Finding Your Feet[/caption]
Finding Your Feet and Skid Row Marathon have been voted the winners of the Audience Awards at the 29th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) held from January 2 to 15, 2018.
Finding Your Feet (UK), directed by Richard Loncraine received the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. When snooty “Lady” Sandra Abbott discovers that her husband of 40 years has been having an affair, she packs her designer bags and flees to the shabby council flat of her estranged older sister. A sterling British cast give their all in this heartwarming romantic comedy.
The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Skid Row Marathon (US) directed by Mark Hayes. Judge Craig Mitchell believes in second chances. This inspiring documentary tracks the running club Mitchell founded for the homeless on L.A.’s Skid Row, hoping that through the discipline of running, these men and women who had lost everything, could reclaim a sense of dignity.Palm Springs International Film Festival
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“Finding Your Feet” and “Skid Row Marathon” Win Audience Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_26505" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Finding Your Feet[/caption]
Finding Your Feet and Skid Row Marathon have been voted the winners of the Audience Awards at the 29th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) held from January 2 to 15, 2018.
Finding Your Feet (UK), directed by Richard Loncraine received the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. When snooty “Lady” Sandra Abbott discovers that her husband of 40 years has been having an affair, she packs her designer bags and flees to the shabby council flat of her estranged older sister. A sterling British cast give their all in this heartwarming romantic comedy.
The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature went to Skid Row Marathon (US) directed by Mark Hayes. Judge Craig Mitchell believes in second chances. This inspiring documentary tracks the running club Mitchell founded for the homeless on L.A.’s Skid Row, hoping that through the discipline of running, these men and women who had lost everything, could reclaim a sense of dignity.
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Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners, “Félicité” Wins FIPRESCI Prize
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Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis[/caption]
This year’s juried award winners of the 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) were announced today at a luncheon at the Hilton Palm Springs on Saturday, January 13, 2018.
The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year went to Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis. Bursting at the seams with energy, Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis’s Berlin festival prizewinner immerses us in the sights and sounds of Kinshasa while loosely chronicling the day-to-day travails of the eponymous single-mom and nightclub-chanteuse (Congolese singer Véro Tshanda Beya, in an unforgettable performance) at the heart of the film. The film is on the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film went to Nakhane Touré from The Wound (South Africa). South African co-writer/director John Trengove’s balanced docudrama explores a clandestine relationship between two Xhosa men, set against the backdrop of a traditional coming-of-age ceremony.
The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film went to Daniela Vega from A Fantastic Woman (Chile). Making a living waiting tables in downtown Santiago while pursuing her dream of becoming an nightclub singer, young transgender woman Marina (Daniela Vega in a stunning debut) finds safety and solace from an often cruel world in her relationship with older divorcee Orlando (Francisco Reyes, Neruda). But when Orlando suffers a violent fall and massive injuries in the last moments of a fatal aneurysm, suspicion falls on Marina, causing her to flee the hospital and the eye of a judgmental city.
A special jury of international film critics reviewed 45 of the 92 official submissions for the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category screened at this year’s Festival, and all three films that received prizes are on the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award.
The New Voices New Visions focuses on films that represent the most distinctive new directors to have emerged in the last year. Each of the twelve films in competition represents the filmmakers debut or second feature. This year’s New Voices New Visions Award went to The Charmer (Denmark), directed by Milad Alami. A searing and topical exploration of the immigrant experience shot through with elements of psychological thriller and erotic drama, Milad Alami’s striking feature debut follows an Iranian man’s increasingly desperate attempts to secure citizenship by seducing a string of Danish women.
Léa Mysius for Ava (France) received the Honorable Mention for Exceptional Direction. Thirteen-year-old Ava’s summer vacation gains a new urgency when she learns she is rapidly going blind. In the face of creeping darkness, she squeezes in all the life she can, rebelling against her mother, stealing a dog, and becoming romantically entangled with a mysterious beach rat, sending her on an unpredictable journey of self-realization.
The John Schlesinger Award, named after the director, writer, producer and festival supporter, is presented to the director of a debut feature documentary, and this year’s award went to Brimstone and Glory (US/Mexico), directed by Viktor Jakovleski. Equal parts awe-inspiring and anxiety-inducing, Brimstone and Glory’s chronicle of an annual fireworks extravaganza in Tultepec, Mexico, is a visual, jaw-dropping spectacle like no other documentary before it.
