The Russian film CHAGALL-MALEVICH, directed by Alexander Mitta, will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 12 and at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills and at Town Center 5 in Encino, CA on June 19.
The artistic and political revolution of early 19th century Russia is mythologized in CHAGALL-MALEVICH, a magical period drama about the uneasy relationship between two artistic geniuses.
Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall and those of his contemporaries, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (portrayed by Leonid Bichevin “Cargo 200”) to his childhood home of Vitebsk. Having left behind immense success in Paris, Chagall returns to the Russian empire in 1917 in hope to marry the love of his life Bella Rosenfeld (Kristina Schneidermann); he produces copious paintings and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. A rivalry develops with abstract painter Kazimir Malevich (Anatoliy Belyy), invited to teach at the art school. As Bella rekindles a childhood friendship with military Red Commissar Naum (Semyon Shkalikov), Chagall competes for the affections of his muse and future wife. As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events intrude on personal struggles and upend the quiet provincial life in Vitebsk.
Brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich (over 140 paintings were used in the film), this sumptuous melodrama marks veteran Russian filmmaker Alexander Mitta’s return after a decade-long hiatus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enaho11_x8QFilms
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Russian film CHAGALL-MALEVICH US Release Date Set for June 2015
The Russian film CHAGALL-MALEVICH, directed by Alexander Mitta, will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 12 and at Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills and at Town Center 5 in Encino, CA on June 19.
The artistic and political revolution of early 19th century Russia is mythologized in CHAGALL-MALEVICH, a magical period drama about the uneasy relationship between two artistic geniuses.
Inspired by the memoirs of Marc Chagall and those of his contemporaries, the film blends fact and folklore to evoke the return of the iconic Jewish artist (portrayed by Leonid Bichevin “Cargo 200”) to his childhood home of Vitebsk. Having left behind immense success in Paris, Chagall returns to the Russian empire in 1917 in hope to marry the love of his life Bella Rosenfeld (Kristina Schneidermann); he produces copious paintings and establishes the Academy of Modern Art. A rivalry develops with abstract painter Kazimir Malevich (Anatoliy Belyy), invited to teach at the art school. As Bella rekindles a childhood friendship with military Red Commissar Naum (Semyon Shkalikov), Chagall competes for the affections of his muse and future wife. As the October Revolution sweeps across Russia, historical events intrude on personal struggles and upend the quiet provincial life in Vitebsk.
Brimming with surrealistic imagery from the paintings of Chagall and Malevich (over 140 paintings were used in the film), this sumptuous melodrama marks veteran Russian filmmaker Alexander Mitta’s return after a decade-long hiatus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enaho11_x8Q
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Grindhouse-Style Feminist Thriller THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE on VOD May 1st
Gravitas Ventures will release John Stuart Wildman’s THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE on VOD, May 1st. The grindhouse-style feminist thriller will wrap up a successful year-long film festival run with an appearance at the Nashville Film Festival on Friday, April 16 as part of the fest’s Graveyard Shift lineup prior to the VOD date. The film is currently available for pre-order on iTunes.
Featuring a screenplay by Justina Walford and Wildman, the film stars Farah White, Melodie Sisk, Brina Palencia, Samrat Chakrabarti, and Michelle “Belladonna” Sinclair and was produced by White, Wildman, Walford and Adam Dietrich. THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE made its world premiere at last year’s Dallas International Film Festival.
THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE follows the fate of two brothers, Jacob and Kai, who, along with their friend Derek, go to a dance club to celebrate Kai’s birthday. After Derek convinces the other two to follow one of the dancers home, things take a tragic turn resulting in the young woman’s death.
However, that is simply the beginning of the nightmare for the young men, because her roommates (Getty, Lin and Crystal) aren’t just fellow dancers, they are also cannibals with a fierce sense of home and family – and a taste for men. After Kai quickly falls victim to Getty and Lin and is on his way to becoming the centerpiece of that evening’s meal, Derek tries to figure out how to escape while Jacob discovers his survival may hinge on the twisted desire and whims of Crystal, the beautiful and sociopathic “baby” of the family.
THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE marks the feature film directorial debut for Wildman, who is the Senior Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The former Head of Press & Public Relations for the American Film Institute, as well as the PR Director for AFI FEST and the DALLAS International Film Festival, Wildman has headed the PR efforts for film festivals across the country and written for numerous film sites (Film Threat.com, Film Comment.com, etc.).
THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE was executive produced by Ruth Mutch (INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, LITTLE ACCIDENTS), and co-executive produced by Debbi Berlin. The film was shot and produced in Dallas, Texas.
