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Romania’s Oscar Entry, AFERIM! to open in NYC & LA on January 22, 2016

AFERIM!, Romania’s Official Entry for the 88th Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film) will be released in the US in 2016 via Big World Pictures. Directed by an acclaimed Romanian filmmaker, Radu Jude, AFERIM! was the winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, and was the Official Selection at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. AFERIM! will open at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York, and at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on January 22, 2016. A national release will follow. The only contemporary Romanian film to address the issue of Gypsy slavery, AFERIM!, with dark humor, touches upon the long history of anti-Roma prejudice in Romania. Eastern Europe, 1835. Two riders cross a barren landscape in the middle of Wallachia. They are the gendarme Constandin and his son. Together they are searching for a gypsy slave who has run away from his nobleman master and is suspected of having an affair with the noble’s wife. While the unflappable Constadin comments on every situation with a cheery aphorism, his son takes a more contemplative view of the world. On their odyssey they encounter people of different nationalities and beliefs: Turks and Russians, Christians and Jews, Romanians and Hungarians. Each harbors prejudices against the others which have been passed down from generation to generation. And even when the slave Carfin is found, the adventure is far from over… Radu Jude’s third feature has been aptly compared to films as diverse as THE SEARCHERS, THE LAST DETAIL and PULP FICTION (the latter for its rambling, coarse and endlessly entertaining dialogues), but the film is ultimately a moving parable about late-feudal Europe developed from historical documents and songs: its power structures and hierarchies, people’s ideas of themselves and others, interaction with minorities and the resulting conflicts. A Balkan Western in black-and-white that brings the cacophony of the times strikingly to life and explores the thematic arcs that stretch into the present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
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SPOTLIGHT Starring Michael Keaton is Closing Night Film of Chicago International Film Festival

Spotlight has been added to the 51st Chicago International Film Festival as its Closing Night selection. Spotlight will be shown at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival on Thursday, October 29, 2015. Starring Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James and Stanley Tucci, Spotlight tells the riveting true story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe investigation that would rock the city and cause a crisis in one of the world’s oldest and most trusted institutions. When the newspaper’s tenacious “Spotlight” team of reporters delves into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, their year-long investigation uncovers a decades-long cover-up at the highest levels of Boston’s religious, legal, and government establishment, touching off a wave of revelations around the world. Directed by Academy Award-nominee Tom McCarthy, Spotlight is a tense investigative dramatic-thriller, tracing the steps to one of the biggest cover-ups in modern times. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXymzwz0V2g Spotlight adds to the list of Oscar contenders screening at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival, which also includes Carol, Brooklyn, Where To Invade Next, and 45 Years. “Spotlight has everything we love about movies -a great cast, an intriguing story, and just the right dose of controversy,” says Founder & Artistic Director Michael Kutza. “Each year, we make a point to bring films to Chicago that aren’t just entertaining, but important and vital works of art. ‘Spotlight’ is one of those movies.” “We are thrilled to bring the 51st Festival to a close with such a strong film,” added Programming Director Mimi Plauché. Spotlight opens in select Chicago theaters on November 6, 2015.
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FilmBuff to Release SXSW Comedy Hit A WONDERFUL CLOUD

FilmBuff announced today that it will release A Wonderful Cloud, a feature-length improv comedy written, directed, and starring Eugene Kotlyarenko, with Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards, Queen of Earth) in the US. The film, which is inspired by the real life relationship between Kotlyarenko and Sheil, debuted at SXSW, and will open in select theaters nationwide and will be available on all major On Demand platforms starting Friday, October 23rd, 2015. When Katelyn travels to Los Angeles in hopes of wresting control of a clothing company from her ex, Eugene, she quickly realizes he has more than just business in mind. Unable to deny their emotional past, the pair spend the weekend trying to determine once and for all whether they have a future in store. Set in an LA full of eccentrics, this raw romantic comedy finds a former off-screen couple energetically playing out their real-world baggage in front of the camera, for laughs and tears. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VH63SD1tOj4 “I’m super pumped to be getting A Wonderful Cloud out there through FilmBuff,” says Kotlyarenko. “This movie is extremely personal for me and has turned out to be a lot of fun for audiences so far. I’m really curious to see how people will react to something this confessional, that’s still aiming to entertain.” A Wonderful Cloud is Eugene Kotlyarenko’s second feature film, with critics admiring his style, and his onscreen rapport with Sheil. Variety praised the film, commenting: “Those seeking a raucous, wholly improvised 21st-century Annie Hall need look no farther…” while Indiewire commented: “Fueled by the creative liberation of improvisation and steered by a real-life shared history,” A Wonderful Cloud is “a good kind of weird.” “We see a lot of movies every year and it’s rare to find one that feels so funny, intimate and daring,” says FilmBuff’s Jake Hanly. “We knew A Wonderful Cloud was special right away and our team is excited to see audiences connect with it.” A Wonderful Cloud will be available on all major On Demand platforms, including Amazon Instant Video, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Google Play, iTunes, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Vudu, and Xbox, beginning on Friday, October 23rd, 2015, and will open in Los Angeles at the Laemmle’s Playhouse 7.
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European Film Academy to Honor Charlotte Rampling and Christoph Waltz

