VIMOOZ

Filmmaker Mira Nair to Receive Directing Award

Filmmaker Mira Nair will be honored with the Irving M. Levin Directing Award at the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival taking place April 21 to May 5, 2016. Given each year to one of the masters of world cinema in memory of SFIFF founder Irving M. Levin, the tribute acknowledges exceptional versatility in film and honors the director’s expansive body of work while celebrating her unique contributions to the art of cinema. Nair will also be honored at An Afternoon with Mira Nair at the Castro Theatre on Sunday April 24. An onstage conversation with Nair will be followed by a screening of Monsoon Wedding (2001). [caption id="attachment_12062" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Queen of Katwe[/caption] The presentation will also include an exclusive first look at special footage from Nair’s next project , about a rural Ugandan girl with an aptitude for chess, starring Lupita Nyong’o and David Oyelowo. Mira Nair was born and raised in Rourkela, India and went on to study at Delhi and Harvard universities. She began as an actress before segueing to make documentaries. Her narrative feature debut, Salaam Bombay! (1988) won the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film. A resourceful and determined independent filmmaker who casts unknowns alongside Hollywood stars, Nair has directed Mississippi Masala (1991), The Perez Family (1995), Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (1996), Hysterical Blindness (2002), Vanity Fair (2004), The Namesake (2006), Amelia (2009) and The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012). Monsoon Wedding: Winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion in 2001, Monsoon Wedding is a film of gigantic heart served with an ample dollop of social satire. Five romantic entanglements threaten to derail a high-end New Delhi marriage as the film effortlessly shifts between Bollywood expressionism and Altman-like character intrigue, gut-busting comedy and tender romance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjQjw-UyAX0 Previous recipients are Guillermo del Toro, Mexico; Richard Linklater, USA; Philip Kaufman, USA; Kenneth Branagh, England; Oliver Stone, USA; Walter Salles, Brazil; Francis Ford Coppola, USA; Mike Leigh, England; Spike Lee, USA; Werner Herzog, Germany; Taylor Hackford, USA; Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia/USA; Robert Altman, USA; Warren Beatty, USA; Clint Eastwood, USA; Abbas Kiarostami, Iran; Arturo Ripstein, Mexico; Im Kwon-Taek, South Korea; Francesco Rosi, Italy; Arthur Penn, USA; Stanley Donen, USA; Manoel de Oliveira, Portugal; Ousmane Sembène, Senegal; Satyajit Ray, India; Marcel Carné, France; Jirí Menzel, Czechoslovakia; Joseph L. Mankiewicz, USA; Robert Bresson, France; Michael Powell, England; and Akira Kurosawa, Japan.
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Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS Gets Quebec Hometown Release

Chloé Leriche’s first feature-length film, BEFORE THE STREETS (Avant les rues), will be released in Quebec, Canada, on April 15th. The film will play in Cinéma Beaubien (MTL), Cinéma du Parc (English sub-titled version), Station Vu – Cinéma de quartier (MTL), Cinéma Guzzo Méga-Plex Pont-Viau (Laval), Cinéma Guzzo place Jacques-Cartier in Longueuil, Cinéma Le Clap (Québec), La Maison du cinéma (Sherbrooke), Cinéma RGFM Joliette and Cinéma Le Tapis Rouge (Trois-Rivières). BEFORE THE STREETS world premiered in competition at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in the Generation section, and closed the Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois film festival 2016. Young Shawnouk kills a man during a robbery and flees into the forest. Deciding to return to his Atikamekw village in Québec, he tries to redeem himself using traditional cleansing rituals. BEFORE THE STREETS celebrates a revival of native culture and its traditions, as embodied by the very actors who participated in the film. The first dramatic feature shot in the native language of Atikamekw, the film boasts a cast composed almost entirely of non-professionals living and working in the villages where the film was shot. The story takes place in Manawan, while a forest fire closes in on the nearby village of Wemotaci.
Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS International Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpKe2NpemU4 Chloé Leriche made BEFORE THE STREETS with the collaboration of Québec’s three Atikamekw communities in, drawing on all the vitality they embody. By following the pacing of her non-professional actors, she created a distinct style that goes beyond notions of the North-American indie genre and recent media reports on the dismal conditions in Canada’s native communities. Screenwriter, director, producer and editor Chloé Leriche will accompany the film in Montreal and certain cities in Quebec, along with some of the film’s main actors Rykko Bellemare, Kwena Bellemare Boivin, Jacques Newashish. Janice Ottawa, Martin Dubreuil (Félix and Meira) and Normand Daoust (Les manèges humains) are also part of the cast. [caption id="attachment_12059" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Chloé Leriche[/caption] Chloé Leriche is a self-taught writer, director, and editor who has produced a dozen short films since 2001; her work has won several international film festival awards. She worked for Wapikoni Mobile, encouraging young people from different native tribes in Québec and Ontario to express themselves through cinema.
