Film Festivals

2011 Seattle International Film Festival Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards

[caption id="attachment_1473" align="alignnone" width="550"]Grand Jury Prize, Gandu, directed by ‘Q’ Kaushik Mukherjee[/caption]

The 37th Seattle International Film Festival, wrapped on June 12th after a 25-day run with the announcement of the SIFF 2011 Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. The Indian film ‘Gandu’ directed by “Q” Kaushik Mukherjee took the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Dierctor. ‘Gandu’ is described as film about A poor young man in Kolkata befriends a Bruce Lee-obsessed rickshaw driver and begins a strange descent into a world of drugs and rap-fueled fantasy in this gritty, resolutely anti-Bollywood adventure.

SIFF 2011 COMPETITION AWARDS
Three Competition Awards including Best New Director, Best Documentary and the FIPRESCI Prize were announced today. Winners in the juried New Director and Documentary competition will receive $2,500. All of the winners will receive a Space Needle inspired glass award by artist James Mongrain.

SIFF 2011 Best New Director
Grand Jury Prize
Gandu, directed by “Q” Kaushik Mukherjee (India, 2010)
Jury Statement: “We chose to give the prize to a movie that bowled us over with its kinetic, brash humor and style-hoping dexterity, a portrait of tortured youth that refreshingly pokes fun at adolescent self-centeredness while simultaneously exploring the anger, despondency and malaise of a generation.”

The New Directors Competition jury was comprised of: Robert Abele, Film and TV Critic/Journalist; Peter Goldwyn, Samuel Goldwyn Films; and Sara Rose, Acquisitions Executive

SIFF 2011 Best Documentary
Grand Jury Prize
Hot Coffee, directed by Susan Saladoff (USA, 2011)
Jury Statement: “Going beyond a well-known headline that was the butt of many jokes, Hot Coffee makes dry legal boilerplate spring to life in portraying human dramas with tragic consequences. It makes us all question our simple assumptions – it’s a film that needs to be seen.”

Special Jury Prizes
To Be Heard, directed by Roland Legiardi-Laura, Amy Sultan, Deborah Shaffer and Edwin Martinez (USA, 2010)
Jury Statement: “By filmically living with and sharing the dramas of a remarkably affecting group of young people over a period of years, To Be Heard wins the hearts of viewers with a roller coaster emotional ride…it’s immediacy and poignancy make it a film that truly lives beyond the frame.”

Sushi: The Global Catch, directed by Mark Hall (USA, 2011)
Jury Statement: “The film brings to the forefront the urgent and occasionally competing arguments of overfishing that don’t necessarily have easy answers – truly a film that is food for thought.”

The Documentary jury was comprised of: Krysanne Katsoolis, Cactus Three; Richard Lorber, Kino Lorber Inc.; and Katherine Tulich, Hollywood Foreign Press and International Federation of Film Critics.

SIFF 2011 FIPRESCI Prize for Best New American Film
SIFF is very pleased to announce its continued partnership with FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. FIPRESCI, in existence for more than 65 years, with members in over 60 countries, supports cinema as an art and as an outstanding and autonomous means of expression. SIFF is one of three festivals in the United States to host a FIPRESCI jury, and this year, FIPRESCI presented an award to Best New American Film selected from the New American Cinema program.

FIPRESCI Prize
On the Ice, directed by Andrew Okpeaha MacLean (USA, 2011)
Jury Statement: “For presenting a universal, near-Biblical tragedy set in a little known culture recreated with compelling detail. A story told with outstanding naturalistic performances with a confident, compelling narrative.”

The FIPRESCI jury was comprised of members of the International Federation of Film Critics: Peter Keough, USA; Gideon Kouts, France; and Lucy Virgen, Mexico

SIFF 2011 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
The Golden Space Needle Audience Awards are given in the following categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film. More than 80,000 ballots were cast by SIFF audiences to determine the winners. Golden Space Needle Award winners receive a hand-made glass creation by artist James Mongrain. Additionally, the Golden Space Needle award winner for Best Short film will receive a brand new Mac computer, fully loaded with the latest filmmaking software from The Mac Store, and will receive $1,000 of film stock from Eastman Kodak.

Best Film Golden Space Needle Award
Paper Birds, directed by Emilio Aragón (Spain, 2010)
First runner up: Tilt, directed by Viktor Chouchkov Jr. (Bulgaria, 2010)
Second runner up: Simple Simon, directed by Andreas Öhman (Sweden, 2010)
Third runner up: The Whistleblower, directed by Larysa Kondracki (Canada/Germany, 2010)
Fourth runner up: King of Devil’s Island, directed by Marius Holst (Norway, 2010)

Rounding out the top ten: My Afternoons With Margueritte, directed by Jean Becker (France, 2010); Spud, directed by Donovan Marsh (South Africa, 2010); Service Entrance (The Women of the Sixth Floor), directed by Philippe Le Guay (France, 2011); Almanya, directed by Yasemin Samdereli (Germany, 2011); Old Goats, directed by Taylor Guterson (USA, 2010).

Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Award
To Be Heard, directed by Roland Legiardi-Laura, Amy Sultan, Deborah Shaffer, Edwin Martinez (USA, 2010)
First runner up: Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, directed by Constance Marks (USA, 2011)
Second runner up: Buck, directed by Cindy Meehl (USA, 2011)
Third runner up: How to Die in Oregon, directed by Peter D. Richardson (USA, 2011)
Fourth runner up: Hot Coffee, directed by Susan Saladoff (USA, 2011)

Rounding out the top ten: Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians, directed by Bryan Storkel (USA, 2011); The Interrupters, directed by Steve James (USA, 2011); Circus Dreams, directed by Signe Taylor (USA, 2011); 12 Angry Lebanese, directed by Zeina Daccache (Lebanon, 2010); A Lot Like You, directed by Eliaichi Kimaro (Tanzania/USA, 2011).