The European Film Academy will present Charlotte Rampling with the honorary Lifetime Achievement Award, and the European Achievement In World Cinema will go to two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz. Both Charlotte Rampling and Christoph Waltz will be honorary guests at the 28th European Film Awards Ceremony on December 12th, 2015, in Berlin. Born in England, Charlotte Rampling grew up in Gibraltar, France, Italy and Spain to become a truly European multi-language actress. Throughout her career, Charlotte Rampling has worked with great European directors from Luchino Visconti, Liliana Cavani and Patrice Chéreau to François Ozon, Laurent Cantet, Claude Lelouch, Gianni Amelio, Bille August and Lars von Trier. Charlotte Rampling is a five-time EFA Nominee and won European Actress 2003 for SWIMMING POOL. She has received an Honorary César and has been nominated four times in France, as the murder suspect Barbara in HE DIED WITH HIS EYES OPEN, the lonely wife in UNDER THE SAND, a famous mystery author in SWIMMING POOL and the deranged Alice Pollock in LEMMING. She recently received a Silver Berlin Bear for her role in 45 YEARS which is also part of this year’s EFA Selection. Among some of Charlotte Rampling’s most interesting films are THE NIGHT PORTER by Liliana Cavani, HEADING SOUTH by Laurent Cantet, STARDUST MEMORIES by Woody Allen, THE VERDICT by Sidney Lumet, UNDER THE SAND by François Ozon, MAX MY LOVE by Nagisa Oshima and MELANCHOLIA by Lars von Trier. Born in Austria, Christoph Waltz studied acting at the Max Reinhardt Seminar in Vienna and in New York. He started out as a theatre actor and quickly became a popular TV star. In 2009 Christoph Waltz shot to international fame with Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS for which he received the Best Actor Award in Cannes, a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and his first Oscar. He acted in THE GREEN HORNET by Michel Gondry, in CARNAGE by Roman Polanski and in 2012 he again collaborated with Quentin Tarantino, playing Dr. King Schultz in DJANGO UNCHAINED which won him another Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and ultimately a second Oscar. And he plays a leading part in the new James Bond film SPECTRE.
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First Irish Screen America Film Festival is a Hit, Featuring Irish Films and Directors

