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Philadelphia Film Festival is a Wrap; “The Duke of Burgundy” “The Overnighters” Win Top Awards

Philadelphia Film Festival

The Duke of Burgundy

The 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival, which ran from October 16-26, ended with a sold-out closing night screening of Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern. In the award ceremony preceding the closing night festivities, the festival presented a series of awards to this year’s festival stand-outs. The Award for Best Narrative Feature went to The Duke of Burgundy directed by Peter Strickland, and the Award for Best Documentary Feature went to The Overnighters directed by Jesse Moss.

Archie Award: Myroslav Slabosphytsky, director of The Tribe. The Archie Award is a juried award presented in honor of the late Archie Perlmutter to a first-time director.

Narrative Award: Grand Jury Prize // The Duke of Burgundy // Director Peter Strickland
Special Jury Prize // Girlhood // Director Céline Sciamma
Best Director Prize // ‘71 // Director Yann Demange

Documentary Award: Best Documentary Feature // The Overnighters // Director Jesse Moss

Pinkenson Award for Best Local Film: Best Feature // Crescendo! The Power of Music // Director Jamie Bernstein
Honorable Mention for Innovation in Storytelling // Listen Up Philip // Director Alex Ross Perry
Honorable Mention for World Vision // Tomorrow We Disappear // Director Adam Weber and Jimmy Goldblum

Short Award: Best Short // Port Nasty // Director Rob Zywietz
Honorable Mention for Best Live Action Short // The Cut // Director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles

Audience Award: Crescendo! The Power of Music, directed by Jamie Bernstein.
Audience Award Honorable Mention // I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story // Directors Chad Walker and David LaMattina
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New Official Poster for A MOST VIOLENT YEAR Starring Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Chastain

News

Here is the new OFFICIAL poster for A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, starring Oscar Isaac, and Jessica Chastain. A MOST VIOLENT YEAR will be open in NY and LA on December 31, 2014 and will expand in January 2015.

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR is a searing crime drama set in New York City during the winter of 1981, statistically the most dangerous year in the city’s history. From acclaimed writer/director J.C. Chandor, and starring Oscar Isaac (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS) and Jessica Chastain (ZERO DARK THIRTY), this gripping story plays out within a maze of rampant political and industry corruption plaguing the streets of a city in decay.

J.C. Chandor’s third feature examines one immigrant’s determined climb up a morally crooked ladder, where simmering rivalries and unprovoked attacks threaten his business, family, and – above all – his own unwavering belief in the righteousness of his path. With A MOST VIOLENT YEAR, Chandor journeys in a bold new direction, toward the place where best intentions yield to raw instinct, and where we are most vulnerable to compromise what we know to be right.
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Arpa International Film Festival Announces 2014 Film Lineup

Arpa International Film Festival

I Believe in Unicorns

The 17th annual Arpa International Film Festival will be held November 14-16th, 2014 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. For the 17th year, the lineup includes award winning films including: As it Used to Be and Sombras de Azul, along with SXSW nominated, I Believe in Unicorns.

“We’re thrilled about this years festival line-up, which includes both domestic and international films and filmmakers, ready to showcase their work,” said Festival Director, Michael Ashjian. “It’s our goal to stay true to our mission in cultivating awareness of important topics that affect our society through the medium of film. We can’t wait to share these films with everyone!”

SHORT FILMS

Arena (2013)
Country: Poland
Director: Martin Rath
Writer: Martin Rath
Producer: Marcin Malatynski

As It Used to Be (2013)
Country: France
Director: Clément Gonzalez
Writer: Clément Gonzalez
Producer: Clément Gonzalez

Atrophy (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Hovig Kazandjian
Writer: Hovig Kazandjian
Producer: Danny Simonzad, Shervin Youssefian

Cassandra (2014)
Country: France, USA
Director: Guy-Roger Duvert
Writer: Guy-Roger Duvert
Producer: Guy-Roger Duvert, Rudolph Falaise

Distance (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Ismael Gomez III
Writer: Ismael Gomez III
Producer: Tyler Munyon, Yassel Iglesias

Eclipse (2013)
Country: Armenia
Director: Ara Yernjakyan
Writer: Ara Yernjakyan
Producer: None Listed