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Indie Thriller FARE to World Premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival | TRAILER

FARE, a feature-length thriller filmed entirely inside a moving car over three days, makes its world premiere April 26 at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Blurring the lines of tone and genre, “Fare” marks the feature-film debut of Charlotte, N.C.-based filmmaker Thomas Torrey. Filmed entirely inside a moving car in real traffic and shot on a limited budget, the film is ambitious, tackling mature thematic elements such as marriage, love and betrayal. The story follows a cab driver whose chance encounter with a passenger spirals into a night of darkness. “The subject matter required an unusual approach, from conception to production,” said filmmaker Torrey. “And just when we think we know where the film is headed, it diverges quickly. Interpretations of the material have varied widely, from concretely thrilling to deeply surreal.” Producer Justin Moretto described “Fare” as “existing in the now universal human experience of pulling out your phone to hail a cab. What would happen if we found ourselves somewhat notoriously connected with the driver who responded to our request for a lift? How would the night end?” Presented by the Los Angeles Times and the City of Newport Beach, the Newport Beach Film Festival is one of southern California’s largest, attracting over 55,000 attendees each year. Many notable films, including the premiere of Best Picture Oscar winner “Crash,” as well as “(500) Days of Summer,” “Layer Cake,” “Pieces of April” and others have screened at the Festival. “We’re very excited to screen Fare at our 2016 festival,” said Festival Programmer Deona Hamilton. “It’s sure to become one of our audience’s favorites.” “Fare” will premiere on Tuesday, April 26 at 8:30 p.m. at Island Cinemas, 999 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach, CA. Immediately following the premiere, Torrey and Moretto will join cast members from the film for a brief question-and-answer session. Torrey and Moretto founded Charlotte, N.C.-based production company Bad Theology Pictures in 2015. Bad Theology’s mission is to produce theme-driven narratives from writers and directors who have something to say. “Fare” is Bad Theology’s first film and one of four films to be produced under the company’s debut slate offering. https://vimeo.com/155327913
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Danish Comedy MEN & CHICKEN Sets April 22nd Release Date | TRAILER

[caption id="attachment_12019" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] MEN & CHICKEN[/caption] The “inventively bizarre and outlandish comedy” MEN & CHICKEN directed by acclaimed, Oscar-winning director Anders Thomas Jensen will open in New York and LA on April 22nd. MEN & CHICKEN starring David Dencik (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) was an official selection of the 2015 Toronto Film Festival and 2015 Fantastic Fest, where the film won the award for Best Director for Anders Thomas Jensen. Men & Chicken is a darkly hilarious slapstick comedy starring Mads Mikkelsen (“Hannibal,” ingeniously cast against type) about a pair of socially-challenged siblings who discover they are adopted half-brothers in their late father’s videotaped will. Their journey in search of their true father takes them to the small, insular Danish island of Ork, where they stumble upon three additional half-brothers—each also sporting hereditary harelips and lunatic tendencies—living in a dilapidated mansion overrun by barn animals. Initially unwelcome by their newfound kin, the two visitors stubbornly wear them down until they’re reluctantly invited to stay. As the misfit bunch get to know each other, they unwittingly uncover a deep family secret that ultimately binds them together. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1miLsTpeQ
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LOVE & FRIENDSHIP Starring Kate Beckinsale to Kick Off San Francisco International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_12014" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Love & Friendship[/caption] The 59th San Francisco International Film Festival taking place April 21 to May 5, 2016, kicks off with Whit Stillman’s Love & Friendship (Ireland 2016), an adaptation of a Jane Austen novella starring Kate Beckinsale and Chloe Sevigny. Slated as the Festival’s high-profile Centerpiece event is Indignation (USA 2015), James Schamus’ directorial debut based on novelist Philip Roth’s fictionalized account of his college experiences in the 1950s. The Festival will come to a close with local director Jesse Moss’ documentary The Bandit (USA 2016), a jubilant look at Burt Reynolds, stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham and their high-speed pursuit classic Smokey and the Bandit. Opening Night: Love & Friendship Thursday April 21, 7:00 pm, Castro Theatre Director Whit Stillman and star Kate Beckinsale expected to attend. Writer-director Whit Stillman brings a very funny sense and sensibility to this period comedy as sassy social climber Lady Susan (Kate Beckinsale) tries to finagle out of a scandal and gain matrimonial advantage for herself and her daughter. Witty and spry from start to finish, Stillman’s adaptation of a Jane Austin novella set in the 1790s charms as it peers into the affairs of the privileged and those who aspire to be, winking at contemporary pretensions through the lens of the past. Centerpiece: Indignation Saturday April 30, 8:00 pm, Victoria Theatre Director James Schamus expected to attend. James Schamus (Kanbar Award recipient, SFIFF 2010) makes his directorial debut with an elegant adaptation of Philip Roth’s novel, a fictionalized account of the author’s own college experiences in the ’50s. Logan Lerman gives a terrific performance as Marcus Messner, one of a handful of Jewish students on the Midwestern university campus, whose efforts to assert and define himself are tested in interactions with the college dean, a beautiful blonde and his protective mother. Closing Night: The Bandit Thursday May 5, 7:00 pm, Castro Theatre Director Jesse Moss expected to attend. An exuberant, surprisingly moving romp through 1970s pop culture, The Banditcelebrates the friendship between superstar actor Burt Reynolds and stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham, as together they create the Southern-fried classic Smokey and the Bandit. Bay Area director Jesse Moss (The Overnighters,SFIFF 2014) brings great warmth and impossibly retro-cool archival footage to this exceptional dual biography.
