People
French director, Claude Miller, whose films won many awards, including the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the French version of the Oscar, the César, died on April 4 in Paris. He was 70. Miller wrote and directed, “The Little Thief” about a troubled family and its offspring, other films include “Class Trip,” “A Secret,” “I’m Glad My Mother Is Alive,” and “Alias Betty.” His last film, “Thérèse Desqueyroux,” which was just selected […]
French director, Claude Miller, whose films won many awards, including the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the French version of the Oscar, the César, died on April 4 in Paris. He was 70. Miller wrote and directed, “The Little Thief” about a troubled family and its offspring, other films include “Class Trip,” “A Secret,” “I’m Glad My Mother Is Alive,” and “Alias Betty.” His last film, “Thérèse Desqueyroux,” which was just selected […]
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 […]
Mohamed Nasheed featured in the documentary ‘The Island President’ has been ousted from his post as president of the Maldives. Nasheed says he expects to be jailed after being ousted from his post earlier in the week in what he said was a coup at gunpoint. The Vice president Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik was installed as president. Protests against Mr Nasheed’s government started after he ordered the military to arrest the criminal court chief justice. […]
Two filmmakers, Mike deGruy, a biologist and conservationist, and Andrew Wight, a pilot and underwater cave diver, working with filmmaker James Cameron and National Geographic on a documentary film, were killed in a helicopter crash in Australia on Saturday. Andrew Wight, 52, was the documentary-producing partner of James Cameron and the two recently co-produced Andrew’s first feature film, Sanctum 3D. Mike deGruy, 60, spent 30 years producing and directing documentary films about the ocean […]
Actor Ben Gazzara, known for his strong performances on film, television and on Broadway including his role in “The Big Lebowski,” died Friday in Manhattan, New York at the age of 81. The cause was pancreatic cancer, his lawyer, Jay Julien, said. Gazzara made his movie debut in 1957 in Calder Willingham’s “The Strange One,” and followed that film with “Anatomy of a Murder” In addition to the “The Big Lebowski,”other films included Spike Lee’s […]
Documentary filmmaker Joshua Fox was arrested on Wednesday as he reportedly tried to film a House Science Committee hearing without proper media credentials. According to the NY Times, Josh Fox, whose HBO documentary “Gasland” raised questions about the safety of the natural gas drilling technique known as horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, was handcuffed and charged with unlawful entry. Mr. Fox is preparing a sequel to “Gasland and brought a crew to film a hearing […]
San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Bingham Ray passed away on January 23 after suffering a stroke while attending the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah’ The San Francisco Film Society regrets to announce that Executive Director Bingham Ray passed away on January 23 while attending the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. “The board of directors and staff of the Film Society are stunned and deeply saddened by the untimely […]
San Francisco Film Society Executive Director Bingham Ray reportedly suffered a stroke while at the Sundance Film Festival and remains hospitalized. In a press release, the SFFS says The San Francisco Film Society regrets to announce that Executive Director Bingham Ray has been hospitalized while attending the Sundance Film Festival. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Bingham for a speedy and full recovery and our sympathies go out to his family and his many friends […]
Indie filmmaker Jonathan M. Parisen, 40, of East Orange, NJ, who wrote, produced and directed “Stairwell: Trapped in the World Trade Center” was charged Monday with trespassing and endangerment in New York City. According to published reports, an intoxicated Parisen jumped onto the Staten Island Railway tracks early Sunday to retrieve a lost shoe. When he struggled to get back up, good Samaritan Steven Santiago jumped on the tracks to help and was struck in […]
Actor Christian Bale who is in China for the premiere of his latest movie, “The Flowers of War,” was reportedly roughed up by Chinese government-backed guards on Thursday when he tried to visit lawyer, Chen Guangcheng who has been imprisoned in his home by authorities, along with his wife and child, since his release from prison in September 2010. The incident was captured by a CNN camera crew who accompanied Christian Bale on the eight-hour […]
Bollywood actor Dev Anand, the ‘Evergreen Romantic Superstar’ of Indian cinema, died after a heart attack on Saturday night. He was 88.