Films

THOSE PEOPLE, THE SAME DIFFERENCE Win 2015 NewFest “NY’s LGBT Fest” Audience Awards

The 2015 NewFest, New York’s LGBT Film Festival, concluded its 27th anniversary year with a sold-out screening of GIRLS LOST. Following the Closing Night Gala screening, NewFest announced the 2015 Audience Award winning films. THOSE PEOPLE, directed by Joey Kuhn, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Feature Film, and THE SAME DIFFERENCE, directed by Nneka Onuorah, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature. THOSE PEOPLE, directed by Joey Kuhn, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Feature Film for its crowd-pleasing depiction of a complicated romance between two young men in the gilded halls of Manhattan’s high society. Those People will be distributed by Wolfe Releasing in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-yM9ahuAeo THE SAME DIFFERENCE, directed by Nneka Onuorah, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature. The film, which shines a light on the all-too-often ignored problem of homophobia and gender discrimination within the African-American lesbian community, broke NewFest records, selling out four screenings to audiences eager to finally see the issue addressed onscreen and within the lively panels that followed each screening. The Same Difference will be distributed by Women Make Movies in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I97yTXz980 TREMULO, directed by Roberto Fiesco, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Narrative Short, thanks to its tender and beautifully realized depiction of a brief encounter between two young men in Mexico. A feature version is currently in the works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YTT2saA334 IN THE HOLLOW, directed by Austin Bunn, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Short. Bunn, the screenwriter of last year’s Kill Your Darlings, masterfully combined documentary and narrative techniques to place audiences at the center of a horrific crime against two gay women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q2cSy6Oudo Speaking on behalf of the programming team, NewFest’s senior programmer Adam Baran also singled out Martin Edralin’s narrative short HOLE and Blair Fukumura’s documentary short BEDDING ANDREW for special recognition, for using brave, emotionally stirring methods to tell the often-overlooked stories of gay men with disability and their need for physical and emotional support. The highly successful six-day festival screened nearly 100 films to a number of sold-out audiences and included a centerpiece gala screening of Todd Haynes’ CAROL, a star-studded World Premiere of new trans series “” followed by a discussion moderated by Laverne Cox, a MasterClass discussion with award-winning filmmaker Ira Sachs, NewFest’s first ever Queer Horror Night, and an enlightening panel discussion on the evolution of transgender representation in modern media.
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Observational Doc SCHOOL OF BABEL, Follows Newly Immigrant Teens Entering French Educational System

School of Babel (La Cour de Babel), Julie Bertuccelli’s observational documentary follows a group of newly arrived immigrant teens as they begin their studies at La Grange-aux-Belles secondary school in Paris and prepare for entry into the French educational system. At the center of this dramatic transition is teacher Brigitte Cervoni, a wise and patient woman charged with guiding a diverse class of 11- to 15-year-olds hailing from countries including Tunisia, Ireland, Senegal, China, Serbia and Brazil. Part psychologist and part surrogate mother, Cervoni helps her students cope with problems ranging from homesickness to emotional trauma while instilling in her students a sense of self-worth and mutual respect. As the teens adjust—and some begin to blossom—the results are illuminating, moving and exhilarating. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4yHTfbYaEI School of Babel is screening as part of the Northwest Film Center’s Global Classroom program, which presents new international cinema for high-school students throughout the Portland, Oregon, metro area.
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Romance Drama ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG Sets Release Date of February 12, 2016 | VIDEO

