Marlene Dermer, Edward J Olmos at 15th Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) co-founded by Oscar nominated & Golden Globe and Emmy winner actor, director, and activist Edward James Olmos, returns for its 16th year from Thursday, October 10 through Monday, October 14, 2013 at the Chinese 6 Cinemas at the Hollywood & Highland complex in Los Angeles, California.
MEDORA
The 10th Indy Film Fest wrapped after ten days of screening and announced its 10 winning films. MEDORA directed by Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart was the big winner, snagging the Grand Jury Award, along with the Best Matter of Fact – Feature Film and the Audience Award – Feature Film. MEDORA is described as a tale of the down-but-not-out Medora Indiana Hornets varsity basketball team. The team’s epic losing streak mirrors the town’s fight for survival. Medora is an in-depth, deeply personal look at small-town life, a thrilling, underdog basketball story and an inspiring tale of a community refusing to give up hope despite the brutal odds stacked against them.
Filthy Gorgeous: The Bob Guccione Story
The Toronto International Film Festival announced its 2013 lineup of documentaries, which included a mix of world premieres from first-time and veteran filmmakers, along with a strong Canadian lineup. World premieres include Chris Jordan’s directorial debut MIDWAY, described as a visually stunning work on albatrosses; Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren’s THE DOG, the story of the real life bank robber who inspired Dog Day Afternoon; illusionists Penn & Teller on an inventor’s far-fetched ambition with their debut TIM’S VERMEER (produced by Penn Jillette, directed by Teller); John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, on the hidden legacy of a street photographer; and BEYOND THE EDGE, Leanne Pooley’s 3D, suspenseful retracing of the first climb to the world’s highest peak.
ALL SHE CAN
15 independent films will get a digital release this Fall via the Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program. Upcoming releases include AN AFRICAN ELECTION, HOT HOUSE, MADE IN L.A., ROMÁNTICO, SO MUCH SO FAST, and TV JUNKIE. Feature films include ED’S NEXT MOVE, ALL SHE CAN, GYPSY DAVY, and L.I.E. Films will roll out between August 13 and September 17.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Tuesday night (July 30) by the organization’s Board of Governors.
I’ve always had a deep respect for standup comedians, which I regard as one of the toughest gigs in all of entertainment. However, standup comedy as we know is a relatively modern form of entertainment, and the origin of how it grew from vaudeville can be pinpointed to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, where dozens of the greatest comedians of all time developed their acts.
WHEN COMEDY WENT TO SCHOOL, a documentary about the influence the Catskills vacation region had on Jewish comedians, explores what exactly made the area such an enclave for future funnymen (and women). Narrated by Robert Klein, comedian and former Catskills busboy, and featuring interviews with Jerry Lewis, Jerry Stiller, Sid Caesar, Jackie Mason, and other comedy icons, along with plenty of vintage clips of Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, and Rodney Dangerfield, When Comedy Went to School is full of laughs as it tells the story of how modern standup comedy developed among Jewish vacationers.
Sundance Selects will release John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s feature documentary FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, which will have its world premiere in the Documentary section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE directed by Lucky McKee will kick off 25 years of Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Since its 1988 launch, the Midnight Madness program emerged as a touchstone of cinematic shock, satiating the adventurous palate of bloodthirsty cinephiles from all over the world,” said Geddes, International Programmer for the Festival. “When the witching hour strikes and the human brain starts slipping into dream mode, the Ryerson Theatre will once again serve up a feast of phantasmagorical characters and jaw-dropping scenes, playing host to bizarre biological monstrosities, ruthless dominatrix gangs, paranormal mirrors, and the hijinks of supernatural cheerleaders.”
Jonathan Holiff’s award winning documentary MY FATHER AND THE MAN IN BLACK which explores the relationship between Johnny Cash and his longtime manager Saul Holiff (the director’s father who committed suicide after being estranged for 20 years) will open in New York City and Los Angeles on September 6, 2013.
The Nigerian drama “HALF OF A YELLOW SUN” starring BAFTA award winner Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible II, The Pursuit of Happyness, Crash) and three-time Golden Globe nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, American Gangster, Salt), has been selected as the opening film of the 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), which takes place September 17th – October 1st.
Paul Greengrass’s CAPTAIN PHILLIPS will make its World Premiere as the Opening Night Gala presentation for the upcoming 51st New York Film Festival (September 27 – October 13). Starring two-time Academy Award winner and 2009 Film Society Chaplin Award honoree Tom Hanks in the title role, the film is described as Academy Award-nominated director Paul Greengrass’s multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.
The Cinema for Peace Foundation honored UN Women, the United Nations organization tasked to advance women’s empowerment and gender equality and its Goodwill Ambassador, Academy-Award winning actress Nicole Kidman, in Berlin earlier this month. Nicole Kidman received a special honorary award for her long-term social engagement for women’s rights together with UN Women Acting Head Lakshmi Puri.