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Korean FilmMakers Threaten to Boycott Busan International Film Festival

A group representing the Korean Film Community issued a statement on Monday threatening to boycott the upcoming 2016 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) unless the Busan city guarantees the festival’s independence. The 2016 Busan International Film Festival is scheduled to take place October 6 to 15, 2016. The statement: The Entire Korean Film Community will boycott BIFF unless the Busan city guarantees the festival’s independence! Does the city government really want to go for the worst? The city government accelerated interfering Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) by submitting a legal application for injunction to suspend the efficiency of 68 new committee advisors consisted of Korean film professionals and refusing to have the special assembly meeting for amending the articles of association. In addition, the recent city gazette published by Busan city government is filled with criticism of the festival and insulting the film professionals who support BIFF as if they are the intruders with ulterior intension. The city government provoked the regional antagonism by spreading rumors that the film professionals from Seoul are trying to control the Busan’s festival. This is beyond defamation of the Korean film professionals. It is the worst way of ruining the festival which is a valuable cultural asset for all of us. We have watched ever since Mr. SUH Byung-soo, was elected as the mayor and became the organizing director of the festival as ex officio in 2014. And he has never stopped political retaliation against BIFF since the screening of The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol (aka. Diving Bell). We have patiently tried our best for peaceful solution between the festival and the city government. But SUH deceives people as if those film professionals are outsiders with wicked intention attempting to alienate between Busan citizens and the film professionals. BIFF is not a property of Busan city government. It is true that the government’s financial support to the festival is a part of the reason for the success of the festival, but the festival is entitled to make decisions on how to run it autonomically without any outside interference. BIFF does not only belong to the Busan citizens but also to every cineaste in Korea. It is a cultural asset to be shared with everyone who loves cinema from all over the world. That is why the festival’s independence and autonomy have to be protected. That is why amending the articles of association is so important to guarantee its independence and autonomy. We were enormously shocked and grieved by a series of discouraging events including practical ‘censorship’ from outside and unfair dismissal of the festival director, but we still believed that we should be able to provide institutional gird to prevent the recurrence of this unfortunate condition with all our efforts. That’s why many of us willingly agreed to be committee advisors in hoping to acquire basis for the festival’s autonomy and independence via revision of the article at the special assembly meeting. As we witnessed SUH promised that he would step down from the organizing director voluntarily, we were truly stuck to our belief in peaceful end to the situation, However, Busan city government abruptly started arguing legitimacy of the special assembly meeting. The city government defamed us as intruders with ulterior intension though every media they can muster up and eventually submitted application for an injunction to suspend the efficiency of 68 new committee advisors. We cannot help resenting and lamenting to see the city’s attempt to distort the situation to some sort of power game among film professionals. We patiently maintained our support for BIFF to make the festival back on track, but we are afraid that our patience was for nothing after all. It’s unimaginable to see BIFF without film people. However, if Busan city government still believes that they ‘own’ the festival just because they are the biggest sponsor and if Busan city keeps insulting our efforts in finding solution as ulterior interference from outside, we cannot find any reason to be attending BIFF. We, Korean group of film associations, will try to pass a resolution for boycotting BIFF2016 after collecting consensus of all associations. The world will witness the empty red carpet for the first time in 20 years of BIFF’ history and the audience from all over the world will stop coming to Busan for the festival any more. It takes quite a long time to build a festival, but it does just a blink of an eye to be collapsed. Do SUH and Busan city government want to see BIFF disappear just like that? By all means, we truly hope our desperate outcry and ultimatum will be taken seriously. We strongly demand the followings; – The mayor, SUH should resign from the BIFF’s organizing director immediately and agree to revision of the articles for the festival’s autonomy and independence! – The city government must stop unjust interference on BIFF and withdraw the legal application for injunction against suspension of efficiency of 68 new committee advisors! – SUH should make public apology for his continuous wrongful actions damaging the festival and promise that it will never happen again! If the city government does not take significant actions on our demands above, there will be none of the Korean film community attending this year’s Busan International Film Festival. Korean Film Group’s Emergency Committee for Defending BIFF’s Independence What’s happening to BIFF? You can find the answers at www.isupportbiff.com https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF5h_2H0IYA
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Official Poster of 2016 Cannes Film Festival

The official poster is released for the 69th Festival de Cannes, taking place from May 11 to 22, 2016, and presided over by Australian director George Miller. The poster was designed using stills from Jean-Luc Godard’s film Contempt. It’s all there. The steps, the sea, the horizon: a man’s ascent towards his dream, in a warm Mediterranean light that turns to gold. As an image it is reminiscent of a timeless quote used at the beginning of Contempt: “Cinema replaces our gaze with a world in harmony with our desires”. And so it is Michel Piccoli who in 2016, from the roof of the famous villa designed by the writer Curzio Malaparte, will open the red carpet for the 69th Festival de Cannes. It’s a symbolic choice, since this film about the making of a film – regarded by many as one of the finest ever made in CinemaScope (the Piccoli/Bardot pairing along with Fritz Lang, Raoul Coutard’s cinematography, Georges Delerue’s music, and so on and so forth) – had such a considerable impact on the history of film and cinephilia. On the eve of its 70th anniversary, by choosing to represent itself under the symbol of this simultaneously palimpsest and unambiguous film, the Festival is reiterating its founding commitment: to pay tribute to the history of film, and to welcome new ways of creating and seeing. The steps represent a kind of ascension towards the infinite horizon of a cinema screen. This 69th Festival de Cannes poster has been designed by Hervé Chigioni and his graphic designer Gilles Frappier. The 2016 visual identity has been created by Philippe Savoir (Filifox).
