Films

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema to Showcase French Films in NYC

3 Hearts / 3 Coeurs

The 20th Anniversary of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and UniFrance films’ annual showcase of the best in contemporary French film, will run March 6-15, 2015, in New York City.

The Opening Night selection features the return of master filmmaker Benoît Jacquot and the U.S. premiere of 3 Hearts, a touching and tense drama about destiny, connections, and passion surrounding a classic love triangle between Benoît Poelvoorde (Man Bites Dog), Charlotte Gainsbourg (Nymphomaniac, Melancholia), and Chiara Mastroianni (Persepolis). Director Quentin Dupieux (Rubber) will close the festival with his latest film, Reality, a comedy shot in Los Angeles that stars the hilarious French veteran Alain Chabat with Eric Wareheim and Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite), and features Philip Glass’s Music with Changing Parts. The film weaves together the journeys of an 8-year-old girl who finds a mysterious VHS tape, a failed filmmaker shooting his first horror movie, and a culinary TV host who loses his self-confidence because of an imaginary skin disease.

The 20th Anniversary edition of the festival will also introduce audiences to new voices, including the debut feature from Stéphane Demoustier, 40-Love, starring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi; Young Tiger marks the inaugural feature of Cyprien Vial, having written and directed four short subjects (including Cannes prizewinner In Range); actress Lucie Borleteau makes her feature directing debut with Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey, with Greek actress Ariane Labed (Attenberg, Before Midnight), who won Best Actress at Locarno, starring opposite Melvil Poupoud (Time to Leave, Broken English) and Anders Danielsen Lie (Oslo, August 31st); 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, shot in black and white, that earned him the FIPRESCI Discovery Prize at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and two Cesar nominations; and SK1, director Frédéric Tellier’s suspenseful feature debut starring frequent Dardennes collaborator Olivier Gourmet, Christa Théret (star of Rendez-Vous 2013’s Renoir), Raphaël Personnaz (star of Rendez-Vous 2014’s The French Minister), and four-time César winner Nathalie Baye.

Award winners are well represented throughout the lineup, including Hippocrates, the second feature from director Thomas Lilti, which received seven César nominations; the gritty Party Girl, which took home two awards at Cannes (including the Camera d’Or) and was a standout in Un Certain Regard; the debut feature from Thomas Cailley, Love at First Fight, a triple winner at last year’s Cannes, where it played in the Directors’ Fortnight and also just received nine César nominations; and Wild Life, directed by Cédric Kahn (Red Lights), which received a special jury prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

FILMS & DESCRIPTIONS

Opening Night
3 Hearts / 3 Coeurs
Benoît Jacquot, France/Germany/Belgium, 2014, DCP, 106m
French with English subtitles
While traveling through a small provincial town, reserved and melancholic Parisian Marc (Benoît Poelvoorde, Man Bites Dog) meets by chance Sylvie (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a mysterious and beautiful stranger. The two spend a magical night together and fall madly in love. Without exchanging names or information, they agree to meet by a fountain in Paris, à la An Affair to Remember—but as in that classic tearjerker, fate conspires against them. Thinking herself jilted, Sylvie returns to her past life, whereupon Marc meets and woos Sophie (Chiara Mastroianni)—blissfully unaware that she’s Sylvie’s sister. Benoît Jacquot, whose Farewell, My Queen was a highlight of Rendez-Vous 2012, directs this romantic and tragic roundelay, co-starring the luminous Catherine Deneuve (Mastroianni’s mother on-screen and off-). A Cohen Media Group release. U.S. Premiere

Closing Night
Reality / Réalité
Quentin Dupieux, France/Belgium, 2014, DCP, 102m
French and English with English subtitles
Quentin Dupieux, the architect of Rubber (which, in case you missed it, was about a sentient, murderous tire), lets his imagination take flight again, resulting in a multi-threaded Lynchian house of mirrors. The only “reality” on view here is a little girl by that name (Kyla Kenedy) who finds a VHS tape inside the carcass of a boar her father is planning to stuff. Meanwhile, the cameraman (Alain Chabat) of a show hosted by a man in a bear suit (Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite himself) needs to record the perfect scream for his pet project, a film about killer TVs. You won’t want to miss this unique and hilarious reverie—much more than the sum of its quirks—featuring Philip Glass’s Music with Changing Parts, a perfect sonic analog to Dupieux’s ineffable vision. An IFC Midnight release.

40-Love / Terre battue
Stéphane Demoustier, France/Belgium, 2014, DCP, 95m
French with English subtitles
When Jérôme (Olivier Gourmet), a fiftyish department-store sales manager, loses his job, and his wife Laura (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) leaves him for another man, all he has left are his pipe dreams and his son Ugo (first-time actor Charles Mérienne). Though only 11 years old, Ugo already shows great promise as a tennis pro, with a trainer eager to recruit him. Jerome cares for Ugo’s auspicious career only grudgingly until a startling development forces him to rethink his priorities. Playing another of his harried “ordinary men,” Gourmet brings trademark authenticity to a role that (like the film’s tennis-entendre English title) skirts both silliness and melancholy. Thanks to his efforts and the preternaturally confident young Mérienne, this first feature by Stéphane Demoustier clears the net on every serve.

Breathe / Respire
Mélanie Laurent, 2014, France, DCP, 91m
French with English subtitles
Internationally acclaimed actress Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) follows up her 2011 feature directorial debut, The Adopted, with a perceptive account of high-school angst and obsession. Shy 17-year-old Charlie (Joséphine Japy) becomes fast friends with Sarah (Lou de Laâge), a new arrival in their school. The outgoing Sarah coaxes Charlie out of her shell and becomes a fixture in her home, but when the two go on holiday together their relationship turns sour. Laurent trusts her gifted young stars with challenging long takes and they reward her faith in abundance. Featuring César winner Isabelle Carré (Beautiful Memories) as Charlie’s dysfunctional mother, Breathe echoes Blue Is the Warmest Color in broad strokes but paints its own striking portrait of youthful ardor and codependency. Nominated for two César Awards.

