Film Festivals

Fallbrook International Film Festival to Now Include Action Films

The Fallbrook International Film Festival has added what they describe as a “new and exciting” category to their 2013 festival: Action! The festival is welcoming filmmakers everywhere to submit their best action packed films for a chance to be featured in this category.

This new category was added not only because of the festival’s expansion, but also because of the action/stunt community’s past involvement. Both Director David Ellis, who is known from everything from his stunts in Scarface and his Second Unit Directing in Master and Commander along with legendary stunt Director Dick Ziker, whose work can be seen in films such as Die Hard and Second Unit Directing in Charlie’s Angels, have both been honored at the festival. Rich Minga, who sits on the Board of Directors, is also an acclaimed stuntman and can be seen in everything from Miami Vice to 2 Fast 2 Furious.

The festival welcomes filmmakers’ submissions, with the late deadline extending through November. The next festival will again be hosted at the UltraStar Cinemas in Bonsall, California April 5, 6, & 7, 2013.

image via FaceBook.
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Toronto International Film Festival Expresses Deep Concern For Missing Syrian Filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia

The Toronto International Film Festival issued a press release earlier this week expressing deep concern for independent filmmaker and producer Orwa Nyrabia who was reportedly arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport and has not been seen since. It is believed that he was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services

The release …

The Toronto International Film Festival® today expressed its deep concern in response to the recent arrest of Orwa Nyrabia, the director of Dox Box, the acclaimed international documentary film festival in Damascus. Nyrabia was arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport, as he was on his way to Cairo. He was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services. There has been no news of him since.

An independent filmmaker and producer, Nyrabia has produced films in Syria, most notably for the French-German television channel, Arté. He has also served on the jury of the Amsterdam, Tehran, Leipzig and Copenhagen documentary film festivals. Along with director Diana el-Jeiroudi, he was awarded the European Documentary Network award for their exceptional contribution to the development of documentary cinema.

After receiving a diploma in the dramatic arts from the High Institute for Theater in Damascus (1999), Nyrabia was first assistant to Oussama Mohammad on the award winning feature, Sacrifices (2002) and was cast in the male lead in Yousry Nasrallah’s Gate of the Sun (2004). He was working with veteran documentary director Omar Amiralay on his new feature documentary before Amiralay untimely passing in 2011.

Nyrabia belongs to the emerging generation of Syrian filmmakers passionate about world cinema and passionate about freedom. We are extremely concerned by his arrest — filmmakers must be allowed to express themselves through their films, without fear of reprisal.
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LA INDIE Film Festival to Launch on Friday September 7

[caption id="attachment_2847" align="alignnone" width="642"]Face 2 Face[/caption]

The LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL kicks off on Friday September 7 and runs through September 13, 2012, at the LOS FELIZ 3 CINEMA (1822 N.Vermont Ave.) in Los Angeles, California. The LA INDIE Film Festival is the partner festival of the well-established LA Comedy Festival.

The Documentaries screening at the festival include the West Coast Premiere of BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL, an intimate look at the rise, fall, and rise again of one of the world’s most recognized and controversial sex symbols. With her razor sharp wit and Tennessee twang Page emerges from decades of seclusion to reveal her secret past.

The LA premiere of THE DEVIL AND THE DEATH PENALTY chronicles the current dysfunction within the California death penalty process by examining the case of Lawrence Bittaker, a convicted serial rapist and murderer who has been on San Quentin’s Death Row since 1981.

How can you have 5,000 friends on Facebook, and still feel alone? is the provocative question posed by FACE 2 FACE, a feature-length documentary that follows the 11,000-mile cross-country adventure of award-winning filmmaker, Katherine Brooks, as she travels the country journeying into the homes and lives of 50 strangers that are her facebook friends.

