Seeking the next generation of emerging filmmakers, Sundance Institute and Adobe Project 1324 are now accepting filmmaker submissions for the Sundance Ignite Short Film Challenge. Fifteen winners will be selected from narrative and documentary short film submissions to win a career-launching opportunity: a full year of support and mentorship from Sundance Institute, starting with a free trip to attend a specialized program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
For the third year of this program, one- to eight-minute original film submissions will be accepted through September 26 at sundanceignite2018.com. Entries addressing the prompt, “What stories ignite you?” will also be evaluated for technical excellence, demonstration of an original voice, innovative storytelling and strong character or subject development.
On top of an all-expenses-paid trip to the Festival, Sundance Ignite fellows are paired with a Sundance alumni professional for a full year of guidance and development, gaining industry exposure and meaningful mentorship. Past Sundance Ignite mentors include Effie Brown (Dear White People), producer Jason Berman, and Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Coral).
With Sundance Ignite as their launchpad, past fellows have springboarded into opportunities on the festival circuit, film school, and beyond. Past Sundance Ignite Fellows include Charlotte Regan, whose winning submission Standby (Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2016) was nominated for a BAFTA; Kayla Briët, whose short film submission Smoke That Travels was featured in Teen Vogue; and social impact documentary filmmaker Leah Galant (The Provider, Official Selection SXSW 2016).
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Filmmakers: Apply for Sundance Ignite Short Film Challenge
Seeking the next generation of emerging filmmakers, Sundance Institute and Adobe Project 1324 are now accepting filmmaker submissions for the Sundance Ignite Short Film Challenge. Fifteen winners will be selected from narrative and documentary short film submissions to win a career-launching opportunity: a full year of support and mentorship from Sundance Institute, starting with a free trip to attend a specialized program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
For the third year of this program, one- to eight-minute original film submissions will be accepted through September 26 at sundanceignite2018.com. Entries addressing the prompt, “What stories ignite you?” will also be evaluated for technical excellence, demonstration of an original voice, innovative storytelling and strong character or subject development.
On top of an all-expenses-paid trip to the Festival, Sundance Ignite fellows are paired with a Sundance alumni professional for a full year of guidance and development, gaining industry exposure and meaningful mentorship. Past Sundance Ignite mentors include Effie Brown (Dear White People), producer Jason Berman, and Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Coral).
With Sundance Ignite as their launchpad, past fellows have springboarded into opportunities on the festival circuit, film school, and beyond. Past Sundance Ignite Fellows include Charlotte Regan, whose winning submission Standby (Official Selection Toronto International Film Festival 2016) was nominated for a BAFTA; Kayla Briët, whose short film submission Smoke That Travels was featured in Teen Vogue; and social impact documentary filmmaker Leah Galant (The Provider, Official Selection SXSW 2016).
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FILMMAKERS: 2018 Florida Film Festival Now Accepting Entries + Submissions
The 27th Annual Florida Film Festival sponsored by Full Sail University, will take place April 6 to 15, 2018, and is now officially accepted filmmaker entries. Qualified filmmakers can submit their entries through Florida Film Festival’s online entry form on Florida Film Festival website or through Withoutabox.
Competition categories include short films (both narrative and animation), documentary films (both short and feature length), narrative features, and international films (both short and feature length). Awards are determined by a jury of film professionals and by audience ballot.
2018 Florida Film Festival Submission Deadlines
SHORTS DEADLINES Early: October 20, 2017 Late: November 17, 2017 FEATURES DEADLINES Early: November 10, 2017 Late: December 8, 2017 The Florida Film Festival is one of only a handful of film festivals in the world to be accredited as a qualifying festival for the Oscars® in all three short film categories: Live Action, Animation, and Documentary. The winner of the Grand Jury Award in each of these categories will automatically qualify to enter the following year’s Academy Awards®.
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SFFILM Selects 10 Finalists for 2017 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund Grants
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The Feeling of Being Watched[/caption]
SFFILM has selected ten finalists for the 2017 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund which will award $125,000 to support feature-length documentaries in postproduction.
The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund is a partnership with the Jenerosity Foundation and was created to support singular nonfiction film work that is distinguished by compelling stories, intriguing characters and an innovative visual approach. Finalists were selected from more than 300 applicants, and winners will be announced in early September.
The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has an excellent track record for championing important films that have gone on to earn great acclaim. Previous DFF winners include Peter Nicks’s The Force, which won the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award for documentary and SFFILM Festival’s Bay Area Documentary Award, and will be released this fall by Kino Lorber; Peter Bratt’s Dolores, which won the 2017 SFFILM Festival Audience Award for Documentary Feature following its Sundance premiere; Jamie Meltzer’s True Conviction, which won a Special Jury Mention for Documentary Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival; and Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer, which won Sundance’s Directing Award for documentary and was nominated for the 2014 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature; among many others.
Since its launch in 2011, the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has distributed nearly half a million dollars to advance new work by filmmakers nationwide. The 2017 Documentary Film Fund is made possible thanks to an expanded gift from the Jenerosity Foundation.
2017 DOCUMENTARY FILM FUND FINALISTS
The Feeling of Being Watched Assia Boundaoui, director/producer; Jessica Devaney, producer When a filmmaker investigates rumors of surveillance in her Arab-American neighborhood in Chicago, she uncovers one of the largest FBI terrorism probes conducted before 9/11 and reveals its enduring impact on the community. Hale County, This Morning, This Evening RaMell Ross, director; Joslyn Barnes and Su Hyeon Kim, producers What is the experience of coming-of-age in the Black Belt region of the US? This film presents the lives of two young men in a series of visual movements that replace narrative arc with orchestral form. Heaven Through the Back Door Anna Fitch and Banker White, co-director/producers; Sara Dosa, producer Heaven Through the Backdoor is a contemplative documentary that tells the story of Yo (Yolanda Shae), a fiercely independent 88-year old woman whose unique brand of individualist feminism impacts how she chooses to live in the final years of her life. (Former SFFILM FilmHouse Resident) How to Have an American Baby Leslie Tai, director/producer; Jillian Schultz, co-producer There is a city in Southern California that abounds with pregnant women from China. Told through multiple perspectives, How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage behind the closed doors of the Chinese birth tourism industry. (SFFILM FilmHouse Resident, SFFILM fiscally sponsored filmmaker) The Judge Erika Cohn, director/producer; Sara Maamouri, co-producer The Judge provides rare insight into Shari’a law (Islamic law), an often misunderstood legal framework for Muslims, told through the eyes of Kholoud Al-Faqih, the first woman judge to be appointed to the Middle East’s religious courts. (SFFILM fiscally sponsored filmmaker) El Lugar de la Memoria Juan Pablo González, director; Makena Buchanan, Jamie Gonçalves, and Ilana Coleman, producers As economic and social conditions become dire, a wave of suicides among young people disrupts life in a small Mexican town. Through daily rituals and ceremonies amongst the people in this community, El Lugar de la Memoriapresents a reflection on the reconfiguration of rural life in Mexico. A Machine to Live In Yoni Goldstein and Meredith Zielke, co-directors; Sebastian Alvarez, producer; Andrew Benz, co-producer Hovering over what remains of Brazil’s modernist future, this film looks at how social control, rational design, and space-age architecture gave rise to a vast landscape of transcendental and mystical utopias. Midnight Family Luke Lorentzen, director; Kellen Quinn, producer; Daniela Alatorre,and Elena Fortes, co-producers In Mexico City, 16-year-old Juan Ochoa struggles to legitimize his family’s unlicensed ambulance business, as corrupt police in the neighborhood begin to target this cutthroat industry. Pahokee Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan, co-director/producers; Maida Brankman, producer Pahokee, Florida (pop. 6,094): one hour by car across Palm Beach County from the presidential opulence of Mar-a-Lago. Against a backdrop of industrial agriculture and economic isolation, high school students from different racial and cultural backgrounds forge a sense of meaning and community via elaborate and colorful rites of passage. Pigeon Kings Milena Pastreich, director/producer; Michael Sherman and Matthew Perniciaro, producers Keith London, the godfather of Birmingham Rollers, and his mentee, Choo Choo, survive life in South Central LA through their dedication to somersaulting pigeons. image via The Feeling of Being Watched
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RIP: Country Superstar and Documentary “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me” Star Glen Campbell Dead at 81
Glen Campbell, the country and pop superstar and subject of the 2014 documentary, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me, died on Tuesday in Nashville after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 81.
