Here is the official trailer for the documentary, HE NAMED ME MALALA, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded. HE NAMED ME MALALA opens in select theaters on October 2, 2015.
HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old (she turns 18 this July) was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.
“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” – Malala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtROMdwltJE-
Watch Official Trailer for HE NAMED ME MALALA Documentary
Here is the official trailer for the documentary, HE NAMED ME MALALA, an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded. HE NAMED ME MALALA opens in select theaters on October 2, 2015.
HE NAMED ME MALALA is an intimate portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old (she turns 18 this July) was singled out, along with her father, for advocating for girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund.
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life – from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.
“One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.” – Malala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtROMdwltJE
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Free Jazz documentary FIRE MUSIC launches Kickstarter Campaign
Documentary FIRE MUSIC launches KICKSTARTER Campaign to shine a light on the Free Jazz revolution, described as the most radical musical movement of all time.
FIRE MUSIC is a feature length documentary currently in production, which tells the definitive history of the Free Jazz revolution. Directed by Tom Surgal, produced by Dan Braun, and executive produced by Thurston Moore and Nels Cline, the film seeks to tell the story of an irrepressible art form that has inspired generations of fans the world over.
FIRE MUSIC will launch a KICKSTARTER Campaign today to complete the documentary and bring the project to film festivals and theaters for fans across the globe to enjoy.
Commenting on the project, Executive Producer Thurston Moore stated: “Free Jazz is liberation, is the excitement of the new and now….. It is with respect, passion and knowledge that Tom Surgal captures the significance of this self proclaimed “Fire Music.” His work, like its subject, shines for the collective call of beauty and unity.”
FIRE MUSIC seeks to preserve this vital history and the music of a criminally ignored art form that has gone cinematically undocumented for far too long.
Free Jazz is one of the original outsider art forms that broke all the rules. Spearheaded by legendary mavericks like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor, it is the cultural precursor to all the other musical protest scenes that followed, such as Punk, Hardcore and Hip Hop. It gave voice to a disenfranchised generation galvanized by the burgeoning civil rights and anti-war movements.
In the late 1950s, when the Abstract Expressionists took the art world by storm and The Beats forever changed the face of literature, a new radical form of Jazz erupted from New York’s Lower East Side. This new music was a far cry from the toe-tapping, post Bebop sound of the Jazz mainstream popular in the day. This was an angry form of Jazz that mirrored the more turbulent times in which it was being played.
The coming together of these like-minded artists, iconic figures such as Albert Ayler, Sun Ra, Eric Dolphy and Pharoah Sanders, was a historic occasion. Like the Dadaists, the Lost Generation and the Italian Neo-Realists before them, the early progenitors of the Free Jazz scene were initially met with skepticism and outright disdain. They were accused of being anti-Jazz and the music they played was dismissed as being pure noise. Undeterred by their critics, they would soldier on in relative obscurity and in the process create one of the most influential bodies of work of the contemporary age.
Interviews, archival footage, and live performances combine to depict the sights and sounds of some of the most influential artists of the period including:
Sam Rivers, Wadada Leo Smith, Oliver Lake, John Tchicai, Roswell Rudd, Noah Howard, Dave Burrell, Marshall Allen, Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons, Bobby Bradford, Sirone, Rashied Ali, Gato Barbieri, Evan Parker, Gunter Hampel, Han Bennink, Peter Brotzmann, Barry Guy, Paul Lytton, Keith Rowe, Gunter Baby Sommer, Trevor Watts,Tristan Honsinger, Joseph Jarman, and renowned Jazz historian and six time Grammy winner Gary Giddins.
Live, never before seen concert footage includes performances by: Peter Brotzman, Han Bennink, Gunter Baby Sommer, Urlich Gumpert, Dave Burrell, Paul Lytton, Ken Vandemark, Evan Parker, Gunter Hampel and Marshell Allen.
FIRE MUSIC is led by writer/ director Tom Surgal who is known for directing a series of groundbreaking music videos for leading alternative bands like Sonic Youth, Pavement and the Blues Explosion. Tom was a teenage protégé of Brian DePalma and has worked in a wide range of film production jobs, including production design, casting and writing. Tom is also a working musician who performs regularly with Nels Cline (Wilco), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Jim O’Rourke and Mike Watt (Minutemen, The Stooges) and is co-leader of the improvisational ensemble White Out. He is also a curator who has programmed a number of celebrated music series at various downtown New York venues, including an entire month of shows at John Zorn’s hallowed performance space The Stone.