Best Director Golden Space Needle Award
Larysa Kondracki, The Whistleblower (Canada/Germany, 2010)
First runner up: Emilio Aragón, Paper Birds (Spain, 2010)
Second runner up: Mohammad Rasoulof, The White Meadows (Iran, 2009)
Third runner up: Yasemin Samderelli, Almanya (Germany, 2011)
Fourth runner up: Maryam Keshavarz, Circumstance (Iran, 2011)

Rounding out the top ten: Carlos Saura, Flamenco, Flamenco (Spain, 2010); Robbie Pickering, Natural Selection (USA, 2011); Megan Griffiths, The Off Hours (USA, 2011); Raul Ruiz, The Mysteries of Lisbon (Portugal, 2010); Mike Mills, Beginners (USA, 2010).

Best Actor Golden Space Needle Award
Bill Skarsgård, Simple Simon (Sweden, 2010)
First runner up: Matt Smith, Womb, (Germany/Hungary/France, 2010)
Second runner up: Imanol Arias, Paper Birds (Spain, 2010)
Third runner up: Matt O’Leary, Natural Selection (USA, 2011)
Fourth runner up: Ron Eldard, Roadie (USA, 2011)

Rounding out the top ten: Ewan McGregor, Beginners (USA, 2010); Peter Stormare, Small Town Murder Songs (Canada, 2010); Toni Servillo, A Quiet Life (Italy, 2010); Peter Mullan, Tyrannosaur (UK, 2011); Gerard Depardieu, My Afternoons with Margueritte (France, 2010).

Best Actress Golden Space Needle Award
Natasha Petrovic, As If I Am Not There (Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden, 2010)
First runner up: Bodil Jorgensen, Nothing’s All Bad (Denmark, 2010)
Second runner up: Rachel Weisz, The Whistleblower (Canada/Germany, 2010)
Third runner up: Rachael Harris, Natural Selection (USA, 2011)
Fourth runner up: Magaly Solier, Amador (Spain, 2011)

Rounding out the top ten: Eva Green, Perfect Sense (UK, 2011); Yahima Torres, Black Venus (France, 2010); Sara Forestier, The Names of Love (France, 2010); Katja Kukkola, Princess (Finland, 2010); Sandra Hüller, Above Us Only Sky (Germany, 2011).

Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award
The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore, directed by William Joyce (USA, 2011)
First runner up: North Atlantic, directed by Bernardo Nascimento (Portugal, 2010)
Second runner up: Interview, director Sebastian Marka (Germany, 2010)
Third runner up: Amazonia, director Sam Chen (USA, 2010)
Fourth runner up: Cataplexy, director John Salcido (USA, 2010)

Lena Sharpe Award for Persistence of Vision, Presented by Women in Film/Seattle
This award is presented to the female director whose feature film receives the highest number of audience ballots.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, directed by Constance Marks (USA, 2011)

SIFF 2011 FutureWave and Youth Jury Awards
The SIFF FutureWave jury was comprised of five high-school students that viewed nine FutureWave features to award the prize of Best FutureWave Feature. The Films4Families jury was comprised of five elementary and middle school students that viewed six Films4Families films to award the prize for Best Films4Families Feature. SIFF’s WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking was awarded at the FutureWave Shorts program on May 30 at SIFF Cinema as part of the ShortsFest Weekend. More than 100 short films were submitted from young filmmakers aged 13-18, from Canada, USA, Sweden, Ireland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom. The WaveMaker Award was selected from the 19 presented finalists. TheFilmSchool faculty member Rick Stevenson also awarded several partial scholarships to TheFilmSchool’s Prodigy Camp for outstanding storytelling.

Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature
Detention, directed by Joseph Kahn (USA, 2011)
Jury Statement: “For its unpredictable and genuinely exciting story that is based on today’s teenager, but effectively immersed in a fantasy world. It is obvious that Detention was made with a passion for creative filmmaking and we are eager to share it with our generation.”

Youth Jury Award for Best Films4Families Feature
Circus Dreams, directed by Signe Taylor (USA, 2011)
Jury Statement: “For showing the ups and downs of training and performing in a children’s circus and the importance of pursuing your dreams.”

WaveMaker Award for Excellence in Youth Filmmaking (Grand Jury Prize)
The Million Dollar Watch, directed by Joseph Yao (USA, 2010)
Jury statement: “For its creativity, vision, and scope on an operatic scale.”

WaveMaker Special Jury Prize
Deaf Perspective, directed by Rogan Shannon (USA, 2011)
Jury statement: “For opening our eyes (and ears) to a new perspective on the world.”

Joseph Yao (The Million Dollar Watch, USA, 2010) and Blair Scott (Reflection, USA, 2010) also received a scholarship to TheFilmSchool’s Prodigy Camp, a weeklong, immersive, overnight film camp for youth aged 12–18 held in late June.

FutureWave Shorts Audience Award
Deaf Perspective, directed by Rogan Shannon (USA, 2011)
First runner up: The Million Dollar Watch, directed by Joseph Yao (USA, 2010)
Second runner up: Reflection, directed by Blair Scott (USA, 2010)
Third runner up: Henry, directed by Amelia Elizalde (USA, 2011)
Fourth runner up: Noticed, directed by Reel Youth CampOut (Canada, 2010)

SIFF 2011 Short Film Jury Awards
As a qualifying festival of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, short films that receive the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative short film and Best Animation short film awards at SIFF may qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. Winners will also receive a $1,000 cash prize.

Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short
Time Freak, directed by Andrew Bowler (USA, 2010)
Jury statement: “A hilarious, original take on time travel that reminds us all to embrace the moment.”

Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short
Library of Dust, directed by Ondi Timoner and Robert James (USA, 2010)
Jury statement: “This real-life ghost story is a startling reminder of the strength of spirit and compels us to recognize the tragedy of overlooking the spirits of those still with us.”

Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short
The Eagleman Stag, directed by Mikey Please (USA, 2010)
Jury statement: “With a monochromatic palette, it provides a colorful tale of life and rebirth.”

Special Jury Prizes
Narrative – Howard From Ohio, directed by SJ Chiro (USA, 2011)
Jury statement: “It’s a simple tale with a straightforward honesty seldom seen on screen.”

Our Ship, directed by Garon Campbell (South Africa, 2011)
Jury statement: “A heartwarming story that underscores the importance of family loyalty.”

Animation – New Digs, directed by Martin Sen (South Africa, 2010)
Jury statement: “A charmingly ironic tale about having faith in the people who love you.”

The Short Film jury was comprised of: Kellie Ann Benz, The Shorts Report; Bill Murray, Northwest Screenwriters Guild; Jason Plourde, Three Dollar Bill Cinema and Tom Skerritt, actor and founder, TheFilmSchool.

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Otelo Burning is opening film for 2011 Durban International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_1469" align="alignnone" width="560"]Otelo Burning[/caption]

The 32nd edition Durban International Film Festival’s taking place from July 21 to 31, 2011, opens with the World Premiere of a film shot in Durban – Otelo Burning, directed by Sara Blecher. Beginning in the late 1980s, the story is set around youngsters from Lamontville township who discover surfing as an empowering escape from the political violence of the times. Surfing facilitates the shaping of a new culture and lifestyle for them, and this reflects a real process that continues to take place in Durban. Adventures and drama follow. There is romance, rivalry, and tragedy, and, ultimately, choices have to be made.

The film includes excellent and credible performances by a quartet of talented actors – Thomas Gumede, Sihle Xaba, Jafta Mamabolo and Tsepang Mohlomi. Otelo Burning is to an extent based on Sihle’s own story. Matthew Oats and Hamilton Dlamini also star in the film.

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2011 Staten Island Film Festival; Lovinder Singh Gill’s “Stalemate” Wins Best Picture

[caption id="attachment_1467" align="alignnone" width="550"]Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America, narrated by Katey Sagal, is a captivating feature length documentary that proves a beauty pageant is more than just a sash and a crown. This inspiring piece follows five women with disabilities on their journeys towards the 2010 Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant and explores the lives they lead in the face of adversity[/caption]

The 2011 Staten Island Film Festival finally came to an end and held its closing award ceremonies, and the the big winner was Lovinder Singh Gill’s “Stalemate” which won the award for Best Picture. “StaleMate” is a story about how we are 100% sure that we want something and then, in a split second, we realize we never wanted it in the first place. Kayleigh has finally found the perfect man; unfortunately, he comes in the form of two men she is dating, Richard and Arthur. They are wonderful in different ways and are complimentary pieces to the same puzzle – Kayleigh’s heart.

Winners:

Best Actress, Lori Martini, from “Caught”

Best Actor, Ernest Borgnine, “Night Club”

Best Documentary Short, “From the Ground Up”

Best Documentary Feature, “Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America”

Best Drama Short, “Bright”; Best Thriller, “Between the Floors”

Best Comedy Short, “Morning Honey”

Best Cinematography, “Crossroads”

Best New Filmmaker, Sean Marlon Newcombe, “Scenes From a Campaign”

Best Staten Island Local Short, “Green Apples & Wannabes”

Best Staten Island Local Feature, “Nightclub”

Best Short Screenplay, “Sexcut”

Best Feature Screenplay, “The 7-Day Diary”

Audience Choice Short, “Gus”

Audience Choice Documentary, “P-Star Rising”

Audience Choice Comedy, “Sexcut”

Audience Choice Drama, “Close-Up”

Audience Choice Feature, “Desert Rain”

Best Director, Salvatore Petrosino, “Crossroads”

Best Short Film, “Gus”; Best Picture, “Stalemate”

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Sicilian Film Festival in Miami Announces 2012 Dates

The Sicilian Film Festival, 7th Edition will be held April 11-17, 2012 at the Miami Beach Cinematheque. The seven-day festival was created in Miami in 2006 by the Sicilian-born sculptor, musician, writer, and designer Emanuele Viscuso. Now residing in Miami Beach, Viscuso seeks to underline the importance of Sicily and Southern Italy, its cinema, literature, art, food and wine, fashion, and culture on an international platform. While based primarily in Miami, the SFF holds events in both the United States and other cities worldwide.
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2011 Brooklyn Film Festival Winners; ‘Battle for Brooklyn’ is big winner

[caption id="attachment_1458" align="alignnone" width="550"]Battle for Brooklyn [/caption]

The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) announced the winners of this year’s festival held June 3 – June 12, 2011 at IndieScreen and Brooklyn Heights Cinema. Fittingly enough, a film about Brooklyn, ‘Battle For Brooklyn’ by Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky took the Grand Chameleon Award and the award for Best Documentary. BATTLE for BROOKLYN is an intensely intimate look at the very public and passionate fight waged by owners and residents facing condemnation of their property to make way for the controversial Atlantic Yards project, a massive plan to build 16 skyscrapers and a basketball arena for the New Jersey Nets in the heart of Brooklyn. Shot over seven years and compiled from almost 500 hours of footage, BATTLE for BROOKLYN is an epic tale of how far people will go to fight for what they believe in.

