Films

20 French Films to be Presented at Seattle’s French Cinema Now Showcase

The Seattle International Film Festival in partnership with TV5MONDE will present 20 French films from around the world as part of the 2015 French Cinema Now showcase. The Opening Night film is Dheepan, Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This powerful drama from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust & Bone) follows a former Tamil Tiger soldier as he flees from the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war to begin a new life in a Parisian suburb. An after-party will take place at Bastille Café + Bar in Ballard. Half Sister, Full Love with director Marion Vernoux scheduled to attend and a post-film discussion with Director Lynn Shelton. The French adaptation of Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister (and the second of Shelton’s films adapted à la française) introduces Pierre, a young man still suffering after his brother’s recent death, who accepts his best friend Tessa’s invitation to recuperate at her family home in the French countryside, only to find the house already occupied by her heart-broken sister. In The Chef’s Wife two of France’s most versatile and accomplished actresses, Karin Viard (Polisse, Delicatessen) and Emmannuelle Devos (Coco Before Chanel, Read My Lips), come together for this crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. Carole can no longer stand working alongside her talented Michelin-starred chef husband Sam, so she meets with Marithé, who helps people explore new career opportunities. The two become friends, but when Marithé meets Sam, their mutual attraction complicates her motives in helping Carole to start over. Adama, a stunning animated feature combining traditional painted backgrounds with clay sculpted characters, follows 12 year-old Adama, who leaves his small West African village on a quest to rescue his brother from the frontlines of WWI. Adama travels to “the land of breaths” – the village’s term for war-torn Europe – for a coming-of-age odyssey that is also a tale of outstanding love, courage, and humanity. Appropriate for ages 8+. French Master Cédric Kahn’s Wild Life is based on a true story, and produced by the Dardenne Brothers. This tale of a father’s reckless but all-consuming love follows married couple Carole and Philippe (Céline Sallette and Mathieu Kassovitz, both giving riveting performances) who renounce civilization and lead a nomadic life in their caravan. But when Carole tires of their itinerant lifestyle and moves back to the city, Philippe refuses to allow his sons to be raised according to the societal codes he abhors. Carl Spence, SIFF Artistic Director, says “We’re very excited about this year’s lineup, being able to bring such a diverse group of films to the Francophile Seattle audience. Our continued partnership with TV5 Monde has allowed French Cinema Now to reach not only the Seattle viewers, but nationally through the TV5 Monde channel.” Dheepan Opening Night Film & Party France | 2015 | 110 minutes | Jacques Audiard Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this powerful drama from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust & Bone) follows a former Tamil Tiger soldier as he flees from the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war to begin a new life in a Parisian suburb. The Tournament France | 2015 | 83 minutes | Elodie Namer An international chess tournament becomes the setting of a compelling psychological thriller, when a 22-year-old French mastermind finds that his chief adversary is an unknown 11-year-old prodigy, leading to his emotional unraveling. Anton Chekhov – 1890 France | 2015 | 96 minutes | René Féret A pivotal period in the life of Russian literary master Anton Chekhov is brought to life in this expressive biographical tale. A humble Russian doctor, Chekhov (Nicolas Giraud) starts writing stories for magazines to earn extra money. As his talent gains notice, an unexpected tragedy sends him on a journey to Siberia, and the trip inspires some of his most brilliant and famous works. Half Sister, Full Love France | 2015 | 95 minutes | Marion Vernoux Director Marion Vernoux scheduled to attend with post-film discussion with Director Lynn Shelton (Your Sister’s Sister). The French adaptation of Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister (and the second of Shelton’s films adapted à la française) introduces Pierre, a young man still suffering after his brother’s recent death, who accepts his best friend Tessa’s invitation to recuperate at her family home in the French countryside, only to find the house already occupied by her heart-broken sister. You Sleep Nicole Canada (Québec) | 2014 | 93 minutes | Stéphane Lafleur Filmed in gorgeous black and white, the latest feature from Québécois director Stéphane Lafleur is a slice of life comedy about summer indolence. 22-year-old Nicole is fresh out of college, and plans to spend the summer hanging out her best friend Véronique. But things take an unexpected turn when a heatwave, Nicole’s growing insomnia, the persistent courtship of a 10-year-old boy, and a visiting rock band put their friendship to the test. Adama France | 2015 | 82 minutes | Simon Rouby This stunning animated feature, combining traditional painted backgrounds with clay sculpted characters, follows 12 year-old Adama, who leaves his small West African village on a quest to rescue his brother from the frontlines of WWI. Adama travels to “the land of breaths” – the village’s term for war-torn Europe – for a coming-of-age odyssey that is also a tale of outstanding love, courage, and humanity. Appropriate for ages 8+. Number One Fan France | 2014 | 105 minutes | Jeanne Herry In this cleverly suspenseful and satirical thriller, Sandrine Kiberlain gives a Cesar nominated performance a beautician who would do literally anything for her idol, the French crooner Vincent Lacroix. Her loyalty is put to the test one night when Vincent shows up on her doorstep and asks for her help in a most nefarious task. The Chef’s Wife France | 2014 | 90 minutes | Anne Le Ny Two of France’s most versatile and accomplished actresses, Karin Viard (Polisse, Delicatessen) and Emmannuelle Devos (Coco Before Chanel, Read My Lips), come together for this crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. Carole can no longer stand working alongside her talented Michelin-starred chef husband, Sam, so she meets with Marithé, who helps people explore new career opportunities. The two become friends, but when Marithé meets Sam, their mutual attraction complicates her motives in helping Carole to start over. Métamorphoses France | 2014 | 102 minutes | Christophe Honoré Visionary director Christophe Honoré’s enchanting, slyly satiric, and erotic updating of the of Ovid’s magnum opus transports mythological tales to present-day France, where the Gods – Jupiter, Orpheus, Bacchus – transform into different forms and fall in love with humans. The Anarchists France | 2015 | 101 minutes | Elie Wajeman Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color) star in this sweeping historical crime drama set in turn of the century Paris, where police officer Jean Albertini is tasked with infiltrating a band of anarchists, and unexpectedly falls in love with a passionate, and persuasive, member of the movement. Torn between duty and his heart, Jean will have to choose his allegiance. The Great Man France | 2014 | 107 minutes | Sarah Leonor This stylistic tale of pristine visual sensibility and French Legionnaires (reminiscent of Claire Denis’s Beau Travail) is an intimate metaphysical look at two men trying to piece their life together after war. Told in five chapters, the story follows a soldier (Jérémie Renier) who is reunited with the man who saved his life, and unexpectedly finds himself able to repay his debt. The Sweet Escape France | 2015 | 105 minutes | Bruno Podalydés Packed with visual flair, delightful banter, and a whiff of Wes Anderson, this bittersweet coming-of-middle-age comedy follows 50-something graphic designer Michel (director Bruno Podalydés), who, longing for a sense of