Film Festivals

  • Canadian Film MONSIEUR LAZHAR Wins UPC Audience Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012

    [caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignnone"]UPC Audience Award Winner is Philippe Falardeau’s MONSIEUR LAZHAR [/caption]

    The UPC Audience Award of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012 was awarded to Philippe Falardeau’s MONSIEUR LAZHAR (Canada, 2011).

    The Dioraphte Award for the highest-scoring film in the audience poll among the seventeen festival films made with support from the Hubert Bals Fund was won by GOODBYE by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof.

    The winner of the UPC Audience Award, MONSIEUR LAZHAR, is a film in the spirit of ÊTRE ET AVOIR, in which the Algerian immigrant Lazhar helps a primary school class come to terms with a tragic loss, while benefitting himself from the innocence of the schoolchildren. MONSIEUR LAZHAR, which also took the award for Best Canadian feature film at the Toronto film festival and is in the running for an Oscar for best foreign film, will be given a Dutch theatrical release on 22 March 2012 by Imagine Nederland.

    In the Dioraphte Award winner GOODBYE, a young female lawyer tries to leave Iran. This personal, gripping film by Rasoulof, who himself has been the subject of legal persecution in Iran for his films, was made thanks to a contribution from the Hubert Bals Fund.
    Other films scoring highly in the audience award poll included Martin Scorsese’s HUGO, DIE UNSICHTBARE by Christian Schwochow (Germany) and the topical documentary BACK TO THE SQUARE by Petr Lom (Norway).

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  • Films from Serbia, Chile and China Win 2012 IFFR Hivos Tiger Awards

    [caption id="attachment_2419" align="alignnone" width="550"]The winner of the NETPAC Award 2012 is: SENTIMENTAL ANIMAL by Wu Quan[/caption]

    The winning films of the 41st International Film Festival Rotterdam were announced at the IFFR 2012 Awards Ceremony. The three Hivos Tiger Awards were granted to feature débuts EGG AND STONE by Huang Ji (China), THURSDAY TILL SUNDAY by Dominga Sotomayor (Chile/Netherlands) and CLIP by Maja Miloš (Serbia), which also took the KNF Award of the Dutch film critics.

    NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS by Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil) took the FIPRESCI Award and Chinese film SENTIMENTAL ANIMAL by Wu Quan was awarded by the NETPAC Jury.

    The three winners of the equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2012 are:

    KLIP (CLIP) by Maja Miloš (Serbia, 2012)
    ‘A vigorous, rebellious, authentic, honest and revealing film using modern means to depict in a punchy way the mobile generation, who capture their lives through images recorded on their phones. An emotionally disturbed main character in a fractured family, within a broken society. KLIP provokes many questions and gives no answers.’

    DE JUEVES A DOMINGO (THURSDAY TILL SUNDAY) by Dominga Sotomayor (Chile/Netherlands, 2012)
    ‘In focus, this film is a very precise and gentle depiction of the intimate space of a family. We are captured in a journey seen through a child’s perspective, and recall the moments of our own childhood, at the same time experiencing and understanding all the complexities that adult life entails. The minimalistic story is revealed through the fresh angles of the camerawork. A gentle piece, rich with sensitive observations.’

    JIDAN HE SHITOU (EGG AND STONE) by Huang Ji (China, 2012)
    ‘The director creates a sensation by telling the private story of a girl who unwillingly becomes trapped in a life in the margins. The taboo present in the film is broken by means of poetic language. The director does so with a convincing author’s approach and sensitive direction of non-professional actors. The beautifully framed, conscious choice of camerawork is relevant to storytelling, and unveils human secrets.’

    NETPAC Award
    The NETPAC Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in IFFR 2012 Official Selection.

    The winner of the NETPAC Award 2012 is:

    SENTIMENTAL ANIMAL by Wu Quan (China, 2011)
    ‘For employing innovative visual and narrative construction to cultivate a poignant cinematic style, thereby creating a subtle metonymy about the power structure and tension-ridden human relationships in Chinese society today.’

    SENTIMENTAL ANIMAL had its international premiere in the Bright Future-section for first or second time filmmakers of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012.


    FIPRESCI Award
    The Jury of the international association of film critics FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film in the Tiger Awards Competition.

    The winner of the Rotterdam FIPRESCI Award 2012 is:

    O SOM AO REDOR (NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS) by Kleber Mendonça Filho (Brazil, 2012)
    ‘For evoking an atmosphere of paranoia and menace through a highly ambitious use of sound and cinematography the winner is NEIGHBOURING SOUNDS.’


    KNF Award
    The Jury of the Circle of Dutch film journalists KNF (Kring van Nederlandse Filmjournalisten) awards the best film from a selection of IFFR 2012-titles that have not yet been acquired for Dutch distribution.

    From the selected films, the KNF Jury nominated three films: NANA by Valérie Massadian (France) from Bright Future and the competing films KLIP by Maja Miloš (Serbia) and SUDOESTE by Eduardo Nunes (Brazil).

    The winner of the KNF Award 2012 is:

    KLIP (CLIP) by Maja Miloš (Serbia, 2012)
    ‘The winning film is a daring and stunning debut, portraying an abandoned Serbian post-war generation. Its talented young director succeeds in constructing a brutal portrait using the pervasive and uninhibited visual language of the cell phone generation. It shows teens obsessively identifying with video clips, glorifying sex and violence and turning themselves into victims of pornofication. Though confronting, disturbing and explicit, KLIP skilfully succeeds in avoiding the trap of exploitation.
    We really hope a Dutch distributor will show the same courage as Maja Miloš did in making this film.’

    KLIP saw its world premiere in the Tiger Awards Competition 2012.

     

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  • ARTE France Cinéma and Eurimages Awards for Best CineMart Projects handed out for 2012 International Film Festival Rotterdam

    [caption id="attachment_2417" align="alignnone"]Athina Rachel Tsangari [/caption]

    DUNCHARON by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece, ATTENBERG and producer of DOGTOOTH and ALPS) wins the ARTE France Cinéma Award and first feature project HUMIDITY by Nikola Ljuca (Serbia) – one of the five projects in the BOOST!-program, a collaboration of CineMart, the Hubert Bals Fund and Binger Filmlab – takes the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at the 29th CineMart, co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The Jury gave a Special Mention to Indian-American co-production THE LUNCHBOX by Ritesh Batra (India).

    The winners and the Jury statements are:

    ‘First of all we were all very happy to meet with all the filmmakers of these projects.
    To see and feel how much energy and creativity they brought to these stories was very inspiring. This year’s CineMart projects were very diverse and all the projects had their own uniqueness. We are giving three awards.’

    ARTE France Cinéma Award
    The ARTE France Cinéma Award (10,000 Euro) for the Best CineMart 2012 Project is given to DUNCHARON by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece), a co-production of Haos Films and Faliro House Productions (Greece), Maharaja Films (France) and The Match Factory GmbH (Germany).

    ‘A project that is close to science fiction but finally speaks much more about the European sub-consciousness in an original way.’

    Eurimages Co-Production Development Award
    The Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (30,000 Euro) for the Best CineMart 2012 Project with a European partner is given to HUMIDITY by Nikola Ljuca (Serbia), a co-production of Dart Film (Serbia) and zischlermann filmproduktion GmbH (Germany)

    HUMIDITY is one of the five CineMart 2012 Projects in the BOOST!-program, a collaboration with the Hubert Bals Fund and Binger Filmlab. Spring 2011, Nikola Ljuca’s project received Hubert Bals Fund support for script and project development. Subsequently, he participated in the Binger Filmlab On Demand Programme and has been selected for CineMart 2012.

    ‘A project where through an intimate story about the post-war generation in Serbia, the filmmaker shows that despite gaining the image of economical success, one has forgotten the meaning of love, past and oneself.’