The Eulogy of Ivy O’Connor (2013)
Country: USA
Director: Shervin Youssefian
Writer: Sophie Jordan
Producer: Shervin Youssefian, Danny Simonzad

Families Are Forever (2013)
Country: USA
Director: Vivian Kleiman
Writer: None Listed
Producer: Vivian Kleiman
Duration: 00:20:39

L’Homme du Passé (2013)
Country: France
Director: Matt Beurois
Writer: Matt Beurois
Producer: Matt Beurois

Martin (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Justin Lee
Writer: Justin Lee
Producer: Ik-Tong Ryo

Najes (2014)
Country: Iran
Director: Bahram & Bahman Hajaboloo
Writer: Bahram & Bahman Hajaboloo
Producer: None Listed

No Love Lost (2013)
Country: United Kingdom
Director: Skekhar Bassi
Writer: Skekhar Bassi, Shalinder Bassi
Producer: Gemma Lloyd, Helen Silver, Skekhar Bassi, Shalinder Bassi

One Step Forward (2011)
Country: USA
Director: Joel Marsh, Benjamin Crowell
Writer: Joel Marsh, Benjamin Crowell
Producer: Joel Marsh, Benjamin Crowell

Return of the Tyke (2014)
Country: United Kingdom
Director: Garo Berberian
Writer: Garo Berberian, Ben Hodgson
Producer: Garo Berberian, Paul Hellard

We Are Enemies (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Ilya Rozhkov
Writer: Ilya Rozhkov
Producer: Egor Povolotskiy, Janek Ambros

Zugzwang (2013)
Country: Spain, USA
Director: Yolanda Centeno
Writer: Yolanda Centeno
Producer: Yolanda Centeno, Lavinia Barsotti

Snail
Country: USA
Director: Deborah Attoinese
Writer: Deborah Attoinese
Producer: Deborah Attoinese, Clara Ronk

Fly
Country: USA
Director: Joel Marsh
Writer: Joel Marsh, Gray Cusack
Producer: Joel Marsh, Gray Cusack

Just Be Yourself
Country: USA
Director: Stuart Davis
Writer: Stuart Davis
Producer: Sebastian Segal

FEATURE FILMS

I Believe in Unicorns (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Leah Meyerhoff
Writer: Leah Meyerhoff
Producer: Heather Rae

Sombras de Azul (2013)
Country: Cuba, Mexico, USA
Director: Kelly Daniela Norris
Writer: Kelly Daniela Norris
Producer: Kelly Daniela Norris, Travis Pittman

Toastmaster (2013)
Country: Spain, USA
Director: Eric Boadella
Writer: Eric Boadella
Producer: Eric Boadella, Hermes Marco, Martin Yernazian,

37: A Final Compromise
Country: USA
Director: Randall Batinkoff
Writer: Randall Batinkoff, Jesse Stratton
Producer: Randall Batinkoff, Guy Blews, Leila Djansi

Odd Brodsky
Country: USA
Director: Cindy Baer
Writer: Matthew Irving and Cindy Baer
Producer: Cindy Baer and Thomat Hatsios

Neutral Zone
Country: Armenia
Director: Artak Zilfimyan
Writer: Artak Zilfimyan
Producer: Tiran Hayrapetyan
Duration: 01:3:00
Language: English

DOCUMENTARIES

The Amazing Mr. Ash (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Brian Gersten
Writer: None Listed
Producer: Brian Gersten

Born in Adana (2014)
Country: Canada
Director: David Hovan
Writer: David Hovan
Producer: David Hovan

Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey (2014)
Country: United Kingdom
Director: Adam Penny
Writer: Adam Penny, Marta György-Kessler
Producer: None Listed

Music is a Universal Language (2014)
Country: Serbia and Montenegro
Director: Milos Drobnjakovic
Writer: Milos Drobnjakovic
Producer: Milos Drobnjakovic, Natasa Pajovic

Music to Madness – the Story of Komitas (2014)
Country: Canada, USA
Director: David Deranian
Writer: David Deranian
Producer: David Deranian

The No Name Painting Association (2013)
Country: China, USA
Director: Joe Griffin
Writer: Rene Balcer
Producer: Rene Balcer