Rounding out the documentaries are MY WAY following the antics of the all girl band, The Rebekah Starr Band, as they travel cross country on their way to seeking fame in Hollywood. FREE CHINA: THE COURAGE TO BELIEVE examines human rights in China through the eyes of a Communist Party member and a Chinese American businessman who are persecuted for their spiritual beliefs. And WHO BOMBED JUDY BARI? focuses on the car bombing in May 1990 and its aftermath of Earth First Activists, Judy Bari and Darryl Cheney. The FBI arrested them for bombing themselves. Seven years later, dying of cancer after having survived the bombing, Bari gives her deathbed deposition in a lawsuit against the authorities and as she testifies, the movie flashes back to the colorful actions and antics of Earth First! she depicts. “…The kind of plot worthy of a Hollywood headliner… distinctly American, and distinctly compelling.”–Washington Life Magazine

Among the features is a stellar production of THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH making its US premiere. Amazon UK declares it “a fantastic version.” JUAN IN A MILLION, from Chile, follows a young man when he wakes up on December 17th, 2012 to find the entire city of Santiago empty, why was he left behind? BOOSTER makes its LA premiere after successful screenings and winning the Jury prize for performance at SXSW. It is a crime story focused on the loyalty between brothers featuring a terrific cast headed by Seymour Cassell.

Ireland brings us, COME ON EILEEN, in its West Coast Premiere, follows one summer, mother and ex dancer, Eileen, relapses into alcoholism as she starts a new relationship. We watch as she and her family combust. From the UK, based on the true British rock and roll hoax of 2004, the comedy VINYL tells how washed-up rocker Johnny Jones hoodwinks top record labels, radio DJs and the entire rock music world by releasing his new punk rock single under a fictitious teenage band’s name…now he just needs to recruit a rowdy group of kids and teach them true punk rock spirit!

There are also eleven short program blocks featuring a wide range of genres and styles of filmmaking. In the mix are many premiering and multi-award winning films. Fresh from Comic Con is the multi-racial Western 6GUN and by way of Cannes comes the Russian short, FOREVER AFTER, about a mysterious alien phenomenon.

There are such incredible gems in this lineup, like THE PARACHUTE BALL set during World War II on a secluded farm in Kent, two elderly ladies are unexpectedly called to duty one night when they discover an unconscious German pilot hanging from his parachute in their tree. CROQUEMBOUCHE focuses on a couple hosting a private dinner for four in the early 50’s. One of the guests turns out to be a woman the hostess had an affair with during the Second World War. LIFE ACCORDING TO PENNY, follows a teenage girl that has less than twenty-four hours to free herself and a mentally challenged friend from the Girls’ Home where they are held captive by a sadistic psychiatrist. Penny must draw on all her faith, wits, and courage to bring down a giant and risk everything for one last chance at freedom. THE DARKNESS IS CLOSE BEHIND continues the theme of the teenager in peril, where a teenage boy anxiously watches over his meth cook father and his little brother – but his vigilance is wearing thin.

Not to be missed is the comedy thriller WE THINK NATE TORRENCE IS DEAD. By using only video footage retrieved from an abandoned cell phone, this 23 minute short film chronicles the last 24 hours of actor Nate Torrence before his disappearance in rural Colorado. It leaves the audience assuming only one possible outcome… we think Nate Torrence is dead. And delight in the Australian Production Designers Award winning animated short film, THE CARTOGRAPHER which will suck you into a beautiful world of mystery and intrigue. There are over 70 other dramatic, scary, thrilling short films. Each block is programmed carefully to offer a wide span of storytelling styles. And of course comedies are screened throughout!

LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL runs every night from September 7-13.

via LA Indie Film Festival
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San Francisco International Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

The San Francisco Film Society announced the dates for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival scheduled for April 25 – May 9, 2013. The festival is now also accepting submissions from filmmakers.

Deadlines:
* Early deadline Tuesday, October 9
* Regular deadline Monday, November 5
* Final deadline for short films Monday, December 3
* Final deadline for features Monday, December 10
Interesting fact, founded in 1957, San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas.

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Documentary Films Screening in Competition at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and Silverdocs Documentary Festival now qualify for The Producers Guild of America Awards

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival have been chosen by The Producers Guild of America as qualifying events for the annual awards.

To determine award nomination eligibility for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, a documentary is eligible for awards consideration if it satisfies one of the exhibition methods stated by the PGA. Starting this year, a theatrically released documentary that was “in competition” can now be nominated if it screened at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs and South By Southwest. Other exhibition methods include completing a seven day commercial run in a theater located in a PGA sanctioned market or if the documentary premieres on national television.