The Connection / La French
Cédric Jimenez, France, 2014, DCP, 135m
French with English subtitles
Academy Award winner Jean Dujardin (The Artist) plays radically against type in this gripping thriller from the files of the same criminal ring that inspired William Friedkin’s classic The French Connection. Dujardin is Pierre Michel, a Marseilles magistrate who dedicates himself to apprehending fearsome heroin czar Gaetano Zampa (Gilles Lellouche, Little White Lies). As in the policiers by Jean-Pierre Melville that it evokes, the principled antagonists of The Connection are two sides of a coin, more like one another than the rats in their respective organizations. Director Cédric Jimenez uses late-70s music and fashion to resurrect the disco-age backdrop against which their vendetta played out. Though highlighted by Dujardin’s Delon-esque turn, the all-star French cast includes Benoît Magimel (Isabelle Huppert’s pupil/pursuer in The Piano Teacher), and the luminous Céline Sallette (House of Pleasures) as Pierre Michel’s wife. Nominated for two César Awards. A Drafthouse Films release. U.S. Premiere

Eat Your Bones / Mange tes morts
Jean-Charles Hue, France, 2014, DCP, 94m
French with English subtitles
After his documentary/fiction hybrid debut The Lord’s Ride, which portrayed the gypsy communities of northern France, director Jean-Charles Hue reunited several of that film’s nonprofessional stars to tell the story of another Romani family. Eighteen-year-old Jason (Jason François), on the verge of baptism, finds his values tested when half-brother Fred (Frédéric Dorkel) returns from a 15-year prison stint anything but rehabilitated. The two, along with a third brother and a cousin, team up to steal a truckload of copper, but they prove to be inept criminals and unstable partners. For this dynamic and absorbing glimpse at an underrepresented culture, Hue received the 2014 Prix Jean Vigo, awarded annually to one director by the Cinema of France “for their spirit of independence and extraordinary style.” U.S. Premiere

Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey / Fidelio, l’odyssée d’Alice
Lucie Borleteau, France, 2014, DCP, 97m
French, Romanian, Tagalog, Norwegian, and English with English subtitles
Actress Lucie Borleteau makes her feature directing debut with this insightful study of a woman situated in an almost exclusively male milieu. Sailor Alice (Ariane Labed) joins the freighter Fidelio as a replacement engineer, soon discovering that the captain, Gaël (Melvil Poupaud), is a man with whom she was once romantically involved. Though she leaves behind a fiancé on land (Anders Danielsen Lie, Oslo, August 31st), she finds her feelings for Gaël have not abated. Buttressed by a remarkable international cast, Fidelio, Alice’s Odyssey presents a rounded portrait of a passionate woman faced with difficult choices. Greek actress Labed won Best Actress at Locarno for her memorable performance. Nominated for two César Awards including Best Debut Feature.

Gaby Baby Doll
Sophie Letourneur, France, 2014, DCP, 88m
French with English subtitles
As the awkward, insecure bubbly Gaby, Lolita Chammah (Farewell, My Queen) suggests a Gallic Greta Gerwig in one of her not-quite-formed-adult roles. Upon arriving in the country, she’s promptly discarded by her boyfriend, and as solitude is not an option, the companionship-starved Gaby seeks out a replacement. She finds it in Nicolas (Benjamin Biolay), a seemingly hirsute vagabond whose shack she invites herself to share. Director Sophie Letourneur’s follow-up to 2012’s Les coquillettesis a tentative pastoral romance filled with endearing neuroses and an organically unpredictable plot, charming and moving in its investigation of why it is that some simply cannot bear to be alone. North American Premiere

Hippocrates / Hippocrate
Thomas Lilti, France, 2014, DCP, 102m
French with English subtitles
Following up his debut feature, 2007’s Les yeux bandés, Thomas Lilti takes us inside a Paris hospital—an environment he knows well, being a practicing doctor himself. Novice doctor Benjamin (Vincent Lacoste), interning in his father’s ward, makes a rookie mistake that costs a patient his life. The administration quickly covers up his wrongdoing, but the dead man’s wife begins asking questions and Benjamin’s overworked colleagues resent his nepotism. Reda Kateb (A Prophet, Zero Dark Thirty) provides the film’s moral center as Abdel, a skilled physician forced to work as an intern due to his immigrant status, struggling mightily and alone to place patient welfare ahead of staff impunity. Recalling both Arthur Hiller’sThe Hospital in its cynical view of the profession and Maïwenn’s Polisse in its tough depiction of state institutions, Lilti’s biting dramedy posits that “Hippocratic” and “hypocrite” share more than linguistic affinities. Nominated for seven César Awards including Best Film. A Distrib Films release. North American Premiere

In the Courtyard / Dans la cour
Pierre Salvadori, France, 2014, DCP, 97m
French with English subtitles
National treasure Catherine Deneuve sinks her teeth into the role of Mathilde, a former social worker inhabiting an upscale apartment with her husband Serge (Féodor Atkine). When slovenly musician Antoine (Gustave Kervern) applies by chance for a caretaker job in their building, Mathilde insists Serge hire him, despite his rough manners and lack of qualifications. An unlikely friendship develops between the depressed custodian and the elegant retiree, whose dependence on Antoine increases as her grasp on reality begins to slip. Best known for light comedies like Après Vous, director Pierre Salvadori handles the shifts in tone adroitly, abetted by nuanced turns from Kervern (himself a director) and the always masterful Deneuve in a César Award-nominated performance. A Cohen Media Group release. North American Premiere