Campbell revealed that he had the disease in June 2011, saying it had been diagnosed six months earlier. He then announced that he was going ahead with a farewell tour later that year in support of his new album, “Ghost on the Canvas.”
What was supposed to be a five-week tour turned into 151 shows over 15 months. Mr. Campbell’s last performance was in Napa, Calif., on Nov. 30, 2012, and by the spring of 2014 he had moved into a long-term care and treatment center near Nashville.
That tour and the way he and his family dealt with the sometimes painful progress of his disease were chronicled in a 2014 documentary, “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” directed by the actor James Keach.
The documentary film features those who know and love Glen, including Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton, The Edge, Paul McCartney, Jay Leno, Vince Gill, Jimmy Webb, Blake Shelton, Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Steve Martin, Chad Smith and Taylor Swift among many others.
In addition to his wife Kimberly Campbell, he is survived by eight children, Debby, Kelli, Travis, Kane, Ashley, Cal, Shannon and Dillon;many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; three sisters, Barbara, Sandra and Jane; and two brothers, John Wallace and Gerald.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAtgraWN5-I
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Matteo Servente’s WE GO ON Wins $10,000 Memphis Film Prize
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Mattteo Servente, director of WE GO ON, Winner 2017 Memphis Film Prize[/caption]
We Go On directed by Matteo Servente was named the winner of the 2nd annual Memphis Film Prize and walked away with the top award of $10,000 cash. In addition to the Memphis Grand Prize of $10,000, the top three films are automatically selected to screen at the Indie Memphis Film Festival in November 1-6.
“This year’s Film Prize films were amazing, so Matteo and the cast and crew of WE GO ON should be incredibly proud to have won our $10,000 prize,” said Gregory Kallenberg, founder and executive director of the Film Prize Foundation. “The Memphis Film Prize has, once again, shown that Memphis is an upcoming indie film capital. We couldn’t be prouder of Matteo and of this city for helping to make this event so successful.”
The Memphis Film Prize, which combines elements of a film contest and festival, invites filmmakers from all over the world to create and present a 5-15 minute short film with just one rule – it must be shot in Shelby County, TN.
“I feel very excited. There were so many other great films, and so I’m very happy that the audience and jurors picked WE GO ON. I want to share this incredible win with my cast, crew, and everybody involved and supported us.” said Matteo Servente, Grand Prize winner of the 2017 Memphis Film Prize. Filmmakers shot their films beginning in February and submitted them in June, when a rough cut of the films were due to contest organizers. From the eligible submissions, ten filmmakers were chosen to participate in the Memphis Film Prize Festival and, through a jury vote and a public vote, competed for a $10,000 cash prize. This year, the rapidly growing event saw more than 700 audience members attend the film festival and participate in the contest, far surpassing last year’s total of 600.
The additional Memphis Film Prize films that will play at Indie Memphis will be Favorites, directed by Tracy Facelli, and The Game directed by Robb Rokk.
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SFFILM Selects Two Filmmaking Teams to Receive Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships
SFFILM has selected two new screenwriting teams to receive Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships, which will support the development of their narrative feature screenplays. Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships are funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of their support of programs that cultivate and champion films exploring scientific or technological themes and characters. Under the auspices of its Artist Development program, SFFILM fellowships are awarded to filmmakers developing screenplays that tell stories related to science or technology.
SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships are awarded twice annually, and each includes a $35,000 cash grant and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s suite of production offices for local and visiting independent filmmakers. Fellows will gain free office space alongside access to weekly consulting services and professional development opportunities. SFFILM will connect each fellow to a science advisor with expertise in the scientific or technological subjects at the center of their screenplays, as well as leaders in the Bay Area’s science and technology communities. In addition to the residency and grant, SFFILM’s Artist Development team will offer industry introductions to producers and casting, financing, and creative advisors—investing in fellows from early script development stages through to release. Additional filmmaker support programs include the SFFILM / Rainin Filmmaking Grant, the Documentary Film Fund and full-year FilmHouse residencies.
“We greatly value the partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to support narrative filmmakers with science-related projects in development,” said SFFILM Director of Artist Development Caroline von Kühn. “With so many significant leaders in science and technology right here in our back yard in the Bay Area, we have a great opportunity to bring that talent into play to deepen these projects at this crucial early stage. Both Bell and Dark Web have first time narrative writer/director teams whose commitment to story and integrity to the sciences represent the type of work we intend to come through this program.”
