Canadian Premieres:
BEAUTY AND THE BREAST (Canada), Dir. Liliana Komorowska
DRIVING TO THE EDGE (Dérapages) (Canada) Dir. Paul Arcand
FAIR SEX (Canada) Dir. Martin Laroche
KARAKARA (Canada/Japan) Dir. Claude Gagnon
OMERTÄ (Canada) Dir. Luc Dionne

Western Canadian Premieres:
AMERICAN MARY (Canada) Dir. Jen and Sylvia Soska
ANNA KARENINA (UK) Dir. Joe Wright
ALL THAT YOU POSSESS (Tout ce que tu possèdes) (Canada) Dir. Bernard Émond
FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (Japan) Dir. Goro Miyazaki
HIT ‘N STRUM (Canada) Dir. Kirk Caouette
HOME AGAIN (Canada) Dir. Sudz Sutherland
IN THE HOUSE (Dans La Maison) Dir. François Ozon
LOVE MARILYN (USA) Dir. Liz Garbus
MEET THE FOKKENS (Netherland) Dir. Rob Schröder and Gabrielle Provaas
MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE (Canada) Dir. Sean Garrity
PICTURE DAY (Canada) Dir. Kate Melville
STILL (Canada) Dir. Michael McGowan
THE PAINTING (France) Dir. Jean-François Laguionie
THE RABBI’S CAT (France) Dir. Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar
ZARAFA (France) Dir. Rémi Bazançon

BC Premieres:
ALTER EGOS (Canada) Dir. Jordan Galland
IT’S A DISASTER (USA) Dir. Todd Berger
MARS AND AVRIL (Canada) Dir. Martin Villeneuve
READY TO FLY (USA) Dir. William Kerig

Whistler Premiere:
THE MOUNTAIN RUNNERS (USA) Dir. Brian Young and Todd Warger
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Beaufort International Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

The Beaufort International Film Festival returns to the historic waterfront city for its seventh year and will feature approximately 30 independent films and screenplays between February 13 and 17, 2013 at the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Center for the Performing Arts. The festival concludes with an awards ceremony on February 17. The schedule will be announced in early 2013
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Deadlines Approaching for Filmmaker Entries to 56th San Francisco International Film Festival

The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival, recognized throughout the world as an extraordinary showcase of cinematic discovery and innovation in one of the country’s most beautiful cities. Works in all genres, forms and lengths are considered. The final deadline for short films Monday December 3, and the final deadline for features Monday December 10.

HOW TO ENTER Entry form and information: sffs.org

Founded in 1957, SFIFF is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. Refreshingly intimate for a festival of its size and scope, the Festival combines a range of marquee premieres, international competitions, compelling documentaries, new digital media work, live music performances and star-studded gala events.

SFIFF is deeply rooted in the finest traditions of film appreciation both as an art form and as a meaningful agent for social change. SFIFF 2012 presented 289 screenings of 174 films in 41 languages from 45 countries, and brought nearly 300 filmmaker and industry guests to the Festival from more than 20 countries around the globe. More than 70,000 enthusiastic filmgoers flocked to San Francisco to celebrate the best of international cinema.

The Festival’s awards and prizes recognize the best of international and Bay Area talent by honoring superior innovation in documentary, narrative, animation, experimental and television works.

Golden Gate Awards including a juried award for Best Documentary Feature with a $20,000 prize; Best Bay Area Documentary Feature with a $15,000 prize; and awards totaling $20,000 in other categories of shorts, youth-produced and family films.

New Directors Prize A juried cash award of $15,000 to the director of a first-time narrative feature at the Festival.

FIPRESCI Prize Awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics. SFIFF is one of only three festivals in the U.S. selected to present this prestigious award.

Audience Awards for Best Narrative and Best Documentary Features.

[source: SFIFF]
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Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt and Other Winners of 2012 Leeds International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_2918" align="alignnone" width="550"]Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt [/caption]

The 26^th Leeds International Film Festival ended on Sunday November 18th, after 18 days packed with 270 screenings and events, and an audience of 35,000. The Hunt was voted by Leeds 2012 audiences as overall favorite from 140 feature films, and a record 14,196 completed votes were cast.

