Caption: Leonid “Tarzan” Fainberg with unidentified Soviet Admiral posing beside a foxtrot submarine purchased on behalf of the Cali Cartel. | Credit: International Fugitive Nelson Tony Yester[/caption]
Operation Odessa is a true crime documentary about a Russian mobster, a Miami playboy and a Cuban spy who sold a Soviet submarine to a Colombian drug cartel for $35 million.
Operation Odessa directed by Tiller Russel will make its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, followed by its debut on Showtime on Saturday, March 31 at 9 PM ET/PT.
An early ’90s gangster epic that hopscotches from Brooklyn to Miami and Cali to Moscow, the film tells the true story of three friends who set out to hustle the Russian mob, the Cali cartel and the DEA for the score of a lifetime. What really happened to the sub, the money and the three amigos has remained a shadowy underworld myth until now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6hXDt_yqMFilms
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Crime Documentary OPERATION ODESSA to World Premiere at 2018 SXSW Film | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_26843" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Caption: Leonid “Tarzan” Fainberg with unidentified Soviet Admiral posing beside a foxtrot submarine purchased on behalf of the Cali Cartel. | Credit: International Fugitive Nelson Tony Yester[/caption]
Operation Odessa is a true crime documentary about a Russian mobster, a Miami playboy and a Cuban spy who sold a Soviet submarine to a Colombian drug cartel for $35 million.
Operation Odessa directed by Tiller Russel will make its world premiere at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, followed by its debut on Showtime on Saturday, March 31 at 9 PM ET/PT.
An early ’90s gangster epic that hopscotches from Brooklyn to Miami and Cali to Moscow, the film tells the true story of three friends who set out to hustle the Russian mob, the Cali cartel and the DEA for the score of a lifetime. What really happened to the sub, the money and the three amigos has remained a shadowy underworld myth until now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6hXDt_yqM
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Watch First Trailer + Poster for Sundance Horror Film HEREDITARY Starring Toni Collette
Here is the first trailer for Ari Aster’s Hereditary, the Toni Collette horror sensation that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and will hit theaters nationwide on June 8th.
Hereditary also stars Gabriel Byrne, Ann Dowd, Milly Shapiro, and Alex Wolff.
When Ellen, the matriarch of the Graham family, passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ari Aster unleashes a nightmare vision of a domestic breakdown that exhibits the craft and precision of a nascent auteur, transforming a familial tragedy into something ominous and deeply disquieting, and pushing the horror movie into chilling new terrain with its shattering portrait of heritage gone to hell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6wWKNij_1M
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Award-Winning French-Canadian Zombie Movie “Les Affamés” to Debut on Netflix | Trailer
The award-winning French-Canadian film Les Affamés, written and directed by Robin Aubert (Saint Martyrs of the Damned, Crying Out) has been acquired by Netflix and will debut on the streaming platform on March 2, 2018.
The critically acclaimed film stars Marc-André Grondin, Monia Chokri, Micheline Lanctôt, Brigitte Poupart, Charlotte St-Martin, Marie-Ginette Guay Luc Proulx and Édouard Tremblay-Grenier.
In Les Affamés, Aubert returns to his horror roots to tell the story of a changed small and remote village in upstate Quebec. Locals are not the same anymore–their bodies are breaking down and they have turned against their loved ones. A handful of survivors goes hiding into the woods, looking for others like them.
“I am so excited that viewers around the world will get the chance to watch Les Affamés. I’m also proud for the Netflix audience to experience its thrills and chills in its original Québécois version, my mother tongue, which is so rich and colorful, full of history and mystery, something that fully characterizes my universe as a filmmaker,” said writer/director Robin Aubert. “Even if I truly believe in mankind, I’m terrified when rage and hate get the best of us. Les Affamés echoes the current state in western societies. Making a zombie movie was my own personal way of expressing both my fears and hopes about what’s lying ahead of us.”