”We are delighted to partner with SFFILM in awarding these two Sloan Science in Cinema Fellowships to Bell and Dark Web, two outstanding scripts about the role of technology in society, one from the 19th century and one that is totally contemporary,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. ”In a year that saw two successful Sloan-supported projects about female scientists and engineers—Hidden Figures and Bombshell: The Hedy Lamar Story—we are especially pleased that Bell, recipient of a previous Sloan grant, is written by two women and re-examines a great man of science through the lens of the key women in his life.”
Bell
Darcy Brislin and Dyana Winkler, co-writers
From the controversy surrounding his invention of the telephone to his lesser-known work with eugenics, this is the untold story of famed inventor Alexander Graham Bell, whose love for his deaf wife changed the course of history, both for the better and for the worse.
Currently based in Los Angeles, Darcy Brislin is a freelance writer and producer. She is the recipient of a number of fellowships, including the 2016 Sundance / Sloan Commissioning Grant, the 2017 Sundance Screenwriting Lab, the Kenyon Playwrights Conference, and the 20/20/20 Killer Films Residency lead by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler. Her feature screenplay Crown Chasers is in development at UTA, with Maria Bello attached to produce. She is currently assisting director Ondi Timoner on the production of Mapplethorpe, a biopic about the acclaimed photographer, starring Matt Smith and John Benjamin Hickey.
Dyana Winkler is a freelance filmmaker who produces, directs, shoots, edits, and writes for hire in Brooklyn, NY. Clients include JP Morgan Chase, Under Armour, the US Open, Outside Television, TV on the Radio, and more. Her most recent fiction screenplay, Bell, was awarded the 2016 Sundance / Sloan Commissioning grant and participated in the 2017 Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab. Her first feature length documentary, United Skates, is currently in postproduction and has received awards from the Sundance Institute, IFP, Chicken & Egg Pictures, Film Independent, The Fledgling Fund, New York State Council on the Arts, and California Humanities.
“We’re thrilled to complete the writing process of Bell with the support and guidance of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and SFFILM,” said Brislin and Winkler in a statement. “We couldn’t think of a more inspiring community than San Francisco, as it has both creativity and technology at its heart.”
Dark Web
Mark Eaton and Ron Najor, co-writers
In Dark Web, an IT specialist is forced to go off the grid in order to stay alive after she is manipulated into hacking and exploiting a large software company.
Mark Eaton is a writer and director who got his start creating imaginative Super 8mm short films. He has written and directed commercials and music videos for a number of artists and brands including Blink-182, Tom DeLonge, Angels & Airwaves, Against Me, Good Old War, Macbeth Footwear, and James Coffee Co., bringing a careful balance of spirit and design to their collaborations. Eaton’s passion for visual narratives continued, directing the feature documentary Start the Machine and producing the independent sci-fi feature film Love. His feature script Dark Web was selected to be part of the Film Independent Screenwriting Labs in 2016.
Ron Najor’s first production was the feature film I Am Not a Hipster, which was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. He next produced the film Short Term 12, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at SXSW in 2013. The film appeared on over 30 top-ten lists in 2013 and garnered a Gotham Award for Best Actress for Brie Larson and a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Editing. Najor’s feature script Dark Web was selected to be part of the Film Independent Screenwriting Labs in 2016.
“We are thrilled that our script for Dark Web has been selected for the SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowship, especially during this crucial time in the project’s development,” said Eaton and Najor in a statement. “As Dark Web is a technology-based story set in the Bay Area, the opportunity to further the project while living and working there will be invaluable to us.”
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THE DIVINE ORDER is Switzerland’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER
The Divine Order directed by Petra Volpe has been selected by Switzerland as the country’s official entry in the Foreign Language Film category of the 90th Academy Awards.
The period dramedy set in 1971 about the fight for women’s suffrage in Switzerland screened earlier this year at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Audience Narrative Award, the Nora Ephron Prize for Petra Volpe, and Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film for Marie Leuenberger.