In the Name of My Daughter / L’Homme qu’on aimait trop
André Téchiné, France, 2014, DCP, 116m
French with English subtitles
André Téchiné, whose previous film Unforgivable was a Rendez-Vous 2012 selection, returns with another penetrating psychological drama. In 1976 Nice, young divorcee Agnès Le Roux (Adèle Haenel) falls for shady lawyer Maurice Agnelet (Tell No One director Guillaume Canet), allowing him to manipulate her into handing the casino run by her mother, Renée (Catherine Deneuve), over to the mob. The subsequent disappearance of Agnès and Maurice’s emigration to Panama with her money convinces Renée that he has murdered her, and so she swears to see justice served. Téchiné’s atmospheric recounting of the real-life Affaire Le Roux features a regal turn from Deneuve and further evidence of Haenel’s immense versatility and remarkable talent. A Cohen Media Group release. North American Premiere

Love at First Fight / Les Combattants
Thomas Cailley, 2014, France, DCP, 98m
French with English subtitles
A triple winner at last year’s Cannes, where it played in the Directors’ Fortnight, Love at First Fight offers a warm and refreshing coming-of-age story. Easygoing and naïve Arnaud (Kévin Azaïs) plans to spend the summer helping his brother in the family carpentry business. But when he meets Madeleine (Adèle Haenel), a steely young woman determined on the harshest military service and preoccupied with visions of the apocalypse, he adoringly follows her to boot camp. Thomas Cailley’s first feature may feel unmistakably familiar, yet it offers two alluring and empathetic protagonists (portrayed by equally likable actors), well-wrought humor, and gorgeous cinematography by David Cailley (the director’s brother). Nominated for nine César Awards including Best Film. A Strand Releasing release.

May Allah Bless France! / Qu’Allah bénisse la France!
Abd Al Malik, France, 2014, DCP, 95m
French with English subtitles
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.

Métamorphoses
Christophe Honoré, France, 2014, DCP, 102m
French with English subtitles
Perhaps the most ambitious undertaking in this year’s Rendez-Vous, Métamorphoses brings to the screen reimagined tales from Ovid’s magnum opus. The narrative poem, which interweaves mythology with a history of Roman civilization, is transplanted to present-day France, where Jupiter (Sébastien Hirel) absconds with schoolgirl Europa (newcomer Amira Akili). Nestled within their courtship are interludes with Narcissus, Orpheus, and Bacchus, and humans repeatedly changed into animals. Stylist Christophe Honoré (director of the musical melodrama Love Songs, a Rendez-Vous 2008 selection) renders scenes of breathtaking natural beauty and, as befits the gods’ dalliances with mortals, near-constant eroticism. A cinematic experience like no other. North American Premiere

My Friend Victoria / Mon amie Victoria
Jean-Paul Civeyrac, France, 2014, DCP, 95m
French with English subtitles
Based on the story “Victoria and the Staveneys” by Nobel laureate (and oft-filmed author) Doris Lessing, My Friend Victoriarelocates its black London heroine to contemporary Paris while retaining her essential, puppet-like passivity. As an 8-year-old orphan, Victoria (Keylia Achie Beguie) is taken into the home of a white bourgeois family for a single night, fueling her dreams of comfort and privilege for the rest of her life. As an adult (now beautifully played by Guslagie Malanda), she reconnects with the youngest son of her host family, bearing his child after a brief affair. All the while she drifts from job to job, independent yet lacking focus—except for that one night from her childhood and its revelations. Director Jean-Paul Civeyrac manages a treatise on race and class that’s subtle, moving, and refreshingly non-didactic, refusing to reduce the characters to symbols or dilute the richness of Lessing’s prose. North American Premiere

Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart / La Prochaine fois je viserai le coeur
Cédric Anger, France, 2014, DCP, 111m
French with English subtitles
Cédric Anger, once a critic for Cahiers du Cinéma, wrote and directed this chilling chronicle of notorious serial killer Alain Lamare (here renamed Franck Neuhart and played by Guillaume Canet). In a truly mordant twist, while Lamare was terrorizing France in the winter of 1978-79, he was also an outstanding gendarme tasked with apprehending the killer. His victims were all helpless young women, whom he stalked and shot while trying to start a love affair with his pretty cleaning lady (Ana Girardot). Anger follows in the footsteps of Friedkin and Fincher in divesting all glamour from crime, instead showing the dead ends that vex the crime fighters and the dark souls that plague the criminals. The evocative period soundtrack includes Johnny Thunders and The Velvet Underground. Nominated for two César Awards.

Party Girl
Marie Amachoukeli-Barsacq, Claire Burger & Samuel Theis, France, 2014, DCP, 96m
French with English subtitles
Angélique (Angélique Litzenburger) is a sixtyish eccentric hostess living in a small room above a bar in Lorraine. For decades she’s worked for drinks and tips but she clearly loves this flamboyant unconventional way of life. One night, smitten customer Michel (Joseph Bour) proposes marriage. This could be a way out of her unsustainable lifestyle—but is she suited to domesticity? Moreover, is she prepared to reunite with her four children, all from past relationships, including a 16-year-old daughter who grew up in foster care? Inspired by the sudden wedding of actress Litzenburger, mother to co-director Theis, the gritty slice-of-life Party Girl took home two awards at Cannes (including the Camera d’Or), where it was a standout in Un Certain Regard. Nominated for two César Awards including Best Debut Feature. U.S. Premiere

Portrait of the Artist / Le dos rouge
Antoine Barraud, France, 2014, DCP, 127m
French with English subtitles
Renowned director Bertrand Bonello (House of Pleasures and Saint Laurent, as well as the subject of a retrospective at the Film Society this May) stars as “Bertrand,” a filmmaker approaching his next project with a peculiar obsession—monstrosity. Convinced it should be the central theme of his film, he fixates on the notion of monstrous imagery, visiting museums and even hiring a mysterious art historian (played simultaneously by Jeanne Balibar and Géraldine Pailhas) to help him find the painting that best embodies the idea (considering works by Francis Bacon, Caravaggio, and others). But to his shock, the mania consuming his mind begins to manifest itself in his body as a monstrous red stain takes shape on his back. A disquieting yet fascinating (and funny!) mixture of body horror and character study, co-starring Barbet Schroeder as a physician and Joana Preiss as Bertrand’s wife Barbe. North American Premiere

SK1 / L’Affaire SK1
Frédéric Tellier, France, 2014, DCP, 120m
French with English subtitles
The multi-year hunt, arrest, and trial of serial killer Guy Georges is the subject of director Frédéric Tellier’s suspenseful feature debut, based on Patricia Tourancheau’s harrowing work of nonfiction, Guy Georges: La Traque. Sentenced to life imprisonment in 2001 for the murder of seven women, Georges (Adama Niane) was described by psychiatrists as “a narcissistic psychopath” and nicknamed The Beast of the Bastille. With great sophistication, Tellier renders the police’s dogged (though often clumsy) pursuit of Georges in all of its shocking twists and menacing turns. Featuring frequent Dardennes collaborator Olivier Gourmet, Christa Théret (star of Rendez-Vous 2013’s Renoir), Raphaël Personnaz (star of Rendez-Vous 2014’s The French Minister), and four-time César winner Nathalie Baye. U.S. Premiere

Stubborn / Une histoire américaine
Armel Hostiou, France, 2015, DCP, 85m
French and English with English subtitles
Experimental filmmaker and video artist Armel Hostiou expands his 2013 short Kingston Avenue into his second feature film (after 2011’s Day), a story about the steps we’ll take and the lies we tell ourselves in the name of love. Artist Barbara (Kate Moran) tires of her (very) brief relationship with Vincent (Vincent Macaigne) and leaves him behind in Paris. But the resolute Vincent follows her to America, determined to win back her affections. Shot in New York in wintertime and featuring daytime soap veteran and star of HBO’s Looking Murray Bartlett as Barbara’s new love interest, Stubborn, like its hero, is unabashedly romantic, utterly captivating, and often uncomfortably hilarious. North American Premiere

Wild Life / Vie sauvage
Cédric Kahn, Belgium/France, 2014, DCP, 102m
French with English subtitles
Carole and Philippe (Céline Sallette and Mathieu Kassovitz), tired of propriety and consumerism, opt to renounce civilization and live off the land. Calling themselves Nora and Paco, they lead a nomadic life in their caravan, gradually adding children to the mix. But when Nora tires of their itinerant lifestyle and gains custody of their sons, Philippe refuses to allow his progeny to be raised according to the societal codes he abhors. What follows is the riveting true story (based on the case of Xavier Fortin) of a father’s reckless but all-consuming love, directed by Cédric Kahn, whose underrated thriller Red Lightsalso portrayed a husband driven to extremes. Kassovitz gives the performance of his career while Sallette is extraordinary as the desperate mother fighting to reunite with her sons. The film received a special jury prize at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. North American Premiere

Young Tiger / Bébé tigre
Cyprien Vial, France, 2014, DCP, 87m
French with English subtitles
Young Tiger marks the inaugural feature of Cyprien Vial, having written and directed four short subjects (including Cannes prizewinner In Range). Here he relates the experiences of eager and touching Punjabi teenager Many (Harmandeep Palminder), in France to pursue his education, torn between his desire to establish a life in his new country and the pressure to send money back home. Skipping school and forced to take illegal and dangerous jobs that pay him under the table, he finds himself on a slippery slope into criminal activity, while deceiving his girlfriend, Elisabeth (Elisabeth Lando), and his foster family. Basing his film on first- and secondhand experiences, Vial tells a story both particular to the Indian diaspora and universal to the plight of immigrants being pulled in all directions.

Shorts Program

The Smallest Apartment in Paris / Le Plus petit appartement de Paris
Hélèna Villovitch, France, 2014, DCP, 15m
French with English subtitles
Carla and François are forced to share a 16 square meter studio in this whimsical sketch addressing the housing crisis that all urban dwellers are sure to identify with. North American Premiere

Back Alley / Le Contre-allée
Cécile Ducrocq, France, 2014, DCP, 29m
French with English subtitles
A streetwalker since the age of 15, Suzanne finds her livelihood threatened by the arrival of African prostitutes on her turf in this heartbreaking winner of the Small Golden Rail prize at Cannes.

The Space / Espace
Eléonor Gilbert, France, 2014, DCP, 14m
French with English subtitles
A young girl wants to play soccer at recess but schoolyard sexism prevents it. So, with pencil and paper, she charts her grievances, urging her peers to take back the playground. U.S. Premiere

Extrasystole
Alice Douard, France, 2013, DCP, 35m
French with English subtitles
When student Raphaëlle, subject to cardiac contractions, meets enigmatic teacher Adèle, it’s not just her condition that makes her heart skip a beat.
Read more
College Sexual Assault Doc IT HAPPENED HERE Set For Release

Cinedigm will release It Happened Here, the compelling new documentary from director Lisa F. Jackson and producer Marjorie Schwartz Nielsen that explores sexual assault on campuses through the personal testimonials of five survivors who transform their experiences into a springboard for change.

Cinedigm will roll out the film across all platforms including physical, VOD and its OTT channel, Docurama.