Les Affamés premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September 2017 where it won Best Canadian Feature, and later played Fantastic Fest, Montreal Festival du nouveau cinéma where it won the Temps Ø Audience Award, The Sitges – International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia, and Torino Film Festival.
The film was released theatrically in Canada in October 2017 and is now nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture. In December, TIFF named the film to its list of 2017’s ten best Canadian films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vCIPWQXjec
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LEANING INTO THE WIND, Portrait of Artist Andy Goldsworthy Sets Release Date | Trailer
Leaning Into The Wind – Andy Goldsworthy, Thomas Riedelsheimer’s followup to his 2001 sleeper hit Rivers and Tides, a portrait of innovative British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist Andy Goldsworthy, will open on Friday, March 9 at New York’s Film Forum with a national rollout to follow.
Sixteen years after the release of the groundbreaking film Rivers and Tides – Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time director Thomas Riedelsheimer has returned to work with the artist. Leaning into the Wind – Andy Goldsworthy follows Andy on his exploration of the layers of his world and the impact of the years on himself and his art. As Goldsworthy introduces his own body into the work it becomes at the same time even more fragile and personal and also sterner and tougher, incorporating massive machinery and crews on his bigger projects. Riedelsheimer’s exquisite film illuminates Goldsworthy’s mind as it reveals his art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQYGbfVfpm0
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Watch New Trailer + Poster for Raoul Peck’s THE YOUNG KARL MARX
The Orchard has released a brand new trailer and poster for The Young Karl Marx, celebrated Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck’s first film since the Oscar-nominated documentary I Am Not Your Negro. A fervently intelligent chronicling of the blood, sweat and debate that went into the creation of a manifesto and a movement, the film premiered at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.
Timed to the anniversary of the original publishing date of The Communist Manifesto, The Orchard will open The Young Karl Marx theatrically on Friday, February 23rd in New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.
At the age of 26, Karl Marx (August Diehl; Inglorious Basterds, The Counterfeiters) embarks with his wife Jenny (Vicky Krieps; Phantom Thread) on the road to exile. In 1844 Paris they meet young Friedrich Engels (Stefan Konarske), son of a factory owner and an astute student of the English proletariat class. Engels brings Marx the missing piece to the puzzle that composes his new vision of the world. Together, between censorship and police raids, riots and political upheavals, they will preside over the birth of the labor movement, which until then had been mostly makeshift and unorganized. This will grow into the most complete theoretical and political transformation of the world since the Renaissance – driven, against all expectations, by two brilliant, insolent and sharp-witted young men.
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Sundance 2018: First-time Filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s THE SENTENCE Acquired by HBO
The documentary feature film The Sentence is first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s moving film about the aftermath of his sister’s incarceration, and is described as a searing look at the devastating consequences of mandatory minimum sentencing. The Sentence, which had its premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition category has been acquired by HBO for a planned release later this year.
The Sentence draws from hundreds of hours of footage to tell the story of Cindy Shank, a woman who received a 15-year mandatory sentence for conspiracy charges related to crimes committed by her deceased ex-boyfriend? – something known, in legal terms, as “the girlfriend problem.” Cindy’s brother Rudy Valdez’s method of coping with this tragedy is to film his sister’s family for her, both the everyday details and the milestones? – moments Cindy herself can no longer share in. But in the midst of this nightmare, Valdez finds his voice as both a filmmaker and activist, and he and his family begin to fight for Cindy’s release during the last months of the Obama administration’s clemency initiative. Whether their attempts will allow Cindy to break free of her draconian sentence becomes the aching question at the core of this deeply personal portrait of a family in crisis.
Valdez said, “This film has been more than ten years in the making and we wanted to make sure we found the right home, especially given the intimate nature of the story. In partnering with HBO, we’re excited about working together to get this film out into the world and make as huge an impact as possible.”
Image: Cynthia Shank, Autumn Shank, Ava Shank and Annalis Shank appear in The Sentence by Rudy Valdez, an official selection of the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute.