Full Frame, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, and South By Southwest join an impressive festival list which has traditionally included AFI Fest, Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Festival International Du Film, Los Angeles Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival.

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Mark Cousins’ The Story of Film: An Odyssey to open 6th Buffalo International Film Festival

The first three episodes of Mark Cousins’ The Story of Film: An Odyssey have been selected as the Opening Night Presentation of the 6th Annual Buffalo International Film Festival on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 7PM in The Screening Room, 3131 Sheridan, Amherst, NY.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an epic, 15-part history of the motion picture as it developed all over the world. Opening Night at BIFF 2012 will present the first three episodes in a single evening with intermissions and special refreshments:

1] Birth Of Cinema (1895-1920)

This opening of The Story of Film: An Odyssey shows the birth of a great new art form, the movies. Filmed in the very buildings where the first movies were made, it shows that ideas and passion have always driven film, more than money and marketing. We hear the story of the very first movie stars, close-ups and special effects and then we travel to Hollywood to see how it became a myth. The story is full of surprises, such as the fact that the greatest, and best, paid writers in these early years were women. And then there’s the glamour: the building of the great movie cathedrals.

2] The Hollywood Dream (1920s)

The movies in the roaring 20s. We see how Hollywood became a glittering entertainment industry and how star directors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton emerged. But the gloss and fantasy was challenged by movie makers like Robert Flaherty, Eric Von Stroheim and Carl Theodor Dreyer, who wanted films to be more serious and mature. Filmed in Hollywood, Denmark and Moscow, this part looks at the battle over the soul of cinema and some of the greatest movies ever made.

3] Expressionism, Impressionism, Surrealism (1920s)

The 1920s were a golden age for world cinema. In this part, we visit Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai and Tokyo to discover the places where movie makers were pushing the boundaries of the medium. German Expressionism, Soviet montage, French impressionism and surrealism were passionate new film movements, but less well known are the glories of Chinese and Japanese films and the moving story of one of the great, now forgotten, movie stars: Ruan Lingyu.

The Buffalo International Film Festival runs this year from September 14 (a special theater screening tie-in with Buffalo Curtain-Up!, September 21, 22, September 27-30, 2012. Tickets are available in advance through Eventbrite.com. Early purchases are discounted.

[via press release]
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Venezuelan film The Rumble of the Stones is Big Winner at HBO NY International Latino Film Festival

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The films Under My Nails took the top US film prize, and the Venezuelan film The Rumble of the Stones took the top international prize as well as best director prize for Alejandro Bellame Palacios at the 2012 HBO® New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF). The festival presented its 2012 awards at a ceremony on Sunday, August 19, in the categories of Best Domestic Feature, Best International Feature, Best Director, Best Documentary and Best Short.

“This year’s festival line up was outstanding in its quality and range of diversity,” said Calixto Chinchilla, NYILFF Founder and Co-Executive Director. “We hope to continue to bring the highest quality films and stories to the New York community.”

2012 NYILFF WINNERS

BEST SHORT: “PESCADORA“

20 Min. – PERU & USA

Directors: Daniel Enrique García and Ahna Terpstra

Dora has always dreamed of becoming a fisherman like her father. However, everyone in her Peruvian fishing village wants her to marry instead. Presented by Avid. Winner receives a Media Composer 6.

BEST DOMESTIC FEATURE: “UNDER MY NAILS“

NY Premiere/100 Min.

Director: Arí Maniel Cruz; Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos; Producers: Martín Arias, Arí Maniel Cruz, Kisha Tikina Burgos, Enrique Julia, Bobby De Jesús, Andrei Nemcik.

Cast: Marilú Acosta, Maite Bonilla, Kisha Tikina Burgos, Iván Camilo, Dolores Pedro.

Solimar, a Puerto Rican woman who works in a nail salon, becomes intrigued by the violent sexual practices of her new neighbors, Roberto and Perpetuel. When Perpetuel returns home to the DR, Solimar goes from voyeur to participant in Roberto’s games of sex and power. Presented by HBO®. Winner receives $5,000 cash award.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE: “EL RUMOR DE LAS PIEDRAS” (The Rumble of the Stones)

New York Premiere/Venezuela/ 100 Min.

