The documentary EVOCATEUR: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie will premiere tonight, Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9:00pm Eastern on CNN/U.S. The riveting story traces the populist rise and rollercoaster career of the shock host who upended the previously polite and predictable talk show format forever. Before there was Glenn Beck or Geraldo Rivera or Rush Limbaugh, there was Morton Downey, Jr., who ignited the dawn of ‘mad-as-hell and not going to take it anymore’ television with conservative, provocative talk that made him a late night TV folk hero during the late 1980s. The film first premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
Television innovator Bob Pittman found himself looking for a new challenge after launching the revolutionary, format-busting cable phenomenon, the MTV network. Pittman backed the enigmatic, bombastic Downey for a talk show that viewers found uniquely candid, oftentimes frustrating, ultimately addictive television. Archival highlights included in the film feature legendary Downey show segments with defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, attorney/activist Gloria Allred, and Rev. Al Sharpton, in excruciating, extended deconstruction of the infamous, controversial Tawana Brawley case. In a rare exclusive interview, Steven Pagones, the white district attorney among those accused of raping Brawley, discusses how the infamy associated with that case – and amplified by the on-air debates between Downey and Sharpton – irrevocably altered his life.
Deconstructing Downey’s rise to fame are contemporary interviews with Downey friend and conservative icon Pat Buchanan, broadcaster Larry King, former talk show hosts Richard Bey and Sally Jessy Raphael, syndicated columnist Stanley Crouch, comedian Chris Elliott, and the team behind the talk show. They explore Downey’s appeal, as well as the personal demons that fueled his on-camera persona and behind-the-scenes battles with production executives and sponsors that ultimately led to Downey’s career immolation.
Along the way, the filmmakers reveal new insights into a persistent mystery about an incident that effectively ended Downey’s television career: did Downey actually stage a brutal attack on himself, allegedly by skinheads, in a misguided attempt to regain some of his notoriety?
The film will encore on CNN on Aug. 20 at 11:00pm, and on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 8:00pm and 10:00pm. All times Eastern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUv6vG1W90o-
EVOCATEUR: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie to Premiere Tonight August 13 on CNN
The documentary EVOCATEUR: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie will premiere tonight, Thursday, Aug. 13 at 9:00pm Eastern on CNN/U.S. The riveting story traces the populist rise and rollercoaster career of the shock host who upended the previously polite and predictable talk show format forever. Before there was Glenn Beck or Geraldo Rivera or Rush Limbaugh, there was Morton Downey, Jr., who ignited the dawn of ‘mad-as-hell and not going to take it anymore’ television with conservative, provocative talk that made him a late night TV folk hero during the late 1980s. The film first premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
Television innovator Bob Pittman found himself looking for a new challenge after launching the revolutionary, format-busting cable phenomenon, the MTV network. Pittman backed the enigmatic, bombastic Downey for a talk show that viewers found uniquely candid, oftentimes frustrating, ultimately addictive television. Archival highlights included in the film feature legendary Downey show segments with defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, attorney/activist Gloria Allred, and Rev. Al Sharpton, in excruciating, extended deconstruction of the infamous, controversial Tawana Brawley case. In a rare exclusive interview, Steven Pagones, the white district attorney among those accused of raping Brawley, discusses how the infamy associated with that case – and amplified by the on-air debates between Downey and Sharpton – irrevocably altered his life.
Deconstructing Downey’s rise to fame are contemporary interviews with Downey friend and conservative icon Pat Buchanan, broadcaster Larry King, former talk show hosts Richard Bey and Sally Jessy Raphael, syndicated columnist Stanley Crouch, comedian Chris Elliott, and the team behind the talk show. They explore Downey’s appeal, as well as the personal demons that fueled his on-camera persona and behind-the-scenes battles with production executives and sponsors that ultimately led to Downey’s career immolation.
Along the way, the filmmakers reveal new insights into a persistent mystery about an incident that effectively ended Downey’s television career: did Downey actually stage a brutal attack on himself, allegedly by skinheads, in a misguided attempt to regain some of his notoriety?
The film will encore on CNN on Aug. 20 at 11:00pm, and on Saturday, Aug. 22, at 8:00pm and 10:00pm. All times Eastern.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUv6vG1W90o
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Director Brian De Palma to be Honored at Venice International Film Festival
Director Brian De Palma will receive the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2015 Award, dedicated to personalities who have made particularly original contributions to contemporary cinema, at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival.
