Film Festivals

  • Tribeca Film Festival Brings Back its Free Community Events for 2012, Knuckleball to Premiere at FREE Tribeca Drive-In

    [caption id="attachment_2643" align="alignnone" width="550"]Kuckleball[/caption]

    The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) will bring back its signature free community events: the Tribeca Drive-In (April 19-21), Family Festival Street Fair (April 28), Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day (April 28) and the second annual Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day (April 21).

    The ‘classic summer thriller” Jaws, the “swashbuckling adventure-comedy” The Goonies, and the premiere of the baseball documentary Knuckleball! have all been selected to screen at Tribeca Drive-In.

    “Since its inception, the Tribeca Film Festival has strived to give back to the neighborhood and the city with free community events for New Yorkers and visitors of all ages,” said Nancy Schafer, Tribeca Film Festival Executive Director. “We are thrilled to continue the tradition with Festival favorites like the Drive-In, Family Festival Street Fair and Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day, and to challenge our industry colleagues, young athletes and soccer fans with the Tribeca/NYFEST Soccer Day tournament.”

    The following films will be featured at the Tribeca Drive-In, TFF’s outdoor screening series for film enthusiasts of all ages. The free evening of cinema under the stars is open to the public, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 6 p.m. The programs will also begin at 6 p.m., with live music at 7 p.m., and screenings starting at dusk (approximately 8:15 p.m.).

    Jaws—Thursday, April 19 Steven Spielberg’s classic returns to the big screen! See the movie that thrilled a generation, launched the summer blockbuster and has become one of the most enduring action-suspense films of all time. Come early to celebrate Universal Studios’ 100th Anniversary with trivia contests, live music from local artists and surprise special guests, courtesy of the upcoming New York Downtown Jazz Festival. Later this year, fans can own Jaws for the first time ever on Blu-rayTM featuring an all-new, fully restored and digitally remastered picture from original 35MM film elements. Fans of John Williams’ iconic score will also love the Blu-ray’sTM Dolby surround 7.1 sound which optimizes the film for the home screening environment.

    With the summer beach season in full swing, a bloodthirsty great white shark begins terrorizing the small island community of Amity. A police chief, a marine biologist, and a grizzled sailor set out to hunt it down… but they’re going to need a bigger boat. Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw lead the cast of this groundbreaking Academy Award®-winning thriller. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

    The Goonies—Friday, April 20 Relive the adventure with Mikey, Mouth, Stef, Data, Chunk, and all the unforgettable characters in this beloved classic. Come early to take part in the “truffle shuffle” contest and win prizes in the first-ever Tribeca Treasure Hunt. Live music from afro-jazz pioneers NOMO, courtesy of the upcoming New York Downtown Jazz Festival.

    When their Oregon neighborhood—affectionately dubbed “the Goon Docks”—is threatened by real estate developers, a group of pre-teen friends needs to find enough money to halt the demolition. Lucky for them, they’ve discovered an old treasure map, sparking an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of 17th-century pirate One-Eyed Willie. Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, Josh Brolin, and Joe Pantoliano star in the movie that captured a generation’s imagination. Directed by Richard Donner.

    Knuckleball!—Saturday, April 21 Take me out to the ball game! Bring the kids early for live music, giveaways, baseball trivia contests and pitching clinics with pro knuckleballers R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets, Tim Wakefield formerly of the Boston Red Sox, and former New York Yankee Jim Bouton, then see the world premiere of this action-packed TFF documentary about their controversial pitching style.

    This classic sports story recounts the trials and triumphs of two of the best known knuckleball pitchers in the MLB: Tim Wakefield, a Red Sox veteran who recently announced his retirement after 19 years, and R.A. Dickey, an up-and-comer with the Mets looking to make a name for himself. This energetic documentary from Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, the directors of Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, deconstructs the controversial and erratic knuckleball style. – World Premiere, Documentary.


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  • Pierre Rissient to be honored with 2012 Mel Novikoff Award at 55th San Francisco International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2641" align="alignnone" width="550"]Pierre Rissient, recipient of the Mel Novikoff Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival April 19 – May 3, 2012, alongside filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. [/caption]

    The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) will present the 2012 Mel Novikoff Award to “the little known yet enormously influential Pierre Rissient for his tireless work behind the scenes on behalf of international cinema.”

    Rissient is described as being revered by filmmakers of all ages around the world, from Clint Eastwood, who frequently shows him the rough cut of his work, to Werner Herzog, who calls him “the yeast in the dough,” to Quentin Tarantino, who dubs him “a samurai warrior” because he has devoted his life to supporting filmmakers from around the globe.