Emily Ting’s feature directorial debut ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG will make a limited theatrical bow in select cities on February 12th, 2016 via Gravitas Ventures. The film will also simultaneously open with a wide cross-platform cable/satellite/telco and internet VOD on the same day. ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival and has quickly become an audience favorite throughout its festival run during the Fall. The film is written and directed by Emily Ting, and produced by Ting and Sophia Shek. It stars Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg. “This movie is my love letter to Hong Kong and to love, so I can’t imagine a better release date than on Valentine’s Day weekend! I am really looking forward to partnering up with Gravitas to bring the film to audiences everywhere!” said director Emily Ting. In this sparkling romance, Ruby (Jamie Chung), a Chinese American toy designer from LA, visits Hong Kong for the first time on business. Finding herself stranded, she meets Josh (Bryan Greenberg), an American expat who shows her the city. Meandering through nighttime streets pulsing with energy and possibility, they fall into a winding and carefree conversation, buoyed by an undeniable attraction. As effervescent as a perfect first date, Emily Ting’s charming directorial debut takes full advantage of the chemistry of its leads, the playfulness of their exchanges, and the magical landscape that is Hong Kong at night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fef9li7qqX8 About filmmaker Emily Ting Emily Ting is a graduate of the Film/TV program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was best known for her producing work previously. Emily produced the feature THE KITCHEN, an ensemble comedy directed by Ishai Setton and starring Laura Prepon, Bryan Greenberg, and Dreama Walker. The film premiered as the Closing Night Film of the Gen Art Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Monterey Media. She also produced Stephen Suettinger’s A YEAR AND CHANGE, starring Bryan Greenberg, Claire van der Boom, T.R. Knight, Marshall Allman, and Jamie Hector, which was selected to participate in the 2013 Film Independent Producer Lab and was picked up for distribution by Vision Films. Additionally, Emily served as the Associate Producer for Yen Tan’s PIT STOP, which premiered at Sundance in 2013 and picked up for distribution by Wolfe Video, Executive Producer for Dave Boyle’s MAN FROM RENO, which won Best Narrative Film at Los Angeles Film Festival and picked up for distribution by Gravitas, and Co-Executive Producer for Aaron Katz and Martha Stephen’s LAND HO!, which premiered at Sundance in 2014 and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Classics. All three films were nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, with LAND HO! winning.
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Human Rights Documentary “The Man Who Mends Women” Opens ADIFF 2015 | TRAILER

Human Rights documentary The Man Who Mends Women will have its US Premiere on November 27 at the Opening Night of the 23rd Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival. Presented by US distributor ArtMattan Films, THE MAN WHO MENDS WOMEN is the portrait of the impressive life and work of internationally renowned gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received the 2014 prestigious Sacharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, for his struggle against sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege medically assisted over 40,000 sexually abused women in sixteen years of professional practice. Sexual violence against women has been used as a weapon of war for years in the violence-ridden and poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to provide medical, psychological and emotional aid to the victims, Dr. Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu in 1999. Besides his work as a physician Dr. Mukwege also defends human rights and seeks to raise global awareness on the issue of sexual violence in his country. He condemns the political reluctance to tackle the problem and is not afraid to hit the nail on the head. His work is not without danger, as Dr. Mukwege experienced in 2012, when armed men entered his home and started shooting. Dr. Mukwege and his family survived the attack, but his guard was killed. The doctor now lives cloistered in his hospital in Bukavu under the protection of the United Nation peacekeepers. The women, whose physical and emotional integrity and dignity have been restored, stand beside him, true activists for peace, and hungry for justice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU62X6iV1ZI The 23rd African Diaspora Film Festival is to be held in Manhattan, New York City from November 27 to December 13 at MIST Harlem, Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas and Teachers College, Columbia University with the presentation of more than 50 films, including 26 US and NY Premieres.
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Kelly Ripa Produced “American Cheerleader” Documentary In U.S. Theaters Nov. 5 & 8