The film is described by the festival as Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg’s best film since Festen, The Hunt is a gripping, provocative and devastating drama about a respected member of a close-knit Danish community whose life is destroyed when a young girl accuses him, falsely, of abuse. Winner of Best Actor in Cannes, Mads Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a 40-year-old, good-natured primary school teacher who is recently divorced and trying to rebuild his relationship with his son. Once the accusation is made, Lucas is deemed guilty by the community-turned-mob, ostracized, and hunted by his former friends and neighbors.

Other winners include:

THE LEEDS 2012 MÉLIÈS D’ARGENT WINNERS

Leeds International Film Festival is the UK representative of the European Fantastic Film Festivals Federation and as such holds its Méliès d’Argent competition in the UK for fantasy film. The Méliès d’Argent Jury consisted of Dr Patricia MacCormack, Dominic Brunt and Dave Bryan and announced the following winners:

Best European Fantasy Feature Film

Winner: Eddie the Sleepwalking Cannibal (Dir. Boris Rodriguez, Denmark/Canada, 2011)

Special Mentions: Sightseers (Dir. Ben Wheatley, UK, 2012) + Thale (Dir. Aleksander L Nordaas, Norway, 2012)

Best European Fantasy Short Film

Winner: The Fright (El Espanto) (Dir. J.J. Marcos, Spain, 2012)

Special Mentions: Blinky (Dir. Ruairi Robinson, Ireland / USA, 2011) + Photo (Dir. J Enrique Sanchez, Spain, 2011)

The Méliès d’Argent Jury said:

“Eddie the Sleepwalking Cannibal pipped the others to the post by virtue of its sheer charm and, in the grand traditions of ‘anti-hero’, introduces a character with whom you are happy to invest your emotion and time into. The movie perfectly balances that very difficult task of mixing horror and dark comedy and as such will have appeal to a wide variety of genre fans. Expertly crafted by first time feature director Boris Rodriguez, the movie is well paced with great characterization and a climax which will give even the most hardened horror fan that sense of sentimental satisfaction that is so often missed.”

Both Eddie the Sleepwalking Cannibal and The Fright will now go forward to compete for the coveted Méliès d’Or at Sitges International Festival of Fantastic Film in Spain in 2013.

THE LEEDS 2012 SHORT FILM CITY WINNERS

The International Short Film Jury, judging the Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition and World Animation Award, consisted of Jacqueline Chell (UK), Wannes Destoop (Belgium), Marlena Lukasiak (Poland), Mike McKenny (UK), and Erik Rosenlund (Sweden).

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 2012

Winner: Mon Amoureux (My Sweetheart) (Dir. Daniel Metge, France)

Special Mentions: The Return (Kthimi) (Dir. Blerta Zeqiri, Kosovo) + Frozen Stories (Dir. Grzegorz Jaroszuk, Poland)

The International Short Film Jury said of the Winner:
“The jury was blown away by the emotional force of this subtle but impactful film. With skilled and beautifully observed performances that enhance a stunning, perfectly paced script, Mon Amoureuxstood out as a deeply personal story – but one of social value that is too rarely told and shared with audiences.”

World Animation Award 2012

Winner: The Pub (Dir. Joseph Pierce, UK)

Special Mention: Body Memory (Dir. Ülo Pikkov, Estonia)

The International Short Film Jury said of the Winner:

“The jury was unanimous in its praise of this film. The Pub manages to seamlessly combine form and narrative, making excellent use of very distinctive rotascope animation – accentuating and exacerbating the character traits of the many familiar faces of ‘the pub’. Capturing a sincere and earnest slice of life, the film manages to be grotesque and beautiful, repulsive yet captivating – all the while being completely recognisable and grounded in reality.”

The National Short Film Jury, judging the British Short Film Competition and Yorkshire Short Film Competition, consisted of David Lilley, Kathryn Penny and Alex Ramseyer-Bache.