    In the early 1950s Rissient began his film career as a programmer at the Cinéma Mac-Mahon in Paris. He and his fellow programmers, including Bertrand Tavernier, introduced American film noir and other genre films, by Fritz Lang, Joseph Losey, Otto Preminger, Raoul Walsh and others, to the new French directors including Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. He worked as assistant director for Chabrol and Godard, directed several short films, and eventually two features. In the 1960s he again partnered with Tavernier to promote the films of John Ford, Sam Fuller, Abraham Polonsky and Jacques Tourneur in French theaters. Over nearly five decades his most significant contribution to international cinema has been as a consultant and scout — official and clandestine — for the Cannes Film Festival, with a focus on discovering new talent in Asia and North America. The careers of directors Jane Campion, Clint Eastwood, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, King Hu, Abbas Kiarostami, Im Kwon-Taek, Sydney Pollack, Jerry Schatzberg and Quentin Tarantino have all benefited from his advocacy.

    The award, named for the pioneering San Francisco art and repertory film exhibitor Mel Novikoff (1922 – 1987), acknowledges an individual or institution whose work has enhanced the filmgoing public’s knowledge and appreciation of world cinema.

    Previous recipients of the Mel Novikoff Award are Serge Bromberg (2011), Roger Ebert (2010), Bruce Goldstein (2009), Jim Hoberman (2008), Kevin Brownlow (2007), Anita Monga (2005), Paolo Cherchi Usai (2004), Manny Farber (2003), David Francis (2002), Cahiers du Cinéma (2001), San Francisco Cinematheque (2001), Donald Krim (2000), David Shepard (2000), Enno Patalas (1999), Adrienne Mancia (1998), Judy Stone (1997), Film Arts Foundation (1997), David Robinson (1996), Institut Lumière (1995), Naum Kleiman (1994), Andrew Sarris (1993), Jonas Mekas (1992), Pauline Kael (1991), Donald Richie (1990), USSR Filmmakers Association (1989) and Dan Talbot (1988).

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  • Palm Beach International Film Festival 2012 Film Lineup Is Complete

    [caption id="attachment_2632" align="alignnone" width="550"]Sassy Pants[/caption]

    The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) film line-up for the 17th edition, April 12-19, 2012, featuring 25 World Premieres, 14 U.S. Premieres and 2 North American Premieres, is complete. 

    Opening Night kicks off with Robot & Frank, directed by Jake Schreier. Set in the near future, Frank, a retired cat burglar, has two grown kids who are concerned he can no longer live alone.  They are tempted to place him in a nursing home until Frank’s son chooses a different option: against the old man’s wishes, he buys Frank a walking, talking humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. What follows is an often hilarious and somewhat heartbreaking story about finding friends and family in the most unexpected places. Robot & Frank features an award-winning cast including Academy Award® nominee Frank Langella, James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon. 

    The fest will close with “Sassy Pants,” directed by Coley Sohn and starring Anna Gunn, Ashley Rickards, Diedrich Bader and Haley Joel Osment.  Bethany Pruitt (Ashley Rickards) is valedictorian of her one-student home-school class. Stuck with younger brother Shayne (Martin Spanjers) under their perky but oppressive mother June’s (Anna Gunn) thumb, Bethany’s only escape is a teen fashion ‘zine courtesy of her absentee gay dad.  Life at dad Dale’s (Diedrich Bader) mobile home is no picnic either. Despite the close bond she forms with his fun, younger boyfriend, Chip (Haley Joel Osment), Dad’s self-loathing, alcoholic outbursts weigh heavy on Bethany. She finds solace selling clothes at a cheap, trendy retail chain Jail Bait, but her petty, cutthroat coworkers cause a new set of “real world” navigation problems. When Bethany learns about Fashion Art Technology Institute, aka F.A.T.I., she sees a chance to break free once and for all and forge her own brighter future. How she gets there will redefine her and her family and maybe even update her wardrobe.

    Screenings of this year’s films will be held at Muvico Parisian 20 at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Cobb Theatres in Downtown At The Gardens, Lake Worth Playhouse in Lake Worth, Debilzan Gallery in Delray Beach and Mizner Park Cultural Arts Centre in Boca Raton.

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  • Hot Docs 2012 Lineup Features 189 Documentary to Open With AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

    [caption id="attachment_2480" align="alignnone"]AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY[/caption]

    Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival announced its full film line-up for the upcoming 19th edition, April 26-May 6, 2012.

    In addition to the opening night Canadian premiere of Alison Klayman’s AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY, an up-close portrait at of the renowned Chinese activist and artist, other notable films in the Special Presentations program include: Bart Layton’s THE IMPOSTER, which depicts a lost and found boy who may not be who he claims; James Swirsky and Lisanne Pajot’s INDIE GAME: THE MOVIE, a look into the lives of video game developers; Lauren Greenfield’s THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, a portrait of an eccentric billionaire family facing the economic crisis; Kevin Macdonald’s MARLEY, the definitive biography of reggae artist Bob Marley; Christian Bonke and Andreas Koefoed’s BALLROOM DANCER, a look at a Latin ballroom champion’s ambitious comeback plans; and Yung Chang’s CHINA HEAVYWEIGHT, an intimate portrayal of a boxing coach training poor teens in rural China.

