The SOHO International Film Festival in New York City (SIFFNYC), scheduled for October 15-22, announced the lineup for its 2020 edition.
SOHO International Film Festival
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10th SOHO International Film Fest Returns in June, Opens with EMPTY BY DESIGN
Empty By Design starring Chris Pang, Osric Chau, Dante Basco, Madeline Humphries and Rhian Ramos. For the tenth year, the SOHO International Film Festival #SOHO10 returns to NYC at Village East Cinemas (189 2nd Avenue on 12th Street) for an entire seven days of “cinematic magic,” June 20 to 27, 2019.
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SOHO International Film Festival Opens Today in NYC, See Full 2018 Schedule
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SNAPSHOTS[/caption]
The SOHO International Film Festival #SOHO9 returns to NYC today Thursday, June 14th through Thursday, June 21st at Village East Cinemas (189 2nd Avenue on 12th Street).
Some of the highlights at this year’s SIFFNYC include the NY Premiere of “Snapshots” from director Melanie Mayron, an LGBTQ Drama about a grandmother’s secret past colliding with her granddaughter’s secret future and her daughter’s angry present, starring Piper Laurie (“Carrie”) and Brooke Adams (“Monk”); “Diminuendo” from Director Adrian Stewart starring Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) about filmmaker Haskell Edwards, who becomes obsessed with the lifelike robot created to mimic his actress girlfriend who committed suicide while directing her biopic; Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from award-winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker Keely Brosnan (“Entertainment Tonight”) & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered SEED corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines; “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”) in which Clifton Collins Jr. (“Star Trek”) plays John, an ordinary American guy who receives word that his estranged mother has passed away in her home country of Cuba and discovers that she was mixed up with a motley crew of criminals, and Documentary “Oh, Rick!” about award-winning actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, composer and teacher Rick Crom. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, what better way to celebrate than taking Dad to the movies?! The festival will be screening Short Films all day long with the NY Filmmaker Series, Broome Street Series, and Spring Street Series and so much more throughout the week!
Films showing include the dramatic thriller “Block Island” (U.S. Premiere) from Director Tony Glazer staring Jeff Kober (“The Walking Dead”) and Matty Cardarople (“Stranger Things”) about a group of college kids who miss the ferry to their graduation party on Block Island, then fall prey to a local fishing boat captain and his sadistic first mate; “The Visit” from Writer/Director Romina Schwedler staring Academy Award Nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”); “Artemis & The Astronaut” from Writer/Director Alice L. Lee staring Lynn Cohen (“The Hunger Games”) ; “Sam Did It” Written/Directed by and Starring Dominic Burgess as Sam, who loves his job working in a morgue almost as much as he loves his celebrity idol – Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man”) and the Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from filmmaker Keely Brosnan & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) which follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines.
The foreign films category includes actors Tomasz Kot (“Teatr Telewizji”) and Lech Mackiewicz (“Na Dobre i Na Złe”) in “Bikini Blue”, Northeast Premiere from Poland from Writer/Director Jarek Marszewski; “Just A Fling”, a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from France starring Fanny Valette (“Spiral”) and Amaury de Crayencour (“Le Bureau des Légends”) from Writer/Director Gorune Aprikian; “Never Saw It Coming” a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from Canada from Director Gail Harvey starring Katie Boland (“Reign”), Emily Hampshire (“Mother!”), and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”), and “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”).
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Emmy Winner Cady McClain’s SEEING IS BELIEVING: WOMEN DIRECT to East Coast Premiere at SOHO International Film Festival
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Seeing is Believing: Women Direct[/caption]
Emmy winning actress-turned-director Cady McClain’s Seeing is Believing: Women Direct will make its East Coast Premiere and is an Official Selection of the 2017 SOHO International Film Festival, screening Monday, June 19 at Village East Cinemas.
Seeing is Believing: Women Direct is a documentary series directed, executive produced, written and edited by Cady McClain about women directors who are on the front lines of the field: from major award winners and those in the vanguard of television and feature films, to graduate students and frustrated auteurs. The first episode recently made its World Premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival, where it won an Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short. Now, McClain will debut a feature-length version at SOHO International Film Festival.
McClain has spent the past year traveling the globe, speaking to female directors of film and television and documenting their stories. The outcome is a feature film and a serialized documentary, providing insider access to the skills and tools needed to succeed as a woman in the directing field.