The Cine Latino Award is presented to the best Ibero-American film screening at the festival. The award aims to highlight the creativity seen in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American films. The Cine Latino Award went to Killing Jesús (Colombia/Argentina), directed by Laura Mora. When university student Paula witnesses her social activist father’s assassination, the inept, uncaring police force drives her to seek justice on her own. But when she finds herself immersed in the killer’s poverty-stricken world she discovers that they might both be victims of the same broken system. Honorable Mention was given to A Fantastic Woman (Chile), directed by Sebastián Lelio.
The HP Bridging the Borders Award that honors the film that is most successful in bringing the people of our world closer together, went to The Insult (Lebanon), directed by Ziad Doueiri. What should have been a trivial altercation, quickly settled and forgotten, instead propels two men (one a local Christian, the other a Palestinian refugee) to the center of a very public scandal in Lebanon, reopening historical and political wounds on both sides.
The complete list of 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival Award Winners:
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature TBA on Sunday, January 14 Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature TBA on Sunday, January 14 FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film Nakhane Touré from The Wound (South Africa) FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film Daniela Vega from A Fantastic Woman (Chile) New Voices New Visions Award The Charmer (Denmark), directed by Milad Alami. Honorable Mention for Exceptional Direction: Léa Mysius for Ava (France) The John Schlesinger Award Brimstone and Glory (US/Mexico), directed by Viktor Jakovleski Cine Latino Award Killing Jesús (Colombia/Argentina), directed by Laura Mora Honorable Mention: A Fantastic Woman (Chile), directed by Sebastián Lelio HP Bridging the Borders Award Winner: The Insult (Lebanon), directed by Ziad Doueiri
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Saoirse Ronan, Jessica Chastain and Mary J Blige to Receive Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival
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Saoirse Ronan, Jessica Chastain and Mary J Blige[/caption]
The 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Saoirse Ronan, Jessica Chastain, and Mary J. Blige with awards at its annual Film Awards Gala. They join previously announced 2018 honorees Timothée Chalamet, Gal Gadot, Holly Hunter, Allison Janney, Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell and The Shape of Water. The Film Awards Gala, hosted by Mary Hart, will be held Tuesday, January 2nd at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 2 to 15, 2018.
Saoirse Ronan will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress for her performance in Lady Bird. “Saoirse Ronan delivers one of the most outstanding performances of this year as an outspoken high school student growing up in Sacramento in the critically acclaimed film Lady Bird,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Following her exceptional performances in Atonement and Brooklyn, Ronan is sure to receive her third Academy Award nomination. It is our honor to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress to Saoirse Ronan.”
Ronan received the PSIFF International Star Award in 2016 for her performance in Brooklyn, going on to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the same role. Additional past recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress include Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore, Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, and Naomi Watts.
In Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig proves herself a bold new cinematic voice with her directorial debut, excavating the humor and pathos in the turbulent bond between a mother and her teenage daughter. Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) fights against but is exactly like her wildly loving, deeply opinionated, strong-willed mom (Laurie Metcalf), a nurse working to keep her family afloat after Lady Bird’s father (Tracy Letts) loses his job. Set in Sacramento, California in 2002, amid a rapidly shifting American economic landscape, Lady Bird is an affecting look at the relationships that shape us, the beliefs that define us, and the unmatched beauty of a place called home.
For her role in the film, Ronan has already received Best Actress from the Gotham Independent Film Awards and is nominated for Best Female Lead from the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
Jessica Chastain will receive the Chairman’s Award for Molly’s Game. “Jessica Chastain is an incredible actress who has continuously challenged herself with complex roles throughout her career,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her latest film, Molly’s Game, Chastain brings to life Molly Bloom’s story of a determined woman who goes from being an Olympic skier to making millions running an exclusive high-stakes poker game. It is our honor to present the Chairman’s Award to Jessica Chastain.”
Chastain received the PSIFF Spotlight Award in 2012, going on to receive an Academy Award® nomination for The Help. Past recipients of the Chairman’s Award include Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Richard Gere, Tom Hanks, Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, Molly’s Game is based on the true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), an Olympic-class skier who ran one of the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe. The film also stars Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Jeremy Strong, Bill Camp, Chris O’Dowd and Brian d’Arcy James. Mark Gordon, Amy Pascal and Matt Jackson produced. STXfilms and the Mark Gordon Company’s Molly’s Game will open in select theaters nationwide December 25, 2017, and everywhere January 5, 2018.
The Festival will present Mary J. Blige with the Breakthrough Performance Award for her performance in Mudbound.
“Mary J. Blige is a global superstar in the world of music who continues to make her mark as an actress in both television and film,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In her current film Mudbound, Blige gives a quiet yet fantastic performance as Florence Jackson, a strong woman supporting her sharecropper family in rural Mississippi. It is our honor to present the 2018 Breakthrough Performance Award to Mary J. Blige.”
Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Mahershala Ali, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Hudson, Felicity Huffman, Brie Larson, Lupita Nyong’o, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike and Jeremy Renner. In the years they were honored, Ali, Cotillard, Hudson, Larson and Nyong’o went on to receive Academy Awards®, while Huffman, Pike and Renner received nominations.
Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees’ Mudbound is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, yet bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta. Mudbound follows the McAllan family, newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming. Despite the grandiose dreams of Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture. Meanwhile, Hap and Florence Jackson (Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige), sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations, struggle bravely to build a small dream of their own despite the rigidly enforced social barriers they face. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.
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I, TONYA Allison Janney to Receive Spotlight Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival
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Allison Janney in I, Tonya[/caption]
Allison Janney will receive the Spotlight Award – Actress at the 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala for her performance in I, Tonya. The Film Awards Gala, hosted by Mary Hart, will be held Tuesday, January 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 2 to 15, 2018.
“Allison Janney delivers a knock-out performance as Tonya Harding’s mother LaVona Golden in I, Tonya. The usually charming Janney takes a compellingly dark turn as Tonya’s abusive, alcoholic mother,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “For this outstanding performance, which is sure to garner awards attention, it is an honor to present Allison Janney with the Spotlight Award.”
Past recipients of the Spotlight Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Andrew Garfield, Helen Hunt, Rooney Mara, Julia Roberts and J.K. Simmons. All recipients received Academy Award® nominations in the year they were honored, with Simmons winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Janney joins previously announced 2018 honorees Timothée Chalamet, Gal Gadot, Gary Oldman and Sam Rockwell.
Based on unbelievable yet true events, I, Tonya is a darkly comedic tale of American figure skater Tonya Harding and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. The first American woman to complete a triple-axel in competition, Harding’s legacy was instead defined by her association with an ill-conceived, crudely executed attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Featuring an iconic turn by Margot Robbie as the fiery Harding, a mustachioed Sebastian Stan as her impetuous ex-husband Jeff Gillooly, and a tour-de-force performance from Allison Janney as her acid-tongued mother, LaVona, Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya is an absurd, irreverent and piercing portrayal of Harding’s life and career. NEON/30WEST is releasing the film.
Her recently released movies include Tallulah, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, The Girl on the Train, Minions and Spy. Other film credits include The Way, Way Back, The Help, Juno, Hairspray, Finding Nemo, The Hours, American Beauty, Nurse Betty, Drop Dead Gorgeous, 10 Things I Hate About You, Primary Colors, The Ice Storm, The Object of My Affection and Big Night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXZQ5DfSAAc
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Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Timothée Chalamet and Gal Gadot to Receive Awards at Palm Springs International Film Festival
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Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Timothée Chalamet and Gal Gadot[/caption]
Gary Oldman, Sam Rockwell, Timothée Chalamet and Gal Gadot will be honored at the upcoming 29th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards Gala, hosted by Mary Hart, on Tuesday, January 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 4-15, 2018.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Gary Oldman with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor for his performance in Darkest Hour.
“Gary Oldman brings to screen one of the most powerful performances of this year as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. Portraying Britain’s steadfast leader during the tumultuous era of World War II, he has already earned rave reviews from critics and is sure to garner awards attention this season” saidFestival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present Gary Oldman with this year’s Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actor.”
Oldman received the International Star Award at the 2012 Palm Springs International Film festival. Past actor recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award include Casey Affleck, Jeff Bridges, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, Matthew McConaughey, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Eddie Redmayne. In the years they were honored, Affleck, Bridges, Day-Lewis, McConaughey, Penn and Redmayne went on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor, while Cooper, Firth and Pitt received Oscar nominations.
