VIMooZ

Watch TRAILER for Venezuelan Film BAD HAIR Set to Be Released in US on November 19

Foreign Language Films

Mariana Rondón’s BAD HAIR, will open in the US beginning Wednesday, November 19. In the film, a nine-year-old boy’s preening obsession with straightening his hair elicits a tidal wave of homophobic panic in his hard-working mother. BAD HAIR will have a 2-week engagement, November 19 – December 2, in New York City at Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street (West of 6th Avenue), with screenings daily at 12:45, 3:00, 5:10, 7:20, and 9:30. A Cinema Tropical/FiGa Films release.

Writer-director Mariana Rondón grounds her film in the cultural realities of working-class Venezuela – and, by dint of two remarkable performances, finds warmth and humor between mother and son, even as the uncertainties of pre-adolescence threaten to pull them apart. Samuel Lange as the mischievous, incipiently stylish Junior is a wonder to behold: whether arguing with adults, hanging out with his chubby gal-pal, or admiring his newly straightened hair. The rest of the cast exude believability as well as poignancy, emotional depth, and joie de vivre. Winner, Best Film, San Sebastian Film Festival, and winner of more than a dozen directing, acting, and screenwriting awards at festivals throughout the world.

http://youtu.be/uW0o1jz5d9Y

BAD HAIR (2013, 93 minutes) Written and Directed by Mariana Rondón. Produced by Marité Ugás. Cinematography: Micaela Cajahuaringa. Editor: Marité Ugás. Music: Camilo Froideval. Cast: Samuel Lange (Junior), Samantha Castillo (Marta, his mother), Nelly Ramos (Carmen, his paternal grandmother), Maria Emilia Sulbaran (his friend). Venezuela/Peru/Germany. In Spanish with English subtitles. Released by Cinema Tropical and FiGa Films.

Read more
Watch TRAILER for Award-Winning Indie Film “Before I Disappear”

News

Here is the trailer for the multi-award winning “Before I Disappear,” directed by Shawn Christensen which premiered earlier this year at the SXSW Film Festival where it won the Audience Award. Starring Shawn Christensen, Fatima Ptacek, Emmy Rossum, Paul Wesley, Richard Schiff and Ron Perlman, “Before I Disappear” is based on the 2013 Academy Award® winning short film “Curfew.” At the lowest point of his life, Richie gets a call from his estranged sister, asking him to look after his eleven-year old niece, Sophia, for a few hours. “Before I Disappear” opens in theaters on November 28.

http://youtu.be/bosMzZh916I
Read more
10 Animated Shorts Advance In 2014 Oscar® Race

Awards

The Bigger Picture”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards®. Fifty-eight pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“The Bigger Picture,” Daisy Jacobs, director, and Christopher Hees, producer (National Film and Television School)
“Coda,” Alan Holly, director (And Maps And Plans)
“The Dam Keeper,” Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, directors (Tonko House)
“Duet,” Glen Keane, director (Glen Keane Productions & ATAP)
“Feast,” Patrick Osborne, director, and Kristina Reed, producer (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
“Footprints,” Bill Plympton, director (Bill Plympton Studio)
“Me and My Moulton,” Torill Kove, director (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)
“The Numberlys,” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors (Moonbot Studios)
“A Single Life,” Joris Oprins, director (Job, Joris & Marieke)
“Symphony No. 42,” Réka Bucsi, director (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest)

The Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in New York and Los Angeles.

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
“The Kings Surrender” “Once Upon a Crime: The Borrelli-Davis Conspiracy” Among Austin Film Festival 2014 Screenplay, Teleplay, Film Competition & Audience Award Winners

Austin Film Festival

The Kings Surrender

Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced its 2014 Screenplay & Teleplay Competition winners, Jury and Audience Award Winners in Film. Awards recipients received an array of cash prizes, travel expenses, industry recognition and access. For the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition winners, a record number of 6,764 scripts were received this year and the Finalists were reviewed by an industry jury. For the Jury Award Winners The Kings Surrender written by Philipp Leinemann won the award for Best Narrative Feature and Once Upon a Crime: The Borrelli-Davis Conspiracy directed by Sheldon Wilson won the award for Best Documentary Feature Jury Award.