Tom is also recognized as a leading authority on Avant-garde Jazz and boasts one the world’s largest collections of Free Jazz recordings.
Dan Braun, co-president of one of the top documentary production and sales companies, Submarine Entertainment, produces the project. Dan recently produced Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival and executive produced the award-winning documentary “Kill Your Idols” and the No Wave documentary “Blank City. Dan is also an Executive Producer on the recently released base-jumping documentary “Sunshine Superman.”
Dan’s company, Submarine Entertainment has represented and sold the Oscar winning documentaries “Searching for Sugar Man,” “20 Ft from Stardom,” “Man on Wire” and “The Cove.” Other films in the companies portfolio include “NAS Time is Illmatic,” “Muscle Shoals,” “Tales of the Grim Sleeper,” “Citizenfour,” “Keep on Keepin On,” “The Great Invisible,” “Blackfish,” “Cutie and the Boxer,” “Winter’s Bone,” “Bill Cunningham NY,” “Tiny Furniture,” “Queen of Versailles,” “Chasing Ice,” “Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me,” “Super Size Me” and many more.
Executive producers are musicians Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) and Nels Cline (Wilco). ranked respectively #99 and # 82 on Rolling Stone’ s rating of “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.
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Dance Documentary PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN to Open on September 11
Paul Taylor is described as one of the dance world’s most elusive and admired choreographers. For 60 years he has given only glimpses into his creative process, but for his 133rd dance, ‘Three Dubious Memories,’ the audience is allowed into his studio. PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN is an in-depth exploration of how Mr. Taylor creates a single work.
PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN directed by Kate Geis will open at Film Society Of Lincoln Center in New York on Friday, September 11 with a national release to follow in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and other major cities.
The film begins with Mr. Taylor dancing in his youth, describing the nature of dance, ‘you learn to live day to day, hour to hour.’ We leap to Mr.Taylor present day, now in his 80’s, still living his life in the moment, with his mind intently focused on his next dance. His new work is aRashomon-inspired exploration of memory, three characters entangled in a relationship, and each believing only in their own dark memory of it.
Through the lens of award-winning cinematographer Tom Hurwitz, we witness Mr. Taylor’s verbal and non-verbal communication with his dancers. Below the surface of this dance and the many works that came before, is his power of acute observation, revealing a side to his choreography that is strangely prophetic. The dominant voice is Paul Taylor’s and between the guarded and unguarded moments we see him with new eyes and new understanding.
https://vimeo.com/37539696
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RIP: Oscar Nominee George Coe Director of THE DOVE Dead at 86. | VIDEO
Oscar-nominee George Coe died Saturday at the age of 86. He was nominated for an Academy Award for the 1968 comedy short film “The Dove,” which he co-directed as well as starred in.
Coe served on the Screen Actors Guild’s National Board of Directors for more than a dozen years, covering the period of 1967-1973 and again in the early 2000s. Because of his union service, the Screen Actors Guild Hollywood Division honored Coe with its prestigious Ralph Morgan Award in 2009.
“It is with heavy hearts that our SAG-AFTRA family says goodbye to George Coe,” said SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard. “He was a stalwart unionist and a tremendous presence in our union for many years. He served his fellow actors and the labor movement with conviction and pride. Our deepest condolences go out to his family.”
Coe’s acting career includes more than 50 years of film, television, commercial and stage work; including the honor of being an original cast member of Saturday Night Live. Coe had a lengthy career as a commercial performer both on camera and voice over, including six years as the voice of Toyota.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8X2QmLWWxq4
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Watch TRAILER for Psychological Thriller TOM AT THE FARM
Here is the official trailer for the the psychological thriller Tom at the Farm, written and directed by Xavier Dolan. Tom at the Farm which also stars Xavier Dolan along with Pierre-Yves Cardinal, Lise Roy, and Evelyne Brochu will be released unrated in the U.S. in theaters and on VOD platforms on August 14, 2015.
