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  • Three Film Projects Win 2012 Tribeca Film Institute Sloan Filmmaker Fund Awards

    Three film projects, Unmanned, Computer Chess and Resonance, will receive financial and creative support from the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund, provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The film projects will be awarded a total of $150,000 and will be recognized at the annual Tribeca Film Festival, taking place April 18-29, 2012.

    The projects, which all emphasize science and technology in their storylines, focus on subjects including a new style of war fought by remote control, tensions between human ingenuity and machines in the computer chess tournaments of the 1980s, and the impact of brain abnormalities on interpersonal relationships.

    The winning projects were selected by an Award Committee made up of film and science notables including actor Ryan Phillippe (Flags of Our Fathers, The Lincoln Lawyer); actor Stephen Lang (Avatar, Public Enemies, Terra Nova); producer Michael Shamberg (Pulp Fiction, Erin Brockovich, Django Unchained); neuroscientist Joseph E. LeDoux; professor of astrophysical sciences J. Richard Gott (Princeton); and molecular endocrinologist Dr. Carter Bancroft.

    Selected projects for funding:

    Unmanned
    A young Air Force drone operator struggles to balance the stresses of going to war for the first time with the challenges of being a good father and husband, as he commutes each day between suburban family life and a new style of war fought by remote control. The short version of this film received an earlier Sloan Foundation production grant and is premiering at this year’s Festival.   Casey Cooper Johnson (writer/director), Casey Fenton (producer), Peter W. Singer (story by), Sevdije Kastrati (cinematographer)

    Computer Chess
    This film focuses on a computer chess tournament in the 80’s, transporting viewers to a nostalgic moment when the battle of technology versus the human spirit seemed a little more up for grabs. Andrew Bujalski (writer/director), Houston King (producer), Alex Lipschultz (producer)

    Resonance
    Two damaged young men trying to reclaim their lives, push each other to the breaking point until they realize that only their friendship will save them.  Portraying the crossroads of neurology and psychiatry, the film examines how the brain’s functioning affects the way we interact, and how medical science treats brain abnormalities. Dara Bratt (director/writer), Keiran Dick (writer), Andrew Fierberg (producer), Robert Gerber (executive producer)

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  • A Separation to Receive European Commission’s first EU Media Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2495" align="alignnone"]Asghar Farhadi Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film[/caption]

    Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, director of A Separation (Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) and his producer, Memento Films Production’s Alexandre Mallet-Guy, will be awarded the European Commission’s first EU Media Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

    Farhadi and Mallet-Guy will receive the award for their new project that will be filmed in France and in French in the Fall.

    “In these times when certain politicians are trying to turn the beautiful rainbow of cultural diversity in the world into differences and confrontations, I believe that this MEDIA award for my next film project is a very encouraging sign,” Farhadi said of the prize.

    The MEDIA prize is awarded to the best project with box-office potential submitted by a screenwriter and a production company. The project is selected from the applications submitted for development support from the MEDIA program in a given year. MEDIA will allocate support for the screenplay, casting, preparing a financial plan, marketing and piloting production. The EU MEDIA prize is part of the MEDIA program’s new €1.8 billion agenda set to kick off in 2014 and run through 2020 called “Creative Europe” meant to facilitate cultural exchange among film industry professionals through digital technology.

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  • Bully Expands in Wider Release After New PG13 Rating

    The controversial new documentary “Bully,” was given a PG-13 rating by the Classification and Rating Administration on Thursday, clearing the film for wider release in theaters by the film distribution company, Weinstein Company.

    The ratings board had initially given “Bully” an R rating for harsh language, but after earlier unsuccessful appeals, the Weinstein Company decided to release the film with no rating.

    This week though, the Weinstein Company and Lee Hirsch, the director and a producer of the film, agreed to edit some, but not all, of the offending language from the film. Kept intact was what is considered a crucial scene in which obscenities are hurled at a young victim on a school bus.

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  • Penny Stock by Grainger David Wins Tribeca Film Institute Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $50,000 Student Grand Jury Prize For Screenwriting

     

    Penny Stock by Grainger David of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts was selected as the “best-of-the-best” screenplay, and the recipient of the 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Student Grand Jury Prize for Screenwriting $50,000 grant from the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI).

    Grainger David from Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina will receive a $30,000 cash prize, as well as an additional $20,000 to be used in direct support of the project.  The award includes year-round support from TFI, including mentorship and guidance from scientific and film industry professionals, networking opportunities, and industry exposure.

    Penny Stock is a feature screenplay about a community college geology professor, who risks everything on a bold new theory in the race to discover an epic diamond pipe in the Northwest Territories. Becoming a mining prospector was never in the professor’s plans – or his family’s – but he feels that he is on the cusp of discovering something great, and he’s willing to risk everything to prove it.

    Last year’s inaugural prize went to Robert Cohen of NYU for his work Bystander, which is based on the 1964 rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens. Though the attack lasted over 30 minutes, none of the 37 witnesses called the police or intervened until she was already dead.  Four years later, a groundbreaking psychological study on the “Bystander Effect” explained the inaction of the witnesses. Though a fictional account of the attack’s aftermath, the scientific research and theories in the script are historically and psychologically accurate.  Since winning, Cohen has been paired with an industry mentor, producer Alexis Alexanian (Pieces of April, Tadpole), who has helped him with re-writes and feedback on option agreements he has received. TFI is also providing a social psychologist who will serve as a mentor to help Cohen maintain the authenticity of the science.

    The Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize was created to recognize the very best student screenplay in the nation that uses science and technology themes or characters to tell an engaging story.

    The award was presented at an evening reception in New York City on Thursday, April 5, 2012.

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  • Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary MANSOME a Hilarious Look at Metrosexuals and Mens Grooming Habits

    Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated director/producer Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary film MANSOME has a release date. The film which is scheduled to have its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival on April 21st, will open in limited release in several major cities nationwide including New York and Los Angeles beginning May 18th.

    MANSOME  was written, directed and produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) and executive produced by DumbDumb co-founders Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Electus Founder Ben Silverman, MANSOME marks Arnett and Bateman’s first executive producer credits.


    In the age of manscaping, metrosexuals, fancy men’s day spas, and high-end grooming products galore, MANSOME is a witty, provocative and highly-entertaining glimpse into what it means to be a man in a world where the definition of masculinity has become as diverse as a hipster’s facial hair in Williamsburg. With his signature humor and insight, Spurlock combs over the follicles of men’s idiosyncratic grooming habits, opening up a dialogue about men’s unique approach to self image.

    An expose of comic proportions, MANSOME follows Arnett and Bateman to the spa as they undergo various beautification rituals while offering amusing stories and observations about elusive male bathroom secrets. The film highlights a wide range of men including champion beardsmen, longtime barbershop owners, known metrosexuals, mustachioed males and professional wrestlers; all intercut with candid, one-on-one interviews and commentary from actor/comedians Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Adam Carolla, Judd Apatow, as well as sociological experts and everyday men and women all of whom weigh in on everything from the growing incidence of men turning to plastic surgeons to our obsession with facial hair.

    “As someone who has spent the past eight years shaving around a ridiculous mustache, I couldn’t think of a more ‘Mantastic’ story to tell than this,” said director/producer Morgan Spurlock.  “I jumped at the chance to work with Will and Jason.  They’re so manly, so handsome, so … Mansome.”

    “If I do say so myself, there are no better coiffed, buffed, sharpened and styled men than Morgan, Will and myself to open the world’s eye to the changing notion of masculinity in today’s culture,” said executive producer and DumbDumb Co-Founder Jason Bateman. “Mansome is a special tribute to our passion and dedication for male grooming and the freedom of facial-hair expression which we wholeheartedly feel should be equal amongst both sexes,” continued executive producer and DumbDumb Co-Founder Will Arnett.

    “Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are two legendary back shavers, and Morgan’s mustache and strange receding hairline make them the perfect partners to bring this project to life,” said Ben Silverman, Executive Producer and Founder of Electus.



    The other interview subjects featured in MANSOME include John Waters, ZZ Top band members Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons, Anthrax musician Scott Ian, Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Kate White, author Brett McKay, sociologist Michael Kimmel, beard expert Allan Peterkin, champion beardsman Jack Passion, Old Spice Guy Isaiah Mustafa, Co-Founder of Movember Andrew Garone, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, pro-wrestler Shawn Daivari, stylist Stefan Campbell, clothing buyer Ricky Manchanda, and salon and barbershop owners Martial Vivot, Donnie Hawley, Ricky King, Adam Baker, Michael Haar and Kamal Neru.

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  • QUEEN OF VERSAILLES from 2012 Sundance Festival to Premiere on Bravo in 2013

    The documentary, THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, directed by filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield – who won Best Director at Sundance 2012 for the documentary, will premiere in 2013 on Bravo.

    THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES was filmed over three years and is described as an insightful and entertaining documentary about billionaires Jackie and David Siegel, who are constructing the largest house in America – a 90,000 square foot dream home modeled after the palace of Versailles. As a result of the financial crisis, their extravagant plans are put on hold. David’s time-share business runs into difficulties, and the filmmaker captures the Siegel’s turn of fortune. While delivering big laughs, “The Queen of Versailles” also manages to be a moving, clear-eyed snapshot of a unique and sobering moment in our history, as we are forced to reevaluate the sustainability of the American dream.

    Director Lauren Greenfield has previously directed three award-winning documentary films – “THIN,” “kids + money,” and “Beauty CULTure.” Her work was recently showcased in the Getty Museum’s historical exhibition, “Engaged Observers: Documentary Photography Since the Sixties” (2010).

     

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  • Indie Film Director Jamaa Fanaka Found Dead in LA Apt

    [caption id="attachment_2695" align="alignnone" width="550"]Director Jamaa Fanaka (via LA Tiimes)[/caption]

    Jamaa Fanaka, director of 1979 independent film”Penitentiary” and who later made headlines with his legal battles with the Directors Guild of America alleging widespread discrimination against women and ethnic minorities in the film and television industry, has died, reports the Los Angeles Times. He was 69.

    Fanaka was reportedly found dead in his apartment in South Los Angeles on Sunday with the cause of death likely from complications of diabetes.

    Fanaka was still enrolled in the UCLA film school when he wrote, produced and directed his first three feature films, financed with competitive academic grants and funds from his parents: “Welcome Home, Brother Charles” (1975), “Emma Mae” (1976) and “Penitentiary,” which was both a critical and box-office success.

    Fanaka went on to write, produce and direct two “Penitentiary” sequels, in 1982 and 1987. His sixth and final film was “Street Wars,” a low-budget 1992 action-drama set in South L.A.

    More recently, Fanaka was the outspoken founder of the Directors Guild of America’s African American Steering Committee.

    In 1999, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court’s decision to dismiss Fanaka’s race-discrimination lawsuit suit against the Directors Guild in which he claimed it was part of a “conspiracy” to keep women and minorities out of the industry.

    And in 2002, the 9th Circuit upheld a district court decision to dismiss Fanaka’s race discrimination lawsuit filed against the major film studios and networks.

    source: LA Times

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  • SAG, AFTRA Members Approve Merger to Form SAG-AFTRA

    It’s official. The members of American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Screen Actors Guild have voted to approve a merger, creating a new entity, SAG-AFTRA. SAG members voted 82 percent in favor of the merger. AFTRA members favored the merger with 86 percent, exceeding the 60 percent threshold needed for both unions’ membership for passage.

    The merger is effective immediately, and brings under a single union banner more than 150,000 actors, announcers, broadcasters journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other media professionals.

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  • What Films to See in NYC This Weekend-Bully, The Island President, Turn Me On, Dammit, Generation P! It’s RAINING in NYC! Go to the Movies!

    [caption id="attachment_2655" align="alignnone"]Bully[/caption]

    By Francesca McCaffery

    Two new wonderful documentaries are opening this weekend- Lee Hirsch’s Bully– which is a heart-breaking, take-no-prisoners hard look at the insidious problem of bullying in American middle and high school classrooms, and The Island President, which is an extraordinary portrait of recently ousted Maldivian President Nasheed, and his great fight to combat global warming (Which is literally sinking his splendid Maldive Islands.) Both are two of the most thought-provoking documentaries you will see this year. (The Island President won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto film Festival, and Bully has been a complete festival sensation, as well.) Please don’t miss them. Bully plays at the Angelika and the AMC Loews Lincoln Square 13, and The Island President plays at Film Forum through April 10th.

    [caption id="attachment_2676" align="alignnone" width="549"]Generation P[/caption]

    Viktor Ginzburg’s new Russian film Generation P, based on the Russian novel by Viktor Pelevin, pretty much defies all general description. Staring out in a newly dissolved Soviet Union in he mid-90s, it looks to this American like the film could have been 1974. The film is a hilarious, deft, mind-bending portrayal of a young advertising executive and his adventures with magic mushrooms, mad Russian ad moguls, Chechnyan rebels,  and milking the public in its thirst for everything Western. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than an American PR sensibility, but apparently a free Russia also meant a free-for-all sort of carte blanche for the burgeoning advertising industry. I honestly can’t say how much of the film is fictional- did they REALLY make commercials in Russia like this in the last ten years? But it’s one of the very few films I’ve ever seen that actually makes you want to run out and buy the book. Perfect for Hunter S. Thompson fans, too. A very wild ride. Playing at The New Directors/New Films Series in NYC.

    [caption id="attachment_2677" align="alignnone" width="550"]Turn Me On, Dammit[/caption]

    Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s first feature Turn Me On, Dammit! is a charming Norwegian film about a very sexually charged young teenager, Alma, (luminous Helene Bergsholm) who, despite her lithe, blonde, waifish self, cannot seem to get any real action. She becomes ostracized when her lust backfires at a party- and she is given the accidental moniker “Dick Alma” (…when another young man insists that his penis brushed against her thigh whilst they were making out.), and we are witness to the classic, cringe-worthy episodes of adolescent shifting friendships and alliances. With a cast of largely non-actors, the film is strange, desolate, lovely and sexy all at once- an actual light, funny, and frustrating portrayal of female sexuality- a topic rarely handled so well in today’s cinema. (The film captured Best Screenplay at Tribeca last year.) Alma doesn’t feel really sorry feel sorry for herself, she just seems to know who she is somehow, and exactly what she wants. As she is betrayed by her entire student body, she still stands strong, and it is heartening to see a young character who has found what truly makes her tick. By focusing on Alma’s needs as a simple horny teenager, rather than portraying her as a cartoon of some fantasized, over-sexualized teenage image, the filmmaker takes a few brave, tentative, greatly needed steps forward. Turn Me On is also wildly funny and greatly entertaining, at parts, as well. Go see this at night this weekend. Playing at Lincoln Center and at the Angelika.

    Remember guys, support Independent Cinema, whenever you have the chance. They’re a lot of really good choices this weekend. Now, go and out and see some!

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  • Weinstein Company Rejects MPAA R Rating and Will Release BULLY as Unrated

    The Weinstein Company announced that they will release the controversial documentary ‘Bully’ as unrated, basically, disregarding the ‘R” rating assigned by the MPAA. Weinstein had mounted a very public campaign in an effort to get the MPAA to change it’s mind with over half a million people signing an online petition and support from celebrities like Meryl Streep.

    See press release from The Weinstein Company:

    After a recent plea to the MPAA by BULLY teen Alex Libby and The Weinstein Company (TWC) Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein failed – by one vote – to get the film its deserved PG-13 rating, TWC is choosing to move forward with releasing the film unrated by the MPAA on March 30.

    Furthering proof that the R rating for some language is inappropriate for a film that’s meant to educate and help parents, teachers, school officials and children with what’s become an epidemic in schools around the country, the fight against the rating continues on. The outpour of support by politicians, schools, parents, celebrities and activists for the film’s mission to be seen by those it was made for – children – has been overwhelming. Nearly half a million people have signed Michigan high school student and former bullying victim Katy Butler’s petition on Change.org to urge the MPAA to lower the rating.

    Said BULLY Director Lee Hirsch, “The small amount of language in the film that’s responsible for the R rating is there because it’s real. It’s what the children who are victims of bullying face on most days. All of our supporters see that, and we’re grateful for the support we’ve received across the board. I know the kids will come, so it’s up to the theaters to let them in.”

    “The kids and families in this film are true heroes, and we believe theater owners everywhere will step up and do what’s right for the benefit of all of the children out there who have been bullied or may have otherwise become bullies themselves. We’re working to do everything we can to make this film available to as many parents, teachers and students across the country,” said TWC President of Marketing Stephen Bruno.

    For parents or teachers who are looking for more information or who may have concerns about showing children a movie unrated by the MPAA, please read Common Sense Media’s rating details of the film here: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/bully.

    “While it’s often heartbreaking and deals with tough issues like suicide, the movie addresses bullying in a frank and relatable way that is age appropriate for teens and relevant for middle schoolers if an adult is present to guide the discussion,” said James P. Steyer, Founder and CEO, Common Sense Media. “The MPAA’s ratings system is inadequate when it comes looking at a movie’s content through the lens of its larger thematic issues. Common Sense Media provides alternative ratings for parents who are looking for more guidance and context than the MPAA provides.”

    BULLY will be released in theaters on Friday, March 30th in New York at the Angelika Film Center and AMC Lincoln Square and in Los Angeles at The Landmark, ArcLight Hollywood and AMC Century City.

    BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, BULLY opens a window onto the pained and often endangered lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.

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  • ELENA, Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize, Opens in NY on May 16

    [caption id="attachment_2638" align="alignnone" width="550"]Nadezhda Markina as Elena and Andrey Smirnov as Vladimir in ELENA, a film by Andrei Zvyagintsev. A Zeitgeist Films release.[/caption]

    ELENA, a film by by award-winning Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev (Golden Globe nominee “The Return”) will open at Film Forum in New York City on May 16 and at the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles on May 25; a national release will follow.

    Winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize and Grand Prize for Best Film at Ghent Film Festival, ELENA is described as a gripping, modern twist on the classic noir thriller. Sixty-ish spouses Vladimir (Andrey Smirnov) and Elena (Nadezhda Markina – winner of Best Actress Award at Festival Nouveau Cinema Montreal; Seville and Durban film festivals, and Best Actress Nominee at the European Film Awards) uneasily share his palatial Moscow apartment—he’s a still-virile, wealthy businessman; she’s his dowdy former nurse who has clearly “married up.” Estranged from his own wild-child daughter, Vladimir openly despises his wife’s freeloading son and family. But when a sudden illness and an unexpected reunion threaten the dutiful housewife’s potential inheritance, she must hatch a desperate plan…

    [caption id="attachment_2639" align="alignnone" width="550"]Alexey Rozin as Sergey, Evgenia Konushkina as Tatyana and Nadezhda Markina as Elena in ELENA, a film by Andrei Zvyagintsev. A Zeitgeist Films release.[/caption]

    in addition to  award-winning Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, ELENA also features what is being described as “Hitchcockian” music by Philip Glass.

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  • Heather Cochran and Bill Kramer Promoted to Senior Positions at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Museum Project

    Heather Cochran and Bill Kramer have been named to two newly created senior positions as part of the continuing progress of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, it was announced today by Dawn Hudson, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Cochran has been elevated to Managing Director, Academy Museum Project, and Kramer will serve as Managing Director, Development. Both will report directly to Hudson.

    “With Heather and Bill in place, the Academy is poised to move the museum to the next phase and beyond,” said Hudson. “Each brings a wealth of experience that will be critical as the museum project continues to gather momentum.”

    In her new position, Cochran, who has been involved with the project since its inception, will help manage and execute the overall vision for the museum, which will be built into the historic May Company building, currently known as LACMA West. Kramer will oversee the museum’s capital campaign and future fundraising efforts for the Academy.

    Cochran joined the Academy staff in 2004 as Museum Project Administrator. In that capacity, she served as the Academy’s liaison with city officials and has been involved in master planning, strategic communications and other facets of the project. She also has shepherded the development of the Academy’s Hollywood properties, supervising the design and construction of its new outdoor amphitheater. Previously, she held the post of director of online development for Communications Development Incorporated, where she spearheaded digital initiatives for a number of foundations, nonprofits, and multilateral agencies, including the United Nations, the World Bank, National Geographic Society, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

    Kramer began his fundraising career in 1999 at the Sundance Institute. Most recently, he served as the chief advancement officer for the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), the independent architecture and design school located in downtown Los Angeles. At SCI-Arc, Kramer established the school’s first external affairs office, which included development, public relations and alumni outreach functions. He also developed multiyear fundraising partnerships with major foundations and individuals. Kramer has also served as director of development at Columbia University School of the Arts, as senior director of development for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, and as executive director of development for the Campaign for Cal Arts, which raised $150 million for the school.

    [via press release]

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