freedom and adventure, takes up kayaking. Michel’s virgin voyage is a pastoral adventure, but it doesn’t lead him very far down stream. The Clearstream Affair France | 2014 | 110 minutes | Vincent Garenq This ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller follows journalist Denis Robert (Gilles Lellouche) and Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke (Charles Berling), who shake up the French governing class by exposing a dark political financial machine called the Clearstream system, which allowed financial institutions and wealthy investors to hold secret accounts for hiding unreported income and money laundering. High Society France | 2014 | 95 minutes | Julie Lopes Curval A delicate exploration of young love, artistic expression, and social class, High Society tells of the relationship between 20-year-old Alice (Ana Girardot, “The Returned”), a working-class artist whose talent leads her to design school in Paris, and privileged aspiring photographer Antoine. While their differences initially prove exciting, they begin to find that the pull of bourgeois society and artistic ambition changes the dynamic of their tender affair. I’m Dead But I Have Friends Belgium | 2015 | 96 minutes | Guillaume Malandrin, Stéphane Malandrin Filled with unexpected twists and delightfully deadpan humor, this comic road movie follows the ageing members of a punkish Belgian rock band who lose their lead singer but decide to maintain their concert dates in Los Angeles with vague plans to place the dead friend’s funeral urn in front of the microphone. Nothing – absolutely nothing – goes according to plan. Fatima France | 2015 | 79 minutes | Philippe Faucon A sweet, insightful, and emotionally complex portrait of immigrants living in France, Fatima dives into the life of a Moroccan-born mother living in Lyon and struggling to raise her two teenage daughters, one rebellious, the other starting medical school. When she is put on leave from her job as a cleaning woman, Fatima starts to write letters to her daughters in Arabic, telling them all the things she can’t express in French. Cosmodrama France | 2015 | 105 minutes | Philippe Fernandez A slyly funny mix of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and 2001: A Space Odyssey, this retro-futuristic sci-fi story begins when seven astronauts – including Sigmund Freud look-alike, an overly communicative chimp, and a friendly dog – wake up on a spaceship, not knowing where they have come from nor where they are heading. As the ship operates by itself, they have ample time to meditate on matter, life and the universe. Tokyo Fiancée Belgium | 2014 | 100 minutes | Stefan Liberski A young Belgian woman who is obsessed with all things Japanese travels to Tokyo and falls into a whirlwind romance with a Japanese student who is obsessed with all things French. This charming comedy about young love and cultural discovery, is filled with complications, misunderstandings, and double meanings in both French and Japanese. Young Tiger France | 2015 | 87 minutes | Cyprien Vial Set in Paris’ suburban Sikh community, this drama features newcomer Harmandeep Palminder in a touching lead performance as a 17-year old boy from Punjab, India, who is trying to lead the life of a typical teenager, yet finds a crushing responsibility to financially support his parents in India pushes him into unprecedented danger. Wild Life France | 2014 | 114 minutes | Cédric Kahn Based on a true story, and produced by the Dardenne Brothers, this tale of a father’s reckless but all-consuming love follows married couple Carole and Philippe (Céline Sallette and Mathieu Kassovitz, both giving riveting performances) who renounce civilization and lead a nomadic life in their caravan. But when Carole tires of their itinerant lifestyle and moves back to the city, Philippe refuses to allow his sons to be raised according to the societal codes he abhors.
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Janis Joplin Documentary JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE Sets November Release Date