Director/Producer: Alejandro Bellame Palacios

Writers: Alejandro Bellame Palacios & Valentina Saa

Cast: Alberto Alifa, Veronica Arellano, Aminta de Lara, Rossana Fernandez, Ariette Torres

Single mother Delia struggles to raise her sons, William and Santiago, in a shantytown of Caracas, but it seems that everyday they slip farther away from her and closer to a life of crime and delinquency. Presented by El Diario-La Prensa. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

BEST DIRECTOR: ALEJANDRO BELLAME PALACIOS for “EL RUMOR DE LAS PIEDRAS“

Best Director Award Presented by Tribeca Film Institute and Heineken Voces. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

BEST DOCUMENTARY: “EL MÉDICO: THE CUBATÓN STORY“

New York Premiere/Cuba, Sweden/85 Minutes

Director: Daniel Fridell

Producers: Thomas Allercrantz, Daniel Fridell, Ingemar Johansson, Adel Kjellström, Margus Öunapuu, Petri Rossi

High up in the Sierra Maestra mountains, where Castro’s revolution began, “El Médico,” a doctor and musician, serves the cause. When a Swedish music producer sees “El Médico” as the next big thing, Communist ideals collide with capitalist dreams, with the magic and beauty of Cuba and her music as backdrop. Presented by HBO®. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

HBO®/ NYILFF SHORT FILM COMPETITION WINNER: “THE ACTING LESSON” by Carmen Peláez

Written by: Carmen Peláez

Directors: Carmen Peláez and Nicolas Calzada

Cast: Brigitte Khali and Wanda Arriaga

“The Acting Lesson,” an original screenplay by Carmen Peláez, was chosen as the 2012 winner of the HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition. The screenplay tells the story of Emily, a rising starlet who interviews her director’s maid Pepa, claiming that she is doing research for her next big movie role. But when the questions get personal, Pepa is forced to delve deep into her own history, erasing the line between telenovela and real life.

In addition to receiving the $15,000 grand prize, an HBO creative executive will serve as a mentor to Peláez and consult during the production of the winning script to film. The short, which is being shot in the Miami area and co-directed by Peláez and Nicholas Calzada, was exhibited during screenings at the New York International Latino Film Festival, August 13-19, in New York City.

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More Film Announced for 2012 Fantastic Fest

[caption id="attachment_2830" align="alignnone" width="680"]THE ABCs OF DEATH [/caption]

Sci-fi action film Looper and supernatural horror Sinister, are two of the films on the lineup for this year’s Fantastic Fest. The lineup also includes the world premieres of The American Scream, from the filmmaking team behind Best Worst Movie and Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning introduced by stars Scott Adkins and Dolph Lundgren.

Fantastic Fest, which describes itself as “the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world” will take place September 20-27 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

See below for the second wave lineup of films at this year’s festival.

THE ABCs OF DEATH (2012) US Premiere with multiple directors in person Director – Various, 110 min Twenty-six directors. Twenty-six ways to die. Co-produced by Drafthouse Films, and finally ready to be unleashed—see what happens when you give more than two dozen of the most brilliant filmmakers from around the world free reign to indulge their creative impulses and black humor. From A to Z, it’s got something for every genre fan and is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

THE AMERICAN SCREAM (2012) World Premiere with director Michael Paul Stephenson and stars Manny Souza and Victor Bariteau in person Director – Michael Paul Stephenson, 81min In a small Massachusetts community, three Halloween-obsessed households transform into neighbor-terrifying supernatural wonderlands in this surprisingly touching documentary from the director of BEST WORST MOVIE.

COLD BLOODED (2012) Regional Premiere with director Jason LaPeyre in person Director – Jason LaPeyre, 86min Things quickly spiral out of control when a policewoman must protect her recently comatose suspect from a violent crime boss who has cornered them in an isolated hospital wing.

COLD STEEL (2011) Texas Premiere Director – David Wu, 107min After 17 years spent directing television series in North America, director David Wu (a longtime collaborator of John Woo) returns to his native China to deliver the heart-pounding World War II epic COLD STEEL.