In raw and intimate interviews, the students describe surviving sexual assault only to be met with apathy, disbelief, blame and retaliation from the authorities when they tried to report the crime. When they tried to get justice, they were ignored, belittled and shamed, while their attackers remained on campus with impunity. But instead of hiding away in shame, they chose to speak out, and found a way to force institutional change.

Award-winning documentary director Lisa F. Jackson’s resume for the last 10 years has reflected a singular focus: violence against women. From such subjects as war time rape (The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo); the connection between rape and violence in Colombia’s civil war (Tres Mujeres), and a portrait of prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dedicated to rape and sexual violence cases (Sex Crimes Unit), Jackson’s films have taken an unflinching look at this most disturbing crime.

The film had its broadcast debut on PIVOT January 21, 2015. And, in February, as part of the It’s On Us campaign launched by the White House to educate college students about sexual assault, the documentary will be screened at college campuses across the country.

“When producer Marjorie Nielsen approached me to direct a film that exposed the epidemic of sexual assault on American college campuses, I knew immediately that I was all in,” commented Jackson.

“I’ve been working in film production and screenwriting for over 30 years,” says producer Marjorie Nielsen. “But nothing comes close to the humility, pride and gratitude I felt working with these five remarkable young women who let us into their lives and shared their harrowing stories.”

“This is a profoundly important subject,” says Susan Margolin, President of Cinedigm’s Docurama brand. “The film exposes an outrageous and prevalent attitude among many college administrators that assigns guilt to the victim, not the perpetrator. It is our hope that this film will provoke discussion and lead to policy changes so that more young women don’t have to endure the agony of the students in this film.”
Read more
Oscar Nominated Short Films 2015 In Theaters January 30

Boogaloo and Graham

ShortsHD and Magnolia Pictures will release THE OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2015 in theaters across the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America on Friday January 30, 2015.

ShortsHD™, the world’s only Short Movie Channel in high definition, working with Magnolia Pictures will celebrate its 10th anniversary of its Oscar shorts release by opening “THE OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS” in a record 450+ theaters across the United States, Canada, Europe and Latin America on Friday January 30, 2015. “THE OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2015” will showcase the Live Action, Animation and Documentary short film nominees as three separate theatrical events. This is the only opportunity for audiences to watch the nominated short films prior to the 87th Academy Awards® ceremony on Sunday, February 22, 2015.

This year’s release includes the following nominated short films:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM NOMINEES

Aya

Directors: Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis
Synopsis: A young woman waiting at an airport has an unexpected encounter with an arriving passenger.
Countries of origin: France, Israel
TRT: 39:50
Language: English, Hebrew

Boogaloo and Graham
Directors: Michael Lennox and Ronan Blaney
Synopsis: Jamesy and Malachy are presented with two baby chicks to raise by their soft-hearted father.
Country of origin: UK
TRT: 14:00
Language: English

Butter Lamp (La Lampe au Beurre de Yak)
Directors: Hu Wei and Julien Féret
Synopsis: A photographer and his assistant photograph the inhabitants of a remote Tibetan village.
Countries of origin: France, China
TRT: 15:54
Language: Tibetan

Parvaneh
Directors: Talkhon Hamzavi and Stefan Eichenberger
Synopsis: An Afghan teenager living in a refugee center in Switzerland encounters difficulties wiring money to her family and asks a young Swiss woman for help.
Country of origin: Switzerland
TRT: 24:26
Language: German

The Phone Call
Directors: Mat Kirkby and James Lucas
Synopsis: A woman working for a crisis center phone line receives a call from a suicidal older man.
Country of origin: UK
TRT: 20:56
Language: English

ANIMATED SHORT FILM NOMINEES

The Bigger Picture
Directors: Daisy Jacobs and Christopher Hees
Synopsis: Tensions arise between two brothers as their elderly mother requires more care.
Country of origin: UK
TRT: 7:27
Language: English

The Dam Keeper
Directors: Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi
Synopsis: A lonely little pig in charge of maintaining the town dam is cruelly bullied by his classmates
Country of origin: US
TRT: 18:08
Language: English

Feast
Directors: Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed
Synopsis: The story of the relationship between a young man and the stray puppy he takes in is told through the food the dog receives.
Country of origin: US
TRT: 7:00
Language: English

Me and My Moulton
Director: Torill Kove
Synopsis: Three sisters growing up in an unconventional Norwegian family ask their parents for a bicycle.
Country of origin: Canada
TRT: 13:08
Language: English

A Single Life
Director: Joris Oprins
Synopsis: A mysterious vinyl single gives a young woman the power to move back and forth through the years of her life.
Country of origin: Netherlands
TRT: 2:18
Language: English

DOCUMENTARY SHORT NOMINEES

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry
Synopsis: Each month, the Veterans Crisis Line receives over 22,000 calls from military veterans, who account for 20% of all suicides in the U.S. each year.
Country of origin: US
TRT: 41
Language: English

Joanna
Director: Aneta Kopacz
Synopsis: As she faces a terminal illness, the mother of a young son writes a blog in which she tries to leave a record of what she hopes to teach him.
Country of origin: Poland
TRT: 45
Language: Polish

Our Curse
Directors: Tomasz Śliwiński and Maciej Ślesicki
Synopsis:
A mother and father face the difficulties of caring for a baby who has been born with a life-threatening congenital breathing disorder known as Ondine’s curse.
Country of origin: Poland
TRT: 27
Language: Polish

The Reaper (La Parka)
Director: Gabriel Serra Arguello
Synopsis: For the past 25 years, Efrain has worked in a slaughterhouse, where he has developed an intimate relationship with both death and what one must sometimes do to live.
Country of origin: Mexico
TRT: 29
Language: Spanish

White Earth
Director: J. Christian Jensen
Synopsis: Three children and an immigrant mother face a long and difficult winter in North Dakota, which has attracted many people seeking work during an oil boom.
Country of origin: US
TRT: 20
Language: English
Read more
The Young Turks Online News Doc for February Release

Oscilloscope Laboratories has acquired MAD AS HELL, with plans to digitally release the documentary film on February 6th with theatrical screenings in New York and Los Angeles and a DVD/Blu-ray release to follow.

MAD AS HELL world premiered at the 2014 Hot Docs Film Festival where it won the Gaiam TV Conscious Media Award and will next screen as an Official Selection at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Young Turks, one of the most popular online news shows in the world, has amassed a YouTube network consisting of millions of subscribers and billions of views. But that wasn’t always the case. MAD AS HELL documents the tumultuous, at times hilarious and altogether astonishing trajectory of Cenk Uygur, The Young Turks’ main host and founder, as he traverses from unknown public access TV host to Internet sensation by way of YouTube. When he ventures into national television by landing the 6 PM time slot on MSNBC, Cenk’s uncensored brand of journalism is compromised as he becomes a thorn in the side of traditional news media; his unwavering dedication to speaking the truth puts him at the very nexus of the battle between new and old media.

About the acquisition, Oscilloscope’s Dan Berger and David Laub said, “MAD AS HELL is an intelligent and engaging portrait that introduces audiences to an incredible group of people that have become a dominant force in news. The Young Turks are as important, if not more so than any jackass on Fox News and we’re excited to do our small part in letting their story into your home.”

Filmmaker Andrew Napier said, “This film is about a man who says and does things that are often deemed unpopular with the traditional media, and I’m thankful that there is a badass company like Oscilloscope willing to distribute and share this story.”

MAD AS HELL is currently playing select theaters across the country via Gathr Films’ Theatrical On Demand model.

MAD AS HELL is directed and produced by Andrew Napier. Andrew was born and raised in Wisconsin and attended the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Andrew was a producer of the 2013 Academy Award®-winning short film CURFEW, and later edited its feature adaptation BEFORE I DISAPPEAR (SXSW 2014 Audience Award Winner). His screenplay for DOGTOOTH, a remake of the Academy Award®-nominated Greek foreign film, is currently in development at Mandalay Pictures. In addition to MAD AS HELL, he also directed the narrative short GRANDMA’S NOT A TOASTER (Tribeca 2013) and the feature documentary MARY AND BILL (Wisconsin Film Festival 2011 Best Documentary). Andrew produced and edited the documentaries THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL (2014), about the band “of Montreal,” released by Oscilloscope Laboratories, and the upcoming BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1cLEGmDrA
Read more
PBS Goes Nuclear With Two New Documentaries

Atomic Test – Dominic Bluestone, Christmas Island.

PBS will debut two new documentaries: THE BOMB, and URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL, timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first explosion of an atomic bomb, and the bombing of Hiroshima.

THE BOMB, a history of nuclear weapons and how they shaped our world, and URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL, an in-depth look at the chemical element used in nuclear weaponry, will be hosted by physicist and YouTube star Dr. Derek Muller. The documentaries are timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the first explosion of an atomic bomb, and the bombing of Hiroshima, essentially the dawn of the nuclear age. Both programs premiere in July 2015.

Using state-of-the-art transfer techniques to turn recently declassified images into vivid, jaw-dropping footage, THE BOMB tells a powerful story of the most destructive invention in human history. From the earliest testing stages to its use as the ultimate chess piece in global politics, the program outlines how America developed the bomb, how it changed the world and how it continues to loom large in our lives.

Viewers witness the raw power and strangely compelling beauty of rare and pristine images of above-ground nuclear tests. The documentary includes interviews with historians Richard Rhodes, Martin Sherwin, Robert Norris, Sergei Khrushchev and others, along with men and women who helped build the weapon piece by piece. Audiences also hear from former Secretary of State George Shultz and Secretary of Defense William Perry, who reveal how the bomb was viewed inside government circles, as well as those who hold firsthand memories of seeing the first mushroom clouds fill the skies.

This groundbreaking film provides captivating insights through its masterfully restored footage and its assemblage of voices who were there when the atomic age began.

In URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL, host and physicist Dr. Derek Muller unlocks the mysteries of uranium, one of the Earth’s most controversial elements. Dr. Muller embarks on an epic journey across the globe to explain the fascinating details of uranium’s birth and life. Born from the collapse of a star, uranium has brought hope, progress and destruction. It has revolutionized society, from medicine to warfare. It is an element that has profoundly shaped the past, will change the future and will exist long after humans have left the Earth. Filmed on five continents, the two-hour program, produced by Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Sonya Pemberton, delivers a gripping story of an ancient element’s footprint on the world.

“We are who we are because of uranium,” Muller says. “It unlocks the secrets of the universe and reveals the nature of reality. It’s both a dream of clean limitless power and a nightmare of a silent, poisoned Earth.”

“PBS is the place to untangle complicated issues like harnessing nuclear power and the use of destructive forces,” said Beth Hoppe, Chief Programming Executive and General Manager of General Audience Programming for PBS. “These two documentaries offer a chance to contemplate the indelible impact America’s nuclear age has had on our parents, grandparents and ourselves, and they will surely spark conversations in homes across the country.”

Credits:
THE BOMB is written and directed by Rushmore DeNooyer. Executive producer is Kirk Wolfinger. A Lone Wolf production for PBS. Bill Margol, Senior Director, Programming & Development, developed and oversees the project for PBS.

