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A. Sayeeda Moreno and Micah Shaffer Win $15,000 to Develop Feature Screenplay for “White” Which Explores Racial Issues and Climate Change
A. Sayeeda Moreno and Micah Shaffer A. Sayeeda Moreno and Micah Shaffer have been selected to receive this year’s $15,000 San Francisco Film Society / Hearst Screenwriting Grant for development of their script White. The SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant is awarded in the fall of each year to writers residing in the United States who have been practicing for at least five years and who have previously written a minimum of one feature screenplay.
“It’s an honor to receive the Hearst Screenwriting Grant, and we are thrilled to be partnering with the San Francisco Film Society at this stage of making our movie,” said Moreno. “The Filmmaker360 program has a great track record of supporting innovative films that advance our collective dialogue, so we’re excited to be in such good company!”
A. Sayeeda Moreno is a proud native New Yorker, dedicated to the art of directing. Her short film White, funded by ITVS for Futurestates.tv, is also on PBS.org. White screened at SXSW, Tribeca, and BAMcinemaFest, with Precious at the Tri-Continental Film Festival and with Spike Lee’s Crooklyn at the Brooklyn Bridge Film Series. Clarke’s award-winning short Sin Salida aired on HBO/HBOLatino for two years. Her short The Grey Woman premiered at Lincoln Center and won the Hallmark short film competition. Clarke received an MFA in Film from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where she was a Dean’s Fellow. She is a Film Independent Fellow for her collaborative screenplay I’m Not Down and is currently developing the feature version of White.
Micah Shaffer is a writer, filmmaker, and educator whose work focuses on forging unexpected connections between people and finding humanity in unforeseen places. Shaffer’s first feature documentary Death of Two Sons was awarded the HBO “Life Through Your Lens” Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award and was distributed through Netflix. Shaffer then attended the MFA program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he wrote and directed several short narrative films. Shaffer has written three feature screenplays, including On the Wall, which was a finalist for an Alfred P. Sloan screenwriting award and a selection at Independent Film Week’s Emerging Narrative Forum. He recently completed a fellowship at the Cinema Research Institute, where he is studying the future of the cross-border financing and coproduction of independent film.
White
It’s another sweltering 120-degree winter day with five more days to Christmas and hot is the only season left. The best protection from the sun remains the naturally occurring melanin in one’s skin. Like many valuable natural resources, in this future it is coveted, extracted, bought, sold and stolen. Bato, who is black, enters into a race against time to save his daughter as he is forced to bargain with the new currency of this world.Recent Filmmaker360 success stories include Short Term 12, Destin Cretton’s sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler’s debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin’s debut phenomenon which won Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize and Cannes’ Camera d’Or in 2012, earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and became an indie box office smash.
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8 Doc Shorts On Oscar’s 2014 Shortlist
Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of GraceThe Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 87th Academy Awards® has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar® nominations.
The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” Perry Films
“Joanna,” Wajda Studio
“Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace,” Show of Force
“The Lion’s Mouth Opens,” Tree Tree Tree
“One Child,” New York University
“Our Curse,” Warsaw Film School
“The Reaper (La Parka),” Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica
“White Earth,” Weary TravelerThe 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Neil Patrick Harris to Host 2015 Oscars
Actor Neil Patrick Harris will host the 87th Oscars®, scheduled to air live on ABC on Oscar® Sunday, February 22, 2015. “It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards. I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” said Harris. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.”
“We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President. “He is the consummate entertainer. Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”
“Neil is a terrific actor, singer, risk-taker and collaborator,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “We can’t wait to see the show that he and Craig and Neil create together.”
A triple-threat performer, Harris has enjoyed a successful career in entertainment. He can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed feature film, “Gone Girl.” Harris garnered multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Barney Stinson on the hit television series, “How I Met Your Mother,” and he won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on “Glee” in 2010. He also recently starred in the title role of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway, earning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Harris served as host of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th Tony Awards, for which he won four Emmys. Most recently, Harris added the title of author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his autobiography from Crown Publishing, “Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography.”
The last two Oscars telecasts, which were produced by Zadan and Meron, received a major spike in the ratings. The 86th Oscars was TV’s most-watched entertainment event in 10 years and attracted the biggest viewership since 2000, with more than 45 million viewers. The show resulted in dramatic gains in younger demos and social media conversation, with more than one billion impressions generated on Twitter and 25 million interactions happening on Facebook on Oscar Sunday. Additionally, the star-studded “selfie” became the most retweeted photo of all time with 32.8 million views.
The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 4 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Robert Redford to be Honored with 42nd Annual Chaplin Award
Robert Redford, Academy Award–winning director, actor, producer, environmentalist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival and Institute, will be honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the 42nd Annual Chaplin Award Gala held at Lincoln Center on Monday, April 27, 2015.
“The Board is thrilled to have Robert Redford as the next recipient of the Chaplin Award,” said Ann Tenenbaum, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Board Chairman. “Not only is he an internationally known and loved actor, director, and producer, but perhaps no other single artist has done more to champion the work of independent filmmakers. This makes him a truly distinguished honoree—the Film Society, the New York Film Festival, and the film world in general are immensely richer because of his contributions.”
