VIMOOZ

  • Toronto International Film Festival Names Its Inaugural Platform Jury

    2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival announced the inaugural jury for Platform, the new program to champion directors’ cinema from around the world. This year, the three-person international jury is composed of acclaimed filmmakers Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Holland. Together, they will award a prize of $25,000 to the best film in the program, to be announced at the Awards Ceremony on September 20, 2015. “We have a long history with Zhang-ke, Claire and Agnieszka. They are master filmmakers with unique voices that we have championed throughout the years, both at the Festival and in our year-round programming,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “We are honoured to welcome them back to Toronto on our 40th anniversary as we celebrate our renewed commitment to artistically ambitious filmmaking with Platform.” “Platform is our new home for original, personal filmmaking and this is our dream jury,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “We are thankful to these visionary filmmakers for making the time to join us this September. We can’t wait for the conversations they’ll have about the Platform films.” Inspired by Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking film, Platform will shine the spotlight on up to 12 films of high artistic merit that demonstrate a strong directorial vision. The film lineup will be announced in the coming weeks. Jia Zhang-ke was born in Fenyang, Shanxi Province, China, and studied at the Beijing Film Academy. He made his directorial debut with the feature Xiao Wu(1997). His subsequent films have all screened at the Festival, including the documentaries Dong (2006), Wuyong (2007), and I Wish I Knew, (2010) and the features Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Still Life(2006), 24 City (2008), and A Touch of Sin (2013), which won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes. Mountains May Depart (2015) is his latest film. In 2005, TIFF Cinematheque presented a retrospective of his work titled Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhang-ke. Claire Denis was born in Paris, raised primarily in West Africa, and graduated from France’s Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC).  Many of her films have screened at the Festival, including her debut feature, Chocolat (1988), the documentary Man No Run (1989), the features No Fear, No Die (1990), I Can’t Sleep (1994), Nenette et Boni (1996), Beau travail (1999), Trouble Every Day(2001), Friday Night (2002), L’intrus (04), 35 Shots of Rum (2008), White Material(2009) and Bastards (2013), and the short Voilà l’enchainement (2014). She is currently co-writing her next film, an English-language science-fiction feature, with Zadie Smith. In 2013, TIFF Cinematheque presented a retrospective of her work called Objects of Desire: The Cinema of Claire Denis. Agnieszka Holland was born in Warsaw, Poland. Her first feature film, Provincial Actors (1979), won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes. Many of her films have played at the Festival, including A Woman Alone (1981), Europa Europa (1990), Olivier Olivier(1992),Total Eclipse (1995), Washington Square (1997), The Third Miracle (1999),Julie Walking Home (2002), Copying Beethoven (2006), In Darkness (2011), and the HBO miniseries Burning Bush (2013). Her other credits include the features Fever(1980), To Kill a Priest (1988), The Secret Garden (1993), and episodes of such acclaimed television series as The Wire and House of Cards. She is a frequent guest of TIFF, having recently participated in an In Conversation With… event and introduction and Q&A of Washington Square at TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2014.

    Read more


  • WATCH 3 Short Docs From Academy Nominated Directors on Awesome Small Businesses

