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Brian Bolsters film THE LOOKOUT and Jeff Orlowsskis CHASING ICE Win Top Awards at 2012 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_2337" align="alignnone"]Jeff Orlowsskis CHASING ICE[/caption]

The 9th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced this year’s award winning films in the four competitive categories: Best Feature, Big Sky Award, Best Short Film and Best Mini Doc (under 15 minutes) on Thursday evening at a ceremony at The Loft in downtown Missoula. Each category winner will receive $500, courtesy of The Documentary Channel.

FEATURE FILM COMPETITION The Best Feature prize was awarded to Jeff Orlowsskis CHASING ICE, about National Geographic environmental photographer James Blalog. Jurors Amy Shattsky and Ben Fowlie called the film, an extremely timely and important documentary about one man’s journey to demonstrate global warming in action by photographing the recession of the glaciers. Touching, terrifying and informative, we feel the highs, lows, frustrations and joys of the ultimate success of his experiment. Through a patient and thoughtful filmmaking approach, the director vividly captures the power and awe of the glaciers falling apart. As they recede into the ocean, the glaciers cry out, warning us of the peril that our planet is in.

SHORT FILM COMPETITION Reva Goldberg and Caveh Zahedi awarded the Short Film prize to Matt Leighs BLUE RINSE, a sweet observational film set in a Dublin hair salon. They also awarded an Artistic Vision Award to KUDZU VINE by Josh Gibson.

MINI-DOC COMPETITION Yance Ford awarded the Mini Doc awarded to MR SMITHS PEACH SEEDS, Stewart Copelands beautifully realized portrait of Tennessee folk artist Roger Smith.

BIG SKY AWARD Brian Bolsters film THE LOOKOUT received the Big Sky Award, presented by filmmakers Marshall Curry and Beth Harrington. In addition, Audrey Halls film about portrait artist Hugh Wilson was give an Artistic Excellence Award.

All awarded films will re-screen the final weekend of the festival.
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Actor Lance Henriksen to be Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at 2012 Derby City Film Festival

Legendary actor Lance Henriksen will be the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2012 Derby City Film Festival in February. Henriksen, who’s career spans 4+ decades and includes credits in nearly 200 films, television shows and video games, will be attending the festival in support of his role in the film “It’s in the Blood”.

Henriksen is probably best known for his role as Bishop in the “Aliens” and “Aliens vs. Predator” films and video games, but he has also appeared in the classic films “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “The Right Stuff” and “Terminator” among others. In the late 90’s he played Frank Black in the television series “Millennium”. and more recently he has lent his voice talents to video games like “Transformers”, “Call of Duty” and “Mass Effect”.

“It’s in the Blood” is a feature film from Louisville natives and Ballard High School graduates Scooter Downey & Sean Elliot and is up for three awards including Best Feature Film and two Best Actor Nominations for stars Henriksen & Sean Elliot. “Blood” tells the tale of a father (Henriksen) and son (Elliot) who become stranded in the wild and must confront the horrors of their past to escape with their lives. However, this wilderness is not what it seems, and as they deteriorate, so to does their concept of reality: horrifying creatures, ghostly apparitions, is it all in their heads, or could the truth be far more terrible? “It’s in the Blood” screens at 8:00 PM on February 18th with the short film “Endless”. There will be a Q&A with the films stars and production team follow the screening.

Henriksen will be taking part in some of the festival’s activities including panels and the awards presentation & symposium. He will also be promoting his new biography, “Lance Henriksen – Not Bad for a Human” which was released in 2011. An autograph session has been scheduled for Saturday afternoon from 3:00 – 4:00. Henriksen will be available to sign memorabilia or copies of his biography. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. The autograph session is only available to DCFF attendees and you will be required to show your ticket or pass to take part. The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Henriksen prior to the screening of “It’s in the Blood” on Saturday in the . Henriksen will be available for interviews with the media during the weekend of the festival beginning Friday the 17th. Please contact DCFF for details.

Mr. Henriksen’s DCFF appearance schedule:

Saturday Feb 18th – 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Acting Panel in the Frankfort Room
(Only those with a Saturday or Festival Pass will be admitted)
Seating is Limited!