    In the competitive Canadian Spectrum program, notable films include: Christy Garland’s THE BASTARD SINGS THE SWEETEST SONG, the story of a tumultuous mother-son relationship in Guyana; Omar Majeed and Ryan Mullins’ THE FROG PRINCES, the story of a developmentally challenged theatre group’s struggle to mount an ambitious production; Angad Singh Bhalla’s HERMAN’S HOUSE, a trip through the years with jailed Black Panther activist Herman Wallace; and Jonah Bekhor and Zach Math’s THE FINAL MEMBER, which looks at Iceland’s penis museum’s search for a critical artifact.

    In the competitive International Spectrum program, notable films include: Bill Ross and Turner Ross’ TCHOUPITOULAS, the adventures of three teenagers exploring the heart of New Orleans at night; Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s THE LAW IN THESE PARTS, a candid glimpse into the legal minds behind the rules and regulations governing the Occupied Territories; Elizabeth Mims and Jason Tippet’s ONLY THE YOUNG, a look at a last stolen summer of first loves; and Sean McAllister’s THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY, a portrait of a tour guide caught in the 2011 uprising in Yemen’s capital.

    In the World Showcase program, notable films include: Tiffany Sudela-Junker’s MY NAME IS FAITH, the story of a 12-year-old girl’s struggle to overcome trauma and accept her adopted family; Beth Murphy’s THE LIST, which reveals an American’s crusade for refuge for his Iraqi colleagues; Alessandro Comodin’s SUMMER OF GIACOMO, a 19-year-old deaf boy spends a summer day with a childhood friend; and Peter Gerdehag’s WOMEN WITH COWS, the story of two sisters and their complicated relationship with a dozen cows.

    The Made In Southeastern Europe program includes: Lena Müller and Dragan von Petrovic’s DRAGAN WENDE – WEST BERLIN, about West Berlin in 1970s and now as seen through a working-class Serbian émigré; Ed Moschitz’s MAMA ILLEGAL, a glimpse into the lives of Moldovan women who struggle to support their families; and András Kollmann’s STRONG – A RECOVERY STORY, about a mountaineer whose desire to climb does not fade following a catastrophic injury.

    The Next program includes: Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern’s SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS, where LCD Soundsystem front-man James Murphy’s bids farewell to his fans; Poull Brien’s CHARLES BRADLEY: SOUL OF AMERICA, a heart-warming story of a 62-year-old illiterate James Brown impersonator from Brooklyn; Maya Gallus’ THE MYSTERY OF MAZO DE LA ROCHE, a look at the mysterious life of the Canadian author; and Sylvia Caminer’s AN AFFAIR OF THE HEART, a peek into the world of devoted Rick Springfield fans.

    The Rise Against program includes: Brian Knappenberger’s WE ARE LEGION: THE STORY OF THE HACKTIVISTS, a radical collective’s fight that redefined civil disobedience; Guy Davidi and Emad Burnat’s 5 BROKEN CAMERAS, a portrait of a West Bank village threatened by an encroaching Israeli settlement; and Petr Lom’s BACK TO THE SQUARE, a look at citizens in post-revolution Egypt.

    The Nightvision program includes: Chris James Thompson’s JEFF, a biography of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer; Mary Kerr’s RADIOMAN, the story of Radioman, a fixture in the NYC film scene; and James Franco and Ian Olds’ FRANCOPHRENIA (OR: DON’T KILL ME, I KNOW WHERE THE BABY IS, a wild behind-the-scenes doc with James Franco on General Hospital.

    The Documentary Plays Itself program includes: Phie Ambo’s GAMBLER, which follows director Nicholas Winding Refn as he shoots sequels of his cult classic; Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton’s LOST IN LA MANCHA, which captures Terry Gilliam’s ill-fated attempt to film the Don Quixote story; and Thom Andersen’s LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF, a look at how Los Angeles is depicted on film.

    Additionally, Hot Docs will present two retrospective programs: Focus On John Kastner, a mid-career retrospective of the Emmy Award-winning director’s work; and the Outstanding Achievement Award Retrospective, honouring the influential work of masterful Québécois filmmaker Michel Brault.



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  • More Film Program Updates For 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2622" align="alignnone" width="550"]2012 Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant Winner , Let the Fire Burn (Director: Jason Osder)[/caption]

    The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival announced additional programming news for the 2012 festival: The Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant, the Southern Documentary Fund: In-the-Works program, and a celebration of 40 years of New Day Films. The festival will also feature a retrospective of short films in honor of its fifteenth anniversary, featuring one title from each previous year of the festival.

    The 2012 Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant has been awarded to Jason Osder for “Let the Fire Burn” and Ben Powell for “Barge.”

    The Southern Documentary Fund (SDF) will once again present their In-the-Works presentation at this year’s festival. The program will include the short film “Café Sense” directed by D.L. Anderson and Brooke Shuman, along with excerpts from “Can’t Stop the Water” directed by Rebecca Marshall Ferris and Jason Ferris and “untitled LUCY film” directed by Elisabeth Haviland James.