The following winners were selected by category:

Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Dead River Girl by Morris Long

Comedy Screenplay Award: Three Months by Jared Frieder

Enderby Entertainment Award: Suicide Boy by Laura Hainke

Fade to Black Award: I Fucked James Bond by Josh Hallman

Darkwoods Productions Horror Award: The 700 Year Itch by Molly Stein & Moon Unit Zappa

Darkwoods Productions Sci-Fi Award: The Incomparable Donald Strange by James Fant & Zach Cannon

AMC One-Hour Teleplay Pilot: Ascension by Wes Brown

Sitcom Teleplay Pilot: Great Points Park by Danny Sullivan

One-Hour Teleplay Spec: The Americans: Barium Meals by Adam Turner

Sitcom Teleplay Spec: Bob’s Burgers: Mr. Whiskers by Damir Konjicija & Dario Konjicija

The following Jury Award winners were selected by category:

Narrative Feature: The Kings Surrender written by Philipp Leinemann

Documentary Feature Jury Award: Once Upon a Crime: The Borrelli-Davis Conspiracy directed by Sheldon Wilson

Dark Matters Feature: One Eyed Girl co-written by Nick Matthews and Craig Behenna,

Comedy Vanguard Feature: Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero co-written by Maz Jobrani and Amir Ohebsion

Narrative Short: Skunk written by Annie Silverstein

Documentary Short: The Next Part directed by Erin Sanger

Animated Short: Between Times co-written by Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter

Narrative Student Short: Luke written by Conor Hamill

Young Filmmakers Program Competition Grand Prize: Special Is Just a Word written by Abby Thompson

The following Audience Award winners were selected by category:

Narrative Feature: Terrible Love co-written by Luke Helmer and Christopher Thomas,

Documentary Feature: The Barkley Marathons: The Race That Eats Its Young, co-directed by Annika Iltis and Timothy Kane

Dark Matters Feature: The Suicide Theory written by Michael J Kospiah

Comedy Vanguard Feature: Jimmy Vestvood: Amerikan Hero co-written by Maz Jobrani and Amir Ohebsion

Narrative Short: Mimi & Me written by Marly Reed

Documentary Short: Albert directed by Daniel Jaffe

Animated Short: TIE The Dam Keeper written by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi |The Last Resort written by Gillian Park

Student Short: Luke written by Conor Hamill

Heart of Film: Popovich and the Voice of the Fabled American West co-written by Mike Thompson, Jerry Thompson, and Gregory

Stories From Abroad: Taking it Back written by Andreas Schmied

Texas Independents: Flutter written by Eric Hueber

Marquee Feature: Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me directed by James Keach

Read more
Whistler Film Festival Unveils Complete 2014 Film Lineup

Whistler Film Festival

THE IMITATION GAME

The Whistler Film Festival taking place December 3 to 7, unveiled its complete 2014 film lineup featuring original films from around the world and more feature premieres than ever before. THE IMITATION GAME (Western Canadian Premiere) and Audience Award winner at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival is this year’s Opening Night Gala presentation starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in his efforts to break the Nazi’s Enigma Code during World War Two at Britain’s top secret Blectchley Park. WFF’s Closing Night Gala film is the World Premiere of SNOWMAN by Whistler filmmaker and ‘godfather of free skiing’, Mike Douglas, following avalanche controller Kevin Foglin’s close call with the mountains in Douglas’ tribute to mountain culture lifestyle and living in Whistler.