When only 1.9% of the top 100 films are directed by women, it is a symptom of a larger problem: an ingrained cultural bias against women’s ability to lead. McClain believes the best way to create change is to show proof that the bias is based on outdated and false ideas. Considering all aspects of the directing experience, the series will show how these women drive through obstacles creative, cultural and professional. The series is also intended to serve as peer-to-peer mentorship for anyone of any gender looking for guidance and real world experience as they pursue their dreams of becoming a visual storyteller.
Last fall, McClain started an IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign for the project’s post-production, which successfully met and then surpassed its $50,000 goal by 16%. Donations were fully tax-deductible due to not-for-profit sponsorship from The Film Collaborative. The series also received a micro grant and social media support from Awesome Without Borders via the Harnisch Foundation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k67qp3vjIGU
“We are so excited to be sharing our feature-length version of this documentary with the SOHO International Film Festival this June,” said Cady McClain. “My husband (who is a producer on this doc) and I are both veterans of the festival having screened his narrative feature (I was his AP) and my short (he was my PA!) in 2013 and 2015. We’ve found the audiences at SOHO to be full of savvy film lovers and caring filmmakers. The personal support from the festival of our work is truly meaningful to us both.”
The 50 interviewees include: Sarah Gavron (Suffragette, Brick Lane), Meera Menon (Equity), Oscar winner Lee Grant (Down and out in America), Lesli Linka Glatter (EP/Director, Homeland), Betty Thomas (highest grossing female director: The Brady Bunch Movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeekquel) Bethany Rooney (200+ hours primetime TV & co-author of Directors Tell the Story), Lizzie Borden (Born In Flames, Working Girls (Sundance Jury Prize), two-time Oscar-winner Sarah Kernochan (documentaries: Marjoe, Thoth), Emmy-winner Anne Makepeace (I. M. Pei: Building China Modern, Robert Capa in Love and War), Rusudan Glurdijdze (Karlovy Vary winner: House of Others), Marianna Palka (Sundance: Good Dick, Bitch), Nicole Conn (lesbian genre films: A Perfect Ending, Elena Undone), producer Deborah Del Prete (Ender’s Game, The Spirit), plus John Wells (ER, West Wing), Mike Robin (Major Crimes), Deborah Riley Draper (Olympic Pride, American Prejudice, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution) and many more.
The producing team: Lead Producer: Kate Super (Director/Producer: Women on the Edge), Additional Producers: Amanda Quinn Olivar (Board member, The Chimaera Project), Kimberly McCullough (Director: Pretty Little Liars), Jon Lindstrom (Director: How We Got Away With It) and Li Lu (Director: There Is a New World Somewhere).
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Indie Film LANDING UP to World Premiere at Dances With Films and East Coast Premiere at Soho Film Festival
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Landing Up[/caption]
“Landing Up” directed by Dani Tenenbaum is a story about a girl with nothing to lose and everything to hide. The film stars Maltin (“Working On It,” “Lipstick Jungle”), Ben Rappaport (ABC’s “For the People,” USA’s “Mr. Robot”), E’dena Hines (“5 Flights Up,” “Moll Flanders”), Dov Tiefenbach (“Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle, “Homeland”), Theodora (Woolley) Miranne (“The Blacklist: Redemption,” “Blue Bloods”) and Jay DeYonker (“Royally,” “Puerto Ricans in Paris”), and is an Official Selection in Competition Features at Dances With Films, screening on Wednesday, June 7, 2017, at 9:30 p.m., at the TCL Chinese Theatres, located at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood, California. The East Coast Premiere will be held on Saturday, June 17th at 6:30 p.m. as an Official Selection of the Soho International Film Festival, screening at Village East Cinema (181-189 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003).
Chrissie (Stacey Maltin) is young, wild, and living on the streets. She and her best friend Cece (E’dena Hines) use their youth and good looks to their advantage, playing a con game with strangers to put a roof over their heads, while all the time fantasizing about having enough money to score their dream apartment. When Chrissie meets David (Ben Rappaport), a funny, genuine guy who works his way into her heart, she falls for him and must decide whether to confess the real circumstances of her life or continue her carefully crafted lie at all costs—even the cost of someone’s life. (Running time: 98-minutes)
Filmmaker and star Stacey Maltin says, “The film exists in two worlds: Chrissie’s life on the street and her romantic life with David. Chrissie’s life on the street is gritty and dangerous, but when Chrissie meets David, her world explodes into color. He’s everything she always wanted and the film jumps in tone and style to almost a romantic comedy feel. Ben has no idea of the realities that Chrissie is facing. Her life is so far outside his realm of comprehension he never suspects her secret, even as she hides the truth from him at every turn.”
Director Dani Tenenbaum adds, “We are showing how people often exist in different parts of themselves. Chrissie’s carefully crafted lies lead her into a world that turns into a very real feeling of love. But can you ever really know someone if we all spend so much time crafting the perfect stories about ourselves?”
This film has a tragic real life story as well. Just one month after principal photography wrapped, Maltin’s co-star E’dena Hines was tragically murdered by her boyfriend, which was devastating to the cast and crew. The story made national headlines, in part due to E’dena being the granddaughter of acting icon Morgan Freeman. “Landing Up” is E’dena’s last on-screen performance.
Maltin adds, “E’dena was an incredible and loving human being who illuminated any room she entered. She had so much talent and this energy that was so raw and magnetic. She really gave herself over to playing Cece and it’s reflected in her performance. We miss her every day and wish she could have seen what she created with us.”
Because of this tragic violence in real life, which happens all too often against women in the world, and because the film tackles homelessness, the filmmakers felt it was paramount to give their audience a call to action. They have partnered with the non-profit organizations Midnight Mission, which offers paths to self-sufficiency to men, women and children who have lost direction, and LA Family Housing, which helps people transition out of homelessness and poverty, to help raise awareness for these issues.
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Documentary FIX About Heroin Addicts in the Bronx to World Premiere at SOHO International Film Festival
THE FIX, a new documentary exploring life after heroin addiction in the Bronx, will have its world premiere at the SOHO International Film Festival on May 19.
Directed by Laura Naylor (Duck Beach to Eternity), THE FIX follows Junior, a young father trying to turn his life around after years of heroin addiction, as he joins forces with a group of fellow hepatitis-C-infected former users in the Bronx to fight the disease in their community. Knitting personal narratives together with a profile of innovative programs at a methadone clinic, the film explores the concept of storytelling as an instrument of change and gives a powerful voice to marginalized members of society.
Junior lives in a homeless shelter with his wife and young daughter and has recently gotten clean after 20 years of addiction, jail, and violence. Like most injection drug users, Junior has contracted hepatitis C, a chronic disease that will, left untreated, cut short his life. Traumatized by his past but determined to change, he seeks treatment for his addiction at a methadone clinic in the Bronx, where he is offered a grueling, year-long hepatitis C treatment that could potentially save his life.
We learn that Junior has not seen his oldest daughter in ten years, having lost custody of her because of his heroin addiction. Overcome with guilt and regret, he is now determined not to repeat history with his second child. Despite severe side effects from the treatment, he pushes forward.
Gradually gaining momentum in his recovery, Junior trains as a peer educator at his clinic and joins forces with other former junkies to fight the hepatitis C epidemic in the Bronx. Charged with helping other addicts, Junior and the others begin to feel a sense of purpose in their own lives.
As part of their training, the peer educators participate in a storytelling workshop conducted by The Moth, an award-winning non-profit dedicated to the art of telling true stories live. Junior finds his voice and begins to transform into a powerful leader and storyteller. In the face of treatment-induced memory loss and a fear of failure, he takes to the stage at events from downtown Manhattan to Governor’s Hall at the New York State capitol.
With a sense of spiritual and physical renewal, Junior improbably reunites with his first daughter and vows to be the positive paternal presence his family needs going forward. Because of his hepatitis C cure, he now has the time that he needs.
The SOHO International Film Festival runs May 15 to 22, 2014 at Village East Cinemas in New York City.
http://youtu.be/TxO7Tf6GR8M
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2011 SOHO International Film Festival Winners; “Tanzania: A Friendship Journey” Wins both Best World Showcase and Best Documentary awards
Tanzania: A Friendship Journey The 2011 SOHO International Film Festival wrapped up in New York City last Friday, April 22nd, 2011 with its award ceremony. One of the highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of the very first NYC ICON AWARD to legendary character actor, Frank Vincent (“Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Sopranos”) honoring a New York film artist who has achieved a high degree of creative excellence over the years.