Films

Film Society of Lincoln Center Announces Lineup for ‘Neighboring Scenes’ Showcasing Contemporary Latin American Film

The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City announces Neighboring Scenes, a new showcase of contemporary Latin American cinema co-presented with Cinema Tropical. Opening the series is Benjamín Naishtat’s El Movimiento (pictured above), a stark, black-and-white snapshot of anarchy in 19th-century Argentina and follow-up to his acclaimed debut, History of Fear. Other highlights include the 2015 Cannes Caméra d’Or winner, César Augusto Acevedo’s Land and Shade; the U.S. premiere of Arturo Ripstein’s Bleak Street, which has drawn comparisons to Luis Buñuel’s Mexican period; Rodrigo Plá’s Venice Horizons opener A Monster with a Thousand Heads; Pablo Larraín’s Silver Bear–winning The Club, Chile’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar; and more. “It’s been some years since Latin American cinema ‘reemerged,’” said Programmer at Large Rachael Rakes. “Now, as the output from countries like Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil continues to be some of the most compelling and engaged cinema today, new scenes are establishing themselves all across the map, showcasing fresh talent and ideas, and challenging the notion of an identifiable contemporary Latin American cinema. We’re pleased to highlight a few of the most impressive recent films from the region.” FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS Opening Night El Movimiento Benjamín Naishtat, Argentina, 2015, DCP, 70m Spanish with English subtitles Continuing his preoccupation with violence and Argentina’s past, Benjamín Naishtat (History of Fear, a New Directors/New Films 2014 selection) dramatizes a crucial moment in that nation’s history characterized by political zealotry and terrorism. Pablo Cedrón portrays the fiery, unhinged leader of a mysterious militia (modeled on Confederacy-era dictator Juan Manuel de Rosas’s Mazorca) who wantonly roam the pampas in an effort to “purify” and unite society, killing and plundering settlers along the way. Characters emerge from and disappear into dark expanses—the film is masterfully shot in black and white—heightening its intense, chilling atmosphere. Funded by the Jeonju Digital Project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-U8MsPwlPU Alexfilm Pablo Chavarria Gutiérrez, Mexico, 2015, DCP, 60m Spanish with English subtitles Marked by a light touch and emphasizing openness over conventional, linear narrative, biologist-turned-filmmaker Pablo Chavarria Gutiérrez documents the rhythms of a man awaiting an important event that never comes. As he cooks breakfast, naps, paints, tries on sunglasses, and wanders through different rooms in his home, Chavarria Guitérrez lovingly frames every action in beautiful natural light, allowing each moment to flow to the next while maintaining its own transcendent essence. North American Premiere Gulliver María Alché, Argentina, 2015, DCP, 25m Spanish with English subtitles Flawlessly transitioning from a highly naturalistic family tale to something overtly surreal and back again, Gulliver captures the circumstances—imagined or not—of one of those evenings when siblings come to a deeper understanding of one another. After hanging out at home with their mom (Martín Rejtman regular Susana Pampin) and older sister Mariela (Agustina Muñoz), Agos and Renzo go to a raging party where Agos ends up drinking too much. Upon stepping outside to recover, the pair wander into a strange but familiar landscape, and begin to ask questions about the world and themselves. Bleak Street / La calle de la amargura Arturo Ripstein, Mexico/Spain, 2015, DCP, 99m Spanish with English subtitles Based on a true story, the latest feature by Arturo Ripstein is an unflinching look at the mean streets of El Defectuoso. Two prostitutes, Adela (Nora Velázquez) and Dora (Patricia Reyes Spíndola), are burdened by horrible marriages and financial problems stemming from their long-departed youth. In an attempt to make ends meet, they drug and rob dwarf twins (Juan Francisco Longoria and Guillermo López)—who themselves barely scrape by as doubles for professional luchadores. Ripstein masterfully contrasts the grittiness of alleyways and seedy apartments with gliding Steadicam cinematography, siding with neither the victims nor the perpetrators. A Leisure Time Features release. U.S. Premiere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-As8dQh70Xg The Club / El Club Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2015, DCP, 98m Spanish with English subtitles Pablo Larraín (director of No and Post Mortem) continues to explore the long shadows of Chile’s recent past with this quietly scathing film about the Catholic Church’s concealment of clerical misconduct. Four aging former priests peacefully live out their days together in a dumpy seaside town, focused on training their racing greyhound rather than doing penance for their assorted crimes. Their idyll is shattered when a fifth priest arrives and, confronted by one of his victims, commits suicide. A young priest begins an investigation into the retirees’ pasts, setting off a series of events that call into question faith, piety, and complicity. Winner of the Silver Bear at the 2015 Berlinale and Chile’s Oscar submission. A Music Box Films release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA The Gold Bug, or Victoria’s Revenge / El escarabajo de oro o Victorias Hamnd Alejo Moguillansky & Fia-Stina Sandlund, Argentina/Denmark/Sweden, 2014, DCP, 102m Spanish and Swedish with English and Spanish subtitles Fusing elements of Edgar Allan Poe’s titular short story and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Alejo Moguillansky and Fia-Stina Sandlund’s meta-film follows an Argentine-Swedish co-production in Buenos Aires shooting a biopic of the 19th-century realist author and proto-feminist Victoria Benedictsson. After a hustling actor finds a treasure map detailing the location of ancient gold hidden near a town in the Misiones province named after the 19th-century politician Leandro N. Alem, he successfully persuades the producers to reframe the project as a portrait of the radical Alem (swapping feminist politics for anti-Eurocentric ones) and move the production there—so he can better search for the treasure. Fast-paced and hilariously self-reflexive, the film takes a playful approach to texts and history that is reminiscent of Borges. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF_r02gleHU Hopefuls / Aspirantes Ives Rosenfeld, Brazil, 2015, DCP, 71m Portuguese with English subtitles Focused on the alluring promise of wealth and fame that professional soccer holds for Brazilian youth, Ives Rosenfeld’s directorial debut features a host of excellent performances from its cast. Junior (Ariclenes Barroso) ekes out a living working nights at a warehouse while playing by day in an amateur league with his talented best friend Bento (Sergio Malheiros). When Bento gets signed to a professional team, Junior struggles with his crippling jealousy—which becomes heightened by his pregnant girlfriend and alcoholic uncle. Artfully lensed and deliberately paced, the film silently builds toward a legitimately shocking climax that provides a grim reality check. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRPKC1yMDq8 It All Started at the End / Todo comenzó por el fin Luis Ospina, Colombia, 2015, DCP, 208m Spanish with English subtitles Luis Ospina (The Vampire of Poverty, Paper Tiger) turns the camera toward his radical roots—and his own intestines—for this documentary about the Cali Group, the Colombian artists’ collective that revolutionized art, cinema, and literature amid drug-related terrorism in the 1970s and ’80s. Boasting a wide array of never-before-seen archival material, Ospina (the group’s only surviving member, who was diagnosed with cancer during the making of the film) focuses on telling the stories of co-founders Andrés Caicedo and Carlos Mayolo. Never maudlin or self-important, this kaleidoscopic inside view of “Caliwood” is essential viewing for anyone looking for darkly comic, anarchic inspiration. U.S. Premiere https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlbAXxKDZ9I Ixcanul Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala, 2015, DCP, 93m Kaqchikel and Spanish with English subtitles Maria (María Mercedes Coroy) is set to marry a much older foreman at the coffee plantation, but she has a crush on Pepe, who has fanciful dreams of getting rich in the U.S. After consummating their flirtation, Pepe leaves for the States—without Maria, who soon learns she is expecting a baby. A difficult pregnancy assisted only by traditional medicine finally leads her to the hectic big city, but on very grim terms. Shot in collaboration with the Kaqchikel Mayans of Guatemala’s coffee-growing highlands, Jayro Bustamante’s exquisitely shot debut feature (winner of a top prize at the Berlinale and Guatemala’s Oscar submission) explores what tradition and modernity mean for women living in marginalized communities. A Kino Lorber release. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryOrevgFL2k Land and Shade / La tierra y la sombra César Augusto Acevedo, Colombia, 2015, DCP, 94m Spanish with English subtitles A poetic and devastating statement on how environmental issues impact every aspect of life, César Augusto Acevedo’s Caméra d’Or–winning directorial debut is not to be missed. The elderly Alfonso (Haimer Leal) returns to the small house in Valle del Cauca he left 17 years earlier in order to care for his bedridden son Geraldo (Edison Raigosa), who suffers from a mysterious ailment related to the harsh farming techniques of the sugar-cane plantations around them. Tensions quietly simmer between Alfonso and his ex-wife (the wonderful Hilda Ruiz), but familial ties and pride keep them tied to the land in Acevedo’s meditative and painterly allegory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFrHbi8cHjY Mar Dominga Sotomayor, Chile, 2014, DCP, 70m Spanish with English subtitles Reminiscent of the films of Josephine Decker and Joe Swanberg, this low-key drama centers on the problems between Martin, aka Mar (Lisandro Rodríguez), and his girlfriend, Eli (Vanina Montes). On vacation in the Argentine resort town of Villa Gesell, conflicts arise concerning expectations and long-term commitments—having a baby, home ownership—but get pushed aside or elided. A visit from Martin’s gregarious, wine-guzzling mother and a random act of God threaten to push the couple to breaking point. Dominga Sotomayor matches her characters’ frustrations with the film’s expert framing, which often obscures faces and bodies, visually emphasizing their mutual misunderstanding. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqiC4M5nNBk A Monster with a Thousand Heads / Un monstruo de mil cabezas Rodrigo Plá, Mexico, 2015, DCP, 74m Spanish with English subtitles Developed in tandem with his wife’s novel of the same title, Rodrigo Plá (The Delay, The Zone) crafts another airtight thriller, this time taking on a health-insurance system that prefers profit to adequate medical care. Refused treatment that would alleviate her terminally ill husband’s pain—yet not the frustrations of dealing with maddening bureaucracy—Sonia (Jana Raluy) snaps and, gun in hand, single-mindedly goes up the chain of command with a vengeance. The series of increasingly harrowing provocations are interspersed with moments of dark comedy, and coalesce into a final, shocking climax. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug2534juBhA
Read more
17 Year Old Harry Comes to Terms With His Sexuality in HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY | TRAILER

HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY, the new film from writer/director Stephen Cone (The Wise Kids), focuses on a young boy coming to terms with his sexuality during his emotionally charged birthday party. Marking his feature film debut, Cole Doman plays Henry; Henry is turning 17, and Henry might be gay. But he’s not telling his pastor father (Pat Healy, Cheap Thrills, Compliance)—not during his pool party, where school and church collide in a sunny, hormonal afternoon. The film will open in New York at the IFP’s Made in NY Media Center on January 8th, before expanding to additional markets and VOD platforms. HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY spans the 24 hours containing the birthday pool party of 17-year-old preacher’s kid Henry Gamble (Cole Doman). The night before the party, Henry and his friend Gabe (Joe Keery), have a sleepover. Typical teenage boy chat quickly turns sexual, and it’s silently implied that Henry, on a search for identity, has a crush on Gabe. As dawn arrives on the day of the party, Henry’s mom Kat (Elizabeth Laidlaw) wakes in a state of limbo, middle-aged, with a secret. A little while later, Pastor Bob (Pat Healy) is making breakfast, and they are joined by Henry’s 19-year-old sister Autumn (Nina Ganet), home from college for the party. Later that afternoon, guests begin to arrive – the assistant pastor, youth minister, husbands and wives; sons and daughters trapped between youth and adulthood, as well as Henry’s own teenaged church and “secular” friends, including the closeted young Logan (Daniel Kyri), who has eyes for Henry. As day turns to night and clothes come off, Henry & Co. carefully navigate the religious strictures and sexual secrets held within the community, all struggling to tread the public and private, and their longing, despite themselves and their faith, for earthly love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptlZe5EYDU
Read more
72 Short Films on Lineup for 2016 Sundance Film Festival

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival, taking place January 21 to 31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah, announced its full lineup of 72 short films. Among the short films the Festival has shown in recent years are World of Tomorrow, Whiplash, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom and Fishing Without Nets. This year’s short film lineup will include both a Midnight and a New Frontier section, tying into the Festival’s other programmatic strands.

Read more
Documentary MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES on Controversial Artist Robert Mapplethorpe to Debut on HBO