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EVA HESSE Documentary Sets Release Date | TRAILER

[caption id="attachment_12003" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] EVA HESSE[/caption] EVA HESSE, a documentary film by Marcie Begleiter, about the art and life of Eva Hesse will be released in the U.S. in April by Zeitgeist Films. EVA HESSE will open at Film Forum in New York on April 27, and at Laemmle Monica Film Center on May 13. Many other cities will follow. As the wild ride of the 1960’s came to a close, Eva Hesse was cresting the wave of a swiftly rising career. One of the few women recognized as central to the New York art scene, she had over 20 group shows scheduled for 1970 in addition to being chosen for a cover article in ArtForum Magazine. Her work was finally receiving both the critical and commercial attention it deserved. EVA HESSE deepens the understanding of this extraordinary artist, not only in terms of her ground-breaking work, but also the life that provided the fertile soil for her achievements. With dozens of new interviews, high quality footage of Hesse’s artwork and a wealth of newly discoverd archival imagery, the documentary not only traces Eva’s path but engages in a lively investigation into the creative community of 1960’s New York and Germany. Born in Hamburg in 1936 to a German-Jewish family, the artist’s fierce work ethic may have developed from a complex psychology that was formed, in part, as a Jew born in Nazi Germany. Having escaped the fate of her extended family, Eva and her older sister Helen were sent out on one of the last Kindertransports (trains that carried Jewish children to safety) and was eventually reunited with their parents in Holland. They made their way to New York in 1940 but her family struggled to make a new home. The remaining years of Hesse’s youth were difficult, and through dealing with these challenges she discovered herself as an artist early in life. The passion and serious attention she gave to her work led her first to Yale and then to playing a central part in the New York art scene of the sixties. Hesse’s cohort, major artists such as Dan Graham, Richard Serra, Nancy Holt, Carl Andre, Robert and Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Eva’s husband Tom Doyle and her friend, writer Lucy Lippard, speak candidly and with great passion about the 60’s, Eva’s work and her life. When Eva Hesse died in May 1970, at 34 years of age from a brain tumor, the life of one of that decade’s most passionate and brilliant artists was tragically cut short. As Jonathon Keats wrote in Art and Antiques Magazine “Yet the end of her life proved to be only the beginning of her career.” Her work is now held by many important museum collections including the Whitney, MoMA, the Hirschhorn, the Pompidou in Paris and London’s Tate Modern and Cologne’s Ludwig Museum. 2016 is proving to be a banner year for Eva Hesse; in addition to the film’s domestic and international release, “Diaries” a book of her journal entries will be published in May by Yale University Press. Also, the artist’s work is included in many landmark exhibitions this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aov6R8qmf10
EVA HESSE Director’s statement:
I have an abiding interest in the art and life of Eva Hesse. The work moves me deeply in the mysterious way that powerful art can function. It’s hard to categorize; inhabiting a space that moves fluidly between media and ideas. The work made me want to know more about the artist and that led to Lucy Lippard’s “Eva Hesse”, the first book written on the artist after her early death in 1970. This volume includes fragments from Hesse’s unpublished journals and quotes from the single interview she gave in her lifetime. I connected strongly with the voice and heart that came through in these short quotes and began to search out more material from Hesse’s archive. Like Eva, I also have roots in the European Jewish community, a history that comes with many opportunities as well as inherent challenges. The female perspective is also very strong in her writing as is her ambition and bravery. No biography in English has been published, so I decided to go visit those unpublished journals at the Allen Memorial Art Museum in Oberlin, Ohio where they are housed. Given a pair of white gloves, I sat for a week in their rare manuscripts library, reading through hundreds of pages. The journals told a deep and compelling story about this remarkable woman’s journey. It was characterized by loss, but more importantly for me, by a triumphant commitment to work and living life to its fullest. By week’s end I had fallen for the woman as I had for the work and began a series of projects of which this film is the latest incarnation.