1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother, living in a quaint little village with her husband and their two sons. The Swiss countryside is untouched by the major social upheavals the movement of 1968 has brought about. Nora’s life is not affected either; she is a quiet person who is liked by everybody – until she starts to publicly fight for women’s suffrage, which the men are due to vote on in a ballot on February 7, 1971.
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IFP’s Announces 27th Gotham Independent Film Awards Ceremony 2017 Dates
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), yesterday announced that the 27th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards will take place this year at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on Monday, November 27th, 2017.
The Gothams provide critical early recognition to worthy independent films and their writers, directors, producers, and actors. The top Gotham category winners in 2016 included Moonlight (Best Feature), O.J.: Made in America (Best Documentary), Casey Affleck (Best Actor, Manchester by the Sea), Isabelle Huppert (Best Actress, Elle), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Breakthrough Series – Long Form), and Her (Breakthrough Series – Short Form).
Submissions open August 1 in eight of the competitive categories: Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay, Breakthrough Actor, Breakthrough Series Long Form and the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award.
The deadline for submissions is September 14th 2017.
Nominees will be announced on October 19th and winners of the 27th Gotham Independent Film Awards will be honored at a star-studded ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on November 27th.
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IFP Announces 2017 IFP Week Series Lineup of Over 35 Projects
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) today announced over 35 television, digital, web and app-based series to be presented at the 39th annual IFP Week, taking place September 17 to 21, 2017 in Brooklyn.
The slate for IFP’s Project Forum includes both scripted and non-fiction series (limited, mini and full-season series) in all formats and genres. Presented projects include series from veteran and new creators, with 70% of works at the scripted/early development stage and 30% with independently shot pilots. Of the series featured, 51% are made by women and overall, 74% of the series are made by diverse creative teams. IFP’s Project Forum is the United States’ only international co-production market featuring stories for all platforms.
“Our serialized content slate this year is both provocative and political,” says IFP Executive Director Joana Vicente. “In this changing technological and artistic landscape, it is imperative to become more platform agnostic as an organization. While we’ve always helped those with bold, controversial and risk-taking stories to tell, we are particularly focused this year on giving voice to those artists no matter what medium the message takes.”
The 2017 IFP Week Serialized Content slate is as follows:
SCRIPTED LONG-FORM SERIES
America 1979 written and produced by Lila Yomtoob. Each season, this anthology series follows a different household or community through a different year, re-telling contemporary American history through the eyes of its people. (Historical Fiction) Angry Black Women written, produced and executive produced by HaJ Chenzira-Pinnock and Dahéli Hall. The journey of two Angry Black Women tired of being labeled as ‘Angry Black Women’ living in a world that makes them angry. (Comedy) Barker Street Boys written by Perry Janes. Three boys in Detroit, Michigan, find a body–and a mystery–in a locally foreclosed house. (Drama) Birds of Paradise written and directed by Lauren Fritz. In the near future, a rental agency specializes in the unusual task of providing professional “stand ins” to assume the identities of loved ones in their client’s life. (Dark Comedy) Camp Abercorn written by Jeffrey Simon and Meg Grgurich, produced by Jeffrey Simon, Meg Grgurich and Matthew Andrews, directed and executive produced by Jeffrey Simon. When a national discrimination case rains down on the Compass Guides of America, the staff of Camp Abercorn find themselves divided. Will the bonds of brotherhood be enough to keep this motley family from falling apart? (Coming of Age) The Commons written, directed and executive produced by Laura E. Davis. In a world without disease, an agent for the Sustainability Program—which enforces compulsory suicide