    Full Frame will honor the 40th anniversary of New Day Films and exhibit New Day Film’s very first titles. The four films will screen as one program: Liane Brandon’s “Anything You Want to Be” and “Betty Tells Her Story,” Jim Klein and Julia Reichert’s “Growing Up Female,” and Amalie R. Rothschild’s “It Happens to Us.” A separate panel conversation around New Day Film’s history and legacy will also take place at the festival.

    Full Frame has curated a selection of short films from the Full Frame vault. The fourteen shorts will, representing each year of the festival, will be screened in three separate programs over the course of the weekend. Vault One features “A Thousand Words,” “Caretaker for the Lord,” “For a Miracle,” and “Salt.” Vault Two features “Picture Day,” “Crow Film,” “The Intimacy of Strangers,” and “Lost Book Found.” Vault Three features “Metacarpus,” “Bitter and Sweet,” “A Love Supreme,” “Seltzer Works,” “Breadmakers,” and “Leche.”  Directors and festival years are included below.

    The 2012 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be held April 12-15, in Durham, N.C.

    2012 Garrett Scott Documentary Development Grant

    Barge (Director: Ben Powell)
    This film examines the impact of one of America’s great rivers, documenting the next chapter of life on the Mississippi. Fascinating riverboat workers—notorious captains and seasoned first mates—expose both the decidedly colorful and highly specialized aspects of their profession.

    Let the Fire Burn (Director: Jason Osder)
    In 1985, police closed in on the Philadelphia row home headquarters of MOVE, a radical group some considered terrorists. Through archival footage, this film reveals a remarkable example of how intolerance, and incompetence, can lead to unthinkable acts of violence.



    2012 SDF: In-the-Works

    Café Sense (Directors: D.L. Anderson, Brooke Shuman)
    In the last few decades, specialty roasting companies have tried to make the connection between the small farms that grow the plant to what we find at gas stations and in whipped drinks. Durham’s Counter Culture Coffee hosts a weekly tasting where drinkers learn to distinguish the flavors associated with different countries.

    Can’t Stop the Water (Directors: Rebecca Marshall Ferris, Jason Ferris)
    Over the last fifty years, Isle de Jean Charles has been gradually shrinking, and is now almost gone. Four months into filming the lives of the families that call this place home, one of the greatest environmental disasters in history left the people of this tiny island in south Louisiana with an even more uncertain future.

    untitled LUCY film (Director: Elisabeth Haviland James)
    Lucy Daniels believes a family secret radically impacted the trajectory of her life. Despite early promise, she endured brutal treatment in mental institutions only to pen a bestseller and win a Guggenheim fellowship, all before the age of twenty-two. Re-creations, animated dream sequences, and intimate interviews tell her story.



    40th Anniversary of New Day Films

    Anything I Want to Be (Director: Liane Brandon)
    A teenager’s parents tell her time and again that she can grow up to be anything she wants to be. Through playful, yet troubling, reenactments, “anything” is discovered to be what exists within the realm of certain limitations.

    Betty Tells Her Story (Director: Liane Brandon)
    A woman sits in a chair before the camera. At the urging of the filmmaker, she describes a past event. She finishes her story, but then the filmmaker asks her to recount it. The distinctions between the first and second telling are restrained yet perceptible, raising ideas about femininity and self-worth.

    Growing Up Female (Directors: Jim Klein, Julia Reichert)
    This documentary captures six women, from ages four to twenty-six, as they experience coming of age in America. Touchingly revelatory, this pioneering feminist film acknowledges the countless pressures applied to young women and the many forms these influences can take.

    It Happens to Us (Director: Amalie R. Rothschild)
    Women of different ages, races, and economic backgrounds boldly speak to having had an abortion. This diverse collection of stories articulate and connect the viewer to powerful, sometimes graphic, recollections of the physical and emotional experience.



    2012 Vault

    Bitter and Sweet (Director: Johanna Lee) – 2001 Festival
    Witness a day at an acupuncture shop in New York’s Chinatown, with Mom, Pop, and the family cat. A delightful, affectionate portrait of both a business and a marriage.

    Breadmakers (Director: Yasmin Fedda) – 008 Festival
    At the Garvald Bakery, a team of workers with mental disabilities prepare bread for all of Edinburgh. The participants, each in their own way, contribute to the rhythm of this choreographed effort.

    Caretaker for the Lord (Director: Jane McAllister) – 2011 Festival
    The maintenance man of a church in Glasgow’s East End muses about its future as he mops the floors and changes the light bulbs. The run-down church ministers to more members of its vulnerable community than those in charge realize.

    Crow Film (Director: Edward P. Davee) – 2003 Festival
    Ubiquitous and much-maligned crows are transformed into stately, mysterious objects of beauty. This film captures the intricate rhythms and textures of the birds flying and pecking their way through their world and ours.

    For a Miracle (Po Cud) (Director: Jarek Sztandera) – 2005 Festival
    This astonishing film of the national pilgrimage of disabled people and their caregivers from Poland to Lourdes by train—under the auspices of Catholic clergy—is a surreal passage that inspires faith and mercy, anxiety and despair.

