Awards

332 Invited to Join Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Finish Director Pirjo Honkasalo Rejects Invitation

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 322 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2015. “It’s gratifying to acknowledge the extraordinary range of talent in our industry,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “This year, our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization.” Update: Finnish film director Pirjo Honkasalo (pictured above) has reportedly dismissed an invitation to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences reports thenewage.
Honkasalo told the biggest Finnish language daily that she would rather belong to organizations where she can influence decisions. She criticized the position of foreign films in the Oscar nominations. Honkasalo said that lobbyists and personal relations have too great a role in the Oscar process.
The 2015 invitees are: Actors Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games” Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy” Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness” Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz” Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights” Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception” Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along” Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy” Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats” Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners” John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac” Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle” Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton” Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers” David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year” Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire” Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice” Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek” Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2” Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables” Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets” J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno” Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II” Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host” Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help” Casting Directors Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey” Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong” Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights” Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles” Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart” Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions” Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside” April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek” Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer” Cinematographers Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring” Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre” Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed” Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret” Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene” Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek” Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station” Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her” Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch” Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna” Costume Designers Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom” Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night” Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall” Designers Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness” Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You” Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious” Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land” Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children” John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley” Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy” Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl” Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up” Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts” Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman” Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale” Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen” Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End” Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall” Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner” Directors Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me” Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother” Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider” Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn” François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin” F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday” James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super” Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang” Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace” Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man” Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow” François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool” Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love” Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy” Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On” Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister” Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako” Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation” Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque” Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters” Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian” Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club” Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement” Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena” Documentary Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa” Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles” Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras” Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams” Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War” Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple” Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated” Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon” Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman” Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill” Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.” Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party” Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle” Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage” Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove” Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams” Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan” Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War” João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)” Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!” Executives Carolyn Blackwood Robbie Brenner Lia Buman Steve Burke David Fenkel Mellody Hobson Brian Keane Steven Paul O’Dell Jim Orr Mark Rachesky Ted Sarandos Jeff Shell Film Editors Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express” Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things” Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)” Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako” Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake” Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run” Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9” Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel” Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now” Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire” Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille” Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess” Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)” William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man” Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown” Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma” Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph” Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education” David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space” Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners” Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids” Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E” Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime” Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses” Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher” Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man” Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech” Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan” Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs” Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah” Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids” Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter” David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose” Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education” Members-at-Large Andy Armstrong Wayne Billheimer Kevin Brownlow Simon Crane Debbie Denise Jeff Habberstad Andy Hendrickson Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco Guido Quaroni Nicole Scalise Steven J. Scott Leon D. Silverman Gregg Smrz Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson Steve Venezia Music Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight” Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master” Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm” Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages” Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners” Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity” Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses” Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers” Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop” Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio” Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips” Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network” John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained” Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus” Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat” Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year” Producers Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding” Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves” Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off” Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight” Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave” Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know” Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes” Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men” Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things” Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited” Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner” Public Relations Jennifer Allen Asad Ayaz Dawn Baillie Andrew Bernstein Liz Biber Mara Buxbaum Lee Ginsberg R. Jeff Hill Michelle Hooper Chris Libby Susan Norget Lewis Oberlander Gordon Paddison Elias Plishner David Pollick Weiman Seid LeeAnne Stables Ryan Stankevich Bonnie Voland Short Films and Feature Animation Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E” Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon” Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt” Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled” Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch” Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday” Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh” Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub” Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire” Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt” Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow” David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes” Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond” Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots” James Lucas – “The Phone Call” Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman” Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille” Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E” Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman” Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After” Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama” Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season” Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies” Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts” Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog” Sound Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker” Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook” Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball” Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z” Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now” Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar” Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners” Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game” Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful” Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist” William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive” Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6” David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix” Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash” Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6” Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land” Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle” Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall” Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips” Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man” Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant” Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek” Visual Effects Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class” Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas” Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine” Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3” Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In” Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter” Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises” Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6” Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers” Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception” Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium” David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar” Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2” Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception” Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball” Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium” Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar” Writers Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful” Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench” Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast” Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood” Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens” E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild” Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful” Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy” Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast” Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan” Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes” Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man” Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game” Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love” Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako” Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation” Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu” Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society” Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena” Associates Victoria Belfrage Josh Braun Wayne Fitterman Sharon Jackson Patricia Keighley Cliff Roberts Elyse Scherz James Toth Bart Walker Seven individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership. Each year, each Academy member may sponsor one candidate for membership within their branch. New member application reviews take place in the spring. Applications for the coming year must be received by March 24, 2016. New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.
Read more
45 YEARS, THE DIARY OF A TEENAGER GIRL Win Tops Awards at 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival

Andrew Haigh’s 45 Years (pictured above) won the top prize, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film, at the 69th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Described by the festival as “one of the best British films of the year”, 45 Years is about the fractured relationship between a couple, played by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, as they head towards their 45th wedding anniversary party. Director Andrew Haigh commented, “This is a real honor and made even more special when you consider the list of British films that have won before. All you can hope for when you make a film is that it resonates with people and that is why receiving an award such as this feels so fantastic.” 45 Years’ lead actress Charlotte Rampling won the Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film, sharing it with James Cosmo for his performance in The Pyramid Texts. The Award for Best International Feature Fim was awarded to Marielle Heller’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl (USA) (pictured above), which received its UK Premiere at EIFF. Starring Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård and Kristen Wiig, the film takes place in 1970s San Francisco, where a young cartoonist Minnie (Bel Powley) can’t wait to grow up. Her mother’s (Kristen Wiig) no-holds-barred approach to partying colours her adolescent judgement, encouraging her to seek grown-up thrills anywhere she can. Instigating a liaison with her mother’s boyfriend, Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), she begins a passionate affair with a man two decades her senior, and despite the age gap remains utterly in control. Special Mentions were given to Kyle Patrick Alvarez’s The Stanford Prison Experiment and J.Davis’ Manson Family Vacation. The Award for Best Documentary Feature Film was awarded to Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack (USA) (pictured above). The Jury commented “Out of a very strong field, the Jury has selected The Wolfpack as the best documentary in competition at the 2015 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Shot over five years, the director Crystal Moselle turned a chance encounter with six brothers into an intriguing, intimate portrait that shines a light on the warmth, humor and underlying tension of an extraordinary situation.” Scrapbook directed by Mike Hoolboom won The Award for Best Short Film, Stems by director Ainslie Henderson won the McLaren Award for Best New British Animation, and the Student Critics Jury Award went to Black Mountain Poets directed by Jamie Adams.
Read more
Hungary Picks Holocaust Drama SON OF SAUL As Foreign Language Oscar Entry