From the creative mind of Xavier Dolan (Mommy, Heartbeats) comes the psychological thriller Tom at the Farm. After the sudden death of his lover, Guillaume (Caleb Landry Jones of Heaven Knows What), Tom (Dolan), travels from his home in the city to a remote country farm for the funeral. Upon arriving, he’s shocked to find that Guillaume’s family knows nothing about him and was expecting a woman in his place. Torn between his own grief and that of the family, Tom keeps his identity a secret but soon finds himself increasingly drawn into a twisted, sexually-charged game by Guillaume’s aggressive brother (Pierre-Yves Cardinal of Through the Mist), who suspects the truth. Stockholm syndrome, deception, grief, and savagery pervade this stirring tale from Dolan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZNzJhTczZQ
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Its a Tie. ASTRAEA and COME TO MY VOICE Win 18th Maine International Film Festival Audience Award
The 18th Maine International Film Festival closed on Sunday and unveiled the winner of its audience favorite award, with Astraea and Come To My Voice tied as the MIFF audience’s favorite.
“We’re thrilled that MIFF audiences once again were adventurous and enthusiastic about exploring and discussing films from around the world,” said Festival Director Shannon Haines. “We had a fabulous slate of guests and an incredible array of films for MIFF audiences to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you all next year”
In the film Astraea, directed by Kristjan Thor, – when an epidemic nearly wipes out the human race, a telepathic teenage girl named Astraea has visions of survivors living in New Brunswick. She leads her doubting brother on a 5000-mile journey through a silent and abandoned America into the snowbound wilderness, hoping to rebuild life as she knew it. As they head north, her clairvoyance intensifies and they encounter a wary young couple, homesteading on a remote lake in Western Maine. The grief and complexity—as well as the excitement and comfort—of encountering other normal humans pits itself against Astraea’s desire to keep moving and find her family. This post-apocalyptic film, spectacularly shot in wintry Maine landscapes, uses sensitivity and intellect rather than special effects to show not what humanity is running from, but what we’re running towards.
https://vimeo.com/118208194
In Come To My Voice, directed by Hüseyin Karabey, which takes place in a snowy Kurdish mountain village, in the east of Turkey, an old woman Berfé and her granddaughter Jiyan are distressed. The only man in the household, Temo, the son of one and the father of the other, was arrested by the Turkish military. The commanding officer has been told that the villagers are hiding weapons, so he arrested all the men and announced that they will be kept in prison until their families hand over the weapons. The problem is that there are no weapons in the village. Desperate, Berfé and Jiyan embark on a long journey, in search of a gun which they could exchange for their beloved Temo. Will the old woman and her innocent granddaughter find a way out of the inextricable Kurdish identity conflict?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3Xbi0l61k0
Learning To Drive and Samba were tied for second place and Au Bord du Monde came in third place for the audience favorite award. Forty-four of the 47 films eligible for the award received at least one vote.
Acclaimed actor Michael Murphy was presented the Mid-Life Achievement Award in honor of his diverse career that includes a long-time collaboration with director Robert Altman and work with Woody Allen, P.T. Anderson, Elia Kazan and Oliver Stone. MIFF screened the U.S. premiere of Murphy’s new film Fall before the award presentation on July 16.
For the first time, MIFF hosted the World Filmmakers’ Forum through a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. Filmmakers from France, Argentina, Turkey and Mexico will show their work and discuss their creative process and the state of international film.
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Tribeca + DICK’S Sporting Goods to Produce Documentary on Kerri Walsh Jennings, Olympic Gold Medalist
Tribeca Digital Studios and DICK’S Sporting Goods Films announced today that they are producing a documentary following Kerri Walsh Jennings, three-time U.S. Olympic gold medalist in beach volleyball, in her quest to win a fourth consecutive gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Three-time Emmy Award®-winning director and producer Gabe Spitzer will offer rare, intimate access to Jennings as she balances life as a mother of three while training with new partner April Ross in their quest for the gold. Production begins this month. Earlier this year, Tribeca Digital Studios and The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation won the Outstanding Sports Documentary Emmy® for We Could Be King.
“When we first partnered with DICK’S Sporting Goods last year, we set out to tell inspiring stories through the lens of experienced filmmakers and redefine the relationship between corporate brands and content creation,” said Paula Weinstein, Executive Vice President, Tribeca Enterprises. “It has proven to be a winning combination. We are looking forward to starting production on this new project and shining a light on an incredible athlete as she works towards making Olympic history.”