British Short Film Competition 2012

Winner: Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared by Joseph Pelling and Becky Sloan)
Special Mentions: Worm (by Bert & Bertie) + Dylan’s Room (by Layke Anderson)

The National Short Film Jury said of the Winner:

“The judges felt this was truly different film and an assault on the senses. As soon as the audience has made a judgement on the film the rug is pulled out from under their feet! A brilliant combination of darkness and levity. Wonderfully acted, puppeteered and animated. The judges couldn’t wait to see the film again and look forward to seeing more from these directors.”

Yorkshire Short Film Competition 2012

Winner: The Farmer’s Wife (by Francis Lee)
Special Mention: Kiss (by Cathy Brady)

The Natonal Short Film Jury said of the Winner:
“This was a clear winner for the judges. A fantastic central performance and a poignant journey for the central character. Wonderful contrasts of rugged and delicate. A stylish and dignified film which tackled a sad story against a bleak backdrop without being at all depressing.”

The 27^th Leeds International Film Festival will run from 8th to 22nd November 2013.
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Last Week to Check Out DOC NYC Fest at the IFC Center and SVA Theaters!

We told you guys about it last week, but this year’s DOC NYC Fest is truly shaping up to be one of the premiere film festivals in the entire City. The programming is impeccable, on-point, and there is an almost giddy feeling in all of the recent screenings- whether it was watching the astounding doc about story-book creator and illustrator Tomi Ungerer (whose work turned towards pornography later in life) in director Brad Bernstein’s nspiring Far Out Isn’t Far Enough, or the brilliant homage to Wonder Woman and other great female heroines in recent pop culture in Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s Wonder Women, to the plight of the New York City taxi driver in Joshua Z Weinstein’s excellent Drivers Wanted, to Treva Wurmfeld’s Shepard and Dark- the fascinating story of the forty-plus year friendship between actor and playwright Sam Shepard and pal Johnny Dark- which managed somehow to be incredibly exhilarating and haunting, simultaneously (no mean feat that!) Also of note: Girl and a Gun, Artifact, Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, Rafea-Solar Mama, and Sweet Dreams…Not to mention a NYC-heavy rotation of wonderful documentaries-including Zipper, about the fate of Coney Island’s Boardwalk and park, the above mentioned Drivers Wanted, and Men at Lunch- the story behind the iconic photo of eleven steel workers casually having lunch while sitting atop a steel beam, precariously dangling 59 stories above New York.

The DOC NYC Fest ends this Thursday evening, (November 15th) with a gala screening of Ken Burns’ Central Park Five, which focuses upon the five African-American and Latino youths who were wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 Central Park Jogger rape and battery case. Ken Burns and members of the cast will also be there in person.

The DOC NYC Festival must become a must-view for ANY film fan in the City. Get your tickets here- it is truly an embarrassment of riches just trying to decide what to see!
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Last Week to Check Out Amazing DOC NYC Fest at the IFC Center and SVA Theaters!

We told you guys about it last week, but this year’s DOC NYC Fest is truly shaping up to be one of the premiere film festivals in the City. The programming is impeccable, on-point, and there is an almost giddy feeling in all of the recent screenings- whether it was watching the astounding doc about story-book creator and illustrator Tomi Ungerer (whose work turned towards pornography later in life) in director Brad Bernstein’s nspiring Far Out Isn’t Far Enough, or the brilliant homage to Wonder Woman and other great female heroines in recent pop culture in Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s Wonder Women, to the plight of the New York City taxi driver in Joshua Z Weinstein’s excellent Drivers Wanted, to Treva Wurmfeld’s Shepard and Dark- the fascinating story of the forty-plus year friendship between actor and playwright Sam Shepard and pal Johnny Dark- which managed somehow to be incredibly exhilarating and haunting, simultaneously (no mean feat that!) Also of note: Girl and a Gun, Artifact, Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, Rafea-Solar Mama, and Sweet Dreams…Not to mention a NYC-heavy rotation of wonderful documentaries-including Zipper, about the fate of Coney Island’s Boardwalk and park, the above mentioned Drivers Wanted, and Men at Lunch- the story behind the iconic photo of eleven steel workers casually having lunch while sitting atop a steel beam, precariously dangling 59 stories above New York.