DOOMSDAY BOOK (2012) Austin Premiere Director – KIM Jee-woon and YIM Pil-sung, 113min Innovative Korean genre directors Kim Ji-Woon (A TALE OF TWO SISTERS, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE WEIRD, I SAW THE DEVIL) and Yim Pil-Sung (HANSEL & GRETEL) turn their imaginations to apocalyptic sci-fi with this three-part omnibus film which outlines three possible ways in which the world goes kaput.

GRACELAND (2012) Texas Premiere with director Ron Morales and producers Theo Brooks and Joshua Sobel in person Director – Ron Morales, 84min When a driver for a powerful congressman picks up his and his boss’s daughter from school, he’s annoyed to find himself being pulled over. But this alleged cop, far from an officer of the law, sets in motion a downward spiral of kidnapping, murder, deceit and deep depravity.

HENGE + THE BIG GUN (2012) US Premiere Director – Hajime OHATA, 106min A double shot from Japanese up-and-comer Hajime Ohata. Blending elements of Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Shinya Tsukamoto with just the right amount of kaiju monster battles, Ohata is quickly building a reputation as one of Japan’s brightest new talents.

HERE COMES THE DEVIL (2012) US Premiere with director Adrian Garcia Bogliano in person Director – Adrian Garcia Bogliano, 97min Fantastic Fest veteran Adrian Garcia Bogliano (COLD SWEAT, PENUMBRA) returns with his latest supernatural horror. When two children who went missing while exploring a cave are found, it quickly becomes apparent something evil has come home with them.

HOLY MOTORS (2012) North American Premiere Director – Leos Carax, 116min While following a day in the life of Mr. Oscar as he attends several appointments, things quickly unravel and spiral out of control, abandoning all sense of logic or sanity. Fans of Carax’s ‘Mierde’ segment of Fantastic Fest 2008 hit TOKYO! will be right back at home.

LOOPER (2012)  Special Screening with director Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in person Director – Rian Johnson, 118 min In the futuristic action thriller LOOPER, time travel will be invented – but it will be illegal and only available on the black market. When the mob wants to get rid of someone, they will send their target 30 years into the past, where a “looper” – a hired gun, like Joe – is waiting to mop up. Joe is getting rich and life is good… until the day the mob decides to “close the loop,” sending back Joe’s future self for assassination. The film, starring Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Emily Blunt, is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Ram Bergman and James D. Stern.

MY AMITYVILLE HORROR (2012) US Premiere Director – Eric Walter, 88min You’ve seen the movie, now hear the story of the Amityville haunting from someone who lived it. Regardless of the source, it’s clear there was darkness in that Long Island house.

NEW KIDS NITRO (2012) US Premiere with cast Huub Smit, Wesley van Gaalen, Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuil Director – Steffen Haars & Flip van der Kuil, 78min In 2011, NEW KIDS TURBO rocked Fantastic Fest audiences with its potent brand of Dutch gross-out humor. Now, Fantastic Fest is proud to present the highly anticipated—and very offensive—sequel: NEW KIDS NITRO.

NO REST FOR THE WICKED (2012) Regional Premiere Director – Enrique Urbizu, 104min A dirty cop who tries to cover up a crime stumbles upon a massive criminal conspiracy. NO REST FOR THE WICKED swept the Spanish Goya awards this year with an electrifying performance by lead actor Jose Coronado.

OUTRAGE BEYOND (2012) US Premiere Director – Takeshi Kitano, 112min As Japanese police launch a full-scale crackdown on organized crime, it ignites a national yakuza struggle between the Sanno of the East and Hanabishi of the West. What started as internal strife in director Takeshi Kitano’s OUTRAGE, has now become a nationwide war in his latest film OUTRAGE BEYOND.

SINISTER (2012) Special Screening with director Scott Derrickson, producer Jason Blum and writer C. Robert Cargill in person Director – Scott Derrickson, 110 min SINISTER is a frightening new thriller about a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: DAY OF RECKONING (2012) World Premiere with Dolph Lundgren and Scott Adkins in person Director – John Hyams, 93 min Surviving Unisols Luc Deveraux and Andrew Scott battle anarchy to build a new order ruled by Unisols without government oversight. To accomplish this, they weed out the weak and constantly test their strongest warriors in brutal, life-and-death combat.