“We aim to tell emotional and powerful stories that bring to life our core brand belief that sports make people better,” said Lauren Hobart, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer, DICK’S Sporting Goods. “Nobody embodies this belief more than Kerri Walsh Jennings. We are excited to partner with Tribeca Digital Studios to document Kerri’s journey and show how her passion for her sport, her country and her family fuel her intense determination to become just the fifth American in Olympic history to win four gold medals in a single event.”
“I am thrilled to partner with DICK’S and Tribeca as they follow me in my quest to bring home a fourth gold medal,” said three-time Olympic Gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings. “Representing my country as an Olympic athlete is an honor I take seriously – but I am the most proud of being a mother, wife and role model to young athletes. I hope my story inspires viewers and provides them a glimpse of how sports have shaped my life.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W4iJPExkxY
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Le Dep by Sonia Bonspille-Boileau to Close 25th First Peoples Festival l TRAILER
Le Dep, directed by Sonia Bonspille-Boileau will close the 25th edition of First Peoples Festival in Montreal, Canada. The film stars Eve Ringuette (a Jutra nominee for the film Mesnak) Marco Colin, Charles Buckell-Roberston, also in the Mesnak cast, and Yan England.
One evening, in an Outaouais region Amerindian community, Lydia (Eve Ringuette) is just about to close her father’s convenience store where she occasionally works for the night. But an armed and masked individual suddenly bursts inside, and orders her to hand over the cash. However she recognizes the thief from his voice and eyes. Her subsequent decisions will have many consequences in her life.
“The story takes place in an Aboriginal community, and exposes modern Aboriginal problems in Canada, but the emotions I wanted to convey and the characters I tried to create aim first and foremost to develop public awareness”. Sonia Bonspille-Boileau
The film production received a grant from Telefilm Canada’s microbudget program. The producer and director will take part in workshops focusing on this type of production, as part of the professional workshops organized by First Peoples Festival.
Le Dep, distributed by K-Films Amérique, will be released in Quebec on August 7th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzwTbICOLPY
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Carol Burnett to be Honored with 2015 SAG Life Achievement Award
Carol Burnett – comedic trailblazer, actor, singer, dancer, producer and author – has been named the 52nd recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Burnett will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016.
Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Burnett’s exceptional catalog of preeminent industry and public honors, which includes multiple Emmys®, a special Tony®, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and both a Kennedy Center Honor and its Mark Twain Prize for Humor.
Burnett’s film credits include playing Miss Hannigan in the film version of the musical, Annie, directed by John Huston; Noises Off, directed by Peter Bogdanovich; A Wedding, directed by Robert Altman; and Four Seasons, directed by Alan Alda. On Broadway she recently starred in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters (2014), opposite Brian Dennehy, Fade Out, Fade In, with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green with music by Jule Styne; Stephen Sondheim’s musical review Putting It Together;and Ken Ludwig’s farce Moon Over Buffalo, starring with Philip Bosco. She produced and starred in numerous television specials and guest starred on several television series, including Glee, Hot in Cleveland, Hawaii 5-0 and Law and Order: SVU. She also starred in the television series Fresno and Carol & Co., as well as the highly acclaimed made-for-television movies Friendly Fire, Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice. In 2005 she returned to her Once Upon a Mattress roots, appearing in a television special, this time playing the evil Queen Aggravain.
image: Credit: Courtesy of Randee St. Nicholas | via kpbs
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TIKKUN, HOTLINE Win Top Awards at 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival
TIKKUN, directed by Avishai Sivan is the winner of the The Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film at the 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival. Tikkkun also won the awards for The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script, The Haggiag Award for Best Actor to Khalifa Natour for his role in Tikkun, and The Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography to Shai Goldman.