The DOC NYC Fest ends this Thursday evening, (November 15th) with a gala screening of Ken Burns’ Central Park Five, which focuses upon the five African-American and Latino youths who were wrongfully imprisoned for the 1989 Central Park Jogger rape and battery case. Ken Burns and members of the cast will also be there in person.

The DOC NYC Festival must become a must-view for ANY film fan in the City. Get your tickets here- it is truly an embarrassment of riches just trying to decide what to see!
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The Show Still Goes On: Doc NYC Starts Tonight at IFC Center in NYC

DOC NYC – Yes- The Show (Still) Goes On!
November 8-15 at the IFC Center and SVA Theatre

Festival to Partner with Echelon Donates for City Harvest Food Drive
During Event to Benefit Hurricane’s Neediest Victims

“One of the city’s grandest events.” – The Wall Street Journal

“[Has] shot to the top tier of our most essential festivals list.” – New York Magazine

Jared Leto brings his film-about-his-band Artifact to the Opening Night of the Doc NYC Festival, Thursday, November 8th, 2012, and will be there in person.

NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2012 – Despite the setbacks Hurricane Sandy put in its way, DOC NYC organizers are pleased to say that the 3rd annual festival is set to launch, as planned, this Thursday, November 8 through November 15, with eight documentary-filled days of films, special events, panels, and masterclasses at the IFC Center (323 Sixth Ave.) and SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd St.).

With the festival’s production hub, the IFC Center, closed last week, most of its staff dealing with power outages and displacement, and the serious effect the storm has had on ticket sales, there’s been a big impact on preparations—but the show will indeed go on. Said DOC NYC Artistic Director, Thom Powers: “There’s no question that the hurricane was a blow to us. Normally, we’d anticipate 40% of our ticket sales to happen during the week of the power outage, so we have a lot to make up. But we’re determined give our filmmakers and audiences the best festival possible.”

And it’s set to be a terrific festival! In addition to the 115 films and events, starting with opening night presentations Artifact and Venus and Serena, the festival will welcome dozens of special guests (several from out of town): Jared Leto, Andy Summers, Antony Hegarty, Pete Seeger, Rufus Wainwright, Ice-T, and some of the country’s top documentary filmmakers, including Ken Burns, Barbara Kopple, Alex Gibney, Jonathan Demme, Joe Berlinger, Rory Kennedy, and Michael Moore. In addition to post-screening discussions with these and other participating filmmakers and film subjects, the five men wrongly incarcerated for the crime detailed in the closing night film, The Central Park Five, will be brought together for the first time since their release for an onstage discussion.

DOC NYC organizers are also pleased to announce that the festival has partnered with Echelon Donates—a non-profit founded by fans of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, featured in Artifact—to run a food drive to help those most seriously affected by Hurricane Sandy, during this year’s event. From November 8-11, film-goers will be able to drop off non-perishable items for City Harvest, at collection boxes located in the SVA Theatre.
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Gulf Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

The Gulf Film Festival (GFF), described by the festival as “the home of bold, experimental, and the best of Arab cinema from the Gulf countries and the rest of the world” have announced that the sixth edition will be held from April 11 to 17, 2013 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
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Ben Affleck’s Argo to Open 2012 Leeds International Film Festival on Thursday

[caption id="attachment_2885" align="alignnone" width="550"]Argo[/caption]

Ben Affleck’s new thriller Argo has been announced as the Opening Gala film of this year’s Leeds International Film Festival. Argo, based on the remarkable true story of a CIA expert posing as a fake film producer in order to infiltrate Iran at the time of the hostage crisis in 1979 and rescue a group of stranded Americans, will open the annual festival at Leeds Town Hall on Thursday November 1, 2012.