at age 65—wrestles with her role after the system begins to show cracks. (Drama/Sci-Fi) Country of the Blind written by Keir Politz. The violent death of a listener thrusts a talk radio personality deep into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens his family, and leads him to confront a force of evil that far exceeds his wildest fantasies. (Thriller) Demons written by Juliet Lashinsky-Revene. Demons chronicles the true story of the couple that set off the Satanic Panic of the 1980’s, one of the biggest witch hunts in world history. (Based on a True Story) Fortune Bay written and executive produced by Robin Hayes and Tiphanie Yanique. In the Virgin Islands, the social position of Captain Owen Arthur Bradshaw and his multiracial family are impacted by intrigue and events in American history. (Drama) The Gentrifiers written by Philip Aceto, Du’Bois A’Keen and Jared Goodman, produced, executive produced and directed by Jared Goodman. The Gentrifiers follows the ups and downs of five intersecting characters living and working in a rapidly changing urban neighborhood. (Dark Comedy) Giving Up written, directed and produced by Kris Lefcoe, executive produced by Kris Lefcoe and David Wain. A sad comedy about a New York couple facing their own deadline to either ‘make it’ or give up their dreams. (Dark Comedy) The Mission written by Benedict Moran and Marie-Marguerite Sabongui, produced by Chris Agoston and Marie-Marguerite Sabongui. An idealistic Canadian diplomat tries to make a difference but must first navigate the eccentric characters and impossible clusterfuck that make up international diplomacy. (Comedy) The Nation written, directed and produced by Jon Kauffman. The real story behind the first Native American casino and the unlikely tribe that carved this billion-dollar kingdom out of a swamp. (Drama) Rollers written and produced by Isaiah Smallman. Rollers follows the hilarious and painful journey of Rufus and Brian Paisley, the co-owners of a well-loved, but struggling roller skating rink slash concert venue. (Comedy) Same Sex written, directed and executive produced by Sophie Webb, produced by Amelia Roper and Sophie Webb. A down on her luck and lonely heterosexual woman tries to become a lesbian in a desperate attempt to find a place for herself in the world. (Dark Comedy) Winterovers written by Nilanjana Bose-Ciupinska and Jakub Ciupinski, produced by Jakub Ciupinski. In the dark polar night of an Antarctic winter, a group of scientists inhabiting a remote research station discover a perplexing anomaly in a nearby lake, setting in motion series of events that upend their lives and notion of reality. (Sci-Fi)SCRIPTED SHORT FORM SERIES
Aeris directed by Lukas Huffman, produced by Amy Zhang. Teenage female snowboarders fight for a spot on the Olympic team and struggle to define themselves within a male dominated sport. (Drama) Anamnesis written, directed and produced by Alex Calleros and Michael Tucker. A group of strangers realize they’re able to share each other’s dreams. To understand why, they’ll have to find each other in the real world. (Sci-Fi) Brazen written by Emilie Valentin, directed by Sarah Saidan, produced by Priscilla Bertin, Arnaud Colinart and Judith Nora. Whoever they were and wherever they came from, those Brazen ladies were out to tear down prejudice. (Animation) Campfire Poetry directed by Guilherme Araujo, Jon Boutin, Neely Goniodsky, Alicja Jasina and Tess Martin, produced and executive produced by Max Rothman. A collection of animated short films, dance videos, photographs, paintings, and immersive virtual reality experiences based on poems from the early 20th century and prior. (Animation) Caught in the Web written and directed by Stian Hafstad. Set inside the Internet, Caught in the Web is a behind-the-screens comedy that explores the inner workings of the world wide web. (Comedy) Cleaner Daze written by Daniel Gambelin and Tess Sweet, produced by Daniel Gambelin and Cheryl Isaacson, directed and executive produced by Tess Sweet. A newbie drug rehab counselor struggles to wrangle a misfit crew of teenage drug addicts while secretly battling her own addiction. (Dark Comedy) NowQuest written and directed by New Media Ltd, executive produced by Davey Spens. Two teenagers traveling the universe for 10,000 years must sober up and negotiate humanity’s fate. (Sci-Fi) Trip written and directed by Nick Borenstein, produced by Brady Leifer. When a family road trip goes awry, the Greenblatt’s start to unravel, as seen through each of their differing perspectives. (Dark Comedy) Utilities Not Included written, produced and executive produced by Jessica Mazza, Robert Moxley and Brian Petersen, directed by Jessica Mazza. Two jaded Brooklyn hipsters lease their spare room at double the rate to a clingy Midwestern girl whose personality creates havoc to the household dynamic. (Comedy)NON-FICTION LONG FORM SERIES