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Jodie Foster, Ricky Gervais, Francis Ford Coppola Among Tribeca Film Festival Talks Line-Up

[caption id="attachment_12000" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Ricky Gervais, Special Correspondents[/caption] The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Talks line-up will include panels and conversations with some of the industry’s most critically and commercially successful filmmakers, artists, and executives. The featured guests include J.J. Abrams, Andrea Arnold, Anthony Bourdain, Francis Ford Coppola, Katie Couric, Alfonso Cuarón, Jodie Foster, Ricky Gervais, Catherine Hardwicke, Donna Karan, Baz Luhrmann, Patti Smith, Joss Whedon, Olivia Wilde, Samantha Bee, and more. The Tribeca Talks program will run during the 15th edition of TFF, taking place April 13–24. Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, intimate one-on-one discussions with acclaimed directors, this year includes Alfonso Cuarón, Jodie Foster with Julie Taymor, Joss Whedon in conversation with Mark Ruffalo, J.J. Abrams speaking with Chris Rock, Andrea Arnold, and Baz Luhrmann with Nelson George. New to this year’s Festival is Tribeca Talks: Storytellers, which features pioneering creators who work across mediums to tell their stories. Francis Ford Coppola, Idina Menzel and Patti Smith join previously announced participants Tom Hanks and Tina Fey for the program. Also debuting for 2016 is Tribeca Talks: Daring Women Summit Powered by the Li.st, a day of conversations with some of the most influential women in arts and technology who will share stories from their illustrious careers and unconventional paths to success, as well as their support and mentorship of other women in their respective fields. Participants include Google Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett, producer and actress Olivia Wilde, fashion designer Donna Karan, Fresh Off the Boat Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan, among others. TFF also announced five additional feature films and two previously announced titles that will screen during the Festival as part of the Tribeca Talks: After the Movie series, which gives audiences a chance to listen to and participate in a conversation with filmmakers, actors, and influencers following screenings of their films. The program features the world premiere of Special Correspondents and a discussion with writer and director Ricky Gervais, actor Eric Bana, and additional cast, and the world premieres of documentaries I Voted? with writer/director Jason Grant Smith and executive producer Katie Couric, Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent with subject and chef Jeremiah Tower and executive producers Anthony Bourdain and Lydia Tenaglia, and Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe with the creators and subjects of the film. Equity will have its New York premiere, followed by a conversation with director, and winner of the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival’s Nora Ephron Prize Meera Menon. Also featured as part of Tribeca Talks: After the Movie series are the previously announced Contemporary Color, followed by a conversation with directors Bill and Turner Ross led by David Byrne, and Starring Austin Pendleton, featuring a panel with star and subject Austin Pendleton and actors from his career as an actor and director. “Storytelling is an expansive medium with the power to advance conversations and issues long after the credits roll,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President, Tribeca Enterprises. “The Tribeca Talks series gives audiences the chance to continue those conversations as well as hear from legendary figures in film, music, and more.” This year’s Tribeca Talks series offers audiences the opportunity to hear from some of the top storytellers in the world about their craft, recent and upcoming projects, and innovations across mediums. Additional programs include returning favorites “Tribeca Talks: Master Class,” conversations focusing on a specific sector of the filmmaking process and other special “Tribeca Talks” events including Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival conversations. The full schedule for the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Talks series follows: Tribeca Talks: Directors Series, sponsored by Amazon Studios with media support from Entertainment Weekly Some of the most distinctive directors discuss their careers and highlights, from Jodie Foster discussing her TV endeavors and the upcoming Money Monster, to Joss Whedon’s cult hits “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” to the Avengers series, J.J. Abrams on Star Trek and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Andrea Arnold’s Red Road and Fish Tank, Alfonso Cuarón’s Y Tu Mamá También and Gravity, and Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming TV show “The Get Down” and stylistic Moulin Rouge. J.J. Abrams with Chris Rock Multi-faceted filmmaker J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, “Felicity”, “Lost”) will discuss the turns and triumphs of his career with comic actor and fellow filmmaker Chris Rock. DATE: Friday, April 15 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Andrea Arnold One of the freshest voices in cinema today, British filmmaker Andrea Arnold sits down for a conversation about her work from her debut feature Red Road to the highly acclaimed Fish Tank. DATE: Monday, April 18 TIME: 2:00PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Joss Whedon with Mark Ruffalo Joss Whedon, director of The Avenger films and creator of cult classics “Angel” and “Buffy: The Vampire Slayer,” will talk to esteemed actor and collaborator Mark Ruffalo about his distinguished career. DATE: Monday, April 18 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: SVA 1 Jodie Foster with Julie Taymor Jodie Foster has culminated her experience as an actress into directing and will explore how she has forged a position as an esteemed filmmaker in