From Focus Features, Darkest Hour is a thrilling account inspired by the true story of Winston Churchill’s first weeks in office during the early days of the Second World War. Anthony McCarten’s original screenplay takes a revelatory look at the man behind the icon. The film is directed by Joe Wright and stars Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane, Ronald Pickup, and Ben Mendelsohn.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Sam Rockwell with the Spotlight Award – Actor for his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
“Sam Rockwell is one of the most dynamic actors of his generation known for creating memorable and diverse characters. Once again he takes on another challenging role as the immature and explosive Officer Dixon in his critically acclaimed performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” saidFestival Chairman Harold Matzner. ” For this outstanding awards-worthy performance, it is an honor to present Sam Rockwell with the Spotlight Award.”
Past recipients of the Spotlight Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Andrew Garfield, Helen Hunt, Rooney Mara, Julia Roberts and J.K. Simmons. All recipients received Academy Award nominations in the year they were honored, with Simmons receiving the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Fox Searchlight’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a darkly comedic drama from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh. After months without a culprit in her daughter’s murder case, Mildred Hayes makes a bold move, painting three signs leading into her town with a controversial message for Ebbing’s revered Chief of Police, William Willoughby. With the involvement of Officer Dixon (Rockwell), his short-tempered second-in- command, the battle between Mildred and the town’s law enforcement is only exacerbated. The film is written and directed by McDonagh, starring Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Željko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters and Samara Weaving, with John Hawkes and Peter Dinklage. Rockwell won the Hollywood Film Awards Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in the film.
Timothée Chalamet will be presented with the Rising Star Award – Actor for his performance in Call Me By Your Name.
“Timothée Chalamet gives a stirring performance as Elio, a 17-year- old on the brink of passion and self-discovery. It’s an intimate and erotic performance that transports the audience to another time and place and stays with us long after we’ve left the theater,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present Timothée Chalamet with this year’s RisingStar Award – Actor.”
Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Ruth Negga, Alicia Vikander, Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Dakota Fanning, Terrence Howard and Adam Beach.
Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, Call Me By Your Name, the new film by Luca Guadagnino, is asensual and transcendent tale of first love, based on the acclaimed novel by André Aciman. The film stars Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet and Michael Stuhlbarg.
Timothée Chalamet first attracted attention during the second season of Showtime’s “Homeland” as the Vice President’s son, Finn Walden. He received a Drama League nomination, Clive Barnes Award nomination and received the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actor for his performance in the lead role of Jim Quinn in the play “Prodigal Son”.
Chalamet can currently be see in Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut Lady Bird opposite Saoirse Ronan. Upcoming films for Chalamet include Scott Cooper’s Hostiles and Elijah Bynum’s coming of age drama Hot Summer Nights. Next fall, he will be seen as the co-lead opposite Steve Carell in Felix VanGroeningen’s Beautiful Boy and the male lead in Woody Allen’s film A Rainy Day in New York opposite Selena Gomez and Elle Fanning. Other film credits include Julia Hart’s Miss Stevens, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar, and Jason Reitman’s Men Women & Children.
The festival will present Gal Gadot with the Rising Star Award – Actress for her performance in Wonder Woman.
“Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman showed us a strong, capable, poised, curious and compassionate character, and her performance has been universally praised, resonating with audiences everywhere. Gal plays the immortal warrior so well, and the film’s themes are especially apt for today, empowering all types of people-women and men, young and old-the world over,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present Gal Gadot with this year’s Rising Star Award – Actress.”
Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Ruth Negga, Alicia Vikander, Jennifer Lawrence, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick and Dakota Fanning.
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Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces 2017 Dates
The 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival dates were announced today; the 28th edition of the festival will open on January 5 and run through January 16, 2017.
The festival’s Awards Gala will be held on Monday, January 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. This past year’s star-studded event, hosted by Mary Hart, honored Cate Blanchett, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson, Rooney Mara, Tom McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan, Alicia Vikander and the cast of The Big Short.
The 2017 Palm Springs International Film Festival will begin on Thursday, January 5 with an Opening Night screening followed by a reception at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Closing Night will take place on Sunday, January 15 with the Best of the Fest screenings on Monday, January 16.
The festival will begin accepting film submissions on July 1, 2016. Awards gala tickets and screening passes will go on sale August 1, 2016.