The Holocaust drama SON OF SAUL directed by Laszlo Nemes, has been selected by Hungary as its official entry in the foreign-language film category of the Academy Awards. Son of Saul which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, was reportedly considered a frontrunner for the Palme d’Or after being named best film in Cannes’ Competition by Fipresci, the International Federation of Film Critics, but instead won the Grand Prix. October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the corpse of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial. [Cannes Film Festival]
Read more
SWEATY BETTY Wins Top Awards at 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival

Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed won the Best Feature Film award, as well as the Grand Chameleon Award for Sweaty Betty (pictured above) at the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival which wrapped up on Sunday with a gala evening at new BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel. Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny nabbed two awards, best actor for Olly Alexander (shared with Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley) and Best Editing, for Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson. Wildlike nabbed three awards, including Best Actor (female) for Ella Purnell, Best Screenplay for director Frank Hall Green and Best Producer for Julie Christeas, Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss while world premiere New York City film But Not For Me nabbed the Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative, as well as the Best Original Score award for Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin, Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste. Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli’s Frame by Frame nabbed the festival’s Spirit Award for documentary and shared the Audience Award with Neal Broffman’s film Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi. “We’re so pleased with this year’s festival,” said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. “The films, filmmakers, audiences and sponsors all truly exemplify the diversity and spirit of Brooklyn and we look forward to the BFF continuing to be a vibrant part of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape.” This year we brought more filmmakers with their first or second film to New York audiences than ever before. We staged the festival in all new venues and neighborhoods, and it proved to be a great success,” said Marco Ursino, BFF’s Executive Director. “After 18 years, the festival feels as fresh as ever.” This year’s event screened 108 features and shorts from 26 countries and over 70 filmmakers attended, performing Q&A sessions after their screenings, supporting the work of other artists, and attending the festival’s various panels and parties. Complete list of Winners: GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty BEST IN CATEGORY Best Animation: Sol Friedman for Day 40 Best Experimental film: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In The Future Love Will Also Best Short Subject: Bartek Konopka for From Bed Thou Arose Best Short Documentary: Danya Abt for Eric, Winter To Spring Best Documentary: Florian Schewe and Katharina Von Schroeder for We Were Rebels Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty AUDIENCE AWARDS Audience Award in the Animation Category: Bob Blevins & Bradly Werley for T.P. Audience Award in the Experimental Film Category: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In the Future Love Will Also Audience Award in the Narrative Short Category: Daisy Zhou for How to Be a Black Panther Audience Award in the Short Documentary Category: Sean Ryon and Lea Scruggs for Born Into This Audience Award in the Documentary Category (tie): Neal Broffman for Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi and Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame Audience Award in the Feature Length Narrative Category: Ryan Carmichael for But Not for Me SPIRIT AWARDS | Festival’s Favorite Spirit Award in the Narrative Short Category: Graham Chychele Waterston for And It Was Good Spirit Award in the Exp. Film Category: Janna Kyllästinen & Anne-Katrine Hansen for Division Avenue Spirit Award in the Short Doc Category: Dir: Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer for Treasure Island Spirit Award in the Documentary Category: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame Spirit Award in the Animation Category: Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano for Love in the Time of March Madness Spirit Award in the Feature Category: Vinko Moderndorfer for Inferno Best Brooklyn Project: Harvey Mitkas for Devil Town CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT Best Actor (male): Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley and Olly Alexander for Funny Bunny Best Actor (female): Ella Purnell for Wildlike Original Score: Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste for But Not for Me Best Editing Award: Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson for Funny Bunny Best Cinematography Award: Robert Machoian for God Bless the Child Best Screenplay Award: Frank Hall Green for Wildlike Best Producer Award: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss for Wildlike Best New Director Award: Robert Gregson for The Refrigerator
Read more
“The Chicken” “Bihttoš” Win Short Film Awards at 2015 Seattle International Film Festival

The 2015 Seattle International Film Festival announced today this year’s ShortsFest Jury Award winners. The Chicken (pictured above), directed by Una Gunjak, and described by the jury as an expertly crafted narrative that explores life and death through the eyes of a young girl, is the winner of the Grand Jury Prize, Live Action Short Film. Bihttoš, an unconventional documentary that explores the complex relationship between a father and daughter, directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers won the Grand Jury Prize Documentary Short Film. This years Festival running May 14 through June 7, features 164 short films, including 25 World, 18 North American, and 11 US premieres. ShortsFest jurors chose winners in the Live Action, Animation, and Documentary categories. All ShortsFest films shown at the Festival are also eligible for Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. Each ShortsFest Grand Jury winner will receive $1,000, and the winners in the three categories are eligible for the Academy Awards® in their respective Short Film category (Live Action, Animated, or Documentary). SIFF 2015 SHORTSFEST AWARD WINNERS LIVE ACTION GRAND JURY PRIZE The Chicken (Croatia, Germany), directed by Una Gunjak JURY STATEMENT: An expertly crafted narrative that explores life and death through the eyes of a young girl. With a film full of authentic performances, Iman Alibalic is extraordinary as the six-year-old protagonist who receives a live chicken from her father for her birthday, and soon realizes it’s meant for dinner. This is an emotional film with a production quality that continues to move the story along and underscore the realities of life in a war zone. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Hole (Canada), directed by Martin Edralin JURY STATEMENT: Hole is a brave exploration of human sexuality and yearning for intimacy through the eyes of a lonely, forgotten, disabled man in the heart of Toronto. Ken Harrower delivers a captivating performance that transcends any labels or limitations and speaks to the need for human connection. DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE Bihttoš (Canada), directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers JURY STATEMENT: For its ambitious approaches to visual storytelling and imaginative recounting of an exceptional family history. ANIMATION GRAND JURY PRIZE The Mill at Calder’s End (USA), directed by Kevin McTurk JURY STATEMENT: There exists a tendency to laud the new-new stories, new techniques, new talent. With the animation award, the jury is pleased to celebrate a film that is decidedly old-school, breathing life into a bygone style, iterating in a story tradition that is centuries old. For this fusion of the modern and classic, we are happy to award Kevin McTurk for The Mill at Calder’s End. FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AWARDS “WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE) In recognition of superior artistic and technical achievement. Audio Input (USA), directed by Sho Schrock-Manabe JURY STATEMENT: For its insightful and engaging portrait of podcasting, an audio art form, through a collage of interviews and images. PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS Each winner will be awarded a $1000 scholarship to the Prodigy Camp. I’m Not Here (South Africa), directed by Jack Markovitz Minimum Max (USA), directed by Josh Ovalle
Read more
2015 Cannes Film Festival Awards, DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard Wins Palme d’or