    Special Mention
    In addition to the Awards, the Jury gave a Special Mention to THE LUNCHBOX by Ritesh Batra (India), a co-production by Anurag Kashyap Productions Pvt Ltd (India) and Cine Mosaic (USA).

    ‘A special mention to a project that shows us that if you by chance get the wrong mail delivered it may change your life. This project shows that nothing is for granted. A mistake can also be a chance if you’re willing to take it.’

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  • Andrew Haigh’s WEEKEND Wins MovieSquad Award at 2012 International Film Festival Rotterdam

    British film WEEKEND by Andrew Haigh (UK, 2011), about a relationship between two gay men, has won the MovieSquad IFFR Award.

    In their statement about WEEKEND the jury said:
    “Realistic and subtle, two words that describe this love story best. The wonderful acting, great use of light and beautiful conversations made it very pure and fascinating to watch, even the sexual scenes. The ending was just right!”

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  • Gonzo Style Documentary Bailout to Screen at 2012 Derby City Film Festival

    The documentary Bailout will screen at this year’s Derby City Film Festival.

    Why? According to the filmmakers, since “Gonzo Journalism” was born at the Derby, it’s only fitting that Bailout will screen at this year’s Derby City Film Festival.

    The “Gonzo” style deviates from standard factual narratives by altogether jettisoning any pretext of objectivity where the author figures prominently as a character in the story.

    That definition fits the new feature documentary Bailout like silks on a jockey. Bailout is the tale of an unemployed Chicago lawyer who stops paying his mortgage and enlists four friends (also unemployed) to join him in a Winnebago trip to Las Vegas. Their plan is tear a page out of Wall Street’s playbook and piss away the bank’s money by gambling and partying their asses off. Along the way our gang discovers first hand how Americans have been adversely affected by the financial crisis, principally through foreclosures.

    Bailout focuses on unchecked financial fraud and the refusal to punish such fraud that lies at the root of our nation’s illness, examined through the well informed filter of its lead character, John Titus and his “dukes of moral hazard”.

    While many financial documentaries have done a great job of enraging audiences and leaving us shaking our heads, Bailout is also a call to action culminating with the Tea Party and subsequently the Occupy Wall Street movement -both of which saw ordinary Americans railing against bailouts of recklessly greedy banks- Bailout inspires Americans to exercise their right to speak out against injustice and take their grievances to the streets until their voices are heard.

    To quote Sean Fahey the director, “It will make you laugh, it will piss you off, and I can promise that you will rarely see a stranger form of patriotism from a stranger group of people”.

    Bailout screens at the Derby City Film Festival on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at 3:30 p.m. EST.

     

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  • 2012 New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival Announces Films and jury

    [caption id="attachment_2378" align="alignnone" width="549"]A Monster in Paris[/caption]

    The New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival announced the jury and full lineup for the 2012 event, which runs March 2-25 at New York’s DGA Theater, Walter Reade Theater, IFC Center, Peter Norton Symphony Space, Asia Society, Scholastic Theater, and Cantor Film Center.

    NYICFF 2012 JURY:

    John Canemaker – Academy Award®-winning animator
    Adam Gopnik – Author, essayist and New Yorker contributor
    Tomm Moore – Academy Award® nominated animator/director (The Secret of Kells)
    Lynne McVeigh – Associate Professor of Children’s Media at NYU Tisch School of the Arts
    Matthew Modine –Award-winning actor (Full Metal Jacket, The Dark Knight Rises)
    Michel Ocelot – Award-winning writer/director/animator (Kirikou & the Sorceress, Tales of the Night)
    Dana Points – Editor-in-Chief, Parents Magazine
    Susan Sarandon – Academy Award®-winning actor (Dead Man Walking, Jeff Who Lives at Home)
    James Schamus – Award-winning writer/producer (Brokeback Mountain, The Ice Storm)
    Evan Shapiro – President, IFC Television and The Sundance Channel
    Uma Thurman – Academy Award® nominated actor (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2)
    Christine Vachon – Award-winning producer (Boys Don’t Cry, Mildred Pierce)
    Gus Van Sant – Academy Award® nominated director (Milk, Good Will Hunting)
    Taika Waititi – Academy Award® nominated writer/director (Two Cars One Night, Boy)
    Jeffrey Wright – Award-winning actor (Basquiat, The Ides of March)

    NEW FEATURES:

    [caption id="attachment_2379" align="alignnone" width="550"]Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below[/caption]

    Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below – Japan, Makoto Shinkai. A modern-day Orpheus tale with a sci-fi twist that pays tribute to the great works of Hayao Miyazaki with its demonic spirit-gods and magnificent forest creatures.

    Chimpanzee – Special Preview Screening, USA, Alastair Fothergill/Mark Linfield. From the award-winning directors of Earth and sumptuously shot in the rain forests of Africa, Chimpanzee tells the true-life story of an adorable young chimp named Oscar, whose playful curiosity and zest for discovery showcase the intelligence and ingenuity of some of the most extraordinary personalities in the animal kingdom.

    Cinderella Moon – US Premiere, China/USA, Richard Bowen. A gorgeous and enchanting fairytale based on the earliest known version of Cinderella (the Chinese tale “Ye Xian” from 768 A.D.) filled with exquisitely ornate costumes and dazzling scenery shot in Yunnan Province.

    First Position – Filmmaker Event, USA, Bess Kargman. Official Selection Toronto Int’l Film Festival 2011. Six astoundingly gifted young dancers from varying ethnic and economic backgrounds vie for a chance to perform at the Youth America Grand Prix, the world’s most prestigious ballet showcase.

    A Letter to Momo – US Premiere, Japan, Hiroyuki Okiura. A beautifully hand drawn tale that combines bursts of whimsy, kinetic humor, deep felt emotion – and goblins!

    Lotte and the Moonstone Secret – North American Premiere, Estonia/Latvia. This richly rendered, utterly charming animated feature follows Estonian icon Lotte as she and her Uncle Klaus journey to unlock the secret behind three mysterious moonstones.

    A Monster in Paris, Opening Night Film – US Premiere, France, Bibo Bergeron. NYICFF 2012 opens with a classic misunderstood-monster tale set in Paris 1910, a warm-hearted animated musical about the power of song featuring Django Reinhardt-style gypsy guitar and honey-toned vocals courtesy of Sean Lennon.

    Ninja Kids!!! – Japan, Takashi Miike. From the twisted mind of Takashi Miike comes an insane new kid’s flick about a feuding ninja school – a riotous, action-packed kung-fu comedy that easily earns all three exclamation points in its title.

    [caption id="attachment_2380" align="alignnone" width="549"]The Pirates! A Band of Misfits[/caption]

    The Pirates! A Band of Misfits – Showcase Screening, UK, Peter Lord. The epic new claymation adventure from four-time Academy Award®-winning stop-motion masters Aardman Animations. Directed by Aardman founder (and former NYICFF juror) Peter Lord, Pirates is a high seas saga of a hapless pirate captain and his crew of extremely silly and witless pirate fools

    Salaam Dunk – Special Sneak Preview, USA/Iraq, David Fine. One part More than a Game, two parts Bad News Bears, this thoroughly charming and eye-opening sports doc offers a glimpse of hope and possibility for life in Iraq through the vantage point of a fledgling girl’s college basketball team.

    Le Tableau – North American Premiere, France, Jean-François Laguionie. One of the most stunningly beautiful films in years, with swirls of vibrant color that burst from the screen and nearly every frame a breathtaking wonder, Le Tableau is a captivating, enormously enjoyable parable set within frame of an unfinished painting. Presented in partnership with Rendez- Vous with French Cinema.

    Tales of the Night – Filmmaker Event, France, Michel Ocelot. The newest film from renowned animator Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur & Asmar) is also his first foray into 3D animation. Black silhouetted characters set off against exquisitely detailed Day-Glo backgrounds weave together six exotic fables, each ending in its own ironic twist.