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THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT Sets July 17th Release Date
THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, based on the real-life research of Dr. Zimbardo, on the psychology of imprisonment, will open in theaters via IFC Films on July 17th.
It is the summer of 1971. Dr. Philip Zimbardo launches a study on the psychology of imprisonment. Twenty-four male undergraduates are randomly assigned to be either a guard or a prisoner. Set in a simulated jail, the project unfolds. The participants rapidly embody their roles—the guards become power-hungry and sadistic, while the prisoners, subject to degradation, strategize as underdogs. It soon becomes clear that, as Zimbardo and team monitor the escalation of action through surveillance cameras, they are not fully aware of how they, too, have become part of the experiment.
Based on the real-life research of Dr. Zimbardo (who was a consultant on the film), THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT is a dramatic period piece that remains relevant over 40 years later. Along with an impressive cast, including Billy Crudup as Zimbardo, Kyle Patrick Alvarez (C.O.G., 2013 Sundance Film Festival) delivers an intense, visceral film about the role of power that plays to both chilling and exhilarating effect.
Features an excellent roster of young talent, including Ezra Miller, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Thirlby, Michael Anganaro, Logan Miller, Thomas Mann, Keir Gilchrist, Johnny Simmons, Moises Arias, Jack Kilmer, Chris Sheffield, Ki Hong Lee, and James Frechville, to name a few.
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24 DAYS, Based on True events of Kidnapping of a Jewish Man in Paris, Sets US Release Date
24 DAYS, winner of the Lia Award at the 2014 Jerusalem Film Festival and winner of the Audience Award at the 2014 Boston Jewish Film Festival, will open at the Quad Cinema in New York and at the Laemmle Music Hall in Los Angeles, as well as other cities on April 24th. The film will also be available through iTunes on the same day.
Directed and produced by Alexandre Arcady, and based on a memoir written by the victim’s mother, the film chronicles the agonizing 24 days during which Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish cell-phone salesman, was held captive in Paris by a group of African and North African immigrants later known as the “Gang of Barbarians,” while his desperate family was subjected to blackmail. The events of Ilan Halimi’s kidnapping and murder sent shock waves through France and brought into focus the dangerous wave of anti-Semitism that is sweeping through France, a country that is home to Europe’s largest Jewish community.
Friday January 20, 2006, 23-year old Ilan Halimi, targeted solely because he was Jewish, was kidnapped and taken to an apartment in the Bagneux neighborhood of Paris. There, he was held captive and tortured for three weeks before being dumped in a woodlot by his captors. Found motionless and naked by the railroad tracks at Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, he wouldn’t survive his ordeal.
In this film, Ruth Halimi, Ilan’s mother, revisits those 24 nightmarish days. 24 days in which she and her ex-husband Didier received nearly 700 calls, ransom demands that never ceased to change, insults, threats, photos of their tortured son… 24 days of anguish for a family waiting in silence and fear, hoping the Police could save their son.
But Police Headquarters didn’t know who was responsible for his kidnapping. No one recognized in time the anti-Semitic hatred of his abductors, or that Ilan would lose his life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg4xo2pYRdI&feature=youtu.be
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Tsai Ming-liang’s Cult Classic REBELS OF THE NEON GOD to finally Get US Release
Tsai Ming-liang’s cult classic REBELS OF THE NEON GOD finally gets US Theatrical release; the film will open at the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Quad Cinema in New York on April 10 and at the Nuart in Los Angeles on June 12. A national release will follow.
Coinciding with the release of REBELS OF THE NEON GOD is a major eighteen-film retrospective of Tsai Ming-liang, featuring many rare 35mm prints, that will take place at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY from April 10–26, 2015.
Tsai Ming-liang emerged on the world cinema scene in 1992 with his groundbreaking first feature, REBELS OF THE NEON GOD. His debut already includes a handful of elements familiar to fans of subsequent work: a deceptively spare style often branded “minimalist”; actor Lee Kang-sheng as the silent and sullen Hsiao-kang; copious amounts of water, whether pouring from the sky or bubbling up from a clogged drain; and enough urban anomie to ensure that even the subtle humor in evidence is tinged with pathos.
The loosely structured plot involves Hsiao-kang, a despondent cram school student, who becomes obsessed with young petty thief Ah-tze, after Ah-tze smashes the rearview mirror of a taxi driven by Hsiao-kang’s father. Hsiao-kang stalks Ah-tze and his buddy Ah-ping as they hang out in the film’s iconic arcade (featuring a telling poster of James Dean on the wall) and other locales around Taipei, and ultimately takes his revenge.
