In 2010, Taiji, a sleepy fishing town in Japan, suddenly found itself in the worldwide media spotlight. The Cove, a documentary denouncing the town’s longstanding whale and dolphin hunting traditions, won an Academy Award and almost overnight, Taiji became the go-to destination and battleground for activists from around the world.
Can a proud 400-year-old whaling tradition survive a tsunami of modern animal-rights activism and colliding forces of globalism vs. localism?
A Whale of a Time reveals the complex story behind the ongoing debate. Told through a wide range of characters including local fishermen, international activists and anAmerican journalist (and long time Japanese resident), this powerful documentary unearths a deep divide in eastern and western thought about nature and wildlife and cultural sensitivity in the face of global activism.
A Whale of a Time will open theatrically in New York on Friday, August 17 (The Quad) and Los Angeles on Friday, August 24 (Laemmle Music Hall) with a nationwide release to follow.
In 2008, Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki directed and produced her first feature-length documentary Herb & Dorothy, about legendary New York art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel. The film went on to win top honors at many international film festivals and was released theatrically nationwide and as a part of PBS’s Independent Lens series. In 2013, Megumi completed the highly anticipated follow-up Herb & Dorothy 50X50, focusing on the next (and final) chapter in the lives of the beloved couple. The film had a nationwide theatrical release and continues to screen in theaters, museums and art fairs around the globe.
A Whale of a Time is her third feature length and had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and has won awards in many other festivals worldwide. In August 2017, Sasaki published her first book with the same title of the film in Japanese, OKUJIRASAMA depicting behind the scenes of the film’s production and the in-depth historical and religious background information of the whaling controversy that won the Science Journalist Award in 2018.Films
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Documentary A WHALE OF A TALE on Controversy Surrounding Whaling Sets Release Date
In 2010, Taiji, a sleepy fishing town in Japan, suddenly found itself in the worldwide media spotlight. The Cove, a documentary denouncing the town’s longstanding whale and dolphin hunting traditions, won an Academy Award and almost overnight, Taiji became the go-to destination and battleground for activists from around the world.
Can a proud 400-year-old whaling tradition survive a tsunami of modern animal-rights activism and colliding forces of globalism vs. localism?
A Whale of a Time reveals the complex story behind the ongoing debate. Told through a wide range of characters including local fishermen, international activists and anAmerican journalist (and long time Japanese resident), this powerful documentary unearths a deep divide in eastern and western thought about nature and wildlife and cultural sensitivity in the face of global activism.
A Whale of a Time will open theatrically in New York on Friday, August 17 (The Quad) and Los Angeles on Friday, August 24 (Laemmle Music Hall) with a nationwide release to follow.
In 2008, Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki directed and produced her first feature-length documentary Herb & Dorothy, about legendary New York art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel. The film went on to win top honors at many international film festivals and was released theatrically nationwide and as a part of PBS’s Independent Lens series. In 2013, Megumi completed the highly anticipated follow-up Herb & Dorothy 50X50, focusing on the next (and final) chapter in the lives of the beloved couple. The film had a nationwide theatrical release and continues to screen in theaters, museums and art fairs around the globe.
A Whale of a Time is her third feature length and had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and has won awards in many other festivals worldwide. In August 2017, Sasaki published her first book with the same title of the film in Japanese, OKUJIRASAMA depicting behind the scenes of the film’s production and the in-depth historical and religious background information of the whaling controversy that won the Science Journalist Award in 2018.
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Documentary HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD on German Film Industry Under Third Reich Gets DVD Release [Trailer]
Hitler’s Hollywood is a new documentary directed by Rüdiger Suchsland and narrated by Udo Kier, that traces the rise and fall of Nazi Germany through its national cinema of 1933-1945, illustrated with clips from the many big spectacles, colorful fantasies and lavish costume films that Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels conceived of to rival Hollywood.
An Official Selection of the Telluride Film Festival, this critically-acclaimed film opened at New York’s Film Forum earlier this year before moving on to engagements in national markets including Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta.
