Film Festivals
Sundance Institute announced that filmmakers Chris Kentis and Laura Lau (Open Water) will return to the Sundance Film Festival with their latest feature, Silent House, which will have its world premiere in the out-of-competition Park City at Midnight section. The Sundance Film Festival runs January 20-30, 2011 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The complete list of films is available at www.sundance.org/festival. Following Open Water, which screened at the 2004 Sundance […]
The third installment of the comedy franchise “Ang Tanging Ina Mo, Last Na ’To” won seven of the 21 awards including Best Picture, in the 36th Metro Manila Film Festival that ends on January 7. The film, which centers on the life of the fictitious former president Ina Montecillo and her 12 kids, also won for Wenn Deramas the Best Director award. Here is the complete list of the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival winners: […]
The 22nd Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs runs January 6-17, 2011, will present Academy Award winner Michael Douglas with the Icon Award. The Icon Award honors a creative talent who, through the course of his or her career, has created a body of work which symbolizes the highest level of achievement in the motion picture art form. Festival Director Darryl Macdonald said, “We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to honor Michael […]
The Berlin International Film Festival in a recent press release sharply condemned the harsh sentences handed down to the renowned Iranian director Jafar Panahi and his directing colleague Mohammed Rasulof. According to Tehran Times, “Last week, Panahi was sentenced by a branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran to six years in prison, which is redeemable by paying a fine, and a 20-year ban on filmmaking activities. He has been accused of holding gatherings, […]
The 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) announced its Galas, Premieres and Special Presentation programs. The Festival launches on Thursday, January 6 with the French farce Potiche and wraps on Sunday, January 16 with The First Grader. 193 films from 68 countries, including 59 premieres (9 world, 17 North American and 33 U.S.), will unspool at the Festival, running from January 6-17 in Palm Springs, California. Commenting on the selection of films Festival […]
The Edinburgh International Film Festival in its 65th year has hired James Mullighan to produce the ambitious transformation of next year’s Festival, the blueprint of which has been shaped by Mark Cousins, Tilda Swinton and a wider artistic team to be announced. Moving away from the traditional concept of Film Festivals, the blueprint that Cousins has developed is the theme of “All That Heaven Allows.” It may cease to have a competition section or prizes, […]
The 2010 Dubai International Film Festival draw to a close over the weekend and handed out its annual Muhr Awards. This year the festival featured a line-up of 157 films from 57 countries, including 41 world premieres, 13 international premieres, 58 Middle East premieres and 32 Gulf premieres. Nayla Al Khaja’s “Bored,” about a young Emirati couple, on their honeymoon, took the top prize. “Their approach to the relationship and commitment to the marriage is […]
The Anchorage International Film Festival just wrapped its 10th edition and awarded its 2010 Golden Oosikar Awards to the top films, with “The Wild Hunt,” by Alexandre Franchi taking the top prize for Best Film. A modern medieval saga, The Wild Hunt tells the story of Erik Magnusson, a young man who decides to follow his estranged girlfriend Evelyn into a medieval re-enactment game when he discovers that she has been seduced by one of […]
The 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival announced today a new program highlighting African Cinema as well as films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award, New Voices/New Visions Award and John Schlesinger Awards. The Festival will screen 40 of the 65 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. The Festival will announce its complete line-up of films next week. “Our African films showcase reflects our […]
Duncan Jones’ new film “Source Code” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Vera Farmiga and Michelle Monaghan will open 2011 South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival (SXSW). This is the second feature from Jones, the son of David Bowie, whose first feature film, “Moon”also screened at SXSW in 2009. The synopsis: Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes with a jolt to find himself on a commuter train heading into Chicago. Although the other passengers all seem to […]
German actor and artist Armin Mueller-Stahl will be awarded an Honorary Golden Bear at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival. “Today Armin Mueller-Stahl is celebrating his 80th birthday. We wish him the very best and are delighted we’ll be awarding this extraordinary artist the Honorary Golden Bear for Lifetime Achievement in February,” says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick. Armin Mueller-Stahl is one of Germany’s biggest stars of international renown. Winner of numerous awards, he has played […]
Some 60 feature and short films will celebrate their premieres at the House of World Cultures, Generation’s new main venue at the upcoming 61st Berlin International Film Festival scheduled for February 10 – 20, 2011. Twelve feature-length films have already been confirmed. “With each film our excitement about the House of World Cultures is mounting. We want to invite Berlinale visitors to a change of location, in a spectacular cinema, and to the greatly diverse […]