    The Intimacy of Strangers (Director: Eva Weber) – 2006 Festival
    Cellphone conversations have the ability to collapse the distinctions between public and private space. Capturing intimate moments obliviously performed for strangers, this film is a love story of the modern age, transmitted for all to hear.

    Leche (Director: Naomi Uman) – 1999 Festival
    A dreamlike evocation of a dairy farm in Mexico through a textured film surface—the filmmaker develops her film in buckets. A document of a timeless place and the magic of crafting things by hand.

    Lost Book Found (Director: Jem Cohen) – 1998 Festival
    This film updates the venerable city symphony, but without the genre’s grandiose claims. Instead, this is more of a chamber piece; it starts as a personal documentary but then shifts from the private to the enigmatic.

    A Love Supreme (Director: Nilesh Patel) – 2002 Festival
    In this stunning and elegant tribute, Nilesh Patel pays homage to his aging mother as he captures the beauty and artistry of her life’s work: making samosas. A delicacy.

    Metacarpus (Director: Nicole Triche) – 2007 Festival
    Magicians, musicians, doctors, and others sing the praises of their hands. A collage of insight and image portrays this special limb’s beauty and diverse utility, its development and distinctive form.

    Picture Day (Director: Steven Bognar) – 2000 Festival
    One school. 601 kids. 12 frames per kid. What do you get? This playful, funny parade of images reveals the range of possibilities contained in half a second’s worth of pictures.

    Salt (Directors: Michael Angus, Murray Fredericks) – 2009 Festival
    Every year a photographer ventures to the middle of Lake Eyre, a desolate salt flat in South Australia, pitching camp at its very core. With neither land nor water in sight, he looks into the abyss and finds that, in the midst of nothingness, there is everything.

    Seltzer Works (Director: Jessica Edwards) – 2010 Festival
    Regular consumers are a rare breed but the dedicated owner of Gomberg Seltzer Works in Brooklyn takes great pride in his work and the details involved in creating the real throat-tingling spritz.

    A Thousand Words (Director: Melba L. Williams) – 2004 Festival
    Williams’s lack of communication with her father, especially after a stroke silences his memories, leads her to explore his enthralling home movie footage and accomplished still photos from the Vietnam War, which speak of a fettered artistic soul.

     

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  • Benoît Jacquot’s Farewell, My Queen Starring Diane Kruger as Queen Marie Antoinette to Open 2012 San Francisco International Film Festival

    The 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3) will open with Farewell, My Queen (Dans les adieux à la reine, France 2012), Described as Benoît Jacquot’s extraordinarily atmospheric historical drama about the turmoil at Versailles in the early days of the French revolution, starring Diane Kruger as Queen Marie Antoinette and Léa Seydoux as her reader.

    Sumptuous and intimate, Benoît Jacquot’s portrayal of court life at Versailles during four crucial days in July 1789 observes at close range the social decay that brought down the monarchy. In this adaptation of Chantal Thomas’s novel, a servant — the queen’s reader and sometime confidante, Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux) — navigates the quietly mounting atmosphere of confusion, denial and panic among the royal family and their cohort following news of the storming of the Bastille. For the tacit but not timid Sidonie, dogged at all times by Jacquot’s camera, the palace’s seemingly endless hallways all lead to one room, the chamber of Marie Antoinette, to whom she is devoted and by whom she is mesmerized. Diane Kruger plays the monarch in a state of charged vulnerability, having lost her head over the otherwise much-despised Gabrielle De Polignac (Virginie Ledoyen); compared to that thrall, the revolution is as nothing to her. She transfers this frisson to Sidonie. Meanwhile, the aristocrats, sycophants and pretenders ensconced at Versailles read the writing on its walls and begin to take their leave. Thus, regime change begins at home.

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  • Sarasota Film Festival Releases the Full Lineup of Films for 2012

    [caption id="attachment_2615" align="alignnone" width="550"] Festival Centerpiece – DARK HORSE[/caption]

    The Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) officially announced their complete 2012 Festival program today, featuring over 230 films from 30 nations. The Sarasota Film Festival kicks off on April 13th with the previously announced ROBOT & FRANK on Opening Night, with Todd Solondz’s DARK HORSE serving as the Festival Centerpiece and Joe Berlinger’s UNDER AFRICAN SKIES serving as the festival’s closer.