Born in 1936 in Santa Monica, Redford began his career in New York in 1959 appearing as a guest star on several TV shows, including The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and that year also marked his Broadway debut in Tall Story (1959), followed by roles in The Highest Tree (1959), Sunday in New York (1961), and his biggest Broadway success as the newlywed husband in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (1963). He also earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Voice of Charlie Pont in 1963, followed by one of his last television appearances on Breaking Point.
Redford made his screen debut in War Hunt (1962), which also marked the directorial debut of Sydney Pollack, and the first of several collaborations between the two. He won his first Golden Globe award for Inside Daisy Clover (1965), in which he played a bisexual movie star who weds Natalie Wood. He worked with the actress again in Pollack’s This Property Is Condemned(1966), and that same year, he starred in Arthur Penn’s The Chase opposite Jane Fonda, with whom he would later reteam with for the movie version of Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Pollack’s The Electric Horseman (1979).
Playing alongside Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Redford launched to superstardom, and throughout the following two decades he further cemented his role within film history playing iconic characters in such films asJeremiah Johnson (1972), The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973), the Oscar-nominated The Sting (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), All the President’s Men (1976), The Natural (1984) and Out of Africa (1985), winner of seven Academy Awards.
Redford’s impressive career also extends behind the camera. He made his directorial debut with the Academy Award–winningOrdinary People, followed by The Milagro Beanfield War (1987), A River Runs Through It (1992), Quiz Show (1994), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and The Company You Keep (2012), among others.
He was the recipient of the 1997 National Medal for the Arts by President Clinton. In 2001 he was honored with the Freedom in Film Award presented by the First Amendment Center, and in 2002 received the Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts: Lifetime Achievement Award. In December 2005, Redford accepted the Kennedy Center Honors for his “distinguished achievement in the performing arts and in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the life of our country.” Most recently, Redford received the Legion d’Honneur medal, France’s highest recognition, from President Nicolas Sarkozy on October 14, 2010.
Redford starred in last year’s New York Film Festival selection All Is Lost, and just completed production on A Walk in the Woods, based on Bill Bryson’s memoir and co-starring Nick Nolte. It is scheduled for release in 2015. He is now shooting Truthwith Cate Blanchett. The film is based on the book Truth and Duty by Mary Mapes.
The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 and honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has been renamed for Chaplin, and has honored many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Catherine Deneuve, Barbra Streisand and, last year, Rob Reiner.
image via flickr
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Compelling Drama “Diplomatie” (Diplomacy)
In late August 1944, the Allies were advancing on German-occupied Paris. General von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup) the military governor of Paris (a position he held less than three weeks before the events of the film begin) is given orders to destroy Paris and abandon the city. He enlists a French engineer named Jacques Lanvin (Jean-Marc Roulot) to develop a plan to destroy Paris. Lanvin proposes blowing up the city’s many bridges to cause the Seine to flood, which would destroy the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and the Opera. The remaining city monuments – including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Parliament – would be destroyed by explosives. Ironically, Choltitz points out to Lanvin that Paris is Hitler’s favorite city. “So why destroy it?” Lanvin asks. Choltitz responds, “Hitler wanted Berlin to be as beautiful as Paris, and bigger. Now, four years later, Berlin is in ruins, while Paris is as glorious as ever, see? It’s unbearable for him.”
Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier) – who was born and raised in Paris – sneaks into Cholititz’s headquarters and tries to persuade him from destroying the city. Though Choltitz at first dismisses Nordling’s efforts as futile, by appealing to Choltitz’s better nature and his deep-seeded doubts that Germany can win Nordling begins to get through to Coltitz. However, Nordling soon learns that Coltitz fears for something greater than his own life if he does not fulfill the Fuhrer’s orders to destroy Paris are not fulfilled.
Diplomacy is adapted for the screen from the play by Cyril Gely and the film’s director, Volker Schlöndorff. The stage origins of Diplomacy are obvious – most of the narrative is a two-man show between Choltitz and Nordling, and both actors convey the intense emotion of the weight of history as the debate over the city’s future lies in the balance. Naturally, viewers know that Paris and its monuments remain until this day, but Schlöndorff (who has been directing films for more than half a century) focuses on the dramatic proceedings that led Paris to safety. Like most great play adaptations, the power of the film is in its dialogue. What the film adds that the play would lack on stage is the beautiful shots of Paris’ monuments and the evocative score composed by Jörg Lemberg.
What Diplomacy primarily offers is two great European actors (both Arestrup and Dussollier are three-time César Award winners) sparing in one of the most monumental decisions in modern European history. Anyone who has an appreciation for history or for effective dramatic acting will be enthralled by the performances by both men. Of course, if an 84 minute play adaptation based on historical events in German isn’t your thing, you might want to overlook Diplomacy. Despite its wartime setting there are no battles depicted – or any action, for that matter – nor any semblance of romance except for Nordling’s love for Paris. Yet all the ingredients for compelling drama are here – making Diplomacy an excellent film for both history and theater buffs.