The Janis Joplin documentary JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE will be released in the US via FilmRise reports Variety. JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE will be released in theaters in New York on November 27 and in Los Angeles and additional cities early December with home media and digital to follow. The documentary will make its U.S. TV broadcast premiere on PBS’s American Masters in 2016. Written and directed by Berg, the Oscar-nominated documentarian known for Deliver Us From Evil and West of Memphis, Janis: Little Girl Blue examines the iconic rock ‘n’ roll singer with exclusive interviews with friends and family and never-before-seen letters, photos, audio, and video footage of Joplin. The documentary also includes a number of letters Joplin wrote to her parents, read by singer Chan Marshall, a.k.a. Cat Power. “Janis Joplin, the artist and the woman, was a major figure in the counterculture movement,” Berg said in a release. “She also played an important role for women as a ground breaker and the first woman of rock and roll. I am so pleased that FilmRise will be giving this film a platform so that more people can be introduced to this wonderfully talented and complex icon.”
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Animated Film ANOMALISA by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson Added to Chicago International Film Festival

The animated film Anomalisa directed by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson has been added to the lineup for the 51st Chicago International Film Festival. The film will screen on Wednesday, October 21, 2015. A beautifully tender and absurdly humorous dreamscape, from the brilliant minds of Charlie Kaufman (Synecdoche, New York) and Duke Johnson (“Community” episode, Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas), this stop-motion animation wonder features the vocal cast of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan and David Thewlis and a stirring strings-based score by Carter Burwell. The darkly comedic and surreal stop-motion journey of a man’s long night of the soul, Anomalisa confirms Charlie Kaufman’s place amongst the most important of American filmmakers, and announces Duke Johnson as a major creative force. Michael Stone, husband, father and respected author of “How May I Help You Help Them?,” is a man crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip to Cincinnati, where he’s scheduled to speak at a convention of customer service professionals, he checks into the Fregoli Hotel. There, he is amazed to discover a possible escape from his desperation in the form of an unassuming Akron baked goods sales rep, Lisa, who may or may not be the love of his life. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYbKJfls6WM
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Romania’s Oscar Entry, AFERIM! to open in NYC & LA on January 22, 2016

AFERIM!, Romania’s Official Entry for the 88th Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film) will be released in the US in 2016 via Big World Pictures. Directed by an acclaimed Romanian filmmaker, Radu Jude, AFERIM! was the winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, and was the Official Selection at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. AFERIM! will open at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York, and at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on January 22, 2016. A national release will follow. The only contemporary Romanian film to address the issue of Gypsy slavery, AFERIM!, with dark humor, touches upon the long history of anti-Roma prejudice in Romania. Eastern Europe, 1835. Two riders cross a barren landscape in the middle of Wallachia. They are the gendarme Constandin and his son. Together they are searching for a gypsy slave who has run away from his nobleman master and is suspected of having an affair with the noble’s wife. While the unflappable Constadin comments on every situation with a cheery aphorism, his son takes a more contemplative view of the world. On their odyssey they encounter people of different nationalities and beliefs: Turks and Russians, Christians and Jews, Romanians and Hungarians. Each harbors prejudices against the others which have been passed down from generation to generation. And even when the slave Carfin is found, the adventure is far from over… Radu Jude’s third feature has been aptly compared to films as diverse as THE SEARCHERS, THE LAST DETAIL and PULP FICTION (the latter for its rambling, coarse and endlessly entertaining dialogues), but the film is ultimately a moving parable about late-feudal Europe developed from historical documents and songs: its power structures and hierarchies, people’s ideas of themselves and others, interaction with minorities and the resulting conflicts. A Balkan Western in black-and-white that brings the cacophony of the times strikingly to life and explores the thematic arcs that stretch into the present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
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FilmBuff to Release SXSW Comedy Hit A WONDERFUL CLOUD

FilmBuff announced today that it will release A Wonderful Cloud, a feature-length improv comedy written, directed, and starring Eugene Kotlyarenko, with Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards, Queen of Earth) in the US. The film, which is inspired by the real life relationship between Kotlyarenko and Sheil, debuted at SXSW, and will open in select theaters nationwide and will be available on all major On Demand platforms starting Friday, October 23rd, 2015. When Katelyn travels to Los Angeles in hopes of wresting control of a clothing company from her ex, Eugene, she quickly realizes he has more than just business in mind. Unable to deny their emotional past, the pair spend the weekend trying to determine once and for all whether they have a future in store. Set in an LA full of eccentrics, this raw romantic comedy finds a former off-screen couple energetically playing out their real-world baggage in front of the camera, for laughs and tears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH63SD1tOj4 “I’m super pumped to be getting A Wonderful Cloud out there through FilmBuff,” says Kotlyarenko. “This movie is extremely personal for me and has turned out to be a lot of fun for audiences so far. I’m really curious to see how people will react to something this confessional, that’s still aiming to entertain.” A Wonderful Cloud is Eugene Kotlyarenko’s second feature film, with critics admiring his style, and his onscreen rapport with Sheil. Variety praised the film, commenting: “Those seeking a raucous, wholly improvised 21st-century Annie Hall need look no farther…” while Indiewire commented: “Fueled by the creative liberation of improvisation and steered by a real-life shared history,” A Wonderful Cloud is “a good kind of weird.” “We see a lot of movies every year and it’s rare to find one that feels so funny, intimate and daring,” says FilmBuff’s Jake Hanly. “We knew A Wonderful Cloud was special right away and our team is excited to see audiences connect with it.” A Wonderful Cloud will be available on all major On Demand platforms, including Amazon Instant Video, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Google Play, iTunes, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Vudu, and Xbox, beginning on Friday, October 23rd, 2015, and will open in Los Angeles at the Laemmle’s Playhouse 7.
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Magnolia Pictures, Duplass Brothers Launch TANGERINE Oscar Campaign for Transgender Stars