Kino Lorber will release Hitler’s Hollywood on DVD on July 10.
Hitler’s Hollywood, narrated by Udo Kier, asks what the Nazi cinema of the Third Reich reveals about its period and its people. About 1000 feature films were made in Germany in the years between 1933-1945: musicals, melodramas, romances, costume dramas and war films. Only a few were overtly Nazi propaganda films. But by the same token, even fewer of them can be considered harmless entertainment.
How did the open lies and hidden truths in these films affect the future of German cinema? Director Rüdiger Suchsland (From Caligari to Hitler) presents these films and the people behind them. It explains how propaganda works: how stereotypes of the “enemy” and values of love and hate managed to be planted into viewers’ heads through the screen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVeFBjVcglU
Hitler’s Hollywood is Suchsland’s follow-up to his 2014 film From Caligari to Hitler, a documentary adaptation of Siegfried Kracauer’s ground-breaking 1947 psychological study of silent German cinema that argues the rise of Nazism was anticipated in many of the films from that period.
Kino Lorber also recently released Forbidden Films: The Hidden Legacy of Nazi Film on DVD. This documentary by Felix Moeller examines those films made in Nazi Germany that were conceived and presented explicitly as propaganda, and explores questions of whether they should be shown for the purposes of study, or locked away for their dangerous (and powerful) ideological messages.
Together, these three documentaries present a comprehensive view of the cinema in Germany just before and during the Third Reich, posing challenging questions about cinema as an indicator of larger historical currents, the power of film as propaganda, and how even seemingly harmless entertainment films can be used to convey dangerous ideology.
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Bradford Baruh’s ‘Wild and Blood-Soaked’ DEAD NIGHT Drops Official Trailer + Poster
Bradford Baruh’s directorial debut, Dead Night with genre icon Barbara Crampton as lead actress and producer, today released the official trailer and poster. Dark Sky Films will release Dead Night starring Brea Grant, AJ Bowen, Sophie Dalah, Elise Luthman, Joshua Hoffman, and Daniel Roebuck in theaters and digital/VOD on July 27, 2018.
James and his wife Casey load up their two teenage kids and head out to a remote cabin in Oregon for a weekend trip. When James heads into the snowy forest in search of firewood, he encounters an enigmatic woman passed out in the snow. Bringing her back to the cabin for help, the family has no way of knowing that the woman’s presence is the catalyst for a series of events that will change their lives forever.
Mixing original storytelling with timeless supernatural elements, Bradford Baruh’s directorial debut features a stellar cast of genre favorites including AJ Bowen and Barbara Crampton and delivers a wild and blood-soaked weekend away.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyKyboTBsU4
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Robert Paschall Jr.’s “24 Hour Film” SEGFAULT Eyes A Fall Release Date [Trailer]
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Segfault[/caption]
Segfault, the unique film, written and directed by Robert Paschall Jr. and starring Shannon Lucio is set to premiere in the fall in many major cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas, Vancouver, and Houston via Factory Film Studio.
The Story: Without any memory of who she is or her past, Blair (Shannon Lucio) wakes up in a hotel room with a dead body. After receiving a mysterious phone call, she flees in search of answers and is immediately pursued by a corrupt organization that is determined to keep the truth of her identity concealed. With the help of Victoria (Cassie Shea Watson) and Frank (Stephen Brodie), Blair is confronted with a sequence of startling discoveries that exposes a reality she never could’ve imagined.
Factory Film Studio CCO, Michael Lilly, “This movie was made in less than 24 hours, with a lead actress who was given no script, storyline or even a character name. It’s not often that we see a movie that is as perceptive, innovative and suspenseful as this. We are excited to bring it to the North American audience.”
“We know Factory Film Studio knows perfectly well what kind of audiences are going to be intrigued by this film that was made in the spirit of absolute freedom,” said Paschall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzCbl3OYuE
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Greenwich Entertainment to Release Jeremy Workman’s Documentary THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET
Jeremy Workman’s documentary The World Before Your Feet, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, will release be released theatrically later this year by Greenwich Entertainment.
Executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Café Society), this personal and moving documentary follows Matt Green, who for six years has walked every block of every street in New York City. This journey of over 8000 miles takes Green and the audience to each neighborhood in the five boroughs and reveals the humanity and wonder of the world’s greatest city.
Critics raved following the film’s SXSW premiere with The Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore saying “a Gotham-set charmer about the pleasures of wandering,” RogerEbert.com’s Nick Allen declaring the film “lovely…inspired me to get outside and look around,” and The Playlist’s Gary Garrison calling it “an utterly compelling joy.”
“Jeremy has found in Matt Green, a kind of contemporary Thoreau, and in the process of documenting Matt’s quest has made one of the most poignant and inspiring city symphonies in documentary history,” according to Greenwich co-managing director Edward Arentz.
“Jesse and I are thrilled and honored that Greenwich Entertainment will be releasing The World Before Your Feet and helping audiences discover Matt’s unique journey,” said Workman. “With the passion that Edward and his team have for this film, we know this is the ideal partnership.
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EXCLUSIVE: Watch a Clip from Documentary MAYNARD, on Maynard Jackson Jr., First Black Mayor of Atlanta [Video]
Here is an exclusive clip from the new documentary MAYNARD on the remarkable story of the unparalleled success of Maynard Jackson Jr., who became first black Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in 1973.
Directed by Academy Award nominee, Emmy winner and 4 time Peabody Award winner Sam Pollard (“Slavery by Another Name”, “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Two Trains Runnin’”), MAYNARD which will be released by Virgil Films on iTunes and digital platforms and dvd retailers on Tuesday, July 3, 2018.
Maynard interviews include President Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton, Vernon Jordan, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Jesse Jackson, former Atlanta Mayor’s Sam Massell and Shirley Franklin, and current Mayor Kasim Reed to name a few.
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First Look – See New images from Patrick Cunningham’s Surreal Thriller MODEL HOME World Premiering at North Bend Film Festival
Patrick Cunningham has released new cryptic stills from his directorial debut, the surreal thriller Model Home, which will World Premiere at the inaugural North Bend Film Festival. Model Home follows a single mother suffering from bipolar disorder who begins to entertain dangerous fantasies while working as a live-in caretaker of an unsold Model Home.
The debut film from director/writer Patrick Cunningham transports us to a surreal world of barren promises where the American Dream becomes the American Nightmare. Following in the cinematic lineage of Kubrick’s The Shining Cunningham’s twisting tale of ostrasization was co-written and produced by William Day Frank (Mickey Keating’s Psychopaths and POD) and stars Monique Curnen (The Dark Knight, Taken the TV series), Emmy award winner Kathy Baker (Take Shelter, Age of Adaline), Luke Ganalon, and Jon Jon Briones (Miss Saigon on Broadway).
Model Home will have its World Premiere at the first edition of the North Bend Film Festival running from August 23rd to the 26th 2018 in North Bend, Washington. The North Bend FF is focused on vanguard programming and innovative means of storytelling and providing a platform for emerging filmmakers. Working directly with the town of North Bend, the destination festival will be an event for the local community, Northwest creatives, and national genre film industry to enjoy together.
Click to see images from Model Home
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2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Announces Winners, FAUVE Wins Best of the Festival
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Fauve, Jérémy Comte[/caption]
After screening 333 short films, the 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, announced its Festival award winners on Sunday, June 24, 2018. More than $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards were awarded in 21 categories.
“The award winners truly capture the amazing pool of talent and the incredible range of films found at the festival,” said Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “We’re honored to witness and share such a skilled level of filmmaking and can’t wait to do it again next year.”
2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Award Winners
JURY AWARDS
Jury Awards and awards in the non-student and student competition categories were selected by ShortFest jury members Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo).BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD
Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The winner of this award may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. Fauve (Canada), Jérémy Comte Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer. https://vimeo.com/246704892BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to the best short produced outside of the U.S. or Canada, Coyote (Switzerland), Lorenz Wunderle The film shows a tragic coyote, who loses his family during an attack by wolves.BEST NORTH AMERICAN SHORT
Winner received $1,000 and the use of a camera package valued at $60,000 courtesy of Panavision. Awarded to the best short produced in the U.S. or Canada. Caroline (USA), Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.NON-STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS
All first place winners in the non-student categories received a cash award of $2,000 and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Nevada (USA), Emily Ann Hoffman In this stop-motion animated comedy, a young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth control mishap.BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
Shadow Animals (Sweden), Jerry Carlsson Marall follows her parents to a party and they want her to behave. As the evening progresses she finds the adults’ behavior increasingly strange.BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
Fence (Kosovo/France), Lendita Zeqiraj A chaotic moment in a family gathering of a woman with children and an unexpected visitor with his dog. Special Mention: Nursey Rhymes (Australia), Tom Noakes – On the side of a rural highway, a bizarre encounter with a Metalhead takes a profound turn.BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Dulce (Colombia/USA), Guille Isa, Angello Faccini In coastal Colombia, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest the piangua shellfish with the other women in the village. Special Mention: After/Life (USA), Puck Lo – In an Arizona desert, a dystopic collective nightmare unfolds where US domestic and foreign policies collide.STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS
All first place winners in these categories received a $500 cash prize.BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
Perfect Town (Switzerland), Anaïs Voirol In search of perfection a whole city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness?BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
Satán (Switzerland/Mexico), Carlos Tapia González Everyday, Tiago goes into his garden to feed the crocodile that killed his brother.BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
Kira Burning (USA), Laurel Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend.BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Palenque (Colombia/USA), Sebastián Pinzón Silva Guided by motifs of life and death, Palenque is an ode to a small town that has greatly contributed to the collective memory of Colombia: San Basilio de Palenque, the first town in the Americas to have broken free from European domination.ALEXIS AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING STUDENT FILMMAKER
The Alexis Award was created in honor of Alexis Echavarria, whose talent as a budding filmmaker and gift for inspiring excellence among his fellow students were cut short suddenly in 2005 at age 16. This year two films were selected to receive the award, which is a cash prize of $500 each. Imfura (Switzerland/Rwanda), Samuel Ishimwe How can one get an idea of the issues connected with the ruined home of a family who is a victim of the Rwandan genocide? A young man returns to the village where his deceased mother was born. He seeks to adopt a bruised collective recollection. Intoned chants all represent voices of possible reconciliation. Cross My Heart (USA/Jamaica), Sontenish Myers An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. This film explores the culture of silence amongst women, the kinds of secrets we keep and who they’re actually protecting.AUDIENCE AWARDS
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Beneath the Ink (USA), Cy Dodson In a time when society’s belief systems are seemingly changing, or even reverting back in time. One Ohio artist Billy Joe White is challenging his Appalachian region by saying: “bring me your mistakes”. Inspired by recent events, White and his tattoo shop are promoting a simple concept: ERASE THE HATE. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hatred and racism in one Appalachian community and reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.LIVE ACTION SHORT
Trois Pages (Canada), Roger Gariépy An unassuming middle-aged accountant learns he has only weeks to live. Rather than tell everyone, Martin determines to learn the three pages of a Bach adagio for piano he’d abandoned as a child. That accomplished, he performs the piece for his wife and friends, completing his life and thanking those who brightened it along the way.BEST ANIMATION SHORT
Bilby (USA), Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans In the deadly desert of Australia, a lonesome Bilby finds himself tied with a helpless baby bird.BEST STUDENT SHORT
Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Nicholas Colia A Drumpf-era comedy about a female yuppie who overcompensates for her white guilt by aggressively trying to befriend the Indian woman who works at her local Brooklyn bodega. It doesn’t go great.ADDITIONAL PRIZES
FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD
Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to a filmmaker whose work and vision point ot a bright and prospective career in cinema. Mamartuile (Mexico), Alejandro Saevich The president of Mexico spends his final days in office making plans for his future. Everything looks in order until an international conflict interrupts his pleasant rest. Special Mention: Falling (France), Benjamin Vu – In the winter of 1994 in the French suburbs, Léo and Baptiste, two polar opposite students, meet up one evening to work on a school presentation.VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD
Films featured in competition are eligible for the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which includes a $4,000 cash prize. The winning film will be released on Vimeo June 25, 2018. Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Justin Stoneham Reliving the past is sometimes the only way to move forward.BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD PRESENTED BY CINEMA WITHOUT BORDERS
$2,500 courtesy of Go Energistics; Awarded by the Cinema Without Borders jury to the short that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy/France), Adriano Valerio Is it possible to stage a wedding with someone who really loves you? Special Mentions: The Last Refugees (USA/Jordan), Tanaz Eshaghian – This cinema vérité style documentary follows the Kalajis—originally from the besieged city of Aleppo —allowing for a peek into the lives of those who seek a new life in America. The viewer becomes immersed in this family’s journey as they travel from Jordan to their new home of Philadelphia. Scaffold (Canada), Kazik Radwanksi – Recent immigrants to Canada, working on scaffolding break the routine of their job by observing the people in the the neighbourhood from a unique, precarious and ephemeral vantage point.YOUTH JURY AWARD
Awarded by ShortFest youth juries composed of local students interested in cinema and the arts. Each winner received a $250 cash prize. Kids’ Choice (Ages 13 and under) – $250 One Small Step (USA/China), Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Luna, a young Chinese American girl, dreams of becoming an astronaut. Supported by her humble father, Luna endeavors to make her dreams come true. Young Cineastes (Ages 14-17) – $250 Sin Cielo (USA), Jianna Maarten A modern day Romeo and Juliet story of two star crossed lovers along Mexico’s northern border where Dollars rule and girl’s bodies turn up mysteriously in the river or never at all.
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Watch Olivia Cooke in New Trailer for KATIE SAYS GOODBYE
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Katie Says Goodbye[/caption]
Signature Entertainment has released a new trailer for Katie Says Goodbye starring Olivia Cooke, which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the Discovery Award for Best Film. Olivia Cooke won the Best Actress award at the Manchester International Film Festival.
Living in a struggling desert town in Arizona composed of little more than a trailer park and a small diner, Katie (Olivia Cooke: Me, Earl and The Dying Girl) dreams of a new life in San Francisco. In order to best save the necessary funds to leave her desolate town and start anew, Katie prostitutes herself to a handful of regulars that frequent the diner she waitresses at.
As Katie draws near to saving the funds she believes her new life requires, she encounters a young ex-convict named Bruno (Christopher Abbott: It Comes at Night).
Katie quickly falls in love, much to the dismay of Bruno’s coworkers at the local auto body shop. As a relationship with Bruno begins to form, the delicate harmony of their small town slowly begins to fall into disarray.
https://youtu.be/B6TfLcoeE7M
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Watch Jaden Smith as a Mysterious Skateboarder in SKATE KITCHEN Trailer
Magnolia Pictures has released the official trailer for Skate Kitchen starring Jaden Smith as a mysterious skateboarder. The film that premiered earlier this year at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival is the first narrative feature from The Wolfpack director Crystal Moselle, and will be released in select theaters on August 10.
Camille, an introverted teenage skateboarder (newcomer Rachelle Vinberg) from Long Island, meets and befriends an all-girl, New York City-based skateboarding crew called Skate Kitchen. She falls in with the in-crowd, has a falling-out with her mother, and falls for a mysterious skateboarder guy (Jaden Smith), but a relationship with him proves to be trickier to navigate than a kickflip.
Writer/director Crystal Moselle immersed herself in the lives of the skater girls and worked closely with them, resulting in the film’s authenticity, which combines poetic, atmospheric filmmaking and hypnotic skating sequences. SKATE KITCHEN precisely captures the experience of women in male-dominated spaces and tells a story of a girl who learns the importance of camaraderie and self-discovery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT1izrIxoos
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Sam Voutas’ KING OF PEKING to Premiere on Netflix on July 2 [Trailer]
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KING OF PEKING[/caption]
Sam Voutas’ King of Peking, an Official Selection of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, will premiere worldwide exclusively on Netflix on July 2, 2018.
SYNOPSIS: Big Wong and his young son Little Wong are part of a fading tradition: traveling film projectionists screening Hollywood movies for villagers who otherwise don’t have access to films. But when Big Wong’s ex-wife raises the spousal support payments, Big Wong faces the possibility of losing custody.
In order to stay together, the two Wongs move to the basement of an old Beijing cinema, where Big Wong works as a janitor. When Big Wong discovers a prototype DVD recorder for sale in a junk store, he convinces Little Wong to join a new venture: a father-son bootlegging company. He names it King of Peking in honor of their surname’s meaning: king. Business soon booms, but in the maelstrom of making money, Big Wong realizes that he might lose something more precious than custody: his son’s trust. And Little Wong learns that sometimes parents make bad choices for very good reasons.
In King of Peking, writer-director Sam Voutas (RED LIGHT REVOLUTION, SHANGHAI BRIDE) put his reverence for movies on full display. He crafts a beautiful story that is at once an endearing father-son story and a love letter to cinema. Starring Zhao Jun, Wang Naixun, Han Qing, Si Chao. Produced by Jane Zheng (Sundance 2018 hit DEAD PIGS) and Melanie Ansley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcaYbx7U8Pw
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Holt McCallany and Vincent Pastore Set to Star in IRON TERRY MALONE
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Vincent Pastore. © Luigi Novi / Wikimedia Commons[/caption]
Actors Holt McCallany (“MindHunter”) and Vincent Pastore (“The Sopranos”) will headline the upcoming dark comedy “Iron Terry Malone” directed by award-winning filmmaker Johnny Greenlaw (Mommy’s Box). The screenplay, based on true events, hails from award-winning actors/writers Christian Keiber and Robert John Keiber.
Utilizing many of the same locations used by Elia Kazan’s On The Waterfront (1954), the film is set largely in Hoboken, N.J., with the owner and five regulars teaming up to kill off one of their own to save their favorite bar from closing. McCallany, the acclaimed star of Netflix’s ‘’Mindhunter’’, plays a local mobster named Mean Mike, who with the bar’s owner Harry Moffet, played by John Doman (The Wire), hatch the plan to off the town beggar and drunk “Iron” Terry Malone, played by Pastore.
Befriending Malone by getting him so drunk he can’t think or remember where he is, the six would-be assassins first try poisoning him. Then, they try freezing him. Then, they run him over with a car, but Malone will just not die! And as summer turns to winter, things go from bad to worse, as this unlikely group of killers begins to turn on each other and find out just why their marked man is called “Iron” Terry Malone.
“What excites me about this film, besides the stellar cast, is the story and screenplay”, says Greenlaw. “The fact that it is based on actual events, that took place many years ago, we get to look inside the depths of humanity and what you’re willing to sacrifice just to get by in life. I look forward to bringing this dark comedy to the big screen.”
Adds writer Christian Keiber : “Iron Terry Malone”, is a true passion project of mine. To be able to bring this film to life alongside my friends and family, both in the cast and crew, is the sole reason I became a filmmaker.”
In addition to McCallany, Pastore and Doman, the film’s superlative ensemble also includes, Christian Keiber (“Gotham’’), Bill Sorvino (“Who’s Jenna..?”), Kerry McGann (“Bloodrunners’’), Johnny Greenlaw (“Mommy’s Box”), Robert John Keiber (“Trust Me, I’m a Lifeguard”), Maureen Van Zandt (“The Sopranos’’), and Gary Pastore (“The Deuce’’). Sam Calagione, owner of Dogfish Head Brewery, the official beer sponsor of the film, will also appear in the movie.
Kerry McGann, Bill Sorvino, Johnny Greenlaw, Jason L. Koerner and Bryce C. Campbell serve as producers, with Christian Keiber as executive producer.
“Iron” Terry Malone begins production in Hoboken, NJ in November.