Film Festivals

Christopher Nolan to Be Honored at 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s Opening Night Gala

Christopher Nolan (Photo Credits – Magnus Nolan)

Christopher Nolan will be honored with the first-ever Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival’s fundraiser, Opening Night Gala: Celebrating 40 Years Presented by Chase Sapphire® which will take place on January 18, 2024. Kicking off the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival, the evening will also honor Celine Song and Maite Alberdi — both of whom premiered films Past Lives and The Eternal Memory, respectively, at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival — will each receive the annual Vanguard Award Presented by Acura.

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Closing Dynasty, Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó and Chutes Win Oscar Qualifying Grand Jury Prizes at AFI FEST 2023

Closing Dynasty directed by Lloyd Lee Choi

Closing Dynasty directed by Lloyd Lee Choi won the Grand Jury Prize – Live Action Short at AFI FEST 2023. Other prizes went to Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó (Grandma & Grandma) (奶奶跟外婆)directed by Sean Wang won Grand Jury Prize – Documentary Short and Chutes directed by Kenzie Sutton won Grand Jury Prize – Animated Short.

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Gassed Up and The Taste of Mango Win Audience Awards at 67th BFI London Film Festival

Gassed Up directed by George Amponsah

The 67th BFI London Film Festival wrapped on Sunday October 15th with the World Premiere of Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya’s The Kitchen.

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San Pedro International Film Festival Sets 2023 Lineup with Nick Broomfield’s The Stones and Brian Jones

1964: Rock and roll band “The Rolling Stones” pose for a portrait in 1964. (L-R) Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Keith Richards, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts. The Rolling Stones in The Stones and Brian Jones (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.

The San Pedro International Film Festival (SPIFF) returns next month for screenings, panels, and events, November 2-5. Highlights include a special presentation of Nick Broomfield’s documentary The Stones and Brian Jones, and a focus on Croatian films, including Dubravka Tulic’s Academy Awards Best Foreign Film submission Traces (Tragovi). Special appearances include veteran producer Carol Baum, who will do a book signing following an Closing Night screening of the Robert DeNiro/Ed Harris starrer Jacknife (1989), and a book reading and signing of Evelyn McDonnell’s The World According to Joan Didion.

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American Fiction Wins Coveted Best Feature Film Prize at Twin Cities Film Fest

American Fiction

The satire American Fiction took home the coveted Best Feature Film prize at the 2023 Twin Cities Film Fest. Starring Jeffrey Wright, the comedy marks Cord Jefferson’s (Watchmen, Succession, Master of None) memorable directorial debut, as he confronts America’s obsession with the reducing of people to outrageous stereotypes. The film recently won the People Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, often viewed as a bellwether of success at the Academy Awards.

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Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘Pictures of Ghosts’ to Open 15th Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival

Pictures of Ghosts directed by Kleber Mendonça

The 15th edition of Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival, taking place Monday, November 6 through Saturday, November 11, in Los Angeles will open with Pictures of Ghosts directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, which is also the official selection to represent Brazil for Best International Feature at the upcoming Oscars®. The Opening Night screening will take place at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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26th Indie Memphis Film Festival Winners – ‘Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project’ and Mountains Win Top Jury Awards

Mountains directed by Monica Sorelle

The 26th Indie Memphis Film Festival, announced this year’s award winners with top Jury Awards including Best Narrative Feature for Mountains (Dir. Monica Sorelle $1K cash prize), Best Documentary Feature to Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Dirs. Joe Brewster & Michèle Stephenson, $1K cash prize), Best Hometowner Feature to The Spirit of Memphis (Dir. Alicia Ester, $1K cash prize), Best Departures Feature to La Bonga (Dirs. Sebastián Pinzón Silva & Canela Reyes, $500 cash prize), and Best Sounds Feature to Even Hell Has Its Heroes (Dir. Clyde Petersen, $500 cash prize), among others.

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Monster, ‘The Michoacán File,’ Frontiers Win Top Awards at 24th Newport Beach Film Festival

Hinata Hiiragi and Soya Kurokawa in Monster directed by Hirokazu Koreeda (Photo: Suenaga Makoto)

The 2023 Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) announced its 2023 Awards winners with Jury Awards for Best Feature going to Monster directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, and Best Feature Documentary to The Michoacán File directed by Bernardo Arsuaga. Monster also won Jury Awards for Best Screenplay for Yûji Sakamoto and Best Actor for Eita Nagayama.

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Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls Wins Best Film at Utah’s HorrorFest 2023

Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls

Andrew Bowser’s Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls won the prestigious prize of Best Horror/Comedy film at the 2023 HorrorFest International Film Festival. Joe Reilly’s horror comedy Charlie the Cancelled Skeleton took Best Gross Out and the Audience Choice Award, and Eric Woods’ Utah-produced The Cave took the award for the Scariest Film.

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Fanatic, ‘At The Gates’, ‘Bad Press’ Win Top Awards at 26th SCAD Savannah Film Festival

At The Gates

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) announced the award winners for the 26th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival with Fanatic, directed by Taran Killam winning the Audience Award.

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Cinematographer Martina Radwan Turns Camera on Herself in ‘Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow’ World Premiering at DOC NYC

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow. Martina Radwan and Nasaa (Credit Simone Perusse)

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow starts where most films about homeless kids end, the day after they are taken in, and we assume it’s a happy ending – but what really happens next?

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26th San Francisco Transgender Film Festival Unveils Lineup of Films

Prittyboi directed by Nicolas Collins

Spanning 12 days from November 8-19, the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival (SFTFF) presents the 26th annual edition dedicated to films by transgender and gender-nonconforming filmmakers, comprising five short film programs showcasing 33 films.

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