    Toys in the Attic – World Premiere English Language Version, Czech Republic/Slovakia/Japan, Jiri Barta. A diabolically inventive tale set behind the doors of a dusty attic about a group of abandoned toys from famed Czech stop-motion master Jiri Barta. Featuring the voices of Carey Elwes, Joan Cusack and Forest Whitaker.

    SPECIAL EVENTS:

    [caption id="attachment_2381" align="alignnone" width="549"]Yellow Submarine[/caption]

    Yellow Submarine – Special Event, UK, George Dunning. First US Screening in Over 10 Years! An icon of psychedelic pop culture, Yellow Submarine is a colorful musical spectacle and an exhilaratingly joyful cinematic experience – filled with visual invention, optical illusions, word play, and glorious, glorious music.

    A Hard Day’s Night – Special Event, UK, Richard Lester. Noted by Roger Ebert as “one of the great life-affirming landmarks of the movies,” the mock-cinéma vérité film follows the fabulous foursome as they run from frenzied fans, poke fun at managers, cops, and other establishment types, and generally revel in their own youthful exuberance – perfectly capturing all the exhilaration, excitement, and optimistic energy that defined the early Beatles phenomenon.

    Magic Piano, with Live Music Accompaniment – US Premiere, China/Poland. A 3D and live music and film event featuring animated shorts set to Chopin’s famous etudes. Centering the program is the new stop-motion masterpiece Magic Piano from the Academy Award® -winning producer of Peter and the Wolf. The films will feature live accompaniment by student prodigies from the Lang Lang International Foundation.

    SHORT FILM PROGRAMS – Six programs for ages 3 to 18, featuring the best short films from around the world, selected from over 3,000 entries. Jury-selected winners will be eligible for Oscar® consideration in animated and live action short categories. Full lineup at www.gkids.tv/intheaters

    Shorts For Tots – (Ages 3 to 6)
    Short Films One – (Ages 5 to 10)
    Short Films Two – (Ages 8 to 14)
    Flicker Lounge: For Teens & Adults Only – (Ages 12 to adult)
    Heebie Jeebies: Spooky, Freaky & Bizarre – (Ages 10 to adult)
    Girls’ POV – (Ages 10 to adult)

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  • South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival Announces 2012 Features Lineup

    The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced the features lineup for this year’s Festival, March 9 – 17, 2012 in Austin, Texas.

    The world premiere of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express was also confirmed as the Closing Night Film, which follows a train ride unlike any other with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show. Big Easy Express will screen on Saturday, March 17. The program will also include the world premiere of Colombia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn- Mayer Pictures’ 21 Jump Street, screening in the Centerpiece slot on Monday, March 12.

    The Narrative Feature Competition includes: Booster, directed by Matt Ruskin, Eden, directed by Megan Griffiths, Gayby, directed by Jonathan Lisecki, Gimme the Loot, directed by Adam Leon, Los Chidos, directed by Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Pilgrim Song, directed by Martha Stephens, Starlet, directed by Sean Baker, and The Taiwan Oyster, directed by Mark Jarrett.

    The Documentary Feature Competition includes: Bay of All Saints, directed by Annie Eastman, Beware of Mr. Baker, directed by Jay Bulger, The Central Park Effect, directed by Jeffrey Kimball, Jeff, directed by Chris James Thompson, Seeking Asian Female, directed by Debbie Lum, The Sheik and I, directed by Caveh Zahedi, The Source, directed by Jodi Wille & Maria Demopoulos, and Welcome to the Machine, directed by Avi Zev Weider.

    An additional selection of highlights includes: Nelson George’s The Announcement, Gotham Chopra’s Decoding Deepak, Jay & Mark Duplass’ The Do-Deca-Pentathalon, Mark Ford’s Uprising: Hip Hop & The LA Riots, Matt Piedmont’s Casa de mi Padre, Patrick Forbes’ Wikileaks: Secrets & Lies, Adam Sherman’s Crazy Eyes, Jacob Rosenberg’s Waiting for Lightning, Tom Kingsley & Will Sharpe’s Black Pond, Kristen Sheridan’s Dollhouse, Gareth Huw Evans’ The Raid, Ben Shapiro’s Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters, Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines and William Friedkin’s Killer Joe.

    The 2012 SXSW Film Festival will feature:


    NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
    Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

    Booster
    Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin
    When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.
    Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)

    Eden
    Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim
    A young Korean-American girl, abducted and forced into prostitution by domestic human traffickers, joins forces with her captors in a desperate plea to survive.
    Cast: Jamie Chung, Matt O’Leary, Beau Bridges, Jeanine Monterroza, Scott Mechlowicz (World Premiere)

    Gayby
    Director/Screenwriter: Jonathan Lisecki
    Jenn and Matt, best friends since college who are now in their thirties, decide to have a child together, the old-fashioned way – even though Matt is gay and Jenn is straight.
    Cast: Jenn Harris, Matthew Wilkas, Mike Doyle, Anna Margaret Hollyman, Jack Ferver (World Premiere)

    Gimme the Loot
    Director/Screenwriter: Adam Leon
    When Malcolm and Sofia’s latest graffiti masterpiece is buffed by a rival gang, these two determined Bronx teens must hustle, steal, and scheme to get spectacular revenge and become the biggest writers in the City.
    Cast: Tashiana Washington, Ty Hickson, Meeko, Zoe Lescaze, Sam Soghor
    (World Premiere)

    Los Chidos (Germany / Mexico / USA)
    Director/Screenwriter: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
    The Gonzales family tries hard to hold on to their beautiful Latino traditions of misogyny and homophobia when a tall, white, industrialist stranger appears, challenging their place in the exploitative food chain.
    Cast: Kim Stodel, María De Jesús Canales Ramírez, Manuel Ramos, Cecillia Gutiérrez,
    (World Premiere)

    Pilgrim Song
    Director: Martha Stephens, Screenwriters: Martha Stephens, Karrie Crouse
    A pink-slipped music teacher ponders his stalled relationship and place in the world during an arduous trek across Kentucky’s Sheltowee Trace Trail.
    Cast: Timothy Morton, Bryan Marshall, Karrie Crouse, Harrison Cole, Michael Abbott Jr. (World Premiere)

    Starlet
    Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
    The film explores the unlikely friendship between 21-year-old Jane (Dree Hemingway), and 85 year-old Sadie (Besedka Johnson), two women whose worlds collide in California’s San Fernando Valley.
    Cast: Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve, James Ransone, Karren Karagulian
    (World Premiere)

    The Taiwan Oyster
    Director: Mark Jarrett, Screenwriters: Mark Jarrett, Jordan Heimer, Mitchell Jarrett
    Two Ex-Pat Kindergarten teachers in Taiwan embark on a quixotic odyssey to bury a fellow countryman.
    Cast: Billy Harvey, Jeff Palmiotti, Leonora Lim (World Premiere)

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
    Films screening in Documentary Feature Competition are:

    Bay of All Saints
    Director: Annie Eastman
    As the last of the notorious water slums is demolished in Bahia, Brazil, will three single mothers face homelessness or rally for a better life? (World Premiere)

    Beware of Mr. Baker
    Director: Jay Bulger
    Ginger Baker is the original rock ‘n roll madman junkie drummer superstar who everyone thought was dead but somehow survived 50+ years of heroin abuse, disastrous experiments and 5 marriages on 4 continents. (World Premiere)

    The Central Park Effect
    Director: Jeffrey Kimball
    The film reveals the extraordinary array of wild birds who grace Manhattan’s celebrated patch of green, and the equally colorful, full-of-attitude New Yorkers who schedule their lives around the rhythms of migration. (World Premiere)

    Jeff
    Director: Chris James Thompson
    A documentary about the people around Jeffrey Dahmer during the 1991 summer of his arrest for the murder of 17 people in Milwaukee. (World Premiere)

    Seeking Asian Female
    Director: Debbie Lum
    When an American man with “yellow fever” meets a Chinese woman half his age online, documenting their attempt to build a marriage from scratch reveals hilarious and troubling complications for the couple and the filmmaker. (World Premiere)

    The Sheik and I
    Director: Caveh Zahedi
    Commissioned by a Middle Eastern Biennial to make a film on the theme of “art as a subversive act,” independent filmmaker Caveh Zahedi (I am a Sex Addict) is threatened with a fatwa. (World Premiere)

    The Source
    Directors: Jodi Wille, Maria Demopoulos
    The Source Family was a radical experiment in ’70s utopian living. Their popular restaurant, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of Hollywood; but their outsider ideals led to their dramatic undoing. (World Premiere)

    Welcome To The Machine
    Director: Avi Zev Weider
    Upon fathering triplets, filmmaker Avi Zev Weider explores the nature of technology, seeking answers about what it means to be human. (World Premiere)

    HEADLINERS
    Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film events with some major and rising names in cinema.

    Films screening in Headliners are:

    21 Jump Street
    Directed by: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Screenplay by: Michael Bacall, Story by: Michael Bacall & Jonah Hill
    Police officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) get sent back to high school as undercover cops in the action-comedy 21 Jump Street.
    Cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Rob Riggle, with Ice Cube (World Premiere)

    BIG EASY EXPRESS
    Director: Emmett Malloy
    Emmett Malloy’s latest film invites us aboard a train ride unlike any other with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show.
    (World Premiere)

    The Cabin in the Woods
    Director: Drew Goddard, Screenwriters: Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard
    Five friends go to a remote cabin in the woods. Bad things happen. If you think you know this story,think again. From fan favorites Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard comes The Cabin in the Woods, a mind-blowing horror film that turns the genre inside out.
    Cast: Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Richard Jenkins, and Bradley Whitford (World Premiere)

    Decoding Deepak
    Director: Gotham Chopra
    Filmmaker Gotham Chopra spends a year on the road decoding his father and spiritual icon Deepak Chopra. (World Premiere)

    Girls
    Director/Screenwriter: Lena Dunham
    Created by and starring Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture), the HBO show is a comic look at the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s.
    Cast: Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke, Zosia Mamet, Adam Driver (World Premiere)

    The Hunter (Australia)
    Director: Daniel Nettheim, Screenplay by: Alice Addison, Novel by: Julia Leigh, Original Adaptation by:Wain Fimeri
    A mercenary is dispatched from Europe to the Tasmanian wilderness by a mysterious biotech company to search for the last surviving Tasmanian tiger.
    Cast: Willem Dafoe, Frances O’Connor, Sam Neill (U.S. Premiere)

    Killer Joe
    Director: William Friedkin, Screenwriter: Tracy Letts
    A garish, Southwestern tale – a violent black comedy about a desperate Texas debtor (Hirsch) who plots to kill his mother with help of his family (Haden Church, Gershon). They hire a crazy Dallas cop who moonlights as a contract killer (McConaughey) to do the job, but Killer Joe asks for their teenage daughter (Temple) as a retainer. The film is based on Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts’ (August: Osage County) award winning play.
    Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Gina Gershon, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church (U.S. Premiere)

    MARLEY (UK / USA)
    Director: Kevin Macdonald
    The definitive life story of Bob Marley – musician, revolutionary, legend – from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. Directed by Academy-Award-Winner Kevin Macdonald. (North American Premiere)

    NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
    High profile narrative features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres at SXSW.
    Films screening in Narrative Spotlight are:

    The Babymakers
    Director: Jay Chandrasekhar, Screenwriters: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow
    Unable to impregnate his wife, Tommy and friends rob a sperm bank – to get Tommy’s long-ago donated sperm back. The crazy plan goes hilariously awry and shows how far a couple will go to create a new life.
    Cast: Paul Schneider, Olivia Munn, Kevin Heffernan, Wood Harris, Nat Faxon (World Premiere)

    Crazy Eyes
    Director: Adam Sherman, Screenwriters: Adam Sherman, Dave Reeves & Rachel Hardisty
    Just another story about love.
    Cast: Lukas Haas, Madeline Zima, Jake Busey, Tania Raymonde, Regine Nehy (World Premiere)

    The Do-Deca-Pentathalon
    Director/Screenwriter: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
    Two brothers compete in their own private 25-event Olympics.
    Cast: Mark Kelly, Steve Zissis, Jennifer Lafleur (World Premiere)

    Fat Kid Rules The World
    Director: Matthew Lillard, Screenwriters: Michael M.B. Galvin, Peter Speakman
    Troy, a depressed overweight teenager, gets sucked into the punk rock world by Marcus, a charming street musician. But when Troy discovers Marcus’ drug addiction, he suddenly must figure out the true boundaries of friendship.
    Cast: Jacob Wysocki, Matt O’Leary, Billy Campbell, Lilli Simmons, Dylan Arnold (World Premiere)

    frankie go boom
    Director/Screenwriter: Jordan Roberts
    a comedy about two brothers, a girl with a broken heart, a sex tape, an angel and a pig
    Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Chris O’Dowd, Lizzy Caplan, Ron Perlman, Chris Noth (World Premiere)

    Hunky Dory (UK)
    Director: Marc Evans, Screenwriter: Laurence Coriat
    From the producer of Billy Elliot comes this funny, coming of age film featuring songs from artists such as David Bowie, Lou Reed, The Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel, Dusty Springfield and Electric Light Orchestra.
    Cast: Minnie Driver, Aneurin Barnard, Danielle Branch, Robert Pugh, Haydn Gwynne
    (North American Premiere)

    In Our Nature
    Director/Screenwriter: Brian Savelson
    Taking place over a single weekend, an estranged father and son accidentally end up in the same country house with their two girlfriends.
    Cast: Zach Gilford, Jena Malone, John Slattery, Gabrielle Union (World Premiere)

    Keyhole (Canada)
    Director: Guy Maddin, Screenwriters: Guy Maddin, George Toles
    I’m only a ghost… but a ghost isn’t nothing.
    Cast: Isabella Rossellini, Jason Patric, Udo Kier, Kevin McDonald, Tattiawna Jones (U.S. Premiere)

    See Girl Run
    Director/Screenwriter: Nate Meyer
    What happens when a 30-something woman allows life’s “what ifs” to overwhelm her appreciation for what life actually is. Disregarding her current obligations, she digs into her romantic past in hopes of invigorating her present.
    Cast: Robin Tunney, Adam Scott, Jeremy Strong, William Sadler, Josh Hamilton (World Premiere)

    Small Apartments
    Director: Jonas Åkerlund, Screenwriter: Chris Millis
    When Franklin Franklin accidentally kills his landlord, he must hide the body; but, the wisdom of his beloved brother and the quirks of his neighbors, force him on a journey where a fortune awaits him.
    Cast: Matt Lucas, Billy Crystal, James Caan, Johnny Knoxville, Juno Temple (World Premiere)

    Somebody Up There Likes Me
    Director/Screenwriter: Bob Byington
    Time flies for everyone: Thirty-five years in the life of Max, his best friend Sal, and a woman they both adore. A deadpan fable about time sneaking up on and swerving right around us.
    Cast: Keith Poulson, Nick Offerman, Jess Weixler, Stephanie Hunt, Kevin Corrigan (World Premiere)

    DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
    Shining a light on new documentary features receiving their World, North American or U.S. Premieres
    at SXSW.
    Films screening in Documentary Spotlight are:

    $ELLEBRITY
    Director: Kevin Mazur
    Renowned celebrity photographer, Kevin Mazur, gives us an all access pass to the life behind the velvet rope and in front of the camera. Candid, revealing and bold interviews with Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John and more, take us inside the blurred lines of privacy, pliable journalism, celebrity, fame and what it feels like to be consumed. (World Premiere)

    America’s Parking Lot
    Director: Jonny Mars
    Pull up a front row seat as two die-hard fans of ‘America’s Team’ spend their last season with the Dallas Cowboys at historic Texas Stadium, and scramble to preserve their place in America’s Parking Lot.
    (World Premiere)

    The Announcement
    Director: Nelson George
    On Thursday, November 7, 1991, Earvin “Magic” Johnson made the stunning announcement that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from basketball immediately. The Announcement gets to the core of Magic’s incredible personal journey. (World Premiere)

    Beauty Is Embarrassing
    Director: Neil Berkeley
    A funny, irreverent and inspirational look into the life and times of one of America’s most important artists, Wayne White. (World Premiere)

    Brooklyn Castle
    Director: Katie Dellamaggiore
    Amidst financial crises and unprecedented public school budget cuts, Brooklyn Castle takes an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school’s champion chess team.
    (World Premiere)

    Code of the West
    Director: Rebecca Richman Cohen
    Frames a high stakes showdown in the halls of the Montana State Legislature. The future of medical marijuana is at stake. (World Premiere)

    Degenerate Art: The Art and Culture of Glass Pipes.
    Director: M. Slinger
    A true document of the art and culture of glass pipe-making. It is the first film to ever bring to light this invisible sub-culture in a comprehensive and well-informed format. (World Premiere)

    Girl Model
    Directors: A. Sabin, David Redmon
    Young Russian girls join a modeling agency to seek work in Japan, but get caught up in an unregulated system that reveals an unseemly side of the fashion industry. (U.S. Premiere)

    Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters
    Director: Ben Shapiro
    Acclaimed photographer Gregory Crewdson’s 10-year quest to create a series of haunting, surreal, and stunningly elaborate portraits of small-town American life — filmed with unprecedented access as he makes perfect renderings of a disturbing, imperfect world. (World Premiere)

    Just Like Being There
    Director: Scout Shannon
    Through the eyes of Daniel Danger, Jay Ryan, and the gig poster community, Just Like Being There focuses on poster artists, the music they commemorate, MONDO film posters, fans, bloggers, galleries, collectors and everything in between. (World Premiere)

    Scarlet Road (Australia)
    Director: Catherine Scott
    The film follows the extraordinary work of Australian sex worker, Rachel Wotton. Impassioned about freedom of sexual expression and the rights of sex workers, she specializes in a long over-looked clientele – people with disability. (North American Premiere)

    Trash Dance
    Director: Andrew Garrison
    A choreographer finds beauty and grace in garbage trucks, and against the odds, rallies reluctant city trash collectors to perform an extraordinary dance spectacle. On an abandoned airport runway, two dozen sanitation workers — and their trucks — inspire an audience of thousands. (World Premiere)

    Waiting For Lightning
    Director: Jacob Rosenberg
    From the producers of Step into Liquid, comes the story of visionary skateboarder Danny Way, who jumped China’s Great Wall and created a new movement in sport. (World Premiere)

    Wikileaks: Secrets & Lies (UK)
    Director: Patrick Forbes
    The in-depth story of Wikileaks told by all the key players. Sulphurous, personal and moving, it documents history in the making at the lawless frontier of new technology and mainstream media.
    (North American Premiere)

    WONDER WOMEN! The Untold Story of American Superheroines
    Director: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
    This documentary examines the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman and introduces audiences to a dynamic group of real life superheroes who continue to fight the good fight both on and off the screen. (World Premiere)

    EMERGING VISIONS
    Audacious, risk-taking artists in the new cinema landscape that demonstrate raw innovation and
    creativity in documentary and narrative filmmaking.
    Films screening in Emerging Visions are:

    Black Pond (UK)
    Directors: Tom Kingsley, Will Sharpe, Screenwriter: Will Sharpe
    An ordinary family is accused of murder when a stranger dies at their dinner table. Stars BAFTA-winner Chris Langham and British Comedy Award Winner Simon Amstell.
    Cast: Chris Langham, Simon Amstell, Amanda Hadingue, Colin Hurley, Will Sharpe (North American Premiere)

    Dollhouse (Ireland)
    Director/Screenwriter: Kirsten Sheridan
    Five street teens break into a house in a rich Dublin suburb for a night of partying. But games are twisted into something more emotional and ultimately out of control through a series of surprising revelations.
    Cast: Seana Kerslake, Johnny Ward, Kate Stanley Brennan, Shane Curry, Ciaran McCabe (North American Premiere)

    Eating Alabama
    Director: Andrew Beck Grace
    A quest to eat locally becomes a meditation on community, the South and sustainability. Eating Alabama is a story about why food matters. (World Premiere)

    Electrick Children
    Director/Screenwriter: Rebecca Thomas
    Rachel, a 15-year-old fundamentalist Mormon, believes she’s had an immaculate conception by listening to rock and roll. She flees to Las Vegas to escape an arranged marriage, seeking answers to her mysterious pregnancy.
    Cast: Julia Garner, Rory Culkin, Liam Aiken, Billy Zane (North American Premiere)

    Extracted
    Director/Screenwriter: Nir Paniry
    A scientist is trapped in the memories of a criminal and must solve a crime in order to get back home to his family.
    Cast: Sasha Roiz, Dominic Bogart, Jenny Mollen, Nick Jameson, Brad Culver (World Premiere)

    Francine (Canada / USA)
    Director/Screenwriter: Brian M. Cassidy, Melanie Shatzky
    Academy-Award-winner, Melissa Leo, plays Francine, a woman struggling to find her place in a downtrodden lakeside town after leaving behind a life in prison.
    Cast: Melissa Leo, Keith Leonard, Victoria Charkut (North American Premiere)

    Funeral Kings
    Director/Screenwriter: Kevin Mcmanus, Matthew Mcmanus
    For three 14-year-old boys at St. Mark’s Middle School, it’s always a good day for a funeral.
    Cast: Dylan Hartigan, Alex Maizus, Jordan Puzzo, Charles Odei, Kevin Corrigan (World Premiere)

    Hard Labor (Brazil)
    Director/Screenwriter: Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra
    Helena prepares to open her own business: a neighborhood grocery store. She hires a maid. But when her husband Octavio is suddenly fired from his job, Helena is left to support the family alone.
    Cast: Helena Albergaria, Marat Descartes, Naloana Lima, Marina Flores (U.S. Premiere)

    La Camioneta – The Journey of One American School Bus
    Director: Mark Kendall
    On a 3,000-mile adventure across the borders between the Americas, La Camioneta follows the journey of one out-of-service American school bus as it is repaired, repainted and resurrected into a Guatemalan camioneta. (World Premiere)

    The Last Fall
    Director/Screenwriter: Matthew A. Cherry
    An NFL journeyman struggles to deal with life’s complexities after his professional career is over at age 25.
    Cast: Lance Gross, Nicole Beharie, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Harry Lennix, Keith David (World Premiere)

    Leave Me Like You Found Me
    Director/Screenwriter: Adele Romanski
    Big trees, broken hearts. The story of a lovesick couple’s breakup & makeup while camping in the wilds of California. Cast: Megan Boone, David Nordstrom (World Premiere)

    PAVILION
    Director/Screenwriter: Tim Sutton
    Max, a quietly troubled 15-year-old, leaves his lakeside town to live with his father on the sun-blasted fringe of suburban Arizona. What begins in a calm and lush environment ends in a drastic, frayed confusion.
    Cast: Max Schaffner, Zach Cali, Cody Hamric, Addie Barlett, Aaron Buyea (World Premiere)

    Sun Don’t Shine
    Director/Screenwriter: Amy Seimetz
    Two lovers, on the back roads of Florida, do very bad things.
    Cast: Kate Lyn Sheil, Kentucker Audley, AJ Bowen, Kit Gwinn, Mark Reeb (World Premiere)