Magnolia Pictures and the Duplass Brothers are launching an Oscar campaign for TANGERINE stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, reports Variety. This will reportedly be the first awards season push for transgender actress by a movie distributor in Hollywood history. Rodriguez will be pushed as Lead Actress and Taylor as Supporting. They plan on bids for screenwriting and cinematography for the film as well. TANGERINE directed by Sean Baker, was released earlier this Summer via Magnolia Pictures, and earned a lot of well deserved attention for not only featuring transgender actresses in prominent roles, but also for its technical feat – it was shot on an iPhone 5s. The film follows a prostitute, who’s just released from prison, and headed to Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Mark Duplass points out that AMPAS is behind the various TV academies in terms of recognizing trans actors; he tells Variety, “Jay and I are new to the Academy, so we’re just figuring this whole thing out. One thing that has become apparent to us as we look at this stuff, it seems that the TV Academy has embraced what’s happening in the trans movement with ‘Transparent’ and ‘Orange is the New Black.’ We feel that the film Academy is a little behind on that front.” This TANGERINE campaign offers a vital counterpoint to “Oscar bait” campaigns in which straight, cisgender, white actors portray trans characters. Mark Duplass tells Variety of this counterpoint, “This is the time for it. We’re in the middle of a civil rights movement.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALSwWTb88ZU
It’s Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee (newcomer Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend (James Ransone, STARLET, “Generation Kill”) hasn’t been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra (newcomer Mya Taylor), embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity. Director Sean Baker’s prior films (STARLET, PRINCE OF BROADWAY) brought rich texture and intimate detail to worlds seldom seen on film. Shot on an iPhone 5s, TANGERINE follows suit, bursting off the screen with energy and style. A decidedly modern Christmas tale told on the streets of L.A., TANGERINE defies expectation at every turn.
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CAROL, I AM MICHAEL, SWORN VIRGIN Among Films on 2015 Chicago International Film Festival LGBTQ+ Lineup

The 51st Chicago International Film Festival (Oct. 15-29) announced the lineup for OUT-Look, its competitive LGBTQ+ program that showcases new artistic perspectives on sexuality and identity. The international OUT-Look program is inclusive of a variety of LGBTQ+ experiences, ranging from Carol (pictured above), the story of a love affair between a wealthy housewife (Cate Blanchett) and a young shop clerk (Rooney Mara, winner of the Best Actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival) to I Am Michael, based on the controversial true story of Michael Glatze, a one-time gay-rights activist turned straight, conservative pastor. I Am Michael features outstanding performances by James Franco and Zachary Quinto.

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Civil Rights Icon Grace Lee Boggs, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS, Dies at 100

Grace Lee Boggs, civil rights icon, and subject of the 2013 documentary American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, has died at the age of 100. According to the a statement on the Boggs Center website, Grace Lee Boggs died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Field Street in Detroit on Monday night, October 5, 2015. Philosopher-Activist Grace Lee Boggs Dies in Detroit: A Champion for the People October 5, 2015–Grace Lee Boggs died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Field Street in Detroit this morning. She had recently celebrated her 100th birthday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Grace was an internationally known philosopher activist for justice. She had been politically active since the 1930’s working with A. Phillip Randolph’s first march on Washington and later C.L.R. James. For more than 40 years she worked closely with her late husband James Boggs in advancing ideas of revolution and evolution for the 20th and 21st Centuries. She helped organize the 1963 March down Woodward Avenue with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Grassroots Leadership Conference with Malcolm X. Grace Lee Boggs was active in Labor, Civil Rights, Black Power, women and environmental justice movements. Later, with her husband James, she helped organize SOSAD, WePros, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Gardening Angels and Detroit Summer. Grace was a founding member of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership and was a strong advocate for place based education and supported the James and Grace Lee Boggs School. “Grace died as she lived surrounded by books, politics, people and ideas,” said Alice Jennings and Shea Howell, two of her Trustees. A memorial celebrating her life will be announced later. President Barack Obama, issued a statement, saying “Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of author, philosopher, and activist Grace Lee Boggs. Grace dedicated her life to serving and advocating for the rights of others – from her community activism in Detroit, to her leadership in the civil rights movement, to her ideas that challenged us all to lead meaningful lives. As the child of Chinese immigrants and as a woman, Grace learned early on that the world needed changing, and she overcame barriers to do just that. She understood the power of community organizing at its core – the importance of bringing about change and getting people involved to shape their own destiny. Grace’s passion for helping others, and her work to rejuvenate communities that had fallen on hard times spanned her remarkable 100 years of life, and will continue to inspire generations to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with Grace’s family and friends, and all those who loved her dearly.” The filmmakers of the documentary also issued a statement saying, “Grace Lee Boggs passed away peacefully this morning. We are so grateful for the vision of justice and human connection that she gave us and feel incredibly privileged to have been able to share her story with others.” The documentary film, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS, plunges us into Boggs’s lifetime of vital thinking and action, traversing the major U.S. social movements of the last century; from labor to civil rights, to Black Power, feminism, the Asian American and environmental justice movements and beyond. Boggs’s constantly evolving strategy—her willingness to re-evaluate and change tactics in relation to the world shifting around her—drives the story forward. Angela Davis, Bill Moyers, Bill Ayers, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Danny Glover, Boggs’s late husband James and a host of Detroit comrades across three generations help shape this uniquely American story. As she wrestles with a Detroit in ongoing transition, contradictions of violence and non-violence, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, the 1967 rebellions, and non-linear notions of time and history, Boggs emerges with an approach that is radical in its simplicity and clarity: revolution is not an act of aggression or merely a protest. Revolution, Boggs says, is about something deeper within the human experience — the ability to transform oneself to transform the world. POV is streaming the film for free until November 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JvyZtNA4CU
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Rodrigo Bellott, Erin Greenwell and Mylo Mendez Win Queer/Art/Mentorship Fellowships in Film

Queer/Art/Mentorship, the multi-disciplinary, inter-generational arts program that pairs and supports mentorship between emerging and established LGBTQI artists in NYC, has announced the eleven Fellows accepted for its 2015-2016 annual mentorship cycle. The Fellows chosen in five artistic disciplines are Monstah Black, Eva Peskin and Justine Williams in Performance; Jacob Matkov and Brendan Williams-Childs in Literary; Rodrigo Bellott, Erin Greenwell and Mylo Mendez in Film; Caroline Wells Chandler and Doron Langberg in Visual Arts; and Hugh Ryan in Curatorial. The 2015-2016 Queer/Art/Mentorship Fellows in Film are Rodrigo Bellott was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. His breakout film, Sexual Dependency won over 15 awards in over 65 film festivals around the world and was also Bolivia’s first film competing for “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 2004 Academy Awards. VARIETY magazine named Bellott as one of the “TOP TEN Latin American Talents to Watch”. Bellott will be working with Mentor, filmmaker Silas Howard on the film adaptation of his play Tu Me Manques, that explores contemporary queer identity in the moment of historical change in contrast with the current situations in other parts of the world. Erin Greenwell wrote and directed the feature film My Best Day, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Her other directing endeavors include Oh Come On, a punk DIY performance video for Kathleen Hanna’s band The Julie Ruin and The Golden Age of Hustlers, featuring Justin Vivian Bond’s remake of the iconic song written by legendary punk chanteuse Bambi Lake. In 2006, Greenwell formed Smithy Productions, a production company, with the aim of cultivating talents from the queer/independent art community under the umbrella of narrative and documentary storytelling. Greenwell will be working with Mentor, director and screenwriter Stacie Passon to develop her narrative feature length script, The Flight Deck, based on the butch/femme lesbian bar scene in Buffalo, NY during the 1950s. Mylo Mendez is a Texas-born video artist currently based in Brooklyn. Hir work uses humor, narrative, and characters with aberrant bodies to navigate identity, social and geographical borders, and history. Mendez has been featured in group shows in New York City and Austin. Ze received hir MFA from Parsons The New School for Design. Mendez will be working with Mentor, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris on a film about the intersection of trans and punk identities and communities in New York City.
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Marlon Brando Documentary LISTEN TO ME MARLON to Premiere on Showtime

LISTEN TO ME MARLON which premiered earlier this year at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, will premiere on SHOWTIME on Saturday, November 14th at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Directed by Stevan Riley (Fire in Babylon), LISTEN TO ME MARLON, unlocks two-time Oscar(R) winner Marlon Brando’s extensive never-before-heard personal audio archive, bringing viewers on a creative odyssey into the mind and motivation of the enigmatic legend. As the lines between Brando’s on screen persona and personal life blurred, his audio recordings uncover his intellectual introspection, humor and sensitivity; a man in perpetual search for moral clarity. LISTEN TO ME MARLON was released in over 150 theaters this summer and was one of this year’s most successful films at Film Forum in New York. Unbeknownst to the public, Marlon Brando amassed a vast archive of personal audio materials over the course of his lifetime. Now – for the first time – those audio recordings come to life in LISTEN TO ME MARLON. Charting his exceptional career as an actor and his extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film reveals the complexities and contradictions that were Marlon Brando by telling the story in his own words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZlWjE_NJfI LISTEN TO ME MARLON is written, edited and directed by Stevan Riley and produced by Academy Award(R)-winning producer John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man, The Tillman Story), Emmy(R) winner R.J. Cutler (THE WORLD ACCORDING TO DICK CHENEY, The September Issue) and Emmy Award nominee George Chignell (Ali). Academy Award-winner Andrew Ruhemann serves as the executive producer. LISTEN TO ME MARLON is a Passion Pictures production.
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Watch Video Clip from I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ to Premiere on Showtime October 30

I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ, a feature-length film chronicling the New York Giants wide receiver’s rise to football stardom, demoralizing injury, and his dramatic attempt at a comeback, will premiere on Friday, Oct. 30 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. In the video tease, Cruz details his mindset as he prepares to make his anticipated return to the field. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKsmS-dAPmA The unscripted film debuts in the midst of the NFL season as the former Super Bowl Champion aims to return as one of the league’s elite wide receivers. A former undrafted free agent, Cruz tore his patellar tendon in 2014 in just his second season after signing a multi-million dollar contract. The debilitating injury forced Cruz to miss the remainder of the 2014 season and undergo rehab with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. I AM GIANT: VICTOR CRUZ chronicles that comeback and introduces viewers to a humble giant battling the most challenging obstacle of his life. The film is directed by Gotham Chopra (KOBE BRYANT’S MUSE) who serves as executive producer alongside producing partners Chris Uettwiller and Martin Desmond Roe. Elaina Watley also serves as executive producer under the Kennedy Blvd. banner, as will NBA star LeBron James and Maverick Carter, CEO of SpringHill Entertainment.
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Swedish Horror Film SENSORIA World Premiere at Fantastic Fest |TRAILER

SENSORIA, a “stylish” new psychological thriller/horror film directed by Christian Hallman, World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Sunday, and will screen again this coming Wednesday. SENSORIA follows Caroline, a woman in her late thirties, who has lost everything she cares for in the world. In the search for a new beginning, she moves into an old apartment and quickly begins to realize that she is not as alone as she thought she was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieszRmpc-hM SENSORIA Sweden, 2015 World Premiere, 82 min Director – Christian Hallman Caroline Menard is a woman in her thirties who has lost everything. As she moves into a new apartment searching for a new start, she’s unaware that something ancient is waiting for her.
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