REBELS OF THE NEON GOD is a remarkably impressive first film that hints at the promise of its director: a talent confirmed by Tsai’s equally stunning second feature, VIVE L’AMOUR (Golden Lion, Venice), and continuing to his most recent film, STRAY DOGS, which ranked high on many “best of” lists last year. Though showing such diverse influences as the French New Wave, Wong Kar-wai’s early films—and, yes, REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE—Tsai’s film is most remarkable for introducing his startlingly unique vision to world cinema.
https://vimeo.com/121043079
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MARIE’S STORY, True Story of Marie Heurtin, Born Deaf and Blind, to Open in US
MARIE’S STORY, the award-winning historical biopic by Jean-Pierre Améris, will open in New York City on May 1 at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and in Los Angeles on May 29th at the Laemmle Royal, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Town Center 5 in Encino. A national release will follow.
MARIE’S STORY is based on true events of 14-year-old Marie Heurtin, born deaf and blind and thought to be unreachable, and her remarkable transformation as one dedicated nun (César Award-winner Isabelle Carré) commits to finding a way to communicate with her.
At the turn of the 19th century, the daughter of a humble artisan and his wife is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to young Marie and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send her to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior’s skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born. MARIE’S STORY recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever, confronting failures and discouragement with joyous faith and love.
Headlined by a commendable debut performance from newcomer Ariana Rivoire, herself born deaf, MARIE’S STORY highlights the best of the human spirit and its potential for greatness despite incredible barriers. Years before Helen Keller emerged as an icon for the deafblind community, Sister Marguerite, portrayed with grace and patience by Carré, found in Marie Heurtin a young woman with emotions and aspirations, and gave her a voice with which to express both.
Born in 1885 and brought to the Larnay Institute as a young girl, Marie Heurtin arrived disheveled and incommunicative. She knew how to bang her tin fork and plate together in order to ask for food, but not much else. Sister Marguerite, herself suffering health issues she kept hidden from her charges, worked tirelessly to make a connection for Marie between the object in her hands and the sign for it. Once she learned the word for “knife,” Marie quickly caught on to all concept of language and expression; with Sister Marguerite’s help, she even learned abstract constructs like old and young, life and death. Marie would live the rest of her days at the Institute, which is still in existence today, where she learned to sew and read Braille and eventually became a tutor and inspiration to other students.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HG-bDNEumw
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New Trailer for 2015 Sundance Hit DOPE
Check out the new official teaser trailer for DOPE, the hit movie out of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, which opens in theaters on June 19, 2015. With a #dope soundtrack featuring four new original songs by Pharrell Williams,DOPE tells the story of Malcolm (Shameik Moore) who is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.
Produced by Forest Whitaker, Executive Produced by Pharrell Williams and Co-Executive Produced by Sean Combs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF8nNM2iI
CAST: SHAMEIK MOORE, TONY REVOLORI, KIERSEY CLEMONS, BLAKE ANDERSON, ZOE KRAVITZ, A$AP ROCKY, CHANEL IMAN, QUINCY BROWN
RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2015
DIRECTOR/WRITER: Rick Famuyiwa
PRODUCERS: Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi,
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Pharrell Williams, Michael Y. Chow, Rick Famuyiwa and David Lonner
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sean Combs
CO-PRODUCERS: Mimi Valdes and Caron Veazy
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2015 Berlin Film Fest Winner TAXI to be Released in the US
Jafar Panahi’s Taxi, winner of the Golden Bear and the Fipresci International Critic’s Prize at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival is headed to the US. Kino Lorber will release the film in theaters in the Fall.
In the film, a yellow cab is driving through the vibrant and colorful streets of Tehran. Very diverse passengers enter the taxi, each candidly expressing their views while being interviewed by the driver who is no one else but the director Jafar Panahi himself. His camera placed on the dashboard of his mobile film studio captures the spirit of Iranian society through this comedic and dramatic drive…
Panahi is an award-winning filmmaker, with his debut film The White Balloon winning the Caméra d’Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, The Mirror won the Golden Leopard at the 1997 Locarno International Film Festival, The Circle won the Golden Lion at the 2000 Venice Film Festival, and the Offside earned him the Silver Bear for best director at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival.
Panahi was sentenced to a six-year jail sentence in 2010 and a 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media, or from leaving the country except for medical treatment or going to Hajj pilgrimage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl0UJLTtWjE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l83idpxvl-I
via: variety
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Award Winning MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE! To Be Released in US
Celebrated rapper and spoken word artist Abd Al Malik directorial debut, May Allah Bless France!, a candid account of his early life and artistic awakening that earned him the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, will be released in the U.S. in the Fall by Strand Releasing.
May Allah Bless France! will screen at the upcoming 2015 Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema series, taking place March 6 – 15.