Review Rating: 4 out of 5 : See it …… It’s Very Good
Diplomacy opens in New York City on Wednesday, October 15 and Los Angeles on Friday, November 7.
http://youtu.be/rO6jcH5khvE
Credits
Directed by Volker Schlöndorff
Written by Cyril Gély, Volker Schlöndorff,
based on the play by Cyril Gély
Cinematography Michel AmathieuCast
André Dussollier (Consul Raoul Nordling)
Niels Arestrup (General Dietrich von Choltitz)
Burghart Klaußner (Major Ebernach)
Robert Stadlober (Leutnant Bressensdorf)
Charlie Nelson (Concierge)
Jean-Marc Roulot (Jacques Lanvin)
Stefan Wilkening (Unteroffizier Mayer)
Thomas Arnold (Oberleutnant Hegger)
Lucas Prisor (SS-Officer, Obersturmführer)
Attila Borlan (SS-Officer)Film Info
2014
84 mins
Color
France/Germany
In French and German
DCP
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Rating: Not Rated
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83 Countries In Competition For 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar
A record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants.
The 2014 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “A Few Cubic Meters of Love,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Argentina, “Wild Tales,” Damián Szifrón, director;
Australia, “Charlie’s Country,” Rolf de Heer, director;
Austria, “The Dark Valley,” Andreas Prochaska, director;
Azerbaijan, “Nabat,” Elchin Musaoglu, director;
Bangladesh, “Glow of the Firefly,” Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;
Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;
Bolivia, “Forgotten,” Carlos Bolado, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “With Mom,” Faruk Lončarevič, director;
Brazil, “The Way He Looks,” Daniel Ribeiro, director;
Bulgaria, “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Ivan Nitchev, director;
Canada, “Mommy,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “To Kill a Man,” Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;
China, “The Nightingale,” Philippe Muyl, director;
Colombia, “Mateo,” María Gamboa, director;
Costa Rica, “Red Princesses,” Laura Astorga Carrera, director;
Croatia, “Cowboys,” Tomislav Mršić, director;
Cuba, “Conducta,” Ernesto Daranas Serrano, director;
Czech Republic, “Fair Play,” Andrea Sedláčková, director;
Denmark, “Sorrow and Joy,” Nils Malmros, director;
Dominican Republic, “Cristo Rey,” Leticia Tonos, director;
Ecuador, “Silence in Dreamland,” Tito Molina, director;
Egypt, “Factory Girl,” Mohamed Khan, director;
Estonia, “Tangerines,” Zaza Urushadze, director;
Ethiopia, “Difret,” Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, director;
Finland, “Concrete Night,” Pirjo Honkasalo, director;
France, “Saint Laurent,” Bertrand Bonello, director;
Georgia, “Corn Island,” George Ovashvili, director;
Germany, “Beloved Sisters,” Dominik Graf, director;
Greece, “Little England,” Pantelis Voulgaris, director;
Hong Kong, “The Golden Era,” Ann Hui, director;
Hungary, “White God,” Kornél Mundruczó, director;
Iceland, “Life in a Fishbowl,” Baldvin Zophoníasson, director;
India, “Liar’s Dice,” Geetu Mohandas, director;
Indonesia, “Soekarno,” Hanung Bramantyo, director;
Iran, “Today,” Reza Mirkarimi, director;
Iraq, “Mardan,” Batin Ghobadi, director;
Ireland, “The Gift,” Tom Collins, director;
Israel, “Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, directors;
Italy, “Human Capital,” Paolo Virzì, director;
Japan, “The Light Shines Only There,” Mipo O, director;
Kosovo, “Three Windows and a Hanging,” Isa Qosja, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains,” Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, director;
Latvia, “Rocks in My Pockets,” Signe Baumane, director;
Lebanon, “Ghadi,” Amin Dora, director;
Lithuania, “The Gambler,” Ignas Jonynas, director;
Luxembourg, “Never Die Young,” Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, “To the Hilt,” Stole Popov, director;
Malta, “Simshar,” Rebecca Cremona, director;
Mauritania, “Timbuktu,” Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Mexico, “Cantinflas,” Sebastián del Amo, director;
Moldova, “The Unsaved,” Igor Cobileanski, director;
Montenegro, “The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street,” Nikola Vukčević, director;
Morocco, “The Red Moon,” Hassan Benjelloun, director;
Nepal, “Jhola,” Yadav Kumar Bhattarai, director;
Netherlands, “Accused,” Paula van der Oest, director;
New Zealand, “The Dead Lands,” Toa Fraser, director;
Norway, “1001 Grams,” Bent Hamer, director;
Pakistan, “Dukhtar,” Afia Nathaniel, director;
Palestine, “Eyes of a Thief,” Najwa Najjar, director;
Panama, “Invasion,” Abner Benaim, director;
Peru, “The Gospel of the Flesh,” Eduardo Mendoza, director;
Philippines, “Norte, the End of History,” Lav Diaz, director;
Poland, “Ida,” Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
Portugal, “What Now? Remind Me,” Joaquim Pinto, director;
Romania, “The Japanese Dog,” Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, director;
Russia, “Leviathan,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Serbia, “See You in Montevideo,” Dragan Bjelogrlić, director;
Singapore, “Sayang Disayang,” Sanif Olek, director;
Slovakia, “A Step into the Dark,” Miloslav Luther, director;
Slovenia, “Seduce Me,” Marko Šantić, director;
South Africa, “Elelwani,” Ntshavheni Wa Luruli, director;
South Korea, “Haemoo,” Shim Sung-bo, director;
Spain, “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed,” David Trueba, director;
Sweden, “Force Majeure,” Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, “The Circle,” Stefan Haupt, director;
Taiwan, “Ice Poison,” Midi Z, director;
Thailand, “The Teacher’s Diary,” Nithiwat Tharathorn, director;
Turkey, “Winter Sleep,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, “The Guide,” Oles Sanin, director;
United Kingdom, “Little Happiness,” Nihat Seven, director;
Uruguay, “Mr. Kaplan,” Álvaro Brechner, director;
Venezuela, “The Liberator,” Alberto Arvelo, director.The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy Stars in Indie Movie ST. VINCENT
I will see just about any movie that stars Bill Murray not only because he’s one of my all-time favorite actors, but also because Murray has a tendency to pick great projects to star in. The new indie movie St. Vincent has received a lot of praise in the lead-up to its release based on Murray’s performance, and it’s all warranted. Though Murray has spent the last decade mostly starring in little-seen indie films and Wes Anderson movies, St. Vincent will remind general audiences just how great of an actor he is.
Vin (Bill Murray) is a Brooklyn-born, politically incorrect man on the cusp of seventy with a thick New York accent. He smokes and drinks too much, gambles with money he doesn’t have, eats all bad food, and has a weekly appointment with a Daka (Naomi Watts with a comically thick accent), a stripper/prostitute who is pregnant with a baby that may or may not be Vin’s. On the surface he seems to be little more than a nasty drunk who is looking to put himself into a grave as soon as possible. He wakes up from a drunken stupor to find out that single mother Maggie (Melissa McCarthy) and her son Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) have moved next door. Though their initial meeting is less than cordial, Vin inadvertently ends up the precocious boy’s after-school babysitter. Oliver and Vin bond as the old man teaches Oliver his wicked ways, but he also reveals his softer side to the kid, like when he makes his weekly visits to a nursing home.
One of the great revelations of the film is McCarthy, who (for once) isn’t playing “Melissa McCarthy” in this film. McCarthy has been typecast in her big screen roles since her breakthrough performance in 2011’s Bridesmaids, and I am sure she had to pass up yet another Identity Thief/The Heat/Tammy type comedy to this movie. Her character in this film is a supporting one, but there is a lot of depth to Maggie. As Vin points out, she’s woefully unprepared to be a mother since she never questions where Vin takes her son or how they spend their time together. She is also miserable from how her ex-husband treated her and defines her life by letting everyone know how miserable she is (including Oliver’s teacher, a priest played by the hilarious Chris O’Dowd).
Of course, the real star here is Murray, who can make an audience laugh by the way he walks around in a bank. While his character is purely a stock one (the “cranky old man with a heart of gold” type), what makes St. Vincent unique is that it isn’t one of those movies where Vin is a bad person who is miraculously changed by the presence of Oliver in his life. Vin always was a good person, just one who doesn’t feel the need to broadcast his good deeds – in other words, he does kind things because he wants to, not because he wants other people to know (shocking concept, right?). An interesting contrast between Oliver’s two “parental” figures in the film that isn’t really explored is how Vin plays his cards close to the vest (more than once he expresses that other characters don’t really know him) while Maggie broadcasts her misery to the world. Nobody’s perfect, and St. Vincent has no intention to present its characters in any other way.
Writer/director Theodore Melfi has never directed a feature before (he’s directed short films and producers several indie films, but none of this size), and parts of his inexperience show in how mainstream the film is – in a lot of ways it’s Murray’s most mainstream role since his Lost in Translation breakthrough. However, that’s not completely a knock against the film. Is St. Vincent melodramatic? Absolutely. Is it predictable? No question. It might not be a completely original story and the film might not be particularly unique that doesn’t mean it’s not a really enjoyable movie.
Review Rating: 4 out of 5 : See it …… It’s Very Good
http://youtu.be/r5BVn-eyAxA
Directed by: Theodore Melfi
Written by: Theodore Melfi
Cast: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts,Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard
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The Little Tin Man is a “Warmhearted Film”
Herman (Aaron Beelner) is a dwarf actor who only gets gigs playing elves in Christmas commercials. In his day job, Herman works alongside his brother Gregg (Jeff Hiller) at an upscale New York City restaurant owned by their mother. However, when their mother dies she leaves the restaurant to Gregg – the only thing she gives to Herman is a directive that he must start taking his acting career more seriously. Frustrated by being cut out of his mother’s will and tired of playing roles that are solely defined by his stature, Herman is less than enthused when his agent calls him with news that has gotten Herman an audition for the role of the Mayor of Munchkinville in Martin Scorsese’s remake of the Wizard of Oz. Herman is convinced by his friend Miller (Kay Cannon), who is also a struggling actor and a waitress at the restaurant, to go on the audition but ask to read for the Tin Man instead. Because Herman wants to transcend stereotypes – and because he harbors an unrequited crush on Miller – Herman decides to go for it. What follows is Herman’s journey towards gaining respect as an actor for his talent rather than his size.
The film itself seems to be against Herman, as evidenced by its calliope-heavy soundtrack that recalls circus music and an opening song that makes every “bigger man” and “little person” pun you can think of. Naturally, there are plenty of characters who are disrespectful and condescending toward Herman, so it isn’t a surprise when Herman becomes irritable with others, which Beelner plays off very well. Director Matthew Perkins effectively establishes how tough it can be to live at Herman’s size, demonstrating his real-life issues like trying to reach things on high supermarket shelves, and, from a more emotional standpoint, finding love.
As interested as I was in Herman’s struggle, I was pulled out of the film a bit by some of the over-the-top supporting characters. Some of these smaller roles are played by actors who are really hamming it up (Eddie Dunn, who plays Herman’s agent Tyrone Valentine, really lays it on thick). The one exception is seeing Ed Burns favorite Michael McGlone show up in a small role as a lawyer, essentially reprising his slick character from the GEICO commercials he stars in, which was hilarious. It’s almost as if Perkins and co-writer Dugan Bridges weren’t confident with the material and thought the zaniness needed to be amped up. But instead of creating supporting characters, they’ve created supporting caricatures — but the story of The Little Tin Man is interesting enough so the film really doesn’t need these caricatures.
I was waiting for a scene that really proved that Herman (the character, not actor Aaron Beelner) is a great actor, but it never really comes. It would’ve been an excellent addition to let audiences know what we’re missing out on when talented actors are denied roles based on the way they look. It’s particularly interesting to view The Little Tin Man in light of the recent career accomplishments of Emmy and Golden Globe award-winner Peter Dinklage (he’d be at home in just about any role in any Scorsese movie). I’m not sure if that informed the film in any way, but the real-life circumstances relate to the narrative.
The Little Tin Man is a warmhearted film about an actor who tries his hardest to improve his place in the world despite his physical limitations. Even if some of the sillier supporting characters distract from that, it still fits the definition of an inspiring, character-driven comedy gem. If there’s hope for Herman, there’s hope for all of us.
Film Review Rating 3 out of 5 : See it … It’s Good
http://youtu.be/sZmwJ-RE_eM
The Little Tin Man opens in NYC on October 3rd at Williamsburg Cinema in Brooklyn
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Cinema Eye Honors Names 2015 “Shorts List” 10 Finalists for 2015 Outstanding Nonfiction Short Film Award
The Lion’s Mouth OpensTen nonfiction short films were announced as finalists for the 2015 Cinema Eye Honors, the 8th edition of the largest annual celebration for and recognition of the nonfiction film artform and the creators of those films. Among the notable films and filmmakers on this year’s Shorts List is Lucy Walker’s The Lion’s Mouth Opens. Walker won the 2014 Cinema Eye Honor for Outstanding Nonfiction Film on Television for The Crash Reel. She is a two-time Academy Award nominee for Waste Land and The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.
The announcement of the annual Cinema Eye Shorts List was made on the opening day of the 2014 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF), a key festival partner of the Cinema Eye Honors. For the first time, all ten films, which are among the most acclaimed short documentaries of the year, screened at the 10th Annual Camden International Film Festival.
It’s the third year that the CEH Shorts List has been announced in Camden and the first year that all ten films on the list will screen at the festival. This January will mark the sixth year that CIFF hosts their annual reception on the eve of Cinema Eye’s award ceremony. A key part of Cinema Eye Week, a multi-day event held in New York City in January, the CIFF reception has become the largest single event for nonfiction film in the city and an important kickoff for the new year in the documentary community.
Other notable films and filmmakers on this year’s Shorts List:
Steven Bognar’s Foundry Night Shift. Bognar was a 2010 Academy Award nominee for The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant and a 2007 Primetime Emmy Award winner for A Lion in The House.
Deborah Stratman’s Hacked Circuit. Stratman was a 2010 Cinema Eye nominee for Outstanding Cinematography for her film O’er the Land and was named to the 2012 Shorts List for Ray’s Birds.
From the ten finalists on this year’s Shorts List, five films will be named as nominees for the Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking Award. Nominees in that category and nearly a dozen feature film categories will be announced on Wednesday, November 12 in Copenhagen, Denmark at an event at CPH:DOX. Awards will be presented during Cinema Eye Week in New York City in January 2015.
This year’s ten finalists are:
Foundry Night Shift (United States) Directed by Steven Bognar
Hacked Circuit (United States) Directed by Deborah Stratman
Joanna (Poland) Directed by Aneta Kopacz
The Lion’s Mouth Opens (United States) Directed by Lucy Walker
Notes on Blindness (United Kingdom) Directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney
One Year Lease (United States) Directed by Brian Bolster
The Queen (Argentina) Directed by Manuel Abramovich
Santa Cruz del Islote (United States) Directed by Luke Lorentzen
Unlocking the Truth (United States) Directed by Luke Meyer
Vegas (United Kingdom) Directed by Lukasz Konopa
Finalists for the Short Filmmaking award were determined in voting by top short film/documentary programmers from international film festivals. Members of this year’s Short Film Nominations Committee included: Karen Cirillo (True/False Film Festival), Charlotte Cook (Hot Docs), Hussain Currimbhoy (formerly of Sheffield Doc/Fest), Cara Cusumano (Tribeca), Ben Fowlie (Camden International Film Festival), Claudette Godfrey (SXSW), Doug Jones (formerly of the Los Angeles Film Festival), Ted Mott (Full Frame), Veton Nurkollari (Dokufest Kosovo), Rachel Rosen (San Francisco), Sky Sitney (formerly of AFI Docs) and Kim Yutani (Sundance).
This is the fifth year that Cinema Eye has presented an award for Nonfiction Short Filmmaking. Previous winners in the category include The Poodle Trainer (directed by Vance Malone, 2011), Diary (Tim Hetherington, 2012), Goodbye Mandima (Kwa Heri Mandima) (Robert-Jan Lacombe, 2013) and A Story for the Modlins (Sergio Oksman, 2014).
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FISHING WITHOUT NETS Tackles Somali Pirates
Filmmaker Cutter Hodierne was awarded the Directing Award at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival for Fishing Without Nets. Though Hodierne is a first-time feature filmmaker, it was actually his second award-winning trip to Sundance – in 2012, a short version of Fishing Without Nets was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking. The earlier short is worth noting because the feature length version of Fishing Without Nets, which is about Somali pirates, inevitably draws comparisons to last year’s major studio release Captain Phillips, directed by Paul Greengrass. While Hodierne isn’t quite as successful, his film embarks on a story that is more difficult to tell because it is from the perspective of the hijackers rather than those who are hijacked.
Fishing Without Nets is a story about what a desperate man will do to provide a better life for his family. The man in this case is Abdi (Abdikani Muktar Manur), a poor young Somali fisherman whose only way to improve the lives of his wife and son is to go on a raid with pirates who capture ships and hold he crew for ransom. Though Abdi is hesitant, his friend China Boy (Abdiwali Farrah) knows that Abdi knows how to sail the fishing lanes because he is a fisherman, and he pressures Abdi to come with him on a raid. After telling himself “A man is not a man until he can feed his children. Only death can stop me from feeding mine,” Abdi decides to join up with the pirates after using all his money to send his wife and child out of the country, where he hopes to join them once he receives his payment for the raid.
The older pirate leaders remark about how impressionable and easy to manipulate the young recruits are, and Hodierne reveals this by showing the young pirates taking photos of themselves as they pose with the rifles before the raid. It establishes that these pirates seem to think that they’re engaging in a game and not an act of terrorism. Ironically for a fisherman, Abdi admits how fearful he is of drowning. However, it’s clear that he is not just talking about the ocean, but also of drowning in a life of lawlessness.
The ship raiding scenes are similar to those in Captain Phillips, except that these pirates are more successful at taking over the ship. The presentation is also wildly different – there is less disorientating camerawork and the score is far more subdued (in fact, there are few music cues in the entire film). Because of that, it is sometimes hard to forget that you’re not watching a documentary.
After the ship is captured, Abdi’s group is put in charge of a French hostage named Victor (Reda Kateb). Though Abdi and Victor don’t speak the same language, they began to understand each other and Abdi feels growing sympathy for his captive. When the ransom doesn’t come as quickly as they hope, the pirates become increasingly desperate. The situation soon spirals out of control, and Abdi discovers even his wife and son are not safe, especially when other pirates become suspicious of Abdi’s friendliness with their French prisoner.
However, it’s worth noting that although this film attempts to humanize Somali pirates by portraying ship raids from their perspective, Abdi is the only pirate in the film who is depicted sympathetically. While all of the other young pirates are portrayed as being desperate for money and little more than muscle for their older bosses, they are still only in on the raid for the money. As a result, the film doesn’t so much humanize the Somali pirates as a whole but humanizes Abdi as an exception to the other money-hungry, khat-chewing, gun-toting pirates. It’s almost a throwback to the old American Westerns in which all of Native Americans were portrayed as bloodthirsty savages save for one “noble savage” whom was meant to transcend the stereotype. Unfortunately, not much can be dispelled when one noble figure is depicted among a group made up of stereotypes. For example, the scenes between Abdi and Victor reveal how compassionate Abdi is, but the other pirates have no room for that.
Because of that and the film’s borderline deus ex machina ending (or is it? It’s hard to tell considering the final shot) that also manages to leave several narrative thread dangling, Fishing Without Nets is not quite the tour de force that its Sundance awards suggest. It still offers an engaging story about a desperate man and is a tightly-directed film – particularly for a first-time filmmaker – yet I have no doubt that Hodierne will transcend these rookie narrative mistakes in his next film.
Film Review Rating 3 out of 5 : See it … It’s Good
Fishing Without Nets opens in Los Angeles on September 26, New York City on October 3, and VOD on October 21.
http://youtu.be/wRr0VA_HFaE
FISHING WITHOUT NETS
WINNER OF THE 2014 SUNDANCE US DRAMATIC DIRECTING AWARD
Opening in LA September 26, 2014
Opening in NY October 3, 2014
Available nationwide on Digital HD & VOD October 28, 2014Director:
Cutter HodierneStory by:
Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey, David Burkman, Sam CohanProducers:
Raphael Swann, John Hibey, Cutter Hodierne, Brian Glazen, Ben Freedman, Stephanie Pinola, Victor ShapiroExecutive Producers:
Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith, Rupert Wyatt, Joe LacontePrincipal Cast:
Abdikani Muktar, Abdi Siad, Abduwhali Faarah, Abdikhadir Hassan, Reda Kateb, Idil Ibrahim
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Director Ana Lily Amirpour “The Bad Batch” Wins Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant
Rooftop Films awarded fourteen cash and service grants to alumni filmmakers, including The Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant, which was awarded to director Ana Lily Amirpour. Amirpour was feted at a Piper-Heidsieck champagne reception at the spectacular garden rooftop of John Jay College on Monday in New York City and will receive a monetary grant of $10,000 to help finish her new film, The Bad Batch, the follow up to her critically acclaimed feature film debut, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.
Selected for its grand and bold style of storytelling, Amirpour’s film is a highly twisted, unusual, romantic, and innovative movie set in a future dystopia. In a desert wasteland in Texas, a muscled cannibal breaks one important rule: don’t play with your food. The Bad Batch is a savage love story, like a psychedelic Road Warrior, inspired by films like El Topo and Wild at Heart. Shot in bold saturated hues and stylings of the ’80’s & ’90’s the film will also feature a wicked techno & western-laced soundtrack.
“Piper-Heidsieck has a long history of supporting the cinema, and we’re delighted to continue this tradition by recognizing Ana Lily Amirpour as the first-ever recipient of the Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant,” says Romain Pianet, Senior Brand Director for Piper-Heidsieck. “The grant was created to support grand and bold direction in cinema, and we have selected a filmmaker whose past work and upcoming film exemplifies this direction. We are excited to be able to help bring this film to fruition.
COMPLETE LIST OF 2014 ROOFTOP FILMMAKERS FUND GRANTS:
Rooftop Films / Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant:
Ana Lily Amirpour, The Bad BatchIn a desert wasteland in Texas, a muscled cannibal breaks one important rule: don’t play with your food. The Bad Batch is a savage love story and a psychedelic Road Warrior, inspired by films like El Topo and Wild at Heart, and shot in bold saturated hues and stylings of the 80’s & 90’s, with a wicked techno & western-laced soundtrack.
Rooftop Films / Technological Cinevideo Services Camera Grant:
Rachel Israel, Keep the ChangeBased on Israel’s Columbia thesis short film, “Keep the Change” stars non-professional actors Brandon Polanksy and Samantha as two individuals with autism who fall in love. Polanksy stars as David, a man who tries to hide his high-functioning autism, but is nonetheless forced to attend a support group for people with disabilities. There he meets Elisofon’s character, a shy woman with autism.
Rooftop Films / Eastern Effects Equipment Grant:
Christina Choe, NancyNancy, is a psychological drama about a 35-year old serial imposter who lives at home with her abusive, elderly mother. Desperate for love, she creates a fake blog and catfishes a lover, until her hoaxes cause epic and tragic consequences. NANCY will be Christina’s feature directorial debut.
Rooftop Films / Edgeworx Post-Production Grant:
Bernardo Britto, Jacqueline (Argentine)Starring Camille Rutherford as a “25-year-old French Edward Snowden-type” who takes refuge in Argentina after leaking government secrets, Jacqueline (Argentine) is a live action feature film that will be shot from the perspective of a documentary crew she’s hired to trail her while awaiting the fallout.
Rooftop Films / DCTV Equipment and Services Feature Film Grant
Trey Shults, KrishaAdapted from an award-winning short film of the same name, KRISHA tells the story of a multi-generational family that is gathering for Thanksgiving. Krisha has not seen her family for ten years, but when she decides to join her family for a holiday dinner, tensions escalate, and Krisha struggles to keep her demons at bay.
Rooftop Films / DCTV Equipment and Services Short Film Grant:
Frances Bodomo, Beatdown
Steven Girard, Floaters Dot ComFrances Bodomo | Beatdown
Beatdown is a web series that follows a carefree black vigilante girl gang. Our protagonists skip school (“they’re not teaching our history anyways”) to loiter, chat, protect New York’s unprotected, and avenge the crimes that the NYPD won’t touch: from getting their hair petted to “columbusing” to gentrification. It begins as a series of vengeful (and comedic) wish fulfillments that grow bloodier and bloodier … until we start to question & complicate our discourse on brutality, power, female weakness, justice, etc. Beatdown asks the question: when the violence against us isn’t physical, how do we fight it?Steven Girard | Floaters Dot Com
“Floaters Dot Com” is a half animated, half live-action short film about two men who work for a company that “collects” human beings. Floaters employees beam targeted civilians with a hallucinatory impulse to login to floaters.com, where the victim is sucked into his/her computer and dragged through a slew of websites. After the victim’s deepest fantasies and worst nightmares come true, he/she is “ejected” from the computer’s drive as a Free Trial disk.Rooftop Films / Domicile NYC Sound Mix Grant:
Jarred Alterman and Ryan Scafuro, American RenaissanceAMERICAN RENAISSANCE is a short documentary that takes place at the largest outdoor Renaissance Faire in America. Knights, wizards, goths, fairies and demons all stood in front of our static lens and slowly, stories began to unfold… A family who chose to raise their 13-year-old son on the road. A Parisian expat, performing as a mime. A young woman who left the “real world” behind after the death of a close friend.
Rooftop Films / Adrienne Shelly Foundation Short Film Grant For Women:
Debra Granik, Second ActSecond Act is a documentary about inmate re-entry. Once released, felons often find themselves held apart from mainstream society, particularly in regards to employment. To survive, many turn to various forms of entrepreneurship. This film follows a man recently released from prison who is attempting to build his own business. In pursuing his dream, the subject of our documentary must navigate the transition from one lifestyle to another, negotiate a new and unfamiliar world, and wrestle with the question of who he is and what he wants.
Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Short Film Grant:
Joanna Arnow, Bad at Dancing
Frances Bodomo, Beatdown
Reka Bucsi, LOVE
Steven Girard, Floaters Dot Com
Efren Hernandez, Ham HeadsJoanna Arnow | Bad at Dancing
Bad At Dancing. A perpetual third wheel and awkward outsider, Joanna increasingly inserts herself into the relationship of her more charismatic roommate Eleanore. The two women test each other’s sexual and emotional boundaries in this surreal dark comedy.Reka Bucsi | LOVE
An animated short film about love that will show love in three chapters: Longing, Love and Solitude. Haiku-like scenes will show different characters evolving along these states of emotions. The goal is to capture feelings through pictures and surreal situations which are undescribable by words.Efren Hernandez | Ham Heads
Barry and Larry are the world’s oldest living conjoined twins. After retiring from the sideshow circuit, they move into their brother’s house. Barry is sick and he’s getting worse, Larry not far behind him. As their sickness develops, they take trips to the beach; they waltz together; they fight about the volume on their separate television sets. They look out of their living room window at their old-lady neighbor who drinks too much beer. They play games with their teenage nephew and Larry verbally harasses the doctor who checks up on them. They get visits from old friends and spend every moment of every day together. Whether it is good or bad, it is their life together.“A record number of entries were received this year and it was tougher than ever to select our winners from what was a stellar crop of films and scripts,” says Dan Nuxoll, programming director of Rooftop Films. “Each of the filmmakers that we awarded grants to this year have screened their impressive work at Rooftop Films events in the past and have demonstrated their talent, passion and perseverance throughout their careers. We are particularly excited to be supporting Ana Lily Amirpour’s latest work. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night screened this summer at Rooftop Films and that film showcases her extraordinary talent and unique flair for bringing unexpected, artful and innovative twists to a genre film. We are confident that The Bad Batch will be an exciting next step for one of the most promising new filmmakers working in independent cinema today. A special thanks to Piper-Heidsieck –and all of our other sponsors, community partners, and audience members– for their significant help and commitment in support of these new and talented films and filmmakers.”
Amirpour was selected to attend the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2014 for her script for The Bad Batch and the film is set to begin pre-production this fall and will begin shooting in the spring of 2015. Amirpour’s debut feature film, the Iranian Vampire Western A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, premiered in the NEXT section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, screened to a sold out crowd on the roof of Industry City as part of the Rooftop Films Summer Series, and was opening night selection of the New Directors/New Films series at the MoMA. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night will be released in theaters this autumn by Kino Lorber.
Amirpour joins the ranks of past Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grantees, an illustrious group that includes Gillian Robespierre with her indie hit Obvious Child, Lucy Walker with her Academy Award-nominated short documentary The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin, which premiered at Cannes Director’s Fortnight and garnered the FIPRESCI Critics’ award, Keith Miller’s critically acclaimed and Tribeca Film Festival award winning Five Star, and Benh Zeitlin’s Academy Award-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild. Other Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund grantees have achieved tremendous success at film festivals and their films have reached audiences worldwide.
image: Romain Pianet, Senior Brand Director for Piper-Heidsieck, presents Ana Lily Amirpour with the inaugural Piper-Heidsieck Rooftop Films Feature Film Grant on the roof of John Jay College Monday night.