    A Dream Preferred Tribeca® Digital Studios in partnership with American Express have co-produced a series of three short films that celebrate small businesses and the creators at the forefront of the entrepreneurial renaissance. Academy Award®-nominated filmmakers Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp), and Gini Reticker (Pray the Devil Back to Hell)  have brought stories to life that explore the nature, shifts, and struggles of young business development; the pioneers, inventors, and dreamers at the helm of these ambitions; and the impact these ventures have on their communities. The films debuted July 15 on a host of cable on-demand platforms in over 40 million homes including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Cablevision, Cox and Brighthouse, Vimeo, interactive smart TV app American Express NOW, the American Express YouTube Channel, and American Express OPEN Forum, an online community for small businesses to inspire and help them grow. The three films in the series are as follows: Buffalo Returns, directed by Gini Reticker: In the face of a powerful recession, crippling unemployment and a housing crisis, a small, creative and energetic band of Native American businesspeople, with the help of the buffalo, rebuild their community through a growing business, Native American Natural Foods, the company behind Tanka energy bars. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Gini Reticker weaves together beautiful imagery set to the pulse of the Sioux Nation to carefully tell the story of two entrepreneurs who use tradition and ingenuity to bring opportunity and hope to the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. After nearly going extinct, the buffalo has returned, bringing a chance for prosperity to the Lakota people. https://vimeo.com/127614041 A Dream Preferred, directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing: The future of Taharka Brothers, purveyors of ice cream and social change, hinges on the success of a crowdfunding campaign. If successful, they will be able to grow their business by launching a “Food for Thought” ice cream truck, a literal vehicle for change. With a looming deadline, and what seems like an insurmountable goal:$28,000 in 29 days, Taharka Brothers takes to the streets to raise awareness, inspire, and turn out some supremely delicious ice cream – voted Best in Baltimore. Progress is slow and defeat starts to set in, until a pivotal phone call. Filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing take us behind the scenes in a fun, yet poignant portrayal of young men from Baltimore’s toughest neighborhoods as they struggle with entrepreneurship, sharpen their business strategy and inspire their community. Baltimore has a positive and empowering story to tell. The Taharka Brothers’ ingenuity and character are an inspiration to all. When you fight for what you believe in, dreams happen. https://vimeo.com/127608534 The Downtown Project, directed by Morgan Spurlock:  Far from the bright lights and the resounding ka-ching of booming commerce on the Vegas strip is another side of Sin City; Downtown Vegas prides itself on hard work and the development of local businesses to inspire a growing entrepreneurial spirit within the community. A local initiative known as The Downtown Project champions small businesses by partnering with owners to make dreams happen and to bring a community out of the shadows. https://vimeo.com/127608535 Unique businesses like EAT, an award winning restaurant owned by Chef Natalie Young, The Hydrant Park, a desert oasis for locals and their pets, Stitch Factory, a fashion and creative co-working studio, and Turntable Health, a physician’s group with a specialized focus on the medical needs of their neighbors, are some of Downtown Projects’ most notable successes that are helping to revitalize the Las Vegas community.  The entrepreneurial momentum in downtown Las Vegas has many exciting people flocking to this once depressed area to follow their dreams and to be a part of something life-changing. Renowned filmmaker Morgan Spurlock follows this tantalizing journey through the unique characters finding prosperity in the most unlikely places. Their passion is infectious and, thanks to The Downtown Project, life is thriving again in downtown Vegas for the first time since the 1950’s.

    Read more


  • Restored Anti-apartheid Film, A Dry White Season, will Screen on Mandela Day 2015 for Durban International Film Festival

    A DRY WHITE SEASON The award-winning and world-renowned French filmmaker Euzhan Palcy will showcase her most celebrated work, A DRY WHITE SEASON (1989), as part of the film’s 25th anniversary at this year’s Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). The film was adapted from a book by the acclaimed South African writer Andre Brink who died earlier this year. Palcy will be honoring Brink on Mandela Day (July 18). Additionally, in a tribute to her contribution to the South African film industry, Palcy will be honoured at the Simon Sabela Awards on July 19. Karina Brink, Dame Janet Suzman and Thoko Ntshinga will attend both the screening and the awards. A DRY WHITE SEASON, Euzhan Palcy At the time the film was produced, Ms. Palcy (pictured above) was distinguished for being the first black female director to be hired by a major Hollywood studio (MGM) and to direct an anti-apartheid film during Nelson Mandela’s prison sentence. She is also the only woman to have directed Marlon Brando and the first black person to win a French Oscar. Andre Brink’s book, a narrative about the social movements of South Africa and the 1976 Soweto riots inspired Palcy’s impassioned response to illustrate an accurate account of the reality of apartheid. Palcy made the film in 1989 after doing extensive research undercover in Soweto. The film stars Donald Sutherland, Janet Suzman, Marlon Brando, Zakes Mokae, Susan Sarandon, John Kani, Winston Ntshona, Jürgen Prochnow amongst others. “We are pleased to be able to present an important work created by a black woman, which highlights and even represents the lost voices of the people of this continent; the unspoken narratives and the untold stories,” says Pedro Pimenta, Director of DIFF. “Her courage to create a work which could stand out and give three dimensional life to Brink’s book, and by association the voiceless at the time, required an enormous amount of bravery. We are proud to be able to salute her at the DIFF this year.” The South African event will kick off on 17 July with the opening of an exhibition of David James’ still photographs from A DRY WHITE SEASON at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts. James is the 2011 Society of Cinematographer Lifetime achievement award winner in stills photography and was the official photographer of the 81st to the 84th Oscars ceremonies. The exhibition will run for the duration of the DIFF until the 26 July. A DRY WHITE SEASON will be screened on Mandela Day at Suncoast on Saturday, 18 July at 20:00. This will be followed by a question and answer session with Ms. Palcy. Her first classic award winning film, SUGAR CANE ALLEY, which Brink apparently screened in secret to his students, celebrates its 30th anniversary and will be screened as a South African premiere at Suncoast on Monday, 20 July at 19:30, in which she will also be in attendance. Comment from Patrick Aglae director of communications for Euzhan Palcy and producer of A DRY WHITE SEASON: the 25th anniversary tour: It has been a long journey since we decided to officially screen A DRY WHITE SEASON in South Africa on the big stage. Euzhan Palcy had made the promise to Nelson Mandela to comeback one day to officially screen the film. In March at the Andre Brink’s Memorial at the University of Cape Town she said “Let’s make it happen”. So to do it on the Mandela Day is magnificent. I’d like to thank DIFF’s new leadership to make this dream a reality alongside MGM and Park Circus, its worldwide distribution partner which played a key role to restore this film and make the DCP on time. To make it so fast speaks volume about their respect for the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbNbN3KSkI8