“Look at the pictures,” said Senator Jesse Helms, denouncing the controversial art of Robert Mapplethorpe, whose photographs pushed boundaries with frank depictions of nudity, sexuality and fetishism, igniting a culture war that rages to this day. More than 25 years later, the HBO Documentary Films presentation MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES does just that, taking an unflinching, unprecedented look at his most provocative work. From acclaimed filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (“Inside Deep Throat”; HBO’s “Wishful Drinking” and “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), and produced by Katharina Otto-Bernstein (“Absolute Wilson”), the first feature-length documentary about the artist since his death, and the most comprehensive film on Mapplethorpe ever, debuts in April 2016 on HBO. As The J. Paul Getty Museum and The Los Angeles County Museum of Art prepare landmark Mapplethorpe retrospectives (both opening in March), the film goes inside the preparation for the exhibitions as a jumping-off point to tell the complete story of his life and work for the first time, and explore the interplay between his personal and professional lives. MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES reveals a controversial artist who turned contemporary photography into a fine art. With complete and unprecedented access to The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, the documentary draws upon archival materials and features never-before-seen photographs and footage. “Even his most shocking and forbidden images are included without blurs, without snickers – in other words, exactly as the artist intended,” say Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. Mapplethorpe himself is a strong presence, telling his story in his own words with complete honesty and often shocking candor through rediscovered audio interviews. MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES follows his early beginnings as a young artist in New York City through his meteoric rise in the art world to his untimely death. In 1963, he enrolled at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where he studied drawing, painting and sculpture, and soon met his first girlfriend, Patti Smith, one in a string of profoundly influential lovers. By the late 1960s and early 1970s he was taking Polaroid photographs of friends and acquaintances, and was determined to make it, which meant being recognized as an artist and becoming famous. Almost all of the people from key relationships in his life are present in the film, including Sam Wagstaff, David Croland, Lisa Lyon, Marcus Leatherdale and Jack Walls. The documentary also features almost 50 original interviews with family, friends, co-workers and colleagues, including Mary Boone, Carolina Herrera, Brooke Shields, Helen and Brice Marden, Fran Lebowitz, Bob Colacello and Debbie Harry. Rounding out this portrait are the recollections of Mapplethorpe’s older sister, Nancy, and youngest brother, Edward. An artist himself, Edward assisted his brother for many years and was responsible for much of the technical excellence of his photography. The duality of black-and-white work reverberated in his life. He often mounted two shows simultaneously: An uptown exhibition might include society portraits and delicate flower still-lifes, while his sexually explicit photographs were on view downtown. Mapplethorpe’s most controversial work – which he considered his most important – chronicled the underground BDSM (bondage, dominance and submission, sadomasochism) scene of late 1970s New York City, sparking a national debate over public funding of art some deemed offensive or obscene. Mapplethorpe was diagnosed with AIDS in 1986, when the illness was still a death sentence. He spent the remainder of his life working more feverishly than ever before, not only pursuing perfection, but also striving to secure his legacy after his death. In 1988, a few months before Mapplethorpe’s passing, The Whitney Museum of American Art mounted his first major American museum retrospective. The man who lived to be famous became even more famous after he died. Before his death, he designed one final show, The Perfect Moment, which bought images of flowers, S&M pictures and male African-American nudes together in a museum setting for the first time. As he himself predicted, the combination proved to be too much. In 1989, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. canceled The Perfect Moment after Senator Helms took aim at Mapplethorpe. Later that year, protests were held when the traveling exhibition arrived at the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati, resulting in obscenity charges against the CAC and its director, Dennis Barrie. After a dramatic court battle, both were ultimately found not guilty. MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES is a revealing look at one of the most important artists of the 20th century, whose name remains a byword for something illicit, dangerous and dark.
Read more
Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence” Wins IDA Best Documentary of 2015 Award