    The Narrative Feature Competition

    [caption id="attachment_2616" align="alignnone" width="550"]11 Flowers[/caption]
    11 FLOWERS, Director: Wang Xiaoshuai
    ALPS, Director: Giorgos Lanthimos
    ARCADIA, Director: Olivia Silver – US Premiere
    COMPLIANCE, Director: Craig Zobel
    ELENA, Director: Andrei Zvyagintsev
    FRANCINE, Director: Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatsky
    GOODBYE FIRST LOVE, Director: Mia Hanse-Løve
    THE LONELIEST PLANET, Director: Julia Loktev

    The Narrative Feature Jury
    John Anderson, Chairman, New York Film Critics Circle
    Steven Gaydos, Executive Editor VARIETY
    Karina Longworth – Film Critic, LA Weekly

    The Documentary Feature Competition
    THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA, Director: Don Argott, Sheena M. Joyce.
    BIG BOYS GONE BANANAS!, Director: Fredrik Gertten

    [caption id="attachment_2337" align="alignnone"]CHASING ICE[/caption]

    CHASING ICE, Director: Jeff Orlowski
    DETROPIA, Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
    FIRST POSITION, Director: Bess Kargman
    JUSTICE FOR SALE, Directors: Femke van Velzen, Ilsa van Velzen
    THE PATRON SAINTS, Director: Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatsky
    RADIO UNNAMEABLE, Director: Paul Lovelace, Jessica Wolfson


    Documentary Feature Jury
    Joe Neumaier- The NY Daily News
    Thelma Adams, Yahoo!
    Clemence Taillandier, Zeitgeist Films

    The Independent Visions Competition
    EMPIRE BUILDER, Director: Kris Swanberg -World Premiere
    LEAVE ME LIKE YOU FOUND ME, Director Adele Romanski
    GAYBY, Director Jonathan Lisecki
    IN OUR NATURE, Director Brian Savelson
    RICHARD’S WEDDING, Director Onur Tukel -World Premiere
    SEE GIRL RUN, Director Nate Meyer
    SUN DON’T SHINE, Director Amy Seimetz
    THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT, Director Dan Sallitt -World Premiere

    [caption id="attachment_2318" align="alignnone"]WELCOME TO PINE HILL[/caption]
    WELCOME TO PINE HILL, Director Keith Miller

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  • Arizona Premiere of Robot & Frank as Opening Night film at 2012 Phoenix Film Festival

    Robot & Frank will have its Arizona Premiere on March 29 as this year’s Opening Night film at the 12th Annual Phoenix Film Festival.  On opening night Bob Oldfather, the founder of Bookman’s Entertainment Exchange, and Macerich, the owners, operators, and developers of over 65 diverse retail properties including the home of the Phoenix Film Festival, Scottsdale 101 will be presented with the festival’s annual Visionary Award.  Both are being honored for their continued community service and their support of film in Arizona.

    Set sometime in the future, Robot & Frank is a delightful dramatic comedy, a buddy picture, and, for good measure, a heist film. Curmudgeonly old Frank lives by himself. His routine involves daily visits to his local library, where he has a twinkle in his eye for the librarian. His grown children are concerned about their father’s well-being and buy him a caretaker robot. Initially resistant to the idea, Frank soon appreciates the benefits of robotic support—like nutritious meals and a clean house—and eventually begins to treat his robot like a true companion. With his robot’s assistance, Frank’s passion for his old, unlawful profession is reignited, for better or worse. Frank Langella makes acting—and acting with a robot, no less—look effortless, and his relationship with the machine is filled with poignant exchanges and amusing adventures. First-time director Jake Schreier creates a lush world with futuristic flourishes and tells a beautiful story about family and the implications of humankind’s ever-changing relationship with technology.  Schreier will be on hand to introduce the film and also participate in a post screening Q&A session.

    The 12th Annual Phoenix Film Festival kicks off with the Premiere event and will screen over 100 short and feature films from all over the world before concludes on April 5th.  The Festival will be held once again at Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theaters located at 7000 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85054.

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  • Inaugural Sundance London film and music festival Special Events and panels Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_2612" align="alignnone" width="550"]HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World, Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales[/caption]

    The inaugural Sundance London film and music festival released the program of the Special Events and panels that will take place at the festival from April 26-29 , 2012, at The O2.

    Among the Special Events announced are: ‘Rufus and Martha Wainwright sing Kate McGarrigle,’ an intimate performance by Rufus and Martha Wainwright following the world premiere of Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle, Lian Lunson’s film about the music of their mother, folk singer Kate McGarrigle; The debut theatrical screening of Coming Up For Air, a documentary about Placebo, which will be followed by an extended Q&A with the band and filmmaker Charlie Targett-Adams; Robert Redford will introduce a screening of Harmony, a documentary about the three decades of work by HRH The Prince of Wales to combat climate change and the global environmental crisis, which will be followed by an extended Q&A; the 25th anniversary screening of River’s Edge, which first premiered at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival; and multiple panels on the creative process of independent filmmaking, reflecting the year-round work of Sundance Institute.


    SPECIAL EVENTS
    Coming Up For Air / UK (Director: Charlie Targett-Adams) — This candid and intrusive film follows Placebo through different continents and cultures with footage compiled from many of the countries, shows and travels which the band undertook throughout the Battle For The Sun tour campaign 2009-2011. This Worldwide Theatrical Premiere screening will include an extended Q&A with the band and filmmaker Charlie Targett-Adams. It will be immediately followed by Placebo in concert.