The documentary, “American Cheerleader,” will screen in more than 400 movie theaters across the U.S. on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12:55 p.m. “American Cheerleader” screened at several national film festivals last year, including the Louisville Film Festival where it won the Audience Favorite Award. The film offers unprecedented access and follows the journey of two high school cheerleading teams vying for the National High School Cheerleading Championship title. After months of hard work and preparation, cheerleaders from Southwestern High School in Somerset, Kentucky, and Burlington Township High School in Burlington, New Jersey, advance through regionals and earn a place in the Championship Finals to compete for the coveted white jacket – the prestigious symbol of tireless dedication in high school competitive cheerleading. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZIyfyf7qg “American Cheerleader” is directed by filmmakers James Pellerito and David Barba of Retribution Media, and produced by Milojo Productions, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ production company. The film is being released by Varsity Spirit, in partnership with Fathom Events. Now in its 35th year, the National High School Cheerleading Championship is a two-day event held at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando. The event hosts more than 600 teams from 38 states that are judged on crowd-leading abilities, stunting and tumbling skills, and overall performance. The competition also hosts more than 50,000 spectators each year and is televised worldwide on ESPN and ESPN2 to more than 100 million homes in 32 countries.
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CAGED NO MORE Starring Loretta Devine, Kevin Sorbo, Wins Best Feature At La Femme Film Festival

CAGED NO MORE took top honors at the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles winning the award for “Best Feature” out of 100 other entries. The La Femme Film Festival exists to promote the work of female producers, writers and directors. “This was an amazing put together film that not only entertains but educates the audience on an issue that is very time-sensitive. Creative, pertinent, and well done!” said Leslie LaPage, founder and director of the La Femme Film Festival. “We’ve achieved making a film that is not only thrilling and compelling, but calls audiences to be champions in the fight against human trafficking,” said Lisa Arnold, director, co-writer and producer of CAGED NO MORE. “We are grateful for the support of amazing film festivals like La Femme who recognize that movies can reach beyond the screen and inspire greatness!” CAGED NO MORE is a drama meant to engage and educate audiences on the realities of human trafficking. The film releases January 15, 2016 nationwide. The film was also the top award winner at the Kingdomwood film festival in October 2015. The award-winning film CAGED NO MORE is based on Molly Venzke’s novel by the same title, which was adapted for screen by co-producer Lisa Arnold and Venzke. Starring Emmy award-winner Loretta Devine (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Kevin Sorbo (GOD’S NOT DEAD, “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Alan Powell (THE SONG), Christian singer-songwriter Anthony Evans, and Cassidy Gifford (GOD’S NOT DEAD), the film features appearances by Gov. Bobby Jindal, pastor Chad Veach, Grammy Award-nominated Christian recording artist Natalie Grant, Gretchen Carlson and Kathie Lee Gifford. Inspired by real events, CAGED NO MORE is the story of Aggie Prejean (Devine), a grandmother on a desperate search to find her two granddaughters, Skye (Gifford) and Elle, who have been kidnapped by their sinister father (Sorbo). As the details behind the girls’ disappearance begin to unravel, it’s discovered that they have been taken overseas to be sold into the sex trade. Aggie enlists the help of the girls’ uncle, a well-respected local philanthropist, Richard DuLonde (also played by Sorbo), and his son, Wil (Powell), who is former Special Forces. A global hunt ensues, and the team will stop at nothing to see the girls safely returned home. CAGED NO MORE is produced by Check the Gate Productions’ Lisa Arnold (GOD’S NOT DEAD) and Red Entertainment Group’s Jarred Coates (GOD’S NOT DEAD) in association with GND Media Group and Film Incito. CAGED NO MORE was filmed on location in Baton Rouge, La., and Athens, Greece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRo_pHxuLhE The winners of the 2015 La Femme Film Festival. Best Feature Writer “Come Simi” Jenica Bergere & Doc Pedrolie 2015 Best Documentary “Love Between The Covers” Laurie Kahn 2015 Best Screenplay “Delivery Girl” Jude Roth 2015 Best Music Video “Monster” Kate Freund 2015 Best Short “Bound” Lexi St. John 2015 Best Feature Director “Reign” Corey Misquita 2015 Best Feature Producer “The Morning After” Shanra J. Kehl 2015 Best Feature “Caged No More” Lisa Arnold 2015 Best Foreign Film “Interruption” Malou Reymann 2015 Best Animated Short “Misiek and Eve From Outer Space” Marianna Mankowska 2015 Best Foreign Documentary “Out Of A Jam” Shalini Harshwal 2015 Best Special Focused Documentary “Angel Azul” Marcelina Cravat 2015 Best Webisode “Manic Pixie Dream Wife” M. Elizabeth Eller 2015 Best TV Pilot Script “Vigilante Theorem” Meghan Fitzmartin 2015 Best Commercial “ 7UP: Feels Good To Be You “ Alle Hsu 2015 Best Student Short “ Leaves In Fall “ Laura Torenbeek 2015
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Wildlife Documentary HUNTWATCH to World Premiere at 2015 DOC NYC | TRAILER

