The poster for the 51st New York Film Festival, designed by Tacita Dean, was unveiled today. The festival runs September 27 to October 13, 2103. This Friday, September 27, the poster will be available for purchase at the New York Film Festival.
VIMOOZ
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OUR DAY WILL COME set for Release in the US on October 22nd | TRAILER
OUR DAY WILL COME (“Notre jour viendra”), Romain Gavras’ debut feature starring Vincent Cassel and Olivier Barthélémy, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, will be released in the US on October 22nd, 2013 by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
In OUR DAY WILL COME, two outcast redheads – a bullied teen and a psychologist – embark on a journey to Ireland, where they believe the color of their hair will be embraced. What begins as a quest for freedom gradually descends into a rampage of violence and destruction. With an assured filmmaking style previously displayed in his music videos (“No Church in the Wild” – Jay Z & Kanye West; “Bad Girls” – M.I.A., to name just a few), OUR DAY WILL COME marks the emergence of a major new auteur.
http://youtu.be/ejUqIUZ9nmo
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REVIEW: The Rugby Player
Documenting the years of transition which encompass his growth from awkward teen to daringly rebellious yet entertaining young man, Mark Bingham left the greatest momento to be appreciated for years to come, real life footage. Always one to keep a video camera in tow he and his friends bonded over pranks, and slams, on the way to becoming productive members of society. However malicious they could be, there was always an angelic aura to the outcome, that being the leadership quality and authentic manner in which Mark Bingham lived his life. The product of what many would call a broken home, Mark was not in the need of anything, the least bit-love; adored by his aunts and uncles whom always took active roles in his life Mark was like any other youth, exploring life on life terms.
A love of rugby for its forceful yet athletic way of play when he entered the latter years of high school career Mark devoted his time to being the consummate teammate. Landing a place at the University of Cal, Mark took his talents and personality to Berkley, aligning himself with other stellar young men. The son of Alice Holgan, Mark acquired his mothers leadership qualities and steadfast opinion never known as one to waver or talk out of both sides of his mouth. A champion for the LGBT community, Mark found a way to stay true to himself; however apprehensive he was at first, he chose right over wrong. A captain in his fraternity house, he left his peers stunned by the revelation. Eventual embrace and support the way that he has always known carries THE RUGBY PLAYER. A tremendous capture of a life worth having been lived, the catastrophe of Flight 93 ,and the carnage / losses of lives and so much more that marks the infamous day, Sept 11th 2001.
The irony that exists in THE RUGBY PLAYER is amazing, beginning with his mothers career of flight attending; never in a million years would one expect this form of an outcome. Admirable as all is the foresight of Mark to for all intents and purposes deliver an autobiography of this magnitude.
THE RUGBY PLAYER (2013) Documentary
TRT: 80min | Color | 5.1 Surround | Unrated | English
Director/Producer: Scott Gracheff
Producer: Holly Million
Director of Photography/Producer: Chris Million
Editor: Manuel Adrian Tsingaris
Content Advisor: Todd SarnerHBO© Audience Award for Best Documentary – Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2013
Audience Award for Best Documentary – Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival 2013
Celebration of Courage Award – Kansas City LGBT Film Festival 2013
“Honorable Mention” Audience Award category – Philadelphia QFest 2013
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“INUK” – a Film From Greenland, Will Be Released in the US, Opens in LA on October 4; NYC on October 11 | TRAILER
Ever seen a film from Greenland? INUK, a film by Mike Magidson, Greenland’s Oscar submission last year and winner of multiple international film festival awards, will open at the Quad Cinema in New York on October 11; and at The Royal Los Angeles on October 4 and in San Francisco on October 2. A national release will follow.
In Greenland’s capital, sixteen year-old Inuk lives a troubled life with his alcoholic mother and violent step-father. One morning, after pulling the half-frozen boy out of an abandoned car, the social services send Inuk North, to a children’s home on a tiny island in the middle of the arctic sea-ice. There he meets Ikuma, a polar bear hunter, who takes him on an epic dog sled trip on ice. Despite the bitter cold and fragile sea-ice, the most difficult journey will be the one they must make within themselves.