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Watch Trailer for The Trader (Sovdagari) – A Portrait of a Man and his Minibus
Netflix has released the trailer “The Trader” an official selection at this year’s 2018 Sundance Film Festival and winner of “Best Short Documentary” at the 2017 Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival. Trader debuts on Netflix on February 9, 2018.
A portrait of a man and his minibus. The Trader (Sovdagari) directed by Tamta Gabrichidze, follows Gela as he sells secondhand goods through rural Georgia, where money is meaningless, and potatoes are lucre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOauOJg-fCQ
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See Trailer + Poster Debut for Ted Geoghegan’s Action-Thriller MOHAWK
The official trailer and poster debut today for Ted Geoghegan’s highly anticipated second feature film, the no-holds-barred action-thriller Mohawk. Mohawk will be released in select theaters and on VOD/Digital HD on March 2nd from Dark Sky Films.
After one of her tribe sets an American camp ablaze, a young Mohawk warrior finds herself pursued by a contingent of military renegades set on revenge. Fleeing deep into the woods they call home, Oak and Calvin, along with their British companion Joshua, must now fight back against the bloodthirsty Colonel Holt and his soldiers – using every resource both real and supernatural that the winding forest can offer.
Mohawk stars Kaniehtiio Horn (Hemlock Grove), Justin Rain (Fear the Walking Dead), and Eamon Farren (Twin Peaks: The Return) along with Ezra Buzzington (Justified, The Middle), and including Ian Colletti (“Arseface” from AMC’s Preacher) and Jonathan Huber, WWE Superstar Luke Harper making his big screen debut.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0utooEV8F8o
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Sundance Announces 2018 Short Film Awards – Álvaro Gago’s “Matria” Wins Grand Jury Prize
[caption id="attachment_26681" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Francisca Iglesias Bouzón appears in Matria by Álvaro Gago[/caption]
Winners of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival jury prizes in short filmmaking were announced at a ceremony in Park City, Utah, with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize going to Matria, written and directed by Álvaro Gago.
This year’s Short Film jurors are Cherien Dabis, Shirley Manson and Chris Ware.
Short Film awards winners in previous years include And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, SMILF by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, FISHING WITHOUT NETS by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Jury Awards:
The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: Matria / Spain (Director and screenwriter: Álvaro Gago) — Faced with a challenging daily routine, Ramona tries to take refuge in her relationships with her daughter and granddaughter. The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was presented to: Hair Wolf / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Mariama Diallo) — In a black hair salon in gentrifying Brooklyn, the local residents fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture. The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was presented to: Would You Look at Her / Macedonia (Director and screenwriter: Goran Stolevski) — A hard-headed tomboy spots the unlikely solution to all her problems in an all-male religious ritual. The Short Film Jury Award: Non-fiction was presented to: The Trader (Sovdagari) / Georgia (Director: Tamta Gabrichidze) — Gela sells secondhand clothes and household items in places where money is potatoes. The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was presented to: GLUCOSE / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeron Braxton) — Sugar was the engine of the slave trade that brought millions of Africans to America. Glucose is sweet, marketable and easy to consume, but its surface satisfaction is a thin coating on the pain of many disenfranchised people. A Special Jury Award was presented to: Emergency / U.S.A. (Director: Carey Williams, Screenwriter: K.D. Dávila) — Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. A Special Jury Award was presented to: Fauve / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Jérémy Comte) — Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game, with Mother Nature as the sole observer. A Special Jury Award was presented to: For Nonna Anna / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Luis De Filippis) — A trans girl cares for her Italian grandmother. She assumes that her Nonna disapproves of her – but instead discovers a tender bond in their shared vulnerability. Image: Francisca Iglesias Bouzón appears in Matria by Álvaro Gago, an official selection of the Shorts Programs at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Lucia C. Pan.
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“This Is Home: A Refugee Story,” to Air on EPIX in 2018 Following World Premiere at Sundance Film Festival
This Is Home: A Refugee Story which world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, will make its television debut on the premium pay television network EPIX, later in 2018.