The inaugural 2015 Irish Screen America Film Festival (ISA) took place recently in Los Angeles and New York, attracting more 3,000 attendees. Launched in 2015, ISA is an organization created to seek out and promote influential and emerging Irish talent to the U.S. and showcase the very best of contemporary Irish film, TV, animation, video games and interactive media. The festival’s Executive Director and Curator, Kilmacanogue native and Emmy-winning producer/director Niall McKay and Deputy Directors Clodagh Bowyer and Marissa Aroy welcomed guests on both coasts to the festivals which came to a close in New York on Monday, October 5. Niall McKay said, “This year, we were able to showcase over 13 films to over three thousand people in both New York and Los Angeles and introduce our participating filmmakers to important industry professionals. Of course, none of this could happen if they weren’t making beautiful films that we are able to showcase. It’s really a great time for Irish filmmaking. It was also really gratifying to see that many of the projects from our local Irish program in New York, such as “You Are Beautiful,” “Creativity Requires Courage,” and “On the Lig,” sprung out of the relationships created at the prior editions of the festivals.” Irish writer/directors Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy were on hand in both Los Angeles and New York to introduce guests to their confident, timely, Opening Night thriller TRADERS. Also attending ISA’s festivities, either presenting their films or participating in programs were breakthrough LA-based Irish directors Fergal Reilly (ANGRY BIRDS), Ruairi Robinson (LAST DAY ON MARS), Gary Shore (DRACULA UNTOLD); actors Peter O’Meara (TRADERS, RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION), Kevin J. Ryan (PADDY’S IN THE BOOT, COPPERS), Dónall Ó Héalaí (TRADERS, SÍNTE), Glenn Keogh (LUCKY ME BOLLIX, TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION), Wallis Murphy Munn (SANDBOY); and short film directors Vittoria Colonna (SANDBOY), Marcus Fox (LUCKY ME BOLLIX), Kevin Shulman (PADDY’S IN THE BOOT) Andrew Baird (BREAKING THROUGH) Liam Hallihan (MARTIN’S LIFE); and Masterclass Instructors director Cathy Brady (MORNING, WASTED), and Oscar®-nominated screenwriter and director Naomi Sheridan, amongst others. Other festival guests included Barbara Jones – Consul General of Ireland in New York and Kevin Byrne – Irish Vice Consul of Ireland in San Francisco; producers Jonathan Loughran and Gabrielle Kelly; former Miss Ireland and RTÉ presenter, actress Olivia Tracey; Bernadette O’Neill; Rachel Rath; Kevin Marron; Johnnie A O’Callaghan; Jasmine Jaisinghani (AFI, IFFLA); Catherine Siggins; Siobhan Flynn; Tara Halloran (SVP British Film Commission); Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman; Pascal Ladreyt (ELMA); Joan Burney Keatings (Cinemagic); poet Maureen Grady and Daniel Nyiri. ISA presented an award at the Los Angeles Opening Night Reception to “outstanding new filmmakers & influential and emerging Irish talent”. Recipients of the 2015 ISA Rising Talent Award were Rachael Moriarty, Peter Murphy, Barry Keoghan, Liam Hallihan, Cathy Brady, Laura McGee, Naomi Sheridan and Dónall Ó Héalaí. The awards were presented to the filmmakers by Teresa McGrane, Deputy Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/the Irish Film Board (IFB) who said “‘What we have witnessed this weekend is the extraordinary breadth of Irish talent both living and working in the US and Ireland – Irish Screen America is an incredible platform to share stories and at the same time have a lot of fun. Thank you to Niall and the ISA team – we know the hard work they put in and we wish ISA every success in building on an amazing launch.” Highlights of the combined program included Daisy Asquith’s documentary “After the Dance,” the Sundance Award-winning, IFTA-nominated “Glassland,” Frank Berry’s “I Used to Live Here,” the shorts program including “Wasted” by Cathy Brady, Liam Halihan’s super funny animation “Martin’s Life” and the premiere screening of Niall McKay and Marissa Aroy’s “On the Lig”. The programs included a highly successful, sold out panel discussion entitled “Stories From the Field” with directors Ruairi Robinson (“Last Day on Mars”), Fergal Reilly (“Angry Birds”) and Gary Shore (“Dracula Untold”) in Los Angeles and packed out master classes from Academy Award® nominated screenwriter, Naomi Sheridan in Los Angeles and IFTA-award-winning director Cathy Brady in New York. ISA’s film festival roadshow will continue to take place annually in the fall in Los Angeles and New York featuring contemporary and critically-acclaimed Irish feature films and documentaries, New Irish Talent Showcases (shorts, web shows, animation and games), a selection of filmmaker Q&A’s, master classes, industry panel discussions and filmmaker receptions. Image 1: Los Angeles – Olivia Tracey (fmr Miss Ireland), Niall McKay (ISA), Naomi Sheridan (screenwriter), Teresa McGrane (Irish Film Board) Image 2: Los Angeles Irish Directors Panel – L-R Fergal Reilly (Director Angry Birds), Gary Shore (Dracula Untold), Niall McKay (IFA), Ruairi Robinson (Last Day on Mars) Image 3: New York Reception for opening of ISA New York Film Festival – Niall McKay (ISA), Barbara Jones, Consul General of Ireland in New York (1)
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Magnolia Pictures, Duplass Brothers Launch TANGERINE Oscar Campaign for Transgender Stars