The Jury of the 68th Cannes Film Festival, presided by Joel and Ethan Coen picked DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard (pictured above) the winner of Palme d’or award. In the film, “to escape the civil war in Sri Lanka, a former soldier, a young woman and a little girl pose as a family. They end up settling in a housing project outside Paris. They barely know one another, but try to build a life together.” After receiving the prize, presented by the actress Cécile de France and the two Presidents of the Feature Films Jury, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jacques Audiard said: “I am very moved. I knew it would have an effect on me. I’d like to thank Michael Haneke for not filming this year. I’d also like to thank my actors, without whom there would be no film, nor a Palme d’or. Receiving a prize from the Coen brothers is just incredible! Alexandre Dumas’ son spoke about his father as “this child I had so young”. Tonight, I’m thinking of my father”. The Grand Prix, considered the runner up prize, was awarded to Saul Fia (Son of Saul) by László Nemes. Described as “October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the corpse of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial.” After he had received the prize from the Danish actor, Mads Mikkelsen, László Nemes declared: ” This was my first time in Cannes. We wanted this film to tell the new generation about the destruction of European Jews, I’m happy to have made this film using roll. It’s the magic of cinema! ” The complete list of winners of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival awards FEATURE FILMS – COMPETITION Palme d’or DHEEPAN by Jacques Audiard Grand Prix SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László Nemes Best Director Award Hou Hsiao-Hsien for NIE YINNIANG (The Assassin) Jury Prize THE LOBSTER by Yorgos Lanthimos Best Actress Award Rooney Mara in CAROL by Todd Haynes Emmanuelle Bercot in MON ROI by MAÏWENN Best Actor Award Vincent Lindon in LA LOI DU MARCHÉ (The Measure of a Man) by Stéphane Brizé Best Screenplay Award Michel Franco for CHRONIC SHORT FILMS – COMPETITION Palme d’or WAVES ’98 by Ely Dagher UN CERTAIN REGARD UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD HRÚTAR (Rams) by Grímur Hákonarson JURY PRIZE ZVIZDAN (The High Sun) by Dalibor Matanić BEST DIRECTOR PRIZE Kiyoshi Kurosawa for KISHIBE NO TABI (Journey to the Shore) UN CERTAIN TALENT PRIZE COMOARA (Treasure) by Corneliu Porumboiu Joint PROMISING FUTURE PRIZE MASAAN (Fly Away Solo) by Neeraj Ghaywan NAHID by Ida Panahandeh CAMÉRA D’OR LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA (Land and Shade) by César Augusto Acevedo CINÉFONDATION First Prize SHARE by Pippa Bianco AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, USA Second Prize LOCAS PERDIDAS (Lost Queens) by Ignacio Juricic Merillán Carrera de Cine y TV Universidad de Chile, Chile Joint Third Prize THE RETURN OF ERKIN by Maria Guskova High Courses for Scriptwriters and Film Directors, Russia Joint Third Prize VICTOR XX by Ian Garrido López ESCAC, Spain The Jury of the CST awarded the VULCAN AWARD OF THE TECHNICAL ARTIST to: Tamas ZANYI, sound engineer, for the outstanding contribution of sound to the narration of SAUL FIA (Son of Saul) by László NEMES.
Read more
Lucie Borleteau’s FIDELIO: ALICE’S ODYSSEY Wins Top Award at 2015 Montclair Film Festival

The 2015 Montclair Film Festival (MFF) for the first time announced competition awards, with Lucie Borleteau’s FIDELIO: ALICE’S ODYSSEY (pictured above) taking home the Narrative Feature Jury prize. The narrative competition jury also awarded a special jury prize to Yury Bykov’s THE FOOL for storytelling. The festival inaugurated two awards in honor of the late David Carr and Bruce Sinofsky, both Montclair residents. THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER, directed by Chad Gracia, took home the Bruce Sinofsky Prize in the festival’s Documentary Feature competition. This award was established in memory of Bruce Sinofsky and was presented by Sinofsky’s long time friend and collaborator Joe Berlinger (PARADISE LOST I, II, AND III). Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson’s PEACE OFFICER took home the David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking, which honors a filmmaker, selected by the festival, who utilizes journalistic techniques to explore important contemporary subjects. The award was presented by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a longtime friend and colleague of Carr. Elise DuRant’s EDÉN was awarded with the Future/Now prize, honoring emerging low-budget American independent filmmaking, and Marah Strauch’s SUNSHINE SUPERMAN took home the New Jersey Films Award, which honors a selected group of films made by New Jersey artists. The junior jury prize went to Alexandra Shiva’s documentary HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO. “We’re thrilled to be launching these awards for our fourth installment, and to honor the diverse group of talented filmmakers,” said MFF founder and Chairman Bob Feinberg. “This has been a significant year for us and it truly exemplifies the festival’s impact and growth, as we continue to lay the groundwork for many more successful years ahead.” “This year’s festival featured over 135 films and we are incredibly proud of each and every one of our filmmakers. These inaugural awards represent the best of what our festival can offer – global stories that have an intimate, connection to our audiences and help Montclair connect to the world of cinema,”said MFF Executive Director Tom Hall. Congratulations to the 2015 winners of The Montclair Film Festival Awards: David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking Winner PEACE OFFICER Directors – Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson Narrative Feature Competition Winner FIDELIO: ALICE’S ODYSSEY Director – Lucie Borleteau Narrative Feature Competition Special Jury Prize for Storytelling THE FOOL Director – Yury Bykov Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Documentary Feature Competition Winner THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER Director – Chad Gracia Future/Now Winner EDÉN Director – Elise DuRant New Jersey Films Competition Winner SUNSHINE SUPERMAN Director – Marah Strauch Junior Jury Winner HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO Director – Alexandra Shiva
Read more
SWORN VIRGIN, WESTERN Among Winners of 2015 San Francisco International Film Festival Awards