Cumari: Rainforest to Table directed and produced by Patricia FInneran. Latin America’s chefs pair traditional Amazonian food with urban haute cuisine; culinary fusion meets cultural healing in a truly unique gastronomic adventure. Finding the Werewolf directed by Georgina Gonzalez and Rodrigo Iturralde and produced by Alejandro Duran. A real-life werewolf faces the challenges of being different and empowers others, including his fellow millions of immigrants in the U.S. during the Trump era. Frameworks directed by Charlie Hoxie and executive produced by Aziz Isham and BRIC TV. A city is a sum of its stories. Happy Jail directed by Michele Josue, produced by Carlo Velayo, and executive produced by Arleen McGlade, Linda Karn, and Liam McNiff. Amidst a brutal drug war, ex-convict Marco Toral struggles to keep the Philippines’ most famous jail from falling apart. Mother America directed by Erik Shirai and produced by Masako Tsumura. A documentary series that explores the social fabric of America through the lens of five mothers as they navigate the varied and extreme circumstances that life has thrown at them. Selfies directed and written by Gregory Scott Williams, Jr.; produced by Gregory Scott Williams, Jr. and Seith Mann; and executive produced by Seith Mann, Gregory Scott Williams, Jr., and Germaine Williams, PhD. Using their social media content as a foundation, Selfies constructs portraits of disparate teens from different countries in search of common experiences, challenges and triumphs.NON-FICTION SHORT FORM SERIES
Exposed directed by Dara Kell, produced by Dara Kell and Julie Trébault, and executive produced by Julie Trébault. Exposed tells the stories of artists forced into exile because of their work. Life in America brings adventure and alienation, disappointment and new directions. Fanwei directed by Jessica Kingdon and produced by Kira Simon-Kennedy. An observational trilogy about the global effects of production, consumerism, and waste in China. I Lived: Brooklyn directed by Jonathan Nelson, written by Danielle Andersen, produced by Jonathan Nelson and Danielle Andersen, and executive produced by Jonathan Nelson. In short-form, character-driven episodes, long-time Brooklyn residents offer personal insights and uncommon access into their rapidly changing neighborhoods. Manimal directed and written by Maral Satari and produced by Cecilia Delgado. Similar in style to animal documentaries, Manimal studies how modern man behaves in his natural habitat: the city. Tea Time with Alex directed by Alex Hopkins and Brent Edwards, produced by Alex Hopkins, and executive produced by Alysse Campbell. Tea Time with Alex is our response to HB2, meant to educate on transgender topics with a dash of sass. Though based in NC, it was in Seattle that Alex was first harassed in a bathroom. Trans discrimination is worldwide. Let’s solve it over tea! Waking Dream directed by Theo Rigby and produced by Rebekah Fergusson. Young. Undocumented. Future Unknown. With immigration enforcement on the rise, five young undocumented people with a tenuous protection from deportation strive for their dreams. image via Facebook
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13 Film Projects to Receive Funding from Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund
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Félicité[/caption]
13 film projects including Berlin Film Festival award winning Felicité by Alain Gomis, have been recommended for funding at the 26th jury session of the Berlinale’s World Cinema Fund (WCF).
Five film projects from Bangladesh, Palestine, Brazil, Afghanistan and Uruguay were nominated for production funding. In the additional WCF Europe funding program, four projects from Tunisia, Brazil, Argentina and Egypt were nominated for production funding. In the special program WCF Africa, two projects from South Africa and Sudan / South Africa were nominated for funding.
Two films were nominated for distribution funding in Germany, including Felicité by Alain Gomis, which was awarded the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at the Berlinale 2017.
The latest funding recommendations also include projects by Berlinale Talents alumni, as well as projects that were once in search of co-producers and so participated in the Berlinale Co-Production Market.