Five films make up this year’s Special Presentations including the Canadian Premiere of crime drama A MOST VIOLENT YEAR from director J.C. Chandor and starring Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, as an immigrant and his family trying to expand their business in New York City’s most violent year in its history, 1981. The Western Canadian premieres include STILL ALICE directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland and starring Julianne Moore as the titular character battling Alzheimer, and thriller ’71, directed by Yann Demange, which has received nine nominations in the Independent British Awards, and follows a British solider accidentally abandoned by his unit following riots on the streets of Belfast. Other Special Presentations include the BC Premiere of American remake of Spanish language hit ELSA & FRED starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer directed by Michael Radford and the Whistler

Premiere of Academy Award front runner and portrait of a marriage, James Marsh’s THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING starring Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking and Felicity Jones as his wife Jane as they fight the odds of his ALS diagnosis to change the face of science in the 20th century.

Returning programming strands include the 11th annual Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature presented by the Directors Guild of Canada – British Columbia featuring six diverse titles competing for $15,000 cash prize and a $15,000 Post Production prize, the second highest award of its kind in Canada. This year’s Borsos competition will also showcase three World Premieres AFTER THE BALL, WOLVES (LES LOUPS) and MOUNTAIN MEN and three Western Canadian Premieres BANG BANG BABY, RELATIVE HAPPINESS and FELIX AND MEIRA, which won Best Canadian Film at TIFF14.

The World Documentary competition returns with five titles in addition to SNOWMAN, including A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES (Canadian Premiere) from director Wiktor Ericsson highlighting the lives sexploitation director Joe Sarno and his devoted wife Peggy, POINT AND SHOOT (Western Canadian Premiere) by two time Academy Award nominated documentarian Marshall Curry and winner of Best Documentary at Tribeca 2014 which follows Matt Van Dyke’s 35,000 mile motorcycle trip that leads to his involvement in the Libyan fight against Muammar Gaddadfi, and MERCHANTS OF DOUBT (Western Canadian Premiere) in whichRobert Kenner investigates the shadowy world of professional skeptics for corporations, think tanks and special interest groups who cast doubt on climate change. Other documentaries include the previously announced STAY AWHILE (World Premiere) directed by Jessica Edwards, the daughter of two of the members of the Canadian supergroup The Bells who are affectionately profiled, THE BACKWARD CLASS by Madeleine Grant following a class of students from India’s lowest Castes working toward college entrance exams, and THAT GUY DICK MILLER, following Hollywood character actor Dick Miller from Elijah Drenner.

WFF’s World Now will showcase four films from diverse corners of the world including the Western Canadian Premieres of IN HER PLACE (Canada/South Korea) directed by Albert Shin; GEMMA BOVERY(France) from Anne Fontaine; Hitchcockian thriller THE NEW GIRLFRIEND (France) directed by François Ozon, and the Simon Pegg starrer KILL ME THREE TIMES (Australia), directed by Kriv Stenders.

Late Night selections will showcase four great genre films including the World Premiere of BAD CITYdirected by Carl Bessai; the North American premiere of DEADLY VIRTUES directed by Ate de Jong; andthe Western Canadian premieres of TIFF14 Midnight Madness winner WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS directed by Jemaine Clement (one half of musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords) and Taika Waititi,and the UK’s THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY directed by Peter Strickland.

A selection of all age friendly flicks make up the Family program, including the Western Canadian Premiere of the 24th entry in the TALES FOR ALL series, legendary Canadian family content producer Rock Demers’ THE OUTLAW LEAGUE directed by Jean Beaudry, and the Whistler Premiere of Irish animated film SONG OF THE SEA by Academy Award Winner Tomm Moore (SECRET OF THE KELLS).

WFF’s second From The Vault strand includes the Western Canadian premiere of three long lost shorts featuring legendary comedic actor Peter Sellers in the Peters Sellers Trilogy, COLD COMFORT (1957),DEARTH OF A SALESMAN (1957), and INSOMNIA IS GOOD FOR YOU (1957).

New for 2014, the Gen Next strand features five Canadian titles including the World Premieres of AFTER FILM SCHOOL directed by Joel Ashton McCarthy, PRETEND WE’RE KISSING from director Matt Sadowski and produced by Whistler’s own Peter Harvey, THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE directed and written by Murray Foster, and WHAT AN IDIOT directed and produced respectively by Vancouver couple Peter and Julia Benson. The Western Canadian premiere of BACKCOUNTRY directed by Adam McDonald and starring Missy Peregrym is also included.