The Official Selection will close with Michael Haneke’s second Palme d’Or winnerAmour, a drama about the bond of love between an elderly couple in their eighties, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva.

Other new feature film highlights in the Official Selection include Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux, Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, Tribeca award winners Lucy Mulloy’sUna Noche and Kim Nguyen’s War Witch, and Dominga Sotomayor’s Rotterdam Tiger Award winner From Thursday Till Sunday.

The Retrospectives section will include an appearance by leading Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky, who will attend the festival as part of a focus on his early work. Best known for cult favorite Runaway Train, the focus will screen five of his early Soviet works from his directorial debut The First Teacher in 1965 to Asya’s Happiness, A Nest of Gentlefolk, Uncle Vanya, and his Cannes prize-winner Siberiade. The work of legendary Japanese actress and filmmaker Kinuyo Tanaka (1909-77) will also be honored at the festival with a selection of her finest performances in films by Yasujirô Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and Kenji Mizoguchi, and two rarely shown features she directed herself, The Eternal Breasts (1955) and Girls of Dark(1961).

Fanomenon section, considered the home of cult films at Leeds International Film Festival,will include Ben Wheatley’s long-awaited Sightseers, a pitch-black story of a camping holiday killing spree across Yorkshire and the Lakes, together with some of the most anticipated genre films of the year: Antiviral (Dir. Brandon Cronenburg), Citadel (Dir. Ciaran Foy), John Dies at the End (Dir. Don Coscarelli),The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (Dir. Davide Manuli), and V/H/S (Dirs. Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg). Fanomenon 2012 also features a special focus on the growth of genre filmmaking in Yorkshire with screenings of Before Dawn (Dir. Dominic Brunt), When the Lights Went Out (Dir. Pat Holden), and the world premiere of new feature Heretic (Dir. Peter Handford).

Cinema Versa section is the home of documentaries inspired by the underground festival aesthetic with two major themes of human rights and music films. Highlights among the human rights films selection for 2012 include: Anand Patwardhan’s acclaimed epic Jai Bhim Comrade, one of the best documentaries of the year, about the culture of India’s Dalits, dehumanized in the traditional caste system as ‘untouchables’; the extraordinary 1/2 Revolution, featuring unmissable first person camcorder reportage from the streets of Cairo, smuggled out of the country in a pram after the filmmakers were arrested by the secret police; and the UK Premiere of Back to the Square, tracking the changes in the lives of five ordinary Egyptians after the overthrow of Mubarak. Music films in Cinema Versa 2012 range across every style and genre including: the UK Premiere of Charles Bradley: Soul of Americaabout the world-weary Brooklyn soul man, who made it big in his ‘60s after paying his dues over the decades as a James Brown impersonator; the wonderfully entertaining tale of the first tour of China by a UK punk band, dogged veterans Sham 69 in This Band is so Gorgeous; and Jobriath AD, profiling the fascinating career of the first openly gay pop star.

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Jason Wolos’ debut feature Trattoria Kicks Off Lineup for 2012 San Francisco Cinema by the Bay Festival

[caption id="attachment_2881" align="alignnone" width="1020"]A scene from Jason Wolos’ TRATTORIA, the Opening Night film at Cinema by the Bay, November 9-11 at New People Cinema [/caption]

The San Francisco Film Society announced the program lineup for the fourth annual Cinema by the Bay festival, November 9 – 11 at New People Cinema. The three-day festival will feature new work produced in or about the San Francisco Bay Area and will open with Jason Wolos’ debut feature Trattoria. Set in the world of San Francisco’s competitive restaurant culture, a popular chef and his son must reconnect and heal their past through cooking if they want to save their relationship and change the direction of their lives.

