
The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $450,000 to 30 U.S. film festivals for the 2011 calendar year, Festival Grants Committee Chair Buffy Shutt announced today.

The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $450,000 to 30 U.S. film festivals for the 2011 calendar year, Festival Grants Committee Chair Buffy Shutt announced today.

The 5th annual Teaneck International Film Festival will be held Friday-Sunday, November 19-21, 2010 in Teaneck, NJ. According to the festival website, the films being presented this year as part of the “Official Selection” all have an important story to tell relating to our theme – “Activism: Making Change” . From civil rights, to gay rights, to the immigration issue, to corporate greed, to nuclear disarmament, to environmental awareness, to health care, the stories being told this weekend are designed to provoke discussion, stimulate debate, excite the senses and bring about a greater sense of awareness.
AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi today announced its Centerpiece Galas, featuring ABEL (DIR Diego Luna), BARNEY’S VERSION (DIR Richard J. Lewis), BLUE VALENTINE (DIR Derek Cianfrance), CASINO JACK (DIR George Hickenlooper), THE COMPANY MEN (DIR John Wells) and an ensemble Tribute to THE KING’S SPEECH with director Tom Hooper and actors Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.
Also announced today are the films that will be presented as Special Screenings: The U.S. premiere of AMIGO (DIR John Sayles), CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (DIR Werner Herzog) in 3-D, MADE IN DAGENHAM (DIR Nigel Cole) and RABBIT HOLE (DIR John Cameron Mitchell).

AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi announced that free tickets will be made available to the general public on October 28; AFI members will have advance access to free tickets on October 27.
AFI FEST 2010 presented by Audi announced the full slate of Special Presentations to be offered during the festival, including three new events that have been added to the program: CINEMA’S LEGACY WITH SCREENWRITER AARON SORKIN on November 7; ON ACTING – A CONVERSATION WITH HALLE BERRY on November 9; and a secret screening in Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on November 9 at 9:30 p.m featuring an upcoming major Hollywood release. The title of the secret screening film will be announced on the morning of November 9 but tickets are available online starting today.
These events join the previously announced Special Presentations featuring 3D BOOTCAMP, presented by the Sony 3D Technology Center, on November 10, which includes a 20-minute preview of TRON: LEGACY in 3D, and THE LOS ANGELES TIMES YOUNG HOLLYWOOD roundtable with Carey Mulligan (NEVER LET ME GO, AN EDUCATION) and Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield (THE SOCIAL NETWORK) on November 5.

The 23rd Annual Virginia Film Festival kicks off tonight (the festival runs November 4 – 7) and will feature more than 100 films, including high-profile, first-run features, beloved classics and cutting-edge documentaries and engaging shorts. The weekend will also feature an array of high-profile guests, special events, parties and community events in a weekend designed to spotlight and illuminate cinema’s unique power to enlighten and entertain.

The 13th annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by SCAD, presented Liam Neeson with the Achievement in Cinema Award on November 2, 2010.

Reeling 2010, the second-oldest LGBT film festival in the world, opens its 29th year on November 4th, showcasing innovative gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender films from around the world. Reeling will take place at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema (2828 N. Clark St.), the Festival’s home base at Chicago Filmmakers (5243 N. Clark St.) and, for the first time in festival history, Instituto Cervantes (31 W. Ohio St.) and ShowPlace ICON (150 W. Roosevelt Rd.).

This Friday, November 5th, the nine-day Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, kicks off with a screening of Carl Bessai’s Repeaters. The film follows three rehabilitation residents as they are forced to relive the same day over and over. With over 20 programs of feature and short films, the films’ themes are diverse, ranging from the startling journey of Ron Hynes in The Man of a Thousand Songs to the inner battles of motocross legend Larry Linkogle in Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story.

The Backcountry Film Festival makes a stop in Boise this week, November 4, 2010. Included in the lineup is Deeper from Teton Gravity Research. It won Best of Festival and features boarder Jeremy Jones in a quest for untouched terrain. Other highlights include Best Short Film Desert River from Sweetgrass Productions and Whiteback Warrior from TreeFight and Snaz Media about the decline of whitebark pines due to climate change and what’s being done to save these iconic alpine trees. Whiteback Warrior won Best Environmental Film.

The 22nd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Academy Award winner Javier Bardem with the International Star Award at its Awards Gala. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will kick off the 2011 awards season on Saturday, January 8.