    Sunset Stories
    Directors: Silas Howard, Ernesto Foronda, Screenwriter: Valerie Stadler
    When May returns to LA and runs smack into JP, the man she left behind, past and present collide sending them on a twenty-four hour journey in search of what they lost.
    Cast: Monique Curnen, Sung Kang, Joshua Leonard, Mousa Kraish, Michelle Krusiec (World Premiere)

    Tchoupitoulas
    Director: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
    Three young brothers’ immersive journey into the sensory wonders of the New Orleans night.
    (World Premiere)

    Thale (Norway)
    Director/Screenwriter: Aleksander L. Nordaas
    The film revolves around huldra, a mythical, tailed creature, found by two crime scene cleaners in a concealed cellar. Someone’s been keeping her down here for decades, for reasons soon to surface.
    Cast: Silje Reinåmo, Jon Sigve Skard, Erlend Nervold, Morten Andresen (North American Premiere)

    Wildness
    Director: Wu Tsang, Screenwriters: Wu Tsang, Roya Rastegar
    A magical-realist portrait of the Silver Platter, a historic bar in Los Angeles that provides a safe space for Latin/LGBT immigrant and queer art communities to come together in love and conflict.

    WOLF
    Director/Screenwriter: Ya’ke Smith
    A family is shaken to the core when they discover their son has been molested. As they struggle to deal with the betrayal, their son heads towards a total mental collapse.
    Cast: Irma P. Hall, Mikala Gibson, Jordan Cooper, Shelton Jolivette, Eugene Lee (World Premiere)

    24 BEATS PER SECOND
    Showcasing the sounds, culture and influence of music and musicians, with an emphasis on documentary.
    Films screening in 24 Beats Per Second are:

    Amor Cronico (Cuba / USA)
    Director: Jorge Perugorria
    Weaving footage of singer Cucu Diamantes’ Cuban tour into a fictional love story. The result is an energetic display of her glamorous and infectious performance style and a fascinating portrait of Cuba today.
    Cast: Cucu Diamantes, Adela Legra, Liosky Clavero, Andres Levin, Jorge Perugorria (World Premiere)

    Bad Brains: Band in DC
    Directors: Mandy Stein, Benjamen Logan
    How four young men from DC changed music forever. (World Premiere)

    Charles Bradley: Soul of America
    Director: Poull Brien
    The incredible late-in-life rise of 62-year-old aspiring soul singer Charles Bradley, whose debut album rocketed him from a hard life in the projects to Rolling Stone magazine’s top 50 albums of 2011.
    (World Premiere)

    Daylight Savings
    Director: Dave Boyle, Screenwriters: Dave Boyle, Michael Lerman, Joel Clark, Goh Nakamura
    After a devastating breakup, musician Goh Nakamura hits the road with his irresponsible cousin to pursue a promising rebound with fellow musician Yea-Ming Chen.
    Cast: Goh Nakamura, Michael Aki, Yea-Ming Chen, Lynn Chen, Ayako Fujitani (World Premiere)

    Grandma Lo-fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigrídur Níelsdóttir (Iceland / Denmark)
    Director: Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir
    At the tender age of 70 she started making music – and then she couldn’t stop! A tribute to the Danish/Icelandic artist and late bloomer Sigrídur Níelsdóttir.

    Paul Williams Still Alive
    Director: Stephen Kessler
    A documentary filmmaker tracks down actor/singer/songwriter Paul Williams in an attempt to find out what happened to his idol. (U.S. Premiere)

    Rock ‘N’ Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen (UK)
    Director: Don Letts
    Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry, Yoko Ono, Alice Cooper, Billie Joe Armstrong and others discuss the incredible life and work of the world’s foremost rock ‘n’ roll photographer, Bob Gruen.
    (North American Premiere)

    Sunset Strip
    Director/Screenwriter: Hans Fjellestad
    The 100-year history of the loudest street on the planet, The Sunset Strip. (World Premiere)

    Under African Skies
    Director: Joe Berlinger
    Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he received for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa designed to end the Apartheid regime.

    Uprising: Hip Hop & The LA Riots
    Director: Mark Ford
    20 years after riots ripped through Los Angeles, Uprising documents how hip hop forecasted – and some say ignited – the worst civil unrest of the 20th century. (World Premiere)

    SX GLOBAL
    A diverse panorama of international filmmaking talent, including premieres, interactive documentaries and shorts.
    Films screening in SX Global are:

    BIJUKA (India)
    Director: Ashtar Sayed, Screenwriter: Dr. Mahendra Purohit
    Inspired by a true event. Scarecrow tells the true story of a young woman who is attempting to escape from an abusive arranged marriage. Cast: Arti Rautela, Amit Purohit (North American Premiere)

    Crulic – The Path to Beyond (Romania / Poland)
    Director: Anca Damian
    The animated documentary feature-length “Crulic – The Path to Beyond” tells the story of the life of Crulic, the 33-year-old Romanian who died in a Polish prison while on hunger strike.

    Cubaton – El Medico Story (Estonia / Sweden)
    Director: Daniel Fridell
    El Medico – a Cuban house doctor who wants to become a cubaton star – is facing a serious choice between serving the state and becoming a popstar. (North American Premiere)

    Her Master’s Voice (UK)
    Director: Nina Conti
    Watching someone talk to themselves has never been so interesting. (World Premiere)

    ITALY LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT (Italy / Germany)
    Directors: Gustav Hofer, Luca Ragazzi
    Gustav and Luca, two Italians, have to decide: Should they stay in Italy, or leave it? (North American Premiere)

    Mustafa’s Sweet Dreams (Greece / UK)
    Director: Angelos Abazoglou
    Mustafa, a 16-year-old pastry shop apprentice dreams of becoming a famous baklava chef in Istanbul.
    (North American Premiere)

    Pompeya (Argentina)
    Director: Tamae Garateguy, Screenwriters: Tamae Garateguy, Diego A. Fleischer
    When a film director hires two screenwriters to make a gangster movie, a fiction feast starts: femmes fatales, mobs fighting for the same neighborhood and a limitless hero who defies every movie concept.
    Cast: José Luciano González, Joel Drut, Chang Sung Kim, Vladimir Yuravel, Miguel Forza de Paul
    (U.S. Premiere)

    ¡Vivan las Antipodas! (Germany / The Netherlands / Argentina / Chile)
    Director: Victor Kossakovsky
    Haven’t we all wondered at some point what was happening just at this moment beneath our very feet at the other side of the planet?

    FESTIVAL FAVORITES
    Acclaimed standouts and selected previous premieres from festivals around the world.
    Films screening in Festival Favorites are:

    Beast (Denmark)
    Director/Screenwriter: Christoffer Boe
    How long will you go, to hold on to the person you love?
    Cast: Nicolas Bro, Marijana Jankovic, Nikolaj Lie Kaas

    The Comedy
    Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Robert Donne, Colm O’Leary
    Indifferent even to the prospects of inheriting his father’s estate, Swanson (Tim Heidecker), a desensitized, aging Brooklyn hipster, strays into a series of reckless situations that may offer the promise of redemption or the threat of retribution.
    Cast: Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, James Murphy, Kate Lyn-Sheil, Alexia Rassmusen

    Dreams of a Life (UK / Ireland)
    Director: Carol Morley
    An imaginative quest to go beyond the newspaper reports and solve the mystery of who thirty-eight year old Joyce Vincent was and why she lay undiscovered for three years after her death in one of the busiest parts of London. (North American Premiere)

    God Bless America
    Director/Screenwriter: Bobcat Goldthwait
    Loveless, jobless, possibly terminally ill, Frank has had enough of the downward spiral of America. With nothing left to lose, Frank takes his gun and offs the stupidest, cruelest, and most repellent members of society. Cast: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr (U.S. Premiere)

    The Imposter (UK)
    Director: Bart Layton
    In 1994 a 13-year-old disappears without trace in Texas. Three years later he resurfaces in Spain with accounts of a horrifying kidnap. His family is overjoyed – but all is not as it seems.

    Indie Game: The Movie (Canada)
    Directors: Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky
    With the twenty-first century comes a new breed of artist: the indie game designer. These innovators design and program their distinctly personal games in the hope that they may find connection and success.

    KID-THING
    Director/Screenwriter: David Zellner
    A fever-dream fable about Annie, a rebellious girl devoid of parental guidance or a moral compass. She roams the countryside looking for adventure, and finds it one day in the form of an abandoned well.
    Cast: Sydney Aguirre, Susan Tyrrell, Nathan Zellner, David Zellner, David Wingo

    Last Call at the Oasis
    Director: Jessica Yu
    A powerful argument for why the global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century.

    Lovely Molly
    Director: Eduardo Sanchez, Screenwriters: Eduardo Sanchez, Jamie Nash
    Exploring the parallels between psychosis, addiction and demonic possession, Lovely Molly tells the story of what really happens before the exorcist arrives.
    Cast: Gretchen Lodge, Johnny Lewis, Alexandra Holden (U.S. Premiere)

    The Raid (Indonesia)
    Director/Screenwriter: Gareth Huw Evans
    Rama and his special forces team fight their way through a rundown apartment block with a mission to remove its owner, a notorious drug lord.
    Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsyah, Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno

    WE ARE LEGION: The Story of the Hacktivists
    Director: Brian Knappenberger
    We Are Legion takes us inside the world of Anonymous, the radical “hacktivist” collective that has redefined civil disobedience for the digital age.

    Live Soundtracks, cult re-issues and much more. Our Special Events section offers unusual, unexpected and unique film event one-offs.

    Films screening in Special Events are:

    An Evening With Sacred Bones Records
    Director: Jacqueline Castel
    Brooklyn-based record label Sacred Bones presents an evening of original and curated programming of music videos, short films, works in progress, and a rare screening of their first film production, Twelve Dark Noons. (World Premiere)

    Bernie
    Director: Richard Linklater, Screenwriters: Richard Linklater, Skip Hollandsworth
    Based on real-life events, this dark comedy follows Bernie Tiede, his recently deceased friend Marjorie Nugent and District Attorney Danny Buck Davidson who is determined to get to the bottom of the crime.
    Cast: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey, Brady Coleman, Richard Robichaux

    Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me
    Director: Drew Denicola
    A feature-length documentary about the massive critical acclaim, dismal commercial failure, and enduring legacy of pop music’s greatest cult phenomenon, Big Star. (Work in Progress)

    Casa de mi Padre
    Director: Matt Piedmont, Screenwriter: Andrew Steele
    Will Ferrell plays a Mexican rancher who must defend his father’s home against the country’s most infamous drug lord. Cast: Will Ferrell, Gael García Vernal, Diego Luna, Genesis Rodriguez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr., Nick Offerman

    Girl Walk // All Day
    Director/Screenwriter: Jacob Krupnick
    A feature-length dance music film that combines freestyle dance with the daily chaos of New York City, set to Girl Talk’s recent mashup album, All Day. Cast: Anne Marsen, John Doyle, Daisuke Omiya

    Re:Generation
    Director: Amir Bar Lev
    5 DJ’s Turn the Table on The History of Music.

    Renga (UK)
    Directors: Adam Russell, John Sear
    A ground breaking feature-length show controlled entirely by the audience using laser pointers. It is the first viable example of a standalone interactive experience capable of running in commercial movie theatres. (North American Premiere)

    The Oyster Princess (1919) with original live score by Bee vs. Moth (Germany)
    Director: Ernst Lubitsch, Screenriters: Hanns Kraly & Ernst Lubitsch
    The Oyster Princess is Ernst Lubitsch’s tart 1919 silent comedy that parodies the rich and the spoiled. Austin jazz/rock band Bee vs. Moth performs their original score live with the film for the first time.
    (World Premiere)

     

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  • Kentucky Filmmakers to Shine At 2012 Derby City Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2358" align="alignnone"]Mother’s Red Dress by director Edgar Michael Bravo[/caption]

    A total of 56 films from 16 countries, including 24 International selections, will be screened at the upcoming Derby City Film Festival, February 17th – 19th, but this year films from current and former Kentucky residents are the one’s dominating the field.

    Of the films who’s filmmakers are from Kentucky, seven of them are feature films, four are shorts and one is a documentary. Another feature film “Sam Steel and the Crystal Chalice” is from New Albany filmmaker Tom Whitus and was shot in Louisville and the documentary “Bailout” is from Chicago filmmaker Sean Fahey and part of it was shot at the 2011 Kentucky Derby. “Steele”, starring Kevin Sorbo, screens on opening night and “Bailout” screens Saturday afternoon.

    Also on Friday night is the film “Wid Winner and the Slipstream” from Western Kentucky native  Alex O Gaynor. “Winner” tells the story of two men who embark on a cross-country journey to face the past, change the future, and collect enough used-auto parts to build a time machine. Much of the film was shot in Western Kentucky.

    Four more features take the stage on Saturday including the World Premiere of “Frames” from Western Kentucky graduate Brandon Colvin. In “Frames” a young filmmaker uses his camera to transform the banality of his hometown into art. When a friend goes missing, however, his footage exposes a disturbing mystery . . . one he might be merely inventing.

    Producer and St. Xaiver alum John Paul Rice brings his latest collaboration with writer and director Edgar Michael Bravo, “Mother’s Red Dress”, back to his hometown. “Red Dress” is a  tragic love story/psycho-drama about a young man, Paul, who is suffering from PTSD and trying to piece together the past after seeing his mother kill her abusive boyfriend.

    Louisville natives, and Ballard High graduates, Scooter Downey & Sean Elliot bring the feature “It’s in the Blood” to their hometown Saturday night. Featuring Lance Henriksen, Elliot & Rose Sirna, “Blood”  tells the tale of a father and son who become stranded in the wild and must confront the horrors of their past to escape with their lives.  However, this wilderness is not what it seems, and as they deteriorate, so to does their concept of reality: horrifying creatures, ghostly apparitions, is it all in their heads, or could the truth be far more terrible?

    Prior to the screening actor Lance Henriksen will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the festival for his outstanding contributions to Television and film over the last 40 plus years.

    Henriksen is probably best known for his role as Bishop in the “Aliens” and “Aliens vs. Predator” films and video games, but he has also appeared in the classic films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “The Right Stuff” and “Terminator” among others.  In the late 90’s he played  Frank Black in the television series “Millennium”. and more recently he has lent his voice talents to video games like “Transformers”, “Call of Duty”  and “Mass Effect”. The film and award presentation begin at 8:00 PM.

    Saturday’s final film at 10:00 PM is Matt Niehoff & Brian Cunningham’s feature film “Overtime” , which was shot in Louisville and features Al Snow, John Wells & Sebrina Siegel. “Overtime” follows two hitmen who find themselves caught up in a conspiracy they never imagined which includes alien zombies. Both films are included on one ticket.

    The short films from Kentucky include “Bizarnival: Tuxedos in the Attic” from Todd Sheene, Allen Martin, and Scott Stafford and three World Premieres from Louisville filmmaker and DCFF founders Kristofer & Ashley Rommel. “Please Try Again”, “Just for Today” and “Wireface: In the Beginning…” we all shot in Louisville and feature local talent. All four of the short films screen Saturday at various times. “Bizarnival” is also a nominee for Best US Short Film.

    Henriksen is probably best known for his role as Bishop in the “Aliens” and “Aliens vs. Predator” films and video games, but he has also appeared in the classic films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “The Right Stuff” and “Terminator” among others.  In the late 90’s he played  Frank Black in the television series “Millennium”. and more recently he has lent his voice talents to video games like “Transformers”, “Call of Duty”  and “Mass Effect”.