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W Zappatore by Massimiliano Verdesca was the other big winner, taking the awards for Best Documentary and Best Actress for Sandra Milo. This hilarious, quirky Italian comedy explores the question: is it better to play the music of Satan or listen to the word of God? Marcello Zappatore is 33 years old. He earns a living by playing electric guitar in a Satanist heavy metal band. However, Marcello has a physical problem: an uncomfortable itch on the side of his rib cage that soon turns out to be stigmata. Is it divine intervention or just time for a change? Marcello does not know the answer, and the stigmata is causing him many problems. In one go, he loses his girlfriend and the flat they share, and is kicked out of his band. Marcello now finds himself ready to undertake a very personal voyage between two very different and incompatible worlds… that of God and that of Rock.

2011 Brooklyn Film Festival winners:

GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD
BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN by Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky

Best Narrative Feature
W. ZAPPATORE by Massimiliano Verdesca

Best Documentary
BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN by Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky

Best Narrative Short
RITA by Antonio Piazza & Fabio Grassadonia

Best Animation
A MORNING STROLL by Grant Orchard

Best Experimental
DAME FACTORY by Melanie Abramov

Best New Director
SLAVA ROSS for Siberia Monamour

Spirit Awards
Feature Narrative Documentary Short Narrative Experimental Animation	AMY GEORGE by Yonah Lewis & Calvin Thomas SCRAPPER by Stephan Wassmann GOWANUS 83 by Michael Wood TO BE IN ME by Marina Mello AMAR by Isabel Herguera

Audience Awards
Feature Narrative Documentary Short Narrative Experimental Animation	DAVID by Joel Fendelman BED STUY DO OR DIE by Daniel Bishop TEARDROP by Damian John Harper POSE by Ivaylo Getov FALLING UP by Djuna Wahlrab

Certificates of Outstanding Achievement
Screenplay Producer Cinematography Editing Original Score Actor Female Actor Male	ANNA KERRIGAN for Five Days Gone S. SCHAEFER, D. CRESPO, C. SILBER for My Last Day Without You MAGELA CROSIGNANI for Mary Marie TAKASHI DOSCHER for Snow on tha Bluff “FALL ON YOUR SWORD” for Aardvark MARIELENA LOGSDON for Babyland & SANDRA MILO for W. Zappatore RASSELAS LAKEW for The Athlete

18th Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival Awards

[caption id="attachment_1306" align="alignnone" width="560"]SOME GIRLS NEVER LEARN Jerzy Rose[/caption]

Jerzy Rose’s Some Girls Never Learn emerged the big winner of the 2011 Chicago Underground Film Festival picking up Audience Award in addition to the Made in Chicago Award. The film synopsis, ” A university has found the leg bone of Amelia Earhart. The diver responsible for the discovery is receiving mysterious messages from the famous dead pilot. A high school science teacher travels to the underworld to bring back his girlfriend. Animals are arranging themselves into concentric circles and helium has escaped into the luminiferous aether.”

2011 Chicago Underground Film Festival Awards

Jury Awards:

Best Documentary (feature)
And Again – Adele Horne

Best Documentary (short)
History Minor – Ryan Garrett

Best Experimental:
Home Movie – John Price

Best Experimental:
Slow Action – Ben Rivers

Best Narrative (feature):
The Color Wheel – Alex Ross Perry

Best Narrative (feature):
Snow on tha Bluff – Damon Russell

Made in Chicago Award:
Some Girls Never Learn – Jerzy Rose

Audience Award:
Some Girls Never Learn – Jerzy Rose

Honorable Mentions:
Young Bird Season – Nellie Kluz
Second Law: South Leh St. – Mike Gibisser
Chainsaw Found Jesus – Spencer Parsons
Devil’s Gate – Laura Kraning

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2011 Palm Springs International ShortFest, Short Film Festival & Film Market Announce Star-Studded Lineup

The 2011 Palm Springs International ShortFest, Short Film Festival & Film Market, which will screen June 21-27, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, announced its roster of 331 films. New this year, Palm Springs International ShortFest announced its inaugural ShortFest Online Film Festival featuring ten films playing on a special section of the festival web site starting a week prior to the festival and will continue to play online for two months after the end of the festival.

This year’s star-studded shorts feature Academy Award winners and nominees, film and television stars and studio executives. Sarah Paulson and Wes Bentley star in After-School Special (USA); Selma Blair and Jeremy Davies in Animal Love (USA); Michael Cera stars in Bad Dads (USA); Billy Burke in David and Goliath (USA); Anthony LaPaglia in In Loco Parentis (Australia); Campbell Scott in Love, Lots of It (USA); Jason Alexander, James Avery, Sid Ganis, Amy Heckerling, Sally Kirkland, Kathy Najimy, Amy Pascal, and Joe Roth in Not Your Time (USA); Seymour Cassel and Fionnula Flanagan in the North American premiere of Pass the Salt, Please (USA); Melissa Leo in the World Premiere of The Sea Is All I Know (USA); Kirsten Dunst and Brian Geraghty in the U.S. premiere of The Second Bakery Attack (Mexico/USA); Tom Hardy in Sergeant Slaughter, My Big Brother (UK); Julia Stiles stars in Sexting (USA) directed by Neil LaBute; Keira Knightley and Colin Firth star in Steve (UK) directed by Rupert Friend; Adam Arkin, Clifton Collins, Jr., Carla Gugino and Jesse Spencer star in Tell-Tale (UK); and Jessica Chastain stars in and serves as a producer for The Westerner (USA).

In addition to familiar faces in front of the camera, some recognizable names directing shorts this year include: Peter Cattaneo directs Bunce (UK) starring Stephen Fry; David Hayter directs the World Premiere of Chasm (USA); Heather Hemmens directs the World Premiere of Designated (USA); Jay Duplass directs Kevin (Spain/USA); Terry George directs the North American Premiere of The Shore (UK); Olivia Wilde and Maria Bello serve as executive producers for the documentary Sun City Picture House (Haiti) directed by David Darg.

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Shakeups at Little Rock Film Festival and Malaga Spanish Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_1449" align="alignnone" width="560"]Little Rock Film Festival Organizers Craig and Brent Renaud with Phil Donahue[/caption]

Just days after the close of the 5th Little Rock Film Festival, the Arkansas Times is reporting that executive director Jack Lofton is out after announcing his resignation. With Lofton out, co-founders Owen Brainard and Craig Renaud will serve as co-executive directors of the festival.

Lofton has reportedly described the split as “amicable and mutually beneficial.”

Additionally, co-founder Brent Renaud has been appointed executive director of the newly created Arkansas Film Institute, a “state-wide initiative to promote and support filmmaking and film culture in Arkansas.”

And in Spain, Malaga Spanish Film Festival director Carmelo Romero fired the executive director Franjo Parejo and the general coordinator Antonio Luque this week, citing a “complete lack of trust” in the two men, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

The decision is said to not be based on direct allegations of financial impropriety, but on an audit into the general accounts for the 2010 festival which showed irregularities but was still approved by the festival’s board without any votes against.

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2011 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival to feature 31 films

[caption id="attachment_1445" align="alignnone" width="560"]Eugene Domingo in ‘Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank’[/caption]

Thirty-one films will compete in the 2011 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in Manila next month. Nine films will compete in the New Breed Full-length Feature category, 10 films in the Short Feature category, and 4 in the Directors’ Showcase.

New Breed category

“Amok” by Lawrence Fajardo
“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” by Chris Martinez
“Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” by Alemberg Ang and Alvin Yapan
“Baby Factory” by Eduardo W. Roy, Jr. and Jerome Zamora
“Cuchera” by Joseph Israel M. Laban and Janice O’Hara
“I-libings: Your Loss, Our Luck” by Rommel Andreo Sales
“Ligo na U, Lapit Na Me” by Noel Ferrer, Jerry Gracio and Erick Salud
“Niño” by Loy Arcenas
“Teoriya (Father’s Way)” by Alistaire Christian E. Chan

Short Feature category

“Oliver’s Apartment” by Misha Balangue
“Hanapbuhay” by Henry Frejas
“Un Diutay Mundo (One Small World)” by Ana Carlyn V. Lim
“Immanuel” by Gabriel “Gio” Puyat
“Hazard” by Mikhail Red
“Walang Katapusang Kwarto” by Emerson Reyes
“Debut” by Pamela Llanes Reyes
“Samarito” by Rafael L. Santos
“Every Other Time” by Gino M. Santos
“Nino Bonito” by Rommel “Milo” Tolentino

Directors Showcase

“Bisperas” by Jeffrey Jeturian
“Busong” by Auraeus Solito
“Isda” by Adolfo Alix, Jr.
“Patikul” by Joel C. Lamangan

This year’s Cinemalaya Festival will for the first time include a section called Focus Asia that will feature 8 independent works by Asian directors.

The Cinemalaya Awards Night will be held on July 2, 2011.
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Winners of the 1st Gold Coast International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_1435" align="alignnone" width="560"]Bob And The Monster[/caption]

The first annual Gold Coast International Film Festival in North Hempstead, Long Island, New york wrapped and held its first awards ceremony Sunday night at the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point reports Port Washington Patch.

Keirda Bahruth’s “Bob And The Monster” won the New York Post 2011 Gold Coast International Film Festival Trailer Contest and the audience award for best documentary film. The film is a documentary chronicling the life of charismatic singer/songwriter Bob Forrest, from his days as front man for indie rock band Thelonious Monster, through his life-threatening struggle with addiction, to his triumph and transformation into one of the most influential addiction counselors in the US today.

“My Afternoons with Margueritte,” directed by Jean Becker won the audience appreciation award for best narrative film. My Afternoons With Margueritte is the story of a illiterate and lonely man who bonds with an older and well-read woman.

Meghan Shea’s “In The Spirit of Laxmi,” won best short documentary and Domhnall Gleeson’s “Noreen” won best narrative short.
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Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Erykah Badu and composer Daniele Luppi are Artists in Residence for 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_1428" align="alignnone" width="560"]Erykah Badu[/caption]

The 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival announced Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Erykah Badu and composer Daniele Luppi as Artists in Residence, as well as a conversation with Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine, stars of the Festival’s opening night film Bernie. Screen Gems’ Attack the Block and Lionsgate’s The Devil’s Double have also been added to the Galas section.

As an Artist in Residence, Erykah Badu will present a screening of Ricky Gervais’ The Invention of Lying, followed by a conversation. Universal Motown artist Erykah Badu is a Grammy Award-winning American soul singer and songwriter. Daniele Luppi will present a screening of Italian genre maestro Sergio Corbucci’s Navajo Joe, followed by a conversation about movies and music. Italian-born composer, record producer and arranger, Daniele Luppi has worked on Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse’s epic “Dark Night of the Soul,” Gnarls Barkley’s Grammy-winning “St. Elsewhere” and John Legend’s platinum-selling “Once Again.”

As part of the Festival Conversations, Bernie co-stars Jack Black and Shirley MacLaine — two beloved and celebrated actors — (try to) answer questions about their careers and body of work in a fun, game show approach to the old career discussion. This freewheeling evening will be moderated by Leonard Maltin.

The Festival has added two more high-profile films to its Gala section. Screen Gems’ Attack the Block is written and directed by Joe Cornish and stars Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh, Leeon Jones, Simon Howard, Luke Treadaway, Jumayn Hunter and Nick Frost. From the producers of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Attack the Block follows a gang of tough inner-city kids who defend their turf against an invasion of savage alien creatures, turning a South London apartment complex into an extraterrestrial warzone.

Lionsgate’s The Devil’s Double is directed by Lee Tamahori, written by Michal Thomas and stars Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Raad Rawi and Philip Quast. Based on an unbelievable, but true story of money, power and opulent decadence, The Devil’s Double is about an Iraqi army lieutenant ordered to become the body double for “Black Prince” Uday Hussein, a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality.
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58th Sydney Film Festival Official Lineup; June 8-19, 2011

[caption id="attachment_942" align="alignnone"]Closing Night Film – Beginners[/caption]

The full 12 day film festival program for the 58th Sydney Film Festival, which opens on Wednesday, June 8-19, 2011 encompasses 161 titles: 75 features, 39 documentaries, 34 short films, 13 retrospective titles, 10 World premieres, 86 Australian premieres, 42 countries, 47 languages and 29 Australian productions (1 retrospective, 6 features, 10 documentaries, 12 short films).

OPENING NIGHT GALA
The Australian premiere of espionage thriller Hanna – directed by Joe Wright (Atonement) and starring Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana – will kick start the 2011 Sydney Film Festival.

CLOSING NIGHT GALA
The festival will host its Closing Night Gala at the State Theatre on Sunday 19 June at 7.45pm, with the Australian premiere of Beginners, directed by Mike Mills and featuring Ewan McGregor (SFF’s 2010 guest for Ghost Writer), Christopher Plummer and Mélanie
Laurent.

FAMILY GALA
Stars Jack Black, Lucy Liu, Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and CEO of DreamWorks Animation Jeffrey Katzenberg will be at Sydney Film Festival to introduce the Australian premiere of Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D. The stellar cast also includes Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, James Hong, Gary Oldman, Michelle Yeoh, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber.

Competitive Sections

OFFICIAL COMPETITION
The 12 titles in this year’s Official Competition line-up are:
• Direct from the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, two Australian films will have their Australian premieres at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival: Sleeping Beauty (Official Competition at Cannes) and Ivan Sen’s Toomelah (Un Certain Regard at Cannes)
• Also direct from screenings at Cannes are The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, directed by Terrence Malick (Official Competition at Cannes) and Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter, starring Academy Award® Nominee Michael Shannon (Critics’ Week at Cannes)
• Two award-winners from Berlin Film Festival will also compete: Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation which won Best Film and both Best Acting awards for its ensemble cast and Joshua Marston’s The Forgiveness of Blood which won Best Screenplay.
• Bold and inventive films from Spain – Fernando León de Aranoa’s Amador; Russia – Alexander Zeldovich’s Target and Egypt – Mohamed Diab’s Cairo 678 are also having their Australian Premieres in the Official Competition selection.
• Completing the line-up are the three previously announced films – Attenberg by Athina Rachel Tsangari; The Future by Miranda July and Norwegian Wood directed by Tran Anh Hung.

FOXTEL AUSTRALIAN DOCUMENTARY PRIZE
The FOXTEL Australian Documentary Prize acknowledges excellence in local documentary production and is open to factual films of any length. The jury awards a cash prize of $10,000 which is presented at SFF’s Closing Night ceremony on Sunday 19 June.

The 10 selected finalists to be shortlisted for this year’s FOXTEL Australian Documentary Prize include films on subjects as diverse as climate change, rollerskating and sexual expression.

The finalists are:
Carnival Queen: Director, Producer: Amy Gebhardt
A Common Purpose: Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Mitzi Goldman
Dancing with Dictators: Director: Hugh Piper | Producer: Helen Barrow
The Hungry Tide: Director, Producer: Tom Zubrycki
I’m Not Dead Yet: Director, Producer: Janine Hosking
Life In Movement: Directors, Screenwriters, Producers: Bryan Mason, Sophie Hyde
My America: Director: Peter Hegedus | Producers: Peter Hegedus, Jane Jeffes, Trish Lake
Rollerboy: Directors, Screenwriters: Jayson Sutcliffe, Polly Watkins | Producer: Beth Frey
Scarlet Road: Director: Catherine Scott. Producer: Pat Fiske.
Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure: Director, Screenwriter: Matthew Bate | Producers: Sophie Hyde, Matthew Bate

THE DENDY AWARDS FOR AUSTRALIAN SHORT FILMS
The prestigious Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films have launched and aided the careers of many Australian filmmakers and have been sponsored by Dendy Cinemas for 23 years.

The nominees are:

Live Action:
• At the Formal: Director, Screenwriter: Andrew Kavanagh. Producer: Ramona Telicican.
• Comfortable: Director, Screenwriter: Laura Dudgeon. Producers: Mathew Chuang, Laura Dudgeon.
• Cropped: Director, Screenwriter: Dave Wade. Producer: Bettina Hamilton.
• The Palace: Director, Screenwriter: Anthony Maras. Producers: Anthony Maras, Kate Croser.
• Peekaboo: Director, Screenwriter: Damien Power. Producer: Joe Weatherstone.
• Tethered: Director, Screenwriter: Craig Irvin. Producer: Ashley Harris.
• Two Laps: Director, Screenwriter: Owen Trevor. Producer: Lucas Jenner.

Animation:
• Fragments: Directors, Producers: George Varettas, Cosmin Hrincu
• The Missing Key: Director, Screenwriter: Jonathan Nix. Producers: Garth Nix, Anna McFarlane, Jonathan Nix.
• Nullarbor: Directors: Alister Lockhart, Patrick Sarell. Producers: Katrina Mathers, Merrin Jensen, Patrick Sarell, Daryl Munton.

Pathways
SFF developed the Pathways concept to establish an intuitive, experiential set of categories that would help Sydneysiders answer the question “What sort of film do I feel like seeing tonight?”

FIRE ME UP
Gear up for some high-octane action or fuel the fires of controversy with:13 Assassins (Miike Takashi, Japan), Cirkus Columbia (Danis Tanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Elite Squad: The Enemy Within (José Padilha, Brazil), Even the Rain (Icíar Bollaín; Spain, France, Mexico), POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (Morgan Spurlock, USA), Senna (Asif Kapadia, UK) and Tabloid (Errol Morris, USA). Sponsored by Maurice Lacroix.

LOVE ME
Art from the heart of cinema’s foremost emotional explorers, sometimes sweet and often passionate: 33 Postcards (Pauline Chan; Australia, China), All About Love (Ann Hui, Hong Kong) The Beaver (Jodie Foster, USA), Black & White & Sex (John Winter, Australia), The Good Life (Eva Mulvad, Denmark), Jane Eyre (Cary Joji Fukunaga, UK), Medianeras (Gustavo Taretto; Argentina, Germany, Spain), Old Cats (Sebastián Silva and Pedro Peirano, Chile), Project Nim (James Marsh, USA), Sacrifice (Chen Kaige, China), The Salt of Life (Gianni di Gregorio, Italy), Terri (Azazel Jacobs, USA), Three (Tom Tykwer, Germany) and Tomboy (Céline Sciamma, France). Supported by SBS.

MAKE ME LAUGH
Be amused, amazed and sometimes appalled at what’s so funny: Animals Distract Me (Isabella Rossellini, USA), Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta, USA), Exporting Raymond (Phil Rosenthal, USA, Russia), The Guard (John Michael McDonagh, Ireland), Happy, Happy (Anne Sewitzsky, Norway), Surviving Life (Jan Švankmajer; Czech Republic, Slovakia), The Trip (Michael Winterbottom, UK), Top Floor Left Wing (Angelo Cianci, France) and Win Win (Tom McCarthy, USA).

FREAK ME OUT
Guest programmer Richard Kuipers’ screamadelic selections mean you no longer have to wait until midnight for a serious fright: Corridor (Johan Lundborg and Johan Storm, Sweden), End of Animal (Jo Sung-hee, South Korea), Hobo with a Shotgun (Jason Eisener; Canada, USA), Kill List (Ben Wheatley, UK), Mutant Girls Squad (Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi, Japan), Septien (Michael Tully, USA), Stake Land (Jim Mickle, USA), The Troll Hunter (André Øvredal, Norway) and Tucker & Dale vs Evil (Eli Craig, Canada).

TAKE ME ON A JOURNEY
The journeys are endless and they start right here: Boxing Gym (Frederick Wiseman, USA), HERE (Braden King, USA), How to Start Your Own Country (Jody Shapiro, Canada),
I Wish I Knew (Jia Zhangke, China, The Netherlands), Meek’s Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt, USA), My Reincarnation (Jennifer Fox; USA, Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland), Position Among the Stars (Leonard Retel Helmrich, Netherlands), Le Quattro Volte (Michelangelo Frammartino; Italy, Germany, Switzerland), Silent Souls (Alexei Fedorchenko, Russia) and Sleeping Sickness (Ulrich Köhler; France, Germany, Netherlands). Sponsored by Tourism NT.

PUSH ME TO THE EDGE
Test your emotional boundaries and find the edge where the personal and the political are contested: The Arbor (Clio Barnard, UK), Armadillo (Janus Metz, Denmark), Black Venus (Abdellatif Kechiche, France), Brownian Movement (Nanouk Leopold; Netherlands, Germany, Belgium), The Ditch (Wang Bing; Hong Kong, France, Belgium), Hail (Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Australia), How to Die in Oregon (Peter D Richardson, USA), Khodorkovsky (Cyril Tuschi, Germany), Life, Above All (Oliver Schmitz; South Africa, Germany), Martha Marcy May Marlene (Sean Durkin, USA), Post Mortem (Pablo Larraín; Chile, Mexico, Germany), Third Star (Hattie Dalton, UK), The Turin Horse (Béla Tarr; Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany) and Tyrannosaur (Paddy Considine, UK).
Specialised Programs

FAMILY FILMS
Jack Black, Lucy Liu, Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson and CEO of DreamWorks Animation Jeffrey Katzenberg will be at Sydney Film Festival to introduce the Australian premiere of Kung Fu Panda 2 in 3D on the public holiday Monday 13 June, 6.30pm, at Vmax 1 & 2, Event Cinemas George Street.

Other great family films screening in the Festival are:
• Africa United – an energetic and enjoyable story featuring three Rwandan kids as they hit the road to soccer’s World Cup.
• The charming animated feature The Great Bear, a Nordic tale (in English) featuring a host of wonderful creatures including a giant beer, a herd of mini-moose and puddles full of rainmaking frogs.
• The 3D animation Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage, is a romantic turtle tale voiced by John Hurt and Dominic Cooper.
• A new 35mm print of Jafar Panahi’s classic The White Balloon screening as part of the Free Panahi and Rasoulof tribute program.

CREATIVE DRIVE
Processes are uncovered, approaches are dissected and results are revealed in mediums ranging from the painting to the plate: Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Werner Herzog, USA), Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (Alex Stapleton, USA), El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (Gereon Wetzel, Germany), Jiro Dreams of Sushi (David Gelb, USA), A Letter to Elia (Martin Scorsese and Kent Jones, USA), and The Mill and the Cross (Lech Majewski; Poland, Sweden).

SOUNDS ON SCREEN
Music and film are inseparable dance partners,and films about music make for some of the most compelling cinema created: Ain’t in it for My Healt: A film About Levon Helm (Jacob Hatley, USA) Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest (Michael Rapaport, USA), LENNONYC (Michael Epstein, USA), Mama Africa, a film about Miriam Makeba(Mika Kaurismäki; Germany, South Africa, Finland), Microphone (Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt) and Sing Your Song a film about Harry Belefonte(Susanne Rostock, USA).