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“The Assassin” “Death By Death” “The Birth of Saké” Among Winners of Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) held from January 1 to 11, 2016, announced this year’s juried award winners. The Oscar shortlisted The Assassin (Taiwan), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. In 9th-century China, during a time of political unrest, a beautiful woman, trained in the arts of swordsmanship, is sent to her home province on a lethal mission. The jury presented the award, “As one of the best films of a master director, and an example of the martial arts genre which is elevated into the realm of art by its superb visual style.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theodór Júlíusson from Rams (Iceland), directed by Grimur Hakonarson, and the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress of the Year in a Foreign Language Film went to Alena Mihulová from Home Care (Czech Republic), directed by Slávek Horák.
The New Voices/New Visions competition included 12 new international talents making their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution and are US premieres. The winner of the New Voices/New Visions award is Death By Death (Belgium/France), directed by Xavier Seron. The film is a tale about the relationship of anxious, part-time actor Michel and his ailing, overly attached mother, who has been told that she is living on borrowed time, but has no intention of dying. A special jury mention goes to Thithi (India/US).
The Birth of Saké (Japan), directed by Erik Shirai, received The John Schlesinger Award, which is presented to a first-time documentary filmmaker. The film is about a beautiful and immersive portrait of life at the 144-year old Yoshida Brewery, a producer of world class sake. With changing times ahead and new regime led by the 6th generation heir, this is a rarified look at the personal and professional intensity needed to create a revered product and the artisans behind it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOcLBK5Oay4
The HP Bridging the Borders Award is presented by Cinema Without Borders and Hewlett Packard, which honors the film that is most successful in exemplifying art that promotes bringing the people of our world closer together. Umrika (India), directed by Prashant Nair, received the award. The film traces the journey from mountain village innocence to big city experience of young Rama, who follows in his older brother’s footsteps to discover if he made it to the USA, or came to a sticky end in Mumbai.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFP3XkhfCeI
The complete list of award winners are:
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
The Assassin (Taiwan), directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor of the Year in a Foreign Language Film
Sigurður Sigurjónsson and Theodór Júlíusson from Rams (Iceland)
FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress of the Year in a Foreign Language Film
Alena Mihulová from Home Care (Czech Republic)
New Voices/New Visions Award
Winner: Death By Death (Belgium/France), directed by Xavier Seron
Special Mention: Thithi (India/US), directed by Raam Reddy
The John Schlesinger Award
The Birth of Saké (Japan), directed by Erik Shirai
HP Bridging the Borders Award
Umrika (India), directed by Prashant Nair
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Bryan Cranston, TRUMBO, to Receive Spotlight Award, Actor at Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Bryan Cranston with the Spotlight Award, Actor at its annual Awards Gala. The Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Johnny Depp, Michael Fassbender, Brie Larson, Rooney Mara, Tom McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan and Alicia Vikander. The Awards Gala will be hosted by Mary Hart on Saturday, January 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The Festival runs January 1-11.
“Whether on film, television or Broadway, Bryan Cranston is an outstanding actor who delivers an extraordinary and memorable performance with each character he takes on,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In Trumbo, Cranston brings his amazing talent to his portrayal of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. For this brilliant performance, worthy of the awards recognition it has been receiving, it is an honor to present Bryan Cranston with the 2016 Spotlight Award, Actor.”
Past recipients of the Spotlight Award include J.K. Simmons, Julia Roberts, Jessica Chastain, Amy Adams and Helen Hunt. All recipients received Academy Award® nominations in the year they were honored, with Simmons receiving the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Rooney Mara will receive the Spotlight Award, Actress at this year’s Awards Gala.
Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo’s acclaimed career comes to a crushing halt in the late 1940s when he and other Hollywood figures are blacklisted for their political beliefs. Directed by Jay Roach, Trumbo recounts how Dalton used words and wit to win two Academy Awards and expose the absurdity and injustice under the blacklist, which entangled everyone from gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren) to John Wayne, Kirk Douglas and Otto Preminger. The film also stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Louis C.K., David James Elliott, Elle Fanning, John Goodman, Diane Lane, Michael Stuhlbarg, Alan Tudyk and Mirren.
For his role in Trumbo, Cranston has received a Golden Globe nomination, two SAG Award nominations and two Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominations. His film credits include Argo, Kung Fu Panda 3, Infiltrator, Godzilla, Total Recall, Rock of Ages, Drive, Contagion, Little Miss Sunshine, Seeing Other People, Saving Private Ryan and That Thing You Do!. Cranston has won four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards for his portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s “Breaking Bad.” He will next star as President Lyndon B. Johnson in the HBO film adaptation of All The Way for which he won a 2014 Tony Award. He is currently in production on the independent film Wakefield and will then begin production on John Hamburg’s Why Him opposite James Franco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af4Ua6DUpzg
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Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Complete Line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions Competition and Modern Masters
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California, announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters.