Magnolia Pictures and the Duplass Brothers are launching an Oscar campaign for TANGERINE stars Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor, reports Variety. This will reportedly be the first awards season push for transgender actress by a movie distributor in Hollywood history. Rodriguez will be pushed as Lead Actress and Taylor as Supporting. They plan on bids for screenwriting and cinematography for the film as well. TANGERINE directed by Sean Baker, was released earlier this Summer via Magnolia Pictures, and earned a lot of well deserved attention for not only featuring transgender actresses in prominent roles, but also for its technical feat – it was shot on an iPhone 5s. The film follows a prostitute, who’s just released from prison, and headed to Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Mark Duplass points out that AMPAS is behind the various TV academies in terms of recognizing trans actors; he tells Variety, “Jay and I are new to the Academy, so we’re just figuring this whole thing out. One thing that has become apparent to us as we look at this stuff, it seems that the TV Academy has embraced what’s happening in the trans movement with ‘Transparent’ and ‘Orange is the New Black.’ We feel that the film Academy is a little behind on that front.” This TANGERINE campaign offers a vital counterpoint to “Oscar bait” campaigns in which straight, cisgender, white actors portray trans characters. Mark Duplass tells Variety of this counterpoint, “This is the time for it. We’re in the middle of a civil rights movement.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALSwWTb88ZU
It’s Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee (newcomer Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend (James Ransone, STARLET, “Generation Kill”) hasn’t been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra (newcomer Mya Taylor), embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity. Director Sean Baker’s prior films (STARLET, PRINCE OF BROADWAY) brought rich texture and intimate detail to worlds seldom seen on film. Shot on an iPhone 5s, TANGERINE follows suit, bursting off the screen with energy and style. A decidedly modern Christmas tale told on the streets of L.A., TANGERINE defies expectation at every turn.
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Civil Rights Icon Grace Lee Boggs, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS, Dies at 100

Grace Lee Boggs, civil rights icon, and subject of the 2013 documentary American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, has died at the age of 100. According to the a statement on the Boggs Center website, Grace Lee Boggs died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Field Street in Detroit on Monday night, October 5, 2015. Philosopher-Activist Grace Lee Boggs Dies in Detroit: A Champion for the People October 5, 2015–Grace Lee Boggs died peacefully in her sleep at her home on Field Street in Detroit this morning. She had recently celebrated her 100th birthday at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History. Grace was an internationally known philosopher activist for justice. She had been politically active since the 1930’s working with A. Phillip Randolph’s first march on Washington and later C.L.R. James. For more than 40 years she worked closely with her late husband James Boggs in advancing ideas of revolution and evolution for the 20th and 21st Centuries. She helped organize the 1963 March down Woodward Avenue with Dr. Martin Luther King and the Grassroots Leadership Conference with Malcolm X. Grace Lee Boggs was active in Labor, Civil Rights, Black Power, women and environmental justice movements. Later, with her husband James, she helped organize SOSAD, WePros, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Gardening Angels and Detroit Summer. Grace was a founding member of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership and was a strong advocate for place based education and supported the James and Grace Lee Boggs School. “Grace died as she lived surrounded by books, politics, people and ideas,” said Alice Jennings and Shea Howell, two of her Trustees. A memorial celebrating her life will be announced later. President Barack Obama, issued a statement, saying “Michelle and I were saddened to hear of the passing of author, philosopher, and activist Grace Lee Boggs. Grace dedicated her life to serving and advocating for the rights of others – from her community activism in Detroit, to her leadership in the civil rights movement, to her ideas that challenged us all to lead meaningful lives. As the child of Chinese immigrants and as a woman, Grace learned early on that the world needed changing, and she overcame barriers to do just that. She understood the power of community organizing at its core – the importance of bringing about change and getting people involved to shape their own destiny. Grace’s passion for helping others, and her work to rejuvenate communities that had fallen on hard times spanned her remarkable 100 years of life, and will continue to inspire generations to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with Grace’s family and friends, and all those who loved her dearly.” The filmmakers of the documentary also issued a statement saying, “Grace Lee Boggs passed away peacefully this morning. We are so grateful for the vision of justice and human connection that she gave us and feel incredibly privileged to have been able to share her story with others.” The documentary film, AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS, plunges us into Boggs’s lifetime of vital thinking and action, traversing the major U.S. social movements of the last century; from labor to civil rights, to Black Power, feminism, the Asian American and environmental justice movements and beyond. Boggs’s constantly evolving strategy—her willingness to re-evaluate and change tactics in relation to the world shifting around her—drives the story forward. Angela Davis, Bill Moyers, Bill Ayers, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Danny Glover, Boggs’s late husband James and a host of Detroit comrades across three generations help shape this uniquely American story. As she wrestles with a Detroit in ongoing transition, contradictions of violence and non-violence, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, the 1967 rebellions, and non-linear notions of time and history, Boggs emerges with an approach that is radical in its simplicity and clarity: revolution is not an act of aggression or merely a protest. Revolution, Boggs says, is about something deeper within the human experience — the ability to transform oneself to transform the world. POV is streaming the film for free until November 4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JvyZtNA4CU
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Rodrigo Bellott, Erin Greenwell and Mylo Mendez Win Queer/Art/Mentorship Fellowships in Film

Queer/Art/Mentorship, the multi-disciplinary, inter-generational arts program that pairs and supports mentorship between emerging and established LGBTQI artists in NYC, has announced the eleven Fellows accepted for its 2015-2016 annual mentorship cycle. The Fellows chosen in five artistic disciplines are Monstah Black, Eva Peskin and Justine Williams in Performance; Jacob Matkov and Brendan Williams-Childs in Literary; Rodrigo Bellott, Erin Greenwell and Mylo Mendez in Film; Caroline Wells Chandler and Doron Langberg in Visual Arts; and Hugh Ryan in Curatorial. The 2015-2016 Queer/Art/Mentorship Fellows in Film are Rodrigo Bellott was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. His breakout film, Sexual Dependency won over 15 awards in over 65 film festivals around the world and was also Bolivia’s first film competing for “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 2004 Academy Awards. VARIETY magazine named Bellott as one of the “TOP TEN Latin American Talents to Watch”. Bellott will be working with Mentor, filmmaker Silas Howard on the film adaptation of his play Tu Me Manques, that explores contemporary queer identity in the moment of historical change in contrast with the current situations in other parts of the world. Erin Greenwell wrote and directed the feature film My Best Day, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Her other directing endeavors include Oh Come On, a punk DIY performance video for Kathleen Hanna’s band The Julie Ruin and The Golden Age of Hustlers, featuring Justin Vivian Bond’s remake of the iconic song written by legendary punk chanteuse Bambi Lake. In 2006, Greenwell formed Smithy Productions, a production company, with the aim of cultivating talents from the queer/independent art community under the umbrella of narrative and documentary storytelling. Greenwell will be working with Mentor, director and screenwriter Stacie Passon to develop her narrative feature length script, The Flight Deck, based on the butch/femme lesbian bar scene in Buffalo, NY during the 1950s. Mylo Mendez is a Texas-born video artist currently based in Brooklyn. Hir work uses humor, narrative, and characters with aberrant bodies to navigate identity, social and geographical borders, and history. Mendez has been featured in group shows in New York City and Austin. Ze received hir MFA from Parsons The New School for Design. Mendez will be working with Mentor, filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris on a film about the intersection of trans and punk identities and communities in New York City.
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IMPERIAL DREAMS, 3 1/2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS, TIME TO GO, Win Top Honors at 2015 Montreal International Black Film Festival

The 2015 Montreal International Black Film Festival held from September 29 to October 4, 2015, announced its prize winners at the Festival’s closing ceremonies on Sunday. Malik Vital’s Imperial Dreams won the award for Best Narrative Feature, Marc Silver’s 31/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets won the award for Best Documentary Feature, and Loîc Barché’s Le Commencement won the award for Best Narrative Short. Winners of 2015 Montreal International Black Film Festival BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: Malik Vital’s Imperial Dreams (USA) In Imperial Dreams, a 21-year-old reformed gangster’s devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison and returns to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles. Honorable mentions to: Ernest Nkosi’s Thina Sobabili (South Africa) BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: Marc Silver’s 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets (USA) 3 1⁄2 MINUTES, TEN BULLETS dissects the shooting death of 17-year old Jordan Davis by Michael Dunn in Jacksonville, Florida on Black Friday 2012. The film examines the aftermath of this systemic tragedy, the contradictions within the American criminal justice system—particularly the implications of the “Stand Your Ground” self-defence law— and the racial prejudices that ensued. With intimate access, the film follows the trial of Dunn and its deep impact on Jordan’s family and friends. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKbCoRA__UI Honorable mention to: Michiel Thomas’ Game Face (USA) and Stanley Nelson’s Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (USA) BEST NARRATIVE SHORT: Loîc Barché’s Le Commencement (Time To Go) (France) Ever since he was a child, the Musician has had only one goal: becoming a great guitar player. Now thirty, he’s living with a young welder, Elsa, who wants to build a life with him. But the Musician knows that for as long as he hasn’t achieved his goal he will never be able to commit to anything or anyone else. One night, however, Elsa convinces him to take a job in a music shop in a nearby city. But on the way there, the Musician meets a strange man who promises to make his dreams come true in exchange for his soul… Honorable mention to: Anna Muso’s Ran Fast (USA)
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JAMES WHITE to Chicago Premiere at Chicago International Film Festival, James Mond, Christopher Abbott to Receive Emerging Artist Award

The 51st Chicago International Film Festival Junior Board will present the U.S. independent feature film James White as their Junior Board Night at the Festival on Saturday, October 17, 2015; and will present the Festival’s Emerging Artist Award to both director Josh Mond and actor Christopher Abbott. In this Sundance-winning drama directed by Josh Mond (producer of Martha Marcy May Marlene and Simon Killer), James White is an emotionally unstable young New Yorker processing the recent death of his long-absent father. His mother, a cancer survivor who raised him from a young age, falls terminally ill. With an immersive filmmaking style putting us inside James’s head, the raw, affecting film features a revelatory lead performance from Christopher Abbott (Girls), with Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City) as his ailing mother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1aVC6LJ3uc “We are very excited that the Junior Board has selected these amazing young talents for their Emerging Artist Award,” said Anthony Kaufman, Programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. “In his first feature as a director, Josh Mond has crafted a remarkably assured dramatic film, which is made all the more visceral and moving by Christopher Abbott’s riveting performance.” The Chicago International Film Festival’s Junior Board is a diverse group of young, working professionals dedicated to fundraising and volunteering to support the Festival’s year-round Education Program. Along with year-round screenings and special events, Junior Board Night reflects the Board’s passion and enthusiasm for the Festival and its mission. Previous Junior Board Night films have included The Sessions (Ben Lewin) and Low Down (Jeff Preiss). “The Junior Board works throughout the year as ambassadors of the Festival, and Junior Board Night is one of our most highly anticipated events. We look forward to welcoming Josh and Christopher to Chicago, sharing their film with our audiences and celebrating them for their work,” says Hanna Soltys, Junior Board President.
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OLIVER’S DEAL, INCORRUPTIBLE Win Top Awards at 2015 Woodstock Film Festival

OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott (pictured above) won the Maverick Award for Best Feature Narrative, and INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi won the Maverick Award for Best Feature Documentary at the 2015 Woodstock Film Festival which ran Wednesday, September 30, through Sunday, October 4, 2015. The Awards Ceremony was held Saturday night, with Academy Award® winning actress Melissa Leo on hand to help celebrate the talent at this year’s festival, including honorary award recipients Atom Egoyan and Guy Maddin, two of Canada’s most celebrated filmmakers. Guy Maddin presented Atom Egoyan with the Honorary Maverick Award, and Atom Egoyan then presented Guy Maddin with the second annual Fiercely Independent Award. This year’s ceremony also featured the introduction of two inaugural awards, the Carpe Diem Andretta Award, presented to Waffle Street, and the World Cinema Competition, presented to Meet Me In Venice. 2015 Woodstock Film Festival Maverick Awards The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented by jurors Themla Adams, Stephen Lang, and Joana Vincente to: OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott Honorable Mention was presented to: IT HAD TO BE YOU, directed by Sasha Gordon The Maverick Award for BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Simon Kilmurry, Alan Berliner, and Sara Bernstein to: INCORRUPTIBLE, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi “This remarkable film traces a journey from idealism to corruption in one of Africa’s oldest democracies, asking the question – is power an inherently corrupting influence? What the leaders of the country do not count on is that — in the end — it is the people of Senegal who turn out to be incorruptible. Through unprecedented access to all the players, filmmaker Chai Vasarhelyi weaves a complex and thrilling picture of a country at the precipice.” – 2015 Woodstock Film Festival Jury Honorable Mention was presented to THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL, directed by Holly Morris, Co-directed by Anne Bogart “A lyrical, poetic portrait of an unknown group of women in a forgotten land. The Babushkas of Chernobyl live mostly alone, in the shadow of the world’s largest nuclear meltdown, surrounded by huge amounts of invisible radiation contamination. Strong and independent, their indelible ties to their homes trumps any health risk to which they might be exposed. A beautifully crafted documentary, this film does what documentaries do best – transport us to an unknown world and introduce us to extraordinary people we might never meet.” – 2015 Woodstock Film Festival Jury The Maverick Award for BEST ANIMATION was presented by jurors Signe Baumane and Linda Beck to: THE FIVE MINUTE MUSUEM, directed by Paul Bush Honorable Mention was presented to RELIGATIO, directed by Jaime Giraldo The Markertek Award for BEST SHORT NARRATIVE was presented by Benjamin Scott, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Nancy Collet to: STANHOPE, directed by Solvan “Slick” Naim Honorable Mention was presented to WELCOME (BIENVENIDOS), directed by Javier Fesser The Markertek Award for BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM was presented by jurors David F. Schwartz, Isil Bagdadi, and Marjoe Aquilling to: AGAINST NIGHT, directed by Stefan Kubicki The Markertek Award for BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Hugo Perez, Cynthia Kane, and Jedd Wider to: ALL ABOUT AMY, directed by Samuel Centore Honorable Mention was presented to NANEEK, directed by Neal Steeno The Haskell Wexler Award for BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY was presented with a special introduction by Haskell Wexler to: BOB AND THE TREES, directed by Diego Ongaro, with cinematography by Chris Teague and Danny Vecchione James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE NARRATIVE was presented by jurors Meg Reticker and Sabine Hoffman to: OLIVER’S DEAL, directed by Barney Elliott and edited by J.L. Romeu & Roberto Benavides Honorable Mention was presented to TOUCHED WITH FIRE, directed by Paul Dalio and edited by Paul Dalio & Lee Percy James Lyons Award for BEST EDITING of a FEATURE DOCUMENTARY was presented by jurors Sabine Hoffman, Katherine Barnier, and Michael Berenbaum to: THE BABUSHKAS OF CHERNOBYL, directed by Holly Morris and edited by Michael Taylor, Richard Howard, and Mary Manhardt Honorable Mention was presented to I WILL NOT BE SILENCED, directed by Judy Rymer and edited by Paul Hamilton ULTRA INDIE AWARD was presented by jurors Lori Singer and Leah Meyerhoff to: LAMB, directed by Ross Partridge Honorable Mention was presented to BOB AND THE TREES, directed by Diego Ongaro TANGERINE ENTERTAINMENT JUICE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE FEATURE DIRECTOR was presented by jurors Amy Hobby and Anne Hubbell to: Linda-Maria Birbeck, director of THERE SHOULD BE RULES CARPE DIEM AWARD ANDRETTA AWARD FOR BEST FILM was presented by Lauri and Jim Andretta to: WAFFLE STREET, directed by Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms WORLD CINEMA AWARD was presented by jurors Claude Dal Farra and Lucy Barzun Donnelly to: MEET ME IN VENICE, directed by Eddy Terstall BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE was presented to Roberta Petzoldt (Meet Me in Venice) FIERCELY INDEPENDENT AWARD was presented by Atom Egoyan to: GUY MADDIN HONORARY MAVERICK AWARD was presented by Guy Maddin to: ATOM EGOYAN
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Michael Moore’s WHERE TO INVADE NEXT to Midwest Premiere at Chicago International Film Festival

Michael Moore’s latest film, Where To Invade Next, which World Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, will have its Midwest Premiere at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival on Friday, October 23, 2015 as Centerpiece Film. Director Michael Moore is scheduled to attend.
What has lured Michael Moore, the documentary genre’s most entertaining rabble-rouser, back to feature films after a six-year hiatus? Only the future of his country, naturally. Where To Invade Next is an expansive, rib-tickling, and subversive comedy in which Moore, playing the role of “invader,” visits a host of nations to learn how the U.S. could improve its own prospects.

The creator of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Bowling for Columbine is back with this hilarious and eye-opening call to arms. Where To Invade Next shows the solutions to America’s most entrenched problems already exist in the world, he says-they’re just waiting to be co-opted.
Director Michael Moore has a long and rich history with the Chicago International Film Festival, having premiered his groundbreaking debut Roger and Me at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1989. Moore came back to present his 2002 film Bowling for Columbine, which won him an Oscar for Best Documentary. “Michael Moore is quite a character and his films are important. He’s changed the way we look at the documentary in so many ways. You either love him or you hate him, but he’s definitely a director to watch.” says Founder & Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival Michael Kutza. “‘Where To Invade Next’ doesn’t disappoint.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RYV04G0tHc
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