    Read more


  • BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS Starring Fran Kranz and Pedro Pascal to Open September 4 | TRAILER

    BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS The hilarious, blood-spattered indie film BLOODSUCKING BASTARDS which World Premiere earlier this year as the opening night film of the Slamdance Film Festival 2015, will open in select theaters and VOD 0n September 4th. Bloodsucking Bastards takes audiences on a hilarious, blood-spattered roller coaster ride in the most terrifying locale of all: the American workplace. The film stars Fran Kranz as Evan Sanders, a low-level, dutiful employee stuck in a boring job at a soul-killing every corporation. Evan’s the kind of guy who does all the work and gets none of the credit, but at least he gets to spend his days with his beautiful co-worker/girlfriend Amanda (Emma Fitzpatrick) and his slacker best friend Tim (Joey Kern), so he soldiers on in the hope of one day getting his coveted sales director position. Unfortunately, it all falls apart in one fell swoop when Amanda breaks up with him and Evan’s boss Ted (Joel Murray) hands his promotion to his college nemesis Max (Pedro Pascal). And it isn’t just their sordid past Evan has to deal with. After his fellow officemates start going through disturbing changes (which, paradoxically, make them better employees) and bodies begin to pile up, Evan learns the horrible truth: Max is a vampire. And even worse… a vamp with a plan. Evan must find a way to stop the evil brewing amidst the cubicles, expose Max as the bloodsucking bastard that he is, and save his pals before his life and career go from dead-end…to just dead. Directed by Brian James O’Connell and penned by the popular comedy troupe Dr. God and Ryan Mitts, Bloodsucking Bastards recently made its world premiere as the opening night film at the Slamdance Film Festival 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSzV9oG07lo

    Read more


  • Skateboarding Film WE ARE BLOOD to Premiere in August 2015 | TRAILER

    WE ARE BLOOD ty evans The skateboarding film WE ARE BLOOD will World Premiere on August 13, 2015 in Los Angeles in conjunction with the start of the Dew Tour L.A. stop. Directed by Ty Evans, the feature length film stars professional street skateboarder and DEW® athlete Paul Rodriguez as he and other top skateboarders travel the world, pushing the limits of what’s possible on a skateboard and celebrating the unconditional bond created by the simple act of skateboarding. With staggering cinematography, state-of-the-art cameras and unique perspectives that lend to a cutting-edge, progressive skateboarding experience, WE ARE BLOOD takes viewers through Spain, Brazil, China and Dubai, thanks to the support of film sponsor XDubai, as well as on a classic road trip across the United States. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVus4Ua1EFQ The world premiere of WE ARE BLOOD will be held at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, on Saturday, August 15. Following the Los Angeles premiere, WE ARE BLOOD will launch a screening tour across the United States and globally at select locations including: Thursday, August 20New York, N.Y. Monday, August 24Boston, Mass. Tuesday, August 25Denver, Colo. Wednesday, August 26Chicago, Ill. Friday, August 28Amsterdam, Netherlands Saturday, August 29Munich, Germany Sunday, August 30Vienna, Austria Tuesday, September 1Portland, Ore. Wednesday, September 2San Francisco, Cali. Thursday, September 3San Diego, Cali. Friday, September 4Houston, Texas Saturday, September 5Dallas, Texas Thursday, September 10Sao Paulo, Brazil The film will release worldwide in mid-August in Ultra HD 4K and HD on digital and other VOD and streaming platforms such as iTunes, Amazon Instant Play and MGO as well as on DVD and Blu-ray in Zumiez and other core skate shops.  