“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy’s Thithi (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ Interruption (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine (USA), featuring David Oyelowo’s nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”
Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:
World premieres: 50 Days in the Desert (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, Agnes (Germany/Belgium), the documentary Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (US) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, The Carer (Hungary/UK), Going Going Gone (UK), Searchdog (US) and Set the Thames on Fire (UK).
North American premieres: Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Death By Death (Belgium/France), A Decent Man (Switzerland), Departure (France/UK), Fly Away Solo (India/France), Interruption (Greece/Croatia), A Korean in Paris (South Korea/France), The Memory of Water (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), Moor (Pakistan), On My Mother’s Side (Canada), Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Rosita (Denmark), Spy Time (Spain), Tanna (Australia/Vanuatu), Thithi (India/US/Canada), Utopians (Hong Kong) and When a Tree Falls (Spain).
U.S. premieres: 1944 (Estonia/Finland), 3000 Nights (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), Atomic Falafel (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), Belgian Rhapsody (Belgium), Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Chile/Mexico), Born to Dance (New Zealand), Closet Monster (Canada), Enclave (Serbia/Germany), The Endless River (South Africa/France), Endorphine (Canada), Exotica, Erotica, Etc. (France), Fire Song (Canada), Five Nights in Maine (US), A Heavy Heart (Germany), Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Let Them Come (Algeria/France), My Big Night (Spain), My Internship in Canada (Canada), The Other Side (Italy/France), Our Everyday Life (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), The Paradise Suite (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), Parched (India/US/UK), Parisienne (France), Sabali (Canada), Sleeping Giant (Canada), Summer Solstice (Poland/Germany), Trap (Philippines), The Violin Teacher (Brazil), Wedding Doll (Israel) and Zubaan (India).
The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 US premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution.
Films selected for this year include:
Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio
Death By Death (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron
Departure (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall
Five Nights in Maine (US), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo
A Heavy Heart (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber
Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák
Interruption (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois
Let Them Come (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi
Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanovic
Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens
Sleeping Giant (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino
Thithi (India/US), Director Raam Reddy
The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:
Cemetery Of Splendour (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Dheepan (France), Director Jacques Audiard
Miss Sharon Jones! (US), Director Barbara Kopple
Mountains May Depart (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke
My Golden Days (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin
My Mother (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti
Our Little Sister (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
Sunset Song (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies
Sweet Bean (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase
Women He’s Undressed (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong
Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include:
45 Years (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay,
Anomalisa (US) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Chronic (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth,
Closet Monster (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini,
Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, February (US/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts,
Hello, My Name is Doris (US) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root,
Hitchcock/Truffaut (France/US) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater,
The Invitation (US) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman,
The Lady in the Van (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, (pictured above)
Louder Than Bombs (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert,
Men & Chicken (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen,
Papa (Cuba) directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly,
A Perfect Day (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko,
The Seventh Fire (US) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and
Where to Invade Next (US) directed by Michael Moore.
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Alicia Vikander ‘The Danish Girl’ To Receive Rising Star Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Alicia Vikander with the Rising Star Award at its annual Awards Gala. The Festival runs January 1-11.
“In The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander delivers a superb performance as Gerda Wegener, the wife of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “She projects so much love and pain as she goes on a journey with Lili during an era when there was no precedent for it. Gerda’s own transformation as a character speaks to the story’s themes of courage and self-acceptance. For her astonishing screen presence and masterful performance, we are delighted to present Alicia Vikander with the 2016 Rising Star Award.”
The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener, portrayed in the film respectively by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper. The film also stars Ben Whishaw, Sebastian Koch, Amber Heard, and Matthias Schoenaerts. For her role in the film, Vikander received a Breakthrough Performance honor from the New York Film Critics Online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3qEphMRGIc
Past recipients of the Rising Star Award include Jessica Biel, Dakota Fanning, Emile Hirsch, Bryce Dallas Howard, Terrence Howard, Anna Kendrick, Jennifer Lawrence, and Scarlett Johansson. In the years they were honored Howard, Kendrick, and Lawrence went on to receive Academy Award nominations.