The 2015 San Francisco International Film Festival which ran April 23 to May 7, 2015, presented by the San Francisco Film Society, announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Award (GGA) competitions. Sworn Virgin, directed by Laura Bispuri won the Golden Gate New Directors Prize, and Western, directed by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross won the Golden Gate Awards for Documentary Features. GOLDEN GATE NEW DIRECTORS PRIZE The Golden Gate Awards New Directors jury of the 2015 San Francisco International Film Festival was composed of producer and BFI Senior Production Executive Lizzie Franke, writer and filmmaker Ryan Fleck and producer Laura Wagner. Winner: Sworn Virgin (pictured above), Laura Bispuri (Italy/Switzerland/Germany/Albania/Kosovo) * Receives $10,000 cash prize In a statement, the jury noted: “Laura Bispuri is a distinct new filmmaking talent who we are excited to follow as her career progresses. There is a great purity and truth in her approach to a story of contemporary female struggle. Bispuri has crafted a film, grounded by extraordinary performances, that is at once effortless and delicate, but also bold in its execution.” GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR DOCUMENTARY FEATURES The GGA Documentary feature competitions jury was comprised of filmmakers Kristine Samuelson and Robert Greene, and journalist Susan Gerhard. Documentary Feature Winner: Western, Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross (USA) * Receives $10,000 cash prize The jury noted in a statement: “The competition was remarkable and every film in the category presented a unique vision, which made our job very difficult and brought us to reconsider the very nature of cinema itself in the year 2015. Films of great ambition, exceptional intimacy and intricate sound design, offered up empathy and poetry in equal measure and charted new paths for the form. We give the GGA Documentary Feature award to Western, a film that compresses observation and symbolism to take the experience of ‘seeing’ in a bold direction. Though driven by characters, those characters never overwhelm the sense of place, and the tension between narrative and poetry, fact and fictional refraction inflect new meanings on how we see the West.” Special Jury recognition: Of Men and War, Laurent Bécue-Renard (France/Switzerland) The jury noted: “Of Men and War makes us understand the horrors of war without ever showing us a single frame of battle, offering access to interior psychologies most viewers have never seen before in a tightly structured, beautifully edited, minimalist piece of nonfiction.” Bay Area Documentary Winner: Very Semi-Serious, Leah Wolchok (USA) * Receives $5,000 cash prize The jury noted: “We award the Golden Gate Award for Bay Area Documentary Feature to Very Semi-Serious, which reminds us that humor has a purpose. It subtly reveals the vast array of personalities engaged in this art form, including women and young people making their way into a historically male-dominated field. Its brave ellipses in storytelling allow us to consider the intertwining of tragedy and comedy.” Special Jury recognition: T-Rex, Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari (USA) The jury noted: “We recognize T-Rex for its ambition and courage. This film subverts the sports conquest genre and takes a clear-eyed view of race and class.” GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS The GGA Short Film jury consisted of filmmakers Grace Lee and Jonathan Duffy and curator Liz Keim. Narrative Short Winner: The Chicken, Una Gunjak (Germany/Croatia) * Receives $2,000 cash prize Documentary Short Winner: Cailleach, Rosie Reed Hillman (Scotland) * Receives $2,000 cash prize Animated Short Winner: A Single Life, Marieke Blaauw, Joris Oprins, Job Roggeveen (Netherlands) * Receives $2,000 cash prize New Visions Short Winner: Discussion Questions, Jonn Herschend (USA) * Receives $1,500 cash prize Bay Area Short First Prize Winner: The Box, Michael I Schiller (USA) * Receives $1,500 cash prize Bay Area Short Second Prize Winner: Time Quest, John Dilley (USA) * Receives $1,000 cash prize GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR FAMILY FILM The Family Film jury consisted of Arts Education consultant Amy Balsbaugh, third grade teacher at Grattan School Susan DesBaillets and Head of Education and Community Programs at The Walt Disney Family Museum Hillary Lyden. Winner: The Story of Percival Pilts, Janette Goodey, John Lewis (Australia/New Zealand) * Receives $500 cash prize Family Film Honorable Mentions: Lava, James Ford Murphy (USA) and One, Two, Tree, Yulia Aronova (France/Switzerland) GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR YOUTH WORK The Youth Works jury was comprised of local high school students Diana Garcia, Ramses Mosley-Wise and Sean Rossiter, with adult supervisor Lisa Landi, producer of Film School Shorts at KQED. Winner: Two and a Quarter Minutes, Joshua Ovalle (USA) * Receives $1,000 cash prize – including $500 donated by KQED Youth Work Honorable Mention: The Off / Season, Lance Oppenheim (USA) * Receives $250 cash prize donated by KQED
Read more
CLIMAS, POWER AND IMPOTENCE: A DRAMA IN 3 ACTS Win Top Awards at 2015 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival

The 2015 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, April 26th with the screening of the closing night film Mr. Kaplan directed by Alvaro Brechner of Uruguay, and the awards ceremony. The festival awarded CLIMAS directed by Enrica Pérez of Peru (pictured above) the winner of the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature, and POWER AND IMPOTENCE: A DRAMA IN 3 ACTS (PODER E IMPOTENCIA, UN DRAMA EN 3 ACTOS) directed by Anna Recalde Miranda, won the Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature. “It is always such a pleasure to wrap the festival with a celebration of jury and audience honorees. As awards are announced, it allows all of us to reflect on the past days of the festival–all the films we viewed both in and out of competition–and what has really stuck with us. I’m especially proud of the diversity and artistic excellence represented by this year’s program, which is exemplified by this year’s competition winners” stated Festival Director Jean Lauer. Narrative Feature Competition Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature CLIMAS Directed by Enrica Pérez, Peru Documentary Feature Competition Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature PODER E IMPOTENCIA, UN DRAMA EN 3 ACTOS (POWER AND IMPOTENCE: A DRAMA IN 3 ACTS) Director: Anna Recalde Miranda, Paraguay/France/Italy Special Jury Prize in Cinematography HOTEL NUEVA ISLA Directed by Irene Gutiérrez, Javier Labrador, Cuba/Spain Narrative Short Film Competition Jury Award for Best Narrative Short INDIGO Directed by Amanda Strong, Canada Honorable Mention for Acting EL SERMÓN DE LA MONTAÑA (Sermon on the Mount) Directed by Pepe Puertas Piñero, Spain Documentary Short Competition Jury Award for Best Documentary Short FLOR DE LA MAR (Flower of the Sea) Directed by Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela Hecho en Tejas Competion Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Award POR QUÉ EL RECUERDO (THE SOLITUDE OF MEMORY) Directed by Juan Pablo González, Mexico/USA Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI) Honorable Mention EL FUEGO DETRÁS (THE FIRE BEHIND) Directed by Leo Aguirre, USA Audience Award for Narrative Feature (Tie) O ÚLTIMO CINE DRIVE-IN (THE LAST DRIVE-IN THEATER) Directed by Iberê Carvalho, Brazil VIENTO APARTE (A SEPARATE WIND) Directed by Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico Audience Award for Documentary Feature TRES MUJERES GUERRERAS (THREE WOMEN WARRIORS) Directed by Alexander Preuss, Germany/Colombia Audience Award for Best Music Video EL MARINERO Y LA SIRENA (THE SAILOR AND THE MERMAID) Directed by Patricia Vonne, USA Audience Award for Best “Emergencia” Youth Film THE LONELY BAKER Directed by Cyntheara Tham, Allison McInerney, Ayanna Marte RAW Art Works, Lynn, MA, USA
Read more
2015 Maryland Film Festival Completes Film Lineup, Fest to Close with THE WOLFPACK

Maryland Film Festival completed its 2015 lineup today, unveiling its Closing Night film, the titles for its annual Opening Night Shorts Program, and a few late-breaking features. The 2015 Festival runs May 6 to 10 in downtown Baltimore. Maryland Film Festival’s Closing Night film will be Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack (pictured above), the mind-blowing buzz documentary that took home the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. MFF also announced 5 additional emerging features for its lineup, including new work from Joe Swanberg, Rick Alverson, and Andrew Bujalski; and two repertory screenings guest-curated by key figures in Baltimore’s cultural scene: musician Abdu Ali introducing Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, and Wham City’s Alan Resnick and Dina Kelberman introducing Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls. Maryland Film Festival first devoted its Opening Night to celebrating shorts filmmakers in 2002, and has done so each year since 2004. Opening Night will take place in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Falvey Hall the evening of Wednesday, May 6th. Each Opening Night short will be hosted by its filmmaker. MFF 2015’s Opening Night shorts are: BAD BOY OF BOWLING (Bryan Storkel) From the co-director of Fight Church, a high-octane portrait of a bowling star with a plus-sized personality. CHARLOTTE (Angel Kristi Williams) A coming-of-age story from the director of MFF 2012’s The Christmas Tree, a Baltimore native. MELVILLE (James M. Johnston) A rapper struggling with personal pain finds release in music. Directed by the producer of Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. PINK GRAPEFRUIT (Michael Mohan) A couple sets up two friends for a romantic weekend. Winner of the narrative shorts jury award at SXSW. SHARE (Pippa Bianco) A young woman returns to high school after being shamed by an explicit video. Winner of a special jury prize at SXSW. Feature films announced for MFF 2015 today: Best of Enemies (Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville) In 1968, a ratings-starved ABC coordinated a series of debates between conservative journalist William F. Buckley, Jr. and liberal novelist and thinker Gore Vidal. The network garnered huge audiences—and perhaps a bit more than they bargained for, as high-level political discourse collided with name-calling and meltdowns. This Sundance-premiered documentary comes courtesy of Twenty Feet From Stardom director Morgan Neville, and author/filmmaker Robert Gordon (of MFF 2012’s Very Extremely Dangerous). Digging For Fire (Joe Swanberg) When young parents Tim (Jake Johnson) and Lee (Rosemarie DeWitt) agree to house-sit for a wealthy acquaintance, Tim finds something suspicious on the grounds—and an initial spark of intrigue becomes a consuming obsession. Joe Swanberg continues to take his unique working methods to the next level, with an amazing cast that includes Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Jane Adams, Sam Elliott, and Mike Birbiglia, all working together to deliver an infectious mix of comedy, drama, romance, and thrills. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) Spike Lee’s modern classic, detailing racial tensions and police brutality on the hottest day of summer in Bedford-Stuyvesant, has never been more crucial and relevant. With the sounds of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” blasting from boomboxes, this seminal film boasts cinematography from Ernest Dickerson, and an Academy Award-nominated screenplay (not to mention an iconic performance) from Lee; his phenomenal ensemble cast includes Ossie Davis, Danny Aiello, Ruby Dee, Rosie Perez, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson. Selected and guest-hosted by musician, DJ, and curator Abdu Ali. Entertainment (Rick Alverson) Gregg Turkington, perhaps best known for his persona Neil Hamburger, stars as The Comedian, a beleaguered, Hamburger-ian performer who endlessly tours Grade-Z clubs and non-venues across America, shocking and dismaying audiences with his lewd and convoluted punchlines. At turns bleak, poignant, disturbing, and darkly hilarious, this fascinating and beautifully composed provocation from the director of The Comedy also features Amy Seimetz, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Lotte Verbeek, and Michael Cera. People, Places, Things (Jim Strouse) In this thoughtful and hilarious rom-com, Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows stars as a graphic novelist whose comfortable life is shaken after walking in on his wife with another man. Downgraded to a tiny apartment and weekends-only status with his twin daughters, a bright spot appears when a student in a college art course he teaches challenges him to be more social and adventurous. Results (Andrew Bujalski) High-octane personal trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders) works for her friend, fitness guru and entrepreneur Trevor (Guy Pearce)—both of whom have their lives turned upside-down when nouveau-riche couch potato Danny (Kevin Corrigan) arrives at their gym. The director of MFF 2013’s Computer Chess follows up that highly experimental work with something different: a romantic comedy with a stellar cast and a massive heart. Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995) Intentional camp? Brilliant social commentary? A noble failure? Irredeemable trash? Books have been written exploring what Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Starship Troopers, The Fourth Man) was going for with this follow-up to mega-hit Basic Instinct. Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon, this seedy, Vegas-set film was derided upon its release but has lived on as a midnight movie and cult favorite. Selected and guest-hosted by Alan Resnick and Dina Kelberman of Wham City. The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle) CLOSING NIGHT This extraordinary documentary brings us into the lives of the Angulo brothers, who grew up homeschooled and in extreme isolation from the outside world in a Lower East Side apartment. Home video became their only window into the outside world, and they took to recreating their favorite scenes and styling themselves after films such as Reservoir Dogs. But when one of the brothers escapes the confines of their apartment, all of their lives are forever changed. A sensation at Sundance, where it won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize, this is a documentary that delivers on the buzz, built on amazing access to a truly incredible story and unforgettable characters.
Read more
Monument to Michael Jackson, Frame by Frame, Wins Grand Jury Prizes at 2015 Nashville Film Festival
The Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) 2015 announced the 46th Annual Competition Award winners, including Grand Jury Prizes to Monument to Michael Jackson (pictured above), Orion: The Man Who Would Be King and other notable films. Best Original Song went to Brian Wilson for “One Kind of Love” fromLove & Mercy. According to the jury, its palpable portrayal of a child torn between two worlds earned Daytimer the Live Action Short Grand Jury Prize. Bear Storyset itself a very high bar both stylistically and narratively and delivered across the board, which garnered it the Grand Jury Prize for Animated Short. La Vie en rose comme dans les films provided a humble glimpse into the complicated world of memory; the short received the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Short. Each of these three shorts will be automatically qualified for Academy Award® consideration. Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize – Monument to Michael Jackson, directed by Darko Lungolov Honorable Mention – WildLike, directed by Frank Hall Green
The Bridgestone Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize went to Monument to Michael Jackson. The film was, “at times a political farce, a relationship drama and an inspiring tale of tenacity in the face of adversity.”The jury also awarded Geraldine Chaplin from Sand Dollars the Best Actress award, while Boris Milivojevic from Monument to Michael Jackson received the Best Actor award. Best Screenplay went to Shonali Bose for Margarita, with a Straw, and the Film Musicians Secondary Market Fund Award for Best Music in a Feature Film went to Ramon Cordero, Benjamin De Menil and Edilio Paredes for Sand Dollars. The Special Jury Prize for Cinematography was awarded to Tony Mirza for Eadweard.

Gibson Music Films/Music City Competition Grand Jury Prize – Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, directed by Jeanie Finlay Honorable Mention – Sweet Micky for President, directed by Ben Patterson

The jury said Orion, “hits every note… and then some. It was a completely unpredictable yet always entertaining and moving documentary.”The jury awarded the Special Jury Prize for Best Import to Tomi Fujiyama in Made in Japan.

Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize – Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli and Alexandra Bombach Honorable Mention – Welcome to Leith, directed by Michael Beach and Christopher K. Walker

“Frame by Frame is a fascinating look into life in Afghanistan that celebrates its growing photography culture, with unprecedented access and interviews,” the jury said. “The film is beautifully crafted and we’re so honored to present these first time filmmakers with the Documentary Grand Jury Prize, and hope that they will continue to make inspiring films.”The Special Jury Prize for Direction went to Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasahelyi forMeru.

New Directors Competition Grand Jury Prize – Songs She Wrote About People She Knows, directed by Kris Elgstrand Honorable Mention – Naz & Maalik, directed by Jay Dockendorf

Songs She Wrote About People She Knows received the Grand Jury Prize, “for its quirky plot, high production values, and unique yet relatable characters, the New Directors Jury awarded its Grand Jury Prize to Songs She Wrote About People She Knows. Lead actress Arabella Bushnell delivers a particularly strong performance as an aspiring pop singer, complete with highly original and hilarious songs. Writer/director Kris Elgstrand is a strong new voice in independent cinema and we are excited to see what he comes up with next. “ The jury awarded Krisha Fairchild with Best Actress for Krisha and Daniel Cerqueira with Best Actor for Radiator. The Special Jury Prize for Direction went to Sarah Adina Smith for The Midnight Swim.

Best Original Song Winner – “One Kind of Love,” from Love & Mercy, written and performed by Brian Wilson Honorable Mention – “Found You,” from In My Father’s House, written and performed by Rhymefest

Graveyard Shift Competition

Grand Jury Prize (tie) – Alléluia, directed by Fabrice du Welz Grand Jury Prize (tie) — They Look Like People, directed by Perry Blackshear

“The jury found itself unable to determine a hierarchy between exquisite works of passion, madness, human bonds and inhuman horror.”The jury awarded for Best Actress to Amy Everson in Felt and Best Actor to MacLeod Andrews in They Look Like People. The Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Use of Music went to Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It.