Regarding this award, the Director of the Festival Alberto Barbera declared, “The child of an artistic era (the ‘70s) full of innovative ferment, Brian De Palma has made a name for himself as one of the most skillful directors in constructing perfect narrative mechanics with great creative freedom, experimenting with new technical solutions, rejecting the classic rules of the language, abandoning himself to aesthetic virtuosity, and celebrating his favorite authors. When watching a movie by Brian De Palma, we revert to being basic spectators. Although our eyes are wide open to avoid falling into the trap, we know full well we’re bound to fall into it anyway. De Palma’s cinema is playful to the nth degree; it is a pleasure for the eyes and at the same time a game that tantalizes the cinéphile. He has never lost the curiosity of the experimenter as he reinvents the already-seen, and when it comes to constructing and manipulating images, this fundamental trait makes De Palma one of the greatest innovators who came of age in the shadow of the New Hollywood.”
“Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to pay tribute to Brian De Palma with the Glory to the Filmmaker Award”, declared Daniel Riedo, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “For ten years, our company has supported the seventh art and the Venice International Film Festival through continuous promotion of cinema’s creativity and ingenuity. Precision watches and the maximum expression of the cinematographic art are fruit of the same passion. Both call for months and even years of concentration and patience, in order for the virtuosity of talented professionals to lead to the creation of masterpieces of aesthetic and technical perfection, destined to last forever.”
The award will be given to Brian De Palma on September 9th at 9.30 p.m. in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) during the 72nd Venice International Film Festival (September 2-12, 2015), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
Following the award ceremony, the 72nd Film Festival will present the world premiere, Out of Competition, of the documentary De Palma (109’) by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow. The film grew out of the two directors’ spending time with Brian De Palma for over ten years. It’s an intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling Brian’s six decade long career, his life, and his filmmaking process.
This major award consolidates the important bond between the Venice Film Festival and Brian De Palma, who has presented seven movies at the Lido, the first time forty years ago with Sisters in the section Proposte di nuovi film (1975). In 1981, De Palma screened Blow Out in the section Mezzogiorno/Mezzanotte; in 1987, The Untouchables, an out-of-competition Special Event; in 1992, Raising Cain, the closing film in competition; in 2006, The Black Dahlia, the opening film in competition; in 2007, Redacted, in competition and the winner of the Silver Lion; and in 2012, Passion, in competition.
Born in 1940, Brian De Palma studied film in New York. In 1963, he directed The Wedding Party, giving twenty-year-old Robert De Niro his first part. Carrie, a movie starring Sissy Spacek and based on the Stephen King novel, was his first big success. To date, De Palma has directed over 30 films, including The Untouchables (1987) with Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner and Sean Connery; Mission Impossible (1996) with Tom Cruise; and Scarface (1983) with Al Pacino. Over the years, De Palma has directed stars such as John Travolta, Melanie Griffith, Tom Hanks and Sean Penn. He is particularly famous for his psychological thrillers, which feature his personal style, unusual camera angles and elements that often recall works by the directors who have influenced him, in particular Alfred Hitchcock. Among the great actors Brian De Palma has directed, three have received Oscar nominations: Sissy Spacek (best actress, Carrie), Piper Laurie (best supporting actress, Carrie) and Sean Connery (best supporting actor, The Untouchables), who received the Oscar for his performance.
Jake Paltrow was born September 26, 1975 in Los Angeles, CA. His films are Young Ones (2014) and The Good Night (2007).
Noah Baumbach was born and raised in Brooklyn. His films include Kicking and Screaming (1995), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Margot at the Wedding (2007), Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), While We’re Young (2014), and Mistress America (2015).
Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival for eleven years, and for nine years has sponsored the Glory to the Filmmaker Award. In the past years, the prize has been awarded to Takeshi Kitano (2007), Abbas Kiarostami (2008), Agnès Varda (2008), Sylvester Stallone (2009), Mani Ratnam (2010), Al Pacino (2011), Spike Lee (2012), Ettore Scola (2013) and James Franco (2014).
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2015 Milwaukee Film Festival Rated K: For Kids Lineup + Celebrates 20th Anniversary of BABE | TRAILERS
The 7th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival announced its critically acclaimed line-up for the Rated K: For Kids program. Rated K: For Kids offers a selection of award-winning features and shorts from around the world, ideal for ages 3 to 12 but equally enjoyable for all ages.
Five feature films and three shorts programs spanning live action, animation and even an anniversary classic comprise this year’s program. Milwaukee Film celebrates 20 years of Babe: The Gallant Pig with a screening of the 1995 classic. Co-written and produced by George Miller of the Mad Max series, Babe was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 1995. The first 200 people in line for this screening dressed in their finest farm attire will receive free popcorn.
Another highlight of this year’s program is the animated feature Song of the Sea. Fantastical Irish folklore and gorgeous animation make this film especially appealing to kids and adults alike.
“I am particularly excited to bring Song of the Sea to our audiences,” enthuses Milwaukee Film’s Education Director (and lead programmer of Rated K: For Kids), Cara Ogburn, “This 2014 Academy Award nominee never screened theatrically in Milwaukee. It is a lushly animated, beautifully mythic film from the team behind the Secret of Kells that is not to be missed on the big screen.”
The 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 24 to October 8, 2015.
2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL
RATED K: FOR KIDS
Babe: The Gallant Pig (Ages 6+)
(Australia, United States / 1995 / Director: Chris Noonan)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this Oscar-winning tale of a precocious piglet turned shepherd remains a classic of children’s cinema. If you’d like to reacquaint yourself, introduce a new generation to the boundless charm of Babe and his farmland cohorts (gloriously rendered by Muppets Studio’s animatronics team) or simply avail yourself of the free popcorn (!) for the first 200 attendees dressed in their finest hoedown garb, this is the perfect opportunity. Babe is a winning tale of individualism that refuses to talk down to kids — an openhearted all-timer that will have you leaving the theater saying, “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8T3_lLZD8
Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins (Ages 3+)
(Norway / 2013 / Director: Torill Kove)
Alfie wants nothing more in the world than a dog of his own — a terrier, in fact, just like the one the magician he’s recently made friends with has. And though his father thinks 7 years old is still a bit young for the responsibility of dog ownership, Alfie (with the help of his new acquaintance) sets out to make his dream come true (even encountering a group of young pirates along the way!) in this adorable animated tale for kids. This feature debut from Oscar winner Torill Kove is based on the beloved Swedish children’s book of the same name. Presented in English.
https://vimeo.com/74717387
Kids Shorts: Size Small (Ages 3+)
Safe for even the youngest cinephiles, this selection of energetic animated films is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Here you’ll find tales of nearly all creatures great and small, including a toe-tapping “MOO-sic” video from beloved author Sandra Boynton that will delight viewers young and old. All films in English or without dialogue.
Cows: Moosic Video (USA / 2014 / Director: Sandra Boynton)
Forward, March! (France / 2013 / Directors: Pierrick Barbin, Rimelle Khayat, Loïc Le Goff, Guillaume Lenoel, Garrick Rawlingson)
Fred & Anabel (Germany / 2014 / Director: Ralf Kukula)
Lambs (Germany / 2013 / Director: Gottfried Mentor)
The Last Leaf (Canada / 2014 / Director: Gwyneth Christoffel)
Law of the Jungle (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Pascale Hecquet)
The Little Hedgehog (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Marjorie Caup)
The Mitten (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Clémentine Robach)
One, Two, Tree (France, Switzerland / 2015 / Director: Yulia Aronova)
Pik-Pik-Pik (Russia / 2014 / Director: Dmitry Vysotskiy)
Zebra (Germany / 2013 / Director: Julia Ocker)
Kids Shorts: Size Medium (Ages 6+)
This diverse collection of short films is aimed at viewers 6 and up — movies for kids from a kid’s perspective. Live action, animation and even a documentary (about young entrepreneur Moziah Bridges) help round out a program that deals with real kids and their real-kid ideas. All films in English, without dialogue or do not require reading of minimal titles for understanding.
Ahmed & Mildred (United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Joe & Adam Horton)
Anatole’s Little Saucepan (France / 2014 / Director: Eric Montchaud)
Astronaut-K (Switzerland / 2014 / Director: Daniel Harisberger)
Bunny New Girl (Australia / 2014 / Director: Natalie van den Dungen)
Cookie-Tin Banjo (USA, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Peter Baynton)
Dance Class (Colombia / 2013 / Director: Camilo Cogua Rodriguez)
Dustin (Germany / 2014 / Director: Kristina Jaeger)
The Elephant and the Bicycle (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Olesya Shchukina)
Jack (Netherlands / 2013 / Director: Quentin Haberham)
Lila (Argentina, Spain / 2014 / Director: Carlos Lascano)
Mo’s Bows (USA / 2015 / Directors: Jennifer Treuting, Kristen McGregor)
Papa (USA / 2014 / Director: Natalie Labarre)
Kids Shorts: Size Large (Ages 9+)
This is a wide assortment of shorts (both live-action and animated) for the older kids in your family. While some of the kids featured here must face challenges, they do so with humor and fun, filling this program with many sweet stories. Subtitles of Hawaiian in one film will not be read aloud; all other films are in English or without dialogue.
Decorations (Japan / 2014 / Director: Mari Miyazawa)
Harmony Brooks and the Case of the Missing Nucleus (USA / 2014 / Director: Whitney Clinkscales)
Home (USA / 2014 / Director: Sashka Unseld)
Home Sweet Home (France / 2013 / Directors: Pierre Clenet, Alejandro Diaz, Romain Mazevet, Stéphane Paccola)
Ice Cream (Healthy Eating) (USA / 2014 / Directors: Jeremy Galante, David Cowles)
Johnny Express (South Korea / 2014 / Director: James Woo)
My Big Brother (USA / 2014 / Director: Jason Rayner)
A Place in the Middle (USA / 2014 / Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson)
The Present (Germany / 2014 / Director: Jacob Frey)
The Story of Percival Pilts (Australia, New Zealand / 2015 / Directors: Janette Goodey, John Lewis)
The Visitors (Australia / 2014 / Director: Philip Watts)
A Little Game (Ages 9+)
(USA / 2014 / Director: Evan Oppenheimer)
Max is struggling to fit in; a gifted 10-year-old girl in New York City, she’s been pulled from her local school and placed into a private school, just as her beloved grandmother suddenly passes. While at private school, she discovers an affinity for chess. Under the tutelage of a grumpy old man (F. Murray Abraham) whose lessons about the game could apply to her entire life, Max might just bloom! A sweet film with positive messages about girl power and class awareness, A Little Game is a star-studded affair (Ralph Macchio, Janeane Garofalo, Olympia Dukakis) with heart to spare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP0zJoa7uw4
Paper Planes (Ages 8+)
(Australia / 2014 / Director: Robert Connolly)
Twelve-year-old Dylan has a unique gift: He can craft a paper airplane that can fly farther and faster than any others. Seeing an opportunity to help heal his relationship with his dad (his mother passed away, leaving them both struggling to cope), Dylan begins training to enter the World Paper Plane Championships, a competition that will take him from his native Australia to Tokyo. A feel-good story about pursuing your dreams and the restorative power of play, Paper Planes is an energetic crowd-pleaser, a burst of fresh air that will have you flying like one of Dylan’s incredible creations.
https://vimeo.com/129745932
Song of the Sea (6+)
(Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Denmark / 2014 / Director: Tomm Moore)
Brother and sister duo Ben and Saoirse are sent to the city to live with their grandmother following the disappearance of their mother, but it soon becomes clear the pair must journey back to their island home, the sea, and the magical world of selkies Ben only glimpsed in bedtime stories if they wish to survive. This visually lush adventure is a worthy follow up to The Secret of Kells, with watercolor backgrounds and exquisitely hand drawn characters providing a feast for the eyes, while the story that perfectly balances family drama and Celtic mythology will dazzle adults and children alike.
https://youtu.be/t0Ejpl3QFuU
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LONDON ROAD by Rufus Norris to Close the San Sebastian Festival | TRAILER
The 63rd San Sebastian Festival will come to a close on September 26 with the out of competition screening of the British film London Road, fresh from the Toronto Festival. Produced by BBC Films, the British Film Institute and the National Theatre and directed by Rufus Norris with a screenplay by Alecky Blythe and music by Adam Cork, the film is a big-screen adaptation of the musical of the same name hailed as a remarkable, ground-breaking work during two sell-out runs at the National Theatre.
London Road documents the events that shook Suffolk in 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The residents of London Road had struggled for years with frequent soliciting and curb-crawling on their street. The film follows the community who found themselves at the epicenter of the tragic events. Using their own words set to an innovative musical score, London Road tells a moving story of ordinary people coming together during the darkest of experiences.
London Road features an ensemble cast that includes Olivia Colman, Clare Burt, Rosalie Craig, Anita Dobson, James Doherty, Hal Fowler, Kate Fleetwood, Linzi Hateley, Nick Holder, Claire Moore, Michael Shaeffer, Nicola Sloane, Paul Thornley, Howard Ward, Duncan Wisbey and Tom Hardy.
LONDON ROAD
RUFUS NORRIS (UK)
A feature film adaptation of the ground-breaking work during two sell-out runs at the National Theatre that documents the events that shook Suffolk in 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The film follows the community who found themselves at the epicenter of the tragic events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NxcsH9o4A
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Jason Sudeikis, Alison Brie are Sex Addicts in Red Band Trailer for SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE
IFC Films debuted the official poster and Red Band trailer for the romantic comedy SLEEPING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, directed by Leslye Hedland and starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie. Sleeping With Other People open in theaters on September 11, 2015.
Can two serial cheaters get a second chance at love? After a one-night stand in college, New Yorkers Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet by chance twelve years later and discover they each have the same problem: because of their monogamy-challenged ways, neither can maintain a relationship. Determined to stay friends despite their mutual attraction, they make a pact to keep it platonic, a deal that proves easier said than done. Fresh, funny, and full of witty insights about modern love, this hilariously heartfelt film “is the rare rom-com that reminds us why we love them so much in the first place” (Time Out New York). Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne, and Jason Mantzoukas co-star.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8gsb2g9YGk
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Italian “17-Year Old Virgin” Comedy SHORT SKIN Sets US Release Date | TRAILER
Breaking Glass Pictures will release in the US, the Italian coming-of-age comedy SHORT SKIN, directed by Duccio Chiarini, about a 17-year-old virgin who wants to have sex but he has a problem – he suffers from a painful disorder called phimosis or tight foreskin. The film premiered at the 2014 Venice Film Festival and was awarded Best Debut Film prize at the Ciak d’oro 2015.
Short Skin will premiere at Cinema Village in NYC on October 9, and then released on VOD and DVD on October 20.
Edoardo (newcomer Matteo Creatini) [is] a 17-year-old virgin. This summer, he and his best friend vow to lose their virginity. There’s just one problem: Edoardo is suffering from a disorder called phimosis – a painful condition in which the foreskin is too tight to be pulled back. Edoardo is also secretly dealing with the antics of his crazy friends and family — bickering parents with their own sexual issues, a sister obsessed with her dog’s sexuality, his leering best friend Arturo, his pink haired alt neighbor Elisabetta and his dream girl Bianca, who has decided to move to Paris.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQKgvzX-KqA&feature=youtu.be&a
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Santa Barbara International Film Festival to Honor Jane Fonda
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor actress Jane Fonda with the tenth annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The award will be presented at a black-tie Gala dinner at Bacara Resort & Spa on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015.
“Jane Fonda obviously has the right genes. Her acting performances set a standard that’s hard to follow,” says original award recipient, Kirk Douglas.
Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award® winner, a three-time Golden Globe® winner, an Emmy Award winner, and was the 2014 recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award. She will next be seen in Fox Searchlight’s critically acclaimed feature, YOUTH, which debuted at the Cannes International Film Festival, and will be released in the United States on December 4th. Written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino (director and co-writer of Italy’s Academy Award® winning Best Foreign Language Film The Great Beauty), the film explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. In addition to Fonda, YOUTH stars Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano. Fonda also stars in Netflix’s GRACE AND FRANKIE, currently filming for its second season.
Since 2006, the annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in front of the camera, behind, or both. Past honorees include Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert DeNiro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris, and John Travolta
Funding from the Gala will go to support the many educational and community programs hosted by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival such as Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies, the 10-10-10 Mentorship program and competitions, the Film Studios Program, Apple Box Family Films and the festivals new initiative to be launched this summer, Film Camp. The 31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place from Wednesday, February 3rd through Saturday, February 13th.
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2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards Now Accepting Entries
Film Independent President Josh Welsh announced that the call for entries for the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards is now open. The Regular Deadline is Tuesday, September 22, 2015 and the Final Deadline is Tuesday, October 13, 2015. The nominations will be announced on November 24, 2015 in a press conference. The Awards will be held on February 27, 2016 and will premiere exclusively on IFC.
“There are so many strong films this year, coming out theatrically as well as at the major festivals,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent. “We’re so excited to begin the process of considering all the great work that we’ll be recognizing at next year’s Spirit Awards.”
The Film Independent Spirit Awards include the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best Screenplay, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best International Film, and Best Documentary. The Filmmaker Grants, for emerging filmmakers, include the Producers Award, the Truer Than Fiction Award and the Someone to Watch Award.
As the first event to exclusively honor independent film, the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premier awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel and Ethan Coen, Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, Lynn Shelton, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Steve McQueen, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.
Film Independent Members vote to determine the winners of the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Members are filmmakers, film industry leaders and film lovers. Anyone passionate about film can join at filmindependent.org/membership to be eligible to vote for the winners of the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to celebrating the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking, the Spirit Awards is also the primary fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, which cultivate the careers of emerging filmmakers and promote diversity in the industry.
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2016 Tribeca Film Festival Reveals Dates + Call For Submissions and Deadlines
The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) will hold its 15th edition on April 13 to April 24, 2016 in New York City, and today announced a call for submissions for narrative and documentary features, short films, and exhibits in interactive storytelling.
Returning for the second year is Tribeca Film Festival at Spring Studios, the Festival’s creative hub and destination for festivalgoers, industry and press where innovation events, select Tribeca Talks® panels, Awards night, parties, and more will take place.
TFF continues to encourage women filmmakers through The Nora Ephron Prize, sponsored by Coach. For the third year, the $25,000 award will recognize a female filmmaker whose work embodies the spirit and vision of the legendary filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron.
For the past 14 years, TFF has provided a platform for original storytelling, creative expression, and immersive entertainment. The Festival supports and celebrates both American independent voices and established directors from around the world, and hosts screenings of feature and short length films, curated conversations, and master classes for industry and the cultural community. The 2016 Festival will continue to explore the intersection of storytelling and technology with a variety of programming, including the fourth annual Storyscapes program — a juried showcase of interactive storytelling, VR showcases, TFI Interactive, and more.
Deadlines to submit U.S. and international films for the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival are as follows:
September 14, 2015: Submissions open for feature films, short films, interactive storytelling projects
October 16, 2015: Early deadline for feature films and short films
November 25, 2015: Official entry deadline for feature films, short films, interactive storytelling projects
December 23, 2015 – Late entry deadline for feature length world-premiere films only
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Woody Allen’s new film, IRRATIONAL MAN + Major Titles to Have Spanish Premiere at 63rd San Sebastian Festival
The 63rd San Sebastian Festival will offer, as part of its Pearls section, the Spanish premiere of some of the most important films presented during the year at different international festivals.
Among the films selected are the Golden Bear-winner at the Berlin Festival, Taxi Teheran by Jafar Pahani; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival; Nie yinniang / The Assassin, by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, the Jury Grand Prix-winner and Best Director Award at the Cannes Festival, Saul Fia / Son of Saul, by László Nemes. The section will similarly include works by directors such as Arnaud Desplechin, Jia Zhang-ke, Charlie Kaufman, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nanni Moretti, Pablo Trapero and Denis Villeneuve.
Woody Allen’s new film, Irrational Man (pictured above), will also be screened out of competition in the section. The remaining Pearls will compete for the Audience Award, decided according to the votes cast by attendees of the first public screening of each film in the section. The Audience Award comes with two prizes: a First Prize for the Best Film, with €50,000, and a Second Prize for the Best European Film, with €20,000. The Audience Award goes to the distributor of the film in Spain.
ANOMALISA
CHARLIE KAUFMAN, DUKE JOHNSON (USA)
Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson tell the tale of a man who struggles with his inability to connect with other people. Spanish premiere following its screening at the Venice Festival.
BLACK MASS
SCOTT COOPER (USA)
Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch star in this film presented out of competition at the Venice Festival. FBI Agent John Connolly persuades Irish mobster Jimmy Bulger to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. This unholy alliance spirals out of control.
EL CLAN (THE CLAN)
PABLO TRAPERO (ARGENTINA – SPAIN)
Pablo Trapero’s new movie is a competitor at the Venice Festival. Argentina, in the early 80s. Behind the facade of a typical family from the upmarket San Isidro neighbourhood lurks a sinister clan that kidnaps and murders for a living.
HITCHCOCK / TRUFFAUT
KENT JONES (FRANCE – USA)
Fifty years after the publication of François Truffaut’s book “Cinema According to Hitchcock” filmmaker Kent Jones invites some of the best directors of our time (Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Olivier Assayas…) to share their thoughts on the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.
ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL
ALFONSO GÓMEZ-REJÓN (USA)
The amusing and moving tale of Greg, a student in his last year of high school who navigates the minefield of adolescent social life by steering away from all close relations. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.
MIA MADRE
NANNI MORETTI (ITALY – FRANCE – GERMANY)
Nanni Moretti competed at the Cannes Festival with this film about Margherita, a director shooting a film with a famous American actor, who is quite a character on set. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together while feeling powerless when facing her mother’s illness and her daughter’s adolescence.
NIE YINNIANG / THE ASSASSIN
HOU HSIAO-HSIEN (TAIWAN)
Hou Hsiao-Hsien won Best Director at the Cannes Festival with his latest work. China, 9th century. Nie Yinniang comes home after years in exile, now a trained vigilante. When her mistress orders her to kill her cousin, she will have to choose between the man she loves and her loyalty to the “order of the Assassins”.
SAUL FIA / SON OF SAUL
LÁSZLÓ NEMES (HUNGARY)
Winner of the Jury Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival, this debut by Hungarian moviemaker László Nemes is set in Auschwitz, 1944. Saul Auslander is a Hungarian prisoner assigned to one of the Auschwitz crematorium ovens. He tries to save the body of a young boy he believes to be his son from the flames.
SHAN HE GU REN / MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART
JIA ZHANG-KE (CHINA – FRANCE – JAPAN)
Spanish premiere of Jia Zhang-ke’s latest movie following its screening in the official competition at the Cannes Festival. China, 1999, two childhood friends court a young girl from Fenyang. One has his future mapped out for him, but not the other. The young girl’s heart is divided between the two, but she must take a decision that will mark her life, and that of her son.
SICARIO
DENIS VILLENEUVE (USA)
In the border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an FBI agent is enlisted by an elite North American government task force official to aid in the escalating war against drugs. The new film by Denis Villeneuve competed in the Cannes Official Selection 2015.
TAXI TÉHÉRAN
JAFAR PANAHI (IRAN)
Golden Bear-winner at the last Berlin Festival. A yellow taxi drives through the hustling, bustling streets of Teheran. The taxi picks up all sorts of passengers, each one more colourful than the last. All talk frankly to the driver. What they don’t realise is that the person interviewing them is none other than the director Jafar Pahani, one of the biggest names in today’s Iranian cinema.
TROIS SOUVENIRS DE MA JEUNESSE / MY GOLDEN DAYS
ARNAUD DESPLECHIN (FRANCE)
Arnaud Desplechin revisits the rich emotional landscape of Comment je me suis disputé… (My Sex Life…) and Un conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) with this film presented at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Paul remembers his youth and his first, and only, true love…
UMIMACHI DIARY / OUR LITTLE SISTER
HIROKAZU KORE-EDA (JAPAN)
A film by Japanese moviemaker Hirokazu Kore-eda which competed in the Cannes Official Selection. Three sisters share a house in the city. They haven’t seen their father for 15 years. When he dies, the three travel to the countryside for his funeral. There they meet their shy teenage half-sister. It won’t be long before they grow fond of the girl.
Not in competition
IRRATIONAL MAN
WOODY ALLEN (USA)
Not in competition
Woody Allen’s new film, presented at the last Cannes Festival, is about a tormented philosophy professor who finds a will to live when he commits an existential act.
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Misty Copeland Doc Among Films by Black Filmmakers on Black Lens Program at 7th Milwaukee Film Festival | TRAILERS
The Black Lens program returns for the second year to the 7th Milwaukee Film Festival, and will features 8 fiction and documentary films from both emerging and established African-American filmmakers
“The level of films we were able to incorporate into the program last year as well as the incredible response we received from the community really solidified Black Lens program as an essential part of the Milwaukee Film Festival,” explains Geraud Blanks, programmer of Black Lens, also a batterer’s intervention specialist for Sojourner Family Peace Center, music promoter, and former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributor.
Celebrated documentary filmmaker, MacArthur Fellow, and National Humanities Medal winner Stanley Nelson Jr. will attend in person and receive a Tribute Award from the film festival prior to a screening of his latest film, Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution. Stanley Nelson’s films are very familiar to Milwaukee Film Festival audiences, as the 2014 festival featured Freedom Summer and the 2010 festival featured Freedom Riders. In addition to receiving the Tribute Award and presenting his latest film, Stanley Nelson will also conduct a Masterclass with local filmmakers.
Three of the program’s featured documentaries cover topics that have garnered national attention in the past year. “In fact, the storylines behind A Ballerina’s Tale, Cincinnati Goddamn and Little White Lie are so timely, it gives new meaning to the phrase ‘art imitates life,’” explains Blanks.
A Ballerina’s Tale profiles ballet dancer Misty Copeland who, in June, became the first African-American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater’s 75-year history. Tackling issues of race and identity, Cincinnati Goddamn spotlights several police shootings of black men in Cincinnati over a 6 year period in the 1990s, while Little White Lie tells the story of a young African-American woman who passes for white as a child until a family secret forces her to question her identity.
A Ballerina’s Tale (pictured in main image)
(USA / 2015 / Director: Nelson George)
Misty Copeland, the first African-American female soloist at New York’s American Ballet Theatre, would be the first to tell you that, based on body type, pedigree and background, she shouldn’t be a part of one of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies. But her inspirational story of dogged determination (overcoming a debilitating shin injury, eating disorders and racial issues), filmed here in a raw, cinéma vérité documentary, will leave no doubt as to how this trailblazer shot her way up the ranks and overcame all obstacles to turn in breathtaking performances in Firebird and Swan Lake.
https://vimeo.com/124288652
Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
(USA / 2015 / Director: Stanley Nelson Jr.)
Into today’s era still struggling with police brutality, racial discrimination and extreme poverty comes master documentarian Stanley Nelson’s stirring portrait of the Black Panther Party. Following the party from its inception in the early ’60s to its bitter dissolution a decade later, MFF alumnus Nelson captures the essential history of the movement, elegantly mixing archival footage alongside interviews with FBI informants, journalists, supporters, detractors and lower-level members of the party. This is a profoundly resonant portrait of a period of time when impatience bred revolution and a vibrant group rose up to bring civil rights issues to the forefront.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F56O3kZ9qr0
Cincinnati Goddamn
(USA / 2014 / Director: Paul Hill and April Martin)
Trailer:
It’s a story that has become all too familiar — young, unarmed black men killed by law enforcement agents who have sworn to protect them, followed by protests-turned-riots sparked by the men’s untimely demise. But before Michael Brown and Ferguson, there was Timothy Thomas, Roger Owensby and Cincinnati. A powerful examination of a moment preceding the #BlackLivesMatter movement, the documentary Cincinnati Goddamn presents a chilling and revealing look into what one academic calls “urban genocide” — a volatile cocktail of systemic racism, widespread poverty and unchecked police brutality — and the grassroots activism that took to the streets to challenge it.
https://vimeo.com/104340013
A Girl Like Grace
(USA / 2015 / Director: Ty Hodges)
Seventeen-year-old Haitian-American Grace (newcomer Ryan Destiny, in a spirited breakout performance) finds her dysfunctional existence thrown further into upheaval following the suicide of her best friend, Andrea. Grace is already a social pariah tormented by a clique of bullies (led by Raven-Symoné), and her desire to understand her friend’s decision leads to Andrea’s older sister Share (Meagan Good), who encourages Grace to embrace her sexuality, leading her down a rocky road of discovery. This sensitive coming-of-age story anchored by a stunning lead performance captures the social hardship inherent in a young woman coming to terms with herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcmUzkC5WNI
Imperial Dreams
(USA / 2014 / Director: Malik Vitthal)
A redemption tale anchored by an amazing lead performance from John Boyega (star of the upcoming *Star Wars* film), *Imperial Dreams* is a family drama with an astonishingly realized father/son relationship at its core. Bambi (Boyega) is coming home to Watts; recently released from prison, he has designs on earning a living as a writer (having been published while incarcerated) to provide for his young son Day. But he quickly realizes the deck is stacked against him and it’s going to take everything he has to achieve his dreams in this stunning, multiple award-winning drama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwuBl1Stum8
In A Perfect World
(USA / 2015 / Director: Daphne McWilliams)
Documentarian Daphne McWilliams was looking to craft a film about young men raised by single mothers, so she turned to the strongest source she knows — her son. This courageous examination into modern family life, with McWilliams grounding her sociological study through extraordinarily intimate interviews with her son, Chase, as well as other men raised without a father figure, is revelatory. A story of boys becoming men despite the absence of a male presence and the utterly unique relationships they forge with their mothers, In a Perfect World is stirring, relevant filmmaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NthftfkGsBs
Last Night
(USA / 2015 / Director: Harold Jackson III)
A whirlwind romantic encounter perfect for fans of the Before Sunrise trilogy, Last Night pairs its mismatched strangers on a night of soul-baring disclosures and verbal sparring on the streets of Washington, D.C. Gorgeous fashion model Sky is escorted on an unexpected evening-long adventure with impulsive businessman Jon — the only catch being that this is Sky’s final night in D.C. before moving to North Carolina to live with her boyfriend. The film is a warmly shot, exquisitely performed look at romantic longing between two people who realize they may only ever have this extended moment between one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8WOvlx9hKc
Little White Lie
(USA / 2014 / Directors: Lacey Schwartz and James Adolphus)
A documentary released at a perfect point in our culture when knotty intersections of race and identity are making headlines, Little White Lie tells one woman’s remarkably intimate story of a life spent between two worlds. Raised white with her dark skin color and curly hair explained away as an inheritance from her Sicilian grandfather, the director Lacey Schwartz can’t fight the nagging feeling that her upper-middle-class Jewish upbringing is hiding something, only to find she was the product of her mother’s affair with a black man. After her biological father’s passing, she cannot hold back this family secret any longer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHq3DevkXqA
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Award-Winning Documentary A SINNER IN MECCA Opens September 4 | TRAILER
The award-winning documentary A SINNER IN MECCA, will open in New York on September 4 and Los Angeles on September 11, before expanding to additional markets and VOD. Recently recognized with the 2015 Outfest Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature, A SINNER IN MECCA follows director Parvez Sharma (A Jihad for Love) as the openly gay Muslim filmmaker documents his pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, where filming is strictly prohibited and homosexuality is a crime punishable by death.
A SINNER IN MECCA audaciously enters a world that has been forbidden to non-Muslims for 14 centuries. The filmmaker documents his journey on nothing more than an iPhone and two smuggled, tiny cameras. On these never-before-filmed streets of ancient Mecca, he joins 4 million Muslims, from the majority, peace-loving pilgrims fulfilling a lifelong calling, to brutal jihadists for whom violence is a creed. They have all entered Mecca for the world’s largest pilgrimage: the Hajj.
This film unflinchingly showcases parts of the dangerous ideology that governs today’s ISIS and how much it has in common with Saudi Arabia’s sacred doctrine, Wahabi Islam. Cabals within the secretive Saudi monarchy have allegedly funded both Al-Qaeda and ISIS over the years. On the streets of Mecca, Saudi Arabia’s most famous son, Osama bin Laden, is sometimes referred to as Sheikh Osama, using the prefix for a learned Muslim man. It is into this Saudi Arabia the filmmaker, an openly gay Muslim man, enters. He is looking to find his own place within an Islam he has always known, an Islam that bears no resemblance to the bastardized versions creating havoc around the Muslim world, in almost daily battles in Europe—where the film will be broadcast by two of its biggest television networks, Arte and ZDF—and in North America.
With A SINNER IN MECCA, the Muslims of Islam are given agency to tell the complex, and now violence-marred story of their faith. And in their midst: a longing Muslim, already labeled an infidel, wondering if he can finally secure his place within this religion that condemns him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzshP2k5FMk