URANIUM – TWISTING THE DRAGON’S TAIL is written and directed by Wain Fimeri and developed and produced with support from SBS Australia, Film Victoria and Screen Australia. A Genepool production for PBS. Bill Gardner, Vice President, Programming & Development, oversees the project for PBS.
Read more
Grindhouse Thriller THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE Gets VOD Release

John Stuart Wildman’s THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE will be released in the U.S. in April/May on VOD via Gravitas Ventures.

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 had 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, and then talks their way into the house to party with her, 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 film marks the feature film directorial debut for Wildman, who is the Senior Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center and columnist for Film Threat. Prior to completing THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE, Wildman has enjoyed an eclectic career in entertainment and film. 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 credits as an actor include a brief appearance in Noah Baumbach’s upcoming WHILE WE’RE YOUNG, as well as the cult classic, SORORITY BABES IN THE SLIMEBALL BOWL-O-RAMA.
Read more
Sundance Doc, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, to Debut on HBO

HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO documentary, which is scheduled to premiere at the upcoming 2015 Sundance FilmFestival, will debut on HBO later this year.

HBO Documentary Films has acquired U.S. television rights to HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO. Directed by Alexandra Shiva (Stagedoor, Bombay Eunuch), the film will have its world premiere Sunday, January 25 at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition, and will debut on HBO later this year.

A first kiss, a first dance. These are the rites of passage of American youth that hold the promise of magic, romance and initiation into adulthood. For kids from all walks of life, these first steps toward intimacy are at once exciting and terrifying. For some teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum, the transition can be nothing less than paralyzing. In HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, director Alexandra Shiva follows a group of young people in Columbus, Ohio, with an array of developmental challenges as they prepare for an iconic event – a spring formal dance. They spend 12 weeks confronting and practicing their social skills as they prepare for the big event, to be hosted at a local disco. Working with their trusted psychologist, they deconstruct fear and larger-than-life social anxiety one step at a time by picking dates, dresses, and, ultimately, a King and Queen of the Prom. HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO is a story of the universal human need to grow, connect and belong as uniquely dramatized by individuals facing the deepest struggle toward social survival.

Shiva states, “A domestic broadcast on HBO will ensure that this film reaches the widest possible audience throughout the country and I am excited to be working with them to do that. This is a film not only for the many whose lives are touched in some way by autism, but also for anyone who can relate to the fraught experience of growing up and trying to understand adulthood.”

In 2001, Shiva directed & produced her first feature documentary BOMBAY EUNUCH, awarded Best Documentary at NewFest and the Special Jury Award at Florida Film Festival, followed by a 6-week theatrical run. Her second documentary STAGEDOOR premiered at SXSW in 2005, and in 2006 screened at New York’s Film Forum and on the Sundance Channel. HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO is her third feature documentary.
Read more
Controversial Doc FAREWELL TO HOLLYWOOD Sets US Release Date

FAREWELL TO HOLLYWOOD, a documentary film by Henry Corra and Reggie Nicholson is set to open in the US in February 2015.

This award-winning documentary has screened at numerous international film festivals including IDFA, Hot Springs Doc Fest and Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The film will open in New York at Cinema Village on Wednesday, February 25 (the day of Reggie Nicholson’s birthday), and at the Noho 7 in Los Angeles on Friday, March 13. A national release will follow.

In a recurring poetic image, 17-year-old Regina Diane Nicholson swings between heaven and earth on a breathtakingly high cliff by the sea. Reggie is a tomboy struggling with a terminal illness, her parents, and her dream of making a film before she dies. She impresses us with her loving, strong personality and wisdom beyond her years, as well as her morbid sense of humor.

When director Henry Corra met 17-year-old filmmaker Regina Nicholson at a film festival, he agreed to help her make a feature film. What developed over nearly two years is a powerful friendship and poignant relationship between Reggie and Henry. He became her collaborator, friend and defender in her fight to find artistic and personal freedom. When Reggie turns 18 and can make decisions legally on her own, things become even more intense.

FAREWELL TO HOLLYWOOD is a poetic fairytale about love and death, holding on and letting go, one that invites us to discuss the relationship between filmmaker, subject and family. An eclectic mix of images with the intimacy of a video diary or home movie, it is filmed both by Henry and by Reggie and supplemented by their text message exchanges, images from her favorite movies, and fairytale-like scenes with songs that together form a heartwarming, but also heartbreaking and controversial ode to Reggie’s life.

It’s a raw and unexpected love story about the commitment of two people to art, poetry, care, and the potential beauty of every moment together, to the very end.

http://youtu.be/pWIohJHlhO0
Read more
WATCH Trailer for Indie Horror Film “It Follows”

David Robert Mitchell’s indie horror film, It Follows, scheduled to screen in the Park City At Midnight section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival just before it opens in theaters on March 27th, 2015, has a new trailer.

Starring Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi and Lili Sep, It Follows is about a teenager who finds herself haunted by nightmarish visions and the inescapable sense that something is after her after a strange sexual encounter.

http://youtu.be/9tyMi1Hn32I
Read more
Award-Winning Documentary “ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL” Sets February 2015 Release Date

The award-winning documentary “ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL” (Sur le chemin de l’école) directed by Pascal Plisson, will open in Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York on February 6, 2015. ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL immerses us in the extraordinary routines of four different children who live in the four corners of the earth but all share the same thirst for learning. They understand that only education will allow them a better future and that is why, every day, they must set out on the long and perilous journey that will lead them to knowledge. Their sheer will to accomplish their dream leads them onto a path we have all walked – but never like this.

ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL, winner of the 2014 Cesar Award for Best Documentary, is the story of: Jackson, 11, who lives in Kenya and twice a day he and his younger sister walk 10 miles through a savannah populated by wild animals; Carlito, 11, rides more than 11 miles twice a day with his younger sister, across the plains of Argentina, regardless of the weather; Zahira, 12, lives in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains and takes an exhausting walk on foot along punishing mountain paths awaits her before she and her two girlfriends can reach their boarding school; Samuel, 13, lives in India and the 2.5 miles he has to travel each day are an ordeal, as he doesn’t have the use of his legs so his two younger brothers have to push him all the way to school in a makeshift wheelchair.

http://youtu.be/eIsQ0B43Q9Y
Read more
World Champion Boxer Johnny Tapia Documentary to Debut on HBO

TAPIA, the documentary about the talented but tormented world champion boxer Johnny Tapia will debut Tuesday, December 16 (11:00 p.m.-midnight ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. TAPIA uses first-person narration and archival footage to explore the achievements, personal demons and ultimate redemption of the popular fighter, who died in 2012 at age 45. The film is executive produced by multiplatinum award-winning musician, entrepreneur and actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and sports promoter, producer and entertainment executive Lou DiBella.

“Johnny Tapia’s life story was an incredible journey, and we are eager to celebrate his biggest accomplishments and chronicle the toughest and most difficult moments of his turbulent life,” says Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports. “Tapia was so much more than just a world champion, and we want to share this gripping account with our subscribers, many of whom may have seen Johnny in his five fights on HBO, but may not know the amazing story behind the fighter.”

“This is not a boxing film, but a film about tragedy, triumph, demons and redemption,” says DiBella. “Johnny gives us an honest assessment of his strengths and frailties; he reminds us of the power and resiliency of the human spirit.”

“Johnny’s is a story that needed to be told,” says Jackson. “Everyone can relate to some aspect of it, which makes it that much more powerful. Personally, his journey is one that has touched me greatly.”

http://youtu.be/tllXLOQ2vWU

Born Feb. 13, 1967, Johnny Tapia used boxing as way out of his impoverished life in Albuquerque, NM, becoming a five-time world champion in three different weight classes. Tormented as an adult by thebrutal kidnapping and murder of his mother, which occurred when he was eight years old, Tapia suffered repeated episodes of drug addiction and mental illness. His nickname, Mi Vida Loca (“My Crazy Life”), reflected not only Tapia’s intensity in the ring, but also a tumultuous personal life, which involved jail time and several drug overdoses. In 1994, he married his wife, Teresa, who helped Tapia regain control of his life in retirement before he succumbed to a heart attack in 2012.

HBO has a rich and distinguished history of developing and presenting boxing documentaries, among them: “Legendary Nights: The Tale of Gatti-Ward”; “Klitschko”; the Emmy®-winning “Assault in the Ring”; the Peabody Award-winning “Thrilla in Manila”; “Joe Louis: America’s Hero…Betrayed”; the Peabody Award-winning “Ali-Frazier: One Nation Divisible”; and the Emmy®-winning “Sugar Ray Robinson: The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion.”

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 18 (4:45 p.m., 1:50 a.m.), 20 (11:30 a.m.), 22 (11:00 a.m.), 28 (10:30 a.m.) and 29 (12:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m.), and Jan. 8 (8:00 p.m., 3:50 a.m.) and 13 (4:00 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: Dec. 19 (3:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.), 24 (7:00 p.m.) and 27 (4:00 p.m.), and Jan. 4 (7:40 a.m.) and 6 (9:00 a.m., 2:40 a.m.)

Read more
Netflix to Release Nina Simone Documentary

Netflix will release a documentary on singer and civil rights activist Nina Simone, titled, “What Happened, Miss Simone?,” directed by Academy Award(R) nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus (The Farm: Angola, USA and Bobby Fischer Against the World). The film was produced in cooperation with the Estate of Nina Simone, and will premiere exclusively in all territories where Netflix is available in 2015.

“In What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus paints a brave and provocative picture of Nina Simone – artist, civil rights activist and heroine – in a film that we’ve loved from day one and are proud to bring to our viewers around the world.” said Lisa Nishimura, Netflix VP of Original Documentary Programming.”

“I’m thrilled that Netflix has embraced the incredible story of Nina Simone and partnered with RadicalMedia on this film,” said director Liz Garbus. “For each of her millions of fans, Nina feels like a treasured secret. With What Happened, Miss Simone?, I’m excited to help bring her passion, her music, and her story to the world.”

http://youtu.be/7jgHOcXTr50

Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon and legendary recording artist, Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy. In this epic documentary, director Liz Garbus interweaves never-before-heard recordings and rare archival footage together with Nina’s most memorable songs, to create an unforgettable portrait of one of the least understood, yet most beloved, artists of our time.

The film uses never-before-heard audio tapes, recorded over the course of three decades, of Nina telling her life story to various interviewers and would-be biographers. From over 100 hours of these recordings, What Happened, Miss Simone? weaves together Nina’s narrative, told largely in her own words. Rare concert footage and archival interviews, along with diaries, letters, interviews with Nina’s daughter, Lisa Simone Kelly, friends and collaborators, along with other exclusive materials, make this the most authentic, personal, and unflinching telling of the extraordinary life of one of the 20th Century’s greatest recording artists.

“Throughout her life, Nina used her powerful voice to entertain, effect change and inspire anyone who’s ever listened to one of her songs,” said Justin Wilkes, President of Media + Entertainment at RadicalMedia and a producer of the film. “It’s only fitting that Nina will once again use her voice to enchant a new generation of fans by taking center stage in the telling of her own story.”

Academy Award(R)-nominated director Liz Garbus is a leading US documentary filmmaker and cofounder of Moxie Firecracker Films, under which she has produced over 15 films. Recent works include Love, Marilyn; the Emmy(R)-nominated Bobby Fischer Against the World; There’s Something Wrong with Aunt Diane and Girlhood. Her first film, The Farm: Angola, USA, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for an Oscar(R), and won two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Read more