Actor Ryan Reynolds has lent his voice to the wildlife documentary Huntwatch, that follows the 50 year battle for baby seals on the ice floes of Canada, and making its world premiere at 2015 DOC NYC. The sound of newborn seals on pristine white ice is shattered by helicopter blades thumping overhead, gunshots, cameras snapping and the smell of boat diesel. The stakes are high for both the hunters and the watchers – get the shot and get out. One leaves with fur pelts, the other evocative images. This is Huntwatch. “The Canadian seal hunt is a very intense and complicated issue,” said Huntwatch director Brant Backlund. “From the get-go, my goal was to tell an honest story bringing both sides of this conflict to life. We were really excited to have Ryan Reynolds on board because as a Canadian he brings an authentic voice to the film.” Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Mississippi Grind) calls Huntwatch “incredible, thoughtful and moving” in a behind the scenes video scheduled to be released soon. The movie is a window into the ongoing saga that unfolds each year. Using the power of cinematography, Huntwatch exposes the cruelty of the ongoing hunt while bringing the audience close to the seals in their natural environment. https://vimeo.com/136225719
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Kim Beamish “Tentmakers of Cairo” and Iiris Harma “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” Win 2015 Margaret Meade Filmmaker Award

For the first time in the festival’s history, two filmmakers Kim Beamish for “Tentmakers of Cairo” and Iiris Harma for “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” are winners of the 2015 Margaret Meade Filmmaker Award. The award honors documentary filmmakers who have made films that present a new perspective on a foreign nation or culture. A documentary filmed over three years, “Tentmakers of Cairo” tells the story of Egypt’s struggle with democracy through the lives of a community of artisans whose craft has remained largely unchanged since Pharaonic times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve_L_0JYHvE In “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” Riitta from Finland and Kata from Uganda, aged 66 and 63 respectively, run sexual health and gender equality education in Uganda. The pair find themselves in a difficult situation however, when an anonymous letter, addressed to the Ugandan parliament, accuses them of organizing workshops that are promoting and recruiting children to homosexuality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2aqqXcZkBk The festival also presented a Special Mention Award to Aldona Watts for her film “Land of Songs.” In a region of Lithuania known as the “Land of Songs,” five charming grandmothers are the bearers of their village’s ancient folk singing tradition. Singing has nourished their lifelong friendships, and helped them to cope with decades of war and occupation. As the village’s youth move away, the grandmothers struggle to keep their songs alive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqFzzfYJDMc
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Documentary IRAQI ODYSSEY, Switzerland’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film, Sets Fall Release Date | TRAILER

The documentary Iraqi Odyssey, Switzerland’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film will be released in New York and Los Angeles on November 27 before expanding nationwide in 2016. Typecast Films will release the English-language version of the film in US theaters, but the version that has qualified as the Swiss Oscar entry is in German. While there are no precise statistics, it is estimated that four to five million Iraqis live outside Iraq today. Award-winning filmmaker Samir was born in Baghdad and has lived in Switzerland since he was child, while the members of his extended family are scattered all over the world — Abu Dhabi, Auckland, Sydney, Los Angeles, Buffalo, London, Paris, Zurich, and Moscow — with only a handful remaining in Iraq. Recounting his family’s stories of departures and uprootings, in Iraqi Odyssey Samir also chronicles how Iraqis’ dreams of building a modern and just society after their nation achieved independence in the 1950s were brutally dashed over the course of half a century. Loosely organized in three acts, the film begins with Samir’s grandfather and his role in the struggle against British colonialism. The second act traces the successive waves of emigration as his relatives sought safe havens around the globe to escape from the series of coups and counter-coups in the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in the establishment of Saddam Hussein’s three-decade dictatorship over the country. Saddam’s deposition by the 2003 US invasion, and the iconic image of his statue being toppled in Firdos Square, signals the film’s final act, and the last tale of departure. Weaving together the ironic, wistful, and witty testimonies of Samir’s relatives with rare documents from private and state archives, Ottoman film footage and 3D technology, Iraqi Odyssey is a riveting epic that creates a genuine people’s history of Iraq, at once humble and majestic. Shedding a new light on a grossly misrepresented country, Iraqi Odyssey is the veteran director’s most personal, ambitious, and accomplished feature to date. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY
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VIVA, Ireland’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Film, to Get 2016 Release