Saturday February 18th – 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Autograph Session in The Lounge
(You must have a film ticket (any Saturday film), Saturday Pass, or Festival Pass)
There will be photos and copies of his biography for sale which he will sign or
There is a $20 charge to have him sign other memorabilia.
Photo: $20
2 for 1 – Book & Photo: $35!
(cash only, no credit cards)

Saturday February 18th – 5:30PM – 7:00PM
Symposium & Awards Presentation
at Clifton’s Pizza
(Only those with Festival Passes will be admitted)
Seating is EXTREAMLY Limited!
All other awards besides the Liftime Achievement Award presented.

Saturday Feburary 18th – 8:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Screening of “It’s in the Blood”
(tickets $7.00)
Eifler Theater at the Clifton Center
Q&A w/ Cast & Crew to Follow

The 2012 Derby City Film Festival runs February 17th – 19th at the Clifton Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

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The Artist and A Separation Win at the 32nd London Film Critics Circle Awards

[caption id="attachment_2283" align="alignnone" width="549"]A Separation[/caption]

The Artist and A Separation were the big winners at the 32nd London Film Critics’ Circle Awards with each taking home three awards.

Silent film THE ARTIST received Film of the Year, Director of the Year and Actor of the Year. Director Michel Hazanavicius and actor Jean Dujardin were both at the event to collect their awards.

Asghar Farhadi’s Berlin winner A SEPARATION also took home three awards winning Foreign Language Film of the Year, Screenwriter of the Year for Asghar Farhadi and Supporting Actress of the Year for Sareh Bayat.

THE IRON LADY took home two awards, Meryl Streep tying the award for Actress of the Year and Olivia Colman winning The Moët & Chandon Award: British Actress of the Year for her performances in THE IRON LADY and TYRANNOSAUR, collecting the award in person. Anna Paquin was the other recipient of the Actress of the Year award for her performance in Kenneth Lonergan’s drama MARGARET.

Kenneth Branagh collected his Supporting Actor of the Year award for his turn as Laurence Olivier in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. Michael Fassbender collected the British Actor of the Year award for his performances as Carl Jung in A DANGEROUS METHOD and as a sex addict in SHAME.

Director Lynne Ramsay was present to collect The Attenborough Award: British Film of the Year for WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. Asif Kapadia collected his Documentary of the Year award for SENNA. Andrew Haigh collected The Virgin Atlantic Award: Breakthrough British Film-maker for WEEKEND. Craig Roberts collected the Young British Performer of the Year for his lead role in SUBMARINE. Maria Djurkovic was present to receive The Sky 3D Award for Technical Achievement for her production design in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY.

The winners in full:

FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist

TOP 10 FILMS
1. The Artist
2. A Separation
3. Drive
4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
5. The Tree of Life
6. We Need to Talk About Kevin
7. Melancholia
8. Shame
9. Margaret
10. The Descendants

The Attenborough Award:
BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
We Need to Talk About Kevin

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
A Separation

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Senna

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation

The Virgin Atlantic Award:
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Andrew Haigh – Weekend

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Jean Dujardin – The Artist

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (TIE)
Anna Paquin – Margaret and
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat – A Separation

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method, Shame

The Moët & Chandon Award:
BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
Craig Roberts – Submarine

The Sky 3D Award:
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Maria Djurkovic, production design – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The Dilys Powell Award:
EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Nicolas Roeg

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The Artist and Melancholia Among 14th Costume Designers Guild Award nominees

[caption id="attachment_1938" align="alignnone"]Melancholia[/caption]

The 14th Costume Designers Guild Award nominees were announced and films making the list included The Descendants, Melancholia and The Artist. The Costume Designers Guild Award ceremony will be held on Tuesday, February 21st, 2012 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California

NOMINEES OF THE 14TH ANNUAL COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD AWARDS

Excellence in Contemporary Film:
“Bridesmaids” – Leesa Evans and Christine Wada
“The Descendants” – Wendy Chuck
“Drive” – Erin Benach
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” – Trish Summerville
“Melancholia” – Manon Rasmussen

Excellence in Period Film:
“The Artist” – Mark Bridges
“Jane Eyre ” – Michael O’Connor
“The Help” – Sharen Davis
“Hugo” – Sandy Powell
“W.E.” – Arianne Phillips

Excellence in Fantasy Film:
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2” – Jany Temime
“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” – Penny Rose
“Red Riding Hood” – Cindy Evans
“Thor” – Alexandra Byrne
“X-Men: First Class” – Sammy Sheldon

Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries:
“Downton Abbey” – Susannah Buxton
“The Kennedys” – Christopher Hargadon
“Mildred Pierce” – Ann Roth

Outstanding Contemporary Television Series:
“Glee” – Lou Eyrich and Jennifer Eve
“Modern Family” – Alix Friedberg
“Revenge” – Jill Ohanneson
“Saturday Night Live” – Tom Broecker and Eric Justian
“Sons of Anarchy” – Kelli Jones

Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series:
“Boardwalk Empire” – John A. Dunn and Lisa Padovani
“The Borgias” – Gabriella Pescucci
“Game of Thrones” – Michele Clapton
“Once Upon Time” – Eduardo Castro
“Pan Am (Series)” – Ane Crabtree

Excellence in Commercial Costume Design:
Carl’s Jr.: “Miss Turkey” – Francine Lecoultre
Dos Equis: “The Most Interesting Man in the World” – Julie Vogel
Swiffer: “Country Dirt Cowgirl” – Roseanne Fiedler
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Inaugural Montclair Film Festival Hires Festival Director

[caption id="attachment_2191" align="alignnone" width="550"]Evelyn McGee-Colbert, Stephen Colbert, Chairman of the Board Bob Feinberg, Raphaela Neilhausen, Thom Powers, and journalist Jonathan Alter.[/caption]

The inaugural Montclair Film Festival has hired the festival director duo of Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen to organize and program the 2012 Festival.

Thom and Raphaela started New York’s documentary film festival DOC NYC as well as the IFC Center’s documentary series Stranger than Fiction. Thom is also a programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The board of directors includes Colbert and his wife Evelyn McGee-Colbert.

The Montclair Film Festival will take place May 2 -6, 2012 in Montclair, New Jersey.

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14 Films Selected for Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at 2012 Berlin International Film Festival

This is early, but fourteen films have been selected for the international program in the Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus competitions at the 2012 Berlin International Film Festival to be held February 9 thru 19, 2012.

Generation Kplus:

Kauwboy (Netherlands, by Boudewijn Koole) – A young jackdaw falls out of its nest straight into Jojo’s hands. The 10-year-old feels great empathy for the baby bird, which has no mother and is looking for a loving father just as he is. World premiere

Die Kinder vom Napf (The Children from the Napf, Switzerland, by Alice Schmid; documentary) – They take an aerial cable car to school and when class is out they work in the fields. The cycle of the four seasons, a wolf in the woods and 50 mountain farm children in the “Wild West” of Lucerne Canton. International premiere

Lotte ja kuukivi saladus (Lotte and the Moonstone Secret, Estonia/Latvia, by Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits; Berlinale 2007: Leiutajateküla Lotte/Lotte from Gadgetville) – In this animated film for young children, magical moonstones lure Lotte, the great inventor’s daughter, away on a fantastic road trip. International premiere

The Mirror Never Lies (Indonesia, by Kamila Andini) – Pakis, a young girl, is still convinced her father will return from fishing the oceans. The azure waters of Wakatobi archipelago mirror her wistful longing for him. European premiere

Nono (Philippines, by Rommel Tolentino) – Toto is poor, lives in the slums and has a harelip. His patchwork family sees nothing abnormal in Toto’s desire for normality, despite everything. European premiere

Patatje Oorlog (Taking Chances, Netherlands, by Nicole van Kilsdonk) – For nine-year-old Kiek, a distant war has become a wrenching reality ever since her father disappeared on a medical rescue mission. Though Kiek still believes his chances of returning home in one piece are good. International premiere

Generation 14plus:

Electrick Children (USA, by Rebecca Thomas) – Pregnant by music? Rachel, a young Mormon girl, believes in immaculate conception, while her fundamentally religious family regards her condition as an intolerable transgression. The search for the child’s origins is a revelation for the 15-year-old. Starring Rory Culkin, Billy Zane. World premiere

Joven & Alocada (Young & Wild, Chile, by Marialy Rivas; Berlinale 2011: Blokes/Blocks) –Attempts to enjoy all kinds of sex lead to Daniela’s parents punishing her, yet it’s her way of seeking self-fulfilment. She is torn between an Evangelical upbringing and her rebellious, inquisitive nature. European premiere