both film and television through a conversation with filmmaker Julie Taymor DATE: Wednesday, April 20 TIME: 5:30PM LOCATION: Festival Hub Baz Luhrmann with Nelson George Australian filmmaker Baz Luhrmann has one of the most distinctly recognizable visual styles in cinema today and discusses creating work which merges both classic and modern worlds through films from The Great Gatsby to Moulin Rouge. DATE: Saturday, April 23 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: SVA 1 Alfonso Cuarón with TBD From the indie hit Y Tu Mamá También to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity Alfonso Cuaron and will discuss his ability to create truly unique cinematic worlds. DATE: Wednesday, April 20th TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: SVA 1 Tribeca Talks: Storytellers, sponsored by Dean & DeLuca with media support from Entertainment Weekly Celebrating passionate creators with a desire to tell stories in a multitude of ways – these pioneers never stay in just one lane. From Patti Smith turning songwriting into novel writing; to Tom Hanks acting, producing and directing; Tina Fey, writing, acting, producing and creating shows, Idina Menzel performing in TV, film and originating roles in theaters as well as songwriting; and Francis Ford Coppola discussing his passion for food and wine in addition to filmmaking. Patti Smith From cultural music icon to novelist Patti Smith has always been ahead of the curve and never afraid to pull punches, she will converse on her career and force field of creativity. DATE: Thursday, April 14 TIME: 3:00PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Idina Menzel Idina Menzel has trail blazed a career in film, television and theater not only being there for the inception of stage shows and the roles she has made iconic, but also performed in a variety of mediums and showcased her abilities as a songwriter. DATE: Monday, April 18 TIME: 4:00PM LOCATION: SVA 1 Tina Fey with Damian Holbrook Known for developing smart comedy through her writing and performances in film and television, the former head writer of SNL has also created fan and critic favorite TV shows “30 Rock” and “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” DATE: Tuesday, April 19 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Francis Ford Coppola with Jay McInerney Francis Ford Coppola has given us some of the most memorable films on the big screen but is also a food and wine aficionado with a lifestyle brand. Francis Ford Coppola Presents encompasses a series of cafes as well as his winery in Sonoma County, CA. DATE: Wednesday, April 20 TIME: 4:00PM LOCATION: SVA 1 Tom Hanks with John Oliver In addition to being one of the most beloved actors, Tom Hanks has also produced and directed an astounding number of films and will discuss his passion for great stories. Political commentator and television host John Oliver leads a conversation with Hanks discussing his prolific career DATE: Friday, April 22 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Tribeca Talks: After the Movie Contemporary Color In the summer of 2015, legendary musician David Byrne staged an unprecedented event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to celebrate the art of color guard—synchronized dance involving flags, rifles, and sabers—by pairing regional color guard teams with performers, including St Vincent, Nelly Furtado, and Ad-Rock. More than a concert film, Contemporary Color is a cinematic interpretation of this one of a kind live event, courtesy of visionary filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross. After the movie: A conversation led by David Byrne with Bill and Turner Ross, with special appearances by color guarders. DATE: Thursday, April 14 TIME: 9:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent (sponsored by CNN Films) The Last Magnificent explores the exceptional, adventurous life of Jeremiah Tower, one of the most controversial, outrageous, and influential figures in the history of American gastronomy. Yet his name has largely been obliterated from history. Featuring interviews by Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain, Martha Stewart, and Ruth Reichl, this delicious documentary for the culinary set tells the story of the rise and fall of America’s first celebrity chef. After the movie: Subject and Chef Jeremiah Tower and Executive Producers Anthony Bourdain and Lydia Tenaglia DATE: Saturday, April 16 TIME: 3:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center I Voted? How do you know that your vote is recorded as intended in an election? After South Carolina candidate Alvin Greene overwhelmingly won the Senate Primary despite having not campaigned, a pandora’s box of questions opened regarding the voting process – particularly in a digital age where we rely on computer systems to act with integrity despite the use outdated and unregulated technology. After the movie: Writer Director Jason Grant Smith, Executive Producer Katie Couric and more. DATE: Thursday, April 21st TIME: 5:30PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Equity High-powered Wall Street banker Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) has been passed over for a promotion again. If she can successfully launch her next high profile IPO, she’ll be back on top. To get the job done, she must bypass her ambitious assistant (Sarah Megan Thomas) and an aggressive US prosecutor (Alysia Reiner) watching her every move, in TFF Nora Ephron Prize winner and alumnus Meera Menon’s financial thriller. A Sony Pictures Classic release. After the movie: Director Meera Menon, and other female directors discuss their experience in the industry. DATE: Tuesday, April 19 TIME: 6:00PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Starring Austin Pendleton Austin Pendleton is that quintessential character actor you might recognize. We follow Austin as he reflects on his life and craft, while his A-list peers discuss his vast influence, dogged determination, and what it means to be an original in today’s