The program lineup:

Friday, November 9    OPENING NIGHT
7:00 pm Trattoria
Jason Wolos    Director Expected
Set in the world of San Francisco’s competitive restaurant culture, Trattoria serves up familial drama and foodie delights. Chef Sal Sartini and his second wife Cecilia have just opened a new restaurant and are trying to generate the reviews and buzz that are critical to success. When Sal’s estranged son Vince comes to visit and help out in the restaurant, underlying tensions are brought to the surface. It becomes clear that Chef Sartini has lost his way by focusing so intensely on his success, and with the help of his son he must rekindle his passion for food and for life. (USA 2011. 82 min. Written by Jason Wolos, Dawn Rich. Photographed by Frazer Bradshaw. With Tony Denison, John Patrick Amedori, Lisa Rotondi, Kandis Erickson. Fine Dining Productions.)

Saturday, November 10
2:30 pm Casablanca mon amour
John Slattery    Director Expected
This fiction/nonfiction hybrid presents two bright and humorous Moroccan college students, Hassan and Abdel, as they journey from Casablanca over the Atlas mountains to the Sahara desert. Hassan, in the midst of creating a media project, uses the trip to investigate how Morocco has been depicted in popular culture and used in Hollywood staples such as Casablanca (of course) and The Jewel of the Nile, among others. The conceit ingeniously allows us to see how the country has been figured in film, while also showing us the country itself and how Moroccans view their own nation through the lens of Hollywood. (USA/Morocco 2012. 79 min. In French, Arabic and English with English subtitles. Written by John Slattery. Photographed by Fara Akrami. With Abdel Alidrissi, Hassan Ouazzani, Amin Chadati, Fraida Bouazzaoui. Zween Works.)

5:00 pm Essential SF
Essential SF is an ongoing compendium of the Bay Area film community’s most vital figures and institutions. H.P. Mendoza, Judy Stone, Wholphin, Terry Zwigoff and others yet to be announced will be feted at this short ceremony. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column and a key event in the Film Society’s Cinema by the Bay festival, this event shines a light on the region’s legendary idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world. Past Essential SF honorees include Les Blank, Canyon Cinema, Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ), Rick Prelinger and Marlon Riggs, among others. Free admission.

7:00 pm Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet
Jesse Vile    Subject Expected
In 1980, guitarist Jason Becker appeared to be destined for international stardom when he signed with David Lee Roth’s band at the age of 20. That same year, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and was given 3-5 years to live. Now, more than 20 years since his diagnosis, Jason’s story is far from over. Through home movies, photographs and concert footage, this documentary presents an affectionate portrait of a gifted teenager who realized his wildest dreams at an early age and is still creating and thriving due to the care and love of his devoted family and fans. (USA 2012. 90 min. Photographed by Carl Burke. Edited by Gideon Gold.)

9:30 pm Amity    World Premiere
Alejandro Adams    Director Expected
A divorced Air Force sergeant rents a limousine to celebrate his daughter’s high school graduation, but when only a few hours before the ceremony his daughter rejects his overtures to celebrate with him, he decides to spend the evening with the limo driver. As they drink and loosen up, their camaraderie gives way to an awkward but somehow therapeutic violence, and their misadventures throughout the evening ratchet up the tension to expose an underbelly of pain. Reminiscent of the early work of Neil Labute, Amityunflinchingly presents a version of masculinity that is deeply insecure, sadistic and ultimately powerless. (USA 2012. 80 min. Written by Alejandro Adams. Photographed by Alejandro Adams. With Greg Cala.)

Sunday, November 11
2:00 pm Moving Image at the End of the World: Shorts from Headlands Center for the Arts
Presented in person by Brian Karl, Program Director, Headlands Center for the Arts
2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Headlands Center for the Arts, one of the most vital creative organizations in the Bay Area and the country. Headlands’ mission is to support artistic culture by providing the environment and means for artists to produce innovative work and to connect such practitioners to audiences of all sorts, and their residencies are among the most sought-after around the world. Ranging from the wonderfully humorous to the devastatingly beautiful, this not-to-be-missed program of short films consists of works that have been made at Headlands throughout the years.