Kronjuvelerna (The Crown Jewels, Sweden, by Ella Lemhagen; Berlinale 2000: Tsatsiki, Morsan och Polisen/Tsatsiki, Mum And The Policeman) – Is Richard, the factory owner’s son, really a murderer? And how do you know if a child has a heart of gold? A fabulously convoluted criminal case. Starring Bill Skarsgård (Shooting Star 2012), Alicia Vikander (Shooting Star 2011). International premiere

Magi I Luften (Love Is In The Air, Denmark/Sweden, by Simon Staho) – To love the wrong person and find the right one, all in one fateful night. A musical that is just as eccentric as these teenagers’ attitude towards life. International premiere

Mustafa’s Sweet Dreams (Greece/Great Britain, by Angelos Abazoglou) – Mustafa wants to become Turkey’s best baklava baker. This docufiction follows its protagonist from the town of Gaziantep to the bakeries of Istanbul. To make Mustafa’s dream come true, more ingredients are needed than just drive and discipline. World premiere

Orchim LeRega (Off White Lies, Israel/France, by Maya Kenig) – During the Second Lebanon War many refugees found shelter with families in southern Israel. Libby’s resourceful father jumps at the chance to save face in her eyes. European premiere

Un Mundo Secreto (A Secret World, Mexico, by Gabriel Mariño) – The last day of school is the first day of Maria’s long journey. Her trip across Mexico is not the usual backpacker’s holiday. In danger, Maria sets out to pursue her most intimate dreams. World premiere

Wandeukyi (Punch, Republic of Korea, by Han Lee) – Wan-deuk hates his teacher Dong-Ju more than anyone. And because his teacher lives directly next door, Wan-deuk has to put up with his cruelties at home as well. In fact the teacher only wants to toughen him up for life’s hardships. European premiere

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Hans Zimmer and Pharrell Williams to Serve as Music Consultants for the 84th Academy Awards

[caption id="attachment_1985" align="alignnone" width="540"]image via neptunes[/caption]

Oscar® -winning composer Hans Zimmer and Grammy® Award-winning songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams will serve as music consultants for the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. This will be the first time the composers have worked on the Oscar show.

“Hans is one of the most accomplished and creative film composers of our time, and Pharrell is a phenomenal songwriter with an amazing list of credits,” said Grazer and Mischer. “This is an exciting and prestigious collaboration that promises to take the audience on a musical journey.”

“It is a great privilege to serve the Academy in this role and to help celebrate and honor this year’s incredible artistry,” stated Zimmer.

“I am honored to work with my mentor and teacher, Hans Zimmer and I have wanted to collaborate with Brian Grazer on something for years,” said Williams. “I cannot believe I will be joining them and their teams on the most prestigious show of the year, the Academy Awards.”

Zimmer won an Oscar in 1994 for Original Score for “The Lion King” and has received eight additional nominations for Original Score. His credits include “Rain Man,” “Driving Miss Daisy,” “Thelma & Louise,” “The Preacher’s Wife,” “As Good as It Gets,” “The Thin Red Line,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Gladiator,” “Black Hawk Down,” “Madagascar,” “The Da Vinci Code,” “The Dark Knight,” “Frost/Nixon,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “Inception.” His most recent credits include “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” “Kung Fu Panda 2” and the upcoming “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” and “The Dark Knight Rises.” Zimmer has earned 10 Grammy nominations and won four.

Williams is a prolific producer-singer-songwriter who has also written for feature films. He has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and has won three. Williams’ songs have appeared on the soundtracks of such films as “Any Given Sunday,” “Kiss of the Dragon,” “Rush Hour 2,” “Zoolander,” “Bringing down the House,” “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle,” “50 First Dates,” “Hitch,” “The 40 Year-Old Virgin,” “Date Movie” and “Knocked Up.” He wrote the original song score for “Despicable Me.”

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

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5 Film Projects Win San Francisco Film Society Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grants

The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winning projects in the sixth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including more than $1 million awarded in the first six grant rounds.

The panelists who reviewed the finalists’ submissions are Jen Chaiken, producer, founder of 72 Productions and member, SFFS board of directors; Jennifer Rainin, president, Kenneth Rainin Foundation; Bingham Ray, SFFS executive director; and Michele Turnure-Salleo, director of filmmaker services, SFFS. The panel noted, “For their unique stories and breadth of social justice issues — which range from religious fanaticism to bullying in the dance world — we are thrilled to award these filmmakers SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The five winners, whether based locally or in New York or Los Angeles, all showed strong connections to the Bay Area and a real capacity to have a significant impact here, professionally and economically.”

Lance Edmands, Kyle Martin: Bluebird
$97,000 for production
In the frozen woods of an isolated Maine logging town, one woman’s tragic mistake shatters the community balance, resulting in profound and unexpected consequences.

Eric Escobar: One Good Thing
$15,000 for screenwriting
A jaded and bitter locksmith spends his days locking families out of their foreclosed homes. When a morning lockout turns up the abandoned child of a long-lost friend, his cynicism is put in check as he races to find the missing parents. For more information visit kontentfilms.com.

Ian Hendrie, Jyson McLean: Mercy Road
$35,000 for screenwriting
Based on true events, Mercy Road traces the political and spiritual odyssey of a small-town Christian housewife as she slowly turns from a peaceful pro-life activist to an underground militant willing to commit violence and murder in the name of God.

Chris Mason Johnson: Test
$60,000 for production
The year is 1985. The youngest, skinniest and most mocked member of San Francisco’s new contemporary ballet company begins a friendship with a brilliant dancer with a bad boy reputation in the same troupe. As lurid headlines threaten a gay quarantine, the two friends navigate a world full of risk that is also full of promise. For more information visit thenewtwentymovie.com.

Oden Roberts, Azura Skye: Rosie Got Her Gun
$100,000 for production
Following a series of arrests, a troubled young woman struggling to avoid prison time is visited by an opportunistic Army recruiter. For more information visit odenroberts.com.

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Keyhole Beats Canada Official Entry to Oscar to Take Top Prize at 2011 Whistler Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_1932" align="alignnone"]KEYHOLE, directed by Guy Maddin[/caption]

KEYHOLE, directed by Guy Maddin, beat Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, to win the $15,000 Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film, at the eleventh annual Whistler Film Festival.

KEYHOLE, which had its Western Canadian premiere at the festival, stars Jason Patric, Isabella Rossellini and Udo Kier.

It is a rousing 1930s gangster picture set in a haunted house in which dream and waking life are seamlessly blended to isolate and expose universal feelings. The Jury says “Yahtzee!” and awarded KEYHOLE the Borsos award “for its inventiveness, audacity and humour.”

The other 2011 Borsos Competition finalists were 388 ARLETTA AVENUE, dir: Randall Cole, (ON – Western Canadian Premiere); CAFÉ DE FLORE,dir: Jean Marc Vallee (QC, Western Canadian Premiere); DOPPELGANGER PAUL, dir: Dylan Akio Smith, Kris Elgstrand (BC, Western Canadian Premiere); MARILYN, dir: Christopher Petry (BC – World Premiere); and MONSIEUR LAZHAR, dir: Philippe Falardeau, (QC, British Columbia Premiere) – Winner of Best Canadian Film At TIFF and Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award.

[caption id="attachment_1933" align="alignnone" width="550"]MACHETE LANGUAGE (dir: Kyzza Terrazas)[/caption]

MACHETE LANGUAGE (dir: Kyzza Terrazas) was awarded the winner of Whistler’s second annual $10,000 New Voices International Feature Competition. The film, which is from Mexico and had its Canadian premiere at the fest, is about a young couple named Ray and Ramona who are unhappy with the injustices of the society they live in and try to fight for a more just world. Ray, devoted to self-sabotage, fails in his rebellion, dragging Ramona into a downward spiral that culminates in an act of poetic terrorism.

The other 2011 films in the competition included Edwin Boyd – dir: Nathan Morlando (Canada – Western Canadian Premiere); Hail – dir: Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Australia – North American Premiere); In The Family – dir: Patrick Wang (USA – Canadian Premiere); The Invader – dir: Nicolas Provost (Belgium – Western Canadian Premiere); and Laurentie – dir: Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie (Canada – English Canadian Premiere)

[caption id="attachment_1934" align="alignnone"]KIVALINA V. EXXON (dir: Ben Addelman)[/caption]

The $2,500 Best Documentary Award was awarded to KIVALINA V. EXXON (dir: Ben Addelman). The jury unanimously recognized KIVALINA V. EXXON for “humanizing global warming and bringing home the fact that global warming is now, not somewhere in the distant future.”

The $1,000 Best Shortwork Award went to THE PARIS QUINTET IN PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT (dir: Benny Schuetze) “for it’s infectious collaborative spirit, original concept and joyful execution.”

The $500 Best Student Shortwork Award went to Ryan Flowers and Lisa Phams’ NO WORDS CAME DOWN. The Jury praised the film for “it’s courage and compassion and being a film that surprised and moved us with its mature take on an unlikely encounter.”

The $1000 Best Mountain Culture Film Award presented by Whistler Blackcomb went to RAINFOREST: THE LIMIT OF SPLENDOR, directed by Richard Boyce. The Jury praised the film for “re-exposing our most critical environmental issue while at the same time pushing the cinematic experience and limits of storytelling, cinematography and editing.”

MPPIA Short Film Award, presented by MPPIA and British Columbia Film, was won by Mark Ratzlaff for BEAUTY MARK. The award consists of a $10,000 cash award from MPPIA, a $5,000 cash award from British Columbia Film and up to $100,000 in-kind services. The completed project will have its world premiere screening at next year’s 2011 Whistler Film Festival.

The Jury Special Documentary Mention went to THE VANISHING SPRING LIGHT (dir: Fish Yu) “for its uncompromising aesthetic, and rigorous commitment to the observational form.”

The other Festival’s Tribute recipients include:

Actor Patton Oswalt – Supporting Performance of the Year – (Young Adult, Big Fan, The Informant and Ratatouille, as the voice of Remy)
Actor Michael Shannon – Spotlight Tribute – (Revolutionary Road, Take Shelter, Boardwalk Empire)
Actor/Writer Jay Baruchel – Whistler’s first Screenwriter to Watch Award – (Goon, Almost Famous, She’s Out of My League, Million Dollar Baby, Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up, The Trotsky and the Oscar-nominated feature How to Train Your Dragon)
Director Jennifer Yuh Nelson – First ever Trailblazer in Animation Award – (Kung Fu Panda 2)
Actor/director/author Andy Serkis – Variety’s Tech Pioneer Award – (The Lord of the Rings film trilogy)

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Go See the Indie Comedy “Rid of Me”

by Francesca McCaffery

RID OF ME, James Westby’s latest black comedy that follows Meris, (an awesome Katy O’Grady!) an awkward young woman trying too hard to perfect her marriage, amongst a new group of friends. RID OF ME follows Meris’ rejection from the cool crowd down a path towards truth and salvation which includes a job at a local candy shop, a group of punk friends, community gardening and a newfound love for Cambodian rock music! (Yes!)

I think this was one of the hidden gems of the Tribeca Film Festival, and it is opening at Cinema Village West Theater tomorrow in New York City, November 18th- RUN OUT TO SEE IT ASAP THIS WEEKEND! We LOVED it, and so will you. Let’s make this small wonder a huge hit! Check out the awesome reviews below:

“Bracingly original, alarming and droll! The domestic meller and the horror movie have met, wed, and proven fruitful.” –John Anderson, VARIETY

MEAN GIRLS for adults! Few recent movies are as darkly funny.” –Steven Zeitchik, LA TIMES

“RID OF ME, if there’s any justice, should make actress Katie O’Grady a star.” –S.T. VanAirsdale, MOVIELINE

“RID OF ME is cheerfully obscene, hip, and wickedly funny! Director James Westby is a talent on the march.” –Erica Abeel, HUFFINGTON POST

RID OF ME was officially selected to play in the Tribeca Film Festival, Michael Moore’s Traverse City Film Festival, San Diego Film Festival, and Bend Film Festival. Winner of Best US Narrative at the Traverse City Film Festival

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Morgan Freeman to receive the Cecil B DeMille award at the Golden Globes

Morgan Freeman will receive the Cecil B. DeMille award at the Golden Globes ceremony in January. The award is given every year by the HFPA for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment.

Freeman won a best actor Golden Globe in 1990 for Driving Miss Daisy and was nominated three more times, for The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, for which he won an Oscar, and Invictus.

The Cecil B. DeMille was first given in 1952 to the filmmaker whose name it bears and other recipients have included Walt Disney, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum and, more recently, Warren Beatty, Anthony Hopkins, Steven Spielberg and Robert DeNiro among others.

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Chinese film producer and director Zhang Yimou to be honored at Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Zhang Yimou

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