Also as part of SOUNDS ON SCREEN:
• SFF & Vivid Creative Sydney present the Australian Premiere of Alex Munt’s musically-inspired ‘pop art film’ LBF. The film’s screening on Friday 10 June will be following by a live performance from bands featured in the film Fergus Brown, Kids at Risk and Tortoiseshell DJ set.
• Dingo – A new preservation of print of Rolf De Heer’s 1991 feature, Dingo, starring Colin Friels and Miles Davis.

GREEN SCREEN
These films tackle the issues impacting on our environment with fresh and often surprising perspectives: Cool It (Ondi Timoner, USA), If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front (Marshall Curry, USA), Letters from the Big Man (Christopher Munch, USA) and Windfall (Laura Israel, USA). Sponsored by Toshiba.

SHORT FILMS
The festival’s line-up of short films which screen before features are: Bear (Nash Edgerton,Australia); Bird (Jane Shearer, Steve Ayson, Gregory King; New Zealand); Bunce (Peter Cattaneo, UK); Charcoal Burners (Piotr Zlotorowicz, Poland); Deerfall (Kate McLaughlin, UK); Hackney Lullabies (Kyoko Miyake, Germany); Heavy Heads (Helena Frank, Denmark); Il Capo (Yuri Ancarini, Italy); James Dean (Lucy Asten Elliot, UK); The Lady with the Dog (Damien Manivel, France); Library Of Dust (Ondi Timoner, Robert James, UK); A Lost and Found Box of Human Sensation (Martin Wallner, Stefan Leuchtenberg; Germany); Pass the Salt, Please (Tatjana Najdanovic,USA); Paths of Hate (Damian Nenow, Poland); Scenes from the Suburbs (Spike Jonze; USA, Canada);
A Screening at the Tatry Cinema (Igor Chojna, Poland); Sugar (Jeroen Annokkeé,
The Netherlands); Susya (Dani Rosenberg, Yoav Gross; Israel, Palestinian Territories);
The Wind (Marcio Salem, Brazil); Tiong Bahru (Desperate Optimists – Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor with Singapore community; Singapore); Tremblay-en-France (Vincent Vizioz, France).

TV MARATHONS
All-day cable marathons and full-season DVD sets of shows like Mad Men, Twin Peaks and The Wire have changed the way we watch TV. Immersing ourselves entirely in an imagined world one episode after another is now one of our most popular pastimes. SFF, in partnership with AFTRS, brings you Australian premieres of two stunning examples of cinematic television in mini-marathons at AFTRS’ comfy theatrette.

This Is England ’86 Shane Meadows’ first foray into television-making sees him return to the characters of his provocative, BAFTA-winning feature film This is England (2006). Three years on and things have changed for the motley band of outsiders just as things have changed in Thatcher’s Britain.

Dreileben: Pt. 1 Beats Being Dead; Pt. 2 Don’t Follow Me Around; Pt. 3 One Minute of Darkness This compelling three-part series plays like the love-child of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks and Lars Von Trier’s The Kingdom born in the Thuringian Forest of former East Germany. Three directors – Dominik Graf, Christian Petzold and Christoph Hochhäusler – approach the same tabloid article, about a criminal escaping from police custody, each from a different story perspective.

Retrospectives
FREE PANAHI AND RASOULOF – A TRIBUTE
There would be few cinephiles unaware of events over the last year concerning Jafar Panahi and his younger filmmaking colleague, Mohammad Rasoulof, which culminated in their receiving a six-year jail sentence and a twenty-year prohibition on leaving Iran or participating in the film industry. (The sentence is currently, as of May 2011, under appeal.)

The Sydney Film Festival will honour award-winning Iranian director Jafar Panahi and his colleague Mohammad Rasoulof by screening a selection of their work: Panahi’s The Circle, The Mirror, Crimson Gold, Offside, The White Balloon and short film The Accordion; Mohammad Rasoulof’s Iron Island and The White Meadows and the Australian Premiere of Gesher, directed by Vahid Vikilifar, produced by Rasoulof and edited by Panahi.
SFF is proud to have acquired a new 35mm print of the White Balloon to ensure the film will remain accessible for audiences in years to come. Rated G, The White Balloon screens as a family matinee on Public Holiday Monday 13 June at 12.20pm, State Theatre.

Cannes Film Festival has announced that this year the Carrosse d’Or Lifetime Achievement Award for courage will be bestowed on Panahi.

MAGNIFICENT OBSESSIONS: THE HOLLYWOOD MELODRAMAS OF DOUGLAS SIRK
SFF invites you to flounce down a sweeping staircase past a patently-fake vista and into five of the best 1950s Hollywood melodramas of Douglas Sirk. Commercial successes for Universal Studios, they were critically maligned at the time. Reinterpreted by filmmakers from Reiner Werner Fassbinder (Fear Eats the Soul) to Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven), and reclaimed by feminist and neo-Marxist critics in the 70s and 80s for their social critiques, they remain pervasively influential, with hit TV series Mad Men also drawing deep from the Sirkian well of stylistic excesses, loaded subtexts and shimmering surfaces. His five showcased films are Magnificent Obsession, All that Heaven Allows, Written on the Wind, There’s Always Tomorrow and Imitation of Life.

New projects

USER GENERATED
The premieres of two new films created from up-loaded content give a glimpse of a powerful new direction in cinema. YouTube has revolutionised and democratised the moving image around the world. It was instrumental in creating both Life in a Day and WE WERE HERE: The Map My Summer Film – the latter of which is a special collaboration between Screen Australia, YouTube and Sydney Film Festival.
Life in a Day For this ground-breaking user-generated project, Academy Award®-winning director Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland, Touching the Void) teamed up with YouTube and executive producers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott to create a feature-length documentary shot in a single day – 24 July 2010 – from thousands of hours of footage submitted by people all over the world. Australian Premiere
http://www.youtube.com/user/lifeinaday
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