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40 Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film to Compete for FIPRESCI Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), scheduled January 1-11, 2016, announced the films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award in the Awards Buzz section. The Festival will screen 40 of the 80 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. Additional film programs will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
The Awards Buzz section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor and Best Actress in this category. The following 40 films are selected to screen (in alphabetical order by country):
Bota (Albania), Directors: Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci
https://vimeo.com/122133505
The Clan (Argentina), Director: Pablo Trapero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14
The Brand New Testament (Belgium), Director: Jaco Van Dormael
Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Director: Ines Tanovic
The Second Mother (Brazil), Director: Anna Muylaert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOrbWcObwR4
The Judgment (Bulgaria), Director: Stephan Komandarev
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s
Felix and Meira (Canada), Director: Maxime Giroux
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8CeBCNrwvU
The Club (Chile), Director: Pablo Larraín
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia), Director: Ciro Guerra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA
The High Sun (Croatia), Director: Dalibor Matanic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqrRvNMcU8
Home Care (Czech Republic), Director: Slávek Horák
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI
A War (Denmark), Director: Tobias Lindholm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0
1944 (Estonia), Director: Elmo Nüganen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6A4nLqOW6s
Lamb (Ethiopia), Director: Yared Zeleke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w
The Fencer (Finland), Director: Klaus Härö
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMAkhyC6bY
Mustang (France), Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg
Labyrinth of Lies (Germany), Director: Giulio Ricciarelli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70
Ixcanul (Guatemala), Director: Jayro Bustamante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU
Son of Saul (Hungary), Director: László Nemes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHDtPZmYj8
Rams (Iceland), Director: Grimur Hákonarson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw
Viva (Ireland), Director: Paddy Breathnach
Baba Joon (Israel), Director: Yuval Delshad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs
100 Yen Love (Japan), Director: Masaharu Take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc
Theeb (Jordan), Director: Naji Abu Nowar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60
Babai (Kosovo), Director: Visar Morina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY
Heavenly Nomadic (Kyrgyzstan), Director: Mirlan Abdykalykov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5lJD36SBvo
600 Miles (Mexico), Director: Gabriel Ripstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs
The Paradise Suite (Netherlands), Director: Joost van Ginkel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezLXi_1Xpg
The Wave (Norway), Director: Roar Uthaug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIj4v8TfnyU
Moor (Pakistan), Director: Jami Mahmood
11 Minutes (Poland), Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk
Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One (Portugal), Director: Miguel Gomes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM
Aferim! (Romania), Director: Radu Jude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
Enclave (Serbia), Director: Goran Radovanovic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M
Flowers (Spain), Directors: Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson (pictured in main image above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk
Iraqi Odyssey (Switzerland), Director: Samir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY
The Assassin (Taiwan), Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw
How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) (Thailand), Director: Josh Kim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA
Sivas (Turkey), Director: Kaan Müjdeci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M
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Michael Fassbender “Steve Jobs” to Receive International Star Award, Actor at 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival
Michael Fassbender will be presented with the International Star Award, Actor at the upcoming 2016 Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) taking place January 1 to 11, 2016.
“Throughout his career Michael Fassbender has brought to life riveting performances on the screen in films such as Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave, Inglorious Basterds and Prometheus,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In his latest film, Steve Jobs, Fassbender delivers another stunning performance of subtlety and power, presenting the Apple co-founder as both a witty and engaging person and a conflicted Machiavellian. For his masterful performance in this film, we are honored to present Michael Fassbender with the 2016 International Star Award, Actor.”
Set backstage in the minutes before three iconic product launches spanning Jobs’ career—beginning with the Macintosh in 1984, and ending with the unveiling of the iMac in 1998—Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter. Steve Jobs is directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle and written by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin, working from Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography of the pioneering Apple co-founder. Michael Fassbender plays Steve Jobs, the pioneering founder of Apple, with Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet starring as Joanna Hoffman, former marketing chief of Macintosh. Steve Wozniak, who co-founded Apple, is played by Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels stars as former Apple CEO John Sculley. The film also stars Katherine Waterston as Chrisann Brennan, Jobs’ ex-girlfriend, and Michael Stuhlbarg as Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original members of the Apple Macintosh development team. The producers are Mark Gordon, Guymon Casady, Scott Rudin, Boyle, and Academy Award winner Christian Colson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEr6K1bwIVs