VANISHING WAVES (2012) US Premiere Director – Kristina Buozyte, 124min A scientist with a neurological research team volunteers to experiment with a new technology which will allow him to access the thoughts of a coma victim.

WARPED FOREST, THE (2011) US Premiere Director – Shunichiro Miki, 81min Shunichiro Miki delivers a shot of utter madness. Penis guns! Nipple monsters! A giant girl running a very small shop! This quasi-sequel to THE FUNKY FOREST more than lives up to the weird factor of its predecessor.

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32 films on the Main Slate lineup for the 50th New York Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_2828" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa[/caption]

Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner Amour starring veteran French actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva is among 32 films on the Main slate lineup for the 50th New York Film Festival. More 2012 Cannes Film Festival winners on the lineup include Critics Week Grand Prize winner Here and There by Spanish director Antonio Mendez Esparza (Aquí y Allá) and Chilean Pablo Larrain’s Director’s Fortnight prizewinner No.

Award winning films on the lineup from other festivals include Berlinale Golden Bear winner Caesar Must Die (Cesare deve morire) directed by Paolo Taviani & Vittorio Taviani; Song Fang’s Memories Look At Me, winner of the best first feature prize at the recent Locarno Film Festival,

World premieres include Alan Berliner’s new essay film First Cousin, Once Removed, as well as the gala titles. Ang Lee’s Life of Pi will open the festival on Friday, September 28 while David Chase’s Not Fade Away is in the Centerpiece slot on Saturday, October 6 and Robert Zemeckis’ Flight will close the 50th NYFF on Sunday, October 14.

The 50th New York Film Festival runs September 28 thru October 14th, 2012.

The Main Slate of the 50th New York Film Festival:

Amour (Michael Haneke, Austria/France/Germany)
Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner of Cannes 2012 is a merciless and compassionate masterpiece about an elderly couple dealing with the ravages of old age. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Araf—Somewhere In Between (Yeşim Ustaoğlu, Turkey/France/Germany)
Director Yesim Ustaoglu depicts with empathy and uncompromising honesty the fate of a teenaged girl when she becomes sexually obsessed with a long-distance trucker and the promise of freedom that he embodies.

Barbara (Christian Petzold, Germany)
Christian Petzold’s perfectly calibrated Cold War thriller features the incomparable Nina Hoss as a physician planning to defect while exiled to a small town in East Germany. An Adopt Films release.

Beyond the Hills/După dealuri (Cristian Mungiu, Romania)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days director Cristian Mungiu returns with a harrowing, visually stunning drama set in a remote Romanian monastery. Winner, Best Actress and Best Screenplay, 2012 Cannes Film Festival. A Sundance Selects release.

Bwakaw (Jun Robles Lana, The Philippines)
A moving and funny surprise from the Philippines starring the great Eddie Garcia—and a truly unforgettable dog—in the story of an elderly loner going where he’s never dared venture before.

Camille Rewinds/Camille Redouble (Noémie Lvovsky, France)
Noemie Lvovsky directs and stars in an ebullient comedy of remarriage that gives Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married a sophisticated, personal, and decidedly French twist.

Caesar Must Die/Cesare deve morire (Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Italy)
Convicted felons stage a production of Julius Caesar in this surprising new triumph for the Taviani Brothers, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. An Adopt Films release.

The Dead Man and Being Happy/El muerto y ser feliz (Javier Rebollo, Spain/Argentina)
A dying hitman and a mysterious femme fatale set off on an oddball journey through Argentina’s interior in this playful and unexpectedly moving reverie on love, death and the open road.

Fill the Void/Lemale et ha’chalal (Rama Burshtein, Israel)
With her first dramatic feature, writer-director Rama Burshtein has made a compelling, disconcerting view of Israel’s orthodox Hassidic community from the inside.

First Cousin Once Removed (Alan Berliner, USA)
Alan Berliner creates a compelling, heartfelt chronicle of poet and translator Edwin Honig’s loss of memory, language and his past due to the onslaught of Alzheimer’s. An HBO Documentary Films release. World Premiere.