    Sunday features the World Premiere of former Northern Kentucky, now Cincinnati, filmmaker Isaac Stambaugh ‘s latest film “Smells Like Community Spirit” and Lexington filmmaker Michael Crisp’s documentary “Legendary: When Baseball Came to the Bluegrass”.

    The 2012 Derby City Film Festival runs February 17th – 19th at the Clifton Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

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  • 2012 One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival to focus on protests and unrest

    The 14th annual One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival has chosen a topical and compelling theme for this year’s event, which will focus on continuing protests and unrest in various parts of the world. One World’s films will show that, even though protest events from Bahrain to Greece to the USA have different means and goals, they all have one common element: committed young people who are demanding change in the established order of things.

    For Czech audiences, films from Arab countries in the One World program will be a unique opportunity for them to see recent events in that part of the world formulated and processed into high-quality documentary films, and not just in the form of television news reports. “Until now, it has not been customary for festivals to screen films about such topical events, which are essentially still being played out on the streets,” says One World’s festival director Hana Kulhánková.

    “In these films, the thing I appreciate most is the courage of people to take to the streets and risk their lives for democracy,” Kulhánková adds. “For us Czechs, who experienced a peaceful Velvet Revolution, this attitude is unimaginable.”

    Kulhánková also stresses that the films in question highlight the fact that overthrowing a dictator in these Arab countries is a long way from “victory” and that they still have a long road ahead.

    Nonetheless, the main thematic category, Youth Quake, is not just about the Arab revolutions, but looks at a lot more issues. Young people’s dissatisfaction with the current state of society is also manifesting itself in established democracies. In these places, their protests are against the existing socioeconomic system and they are testing the strength of democratic values and the openness of their governments. For example, besides the Arab revolutions, which have been well covered in the media, this film category also shows young Japanese people completely breaking with tradition in their country and taking to the streets after the disaster in Fukushima, or radical American ecologists who end up in prison as terrorists.

    The visual graphic for One World 2012 by the Ex Lovers studio also reflects the theme of this year’s festival. Its creators based it on the observation that two things united all the public protests across various cultures – emotions and handmade banners. “We took the gestures, emotions, and tools that the protesters used to speak about the establishment – spray cans, paints, and markers,” says Zuzana Kubíková from Ex Lovers.

    Other film categories at One World 2012 will include With or Without You, which explores social themes, and So-called Civilization¸ which offers environmentally focused documentaries. The films included in the Main Competition and the Right to Know categories will compete for the festival’s principal prizes. The program will also include the latest Czech documentaries.

    One World 2012 runs from 6 to 15 March 2012 in Prague before traveling to another 40 Bohemian and Moravian towns and cities. As is now traditional, besides screening hundreds of movies, festival audiences will also have an opportunity to discuss the films with the people who made them and to participate in panel debates with experts. You can find more information at www.oneworld.cz.

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  • 62nd Berlin International Film Festival Completes Competition With Addition of Chinese Film White Deer Plain

    With Wang Quan’an’s Bai lu yuan (White Deer Plain) from the People’s Republic of China, the Competition of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival is now complete. 18 films will be vying for the Golden and Silver Bears in the Berlinale Palast. A total of 23 films will be showing in the Competition programme. There will also be two special screenings in the Berlinale Palast.


    Bai lu yuan (White Deer Plain)
    People’s Republic of China
    by Wang Quan’an
    with Zhang Fengyi, Zhang Yuqi, Wu Gang
    World premiere

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  • 50 Films Including Opening Night Film Darling Companion to screen at 2012 Boulder International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2074" align="alignnone"]Darling Companion[/caption]

    The 8th Annual Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) takes place in Boulder, Colo., Feb. 16-19, and kicks off Thursday, Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. with an Opening Night Red Carpet Gala and screening of Darling Companion, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics, directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Darling Companion tells the story of the bond between a woman and her dog, who she loves more than her husband. Kasdan and producer Anthony Bregman will be in attendance for a Q&A session after the screening.

    BIFF will also feature “A Conversation with William H. Macy” on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:15 p.m. and the Closing Night Film and Awards Ceremony featuring the Colorado premiere of acclaimed new film Chasing Ice on Sunday, Feb. 19. Special guest Martin Sheen, critically acclaimed actor, will be honored with the “Master of Cinema Award” on the afternoon of Saturday, February 18.

    Film highlights from the festival include:

    “Chasing Ice”

    [caption id="attachment_2337" align="alignnone"]Chasing Ice[/caption]

    Produced in Boulder by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jerry Aronson and producer Paula DuPré Pesmen, this breathtakingly beautiful film follows famed National Geographic photographer James Balog as he deploys revolutionary time-lapse cameras throughout the Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers.

    “5 Broken Cameras”.

    Soldiers fire into his video cameras and explode them with grenades, but it doesn’t stop Emad Burnat from documenting the courageous and chilling story of the Palestinian village of Bil’in—which famously chose nonviolent resistance against an often-brutal Israeli oppression.

    “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

    [caption id="attachment_2118" align="alignnone"]Salmon Fishing in the Yemen[/caption]

    From Lasse Hallström, the director of Chocolat and the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Slumdog Millionaire comes this inspirational comedy of a visionary sheik with a big dream—to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas.

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  • Indie Film Below Zero To Close 2012 Derby City Film Festival

    The indie film “Below Zero,” will close the 2012 Derby City Film Festival.  The film is also a festival finalist for awards in the BEST FEATURE, BEST ACTOR (Edward Furlong), and BEST ACTRESS (Kristin Booth) categories.

    International indie sensation “Below Zero,” (www.belowzeromovie.com) starring Edward Furlong (Terminator 2, American History X, The Green Hornet), Michael Berryman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Hills Have Eyes, Scooby Doo, Weird Science), and Kristin Booth (Young People F*cking, Defendor, The Kennedys) is bringing its world festival tour to Louisville. The perplexing and disarming thriller will close the festival, playing in the Clifton Center’s luxurious Eifler Theater (2117 Payne Street, Louisville, 40206).  The film is a finalist for the DCFF awards in the BEST FEATURE, BEST ACTOR (Edward Furlong), and BEST ACTRESS (Kristin Booth) categories. A ‘Question & Answer’ session with the filmmakers will follow the screening.

    Inspired by true events, “Below Zero” is the story of Jack the Hack (Furlong), a desperate screenwriter with writer’s block, who arranges to have himself locked in the freezer of a slaughterhouse owned by Penny (Booth) in order to meet a deadline. While confined, he imagines the story of an emotionally disturbed butcher (Berryman) and his young son (played by newcomer Sadie Madu) who use the slaughterhouse to dispose of victims.  As the temperature drops, the lines between reality and fiction blur, and Jack’s script comes dangerously to life as he struggles to meet his deadline.

    “I call this film an autobiographical horror,” says writer/producer, Signe Olynyk, who struggled with her own case of writer’s block.  “You’ve heard of method acting?  You could say I’m a ‘method writer’.”  In order to complete the script, Olynyk arranged to have herself physically locked in the meat freezer of an abandoned slaughterhouse.  After camping out for five days, she emerged with the script for “Below Zero.”

    “The film is extremely suspenseful.  More of a thriller, than a horror,” adds producing partner, Bob Schultz.  “As producers, we wanted to create a film that would appeal to horror fans, but also capture a mainstream audience.”  Filmed entirely at the same location as where the script was written, Schultz credits Olynyk for creating “…a cool, twisty story within a story, within a real-life story.

    The producing team will also be featured on various panels on Sunday, February 19 to discuss screenwriting, independent production, and the screenwriting conference they run, The Great American PitchFest (www.pitchfest.com).  To learn how to make a successful independent film, raise financing, pitch, and write a great script, visit www.derbycityfilmfest.com for details on this panel and others.

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