Born Régis Fayette-Mikano to Congolese immigrants, Abd Al Malik grew up in Strasbourg’s housing projects, participating in petty crimes that cost the lives of his friends. He found release in writing and performance, converting to Sufism at age 24 and penning the memoir that informed this adaptation. Marc Zinga ably inhabits the role of young Régis, movingly limning his journey to redemption.
Shot in black and white, the film visually and thematically recalls Mathieu Kassovitz’s seminal urban crime drama La Haine. Nominated for two César Awards including Best Debut Feature.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCDoTuxw_Ec
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DREAMCATCHER Sets Showtime Network Premiere Date
DREAMCATCHER, an inspirational portrait of Chicago’s Brenda Myers-Powell whose Dreamcatcher Foundation fights to end human trafficking and prevent the sexual exploitation of at-risk youth, will premiere on the Showtime network on March 27th at 9 pm ET/PT.
Dreamcatcher, directed by Kim Longinotto, had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival as part of the World Cinema Documentary section, where it won the World Cinema Directing Award.
The film focusses on Brenda Myers-Powell, a former Chicago prostitute who helps women and teenage girls break the cycle of sexual abuse and exploitation. The film lays bare the hidden violence that devastates the lives of young women, their families and the communities where they live. Armed with an overwhelming personality and unflinching focus, Brenda establishes The Dreamcatcher Foundation, which helps women and girls acquire the tools they need to leave the sex industry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRR3ZM6DQ28
via indiewire
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Documentary GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME to Premiere on CNN
The critically-acclaimed feature documentary GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME from PCH Films is headed to CNN, and will premiere on the network in June, and then encore in November of 2015.
Featuring the Grammy Award®-winning and Academy Award®-nominated song, “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” sung by Glen Campbell himself, the heartbreakingly beautiful, funny, inspiring film directed by James Keach and produced by Trevor Albert and Keach follows the long goodbye that is Alzheimer’s disease as Campbell, and his family, struggle with the diagnosis and progression of the illness through his poignant “Goodbye Tour” in 2011 to 2012.
Director/producer James Keach said, “Here’s a guy, an iconic musician, who was faced with having to hang up his guitar, his career over, but instead, he says, ‘I ain’t done yet. I’m going out to show what this disease is,’ because he wants to change the conversation. If that ain’t a hero, I don’t know what is.”
In 2011, Campbell set out on an unprecedented tour across America. Having just been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Glen Campbell went public about his diagnosis, and together with his wife Kim, launched the Goodbye Tour. Originally planned for a five week run, his health – and popular demand – enabled the tour to expand to 151 spectacular sold out shows over the next year and a half. The Campbell family also together lobbied Congress for more funding for a cure. The film documents this amazing journey as Campbell and his family and friends attempt to navigate the wildly unpredictable nature of Campbell’s progressing disease using love, laughter, and music.
The five-time Grammy Award®-winning artist sold more than 50 million albums in a singular career that includes extraordinary vocals and music like “Gentle on My Mind,” “Southern Nights,” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” Campbell also artistically collaborated with Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra, the Beach Boys, and so many others, using his renowned perfect pitch and flawless guitar skills to help usher country music into the mainstream. Artists including Bruce Springsteen, Blake Shelton, Paul McCartney, The Edge, Kathy Mattea, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, and many others including President Bill Clinton, contribute their memories of Campbell to the film.
Recent CNN Films broadcast premieres include WHITEY: United States of America v James J. Bulger, directed by Joe Berlinger; IVORY TOWER, an exploration of the value of a traditional college education, directed by Andrew Rossi; DINOSAUR 13, about paleontologist Peter Larson’s multi-year odyssey to bring his history-making find of the Tyrannosaurus rex “Sue” to the world, directed by Todd Miller; and LIFE ITSELF, a biographical profile of renowned, Pulitzer prize-winning film critic, Roger Ebert, directed by Steve James.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAtgraWN5-I
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Watch TRAILER for A BRAVE HEART: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
A BRAVE HEART: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, the documentary following the inspiring journey of 25 year old, 58 pound Lizzie from cyber-bullying victim to anti-bullying activist, has released the official trailer.
Directed by first-time filmmaker Sara Hirsh Bordo, A BRAVE HEART: The Lizzie Velasquez Story is set to premiere at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival.
Born with a rare syndrome that prevents her from gaining weight, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Velasquez was first bullied as a child in school for looking different and, later online, as a teenager when she discovered a YouTube video labeling her “The World’s Ugliest Woman.” The film chronicles unheard stories and details of Lizzie’s physical and emotional journey up to her multi-million viewed TEDx talk, and follows her pursuit from a motivational speaker to Capitol Hill as she lobbies for the first federal anti-bullying bill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQXPFURgcfw