Here is the new trailer for rapper and spoken word artist, Abd Al Malik’s feature directorial debut, “May Allah Bless France,” adapted from his autobiographical book of the same name, that tells the story of Régis, the offspring of African immigrants in France, who is raised, with his two brothers, by his Catholic mother in the high-rise, underprivileged hinterlands of Strasbourg. Between deliquency, rap and Islam, he discovers love and finds his true path.
Strand Releasing has set an August 11, 2015 US theatrical release date.
Celebrated rapper and spoken word artist Abd Al Malik makes his directorial debut with 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. Born Régis Fayette-Mikano to Congolese immigrants, he 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. [filmlinc]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ocM5klJWhAFilms
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MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE Sets US Release Date of August 11| US TRAILER
Here is the new trailer for rapper and spoken word artist, Abd Al Malik’s feature directorial debut, “May Allah Bless France,” adapted from his autobiographical book of the same name, that tells the story of Régis, the offspring of African immigrants in France, who is raised, with his two brothers, by his Catholic mother in the high-rise, underprivileged hinterlands of Strasbourg. Between deliquency, rap and Islam, he discovers love and finds his true path.
Strand Releasing has set an August 11, 2015 US theatrical release date.
Celebrated rapper and spoken word artist Abd Al Malik makes his directorial debut with 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. Born Régis Fayette-Mikano to Congolese immigrants, he 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. [filmlinc]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ocM5klJWhA
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THE SHORE BREAK Wins Audience Award for Best South African Film at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival | TRAILER
Ryley Grunenwald’s The Shore Break, won the prestigious Backsberg Audience Choice Award at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival for Best South African Film. The award-winning documentary film follows the dilemma faced by a rural community on South Africa’s Wild Coast as to whether to support or resist a proposed titanium mining project and a national tolled highway.
https://vimeo.com/102621491
Grunenwald says she is thrilled with the accolade. “Both my co-producer Odette Geldenhuys and I are really pleased about the win. The Shore Break was a labour of love so it is very rewarding to know it is well received by South African audiences. It was an important story to tell because it captures the nuance and complexity around issues of developing the Wild Coast. The story follows two Pondo cousins who have opposing dreams for the future of their land. One wants to preserve the land through sustainable development while the other plans to mine it for titanium, believing large scale development is the only way to improve employment opportunities.”
“The audience award is based on a complicated calculation in which the festival takes into account the capacity of the cinemas, numbers of tickets sold and the votes cast.” says Odette Geldenhuys. “The film captured the imagination of festival goers, so much so that all our five scheduled screenings were sold out and we had to have two additional screenings in Cape Town and Johannesburg.”
Backsberg Estate Cellars CEO Simon Back adds, “It is a great honour for us to sponsor the Audience Choice Awards. The aim of the awards is to raise awareness around the festival and what has resonated with audiences. With sustainability being core to the way we run our winery, I am also thrilled that both winners raise awareness around critical environmental matters.”
The Shore Break, which was a project in the 2013 Durban FilmMart, will have its co-premiere at the 36th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) on July 18, 2015 with four screenings only during the festival which runs from July 16 to 26.
Image: Backsberg Estate Cellars CEO Simon Back (right) with Odette Geldenhuys , co-producer of The Shore Break which won the Backsberg Audience Choice Award at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival for Best South African Film. The film will next screen at the Durban International Film Festival in July.
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JACKIE & RYAN Starring Katherine Heigl Opens in Theaters on July 3 | TRAILER
The indie romance drama, JACKIE & RYAN starring Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) and Ben Barnes (Chronicles Of Narnia franchise), about a travelling musician and a former singer who have a chance encounter, will open in theaters and on demand July 3, 2015.
Ryan Brenner (Ben Barnes) a travelling musician and Jackie Laurel (Katherine Heigl) a former singer at a crossroads in her marriage, have a chance encounter while Ryan is busking on the streets of Ogden, Utah.
After a sudden car accident propels them together, Ryan finds himself at Jackie’s house for dinner. Ryan’s battling to find the courage to write his own music while Jackie’s fighting for independence from her estranged husband who wants her to return to their upscale Manhattan marriage.
When Ryan’s musician mentor dies in a train accident and Jackie’s husband threatens to take custody of her daughter, Ryan and Jackie find the strength and music they need in each other. What they don’t know is, if the paths they choose will lead to one another.
JACKIE & RYAN is written and directed by Ami Canaan Mann (Texas Killing Fields), and stars Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) and Ben Barnes (Chronicles Of Narnia franchise) as well as Clea DuVall, Sheryl Lee and Ryan Bingham. The film is produced by Mann, Molly Hassell, John Jencks and John Avnet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCTmxBZsa4U
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Cast & Crew of TANGERINE to Celebrate Trans Pride at NYC Pride March | TRAILER
TANGERINE director Sean Baker, cast members James Ransone (TV’s “The Wire”), Mya Taylor, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, along with special surprise guests are all set to celebrate their hit film TANGERINE at the 45th Annual NYC Pride March on Sunday, April 28th. Later that evening, TANGERINE will make its New York debut as the closing night film of BAMcinemaFEST.
TANGERINE premiered at Sundance to critical acclaim and will hit theaters on July 10th
Shot on the iPhone 5s, the stars of the film, Taylor and Rodriguez, are trans actresses playing trans characters.
About the TANGERINE float, Baker says, “We’re excited, honored and ‘proud’ to be part of NYC Pride! Party time!”
At NYC Pride, the cast and crew of TANGERINE will celebrate trans pride, a movement that is getting its overdue public acknowledgment. Spinning on the float will be trans DJ Mursi Layne.
Jere Keys of NYC Pride says of TANGERINE’s participation, “We’re thrilled to have TANGERINE join with over 350 groups who will be marching in this historic year, especially as the film further highlights the amazing diversity of people and issues represented by NYC Pride.”
The first March was held in 1970 and has since become an annual civil rights demonstration. Over the years its purpose has broadened to include recognition of the fight against AIDS and to remember those we have lost to illness, violence and neglect. Magnolia Pictures and cast and crew of TANGERINE are proud to help this tradition endure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALSwWTb88ZU
Image: Actors Mya Taylor, James Ransone and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez; Photo Courtesy of OUT
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WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? Wins AFI DOCS 2015
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE? directed by Liz Garbus (THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA) won the Audience Award for Best Feature at AFI DOCS 2015 in Washington, DC. This year’s Audience Award for Best Short went to A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON directed by Blair Foster (TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE, co-producer) and Geeta Gandbhir (BY THE PEOPLE: THE ELECTION OF BARACK OBAMA, editor).
WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
Nina Simone earned her moniker as the “High Priestess of Soul.” Trained as a classical pianist in North Carolina when racism was open and rampant, Simone drew upon her struggles as she became one of jazz music’s most beloved and complex figures. Director Liz Garbus offers access into Simone’s most intimate thoughts through her own words as the influential chanteuse became a leading voice for the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. Despite her enormous talent, however, Simone battled worsening demons that ultimately drove her into a life of seclusion in Liberia and France.
A CONVERSATION WITH MY BLACK SON
The short film features a group of racially diverse parents discussing the importance of having a conversation with their young black sons about racism and interacting with the police.
AFI DOCS attendees included America’s greatest documentary filmmakers, including Alex Gibney, Barbara Kopple, Stanley Nelson and Morgan Neville.
National leaders in attendance included White House Cabinet Secretary and Chair of MBK Task Force Broderick Johnson, U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, U.S. Representative Ted Lieu, civil rights leader Julian Bond, former U.S. Representative Mary Bono, Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony S. Fauci and former Governor of West Virginia and President of the Alliance for Excellent Education Bob Wise.
Global leaders at AFI DOCS included the Ambassador of Kuwait H.E. Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Ambassador of Jordan Dr. Alia Hatoug Bouran, Ambassador of Lebanon Antoine Chedid and Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Anne Patterson.
Joining the opinion leaders were distinguished journalists: Executive Producer of PBS’s FRONTLINE Raney Aronson-Rath, Margaret Brennan of CBS News, The Atlantic’s Steve Clemons and Ta-Nehisi Coates, former ABC News anchor Sam Donaldson, Bloomberg View’s Al Hunt and PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff.
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GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME Documentary to Premiere on CNN on June 28 | TRAILER
Glen Campbell’s extraordinary life and musical legacy are explored in a critically-acclaimed film to be exclusively broadcast on CNN/U.S. on Sunday, June 28. CNN Films Presents: GLEN CAMPBELL…I’LL BE ME will be presented with limited commercial interruptions on the network at 9:00pm, with an encore at 10:48pm Eastern and is sponsored by Eli Lilly and Company.
The film explores Campbell’s brave decision to go public with his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. After receiving the devastating diagnosis, together with his wife Kim, Campbell decided to complete one last album and say farewell to his fans in a final tour that expanded from the original five-week goodbye to fans, to 151 sold out shows over 18 months.
In association with the CNN Films Presents broadcast, CNN.com has created and curated content related to Alzheimer’s disease and its impact on people and families. There are medical facts about the disease, a digital short film about one man’s ‘cruel journey’ with Alzheimer’s, and a look into Glen Campbell’s experience through excerpts of the film. CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta will report for a digital series on the latest progress in Alzheimer’s research. The special content can be found by visiting www.cnn.com/glencampbell. Also preceding the film’s broadcast, Glen Campbell’s wife, Kim Campbell and CNN senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen will answer questions on Facebook at 12:00pm Eastern on Friday, June 26. Facebook users can connect with both of them with their questions about the disease, and the challenges facing families and loved ones with relatives suffering from Alzheimer’s, via www.Facebook.com/CNN.
The film captures this amazing journey that included a stop in Washington, DC, where the Campbell family testified before Congress and lobbied members for more research funding for a cure – meeting with House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, among others.
A custom public service message about advances in Alzheimer’s medical research will follow the presentation of the film. CNN’s Impact Your World will gather resources for families and sufferers of Alzheimer’s online at www.cnn.com/impact.
This portrait of the extraordinary five-time Grammy Award®-winning artist also includes cameos with a wide array of dynamic artists including Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Paul McCartney, The Edge, Vince Gill, Kathy Mattea, John Carter Cash, Sheryl Crow, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Larry Gatlin, and Brad Paisley, as they comment on Campbell’s legacy and how his inspiration for their work. Archival footage in the film captures some of the ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’s’ most remarkable performances and appearances including Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, and the Beach Boys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAQK8FZSLbw
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South Korean Thriller A HARD DAY to Open in US on Friday July 17 | TRAILER
A HARD DAY, the South Korean thriller written and directed by Kim Seong-hun, will open in the US on Friday July 17, 2015 in New York at Village East Cinemas with a national release to follow by KINO LORBER. A HARD DAY, an official selection at Cannes Film Festival 2014 (Director’s Fortnight), Toronto International Film Festival 2014, and London Film Festival 2014, stars Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong, Jeong Man-sik, Shin Jung-keun and Jang In-sub.
Homicide detective Geon-soo Go is having a hard day: in less than 24 hours, he receives a divorce notice from his wife, his mother passes away, and along with his coworkers, he becomes the focus of a police investigation over alleged embezzlement. Making things worse, on his way to his mother’s funeral, Geon-soo commits a fatal hit and run and then, desperately tries to hide the accident by hiding the man’s corpse in his deceased mother’s coffin. But when Geon-soo gets a mysterious call from a person claiming to be the sole witness of the crime, he realizes that someone has been watching him all along.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMHH08BRAOg
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The Coffee Documentary CAFFEINATED Opens Nationwide on July 14th | TRAILER
Do you want to learn the story behind your morning Joe? From seed to mug, coffee, and the process by which it is created, has shaped the lives of thousands of individuals worldwide. The feature documentary CAFFEINATED directed by Hanh Nguyen and Vishal Solanki will open nationwide on July 14th.
Working with Geoff Watts, famous green-buyer, the filmmakers travel to America’s most populous coffee-drinking cities and to producing countries, interviewing connoisseurs and farmers alike. With a focus on the social and cultural landscape of coffee, Caffeinated gives the coffee consumer unprecedented access to the farmers responsible for growing that perfect bean, and the producers responsible for brewing that perfect cup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W73LntppUs
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Kimberly Levin’s RUNOFF Starring Joanne Kelly in Theaters June 26 | TRAILER
RUNOFF, the debut narrative feature film from biochemist turned playwright, filmmaker Kimberly Levin, will open in theaters on June 26th from Monterey Media. RUNOFF stars Joanne Kelly (Warehouse 13, Hostages), Alex Shaffer (Win, Win, Lifeguard) , Neal Huff (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom, The Wire),Kivlighan De Montebello (A Scientist’s Guide to Living and Dying, Celebrity Ghose Stories), Tom Bower (Independent Spirit Award nominee, Crazy Heart, Die Hard 2),Darlene Hunt (The Big C, Good Morning Miami).
The beauty of the land cannot mask the brutality of a farm town. As harvest draws near, Betty confronts a terrifying new reality and will go to desperate lengths to save her family when they are threatened with being forced from their land. An old friend, struggling to keep his own farm profitable by any means necessary—offers Betty a way out. She refuses to get involved, but as the pressures mount for her family and they are on the brink of eviction, her husband, Frank, reveals that he is seriously ill. How far will one to go to take care of one’s own? Recalling all that is heartland Americana, this film combines an ecological urgency with a compelling yet sensitive story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yZazxohlo0
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A MURDER IN THE PARK, Wrongful Conviction Doc with Twists and Turns, Set For Release on June 26th | TRAILER
A MURDER IN THE PARK, directed by Shawn Rech and Brandon Kimber, and inspired by the book “A Miscarriage of Justice” by William Crawford will open in theaters June 26th, at the IFC Center in NY and on VOD.
A MURDER IN THE PARK re-examines one of the most pivotal conviction reversals in U.S. history. In 1983, Anthony Porter was sentenced to death for the 1982 murders of teenagers Jerry Hillard and Marilyn Green in Chicago’s Washington Park. In 1998, students from a prestigious University’s Innocence Project re-investigated the case, and seemingly found the real killer, Alstory Simon. Simon “confessed” to the crimes, and Porter was released and pardoned. Once just 48 hours from execution, Porter’s harrowing ordeal shook then-Governor Ryan’s confidence in the justice system, and he vacated the sentences of all Illinois death row inmates.
Soon after his “confession,” Simon accepted a plea bargain, and began serving a 37 year sentence for the killings. He later claimed that the evidence he was presented with to secure his confession and plea was bogus, but left him feeling he had no choice but to confess.
A MURDER IN THE PARK’s investigation provides a fascinating glimpse into a very broken criminal justice system, and questions the motives and tactics of those trying to free the wrongly accused as well as end the death penalty.
Note: The Innocence Project featured in this film is not connected with the original Innocence Project in New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cm7OeaUNJg
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Official TRAILER for Sundance Hit THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT
Check out the official trailer for the Sundance Hit THE STANFORD PRISON EXPERIMENT directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez, and released in theaters on July 17th via IFC Films.
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 Angarano, Logan Miller, Thomas Mann, Keir Gilchrist, Johnny Simmons,Moises Arias, Jack Kilmer, Chris Sheffield, Ki Hong Lee, and James Frechville, to name a few.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LviGTHud5w
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Horror Comedy COOTIES Starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson Sets Release Date | TRAILER
The horror comedy COOTIES directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion, and starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Ian Brennan and Jorgé Garcia will be released on September 18th in select theaters and on demand.
From the twisted minds of Leigh Whannell (co-creator of Saw and Insidious) and Ian Brennan (co-creator of “Glee” ), COOTIES is a horror comedy with unexpected laughs and unapologetic thrills. When a cafeteria food virus turns elementary school children into killer zombies, a group of misfit teachers must band together to escape the playground carnage. The film stars Elijah Wood (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings ), Rainn Wilson (“The Office”), and Alison Pill (“The Newsroom”) as teachers who fight to survive the mayhem while hilariously bickering in an uncomfortable love triangle on the worst Monday of their lives. COOTIES will be one of the debut releases of the newly-launched Lionsgate Premiere label, which will release the film on September 18th in select theaters and on demand.
SpectreVision and Glacier Films present COOTIES, starring Elijah Wood, Rainn Wilson, Alison Pill, Jack McBrayer, Leigh Whannell, Nasim Pedrad, Ian Brennan and Jorgé Garcia. The film is directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and Ian Brennan. Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller and Elijah Wood produce along with Tove Christensen, Georgy Malkov and Steven Schneider. Ian Brennan, Leigh Whannell, Gevond Andreasyan, Sarik Andreasyan, Hayden Christensen, Seth William Meier and Vladmir Poliakov serve as Executive Producers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8xQLN181kY