The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer’s companion piece to the Oscar-nominated film The Act Of Killing, is the winner of the (International Documentary Association) 2015 IDA Best Feature Award. The other finalist for the award included “Amy” directed by Asif Kapadia, “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” directed by Stanley Nelson, “Listen to Me Marlon” directed by Stevan Riley, “The Russian Woodpecker” directed by Chad Gracia, and “What Happened, Miss Simone?” directed by Liz Garbus. Through Oppenheimer’s footage of perpetrators of the 1965 Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers how their son was murdered, as well as the identities of the killers. The documentary focuses on the youngest son, an optometrist named Adi, who decides to break the suffocating spell of submission and terror by doing something unimaginable in a society where the murderers remain in power: he confronts the men who killed his brother and, while testing their eyesight, asks them to accept responsibility for their actions. This unprecedented film initiates and bears witness to the collapse of fifty years of silence. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp1xT302VcY 31st Annual IDA Awards Best Feature Award The Look of Silence (Winner) Director: Joshua Oppenheimer Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen DRAFTHOUSE FILMS AND PARTICIPANT MEDIA Best Short Award Last Day of Freedom (Winner) Directors: Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman Best Curated Series Award Independent Lens (Winner – TIE) Executive Producers: Sally Jo Fifer and Lois Vossen ITVS/PBS POV (Winner – TIE) Executive Producers: Simon Kilmurry and Chris White POV, PBS Best Limited Series Award The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (Winner) Executive Producer: Jason Blum Co-Executive Producer: Zac Stuart-Pontier Produced by: Andrew Jarecki and Marc Smerling HBO Best Episodic Series Award Chef’s Table (Winner) Executive Producers: David Gelb, Andrew Fried, and Brian McGinn NETFLIX Best Short Form Series Award Do Not Track (Winner) Executive Producer: Hugues Sweeney NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA, UPIAN, ARTE, AND BR David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award This award recognizes exceptional achievement in non-fiction film and video production at the university level and brings greater public and industry awareness to the work of students in the documentary field. The Archipelago (Winner) Director: Benjamin Huguet THE NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL Pare Lorentz Award The Pare Lorentz Award recognizes films that demonstrate exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems. How to Change the World Director: Jerry Rothwell ABC News VideoSource Award This award is given each year for the best use of news footage as an integral component in a documentary. Best of Enemies (Winner) Directors: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville MAGNOLIA PICTURES AND INDEPENDENT LENS Creative Recognition Award Winners The Creative Recognition category recognizes special achievement in cinematography, editing, music and writing in films entered in the Feature Category. Best Cinematography The Russian Woodpecker Cinematography by: Artem Ryzhykov Best Editing Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck Edited by: Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen Best Writing Listen to Me Marlon Written by: Stevan Riley Co-Writer: Peter Ettedgui Best Music Best of Enemies Original Score by: Jonathan Kirkscey 31st Annual IDA Awards Honorees Career Achievement Award Gordon Quinn The IDA will present its prestigious 2015 Career Achievement Award to Gordon Quinn, Founder and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films. Quinn was integral to the creation of ITVS, public access television in Chicago, and the Documentary Filmmakers Statement of Best Practice in Fair Use; and in forming the Indie Caucus to support diverse independent voices on Public Television. Over his 50 years at Kartemquin, Quinn has produced, directed, and/or been a cinematographer for over 55 films, and inspired and guided an immeasurable number of media makers whose films have left a lasting impact on millions of viewers. Pioneer Award Ted Sarandos The Pioneer Award is presented to acknowledge extraordinary contributions to advancing the nonfiction form and providing exceptional vision and leadership to the documentary community. This year, the Pioneer Award will be presented to Ted Sarandos, the Chief Content Officer at Netflix, in recognition of his leadership of Netflix’s game-changing and unwavering support of creating and showcasing nonfiction programming, which has greatly broadened its availability and popularity around the world. Amicus Award Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation will receive the IDA’s Amicus Award in recognition of their work supporting the essential needs of the non-fiction media landscape. Founded in 2009, the Bertha Foundation’s vision was to connect activists, lawyers and storytellers to fight for fundamental social and economic change. The Bertha Foundation’s Media Program specifically aims to nurture global talent, expose relevant stories and connect them to audiences for powerful, positive social impact. Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe, directors of (T)ERROR, will receive IDA’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award, which recognizes the achievements of a filmmaker who has made a significant impact at the beginning of his or her career in documentary film. (T)ERROR received a grant from IDA’s Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund in 2013. Courage Under Fire Award Matthew Heineman Matthew Heineman will receive the IDA’s Courage Under Fire Award, in recognition of conspicuous bravery in the pursuit of truth. This award is presented to documentary filmmakers by their peers for putting freedom of speech – represented in the crafts of documentary filmmaking and journalism – above all else, even their own personal safety. Heineman’s gripping film, Cartel Land, documents two modern-day vigilante movements – Dr. José Mireles’s citizen-led uprising against a violent drug cartel wreaking havoc in Mexico and the Arizona Border Recon led by Tim “Nailer” Foley, which is working to prevent Mexico’s drug wars from crossing into the United States.
Read more
Complete List + Trailers of 15 Documentary Feature Films Advancing in 2015 Oscar Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE “Best of Enemies,” Sandbar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzgfQvB2dvA “Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vi9vWdUKEg “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zllYkNu1sl4 “He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ghiYve6k68 “Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v37BnyHefnY “The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBNHGi36nlM “Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZlWjE_NJfI “The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbPN8-juZUI “Meru,” Little Monster Films https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pZ1GzXPEO8 “3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, Actual Films, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_USf1UQIAYg “We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films (pictured in main image) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0uso3emlUg “What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moOQXZxriKY “Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei747zi9iYY “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RibAQHeDia8 The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
‘Sonita” “Boudewijn de Groot – Come Closer ” Win Audience Awards at IDFA

Sonita by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami is the winner of the IDFA Audience Award at the 2015 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Sonita – which was made with support from the IDFA Bertha Fund – also won the IDFA DOC U Award. Boudewijn de Groot – Come Closer by Suzanne Raes took the IDFA Music Audience Award. Sonita, tells the story of 18-year-old Afghan Sonita Alizadeh, who lives illegally in Iran and dreams of a career as a rapper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B47MbpPuz7A Boudewijn de Groot – Come Closer by Suzanne Raes follows singer Boudewijn de Groot as he prepares for a concert in which bids farewell to his biggest hits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRuVvNZtIyU
Read more
Kenji Mizoguchi’s First Masterpiece, THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM, to NY Premiere on Christmas Day

Kenji Mizoguchi’s first masterpiece, THE STORY OF THE LAST CHRYSANTHEMUM, will make its New York theatrical premiere on Friday, December 25 in a two-week exclusive engagement at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum is Japanese master Kenji Mizoguchi’s hauntingly beautiful adaptation of Shofu Muramatsu’s popular novel, starring Shotaro Hanayagi as Kikunosuke Onoe, a young actor and the adopted son of a Kabuki star in late-19th-century Tokyo. Failing to meet the standards set by his father, Onoe estranges himself from his family by entering into a relationship with Otoku (Kakuko Mori), his newborn brother’s nurse who makes agonizing self-sacrifices to advance her beloved Onoe’s career. Mizoguchi thoughtfully conveys a culture’s social limitations and repressive gender roles while maintaining a pitch-perfect balance of tragedy and romance. With its flowing camera movements, delicate long takes, and measured choreography of actors, this masterpiece is marked by splendorous interplay of movement and space, and is a poignant tale of conflict between generations and female sacrifice. The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in a new digital restoration—made from a 4K film transfer by Shochiku and presented by Janus Films—and the Film Society of Lincoln Center is pleased to host this long-overdue revival of one of Mizoguchi’s defining achievements, never before released in New York. A Janus Films release | 1939 | 143m | Japanese with English subtitles | B&W | 1.37:1 Here is a clip (not digitally restored) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B75FVJ18sFg
Read more
Official Poster + KRISHA is home for Thanksgiving in TRAILER for SXSW Award Winning Family Drama

A24 has released the official trailer and poster for KRISHA, written and directed by Trey Edward Shults, and the winner of the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW 2015. A24 will release KRISHA in select cities in March 2016. When Krisha shows up at her sister’s Texas home on Thanksgiving morning, her close and extended family greet her with a mixture of warmth and wariness. Almost immediately, a palpable unease permeates the air, one which only grows in force as Krisha gets to work cooking the turkey and trying to make up for lost time by catching up with her various relatives, chief among them her nephew, Trey. As Krisha’s attempts at reconciliation become increasingly rebuffed, tension and suspicion reach their peak, with long-buried secrets and deep-seated resentments coming to the fore as everyone becomes immersed in an emotionally charged familial reckoning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnX_lLuENfI
Read more
Documentary VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: A PARTIALLY THOROUGH PORTRAIT OF NEW YORKER CARTOONISTS to Debut on HBO

The feature-length documentary VERY SEMI-SERIOUS: A PARTIALLY THOROUGH PORTRAIT OF NEW YORKER CARTOONISTS, directed by Leah Wolchok and produced by Davina Pardo will debut in December on HBO following a limited theatrical run. An offbeat meditation on humor, art and the genius of the single panel, debuts MONDAY, DEC. 7 14th 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) exclusively on HBO, following a limited theatrical run Nov. 20-Dec. 3) in New York at Lincoln Plaza, in San Francisco at the Roxie Theater, and in Los Angeles. Leah Wolchok’s light-hearted yet poignant debut film, which had its world premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, offers a window into The New Yorker, the undisputed standard bearer of the single-panel cartoon. Whether they leave readers amused, inspired or even a little baffled, the iconic cartoons have been an instantly recognizable cultural touchstone over the past 90 years. VERY SEMI-SERIOUS is an unprecedented glimpse into the process behind the cartoons. The film follows cartoon editor Bob Mankoff as he sifts through hundreds of submissions and pitches every week to bring readers a carefully curated selection of insightful and humorous work. In addition to interviews with New Yorker staffers, including editor David Remnick, VERY SEMI-SERIOUS includes interviews with legends Roz Chast and Mort Gerberg and young hopefuls like graphic novelist Liana Finck as they discuss their cartoons and go through the process of submitting them each week to the magazine. The documentary observes Mankoff as he strives to nurture new talent and represent the magazine’s old guard, while also considering how his industry must evolve to stay relevant. “We are thrilled VERY-SEMI SERIOUS has found a home at HBO,” says Wolchok. “The New Yorker cartoons bring insightful humor to the magazine weekly, and we hope the HBO audience enjoys meeting and spending some time with their creators.” Updated Premiere Date: VERY SEMI-SERIOUS Premieres on HBO on December 14th
Read more
Award-Winning Israeli Point-of-View Horror Film “JeruZalem” Sets January 2016 Release Date | TRAILER

The award-winning Israeli horror film JeruZalem will be released in the US on January 22nd, 2016 via Epic Pictures Releasing. The film world premiered at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival and, among other awards, was recognized with the Audience Award and Best Editing Award at the 2015 Jerusalem Film Festival. A unique, point-of-view style horror film directed by Doron and Yoav Paz, JeruZalem follows Rachel (played by Jane the Virgin star Yael Grobglas), and her friend Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn), two American girls on vacation in Jerusalem. The two follow Kevin (Yon Tumarkin), a mysterious and handsome anthropology student, into the heart of the Old City. The party is cut short when a biblical prophecy comes to pass on the night of Yom Kippur and Jerusalem’s gate to hell is opened, releasing an epic apocalypse. Trapped between the ancient walls of the holy city, the trio must survive long enough to find a way out as the fury of hell is unleashed upon them. Shooting on location amongst the monuments of Jerusalem’s Old City, The Paz Brothers directed the film utilizing a custom-made camera mount to capture some of the holy’s city’s ancient architecture, religious landmarks and historical sites. The film features extensive point-of-view footage, shown from the perspective of Sarah’s Google Glass-type smart eyewear, as she uses the glasses’ GPS, facial recognition and other apps to navigate the city and identify potentially threatening strangers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EhqqJpDNSw “The Paz Brothers first feature, Phobidilia, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and was the Israeli film that ignited the genre wave from that country. With their second feature, JeruZalem, they have created a remarkable, cinematic film that demands to be seen in theaters,” commented Epic Pictures CEO Patrick Ewald. “We’re thrilled to bring the film to audiences across the country.”
Read more
Serial Killer Comedy ‘Barney Thomson’ Directed by Robert Carlyle Sets February 2016 Release Date | TRAILER

Barney Thomson, described as “a uniquely twisted comedic thriller” written by Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren and directed by “Once Upon a Time” star Robert Carlyle – his first feature film directorial effort, is headed to US theaters. Gravitas Ventures will release the film on demand on February 2, 2016, and in theaters on March 11, 2016. The film, which also stars Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks), Ray Winstone (Hugo), and Tom Courtenay (The Golden Compass), premiered earlier this year at the opening night of Edinburgh Film Festival and has gone on to be a commercial and critical success in the UK. The film recently won “Beast Feature Film” from BAFTA Scotland, while Emma Thompson won the BAFTA Scotland award for “Best Actress.” Deemed “deliciously macabre” by the UK’s Daily Telegraph, the film tells the titular tale of Barney Thomson (Carlyle), an awkward, shy Glasgow barber, living a life of desperate mediocrity. His mother (Thompson) offers little encouragement, as she is far too self-absorbed, chain-smoking between absurd social outings in her animal print wardrobe. Little does Barney know how his stale and stagnant life is about to go from 0 to 60 in mere seconds when he accidentally enters the dark, grotesque, and comically absurd life of a serial killer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADcvH4B_LbA The film was adapted by Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren from the first book in “The Barbershop Seven” series by Douglas Lindsay. Cowan also served as a producer on Barney Thomson along with Holly Brydson, Brian Coffey, Kaleena Kiff, and John G. Lenic. Doug Apatow and Kirk D’Amico are the executive producers.
Read more