Flight (Robert Zemeckis, USA)
Denzel Washington and Robert Zemeckis team on this tense dramatic thriller about an airline pilot who pulls off a miraculous crash landing…while flying under the influence. A Paramount Pictures release. Closing Night. World Premiere.

Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach, USA)
Lightning-in-a-bottle, Noah Baumbach’s love poem to his star and screenwriter Greta Gerwig recalls Godard’s early celebrations of Anna Karina, but, as a New York movie, it’s beautiful in a brand new way.

The Gatekeepers/Shomerei Ha’saf (Dror Moreh, Israel/France/Germany/Belgium)
Six former heads of Israel’s internal security agency, the Shin Bet, discuss their nation’s past, present and future, in what will surely be one of the most hotly discussed films of the year. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Ginger and Rosa (Sally Potter, UK)
Sally Potter’s riveting coming-of-age story, set in London in 1962, centers on two teenage best friends (played by the revelatory Elle Fanning and talented newcomer Alice Englert) who are driven apart by a scandalous betrayal.

Here and There/Aquí y Allá (Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/US/Mexico)
After years in the U.S., Pedro returns home to his family in Mexico, but the lure of the north remains as strong as ever. A most impressive feature debut by Antonio Mendez Esparza.

Holy Motors (Léos Carax, France)
Leos Carax’s unclassifiable, breathtaking, expansive movie—his first in 13 years—stars the great Denis Lavant as a man named Oscar who inhabits 11 different identities over a single day in Paris. An Indomina Releasing release.

Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, USA/UK)
Bill Murray caps his career with a wily turn as FDR in this captivating comedy-drama about the President’s relationship with his cousin Margaret “Daisy” Suckley (Laura Linney). A Focus Features release.

Kinshasa Kids (Marc-Henri Wajnberg, Belgium/France)
Perhaps the most ebullient “musical” you’ll see this year, Marc-Henri Wajnberg’s singular documentary/fiction hybrid follows a group of street children in the Congolese capital.

The Last Time I Saw Macao/A Última Vez Que Vi Macau (João Pedro Rodrigues, João Rui Guerra da Mata)
This stunning amalgam of film noir and Chris Marker cine-essay poetically explores the psychic pull of the titular former Portuguese colony.

Leviathan (Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, USA)
NYFF alumni Lucien Castaing-Taylor (Sweetgrass) and Véréna Paravel (Foreign Parts) team for another singular anthropological excavation, this time set inside the commercial fishing industry.

Life of Pi (Ang Lee, USA)
Ang Lee’s superb 3D adaptation of the great bestseller resembles no other film. A 20th Century Fox release. Opening Night. World Premiere.

Like Someone in Love (Abbas Kiarostami, Japan/Iran/France)
Master Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostmi ventures to Japan for this mysterious beautiful romantic drama about the brief encounter between an elderly professor and a young student. A Sundance Selects release.

Lines of Wellington/Linhas de Wellington (Valeria Sarmiento, France/Portugal)
Passionate romance, brutal treachery, and selfless nobility are set against the background of Napoleon’s 1810 invasion of Portugal in Valeria Sarmiento’s intimate epic.

Memories Look at Me/Ji Yi Wang Zhe Wo (Song Fang, China)
Song Fang’s remarkable first feature, in which she travels from Beijing to Nanjing for a visit with her family, perfectly captures the rhythms of brief sojourns home.

Night Across the Street/La Noche de enfrente (Raul Ruiz, Chile/France)
A final masterpiece from one of the cinema’s most magical artists, this chronicle of the final months of one Don Celso allows the late Raul Ruiz the chance to explore the thin line between fact and fiction, the living and the dead. A Cinema Guild release.

No (Pablo Larrain, Chile/USA)
Gael Garcia Bernal stars as a Chilean adman trying to organize a campaign to unseat Pinochet in Pablo Larrain’s smart, engrossing political thriller. A Sony Pictures Classics release.

Not Fade Away (David Chase, USA)
The debut feature from The Sopranos creator David Chase is a wise, tender and richly atmospheric portrait of a group of friends trying to start a rock band in 1960s suburban New Jersey. A Paramount Vantage release. Centerpiece. World premiere.