Viva, directed by Irish filmmaker Paddy Breathnach, and Ireland’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film, will be released in theaters in 2016 via Magnolia Pictures. The film, which received a positive response when it premiered at the 2015 Telluride Film Festival in September, stars Hector Medina, Luis Alberto Garcia and Jorge Perugorria. “Viva stars Héctor Medina as Jesus, a young hairdresser working at a Havana nightclub that showcases drag performers, who dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by his mentor, Mama (Luis Alberto García), Jesus finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when his estranged father Angel (Jorge Perugorría) abruptly reenters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, ‘Viva’ becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and reconcile as a family.”
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TRANSFATTY LIVES, Patrick O’Brien’s Battle with ALS, Sets Fall 2015 Release Date

TransFatty Lives, directed by Patrick O’Brien, a DJ and internet personality who goes by ‘TransFatty’, and winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival, will be released in theaters and On Demand on November 20, 2015 via FilmBuff. Ten years in the making, TransFatty Lives has quietly been amassing 35mm footage in filmmaker Patrick O’Brien’s epic battle with ALS. At 30, Patrick O’Brien was TransFatty, a New York City DJ, internet personality, and filmmaker. He spent his days as a beer-drinking creative force, making art films about perverts, vulnerable souls, and Howard Johnson’s restaurants. Then his legs started shaking. Defying sentimentality, TRANSFATTY LIVES takes you on an emotional rollercoaster from Patrick’s wild, fun-loving days into the dark heart of ALS (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease). Given 2 to 5 years to live, Patrick first loses his ability to walk, then move his arms, then to swallow, and even to breathe. With the support of his bewildered friends and family Patrick braves the unthinkable and turns his camera onto himself. As the director and star of his own documentary, Patrick films every step of his debilitating journey from first diagnosis through his current paralysis. Forcefully lacking self-pity, he captures the emotion, humor, and absurdity of real life as he makes art, gets political, falls in love, fathers a son, and fights extreme depression and paranoia. At 40, Patrick has completed this film by typing directions to his editors with the movements of his pupils. Miraculously, TRANSFATTY LIVES is not a movie about death. Because, while Patrick’s brain stopped being able to control his muscles, it remains brilliantly alive, allowing him to ask: “What if my diminishing physical abilities can be inversely proportional to my journey inward? And, more importantly, “will there be bacon and unicorns once I get there?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqPqbpHageQ
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10 Documentary Shorts on 2015 Oscar’s Shortlist | TRAILERS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 88th Academy Awards® has been narrowed to 10 films, of which five will earn Oscar® nominations. Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 74 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers for tabulation. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Body Team 12,” RYOT Films and Vulcan Productions (pictured above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2eT2P1TfB8 “Chau, beyond the Lines,” Cynasty Films “Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah,” Jet Black Iris America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJPWP3udqE8 “50 Feet from Syria,” Spin Film https://vimeo.com/141567000 “A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness,” SOC Films “Last Day of Freedom,” Living Condition https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5diBuNHV75U “Minerita,” Kanaki Films https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY5mbbmN0V4 “My Enemy, My Brother,” Fathom Film Group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42YFUwCnWzE “Starting Point,” Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAUTn6q2TVo “The Testimony,” Atria Film in association with Escape Artists 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.
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