    Read more


  • Award-Winning Documentary TASHI AND THE MONK Premieres on HBO on August 17th | TRAILER

    TASHI AND THE MONK The award-winning documentary TASHI AND THE MONK, directed by Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke, and winner of the International Documentary Association’s 2014 Best Short Award, will premiere on HBO on August 17th.  TASHI AND THE MONK provides a heartfelt and uplifting look into a unique children’s community in the Himalayan Mountains. Trained under the Dalai Lama to share Tibetan Buddhism with the West, monk Lobsang Phuntsok felt compelled to leave his life in the United States to return to his home village in India to rescue children from suffering. Since then he has created a unique community called Jhamtse Gatsal which provides a permanent home for 85 orphaned or abandoned children. 5 year-old Tashi is the community’s newest arrival. Her mother recently passed away and she’s been abandoned by her alcoholic father. Wild and troubled, Tashi is struggling to find her place amongst 84 new siblings.  Can the community’s love and compassion transform Tashi’s alienation and tantrums into a capacity to make her first real friend? https://vimeo.com/95827076

    Read more


  • TRAILER for Award Winning + Hilariously Funny FORT TILDEN

    FORT TILDEN Orion Releasing has released the new official trailer for the hilariously funny FORT TILDEN, the debut feature film of directors Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, and the well deserved winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival.  Fort Tilden will open in theaters and on VOD on August 14th. Amidst quarter-life crises, Allie struggles to prepare for the Peace Corps, while Harper awaits checks from her father to fund her artistic dreams. But the two friends quickly shun responsibilities for the day when a pair of good-looking guys invites them along for a carefree Fort Tilden afternoon. As the two young women board their bikes and embark on a lengthy journey to the beach, they quickly realize that, akin to their confusing, transitioning lives, they neither know where they’re going nor how they plan to get there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-MrQSx3blg

    Read more


  • THE MEND Starring Josh Lucas Sets Summer 2015 Release Date

    THE MEND, A film by John Magary, Starring Josh Lucas, Stephen Plunkett, Lucy Owen, Mickey Sumner and Austin Pendleton THE MEND “the wonderfully strange and acidic debut comedy from writer / director John Magary” and starring Josh Lucas, Stephen Plunkett, Lucy Owen, Mickey Sumner and Austin Pendleton, will open in theaters in NYC on August 21st, and in LA on August 28th via Cinelicious. Shot through with the wicked humor and anarchy of Bruce Robinson’s Withnail & I and Mike Leigh’s Naked, The Mend follows a mismatched yin-yang pair of NYC brothers, loose cannon Mat (Josh Lucas in a career-best performance) and put-upon Alan ( Stephen Plunkett) as they stagger dimly towards some understanding of love, women, masculinity and what it truly means to be a brother. Featuring a gorgeous, minimalist score by Michi Wiancko & Judd Greenstein and beautiful, fluid cinematography by Chris Teague (Obvious Child), the film unfolds as three stylistically distinct but interwoven acts, each with its own mesmerizing rhythm.  With superb supporting performances by Mickey Sumner (Frances Ha) and Lucy Owen as the brothers’ sharp-tongued girlfriends.

    Read more


  • Bollywood Film BROTHERS…BLOOD AGAINST BLOOD Starring Akshay Kumar Opens Worldwide August 14 | TRAILER

    BROTHERS…BLOOD AGAINST BLOOD Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar returns with his latest film BROTHERS…BLOOD AGAINST BLOOD which opens in theaters worldwide on August 14 in time for India’s Independence Day holiday weekend. The Mixed Martial Arts saga will release in over 100 theaters across the U.S. including the AMC Empire in NYC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQO8LZ1Vh74 Gary Fernandes (Jackie Shroff), a former alcoholic and street-fighter, returns home after serving a prison sentence of 10 long years to find that the wounds of the past still haunt his family. His two sons, David (Akshay Kumar) and Monty (Siddharth Malhotra), who had parted ways as kids, are grown men now, but are still bitterly estranged. Gary himself carries the burden of his guilt. His elder son, David is an ex-fighter turned school teacher.  He and his wife Jenny work hard to make ends meet and to provide the best they can for their ailing daughter Poopoo. Troubled financial circumstances drive a desperate David to return to the world of street fighting. Meanwhile, Monty struggles with his lonely complex existence. An alcoholic, he is active in the world of street fighting, but lacks focus and determination. He strongly yearns for the acceptance, love and respect of his family. As the story unfolds, we see the journey of these three men, as they seek to find redemption and healing. Meanwhile, the arrival of ‘Right to Fight’ is announced in India — the biggest international event in mixed martial arts history. Both brothers, at the crossroads of their lives, end up enlisting to fight in this ‘Winner-takes-all’ event. And it is here after an age of estrangement, unknown to the two siblings, they finally stand to face off with each other and against their personal demons, in the ultimate final battle. It is said, that when a deep injury is done to us, we can never recover until we forgive. With twists and turns, pouring emotions and edge-of-the-seat action, will this final battle between the two brothers repair old wounds? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obHPQU0C1oo

    Read more


  • 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival Reveals First Ten Classic Caribbean Films on Lineup

    The Harder They Come The 2015 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff) unveiled the first selections of ten classic Caribbean films for this year’s edition of the Festival. These ten films will screen in a special sidebar to the main program, in honor of the ttff’s tenth anniversary. The Festival takes place from September 15–29. “Many people are unaware that there has been a Caribbean film industry for quite some time, or that almost every country in the region has produced feature films,” said Bruce Paddington, ttff Founder and Festival Director. “We are therefore very proud to present ten of the very best classic films from the Caribbean that will help one to appreciate and enjoy the rich diversity of the region.” Comprising films from nine different countries, the sidebar ranges across the English-, Spanish-, French- and Dutch-speaking sections of the region. The lineup includes the Jamaican classic, The Harder They Come, and Bim, from T&T. Memories of Underdevelopment, the oldest film in the lineup, is from 1968, while the most recent, Strawberry and Chocolate, was released in 1993. Both of those films hail from Cuba. The full slate of films is as follows: Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Cuba, 1968) The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, Jamaica, 1972) Bim (Hugh A. Robertson, Trinidad and Tobago, 1974) One People (Pim de la Parra, Suriname, 1976) Sugar Cane Alley (Euzhan Palcy, Martinique, 1983) One Way Ticket (Agliberto Menéndez, Dominican Republic, 1988) What Happened to Santiago (Jacobo Morales, Puerto Rico, 1989) Ava and Gabriel: A Love Story (Felix de Rooy, Curaçao, 1990) The Man on the Shore (Raoul Peck, Haiti, 1993) Strawberry and Chocolate (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea and Juan Carlos Tabío, Cuba, 1993) Caption: A still from The Harder They Come

    Read more


  • 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival Completes Lineup; Closes with ATTACK ON TITAN!

    ATTACK ON TITAN! movie

    The 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival rolls into the city of Montreal for its 19th edition from July 14 to August 4, 2015.

    Read more


  • SNEAKERHEADZ Documentary to Hit Theaters on Friday, August 7 | TRAILER

    SNEAKERHEADZ documentary The documentary SNEAKERHEADZ, directed by David T. Friendly (Academy Award nominated producer of LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE) and Mick Partridge (SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA, DECODING ANNIE PARKER, MERCY),which examines the cultural influence of sneaker collecting, will open in theaters on August 7 – opening at Village East Cinemas in NYC on Friday, August 7 with a national release to follow. To Rock or Stock? Sneakerheads will do almost anything to get their hands on a unique pair of kicks, going to such extreme lengths as hiding in trash cans to score a pair of Retro Jordan 11s to camping for days in sub zero temperatures for the latest Nike Foamposites. How did sneakers become as prized as collectable art? From the shores of Cali to the congested streets of Tokyo, SNEAKERHEADZ examines the cultural influence of sneaker collecting around the world and delves into a subculture whose proud members don’t just want to admire art, they want to wear it. https://vimeo.com/130269223

    Read more