Production Funding WCF
The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, director: Muayad Alayan (Palestine), Production: PalCine Productions (Palestine) and Manderley Films GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 50.000 euros. Director Muayad Alayan is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016). Iron Stream, director: Kamar Ahmad Simon (Bangladesh), Production: Beginning Film (Bangladesh) and Weydemann Bros. (Germany). Feature Film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Director Kamar Ahmad Simon is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012). The Fever, director: Maya da Rin (Brazil). Production: Enquadramento Produçoes (Brazil), Still Moving (France) and Komplizen Film (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Thus Spoke the Money Changer, director: Federico Veiroj (Uruguay). Production: Oriental Features (Uruguay) Pandora Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 48.500 euros. The Orphanage, director: Shahrbanoo Sadat (Afghanistan). Production: Wolf Pictures (Afghanistan) and Adomeit Films (Germany / Denmark). Feature Film. Funding: 60.000 euros.WCF Europe
Weldi, director: Mohamed Ben Attia (Tunisia), Production: Nomadis Images (Tunisia) and Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. Director Mohamed Ben Attia received the GWFF Best First Feature Award for his feature debut Inhebbek Hedi which was shown in competition at the Berlinale 2016. Overgod, director: Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil). Production: Desvia (Brazil) and Snowglobe (Denmark). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 euros. The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2015). Muere, Monstruo, Muere!, director: Alejandro Fadel (Argentina). Production: La Unión de los Ríos (Argentina) and Rouge International (France). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 euros. The project was chosen for Berlinale Co-Production Market (2017). Amal, director: Mohamed Siam (Egypt), Production: Artkhana (Egypt) and Andolfi Films (France). Documentary. Funding: 30.000 €. Director Mohamed Siam is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2012).WCF Africa
A Kasha, director: Hajooj Kuka (Sudan) Production: Big World Cinema (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 40.000 €. Director Hajooj Kuka is an alumnus of Berlinale Talents (2016). Sew the Winter to my Skin, director: Jahmil X.T (South Africa). Production: Spier Moving (South Africa). Feature film. Funding: 60.000 €.WCF Distribution Funding in Germany
Felicité Director: Alain Gomis (Senegal / France). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 10.000 €. Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix at Berlinale 2017 German release: August 31, 2017 Frenzy (original title: Abluka) Director: Emin Alper (Turkey). Distribution: Grandfilm (Germany). Feature film. Funding: 5.500 €. German release: October 18, 2017
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7 African Films Win Durban FilmMart Awards 2017
The Durban FilmMart (DFM), the industry development program of the Durban Film Office and Durban International Film Festival ended on a high note with the awards ceremony at the Tsogo Maharani Hotel in Durban, South Africa on Monday, July 17.
“The DFM is one of the most important film finance platforms and industry events on the African continent, and this year’s eighth edition has certainly been our biggest.” said Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office. “We hosted over 600 delegates with over 30 countries participating in this year’s market; 17 of which were from Africa. We are thrilled that we have had a record number of 70 projects presenting at this year’s finance forum.”
Central to the Durban FilmMart have been the networking sessions and meetings held over four days between delegates comprising filmmakers, producers, distributors, agents, broadcasters and film funders and government agencies.
This year 22 official DFM film projects in development were presented at the Finance Forum through the partnership with Cinemart and IDFA, Netherlands.
The 2017 Durban FilmMartAwards/Grants:
The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Lobola: A Bride’s True Price (South Africa, Producer: Sarah Basyouny, Director: Sihle Hlophe) with an opportunity to attend the IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November. The broadcast stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa on a weekly basis, gave a €3000 grant to Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Sam Soko. The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell. The project is given an opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, is a five-day training and networking event for producers from all over the world. Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes), awarded the fiction film Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell an opportunity to attend its developmental workshop program, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks. Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African Film Project” to the Dabulaphu (The Short Cut), Producers Zikethiwe Ngcobo, David Max Brown, Director Norman Maake. They receive a prize valued at R75 000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment. Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants will develop publicity material and advise on publicity profiling through the development two projects: Womxn: Working (South Africa), Producer Tiny Mungwe and Director Shanelle Jewnarain, and Richard Was Here (South Africa), Producer: Akona Matyila and Director: Jack Chiang. Sørfond awarded the project Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Soko Sam with an opportunity to pitch at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year. CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Programme award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went to Mary Ann Mandishona for Mamba Kazi – African Warrior Queens.
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RIP: “Ed Wood” Actor Martin Landau Dead at 89
Academy Award-wining actor Martin Landau, who won an Oscar for playing Bela Lugosi in the movie “Ed Wood,” died Saturday. He was 89.
Landau died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles following “unexpected complications during a short hospitalization,” his publicist Dick Guttman said in a statement.
Landau recently starred opposite Paul Sorvino in The Last Poker Game, which premiered at this year’s 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
“The Last Poker Game’ follows Dr. Abe Mandelbaum (Martin Landau), who has just moved into a new manor with his ailing wife. After forming an unlikely friendship with a womanizing gambler (Paul Sorvino), their relationship is tested when they each try to convince a mysterious nurse (Maria Dizzia) that they are her long-lost father.”
A documentary about his life, An Actor’s Actor: The Life of Martin Landau, is reportedly in the works.