Tikkun follows Haim-Aaron, a bright, Ultra-Orthodox religious scholar living in Jerusalem. His talents and devotion are envied by all. One evening, following a self-imposed fast, Haim-Aaron collapses and loses consciousness. The paramedics announce his death, but his father takes over resuscitation efforts and, beyond all expectations, Haim-Aaron comes back to life. After the accident, try as he might, Haim-Aaron remains apathetic to his studies. He feels overwhelmed by a sudden awakening of his body and suspects this is God testing him. He wonders if he should stray from the prescribed path and find a way to rekindle his faith. The father notices his son’s changed behavior and tries to forgive him. He is tormented by the fear of having crossed God’s will, the night he resuscitated his son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8hlHhX_H14
HOTLINE, directed by Silvina Landsmann is the winner of the Van Leer Award for Best Documentary Film. Hotline delves into the heart of a small Tel Aviv-based NGO – a human rights organization called the Hotline for Refugees and Migrants – shedding light on its activities and revealing its reality, while observing the functions of an NGO in the democratic arena. The Hotline for Refugees and Migrants is dedicated to promoting the rights of refugees and undocumented migrant workers in Israel. In addition to its direct services through weekly visits to detention centers and its hotline, the NGO’s work also includes legal advocacy and public policy activities. The Hotline works to ensure that existing laws protecting basic human rights are implemented.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN9n45YWJOo
The complete list of 2015 Awards of 32nd Jerusalem Film Festival
The Haggiag Competition for Full-Length Israeli Features
The Haggiag Award for Best Israeli Feature Film granting 120,000 ILS:
Tikkun, directed by Avishai Sivan, produced by Ronen Ben Tal, Moshe and Leon Edery.
Jury: For its very impressive artistic achievement in telling a deep and delicate story with great sensitivity.
The Anat Pirchi Award for Best First Film granting 20,000 ILS
Wedding Doll, directed and produced by Nitzan Gilady.
The Anat Pirchi Award for Best Script granting 10,000 ILS
Avishai Sivan for his film Tikkun.
The Haggiag Award for Best Actor granting 10,000 ILS
Khalifa Natour for his role in Tikkun.
The Haggiag Award for Best Actress granting 10,000 ILS
Asi Levi for her performance in Wedding Dolls.
The Van Leer Award for Best Cinematography granting 9,000 ILS
Shai Goldman for filming Tikkun.
The Haggiag Award for Best Editing granting 10,000 ILS
Reut Han, Yoav Paz and Doron Paz for editing JeruZalem.
Israel Critics’ Forum Award for Best Feature Film
A.K.A. Nadia, directed by Tova Ascher, produced by Estee Yacov-Mecklberg, Haim Mecklberg.
The Audience Favorite Award
JeruZalem, directed by Yoav Paz, Doron Paz, produced by Yoav Paz, Doron Paz, Nir Miretzky and Rotem Levim.
The Van Leer Competition for Israeli Documentary Cinema
The Van Leer Award for Best Documentary Film granting 30,000 ILS
Hotline, directed by Silvina Landsmann, produced by Silvina Landsmann, Pierre-Olivier Bardet.
The Van Leer Award for Best Director of a Documentary granting 18,000 ILS
Nirit Aharoni for her film, Strung Out.
The Haggiag Award for Best Music granting 10,000 ILS
The jury has elected to present this award to a musician who contributed to a documentary: Ophir Leibovitch, for his work in Strung Out.
Honorary Mention to a Documentary
Thru You Princess, directed by Ido Haar, produced by Liran Aztmor.
The jury of the Israeli Feature Film Competition was comprised of Elma Tataragić from the Sarajevo Film Festival, Matthijs Wouter Knol from the Berlin Film Festival/EFM, Turkish director Tayfun Pirselimoğlu and Israeli film critic Yael Shuv.
The Wim Van Leer “In the Spirit of Freedom” Competition
The Cummings Award for Best Feature Film granting 4,000$
Three Windows and a Hanging, directed by Isa Qosja.
The Ostrovsky Award for Best Documentary Film grating 2,000$
The Pearl Button, directed by Patricio Guzman
Honorary Mention
Mussa, directed by Anat Goren, produced by Daniela Rachminov-Sidi, Anat Goren.
The In the Spirit of Freedom jury was comprised of Israeli director and screenwriter Tali Shalom-Ezer, French actress Laëtitia Eïdo and French journalist Hélène Schoumann.
The FIPRESCI International Debuts Competition
The FIPRESCI Award for Best First Film
Songs my Brothers Taught Me, directed by Chloe Zhao.
Honorary Mention to an Israeli Debut
Wedding Doll, directed and produced by Nitzan Gilady.
The FIPRESCI jury was comprised of José Luis Losa García of Spain, Jack Mener of Belgium and Yair Raveh of Israel.
The Israeli Short Film Competition
The Van Leer award for Best Short Feature Film granting 9,000 ILS
Line of Grace, directed by Rotem Kapelinsky, produced by Eyal Shirai.
The Van Leer Award for Best Director of a Short Feature granting 9,000 ILS
Yehonatan Indursky for his film The Cantor and the Sea.
The Van Leer award for Best Short Documentary Film granting 7,000 ILS
Mazal Means Luck, directed by Mazal Ben Yishai, Maaleh Film School.
The Van Leer Award for Best Short Animation Film granting 7,000 ILS
Warm Snow, directed by Ira Elshansky, Bezalel Academy of Arts & Design.
The jury of the Short Film Competition was comprised of Mexican director and producer Gabriel Ripstein, Israeli director and screenwriter Elad Keidan and Israeli director, screenwriter and poet Netalie Braun.
The Experimental Cinema and Video Art Competition
The Lia Van Leer Award, donated by Rivka Saker, granting 12,000 ILS
Factory, directed by Maya Geller.
The Ostrovsky Family Foundation Award granting 8,000 ILS
Last Person Shooter, directed by Boaz Levin and Adam Kaplan.
The jury was comprised of Austrian artist and filmmaker Manu Luksch, Israeli curator Ran Kasmy-Ilan and Israeli curator Edna Moshenson.
The Jewish Experience Competition
The Leah Van Leer Award for Films about Jewish Heritage
Zelda: A Simple Woman, directed by Yair Qedar
The Avner Shalev – Yad Vashem Chairman’s Award for Holocaust-Related Films
My Nazi Legacy: What Our Fathers Did, directed by David Evans.
The International Children’s Films Competition
The Cummings Award for Best Children’s Film granting 3,000$
Paper Planes, director by Robert Connolly
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Toronto International Film Festival Names Its Inaugural Platform Jury
The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival announced the inaugural jury for Platform, the new program to champion directors’ cinema from around the world. This year, the three-person international jury is composed of acclaimed filmmakers Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Holland. Together, they will award a prize of $25,000 to the best film in the program, to be announced at the Awards Ceremony on September 20, 2015.
“We have a long history with Zhang-ke, Claire and Agnieszka. They are master filmmakers with unique voices that we have championed throughout the years, both at the Festival and in our year-round programming,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “We are honoured to welcome them back to Toronto on our 40th anniversary as we celebrate our renewed commitment to artistically ambitious filmmaking with Platform.”
“Platform is our new home for original, personal filmmaking and this is our dream jury,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “We are thankful to these visionary filmmakers for making the time to join us this September. We can’t wait for the conversations they’ll have about the Platform films.”
Inspired by Jia Zhang-ke’s groundbreaking film, Platform will shine the spotlight on up to 12 films of high artistic merit that demonstrate a strong directorial vision. The film lineup will be announced in the coming weeks.
Jia Zhang-ke was born in Fenyang, Shanxi Province, China, and studied at the Beijing Film Academy. He made his directorial debut with the feature Xiao Wu(1997). His subsequent films have all screened at the Festival, including the documentaries Dong (2006), Wuyong (2007), and I Wish I Knew, (2010) and the features Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Still Life(2006), 24 City (2008), and A Touch of Sin (2013), which won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes. Mountains May Depart (2015) is his latest film. In 2005, TIFF Cinematheque presented a retrospective of his work titled Unknown Pleasures: The Films of Jia Zhang-ke.
Claire Denis was born in Paris, raised primarily in West Africa, and graduated from France’s Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC). Many of her films have screened at the Festival, including her debut feature, Chocolat (1988), the documentary Man No Run (1989), the features No Fear, No Die (1990), I Can’t Sleep (1994), Nenette et Boni (1996), Beau travail (1999), Trouble Every Day(2001), Friday Night (2002), L’intrus (04), 35 Shots of Rum (2008), White Material(2009) and Bastards (2013), and the short Voilà l’enchainement (2014). She is currently co-writing her next film, an English-language science-fiction feature, with Zadie Smith. In 2013, TIFF Cinematheque presented a retrospective of her work called Objects of Desire: The Cinema of Claire Denis.
Agnieszka Holland was born in Warsaw, Poland. Her first feature film, Provincial Actors (1979), won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes. Many of her films have played at the Festival, including A Woman Alone (1981), Europa Europa (1990), Olivier Olivier(1992),Total Eclipse (1995), Washington Square (1997), The Third Miracle (1999),Julie Walking Home (2002), Copying Beethoven (2006), In Darkness (2011), and the HBO miniseries Burning Bush (2013). Her other credits include the features Fever(1980), To Kill a Priest (1988), The Secret Garden (1993), and episodes of such acclaimed television series as The Wire and House of Cards. She is a frequent guest of TIFF, having recently participated in an In Conversation With… event and introduction and Q&A of Washington Square at TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2014.
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WATCH 3 Short Docs From Academy Nominated Directors on Awesome Small Businesses
Tribeca® Digital Studios in partnership with American Express have co-produced a series of three short films that celebrate small businesses and the creators at the forefront of the entrepreneurial renaissance. Academy Award®-nominated filmmakers Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me), Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady (Jesus Camp), and Gini Reticker (Pray the Devil Back to Hell) have brought stories to life that explore the nature, shifts, and struggles of young business development; the pioneers, inventors, and dreamers at the helm of these ambitions; and the impact these ventures have on their communities.
The films debuted July 15 on a host of cable on-demand platforms in over 40 million homes including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Verizon, Cablevision, Cox and Brighthouse, Vimeo, interactive smart TV app American Express NOW, the American Express YouTube Channel, and American Express OPEN Forum, an online community for small businesses to inspire and help them grow.
The three films in the series are as follows:
Buffalo Returns, directed by Gini Reticker: In the face of a powerful recession, crippling unemployment and a housing crisis, a small, creative and energetic band of Native American businesspeople, with the help of the buffalo, rebuild their community through a growing business, Native American Natural Foods, the company behind Tanka energy bars. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Gini Reticker weaves together beautiful imagery set to the pulse of the Sioux Nation to carefully tell the story of two entrepreneurs who use tradition and ingenuity to bring opportunity and hope to the people on the Pine Ridge Reservation. After nearly going extinct, the buffalo has returned, bringing a chance for prosperity to the Lakota people.
https://vimeo.com/127614041
A Dream Preferred, directed by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing: The future of Taharka Brothers, purveyors of ice cream and social change, hinges on the success of a crowdfunding campaign. If successful, they will be able to grow their business by launching a “Food for Thought” ice cream truck, a literal vehicle for change. With a looming deadline, and what seems like an insurmountable goal:$28,000 in 29 days, Taharka Brothers takes to the streets to raise awareness, inspire, and turn out some supremely delicious ice cream – voted Best in Baltimore. Progress is slow and defeat starts to set in, until a pivotal phone call. Filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing take us behind the scenes in a fun, yet poignant portrayal of young men from Baltimore’s toughest neighborhoods as they struggle with entrepreneurship, sharpen their business strategy and inspire their community. Baltimore has a positive and empowering story to tell. The Taharka Brothers’ ingenuity and character are an inspiration to all. When you fight for what you believe in, dreams happen.
https://vimeo.com/127608534
The Downtown Project, directed by Morgan Spurlock: Far from the bright lights and the resounding ka-ching of booming commerce on the Vegas strip is another side of Sin City; Downtown Vegas prides itself on hard work and the development of local businesses to inspire a growing entrepreneurial spirit within the community. A local initiative known as The Downtown Project champions small businesses by partnering with owners to make dreams happen and to bring a community out of the shadows.
https://vimeo.com/127608535
Unique businesses like EAT, an award winning restaurant owned by Chef Natalie Young, The Hydrant Park, a desert oasis for locals and their pets, Stitch Factory, a fashion and creative co-working studio, and Turntable Health, a physician’s group with a specialized focus on the medical needs of their neighbors, are some of Downtown Projects’ most notable successes that are helping to revitalize the Las Vegas community. The entrepreneurial momentum in downtown Las Vegas has many exciting people flocking to this once depressed area to follow their dreams and to be a part of something life-changing. Renowned filmmaker Morgan Spurlock follows this tantalizing journey through the unique characters finding prosperity in the most unlikely places. Their passion is infectious and, thanks to The Downtown Project, life is thriving again in downtown Vegas for the first time since the 1950’s.