Directed by Alexandra Shiva (How to Dance in Ohio), This is Home is an intimate portrait of four Syrian refugee families arriving in America and struggling to find their footing. Displaced from their homes and separated from loved ones, they are given eight months of assistance from the International Rescue Committee to become self-sufficient. As they learn to adapt to challenges, including the newly imposed travel ban, their strength and resilience are tested.
After surviving the traumas of war, the families arrive in Baltimore, Maryland and are met with a whole new set of challenges. They attend cultural orientation classes and job training sessions where they must “learn America” – everything from how to take public transportation to negotiating new gender roles.
This Is Home goes beyond the statistics, headlines, and political rhetoric to tell deeply personal stories, putting a human face on the global refugee crisis.
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TEHRAN TABOO, Animated Drama on Sexual Hypocrisy in Iran, Sets US Release Date | Trailer
[caption id="attachment_26662" align="aligncenter" width="1320"]
Tehran Taboo. Pari, Elias and Sara in a Restaurant[/caption]
Ali Soozandeh’s Tehran Taboo is an animated dramatic feature that juggles multiple stories to explore the sexual double-standard behind the hypocrisy of life in contemporary Iran. Living in exile in Germany since age 25, Iranian-born Soozandeh cannily uses animation to solve the problem of not being able to film in Tehran.
Kino Lorber will release Tehran Taboo on Wednesday, February 14, at New York’s Film Forum; in San Francisco, CA, on March 2 (Roxie Theatre) and in Los Angeles, CA, on March 9 (at Laemmle’s Town Center 5 and Music Hall 3). The film had its world premiere at the prestigious Cannes Critics’ Week before segueing to a competition slot at the Annecy Intl. Animated Film Festival.
Blending multiple narratives into a complex picture of contemporary life in Iran’s most populous city, Tehran Taboo follows a young woman in need of an operation to “restore” her virginity; a divorce judge (in the Islamic Revolutionary Court) who extorts favors from a prostitute; a pregnant woman desperate to work for a living so she may live independently; and young women (purportedly virgins) being sold to Dubai for large sums of money.
The result is a complicated portrait of a social order in which women are at the bottom rung of a ladder built on religion, the law, and plain old misogyny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUnSemNTycE
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Sundance 2018: See New Poster for Nicolas Pesce’s PIERCING Starring Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska
Here is the poster for Piercing, written and directed by Nicolas Pesce, that World Premiere in the Midnight section at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Piercing stars Christopher Abbott, Mia Wasikowska, Laia Costa, Marin Ireland, Maria Dizzia, and Wendell Pierce
Reed (Christopher Abbott) is going on a business trip. He kisses his wife and infant son goodbye, but in lieu of a suitcase filled with clothes, he’s packed a toothbrush and a murder kit. Everything is meticulously planned: check into a hotel and kill an unsuspecting victim. Only then will he rid himself of his devious impulses and continue to be a good husband and father. But Reed gets more than he bargained for with Jackie (Mia Wasikowska), an alluring call girl who arrives at his room. First, they relax and get in the mood, but when there’s an unexpected disruption, the balance of control begins to sway back and forth between the two. Is he seeing things? Who’s playing whom? Before the night is over, a feverish nightmare will unfold, and Reed and Jackie will seal their bond in blood.
Based on the critically acclaimed cult novel by Ryu Murakami, Director Nicolas Pesce (THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, Sundance 2016) blends psychological horror with comedy and stylish neo-noir, resulting in a sly take on the fantasy of escape and the hazards of modern romance.
2018 Sundance Film Festival Screenings:
World Premiere: Saturday, January 20th at 11:59pm (PC Library)
Public Screening #2: Sunday, January 21st at 8:30pm (Egyptian, PC)
Public Screening #3: Wednesday, January 24th at 8:30pm (The MARC)
Public Screening #4: Friday, January 26th at 11:59pm (Broadway 6, SLC)
Public Screening #5: Saturday, January 27th at 11:59pm (PC Library)