4:15 pm A Conversation with Lucy Gray
Scintillating San Francisco-based artist Lucy Gray will be on hand for an intimate talk about her work and the creative impulse. While Gray is recognized for her compelling photographs — including the “Big Tilda” exhibition at the 2006 San Francisco International Film Festival — her artistry is not merely limited to photography. This unique event will feature a screening of her magical debut short film Genevieve Goes Boating, followed by two scene readings from her latest creative venture A Stage of Her Own, a play based on the life and work of theater producer Irene Selznick. Writer Steven Winn will moderate the discussion.

6:00 pm The Revolutionary Optimists    Work-in-progress screening
Maren Grainger-Monsen, Nicole Newnham    Directors Expected
Lawyer turned social advocate Amlan Ganguly doesn’t rescue children; he empowers them through education and activism to battle poverty and transform their lives and communities. The Revolutionary Optimists follows Amlan and the children he works with — Shika, Salim, Kajal and Priyanka — as they staunchly fight against the forces that oppress them. Shot over the course of three years, this film vividly captures the vibrancy of India while taking us on an intimate journey with these children, during which we witness not only the changes they are able to make in their neighborhoods, but also the changes within each of them. (USA 2012. 83 min. Photographed by Jon Shenk, Ranu Ghosh, Ranjan Palit. Edited by Andrew Gersh, Mary Lampson. Helianthus Media.)

8:30 pm CXL    World Premiere
Sean Gillane    Director Expected
Nolan, an aspiring writer, feels stuck: he is frustrated with his career, his relationships, the world and ultimately with himself. Unable to keep from displaying his considerable disdain, he focuses on everything wrong in his life as he treads the same dissatisfying paths. When he meets the stunning and unpredictable Cassie, she invites him to let down his guard and enjoy the world around him. Nolan slowly gives in to Cassie’s exuberance, but just as he begins to change his perspective, circumstances conspire to throw his already fragile psyche into turmoil in this poignant and darkly comedic debut feature. (USA 2011. 90 min. Written by Theo Miller. Photographed by Sean Gillane. With Cole Smith, Lisa Greyson. Briana Eason, Amir Motlagh. Playlist.)
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2013 Wisconsin Film Festival Dates and Call For Wisconsin’s Own Films

The 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival will take place April 11 to 18, 2013, and is now accepting film submissions for inclusion in the Festival’s Wisconsin’s Own section. The Festival welcomes narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films or videos of any length that have been made in Wisconsin or have been made by key personnel with Wisconsin roots.

For the 2013 Festival, submissions are only open to Wisconsin’s Own films, including student films. The 2013 Festival program will also include a wide variety of U.S. and international cinema curated specifically for the event.

Deadlines:
Wisconsin’s Own (films of any length from filmmakers with Wisconsin ties) deadline is Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Wisconsin’s Own Student (films of any length from student filmmakers with Wisconsin ties) deadline is Monday, December 31, 2012
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Twin Cities Film Fest Unveils Lineup of Films for 2012 with Toronto Film Fest Winner Silver Linings Playbook as Centerpiece

[caption id="attachment_2869" align="alignnone" width="1024"]SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK FROM DAVID O. RUSSELL. [/caption]

Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) announced the lineup of films for their 2012 festival, to be held October 12-20 at Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON at The Shops at West End.

In addition to A Place at The Table which will open the festival Friday night and host director Lori Silverbush, Twin Cities Film Fest will also feature 2012 TCFF Centerpiece film and Toronto International Film Festival Audience Favorite Silver Linings Playbook from David O. Russell. Other films include David Chase’s feature directing debut Not Fade Away, Nobody Walks, Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet, A Late Quartet starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and critical darling The Sessions, with Minnesota’s own John Hawkes.

Twin Cities Film Fest will debut the Minnesota Feature film The Rhymesayers European Tour, which gives the audience a never before seen view into the lives and music of the Twin Cities’ Rhymesayers record label and family.

The festival will conclude on Saturday, October 20 with Lumpy, starring Justin Long, Jess Weixler and Addison Timlin. Lumpy was filmed in Minnesota. Cast and crew, including Director Ted Koland and actress Addison Timlin, will be in attendance.

TCFF will feature a total of 60 films, including a special screening of E.T.” The Extra-Terrestrial.
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