Ground Zero Tennessee First Competition

Grand Jury Prize – The Keepers, directed by Joann Self Selvidge and Sara Kaye Larson
Southwest Airlines Audience Award Overall Winner In My Father’s House, Ricki Stern & Annie Sundberg, scored 4.99 out of 5 Southwest Airlines Audience Award Winners Narrative Competition – Eadweard, Kyle Rideout, director Documentary Competition – In My Father’s House, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, directors Special Presentations – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director Spectrum – The Waiting Country Woman, Li Yangiu, director Music Films/Music City – Revival: The Sam Bush Story, Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin Tennessee First – Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw, Rick Goldsmith, director New Directors Competition – The Challenger, Kent Moran, director Graveyard Shift – They Look Like People, Perry Blackshear, director Southwest Airlines Audience Awards – Documentaries – Top Five
1. In My Father’s House, Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg, directors
2. Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw, Rick Goldsmith, director
3. The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young, Annika Iltis and Timothy Kane, directors
4. Revival: The Sam Bush Story, Kris Wheeler and Wayne Franklin, directors
5. Imba Means Sing, Danielle Bernstein, director
Southwest Airlines Audience Awards – Narratives – Top Five
1. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, director
2. The Challenger, Kent Moran, director
3. Love & Mercy, Bill Pohlad, director
4. Ain’t It Nowhere, Scott Murphy, director
5. I’ll See You in My Dreams, Brett Haley, director
Tennessee Horizon Audience Award for Best Shorts

Presented by TN Film, Music & Entertainment Commission and Native Magazine Winner (tie) – Daddy’s Little Girl, directed by Chad McClarnon Winner (tie) – Usetocould, directed by Drew Maynard

Sponsored Awards

NPT Human Spirit Award – My Voice, My Life, directed by Ruby Yang Women in Film & Television Award – Yosemite, directed by Gabrielle Demeestere Outstanding LGBT Film – Naz & Maalik, directed by Jay Dockendorf Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Award – Alfonso Gomez-Rejon for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Lipscomb University Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Rosenwald, directed by Aviva Kempner.
Complete List of Short Film Award Winners Live Action Short – Grand Jury Prize: Daytimer, directed by Riz Ahmed (United Kingdom) Live Action Short – Honorable Mention: Tzniut, directed by David Formentin (USA) Live Action Short – Honorable Mention: Saturday, directed by Mike Forshaw (United Kingdom) Special Jury Prize for Visual Storytelling: The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375, directed by Omar El Zohairy (Egypt) Animated Short – Grand Jury Prize: Bear Story, directed by Gabriel Osorio (Chile) Animated Short – Honorable Mention: Man on the Chair, directed by Dahee Jeong (France) Special Jury Prize for Achievement in Animation: Pineapple Calamari, directed by Kasia Nalewajka (United Kingdom) Documentary Short – Grand Jury Prize: La Vie en rose comme dans les films, directed by Christophe M. Saber (Switzerland) Documentary Short – Honorable Mention: Autofocus, directed by Boris Poljak (Croatia) Special Jury Prize for Bridging the Gap Between Experimental and Documentary Filmmaking: Object, directed by Paulina Skibinska (Poland) Experimental Short – Grand Jury Prize: (null), directed by Michael Lange, David Gesslbauer (Germany) Experimental Short – Honorable Mention: Play Within a Play, directed by Yasmijn Karhof (Netherlands) Student Short – Grand Jury Prize: Wire Cutters, directed by Jack Anderson (USA) Student Short – Honorable Mention: The Aftermath of the Inauguration of the Public Toilet at Kilometer 375, directed by Omar El Zohairy (Egypt) Watkins Young Filmmaker Award: Poet Against Prejudice, directed by Faiza Almontaser (USA) Web Series Grand Jury Prize: 24 Hour Records, directed by Brad Cash (USA) Web Series Honorable Mention: HelLA, directed by Rory Uphold (USA) Graveyard Shift Grand Jury Prize for Short Film: Alone, directed by Didier Philippe (France) Graveyard Shift Honorable Mention for Short Film: Primrose Lane, directed by Nick Phillips (USA) Ground Zero Tennessee First Shorts Documentary Award: Muddy Pond, directed by Tyler Jones Ground Zero Tennessee First Short Narrative Award: Trying Not to Explode, directed by Dave Dorsey Tennessee Horizon Audience Award for Best Shorts presented by TN Film, Music & Entertainment Commission and Native Magazine (Nominees – winner announced Thursday, April 23) Contrary to Likeness, directed by Motke Dapp Daddy’s Little Girl, directed by Chad McClarnon Futureman, directed by Patrick Sheehan How I Got Made, directed by Tracy S. Facelli Nashville in Harmony: Ten Years of Using Music to Build Community, directed by Steven C. Knapp Usetocould, directed by Drew Maynard Steven Goldmann Visionary Award: World of Tomorrow, directed by Don Hertzfeldt (USA)
Read more
BLACK PANTHERS Film Wins Best of Fest at 2015 RiverRun International Film Festival

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION directed by Stanley Nelson took home the Audience Award “Best of Fest” at the 17th annual RiverRun International Film Festival which ran April 16 to 26, 2015. In the film, Stanley Nelson weaves together voices from varied perspectives who lived the story of the Black Panther Party, including police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters, and detractors, those who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. AUDIENCE AWARDS The Audience Award “Best of Fest” was presented to: THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION / USA (Director: Stanley Nelson) — Whether they were right or wrong, the Black Panther Party and its leadership remain powerful and enduring figures in our popular imagination even today. Stanley Nelson’s film weaves together voices from varied perspectives who lived this story– police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters, and detractors, those who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. The Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to: ANYWHERE ELSE / Israel / Germany (Director: Ester Amrami) — Noa, an Israeli grad student working on her thesis in Berlin about untranslatable words, returns home to find her family less than enamored with her life choices and struggles to define her connections to both place and family. The Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to: 3 ½ MINUTES / USA (Director: Marc Silver) — This gripping documentary dissects the shooting death of 17-year-old Jordan Davis, the aftermath of this systemic tragedy and contradictions within the American criminal justice system. The Altered States Audience Award for Best Indie was presented to: PROUD CITIZEN / USA (Director: Thomas Southerland) — After winning second place in a play writing contest, a Bulgarian woman travels to small town Kentucky for the premiere of her play. Expecting southern hospitality, she instead finds an America full of dichotomy in this funny, heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking meditation on the comfort (and discomfort) of strangers. NARRATIVE COMPETITION The Best Narrative Feature Award was presented to: MEMORIES ON STONE / Iraq / Germany (Director: Shawkat Amin Korki) — Kurdish childhood friends Hussein and Alan naively resolve to produce a film about the genocide of Kurdish people in Iraq, specifically the Anfal campaign of 1988. They learn that in order to will the film into existence they must put everything on the line–even their own lives. The Peter Brunette Award for Best Director was presented to: Naomi Kawase, STILL THE WATER / Japan / Spain / France Best Actor was presented to: Hussein Hassan MEMORIES ON STONE / Iraq / Germany (Director: Shawkat Amin Korki) Best Actress was presented to: Julieta Diaz, REFUGIADO / Argentina / France / Columbia / Poland (Director: Diego Lerman) Best Cinematography – Narrative Feature was presented to: Yutaka Yamazuki, STILL THE WATER / Japan / Spain / France (Director: Naomi Kawase Best Screenplay was presented to: THE SECOND MOTHER / Brazil (Director: Anna Muylaert) Special Jury Prize for Editing: Ebrahim Saeedi, MEMORIES ON STONE / Iraq / Germany (Director: Shawkat Amin Korki) Honorable Mention for Cinematography: Sara Mishara, FELIX AND MEIRA / Canada (Director: Maxime Giroux) Honorable Mention for Actress: Hadas Yaron, FELIX AND MEIRA / Canada (Director: Maxime Giroux) Honorable Mention for Actor: James ‘Primo’ Grant, FIVE STAR / USA (Director: Keith Miller) DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION Best Documentary Feature : THE CHINESE MAYOR / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Controversial Chinese politician Geng Yanbo demolished 140,000 households and relocated half a million people in order to restore ancient relic walls for the sake of the region’s tourism industry. The film investigates one mayor’s mission to save his city and uncovers the secret workings of China’s Communist Party. Jury statement: “We chose “The Chinese Mayor” as Best Documentary Feature for its incredible level of access, the ambiguity of its story arc, the complexity of Mayor Geng, and its ability to give the audience an inside look at a culture we might not be familiar with.” Best Director — Documentary Feature was presented to: Joshua Oppenheimer for THE LOOK OF SILENCE / Denmark / Finland / Indonesia / Norway / UK — Through Joshua Oppenheimer’s work filming perpetrators of the Indonesian genocide, a family of survivors discovers the identities of the men who killed their son. The youngest brother is determined to break the spell of silence, and so confronts the men responsible for his brother’s murder–something unimaginable in a country where killers remain in power. Jury statement: “We recognize this film for his bold clarity of vision and unflinching commitment to the material. “The Look of Silence” is a remarkable film that bears Oppenheimer’s unmistakable stamp with every choice he makes as a filmmaker.” Special Jury Prize: WELCOME TO LEITH / USA (Co-directors: Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher Walker) — In the tiny town of Leith, North Dakota, notorious white supremacist Craig Cobb is attempting a hostile takeover. Filmed in the days leading up to Cobb’s arrest for terrorizing the townspeople, the film is an eerie document of American DIY ideals. SHORTS COMPETITION Best Documentary Short was presented to: CAILLEACH / UK (Director: Rosie Reed Hillman) — Morag is 86. She lives alone at the end of a track looking out to sea on her croft on the Isle of Harris, Outer Hebrides, with her three cats and twelve sheep. Morag was born in this house and has lived here her whole life, following five generations of the family who came before her. Cailleach is a portrait of Morag and her simple and peaceful life as she contemplates her next chapter, shares her unique sense of independence and the connection she has to her wild island home. As the winner of the jury award for Best Documentary Short, ‘Cailleach’ is now eligible to be considered for a 2016 Academy Award®. Jury statement: “Cailleach” was selected“for its reflective and cinematic portrait of an 86-year-old woman getting on with life no matter the circumstances.” Honorable Mention to the documentary short: NOTES FROM LIBERIA / USA / Liberia (Co-Directors: Ryo Murakami and Judd Ehrlich) — Crafted from footage shot by the late Japanese cinematographer Ryo Murakami on the Firestone Tire and Rubber Plantation in Liberia, the film traces Ryo’s journey from Monrovia, where the traumas of a brutal fifteen-year civil war still simmer beneath the surface, to the remote plantation village of Harbel. Jury statement: “For its poignant investigation of the Firestone rubber plantation in Liberia, the Short Documentary honorable mention goes to “Notes from Liberia” by Judd Ehrlich and the late Ryo Murakami.” Accepting the award is the film’s producer, Takeshi Fukunaga. Best Narrative Short was presented to: THE KÁRMÁN LINE / UK / (Director: Oscar Sharp) — When a mother acquires a rare condition that sees her lift off the ground at a slow but ever increasing rate, her husband and daughter are forced to come to terms with losing her. Jury statement: “Seamlessly transitioning between levity and pathos, we award “The Kármán Line” for its moving and original take on impending loss as seen through the eyes of an ordinary family in an extraordinary situation.” Special Jury Prize was presented to: ÁRTÚN / Iceland / Denmark / (Director: Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson) — A small town boy in Iceland decides to travel to the big city with his friends in search of his first romantic encounter. The city holds more in store for them than they anticipated. Best Student Short: ROTA / USA (Director: Jean-Jacques Martinod) — An abandoned warehouse becomes a surreal theater where men are challenged to risk their lives on stage to a game of chance. Jury statement: “For making us complicit in a bizarre underground world we never asked to be a part of, we award best student short to ‘Rota.’” Best Animated Short was presented to: BEAR STORY / Chile (Director: Gabriel Osorio Vargas) — An old bear goes out every day to a busy street corner. Through a tin marionette theater of his own making, he reveals his extraordinary life story. As the winner of the jury award for Best Animated Short, ‘Bear Story’ is now eligible to be considered for a 2016 Academy Award®. Jury Statement: “With its mechanical tin toy aesthetic and clever take on narrative vs. reality, we and the audience enjoyed the film’s tale of a bears tragic and ultimately heroic life story.” Best Student Animated Short: THE PRESENT / Germany (Director: Jacob Frey) — Jake spends most of his time playing video games indoors, until his mom decides to give him an unexpected present.
Read more