    HARMONY: A New Way of Looking at Our World, Inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales / U.S.A. (Directors: Stuart Sender, Julie Bergman Sender) — For more than three decades, The Prince of Wales has worked side by side with a surprising and dynamic array of environmental activists, government and business leaders, artists, architects and visionaries. HARMONY tells the story of how they are working to transform the world, address the global environmental and economic crisis and find ways toward a more sustainable, spiritual and harmonious relationship with the planet.  HARMONY is narrated by HRH The Prince of Wales and produced and directed by a team of filmmakers with Academy Award and Directors Guild nominations to their credit. Introduced by Robert Redford, this screening will be followed by an extended Q&A with the filmmakers and Tony Juniper and Ian Skelly, authors of the book that inspired the film. They will discuss the making of the film and the environmental issues it addresses.

    River’s Edge / USA (Director: Tim Hunter, Screenwriter: Neal Jiminez) — A high school slacker kills his girlfriend and shows off her dead body to friends. Their reaction is almost as ambiguous and perplexing as the crime itself. Cast: Crispin Glover, Daniel Roebuck, Dennis Hopper, Ione Skye Leitch, Joshua Miller, Keanu Reeves. The film celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, after premiering at the 1987 Sundance Film Festival. This screening is made possible by MGMHD. Screening followed by Q&A with actor Crispin Glover.

    Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You ~ A Concert for Kate McGarrigle / USA, Canada (Director: Lian Lunson) — In May 2011 family and friends gathered together at the Town Hall Theater in New York City to pay tribute to the late, great singer, songwriter Kate McGarrigle. This documentary is part concert, and partly an intimate look at a family coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. The screening will be followed by an intimate performance of their mother’s work by Rufus and Martha Wainwright. World Premiere

    PANELS
    DOCUMENTARY FLASH LAB

    This two hour immersion, fresh from Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, will cut right to the edge of the new global documentary movement. Like Sundance’s signature Labs in Utah, leading doc artists from the US and beyond will challenge, inspire and present on all things non-fiction. Expect special guests, special treatment and special clips. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to co-create a trans-Atlantic doc community. Make a day of it and see the latest doc premieres.

    Hear from leading American filmmakers Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles), Eugene Jarecki (The House I Live In) and Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Ice). Then join innovators Jess Search (CEO, Channel Four BritDoc Foundation) and other special guests as they dive into cutting edge funding and distribution possibilities. Come as you are, and leave with something more.

    This Flash Lab will be hosted by Cara Mertes, Director Sundance Institute Documentary Program and Fund.

    FILM MUSIC FROM THE COMPOSER’S POINT OF VIEW: An Afternoon with Harry Gregson-Williams

    Peter Golub, Director of the Sundance Institute Film Music Program, will lead us on a journey exploring the creative evolution of one of the most successful and prolific film composers working today. Join world renowned composer Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek, The Chronicles of Narnia, Kingdom of Heaven, Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason, Team America, Life in a Day and so many others) as he shares his process from that first spark of musical conception through to its culmination in the final delivery of a film score.

    Experience a live demonstration by electric violinist Hugh Marsh and a not-to-be-missed discussion with members of the Abby Road team. Participants will examine scenes from The Chronicles of Narnia, Veronica Guerin, Unstoppable, and Gone Baby Gone and learn how the music for each of these films was conceived and realized and ultimately discover first hand how music shapes and enhances the lifeblood of a film and the experience of the viewer.
    This panel is co-presented with BAFTA.

    THINKING INDEPENDENTLY – UK versus US
    Independent film has become synonymous with original storytelling and a breed of cinema that comes from courage and personal vision. For over 30 years Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival have supported emerging filmmakers from around the world. At the same time Britain has a long history of being a leader in cinematic innovation and has launched some of the most exciting talent working today. In this panel we will hear from filmmakers from both sides of the pond as US filmmakers face off  with counterparts from the UK. How are we alike and how are we different?

    John Cooper (Director, Sundance Film Festival) and Clare Stewart (BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director BFI London Film Festival) will be team captains. Representing the US will be visiting filmmakers Josh Radnor (Liberal Arts), So Young Kim (For Ellen) and Ry Russo-Young (Nobody Walks) and from the UK will be local indie heroes James Marsh (Shadow Dancer, Project Nim, Man on Wire), Gurinder Chada (Bend it Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice) and other panelist to be announced.
    This panel is co-presented with BFI.



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  • Kenneth Branagh to be honored with Founder’s Directing Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival

    Kenneth Branagh will be the recipient of the Founder’s Directing Award at the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 19 – May 3).

    “We are thrilled to honor Kenneth Branagh for his remarkable directorial achievements and multifaceted career at this year’s Festival,” said Melanie Blum, the San Francisco Film Society’s interim executive director.

    Branagh is currently receiving a lot of attention for last year’s Academy Award-nominated performance as Sir Laurence Olivier in My Week with Marilyn, a role based on the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) during a film production. This marks Branagh’s fifth career Academy Award nomination, making him the first person to receive five nominations in five separate categories (Actor, Supporting Actor, Director, Screenplay and Live Action Short). Also in 2011 Branagh released the Marvel action adventure Thor, which he directed.