celebrity-obsessed world. After the movie: Star and subject Austin Pendleton discusses his career with fellow actors, including Olympia Dukakis, Peter Saarsgaard, George Morfogen, and Denis O’Hare. DATE: Thursday, April 21 TIME: 2:30PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Special Correspondents American politics and media are aptly satirized in this feature by firebrand comedian Ricky Gervais. A pretentious radio journalist and his ineffectual technician botch an assignment in South America, and decide to fabricate an on-the-scene report while hiding out in a New York City apartment. This scheme spirals out of their control when their escalating story becomes a national headline. A Netflix Original Film. After the movie: A conversation with writer/director Ricky Gervais, actor Eric Bana, and additional cast DATE: Friday, April 22 TIME: 8:00PM LOCATION: John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center Vaxxed: From Cover-Up to Catastrophe The most vitriolic debate in medical history takes a dramatic turn when senior scientist turned whistleblower, Dr. William Thompson of the Centers for Disease Control, turns over secret documents, data, and internal emails confirming what millions of devastated parents and “discredited” doctors have long-suspected – vaccines do cause autism. After the movie: a conversation with creators and subjects of the film. DATE: Sunday, April 24 TIME: 2:00PM LOCATION: SVA2 Tribeca Talks: Daring Women Summit Powered by the Li.st DATE: Wednesday, April 20 TIME: 10:30AM – 5PM LOCATION: Festival Hub This day of first-hand storytelling celebrates today’s most influential women in arts and technology who have risen to the top of their respective fields by eschewing traditional career trajectories in creating their own paths. Not only have these women broken ceilings to succeed for themselves, but most importantly they have created opportunities for other women along the way through direct support and mentorship, forging job opportunities for others and creating content where women can see themselves and the possibilities of what they themselves could become. These creative minds refused to take no for an answer, taking on outsized risks, despite the conventional wisdom. These women in tech and entertainment are bold, they are driven by innovation, and they have reservoirs of expertise and life lessons to share. Speakers include Producer and Actress Olivia Wilde, Fashion Designer Donna Karan, Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee, actress & activist Rosie Perez, The Li.st founder Rachel Sklar, HelloGiggles co-founder Sophia Rossi, Google Entertainment Industry Educator in Chief Julie Ann Crommett, ‘Fresh off the Boat’ Showrunner Nahnatchka Khan, actress Mya Taylor, PYPO Creator Stephanie Laing, Chief Content Officer for Refinery 29 Amy Emmerich, New York Public radio’s President & CEO Laura Walker, WNYC’s Death, Sex & Money Anna Sale, actress LaLa Anthony and many more. Tribeca Talks: Master Class (Free event) Dolby Master Class Leading sound and music pioneers discuss the complexities of creating sound and music for film. Check website for panelists. DATE: Friday, April 15 TIME: 3:00PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Prepping to Shoot with Catherine Hardwicke (sponsored by Nexxus New York Salon Care) Twilight, Lords of Dogtown and Thirteen Director Catherine Hardwicke takes you inside preproduction – from creating a workable shot list to constructing lookbooks, shaping locations and building relationships with cast and crew alike – she offers tips and tricks as well as showcasing her personal work materials. DATE: Sunday, April 17 TIME: 3:00PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Inside Casting Esteemed Casting Director Ellen Lewis and Ellen Chenoweth have worked with some of the greatest directors including Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, Jim Jarmusch, the Coen Brothers, George Clooney and Stephen Spielberg. They will divulge the process of casting and discovering some of today’s most recognizable faces. Moderated by Bernard Telsey. DATE: Saturday, April 23 TIME: 2:30PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Tribeca Talks – Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival Conversations, sponsored by Mohegan Sun Elections and “Scandal” Debuting their latest Elections short documentary A More Perfect Union, Nate Silver (FiveThirtyEight editor-in-chief), Micah Cohen (FiveThirtyEight politics editor) and guests discuss how the Rev. Wright revelations affected the 2008 Democratic primary between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, how the media handled the story, and what lessons the episode holds for the 2016 election. DATE: Wednesday, April 20 TIME: 2:30PM LOCATION: SVA2 · A More Perfect Union, directed by Eric Drath. (USA) – World Premiere. From the discovery of Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s inciting sermons to Obama’s ‘A More Perfect Union’ speech, this short film uses interviews, archives, and a timeline to illustrate the behind-the-scenes drama during a make-or-break moment in the 2008 presidential campaign. O.J.: Made in America with Ezra Edelman and TheUndefeated.com O.J. Simpson remains one of the most resonant figures in American history. Undefeated.com editor in chief Kevin Merida moderates a discussion with the film’s director Ezra Edelman, managing editor Raina Kelley and senior culture writer Kelley Carter about ESPN Films’ O.J.: Made in America and its attempt to make sense of both the racial context surrounding the trial 20 years ago, and a life and career still being debated today. DATE: Sunday, April 24 TIME: 5:30PM LOCATION: SVA 2 Special “Tribeca Talks” Event Free Like the Birds Sophie Cruz, a six year old girl fights to keep her family together as the threat of deporting her parents looms over her. Determined to keep her family together she travels to Washington DC, breaks through police barricades, and talks to the Pope. A girl on a mission. After the short film: An in depth conversation with prominent activists about immigration DATE: Thursday, April 21 TIME: 8:30PM LOCATION: SVA 2 From Film to Game In the entertainment industry’s constantly changing landscape, the lines between mediums are starting to blur. We are witnessing the intersection of gaming and filmmaking to create a new form of storytelling that revitalizes traditional narratives. Join BioShock’s Ken Levine, Her Story creator Sam Barlow, and filmmaker Will Gluck in a discussion about how content creators are bridging the gap between video games and TV to generate compelling experiences that put the viewer in the driver’s seat. DATE: Monday, April 18 TIME: 8:00PM LOCATION: Festival Hub
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FILMMAKERS: Submit Your Film to 2016 Whistler Film Festival

The 2016 Whistler Film Festival is seeking submissions for the 16th edition, which runs from November 30 to December 3, 2016. The festival will feature up to 90 films comprised of about 45 features and 45 shorts. Canadian and International filmmakers are invited to submit films of all lengths and genres by the following deadlines: Early Film Submissions Deadline: April 30 (discount on application) Regular Film Deadline: June 30 Late Film Deadline: July 31 Extended Late Film Deadline: August 15 The Whistler Film Festival is also accepting applications for Screenwriters Lab. Up to six writers from across Canada will be selected to participate in the WFF Praxis Screenwriters Lab, a joint feature script development program for Canadian screenwriter that aligns the Praxis Centre for Screenwriters’ flagship feature screenplay competition with WFF’s slate of project development programs and industry Summit. New for 2016, the Screenwriters Lab will include two phases that take place in Whistler, British Columbia. Phase I will take place over five days from June 5 to 9 and includes four months of ongoing feedback and project development with advisors. Phase II includes a three-day follow up, pitch boot camp and scheduled market meetings from November 29 to December 3 during the Whistler Film Festival + Summit, one of Canada’s leading film festivals and industry gatherings. Application deadline: April 15 , 2016
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Tisha Campbell-Martin, Naturi Naughton, Fran Burst Honored at Black Women Film Summit

[caption id="attachment_11980" align="aligncenter" width="720"] Fran Burst, Mikki Taylor, Naturi Naughton, Sheryl Gripper, Tisha Campbell-Martin at The Black Women Film Network[/caption] Last week, the Black Women Film Network (BWFN) hosted the 2016 Black Women Film Summit, featuring the popular “Untold Stories Awards Luncheon.” Actress/singer Tisha Campbell-Martin (ABC’s “Dr. Ken”), actress/singer Naturi Naughton (“POWER”), ESSENCE editor-at-large Mikki Taylor and film director and producer Fran Burst were honored at the2016 Black Women Film Summit held at the Intercontinental Buckhead. TV and radio personality Ebony Steele (“Coffee with America”) hosted the affair with music provided by DJ Salah Ananse. Scholarships were awarded to aspiring filmmakers Anita Salley and Martha Carswell. Additional luncheon attendees included comedian/writer Myra J, actress Charmin Lee and media personality Spirit. The Summit that day also included the “Reel Sista Talk” and “Marketing Your Film to Hollywood” panel discussions featuring Haj Chenzira Pinnock, Mikki Taylor, Shante Bacon and Saptosa Foster. On Saturday, the Summit hosted a number of seminars and panels including a Kids Acting Workshop, a Comedy Class led by Myra J, a “Screenwriting 101” workshop and “The YBF: Young, Black & Filming” panel. Additionally, authors James E. Chandler, Sr., Amber Saunders, Saunya M. Williams, Ph.D, and BWFN founder Sheryl Gripper showcased their titles at the Book Festival, while various black women filmmakers from around the country debuted their film shorts during the competitive Film Festival. At the end of the day, the winning films were announced: Best of Festival Masquerade Meleisha Edwards, Writer/Producer Best of Festival (Student Category) Suga Water Nakia Stephens, Writer/Producer Audience Participation Award Ms. Glo Angela Edmond, Writer/Director
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Award-Winning Bulgarian Film VIKTORIA Sets U.S. Release Date | TRAILER

[caption id="attachment_11975" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] VIKTORIA[/caption] The Bulgarian film VIKTORIA, directed by Maya Vitkova will be released in the U.S. by Big World Pictures. Official Selection at Sundance, Rotterdam, AFI Fest and a number of other prestigious film festivals, and winner of numerous awards, VIKTORIA will open at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York on April 29, with a national release to follow. Maya Vitkova’s stunning debut feature VIKTORIA, follows three generations of women in the final years of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria and the early years of the transition to democracy. The film focuses on reluctant mother Boryana and her daughter, Viktoria, who in one of the film’s surreal, magical touches is born without an umbilical cord. Though unwanted by her mother, Viktoria is named the country’s Baby of the Decade, and is showered with gifts and attention until the disintegration of the East Bloc. Despite throwing their worlds off balance, the resulting political changes also allow for the possibility of reconciliation. Maya Vitkova wrote, produced and directed VIKTORIA, making it both personal and universal, and demonstrating a precocious command of all elements of the filmmaking process. Especially impressive is the film’s visual sensibility and its command of a range of shifting tones, from absurdist humor to political allegory to deeply moving familial drama. VIKTORIA was coproduced by Cristi Puiu’s Mandragora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BcZe6neFQA
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VIMOOZ

Chloé Leriche’s BEFORE THE STREETS International Trailer

EVA HESSE Director’s statement: