PBS announced that the Webby Award-nominated PBS Online Film Festival will return for a fourth year June 15 – July 17, 2015, and will feature 25 short-form independent films. The PBS Online Film Festival showcases powerful and engaging stories from filmmakers across the country.
“PBS, and its member stations, prides itself as the home for independent film,” said Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS Digital. “With the Online Film Festival, and the early viewing access we’re providing to millions of Roku customers, PBS and its member stations have the opportunity to bring unique, high-quality independent film to a highly engaged, digitally savvy audience.”
Short films featured in the 2015 PBS Online Film Festival include:
Alaska Public Media
“I Am a Fly Fisher”
After surviving cancer, Pudge Kleinkauf decided to spend her life doing what she loves: fly fishing.
“I Am an Alaska Native Dancer”
Follow Haliehana Stepetin, a master Alaska Native dancer born in Akutan, AK.
CAAM
“Vimana”
In the year 2021, India is on the verge of colonizing a new homeworld, but their advance team of astronauts remains suspended above the planet caring for their ailing captain and become the only hope for a fresh start.
CET/Think TV
“Sinner Victim Saint”
A newlywed husband who has recently lost his wife in a tragic car accident experiences a dark turn of events that teaches him the power of sacrifice.
“To Kill or Not to Kill”
A romantic comedy screenwriter needs to deliver a dark thriller if she wants to keep her job.
KLRU-TV Austin PBS
“Once Again”
After 20 years, filmmaker John Moore uses home movies, animation, and live action footage to recall and recreate his childhood struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
“Ex-Votos”
A helpless mother takes her ill daughter on a pilgrimage to the Huichol Mountains for the festival of Saint Francis.
“Sugarless Tea”
Through humble restraint, an Indian man strives to achieve his goal of seeing his twin brother after fifty four years of separation.
KQED (Film School Shorts)
“Banana Trip”
Three South Korean college boys head to Florida for spring break.
“11-Minute Mile”
An arrogant day-trader is delayed at an airport during the Boston Marathon bombings.
Latino Public Broadcasting
“Migrant Heroes”
An indigenous Harvard grad pioneers Spanish- and Mixtec-language radio programming in the U.S.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
“#TheFutureisCrowdFunded”
A couple’s relationship is in jeopardy due to a successful crowdfunded venture.
“Disorder”
A young man wakes up only to find his condition has gotten the best of him. Again.
NBPC and Film Independent’s Project Involve
“Counter”
Civil rights activist Bayard Rustin spends a day in a Southern town’s diner right before a march with Dr. King.
PIC
“The Fishing Club”
One of Hawai?i’s last pristine shorelines is about to be turned into a large resort, and group of close friends, The Fishing Club, are determined to stop it.
POV
“Good Soil”
Against the Garzweiler II coal pit, Brothers Helmut and Joachim Meier run the nursery they built 30 years ago until the very end.
“20/Nothing”
This experimental film takes an in-depth look at a life with no depth perception as it follows Evan Smith, a man who lost his left eye many years ago.
StoryCorps and POV
“The Last Viewing”
Allen Hoe tells the story of a chance encounter with a stranger who knew his son, Army 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe, who died in Iraq.
Twin Cities Public Television
“Great Lakes Aurora Hunters”
Follow a group of photographers as they attempt to capture the elusive Northern Lights.
“Seed Art”
Take a peek behind-the-scenes at the Minnesota State Fair to see how intricate seed art is made.
UNC-TV
“Un Buen Carnicero”
An immigrant butcher reveals how freedom is tied to convenience on the eve of July 4th.
“Kilroy was Here”
A WWII pilot hanging helplessly from his tangled parachute is discovered by orphaned children.
“Helpless”
Leah and Chayse confess their true feelings in the school library while an unknown malice lurks nearby.
Vision Maker Media
“Isabelle’s Garden”
“Isabelle’s Garden” is an uplifting story of a community coming together in reciprocity, through the hopes and dreams of a young, Choctaw girl and her garden.
Vermont PBS
“11 Paper Place”
A love story about two sheets of paper who meet in a recycle bin.-
2015 PBS Online Film Festival to Feature 25 Independent Short Films
PBS announced that the Webby Award-nominated PBS Online Film Festival will return for a fourth year June 15 – July 17, 2015, and will feature 25 short-form independent films. The PBS Online Film Festival showcases powerful and engaging stories from filmmakers across the country.
“PBS, and its member stations, prides itself as the home for independent film,” said Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS Digital. “With the Online Film Festival, and the early viewing access we’re providing to millions of Roku customers, PBS and its member stations have the opportunity to bring unique, high-quality independent film to a highly engaged, digitally savvy audience.”
Short films featured in the 2015 PBS Online Film Festival include:
Alaska Public Media
“I Am a Fly Fisher”
After surviving cancer, Pudge Kleinkauf decided to spend her life doing what she loves: fly fishing.
“I Am an Alaska Native Dancer”
Follow Haliehana Stepetin, a master Alaska Native dancer born in Akutan, AK.
CAAM
“Vimana”
In the year 2021, India is on the verge of colonizing a new homeworld, but their advance team of astronauts remains suspended above the planet caring for their ailing captain and become the only hope for a fresh start.
CET/Think TV
“Sinner Victim Saint”
A newlywed husband who has recently lost his wife in a tragic car accident experiences a dark turn of events that teaches him the power of sacrifice.
“To Kill or Not to Kill”
A romantic comedy screenwriter needs to deliver a dark thriller if she wants to keep her job.
KLRU-TV Austin PBS
“Once Again”
After 20 years, filmmaker John Moore uses home movies, animation, and live action footage to recall and recreate his childhood struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
“Ex-Votos”
A helpless mother takes her ill daughter on a pilgrimage to the Huichol Mountains for the festival of Saint Francis.
“Sugarless Tea”
Through humble restraint, an Indian man strives to achieve his goal of seeing his twin brother after fifty four years of separation.
KQED (Film School Shorts)
“Banana Trip”
Three South Korean college boys head to Florida for spring break.
“11-Minute Mile”
An arrogant day-trader is delayed at an airport during the Boston Marathon bombings.
Latino Public Broadcasting
“Migrant Heroes”
An indigenous Harvard grad pioneers Spanish- and Mixtec-language radio programming in the U.S.
Louisiana Public Broadcasting
“#TheFutureisCrowdFunded”
A couple’s relationship is in jeopardy due to a successful crowdfunded venture.
“Disorder”
A young man wakes up only to find his condition has gotten the best of him. Again.
NBPC and Film Independent’s Project Involve
“Counter”
Civil rights activist Bayard Rustin spends a day in a Southern town’s diner right before a march with Dr. King.
PIC
“The Fishing Club”
One of Hawai?i’s last pristine shorelines is about to be turned into a large resort, and group of close friends, The Fishing Club, are determined to stop it.
POV
“Good Soil”
Against the Garzweiler II coal pit, Brothers Helmut and Joachim Meier run the nursery they built 30 years ago until the very end.
“20/Nothing”
This experimental film takes an in-depth look at a life with no depth perception as it follows Evan Smith, a man who lost his left eye many years ago.
StoryCorps and POV
“The Last Viewing”
Allen Hoe tells the story of a chance encounter with a stranger who knew his son, Army 1st Lt. Nainoa K. Hoe, who died in Iraq.
Twin Cities Public Television
“Great Lakes Aurora Hunters”
Follow a group of photographers as they attempt to capture the elusive Northern Lights.
“Seed Art”
Take a peek behind-the-scenes at the Minnesota State Fair to see how intricate seed art is made.
UNC-TV
“Un Buen Carnicero”
An immigrant butcher reveals how freedom is tied to convenience on the eve of July 4th.
“Kilroy was Here”
A WWII pilot hanging helplessly from his tangled parachute is discovered by orphaned children.
“Helpless”
Leah and Chayse confess their true feelings in the school library while an unknown malice lurks nearby.
Vision Maker Media
“Isabelle’s Garden”
“Isabelle’s Garden” is an uplifting story of a community coming together in reciprocity, through the hopes and dreams of a young, Choctaw girl and her garden.
Vermont PBS
“11 Paper Place”
A love story about two sheets of paper who meet in a recycle bin.
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LA Premiere of DOPE at 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival
The official Los Angeles premiere of the film DOPE took place on Monday night at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live as a pre-festival screening at the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival.
EXCLUSIVE – Co-Executive Producer Sean Combs and Executive Producer Pharrell Williams seen at Open Road Films Los Angeles Premiere of “Dope” in partnership with the LA Film Fest on Monday, June 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Open Road Films/AP Images)
Cast members in attendance included Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons, Kimberly Elise, Quincy Brown, Chanel Iman, A$AP Rocky, Tyga, Tony Revolori, Blake Anderson, and Kap G. Also in attendance was director/writer Rick Famuyiwa, producers Forest Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi, executive producer Pharrell Williams, co-executive producer Sean Combs and co-producer Mimi Valdes.
EXCLUSIVE – A$AP Rocky seen at Open Road Films Los Angeles Premiere of “Dope” in partnership with the LA Film Fest on Monday, June 8, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Open Road Films/AP Images)
DOPE premieres nationwide on June 19.
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2015 Los Angeles Film Festival to Close with Live Read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High
For Closing Night of the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, writer/director/producer/actor Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Grindhouse, Hostel, Inglorious Basterds) will direct a Live Read of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The film, which came out in 1982, was directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Cameron Crowe.
Stephanie Allain, Director of the Los Angeles Film Festival had this to say about the historic event, “I can’t think of a better way to close this year’s Festival than with a Live Read! Eli Roth is directing a quintessentially LA story, Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
“We’re so pleased to have Eli Roth lead the Live Read of one of his favorite films,” said Elvis Mitchell, Film Independent Curator.
The 21st edition of the Los Angeles Film Festival will run June 10 to 18, 2015.
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SWEATY BETTY Wins Top Awards at 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival
Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed won the Best Feature Film award, as well as the Grand Chameleon Award for Sweaty Betty (pictured above) at the 2015 Brooklyn Film Festival which wrapped up on Sunday with a gala evening at new BFF venue, the Wythe Hotel. Alison Bagnall’s Funny Bunny nabbed two awards, best actor for Olly Alexander (shared with Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley) and Best Editing, for Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson.
Wildlike nabbed three awards, including Best Actor (female) for Ella Purnell, Best Screenplay for director Frank Hall Green and Best Producer for Julie Christeas, Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss while world premiere New York City film But Not For Me nabbed the Audience Award for Best Feature Narrative, as well as the Best Original Score award for Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin, Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste.
Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli’s Frame by Frame nabbed the festival’s Spirit Award for documentary and shared the Audience Award with Neal Broffman’s film Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi.
“We’re so pleased with this year’s festival,” said Director of Programming Bryce J. Renninger. “The films, filmmakers, audiences and sponsors all truly exemplify the diversity and spirit of Brooklyn and we look forward to the BFF continuing to be a vibrant part of Brooklyn’s cultural landscape.”
This year we brought more filmmakers with their first or second film to New York audiences than ever before. We staged the festival in all new venues and neighborhoods, and it proved to be a great success,” said Marco Ursino, BFF’s Executive Director. “After 18 years, the festival feels as fresh as ever.”
This year’s event screened 108 features and shorts from 26 countries and over 70 filmmakers attended, performing Q&A sessions after their screenings, supporting the work of other artists, and attending the festival’s various panels and parties.
Complete list of Winners:
GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD
Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty
BEST IN CATEGORY
Best Animation: Sol Friedman for Day 40
Best Experimental film: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In The Future Love Will Also
Best Short Subject: Bartek Konopka for From Bed Thou Arose
Best Short Documentary: Danya Abt for Eric, Winter To Spring
Best Documentary: Florian Schewe and Katharina Von Schroeder for We Were Rebels
Best Feature Film: Joseph Frank and Zachary Reed for Sweaty Betty
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience Award in the Animation Category: Bob Blevins & Bradly Werley for T.P.
Audience Award in the Experimental Film Category: Clayton Allis & Alfie Lee for In the Future Love Will Also
Audience Award in the Narrative Short Category: Daisy Zhou for How to Be a Black Panther
Audience Award in the Short Documentary Category: Sean Ryon and Lea Scruggs for Born Into This
Audience Award in the Documentary Category (tie): Neal Broffman for Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi and Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame
Audience Award in the Feature Length Narrative Category: Ryan Carmichael for But Not for Me
SPIRIT AWARDS | Festival’s Favorite
Spirit Award in the Narrative Short Category: Graham Chychele Waterston for And It Was Good
Spirit Award in the Exp. Film Category: Janna Kyllästinen & Anne-Katrine Hansen for Division Avenue
Spirit Award in the Short Doc Category: Dir: Elizabeth Lo & Melissa Langer for Treasure Island
Spirit Award in the Documentary Category: Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli for Frame by Frame
Spirit Award in the Animation Category: Melissa Johnson and Robertino Zambrano for Love in the Time of March Madness
Spirit Award in the Feature Category: Vinko Moderndorfer for Inferno
Best Brooklyn Project: Harvey Mitkas for Devil Town
CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT
Best Actor (male): Ágúst Örn B. Wigum for Whale Valley and Olly Alexander for Funny Bunny
Best Actor (female): Ella Purnell for Wildlike
Original Score: Rafael Leloup with Ryan Carmichael, Marcus Carl Franklin Quazzy Faffle and Elena Urioste for But Not for Me
Best Editing Award: Kentucker Audley, David Barker, and Caleb Johnson for Funny Bunny
Best Cinematography Award: Robert Machoian for God Bless the Child
Best Screenplay Award: Frank Hall Green for Wildlike
Best Producer Award: Julie Christeas, Frank Hall Green, Joseph Stephans, and Schuyler Weiss for Wildlike
Best New Director Award: Robert Gregson for The Refrigerator
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Clean Energy Documentary CATCHING THE SUN to World Premiere at LA Film Festival | TRAILER
The documentary CATCHING THE SUN, directed by Shalini Kantayya, which explores the global economic race to lead the the clean energy future, will World Premiere in Documentary Competition at the 2015 LA Film Festival.
Director Kantayya uses interwoven character dramas spanning the US and China to tell the story of the global energy transition from the perspective of workers and entrepreneurs building solutions to income inequality and climate change with their own hands.
Catching the Sun is anchored on the hope and heartbreak of unemployed American workers seeking jobs in the solar industry. An unlikely ensemble of characters contrast with preconceived notions about who is at the forefront of a transition to clean energy: Eddie Wiltz, a college dropout with few job opportunities who seeks training as a solar installer; Debbie Dooley, a Green Tea Party activist who takes on Georgia’s utility monopoly; Van Jones, a Bay Area activist who goes to Washington to elevate the national conversation on green jobs and implement policy, and; Wally Jiang, an ambitious Chinese CEO pursuing global markets in this rapidly growing industry.
“I set out to do a small film about American workers, and ended up telling a global story unfolding in real time,” says director Kantayya. “The story took me through innumerable twists and turns as I tried to understand the larger global economics that impact whether American workers get jobs in the clean-tech industries of the future. Catching the Sun is a global documentary and reflects my point of view as a global citizen.”
With countries like China investing in innovative technologies and capitalizing on this trillion-dollar opportunity, the documentary has already caught the attention of government officials and leaders in the industry. Kantayya hopes the film will serve as the catalyst to propel America as frontrunner in this industrial race.
Director Kantayya adds, “The oil economy has created monopolies and concentrated wealth and power in the hands of the few. I was fascinated by the idea that solar power could democratize and decentralize energy in a way that rebuilds the ladder of economic opportunity in the U.S.”
The film’s World Premiere will take place on Thursday, June 11, 2015 at the Regal Cinemas LA Live (1000 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FzqgS-M5Eo
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Restored THE THIRD MAN Starring Orson Welles to Get Two Week Theater Run |TRAILER
Carol Reed’s Film Noir masterpiece THE THIRD MAN (1949), starring Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, and Orson Welles, will run at Film Forum from Friday, June 26 through Thursday, July 9 (two weeks), in a new 4K restoration – its first major restoration ever.
In rubble-strewn postwar Vienna, pulp Western writer Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) arrives to meet up with his old friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to find that he’s dead — or is he? As the supremely naïve Cotten descends through the levels of deception, and discovers his friend’s corruption, the moral choices loom. A triumph of atmosphere — with its Vienna locations (including the gigantic Riesenrad Ferris Wheel and the dripping sewers), its tilted camera angles, shadows, and unforgettable zither theme — and with its stars in perhaps their most iconic roles: bereted Trevor Howard at his most Britishly military; Alida Valli, truly enigmatic and Garboesque; and Welles, arriving in one of the greatest star entrances ever (he added the famous “cuckoo clock” speech to Graham Greene’s original script); and topped by its legendary, almost endlessly drawn-out final shot.
A rare collaboration of legendary producers Alexander Korda and David O. Selznick, THE THIRD MAN was Reed’s second collaboration with novelist/screenwriter Greene. An instant critical and commercial sensation, it won the Palme D’Or at Cannes, the British Film Academy’s Best British Film award, and three Oscar nominations: for director Reed, editor Oswald Hafenrichter, and cinematographer Krasker, with a win for the latter’s expressionist, now iconic b&w cinematography. Anton Karas’ haunting “Third Man Theme,” performed by the composer on a zither, was a worldwide hit.
THE THIRD MAN remains the only movie on both the American Film Institute and British Film Institute Top 100 lists of, respectively, the greatest American and British films of all time (the Brits named it their Number One), as well as being as well as being named The Greatest Foreign Film of All Time… by the Japanese.
The award-winning team at Deluxe Restoration carried out the new 4K digital restoration of THE THIRD MAN on behalf of Studiocanal. Following rigorous comparison of different available elements, the 4K scan was done from a fine grain master positive struck from the original camera negative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-QWLAndD1E
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Actress Sofia Vergara Receives Actors Inspiration Award at SAG Foundation LA Golf Classic
The Screen Actors Guild Foundation kicked off their 30th Anniversary festivities with the star-studded Los Angeles Golf Classic on June 8th, 2015, in Burbank, CA. The SAG Foundation awarded actress Sofia Vergara with its inaugural Actors Inspiration Award in honor of her commitment to giving back and her support of the Foundation and their children’s literacy programs.
Vergara was honored to accept the award, saying, “[It’s] so lovely to be part of an organization that gives back as much as the SAG Foundation does. Currently, 80% of children in the United States that attend at-risk schools read below grade level. Many of these children are bilingual, but it’s not [just] important to be able to speak the two languages, it’s also important to be able to read and write in them.”
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Official Poster and Watch Trailer for UNEXPECTED, in Theaters July 24
Here is the poster and trailer for UNEXPECTED, the debut pic from writer-director Kris Swanberg that premiered in the U.S. Dramatic competition section at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The film is executive produced by Peter Gilbert (Hoop Dreams) and Chris Webber. UNEXPECTED is in theaters and on demand July 24, 2015.
Samantha Abbott (Cobie Smulders), is a dedicated and passionate teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school. Just as she is coming to terms with her school closing, Samantha faces some life-changing and unexpected news: she is pregnant. After breaking the news to her supportive live-in boyfriend John (Anders Holm) and opinionated mother (Elizabeth McGovern), Samantha learns that one of her most promising students, Jasmine (newcomer Gail Bean), has landed in a similar but very different situation. As the women navigate their ambitions for the future, whether tackling the painfully hilarious realities of pregnancy or challenging each other to think beyond motherhood, Samantha and Jasmine forge an unlikely friendship that will challenge their perspectives and leave a lasting impact on one another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9ANgqpiIzU
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Victoria Siegel, Daughter in QUEEN OF VERSAILLES Documentary, Found Dead
Victoria Siegel, the 18-year-old daughter of David and Jackie Siegel who were featured in the 2012 documentary Queen of Versailles, died Saturday after being found unresponsive in their Windermere home, Orange County sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Williamson said.
Jackie Siegel posted on Facebook and Instagram on Sunday, “It is with great sadness that we ask you to respect our privacy during this tragic time and the loss of our beloved daughter, Victoria. Thank you all for your prayers and for your support.
As more information comes out the family will share it, until that time there is no comment.”
Williamson said the medical examiner was still determining the cause and manner of death. The Queen of Versailles directed by Lauren Greenfield, is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the largest privately-owned house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff. According to the NY Times, in 2012, David Siegel sued Ms. Greenfield for defamation. His original complaint focused on the Sundance publicity materials, which inaccurately described his company as collapsing. But even after Ms. Greenfield and Sundance tweaked the language, Mr. Siegel didn’t drop the lawsuit. Instead he filed a broader complaint, alleging that “The Queen of Versailles” depicts Westgate Resorts “in an array of defamatory, derogatory and damaging. A year later, in 2013 Lauren Greenfield scored a big legal victory in Florida federal court. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYOnT3Gqe9U
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THE DARK HORSE, ROMEO IS BLEEDING Win Top Awards at 2015 Seattle International Film Festival
The 2015 Seattle International Film Festival announced the winners of the 2015 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson is the big winner, taking the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film, and Best Actor for Cliff Curtis. In The Dark Horse – winner of six New Zealand Film Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Actor – Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider) gives a stunning and inspirational performance as New Zealand legend Genesis Potini, a bipolar speed chess champion who helps turn around the lives of some 15,000 Maori children by teaching them the intricacies the game.
Other winners include Alfonso Gomez-Rejon of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” wins Best Director, “Romeo is Bleeding” wins Best Documentary; Nina Hoss (“Phoenix”) wins Best Actress, “Liza, The Fox-Fairy,” “The Great Alone,” and “Chatty Catties” Win Grand Jury Prize Awards for Best New Director, Documentary and New American Film
Carl Spence, SIFF’s Artistic Director, says, “Our 41st Festival was another fantastic celebration of storytelling in all its forms. We presented everything from the storied cinematic past (archival screenings celebrating Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation and live read of the late Stewart Stern’s Rebel Without a Cause), to the iconic (Kevin Bacon!), to the independent (Jason Schwartzman and his new comedy 7 Chinese Brothers). With a record 92 countries represented this year and sold-out shows every night, this year’s Festival was bigger than ever, but it also fittingly included a proper send-off of an iconic movie house, the Harvard Exit. It also highlighted Seattle’s great continuing movie houses including our own SIFF Cinema Egyptian and SIFF Cinema Uptown. And I love that we bookended the Festival this year with two stellar comedies, kicking off with our Opening Night film Spy (the number one movie in America this weekend) and finishing with our hilarious Closing Night indie The Overnight. Starting and ending with laughter while traveling the world in between is a great way to mark another whirlwind 25-day celebration of cinema.”
SIFF 2015 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS
SIFF celebrates its films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. Selected by Festival audiences, awards are given in five categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Short Film. This year, nearly 90,000 ballots were submitted.
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM
The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson (New Zealand 2014)
First runner-up: Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter (USA 2015)
Second runner-up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (USA 2015)
Third runner-up: Shaun the Sheep, directed by Richard Starzak, Mark Burton (UK 2015)
Fourth runner-up: Good Ol’ Boy, directed by Frank Lotito (USA 2015)
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY
Romeo is Bleeding, directed by Jason Zeldes (USA 2015)
First runner-up: Paper Tigers, directed by James Redford (USA 2015)
Second runner-up: The Glamour & The Squalor, directed by Marq Evans (USA 2015)
Third runner-up: The Great Alone, directed by Greg Kohs (USA 2015)
Fourth runner-up: Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014)
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (USA 2015)
First runner-up: George Ovashvili, Corn Island (Georgia 2014)
Second runner-up: Peter Greenaway, Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands 2015)
Third runner-up: Susanne Bier, ASecond Chance (Denmark 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Ross Partridge, Lamb (USA 2015)
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR
Cliff Curtis, The Dark Horse (New Zealand 2014)
First runner-up: Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes (UK 2015)
Second runner-up: Jason Segel, End of the Tour (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon, Henri Henri (Canada (Québec) 2014)
Fourth runner-up: Jacir Eid, Theeb (Jordan 2014)
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS
Nina Hoss, Phoenix (Germany 2014)
First runner-up: Kalki Koechlin, Margarita, with a Straw (India 2014)
Second runner-up: Rebecka Josephson, My Skinny Sister (Sweden 2015)
Third runner-up: Regina Case, The Second Mother (Brazil 2015)
Fourth runner-up: Ghita Nørby, Key House Mirror (Denmark 2015)
GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM
Even the Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydáni (USA 2015)
First runner-up: Submarine Sandwich, directed by PES (USA 2014)
Second runner-up: Stealth, directed by Bennett Lasseter (USA 2014)
Third runner-up: Personal Development, directed by Tom Sullivan (Ireland 2015)
Fourth runner-up: Bihttoš, directed by Elie-Máijá Tailfeathers (Canada 2014)
LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION
Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014)
This award is given to the female director’s film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle’s Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film Seattle to bestow it.
SIFF 2015 COMPETITION AWARDS
SIFF announced three Competition Awards for Best New Director, Best Documentary, and Best New American Film (FIPRESCI). Winners in each juried competition received $2,500 in cash, while the New American Cinema competition winner was also awarded the FIPRESCI prize.
SIFF 2015 BEST NEW DIRECTOR
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Liza, the Fox-Fairy (Hungary 2015), directed by Károly Ujj-Mészáros
JURY STATEMENT: For its lively, inventive visual wit and offbeat look at romantic delusion involving a haunted Hungarian nurse, a long-suffering police sergeant, and the ghost of a ’50s Japanese pop singer, we have given this year’s New Directors Prize to Károly Ujj-Mészáros.
SPECIAL JURY MENTION
Corrections Class (Russia/Germany 2014), directed by Ivan I. Tverdovsky
JURY STATEMENT: For the director’s brave and unflinching handling of a young ensemble.
Festival programmers select 12 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style, and overall excellence. To be eligible, films must be a director’s first or second feature and without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. The New Directors Jury is comprised of Brandon Harris (Filmmaker Magazine), Amy Nicholson (L.A. Weekly), and Alison Willmore (Buzzfeed).
2015 Entries:
A Blast (d: Syllas Tzoumerkas, Greece/Germany/Netherlands 2014, North American Premiere)
Bonifacio (d: Enzo Williams, Philippines 2014, North American Premiere)
Corrections Class (d: Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia/Germany 2014, North American Premiere)
Liza, the Fox-Fairy (d: Károly Ujj-Mészáros, Hungary 2015, North American Premiere)
Love, Theft and Other Entanglements (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine 2015, North American Premiere)
A Matter of Interpretation (d: Kwang-kuk Lee, South Korea 2014, North American Premiere)
Morbayassa (d: Cheick Fantamady Camara, Guinea 2015, North American Premiere)
My Skinny Sister (d: Sanna Lenken, Sweden/Germany 2015, North American Premiere)
Short Skin (d: Duccio Chiarini, Italy 2014, North American Premiere)
Under Construction (d: Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangladesh 2015, World Premiere)
Vincent (d: Thomas Salvador, France 2014)
Waterline (d: Michal Otlowski, Poland 2014, North American Premiere)
SIFF 2015 BEST DOCUMENTARY
GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Great Alone (USA 2015), directed by Greg Kohs
JURY STATEMENT: Our Grand Jury Prize goes to a film that stopped all of us in our tracks. One of the joys of the film festival experience is discovering a film that works so well on every level. This is an inspiring film about one man’s story that is both intimate and epic – we were knocked out by the filmmaker’s achievement in crafting a visually stunning, completely engrossing narrative about one extraordinary human being.
SPECIAL JURY PRIZES
Romeo is Bleeding (USA 2015), directed by Jason Zeldes
JURY STATEMENT: For its strength in demonstrating the power of art to change lives.
Sergio Herman: F**king Perfect (Netherlands 2015), directed by Willemiek Kluijfhout
JURY STATEMENT: Which we found to be an exquisitely made film about a FUCKING PERFECT artist.
Unscripted and uncut, the world is a resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have, for years, brought these untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may have never known existed-let alone known were so fascinating. The Documentary Jury is comprised of Jannat Gargi (Vulcan Productions), Janet Pierson (SXSW), and Anne Rosellini (producer, Stray Dog, Winter’s Bone).
2015 Entries:
Cooking Up a Tribute (d: Luis González & Andrea Gómez, Spain 2015, North American Premiere)
Dreams Rewired (d: Martin Reinhart, Thomas Tode, & Manu Luksch, Austria 2015, North American Premiere)
The Glamour & The Squalor (d: Marq Evans, USA 2015, World Premiere)
The Great Alone (d: Greg Kohs, USA 2015, World Premiere)
In Utero (d: Kathleen Gyllenhaal, USA 2015, World Premiere)
License to Operate (d: James Lipetzky, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Mountain Spirits (d: Singing Chen & Kuo-Liang Chiang, Taiwan 2014, US Premiere)
Paper Tigers (d: James Redford, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Romeo Is Bleeding (d: Jason Zeldes, USA 2015)
Sergio Herman, F**KING PERFECT (d: Willemiek Kluijfhout, Netherlands 2015, North American Premiere)
War of Lies (d: Matthias Bittner, Germany 2014, US Premiere)
SIFF 2015 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Chatty Catties (USA 2015), directed by Pablo Valencia
JURY STATEMENT: The FIPRESCI jury at the 41st edition of the Seattle International Film Festival bestows its International Critics’ Prize to a film that – with an enormous amount of risk-taking – innovatively expands stylistic and narrative boundaries. With a fresh view on intimate relationships, director Pablo Valencia creates an unexpected and utterly original emotional landscape in Chatty Catties.
Festival programmers select 9 films without U.S. distribution that are sure to delight audiences looking to explore the exciting vanguard of New American Cinema and compete for the FIPRESCI Award for Best New American Film. The New American Cinema Jury is comprised of members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI): Pamela Cohn, André Roy, and Dennis West.
2015 Entries:
Chatty Catties (d: Pablo Valencia, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Circle (d: Aaron Hann & Mario Miscione, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Fourth Man Out (d: Andrew Nackman, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Front Cover (d: Ray Yeung, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Good Ol’ Boy (d: Frank Lotito, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Happy 40th (d: Madoka Raine, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Me Him Her (d: Max Landis, USA 2015, World Premiere)
A Rising Tide (d: Ben Hickernell, USA 2015, World Premiere)
Those People (d: Joey Kuhn, USA 2015, World Premiere)
SIFF 2015 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS
YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE
Seoul Searching (USA/South Korea 2015), directed by Benson Lee
JURY STATEMENT: For its diverse and relatable characters, quality mix of emotion and comedy, and accurate and respectful representation of teens, the 2015 FutureWave Youth Jury Prize goes to Seoul Searching.
YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE
When Marnie Was There (Japan 2014), directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi
JURY STATEMENT: For its beautiful and detailed animation, realistic sound design, and original, bittersweet tale of mystery the Films4Families Jury awards When Marnie Was There.
WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE)
In recognition of superior artistic and technical achievement.
Audio Input(USA), directed by Sho Schrock-Manabe
JURY STATEMENT: For its insightful and engaging portrait of podcasting, an audio art form, through a collage of interviews and images.
FUTUREWAVE AUDIENCE AWARD
Minimum Max (USA), directed by Josh Ovalle
PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
Each winner will be awarded a $1000 scholarship to the Prodigy Camp.
I’m Not Here (South Africa), directed by Jack Markovitz
Minimum Max (USA), directed by Josh Ovalle
SIFF 2015 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS
All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. Jurors will choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000 and winners in any of the three categories may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.
LIVE ACTION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Chicken (Croatia, Germany), directed by Una Gunjak
JURY STATEMENT: An expertly crafted narrative that explores life and death through the eyes of a young girl. With a film full of authentic performances, Iman Alibalic is extraordinary as the six-year-old protagonist who receives a live chicken from her father for her birthday, and soon realizes it’s meant for dinner. This is an emotional film with a production quality that continues to move the story along and underscore the realities of life in a war zone.
SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Hole (Canada), directed by Martin Edralin
JURY STATEMENT: Hole is a brave exploration of human sexuality and yearning for intimacy through the eyes of a lonely, forgotten, disabled man in the heart of Toronto. Ken Harrower delivers a captivating performance that transcends any labels or limitations and speaks to the need for human connection.
DOCUMENTARY
GRAND JURY PRIZE
Bihttos (Canada), directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
JURY STATEMENT: For its ambitious approaches to visual storytelling and imaginative recounting of an exceptional family history.
ANIMATION
GRAND JURY PRIZE
The Mill at Calder’s End (USA), directed by Kevin McTurk
JURY STATEMENT: There exists a tendency to laud the new-new stories, new techniques, new talent. With the animation award, the jury is pleased to celebrate a film that is decidedly old-school, breathing life into a bygone style, iterating in a story tradition that is centuries old. For this fusion of the modern and classic, we are happy to award Kevin McTurk for The Mill at Calder’s End.
Short Film Juries 2015:
Live Action: Stefanie Malone (NFFTY), Bobby McHugh (World Famous), and Tracy Rector (Longhouse Media).
Documentary and Animation: Courtney Sheehan (Northwest Film Forum), Jason Sondhi (Vimeo curator), Alex Stonehill (Seattle Globalist).
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See Poster, Watch Trailer for Horror Film CREEP Starring Mark Duplass
Here is the poster and trailer for CREEP, directed by and starring Patrick Brice, arriving on Itunes on June 23rd and to Netflix on July 14th.
Looking for work, Aaron (Patrick Brice) comes across a cryptic online ad: “$1,000 for the day. Filming service. Discretion is appreciated.”
Low on cash and full of naiveté, he decides to go for it. He drives to a cabin in a remote mountain town where he meets Josef (Mark Duplass), his cinematic subject for the day. Josef is sincere and the project seems heartfelt, so Aaron begins to film. But as the day goes on, it becomes clear that Josef is not who he says, and his intentions are not at all pure.
The directorial debut of Patrick Brice and produced by Jason Blum (PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, INSIDIOUS) and Mark Duplass (SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED), CREEP’s intense interplay between its two protagonists upends expectations at every turn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBR8VcdpE4Y
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Rose McGowan To Release Short Film Directorial Debut DAWN on Youtube
After the critically acclaimed world premiere at Sundance Film Festival and theatrical run, DAWN, the short film directorial debut from Rose McGowan, will debut this month on YouTube.
“I’m so pleased to be able to share my Sundance Grand jury prize nominated film, Dawn, on my Youtube page. I want to promote thought and art, free of charge. I hope you’ll enjoy”, said Rose.
Realizing that her passion lies in filmmaking, Rose McGowan’s breakthrough directorial debut, DAWN, is a disturbing tale of a young girl’s budding sexuality and one’s desire to experience the unknown. Dawn (Tara Barr) is a quiet young teenager living in Kennedy era America who longs for something or someone to free her from her sheltered life. When she strikes up an innocent flirtation with the boy who works at her local gas station (Reiley McClendon), she thinks that he is perhaps the answer to her teenage dreams. Though when she invites the boy and his friends into her otherwise cloistered world, she gets a lot more than she bargained for.