The Discoveries strand includes the Western Canadian Premieres of I PUT A HIT ON YOU directed by Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, prairie noir BIG MUDDY directed by Jefferson Moneo and WE WERE WOLVES by Jordan Canning. Also included is the BC Premiere of ALLY WAS SCREAMING by Jeremy Thomas.

WFF’s American Indies strand covers the gamut from the ‘Do It Yourself’ filmmaking of Jeffrey P. Nesker’s ELSEWHERE NY to the major Hollywood production of Whistler Premiere THE HOMESMAN directed by Tommy Lee Jones starring Jones and Hilary Swank, to the Canadian Premiere of Jay Craven’s NORTHERN BORDERS starring 2013 Academy Award Nominee Bruce Dern and Geneviève Bujold in between.

This year’s ShortWork Competition is comprised of 44 diverse shorts curated into six programs, including strands devoted to comedy and Aboriginal shorts.

WFF 2014 Complete Feature Film Listing:

World Premieres:
AFTER FILM SCHOOL (Canada) Dir. Joel Ashton McCarthy
AFTER THE BALL (Canada) Dir. Sean Garrity
BAD CITY (Canada) Dir. Carl Bessai
ELSEWHERE NY (Canada) Dir. Jeffrey P. Nesker
THE COCKSURE LADS MOVIE (Canada) Dir. Murray Foster
MOUNTAIN MEN (Canada) Dir. Cameron Labine
PRETEND WE’RE KISSING (Canada) Dir. Matt Sadowski
SNOWMAN (Canada) Dir. Mike Douglas
STAY AWHILE (Canada) Dir. Jessica Edwards
WHAT AN IDIOT (Canada) Dir. Peter Benson
WOLVES (LES LOUPS) (Canada) Dir. Sophie Deraspe

North American Premieres:
DEADLY VIRTUES (Netherlands) Dir. Ate de Jong

Canadian Premieres:
A LIFE IN DIRTY MOVIES (Sweden) Dir. Wiktor Ericsson
A MOST VIOLENT YEAR (USA) Dir. J.C. Chandor
NORTHERN BORDERS (USA) Dir. Jay Craven
THAT GUY DICK MILLER (USA) Dir. Elijah Drenner

Western Canadian Premieres:
’71 (United Kingdom) Dir. Yann Demange
THE BACKWARD CLASS (Canada) Dir. Madeleine Grant
BANG BANG BABY (Canada) Dir. Jeffrey St Jules
BIG MUDDY (Canada) Dir. Jefferson Moneo
DUKE OF BURGUNDY (United Kingdom) Dir. Peter Strickland
FELIX AND MEIRA (Canada) Dir. Maxime Giroux
THE IMITATION GAME (United Kingdom) Dir. James Marsh
I PUT A HIT ON YOU (Canada) Dir. Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart
IN HER PLACE (Canada/South Korea) Dir. Albert Shin
KILL ME THREE TIMES (Australia) Dir. Kriv Stenders
PETER SELLERS TRILOGY (United Kingdom) Dir. James Hill, Leslie Arliss
THE NEW GIRLFRIEND (France) Dir. François Ozon
THE OUTLAW LEAGUE (Canada) Dir. Jean Beaudry
RELATIVE HAPPINESS (Canada) Dir. Deanne Foley
STILL ALICE (USA) Dir. Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
WE WERE WOLVES (Canada) Dir. Jordan Canning
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS (New Zealand) Dir. Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi

British Columbia Premieres:
ELSA & FRED (USA) Dir. Michael Radford
GEMMA BOVERY (France) Dir. Anne Fontaine
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT (USA) Dir. Robert Kenner
ALLY WAS SCREAMING (Canada) Dir. Jeremy Thomas

Whistler Premieres:
SONG OF THE SEA (Ireland) Dir. Tomm Moore
THE HOMESMAN (USA) Dir. Tommy Lee Jones
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING (United Kingdom) Dir. James Marsh
Read more
Jalopnik Film Festival Opens November 5 in NYC

Jalopnik Film Festival

IGNITION

The second annual Jalopnik Film Festival opens Wednesday, November 5th with a party at the Classic Car Club Manhattan. On November 6th, there will be a party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at Nitehawk Cinema that will include premieres, cars, music, eating, and drinking. Films screened will include IGNITION, presented with Volvo Cars, in addition to the Official Selection and jury selections.

Some highlights from the Official Selection are:

AYRTON’S WISH by Tamir Moscivici (Spy Films)

A short film about the Senna foundation that shows the legacy of the deceased F1 driver’s generous contributions to the people of Brazil.

Hardigree describes AYRTON’S WISH as “a moving short film about Ayrton Senna that shows, in beautiful detail, just how important the F1 driver’s legacy was to the children of Brazil.”

This will be the film’s world premiere.

APEX: THE STORY OF THE HYPERCAR by J.F. Musial (Tangent Vector)

World premiere sneak preview of APEX: THE STORY OF THE HYPERCAR, the upcoming documentary about the world’s most extreme hypercars from Ferrari, Porsche, Pagani, Koenigsegg and more.

Hardigree says, “J.F. Musial is already one of the most talented directors in the automotive world, as his work with /DRIVE has shown, and we’re proud to be the first people to show his magnus opus to the world. After seeing a few of the mind blowing clips I knew we had to have it for the JFF.”

APEX: THE STORY OF THE HYPERCAR is the first documentary to be shot entirely in Sony 4K high definition. J.F. Musial also has a “Jury Selection” in the festival. Check out the trailer below

http://youtu.be/DMHLNcwysd8

These films join the already announced jury selections by judges writer/director/producer and investment professional James Glickenhaus, Bloomberg Television anchor Matt Miller, commercial film director Jeff Zwart, filmmaker Tamir Moscovici, writer and television personality Spike Ferensten, and actor Dax Shepard.

The winners are:

“Nagoya Streets” by Alexander Rosen

“One-Take Porsche Pit-Stop – /DRIVE MOMENT” by /DRIVE “

Regular Car Reviews: 2005 BMW 330Ci” by Regular Cars

“Turbine Truck vs Turbine Chopper- Bonneville” by Ole Schell

“Driving this Ferrari GTO is a Certain Kind of Ecstasy” by Petrolicious

“FY RACING – Oregon Trail Rally 2014” by Alex Tabaczka

“Where They Raced: Speed Demons in the City of Angels” by Harry Palenberg

This year’s festival will include the short film being produced with Volvo Cars, the seven films above, and the Official Selections.

http://youtu.be/picIdUCbyzE
Read more
“Pelican Dreams” The Entertaining DocuDrama

Film Reviews

Nature documentaries don’t often warrant reviewing since their purpose is primarily to educate, not entertain. But many nature documentaries like Pelican Dreams often combine traditional nature photography with purposeful narratives that inject personality into the art form.

Pelican Dreams focuses on a young California Brown Pelican that was discovered wandering in traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. When she is taken to a nature sanctuary to find out what is wrong with her she is underweight and appears to be confused. This inspires documentarian Judy Irving (who previously directed another avian documentary, 2003’s The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill) to learn about the life of these pelicans and why “G.G.” (the name she gives the pelican for where she was discovered) ended up on the bridge.

She first begins by learning about the mating habits and adolescence of these pelicans at an island offshore of California where they breed. Irving contemplates their emotions, like how scary it must be to first learn to fly. In fact, one of the more unexpected aspects of Pelican Dreams is how the narrative style is far more personal than most documentaries. Irving reflects on her personal connection with pelicans, including her dreams about flying, and why they have such an impact on her. Later, she even introduces her husband, Mark Bittner (who also worked on this documentary) to an injured pelican named Morro, a bird that was cared for Bill and Dani Nicholson, who rehabilitate pelicans in their own backyard. It’s not a common technique of most nature documentaries to exhibit such a personal connection, but it adds a unique element to the film. It might not be an approach that is appreciated by those who prefer a less engaged narrator in nature documentaries, but it’s certainly not overbearing.

Much of the second half of the documentary is about the impact humans have on pelicans today, most notably from the pesticide DDT before it was banned. While brown pelicans were taken off the endangered species list in 2009, they have begun to cause the usual problems with overpopulation in human-settled areas and compete with other species (including humans) for food. Some problems are unavoidable – one of pelicans’ main foods is anchovies, which humans fish in large numbers – and Irving steers clear of common problems of environmental documentaries by not overly shaming humanity or attempting to push an agenda that is unrealistic. In other words, this isn’t a documentary that shakes its finger at humanity, especially since so much of the documentary focuses on the compassionate humans like the Nicholsons and veterinarian Monte Merrick who care for injured pelicans (and it’s worth noting that some of the pelicans’ issues might even be the result of overpopulation directly because of the conservation efforts).

Being a nature documentary, Pelican Dreams is filled with excellent camerawork of pelicans in flight – particularly the beautiful final shots – which I always thought were strange-looking animals. However, while watching this documentary I learned to appreciate the unique gawky, but graceful, movements of these birds. I never thought I would think that about pelicans, so on that level alone Irving accomplished what she set out to do with this documentary.

Film Review Rating 3 out of 5 : See it … It’s Good

Pelican Dreams will open at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and at the Angelika Film Center in New York, and at the Royal, Playhouse 7, and Town Center in Los Angeles on November 7.
Read more
20 Animated Features Submitted for 2014 Oscar® Race

Awards

Big Hero 6

Twenty features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards^®.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

“Big Hero 6”
“The Book of Life”
“The Boxtrolls”
“Cheatin’”
“Giovanni’s Island”
“Henry & Me”
“The Hero of Color City”
“How to Train Your Dragon 2”
“Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart”
“Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return”
“The Lego Movie”
“Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants”
“Mr. Peabody & Sherman”
“Penguins of Madagascar”
“The Pirate Fairy”
“Planes: Fire & Rescue”
“Rio 2”
“Rocks in My Pockets”
“Song of the Sea”
“The Tale of the Princess Kaguya”

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars^® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
Read more
5th Williamsburg Independent Film Festival Opens November 20th

Williamsburg Independent Film Festival

Like Sunday Like Rain

The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival celebrates its 5th year opening on Thursday, November 20 and running through Sunday, November 23, 2014. Launched in 2010, the festival has showcased independent films from around the world, many with a focus on Williamsburg and Brooklyn.

According to Peter Bloch, a Co-Director of the festival, “Final selections for the festival were completed on October 21, from among 272 entries by emerging film makers in 53 countries. This is the largest international response that WillFilm has had and it shows that Williamsburg and Brooklyn continue to inspire and draw creative people from around the globe.” After four very well received years at IndieScreen, the film festival looks forward to a move this November to its new home at the Wythe Hotel on the Northside. “Everyone will enjoy the screenings and celebrating these talented storytellers at the Wythe Hotel and they will feel right at home in this new venue.”

The schedule of festival screenings includes the premieres of Like Sunday Like Rain, directed by Frank Whaley and starring Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong and Leighton Meester. The opening night spotlight film of WillFilm 5 is the NYC premier of LIKE SUNDAY LIKE RAIN, written and directed by Frank Whaley (PULP FICTION, SWIMMING WITH SHARKS). This is Mr. Whaley’s fourth film as writer/director- his first film, JOE THE KING premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival and won the prestigious Waldo Salt Award. As an actor he has appeared in over seventy-five films. The Festival will also feature the directorial debut of Skeet Ulrich (AS GOOD AS IT GETS, SCREAM). Ulrich’s film THE GIRL ON THE ROOF, stars Todd Lowe and Lenny James.

Also, featured, Recursion directed Tony & Olivier Award Nominee Sam Buntrock and starring Tony Nominee Rob McClure. Another notable entry includes “1946″ starring British actor Andrew Buchan. It depicts Jimmy Stewart’s life crisis before accepting his iconic role in “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Other entries feature cameo performances by Doris Roberts and Courtney Cox. Past honorees and guests include Cathy Moriarty, Federico Castellucio, Skeet Ulrich, Keir Gilchrist, Chloe Dahl, Gail Lerner, Rene Balcer, Michael Urie,Illeana Douglas, Daryl Roth, and Julia Ormand.

Read more
Andie MacDowell to Receive Inaugural Spirit & Pride of South Carolina Award at 2015 Beaufort International Film Festival

Beaufort International Film Festival

Multi-talented actress and model, Andie MacDowell, will be presented the inaugural Spirit & Pride of South Carolina Award at the 9th Annual Beaufort International Film Festival being held February 11 – 15, 2015. The award will be presented during the festival awards ceremony on Saturday, February 14 by internationally recognized best-selling author and Beaufort, South Carolina resident, Pat Conroy. “We are thrilled and honored to announce that movie and television star, model extraordinaire, and native South Carolinian Andie MacDowell will be the first ever recipient of the newly established Spirit & Pride of South Carolina Award at the 9th annual Beaufort International Film Festival,” stated Festival Executive Director Ron Tucker. The new award is established to recognize that person native to South Carolina or current resident whose career achievements in the industries of film, television, or music have reflected positively on themselves and the state of South Carolina. Ms. MacDowell is originally from Gaffney, a small town located in the upper part of South Carolina. She attended Winthrop College before becoming an Elite model and posing for L’Oreal and Calvin Klein. She is most notable for her acting roles in Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Short Cuts, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and Groundhog Day. She currently stars in her own series on the Hallmark Channel, playing a small town judge on Cedar Cove, which is based on the novel by Debbie Macomber.
Read more
CITIZENFOUR, FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, POINT AND SHOOT Among Nominees For 2014 IDA Documentary Awards

Awards

POINT AND SHOOT

The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced nominations for the 2014 IDA Documentary Awards set to take place on Friday, December 5th at the Paramount Theatre at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The five films nominated in IDA’s Feature category are: CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras’ portrait of whistleblowers, including Edward Snowden, and the disturbing state of surveillance of civilians in the post 9/11 age; FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s accounting of the discovery in an abandoned storage locker of what would turn out to be the work of one of the 20th Century’s greatest photographers; POINT AND SHOOT from Marshall Curry, the firsthand account of Matt Van Dyke’s personal odyssey in North Africa including fighting and imprisonment during the revolution in Libya; THE SALT OF THE EARTH, directors Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado’s poetic examination of the life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado; and TALES OF THE GRIM SLEEPER, Nick Broomfield’s investigation of the notorious serial killer who terrorized South Central Los Angeles over a twenty-five year span.

2014 IDA Documentary Awards Nominations and Awards

BEST FEATURE AWARD

Citizenfour
Director: Laura Poitras
RADiUS-TWC, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films

Finding Vivian Maier
Directors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
Sundance Selects

Point and Shoot
Director: Marshall Curry
The Orchard

The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Sony Pictures Classics

Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Director: Nick Broomfield
HBO and SKY ATLANTIC

BEST SHORT AWARD

Ghost Train
Directors: Kelly Hucker, James Fleming
Premium Films (France)

Our Curse
Director: Tomasz Śliwiński

Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall
Director: Edgar Barens
HBO Documentary Films

Tashi and the Monk
Directors: Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke

The Queen
Director: Manuel Abramovich

BEST CURATED SERIES AWARD

American Experience
Executive Producer: Mark Samels
Senior Producer: Sharon Grimberg
PBS

American Masters
Executive Producer: Susan Lacy
PBS

Independent Lens
Executive Producer: Sally Jo Fifer
Deputy Executive Producer: Lois Vossen
Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with PBS

POV
Executive Producer: Simon Kilmurry
Series Producer: Chris White
POV/ PBS

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Executive Producer: Rick Bernstein
HBO Sports

BEST LIMITED SERIES AWARD

Chicagoland
Executive Producers: Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin, Laura Michalchyshyn, Robert Redford
CNN/ BCTV and Sundance Productions

COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey
Executive Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Ann Druyan, Seth MacFarlane
FOX/ National Geographic Channel

The Sixties
Executive Producers: Gary Goeztman, Tom Hanks, Mark Herzog
CNN/ Playtone and Herzog & Co

Time of Death
Executive Producers: Cynthia Childs, Dan Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Alexandra Lipsitz, Jane Lipsitz
Co-Executive Producer: Miggi Hood
Showtime

Years of Living Dangerously
Executive Producers: Daniel Abbasi, Joel Bach, James Cameron, David Gelber, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Weintraub
Showtime

BEST EPISODIC SERIES AWARD

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown
Executive Producer and Host: Anthony Bourdain
Executive Producers: Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig
CNN

Morgan Spurlock Inside Man
Executive Producer and Host: Morgan Spurlock
Executive Producers Jeremy Chilnick, Mathew Galkin
Warrior Poets/CNN

Oprah’s Master Class
Executive Producers: Jon Kamen, Jonathan Sinclair, Justin Wilkes, Oprah Winfrey
OWN/ Harpo Studios

Our America with Lisa Ling
Executive Producers: Amy Bucher, Gregory Henry, Lisa Ling, David Shadrack Smith
OWN

VICE
Executive Producer: BJ Levin, Bill Maher, Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith
HBO

BEST SHORT FORM SERIES AWARD

A Short History of the Highrise
Executive Producers: Jason Spingarn-Koff, Silva Basmajian
National Film Board of Canada and The New York Times

Last Chance High
Executive Producer: Jason Mojica
VICE News

Op-Docs
Executive Producer: Jason Spingarn-Koff
The New York Times

Planet Money Makes a T-shirt
Executive Producer: Alex Blumberg
NPR

Russian Roulette
Executive Producers: Jason Mojica, Kevin Sutcliffe
VICE News

HUMANITAS AWARD

How I Got Over
Director: Nicole Boxer

Keep On Keepin’ On
Director: Alan Hicks
RADiUS-TWC

Limited Partnership
Director: Thomas G. Miller
PBS / Independent Lens

DAVID L. WOLPER STUDENT DOCUMENTARY AWARD

Cast in India
Director: Natasha Raheja
New York University

Evaporating Borders
Director: Iva Radivojevic
CUNY – Hunter College

Hotel 22
Director: Elizabeth Lo
Stanford University

My Dad’s a Rocker
Director: Zuxin Hou
University of Southern California

Solitary Plains
Director: J. Christian Jensen
Stanford University

ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE AWARD

1971
Director: Johanna Hamilton
Independent Lens/ PBS

The Assassination of President Kennedy
Executive Producers: Gary Goeztman, Tom Hanks, Mark Herzog
CNN/ Playtone and Herzog & Co

Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
HBO Documentary Films

Concerning Violence
Director: Göran Hugo Olsson
Kino Lorber

The Joe Show
Director: Randy Murray
Investigation Discovery/ Film Buff

CREATIVE RECOGNITION AWARDS

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY presented by Canon
Elevator
CINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Hatuey Viveros Lavielle

BEST EDITING
Last Days in Vietnam
EDITING BY: Don Kleszy

BEST MUSIC
Alfred and Jakobine
MUSIC BY: Nick Urata

BEST WRITING
Finding Vivian Maier
WRITTEN BY: John Maloof & Charlie Siskel

PARE LORENTZ AWARD
Tashi and the Monk
Directors: Andrew Hinton, Johnny Burke

EMERGING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AWARD sponsored by Red Fire Films and Modern VideoFilm
Darius Clark Monroe

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Robert Redford

PIONEER AWARD
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato

PRESERVATION AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Rithy Panh
Read more
Bahamas International Film Festival Unveils 2014 Poster

Bahamas International Film Festival

The Bahamas International Film Festival, set for December 4th through 14th, has unveiled its 2014 promotional poster designed by artist Ryan “Duser” Stubbs.
Read more