Our Children/À perdre la raison (Joachim Lafosse, Belgium)
Belgian director Joachim LaFosse turns a lurid European news story about a mad housewife into a classical tragedy. Émilie Dequenne more than fulfills the promise of her award-winning performance in Rosetta.

Passion (Brian de Palma, France/Germany)
Brian De Palma brings great panache and a diabolical mastery of surprise to a classic tale of female competition and revenge. Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams are super-cool and oh so mean.

Something in the Air/Après Mai (Olivier Assayas, France)
Too young to have been on the May ’68 barricades, a group of young people explore their options for continuing the political struggle in Olivier Assayas’ incisive portrait of a generation. A Sundance Selects release.

Tabu (Miguel Gomes, Portugal)
An exquisite, absurdist entry in the canon of surrealist cinema, Tabu is movie-as-dream—an evocation of irrational desires, extravagant coincidences, and cheesy nostalgia grounded in serious feeling and beliefs. An Adopt Films release.

You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet/Vous n’avez encore rien vu (Alain Resnais, France)
The latest from 90-year-old Alain Resnais is a wry, wistful and always surprising valentine to actors and the art of performance starring a who’s-who of French acting royalty.
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Film produced by registered sex offender pulled from Oceanside International Film Festival

The film “Music High” was pulled at the last minute from the Oceanside International Film Festival in San Diego, California, after organizers learned that March Charles Maine, who produced, wrote and directed the film, is a registered sex offender.

As reported by NC Times, Maine, a former San Diego police officer, plead guilty in 2007 to a charge of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14 years of age in connection with a 1995 incident involving a relative. Maine said he served four months on a work furlough program, completed court-ordered therapy and was on probation for three years. Once probation was complete, Maine said, there were no restrictions imposed on his activities, except that he register as a sex offender.

“Music High,” which was filmed at El Camino High School in Oceanside, and Mesa College in San Diego, tells the story of a high school music teacher trying to cope with budget cuts and use music to unite different factions in the school.
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Film Critic Leonard Maltin to Preside Over Jury for 2012 Napa Valley Film Festival

Film critic Leonard Maltin will serve as President of the Jury for the second annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) to be held November 7 – 11, 2012.

As President of the Jury at NVFF, Maltin will oversee the Judging process, providing leadership to the other Jurors grouped into three categories: Narrative Features, Narrative Shorts, and Documentary Features and Shorts. Mr. Maltin will participate most closely in the evaluation of films in the Narrative Features Competition. He will also preside over the festival’s Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, November 11, at which both Juried and Audience Awards are presented.

“The NVFF is honored to have such an active member of the American film community accept the integral role of President of the Jury at the festival,” said NVFF Co-Founder/Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “Mr. Maltin’s commitment to the festival reflects NVFF’s own commitment to make a name for itself – on a national and global scale – as a film festival on par with the likes of Sundance and Tribeca when it comes to the caliber of the films shown and the professionals involved in this momentous meeting of art, food, and wine this November in Napa.”
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Ang Lee’s new film Life of Pi to kick off 2012 New York Film Festival

The New York Film Festival will open with the World Premiere of Ang Lee’s Life of Pi on Friday, September 28.

“I am both delighted and honored to be back at the New York Film Festival with Life of Pi,” Ang Lee said in a statement today. “I have the deepest respect for Richard Peña and his team and to be selected by them as the Opening Night film for the 50th Anniversary is extremely gratifying. I am also excited because this is my hometown, and to be unveiling this film that I am so proud of here is a real pleasure.”

The story of young man who survives a disaster at sea, Life of Pi is based on Yann Martel’s bestselling novel of the same name. Long considered an un-filmable book, Life of Pi takes place over three continents, two oceans and many years. Lee has employed breakthrough technology and his distinctive visual style in order to tell this epic story. While marooned on a lifeboat, the young man at the center of Life of Pi forms an unexpected bond with the other survivor, a Bengal tiger.

Ang Lee’s Life of Pi will be released in theaters on November 21, 2012.

The 50th New York Film Festival will close on Sunday, October 14th with the world premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ Flight.

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