With stunning cinematography, shot on the sea ice in -30 C, INUK features the performances of teenagers from the Uummannaq Children’s Home and local hunters, all playing roles close to their real lives. Created as an original road-movie on the sea ice, INUK is both an authentic story of Greenland today, a country torn between tradition and modernity, and a universal story about the quest for identity, transmission and rebirth after the deepest of wounds,
A major success in Greenland, INUK sold more tickets than films like Men in Black III, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Hunger Games.
http://youtu.be/zJnSUBH3W8U
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REVIEW: THE HAPPY SAD
When Stan’s girlfriend of six months, Annie drops the bomb on him that she has been preoccupied more recently and not fully committed to their relationship, he becomes unsettled. Reminding her of their agreement to always be candid about the things that happen in their lives, she elaborates to the truth of her infatuation for and brewing relationship with Mandy. Baffled to say the least Stan admits that he no longer wishes to date Mandy, for now. Meanwhile, Marcus and Aaron are looking for ways to spice up their relationship, at the exact moment when their sexual peak is seemingly in reach; agreeing to explore an “open relationship” the two attempt to set boundaries for their trysts, collectively which they assume would lead to mountains of fun for these liberal New Yorkers, marked by exploratory flings.
Unsure of her reasoning for sharing such news, Annie is caught between temptation, uncertainly, and possible feelings both for Mandy with whom she is only an acquaintance, while Aaron and Marcus try to find ways to not fall out of love with each other all the while falling into the idea of being with other men. Realizing that they may not trust each other the way that they thought, tension grows as the two are trying to hide their actual experiences when they are not together. Sharing an apartment has seemed to make the two more distant than ever, if that makes any sense.
A twist of fate, maybe, or oddly coincidental, the two couples plights intertwine in an extremely provocative manner. Erotic Dreams are brought to fruition, morals are tested, lies maintained, relationships altered and developed, all under the New York City skies. Hows that for a smorgishborg of events. Thanks to director Rodney Evans, you are given a first class ticket to a “powerful, and timely, narrative film exploring issues of sexuality, fidelity, and race in contemporary America.” Hold on for this thrill ride
Note to the general public: The Happy all have a sense of sadness, its an irony of life; nothing is perfect, and cheers to those who have figured that out. The winners in life are risk takers, that ambitious crop of persons who have the courage to obtain, by any means necessary. Forgive as you will, forget what you may, cause at the end of the day its about perseverance, and your ability to cope, or better yet to thrive not just survive in relationships, the same as life. Bare witness to a cast of very good performances, and bouts with living life on life’s term, all while trying a hand at monogamy. A tough task !
http://youtu.be/GKp_fZ4M-zE
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“MAD SHIP” “OUT OF PRINT” Win Top Awards at 4th New Hope Film Festival
MAD SHIP directed by David Mortin The 4th annual New Hope Film Festival, in the heart of Bucks County, Pennsylvania’s riverside art colony, New Hope, announced the 2013 awards on Sunday, with MAD SHIP, directed by David Mortin winning the Danny Award – Best Picture. In the film a Scandinavian immigrant, driven to madness by ruined dreams and the tragic death of his wife, embarks on a quixotic mission to build a homemade ship and sail out of the prairie dust bowl at the height of the Great Depression. The award for Best Documentary went to OUT OF PRINT, directed by Vivienne Roumani, Featuring interviews with Scott Turow, Ray Bradbury, Jeffrey Toobin, Amazon.com founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, self-publishing success story Darcie Chan and many more, OUT OF PRINT is described as an in-depth look at publishing’s milestones and what it means to adapt that history to the rapid expansions of the information age.
Film Jury Awards
Danny Award- Best Picture – MAD SHIP, Directed by David Mortin, Canada
Best Director- Khrushch Roman, for PECHORIN, Russian Federation
Best Documentary- OUT OF PRINT, Directed by Vivienne Roumani, USA
Best Short Film- SPAGHETTI FOR TWO, Directed by Matthias Rosenberger, Germany
Indie Spirit Award- MY WAY, Co-Directed by Dominique Mollee, Vinny Sisson, USA
Best Animated Film- RECIPE FOR LOVE, Directed by Gwyneth Christoffel, Canada
Best Biography- GEIL OF DOYLESTOWN, Directed by Karl Stieg, USA
Artistic Spirit Award- SURVIVING MOMMIE DEAREST, Directed by Christina Crawford, USA
Best Student Film- SWEETLY BROKEN, Directed by Chung Lam, Czech Republic
Best Adaptation- THE ASSIGNMENT, Directed by Cam Peters, Canada
New Hope Award- ALL ME:THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT, Directed by Vivian Ducat, USA
Cultural Spirit Award- SHELL SHOCKED, Directed by John Richie, USA
Best Horror Film- METAMORPHOSIS, Directed by David Yohe, USA
Best Comedy- SONNY DAYS, Directed by Tom Megalis, USA
Screenplay Jury Awards
Best Screenplay- TAKING THE KING, Nelson Blish, USA
Best Narrative Feature- all I ever wanted was EVERYTHING, Shari MacDonald, USA, Costa Rica
Best Short Screenplay- TRANSHUMANS, Alex Sobol, USA
Best Mid-Atlantic Screenplay- SCARLETT SUNSHINE, Faith Brody Patane, USA
Best Futuristic Screenplay- PRION, Tom McCarron, USA
Best Dramatic Screenplay- HALFWAY HOME, David Schroeder, USA
Music Video Jury Awards
Best Music Video- OLD COATS, Directed by Andy Strohl, USA
Best Pop Video- MY DREAM GIRL, Directed by Carlos Hurtado, USA
Best Alternative Video- LIFE IN PICTUREs, Directed by Herman Wang, Canada
Best Hip Hop Video- TOP OF MY GAME, Directed by Gabriella Loutfi, USA, Jamaica
Best Cultural Spirit Award- LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE, Produced by John Ryan, USA
Best Folk Video- WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR, Directed by Funk Brothers, Canada
Best Inspirational Video- MIRACLE, Directed by Marcin Starzecki, Poland
Audience Choice Awards
Best Webisode- CHART STAR, Directed by Kate McGraw, Australia
Best Music Video- MIRACLE, Directed by Marcin Starzecki, Poland
Best Art House Feature- SINCE I DON’T HAVE YOU, Directed by Gavin Rapp, USA
Best Documentary- GAMERS, Directed by Christine Farina, USA
Best Short Film- AUTUMN, Directed by Susan Barry, USA
Best Student Film- THE MERCURY CYCLE, Directed by Cody Hoerig, USA
Best Mid-Atlantic Film- ONE WALL: KINGS OF CONEY ISLAND, Directed by Joe Glickman, USA
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15 Indie Films to Get a Digital Release in August and September via Sundance Institute’s Artist Services Program
ALL SHE CAN15 independent films will get a digital release this Fall via the Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program. Upcoming releases include AN AFRICAN ELECTION, HOT HOUSE, MADE IN L.A., ROMÁNTICO, SO MUCH SO FAST, and TV JUNKIE. Feature films include ED’S NEXT MOVE, ALL SHE CAN, GYPSY DAVY, and L.I.E. Films will roll out between August 13 and September 17.
SING ME THE SONG THAT SAYS I LOVE YOU: A CONCERT FOR KATE MCGARRIGLE, will make its digital premiere September 17. The film is described as a stirring tribute to renowned Canadian singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle and features her well known musical family – children Rufus and Martha Wainwright, older sisters Anna and Jane – and talented friends including Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Jimmy Fallon, and Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) in a concert recorded at New York City’s Town Hall in May 2011. Directed by Lian Lunson, the film made its world premiere at Sundance London in 2012 and had a theatrical run earlier this summer.
TROUBLESOME CREEK: A MIDWESTERN won both the Grand Jury Prize: Documentary and the Audience Award: Documentary at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. MADE IN L.A. won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story-Long Form in 2008. TV JUNKIE was the Documentary Special Jury Prize winner at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
Titles will be available on a variety of platforms, including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video,Microsoft Xbox, Sony Entertainment Network, SundanceNOW, VUDU and YouTube.
TITLES AVAILABLE AUGUST 13
AN AFRICAN ELECTION (Director: Jarreth Merz) — An African Election is a suspenseful political drama about the 2008 presidential elections in Ghana, West Africa, with unexpected twists and turns, yet always personal through the eyes of director Jarreth Merz. (2011 Sundance Film Festival)
ED’S NEXT MOVE (Director: John C. Walsh) — Eddie, a young Wisconsin scientist, moves to New York’s East Village and, as he struggles to navigate his strange new urban world, begins an awkward, halting courtship of a violinist in an alternative band. (1996 Sundance Film Festival)
HOT HOUSE (Director: Shimon Dotan) — Granted extraordinary access to the highest-security institutions in Israel, filmmaker Shimon Dotan uncovers a startling truth: Israeli prisons have become a breeding ground for the next generation of Palestinian leaders and a hotbed for terrorist plots. (2007 Sundance Film Festival)
NO LOANS TODAY (Director: Lisanne Skyler) — Filmed in the aftermath of the 1992 riots, No Loans Today intimately portrays daily life in the African-American community of South Central Los Angeles through the lens of its key financial institution, the ABC Loan Co., a 25-year-old pawnshop and check-cashing outlet. (1995 Sundance Film Festival)
SO MUCH SO FAST (Directors: Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan) — Remarkable events are set in motion when Stephen Heywood, 29, discovers he has ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and his brother becomes obsessed with finding a cure. The film is a cliffhanger of romance and cutting-edge science by Academy Award nominees Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan.
(2006 Sundance Film Festival)TROUBLESOME CREEK: A MIDWESTERN (Directors: Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan) — Troublesome Creek is the acclaimed story of the Jordan family’s gamble to save their Iowa farm. From fighting the Crooked Creek Gang in 1867, to fighting off the bank today. The film is an Academy Award-nominated cliffhanger about history, humor and the unsettling of America. (1996 Sundance Film Festival)
TV JUNKIE (Directors: Michael Cain) — This Sundance Film Festival award-winning film is a striking video diary of Rick Kirkham, a 48-year old television journalist who at first appears to be living a charmed life, but all is not as it seems. (2006 Sundance Film Festival)
TITLE AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 3
VIOLETA WENT TO HEAVEN (Director: Andrés Wood) — The extraordinary story of iconic poet, musician and folksinger Violeta Parra, whose songs have become hymns for Chileans and Latin Americans alike. Director Andres Wood (Machuca) traces the intensity and explosive vitality of her life, from humble origins to international fame, her defense of indigenous cultures and devotion to her art. (2012 Sundance Film Festival)
TITLE AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 17
ALL SHE CAN (Director: Amy Wendel) — Luz Garcia wants something different than the few options available after high school in her forgotten Texas town. Her college dreams rest on a powerlifting competition. When family troubles, money struggles, and fear get in the way, she must find a different kind of strength to keep her dream alive. (2011 Sundance Film Festival)
GYPSY DAVY (Director: Rachel Leah Jones) — When a blonde Californian with Alabama roots becomes a Flamenco guitarist in Andalucían boots, what happens along the way and behind the scenes?GYPSY DAVY tells the story of David Jones, stage name “David Serva,” from the perspective of his five women and five children—one of whom is the director. (2012 Sundance Film Festival)
L.I.E (Director: Michael Cuesta) — A 15-year-old Long Island boy loses everything and everyone he knows, soon becoming involved in a relationship with a much older man. (2001 Sundance Film Festival)
MADE IN L.A. (Director: Almudena Carracedo) — Emmy Award-winning film Made in L.A. tells the remarkable story of three Latina immigrants struggling to survive in Los Angeles sweatshops who, determined to win basic labor protections, embark on a three-year odyssey that will transform their lives forever. (2006 Sundance Documentary Film Grant)
PUTIN’S KISS (Director: Lise Birk Pedersen) — Putin’s Kiss is a 2012 Danish documentary film, directed by Lise Birk Pedersen, dealing with Russian youth activist Masha Drokova and her experiences with the youth organization Nashi. (2012 Sundance Film Festival)
ROMÁNTICO (Director: Mark Becker) — Romantico is a documentary portrait of Mexican musician Carmelo Muniz, who returns home to his young daughters after years playing the San Francisco taqueria circuit. Their reunion is bittersweet, as once Carmelo arrives in his hometown, he finds himself confronted with the million reasons he left years ago. At the age of 60, another border crossing begins to seem absurd, but Carmelo has not given up. (2005 Sundance Film Festival)
SING ME THE SONG THAT SAYS I LOVE YOU: A CONCERT FOR KATE MCGARRIGLE (Director: Lian Lunson) — Rufus and Martha Wainwright pay tribute to their mother, the late Kate McGarrigle, in a concert filmed in New York City. Through song and story the film looks at how her children have to terms with her loss. (2012 Sundance London)
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ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE Kicks Off 25th Midnight Madness Lineup at Toronto International Film Festival
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIEALL CHEERLEADERS DIE directed by Lucky McKee will kick off 25 years of Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Since its 1988 launch, the Midnight Madness program emerged as a touchstone of cinematic shock, satiating the adventurous palate of bloodthirsty cinephiles from all over the world,” said Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “When the witching hour strikes and the human brain starts slipping into dream mode, the Ryerson Theatre will once again serve up a feast of phantasmagorical characters and jaw-dropping scenes, playing host to bizarre biological monstrosities, ruthless dominatrix gangs, paranormal mirrors, and the hijinks of supernatural cheerleaders.”
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 5 to 15, 2013.
AFFLICTED Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, Canada/USA World Premiere
Best friends Derek and Clif set out on a trip of a lifetime. Their plan: travel to the ends of the earth, see the world, and live life to the fullest. But the trip soon takes a dark and bloody turn. Just days in, one of the men shows signs of a mysterious affliction which gradually takes over his entire body and being. Now, thousands of miles from home, in a foreign land, they must race to uncover the source of his illness before it consumes him completely. Footage of their travels meant to document pleasant memories may now become evidence of one of the most shocking discoveries ever captured on film…and may be their only postcard home.
.Midnight Madness Opening Night Film.
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson, USA World Premiere
When tragedy rocks Blackfoot High, rebellious outsider Mäddy Killian shocks the student body by joining the cheerleading squad. This decision drives a rift between Mäddy and her ex-girlfriend Leena Miller — a loner who claims to practice the dark arts. After a confrontation with the football team, Mäddy and her new cheerleader friends are sent on a supernatural roller coaster ride which leaves a path of destruction none of them may be able to escape.
ALMOST HUMAN Joe Begos, USA World Premiere
Mark Fisher disappeared from his home in a brilliant flash of blue light almost two years ago. His friend Seth Hampton was the last to see him alive. Now a string of grisly, violent murders leads Seth to believe that Mark is back, and something evil is living inside of him.
THE GREEN INFERNO Eli Roth, USA World Premiere
How far would you go for a cause you believe in? In horror master Eli Roth’s terrifying new film, a group of college students take their humanitarian protest from New York to the Amazon jungle, only to get kidnapped by the native tribe they came to save: a tribe that still practices the ancient rite of cannibalism, and has a healthy appetite for intruders.OCULUS Mike Flanagan, USA World Premiere
Oculus is a spine-chilling supernatural tale of two damaged siblings (Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites) who, as children, witnessed their parents’ harrowing descent into madness and murder. At long last, brother and sister reunite as adults to expose and destroy the paranormal entity they believe is responsible: the Lasser Glass — a legendary mirror their family once owned.
R100 Hitoshi Matsumoto, Japan World Premiere
An ordinary man with an ordinary life joins a mysterious club. The membership lasts for one year only and there is one rule: no cancellation under any circumstance. The man enters into an entirely new and exciting world which he has never before experienced.
RIGOR MORTIS Juno Mak, Hong Kong North American Premiere
Juno Mak’s debut feature Rigor Mortis is an eerie and chilling, contemporary action- and special effects-laden homage to the classic Chinese vampire movies of the 1980s. Starring Chin Siu-Ho, Kara Hui, Anthony Chan, Lo Hoi Pang and Richard Ng.
THE STATION (Blutgletscher) Marvin Kren, Austria World Premiere
At a climate research station in the Alps, the scientists are stunned as the nearby melting glacier is leaking a red liquid. It quickly turns to be very special juice — with unexpected genetic effects on the local wildlife.
WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? (Jigoku de Naze Warui) Sion Sono, Japan North American Premiere
Two men, Muto and Ikegami, hate each other. Muto desperately wants to help his daughter Mitsuko star in a movie. Meanwhile, Ikegami falls in love with Mitsuko, knowing that she’s the daughter of his foe. Hirata, a filmmaker, and Koji, a young movie-lover, get dragged into this complicated situation that heads into an unexpected direction.
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Documentary “I AM BREATHING” Life-affirming film about man with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease in Theaters This Fall 2013
The documentary “I AM BREATHING” which played at many prestigious international film festivals will make its U.S. theatrical premiere in New York Sept. 6-12 at IFC Center and in Los Angeles Sept. 13-19 at Laemmle Music Hall with additional national screenings to follow. In I AM BREATHING, filmmakers Emma Davie and Morag McKinnon craft a life-affirming portrait of the last months of Neil Platt, a 34-year-old architect and father from England diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease also known as Motor Neuron Disease (MND) in the UK.
I AM BREATHING is a film about a man, when faced with the unimaginable, shares his own story in what he called, “a tale of fun and laughs with a smattering of upset and devastation.” Within a year, Neil Platt goes from being a healthy 30-something British bloke, with a great sense of humor, to becoming completely paralyzed from the neck down, due to the devastating illness he has inherited, ALS. As his body gets weaker, his perspective on life changes. His humor remains, but a new wisdom emerges:
“It’s amazing how adaptable we are when we have to be. It’s what separates us and defines us as human beings.”
Knowing he only has a few months left to live, and while he still has the ability to speak, Neil puts together a letter and memory box for his baby son Oscar and communicates his experience and thoughts about life in a blog (The Plattitude) – and in this film, which he was determined to make. The directness of his communication mingles with images of the sensory details of a life well lived, and makes us revalue the ordinary.
His blog posts form the film’s narration as he tells his own story through memories and impressions of his life – the sheer joy of falling in love, of partying with his mates, of fast motorbike rides. Through his determination to share his final journey, Neil makes us ask questions about our own lives.
Neil Platt was diagnosed with ALS in February 2008 by Professor Chris Shaw. Sadly, Neil lost his own personal battle with the disease a year later, but through his family, friends and this documentary he wanted to continue to raise awareness around this devastating illness. ALS/MND has been described as the last truly incurable disease of the modern day. ALS/MND is a rapidly progressive and fatal disease. It can affect any adult at any time and attacks the motor neurons that send messages from the brain to the muscles, leaving people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves. Ten days after Neil died, Shaw made a very significant breakthrough in MND research by identifying one of the genes that causes it, and more discoveries are being made every day. Neil Platt was among the small proportion (5-10%) of people with MND who have a family history of the disease, caused by genetic mistakes that can be passed from one generation to the next.
Since Neil’s death, his widow Louise Oswald continues to fulfill her final promise to Neil by continuing to raise awareness of ALS/MND. Louise is working closely with the filmmaking team on the outreach campaign, providing interviews for national press and making many personal appearances to speak at screenings.
Since 2009 Louise has been writing a book about her experience of caring for her family in the eighteen months between the birth of her son and the death of her husband. Neil’s words join her in the latter part of the book as she adds comment to each entry of The Plattitude. Louise now lives in a small village near St. Andrews in Scotland with Oscar and her new husband Robin. Oscar is now in his first year of school.
According to the ALS Association, every day, an average of 15 people are newly diagnosed with ALS — more than 5,600 people per year. As many as 30,000 Americans may currently be affected by ALS. Annually, ALS is responsible for two deaths per 100,000 people. More information at: www.alsa.org/news/media/
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Michael Moore Announces Lineup of 150+ Films for 2013 Traverse City Film Festival
Cate Blanchett in Blue JasmineAcademy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore announced the lineup of 150 plus films for his ninth annual Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF), to be held July 30 to August 4 in Traverse City, Michigan. The festival kicks off with Woody Allen’s latest film “BLUE JASMINE”. After a stretch of films set abroad, his latest work brings us back to American soil, where a wealthy New York socialite, played by Cate Blanchett, moves to San Francisco to escape her faltering marriage to a wealthy Wall Street executive, played by Alec Baldwin.
TCFF will close the ninth annual Film Festival with “AUSTENLAND,” starring Keri Russell as a thirty-something with an unhealthy obsession with all things Jane Austen. Lucky for her, there’s Austenland, the ultimate getaway for literary devotees. The directorial debut from “Napoleon Dynamite” screenwriter Jerusha Hess is a rollicking rom-com featuring a supporting cast including Bret Mackenzie and Jennifer Coolidge.
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7 Films Selected to Compete in 28th Venice International Film Critics’ Week
L’Armée du salut (SALVATION ARMY) by Abdellah Taïa Nine films, including seven in competition, have been selected for the 28th Venice International Film Critics’ Week, August 28 through Sept. 7, 2013. The seven films in competition are eligible for two awards – RaroVideo Audience Award and the USD$100,000 Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for a Debut Film. The week of screenings will open with world premiere of the Italian film L’arte della felicità (THE ART OF HAPPINESS) by Alessandro Rak and close with International Premiere of the Chilean film Las analfabetas (ILLITERATE) by Moisés Sepúlveda.
The seven films in competition:
L’Armée du salut (SALVATION ARMY)
by Abdellah Taïa
France-Morocco, 2013 – World PremiereCast: Said Mrini (young Abdellah), Karim Ait M’hand (adult Abdellah), Amine Ennaji (Slimane).
In Casablanca, the young Abdellah spends his days at home, living a relationship of conflicts and complicity with his father. In the city streets, he has occasional sexual intercourse with men. During a holiday, his older and venerated brother Slimane abandons him. Ten years later Abdellah lives with his Swiss lover, Jean. He leaves Morocco and goes to Geneva, where he decides to break up and to start a new life alone. He takes shelter in a house of the Salvation Army, where a Moroccan man sings a song of his idol Abdel Halim Hafez for him.
Återträffen (THE REUNION)
by Anna Odell
Sweden, 2013 – World PremiereCast: Anna Odell.
Swedish artist Anna Odell invites us to a grim class reunion with a twist. What happens when old hierarchies and truths are questioned from an unexpected voice? This film investigates how far, too far reality is. It traverses the border between fiction and reality with Odell playing the main character, using her own identity and life story to go into unspoken and invisible hierarchical structure. By processing the story in multiple layers, the complexity of power and exclusion is revealed and the dynamics of the group is exposed.
Las Niñas Quispe (THE QUISPE GIRLS)
by Sebastián Sepúlveda
France-Argentina, 2013 – World PremiereCast: Digna Quispe (Justa), Catalina Saavedra (Lucía), Francisca Gavilán (Luciana), Alfredo Castro (Fernando).
Based on a true story occurred in 1974, this is the tale of sisters Justa, Lucia, and Luciana Quispe, sheperds in the Chilean altiplano who lead a solitary life. A visitor brings news about a law that might change their way of living. This event forces the women to question their existence and relentlessly brings them to a tragic end.
Razredni sovražnik (CLASS ENEMY)
by Rok Biček
Slovenia, 2013 – World PremiereCast: Igor Samobor (Robert), Nataša Barbara Gračner (Zdenka), Tjaša Železnik (Saša), Maša Derganc (Nuša), Robert Prebil (Matiaž), Voranc Boh (Luka), Jan Zupančič (Tadej), Daša Cupevski (Sabina).
Due to a huge difference in the way they perceive life, the relationship between the students and their new German language teacher becomes critically tense. When one of the students commits suicide, her classmates accuse the teacher of being responsible for her death. The realisation that things are not so black and white comes too late.
WHITE SHADOW
by Noaz Deshe
Germany-Tanzania, 2013 – World PremiereCast: Hamis Bazili (Alias), James Gayo (Kosmos), Glory Madgalena Cyril Mbaywayu (Antoinette), Salum Abdallah (Salum), Tito David Ntanga (Father), Riziki Ally (Mother), James D. Salala (Adin), John Samuel Makipunda (Anulla).
Since 2008, albinos in Tanzania have become human targets. Witch doctors offer huge sums of cash for their body parts to be used in magic potions. From 2008 to 2010, more than 200 witch-doctor inspired murders occurred. As a local saying goes: “Albinos do not die, they just disappear.” This is the story of Alias, an albino boy on the run. After his father’s murder, his mother sends him to the city. His uncle Kosmos, a truck driver, takes care of him. Alias learns fast in the city, selling sunglasses, DVDs, and mobile phones. He is attracted to Antoinette, his uncle’s daughter, but her father totally disapproves. However, Alias will soon be noticed for the color of his skin.
Zoran, il mio nipote scemo (ZORAN, MY NEPHEW THE IDIOT)
by Matteo Oleotto
Italy-Slovenia, 2013 – World Premiere
Cast: Giuseppe Battiston (Paolo), Teco Celio (Gustino), Rok Presnikar (Zoran), Marjuta Slamic (Stefania), Roberto Citran (Alfio), Riccardo Maranzana (Ernesto), Jan Cvitokovic (Jure), Ariella Reggio (Clara).Paolo, 40 years old, lives in a small Friulian town close to the north-eastern border. Unreliable and with a passion for good wine, he spends his days at the local tavern and stubbornly stalks his ex-wife. One day, unexpectedly, he meets his nephew Zoran, an awkward 16-year-old boy grown up in the Slovenian mountains. Reluctantly, Paolo has to take care of him, but he soon discovers Zoran’s bizarre gift: he is phenomenal master of darts. Paolo thinks this is the right chance to take revenge on the world. But will everything be so easy?
Surprise Film
Opening Film – Special Event Out of Competition
L’arte della felicità (THE ART OF HAPPINESS)
by Alessandro Rak
Italy, 2013 – World PremiereTwo brothers. Two continents. Two lives. One single soul. Under a gloomy sky, between apocalyptic premonitions in a Naples at its utmost decay, Sergio, a taxi driver, receives a shocking news. Nothing will be the same as before. Now Sergio looks himself in the mirror and what he sees is a forty-year-old man who has turned his back on music and got lost in the limbo of his city. While a storm is raging outside, a crowd of memories, hopes, regrets and presences begins to populate his cab. Sooner or later the rain will stop and the sky will open up again. And the end will come. Or the music will be back.
Closing Film – Special Event Out of Competition
Las analfabetas (ILLITERATE)
by Moisés Sepúlveda
Chile, 2013 – International PremiereCast: Paulina García (Ximena), Valentina Muhr (Jackeline).
50-year-old Ximena has learned to live on her own to keep her illiteracy as a secret. 26-year-old Jackeline, an unemployed teacher, offers to read the news for her. The young woman soon tries to teach her reading, but this new task looks quite complicated. One day, Jackeline finds a letter that Ximena has been keeping as her only treasure: a message her father had left before abandoning her many years before. Due to this mystery, the two women embarks in a learning process in which the role of the teacher and that of the student will continuously reverse.
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Paul Schrader, Shekhar Kapur Among 70 Filmmakers to Make Short Films to Celebrate 70th Venice International Film Festival
Director Paul Schrader at 44th Karlovy Vary International Film FestivalPaul Schrader, Shekhar Kapur, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul are amont 70 movie directors from all over the world invited to make a short film lasting between 60 and 90 seconds, for a special project, Venezia 70 – Future Reloaded, in celebration of the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7, 2013).
The invitation has been accepted by what the festival describes as “great maestros, well-known directors, and young filmmakers of recognized talent.” All have participated at the Venice Film Festival at least once over the past twenty years. All the shorts will be given a first public screening at the Lido during the 70th Venice International Film Festival.
Bernardo Bertolucci, Paul Schrader, Shekhar Kapur, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Abbas Kiarostami, Monte Hellman and Walter Salles are just a few of the great filmmakers who have agreed to contribute to Future Reloaded.