    The Founder’s Directing Award is presented each year to a master of world cinema and is given in memory of Irving M. Levin, visionary founder of the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1957. It is made possible by Fred M. Levin and Nancy Livingston. The award was first bestowed in 1986 on iconic filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, and for many years carried his name.

    The award has brought many of the world’s most visionary directors to the San Francisco International Film festival over the years. Previous recipients are Oliver Stone, USA; Walter Salles, Brazil; Francis Ford Coppola, USA; Mike Leigh, England; Spike Lee, USA; Werner Herzog, Germany; Taylor Hackford, USA; Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia/USA; Robert Altman, USA; Warren Beatty, USA; Clint Eastwood, USA; Abbas Kiarostami, Iran; Arturo Ripstein, Mexico; Im Kwon-Taek, Korea; Francesco Rosi, Italy; Arthur Penn, USA; Stanley Donen, USA; Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal; Ousmane Sembène, Senegal; Satyajit Ray, India; Marcel Carné, France; Jirí Menzel, Czechoslovakia; Joseph L. Mankiewicz, USA; Robert Bresson, France; Michael Powell, England; and Akira Kurosawa, Japan.

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  • Sundance Winner Fishing Without Nets and 7 Other Short Films Headed to 2012 Sundance London

    [caption id="attachment_2309" align="alignnone"]FISHING WITHOUT NETS[/caption]

    Eight short films will screen at the inaugural Sundance London festival, taking place at The O2 in London from April 26-29. These films screened in January at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

    SHORT FILM PROGRAMME IN DETAIL
    The Arm / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis) — In an attempt to keep up with social pressure in a technologically advanced world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve, a girl he meets at a yogurt shop. Winner of the Special Jury Award for Comedic Storytelling at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. 9 minutes

    Dol (First Birthday) / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Ahn) — A gay Korean American man yearns for a family life just out of reach. 11 minutes

    Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared / United Kingdom (Directors: Joseph Pelling, Rebecca Sloan) — A short film about teaching creativity by This Is It Collective. 3 minutes

    FISHING WITHOUT NETS / U.S.A. (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey) — A story of pirates in Somalia, told from the perspective of the pirates themselves. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. 17 minutes

    The Return (Kthimi) / Kosovo (Director: Blerta Zeqiri, Screenwriter: Shefqet Gjocaj) — A man comes back from a Serb prison to his wife and son. Much has changed since he was declared missing and continuing where they left off four years ago may not be as easy as it seems. Winner of the Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. 21 minutes

    Robots of Brixton / United Kingdom (Director: Kibwe Tavares) — The trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment. Winner of the Special Jury Award for Animation Direction at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. 6 minutes

    Song of the Spindle / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Drew Christie) — An animated, humorous and informative conversation between a sperm whale and a man. Each one tries to convince the other that his brain is bigger. 4 minutes

    Tooty’s Wedding / United Kingdom (Director: Frederic Casella, Screenwriters: Laura Solon, Ben Willbond) — A young couple’s marriage hilariously hits the rocks during a weekend wedding in the country. 19 minutes

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  • First American Documentary Film Festival Set For Palm Springs, California, Opens on March 29

    [caption id="attachment_2595" align="alignnone" width="550"]Oliver Stone’s controversial 2003 documentary Comandante to screen on opening night[/caption]

    The first annual American Documentary Film Festival is set to open in Palm Springs, CA, on March 29, 2012. The event, which runs through April 5th at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, will include more than fifty screenings of documentary films, plus a variety of film seminars and filmmaker Q&As. Festivities begin Thursday evening, March 29th with a very special Opening Night Reception and Tribute, honoring legendary filmmaker Oliver Stone.

    “Oliver will receive our highest honor – the ‘Filmmaker Who Makes A Difference Award’,” says Ted Grouya, Festival Director. “His grit and determination as an American film director, producer and screenwriter have resulted in films that have raised awareness and inspired change. Oliver has single handedly redefined the way we look at film.”

    Following the reception and tribute, Stone’s controversial 2003 documentary, Comandante, will be screened. The documentary, which details Stone’s first journey to Cuba to interview Fidel Castro, was screened extensively in other countries, but was rarely screened in the United States because it was considered too ‘sympathetic’ to the Castro regime.

    The American Documentary Film Festival, which is being presented by the Palm Springs Cultural Center, has long been a dream of Grouya’s. “As a filmmaker, and a fan of the documentary art form, I had been working to create a festival focusing on documentaries for a number of years. The opportunity to partner with Ric and Rozene Supple and their Palm Springs Cultural Center was the catalyst I needed to make the American Documentary Film Festival a reality.”

    Screenings for the American Documentary Film Festival run daily, at 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm. Most screenings feature multiple documentaries that have been packaged together, both because they focus on similar subject matter, and so that the overall run times are similar. Q&As with the filmmakers follow screenings and are included in ticket prices.

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