Oracles of Pennsylvania Avenue (2013)
Country: Egypt, USA
Director: Tim Wilkerson
Writer: Tim Wilkerson
Producer: Tim Wilkerson

Party Line (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Alan Magee
Writer: Alan Magee
Producer: Alan Magee

You Have His Eyes (2014)
Country: USA
Director: Christopher Wilson
Writer: Not Listed
Producer: Christopher Wilson

Still in Memory of the Quake
Country: Armenia
Director: Anzhela Frangyan
Writer: Anzhela Frangyan
Producer: Arax Tadevosyan, Gohar Mkitaryan

Apricot, Blessed Tree of Armenia
Country: Armenia
Director: Shirak Khojayan
Writer: Shirak Khojayan
Producer: Shirak Khojayan
When My Sorrow Died

Country: USA
Director: Robert Nazar Arjoyan
Producer: Matt Huffman
Duration: 01:25:00
Language: English

MUSIC VIDEOS

Dasha Hara (2013)
Country: Australia, Canada
Director: Bryn Oh

Pis’ma vojny (2014)
Country: Russian Federation
Director: Vera Tomilova
Writer: Vadim Gassanov
Producer: Alexander Zhukov

Too Soon (2013)
Country: United Kingdom
Director: Jeremy Harvey
Writer: Jeremy Harvey
Producer: None Listed

Shohare Pooldar
Country: USA
Director: Shervin Youssefian
Writer: Shervin Youssefian
Producer: Erwin Khatchikian
Duration: 00:03:30
Language: Farsi w/ English Subtitles
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Whistler Film Festival Unveils Unprecedented Canadian Slate of 22 Films

Whistler Film Festival

BANG BANG BABY

22 Canadian feature films, including 13 by first-time feature film directors and six directed by women, will screen at the upcoming 14th Annual Whistler Film Festival (WFF) taking place December 3 to 7, 2014 in Whistler, British Columba, Canada. 6 films will compete in the 11th annual Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film including AFTER THE BALL, BANG BANG BABY, FÉLIX AND MEIRA (Félix et Meira), MOUNTAIN MEN, RELATIVE HAPPINESS, and WOLVES (Les Loups).

Following is the list of eleven Canadian features having their World Premiere at this year’s Whistler Film Festival:

AFTER FILM SCHOOL Joel Ashton McCarthy, Canada World Premiere
A hilarious mockumentary made by, and about, film school graduates who can’t raise financing for their first feature. Over 100 Vancouver area filmmakers and musicians devoted their time and talent to this chance-taking comedy that will have you rolling in the aisles. Get ready for High School Murders – The Musical, a film within a film that you won’t believe.

AFTER THE BALL Sean Garrity, Canada World Premiere
This charming Cinderella story is set in the world of fashion design, a daughter must disguise herself in order to win the approval of her rejecting father who owns a fashion design shop. One of this year’s Borsos competitors, it is written by Borsos Winner Kate Melville (PICTURE DAY, WFF 2012). Starring Portia Doubleday, Chris Noth, Lauren Holly and Marc-André Grondin.

BAD CITY Carl Bessai, Canada World Premiere
Canada’s most prolific filmmaker, Carl Bessai, returns to Whistler after last year’s triumphant genre bender No Clue, with another film homage, but this one to blaxploitation flicks from the 70s and the reverence that certain film intellectuals maintain for Canucksploitation films of the same era. So, dust off your Afro wigs and come out and play. Can you dig it? Right on! Starring Dustin Milligan and Amanda Crew.

ELSEWHERE, N .Y. Jeffrey P. Nesker, Canada World Premiere
A first feature directed by Canadian Jeffrey P. Nesker, entirely shot on the streets of New York with a cast of four and a crew of two. The style will evoke the work of Amos Kollek or the street grit of ONCE. The film follows the romances and yearnings of a small group of young adults trying to connect in the big city. Starring Andrew Leland Rogers, Fiona Graham and Andrew Ruth.

THE COCKSURE LADS Murray Foster, Canada World Premiere
A toe-tapping musical comedy that looks at the split-up of a British boy band when they land in Toronto for a gig. This is a first feature directed by Murray Foster, the bassist with Moxy Fruvous and Great Big Sea, and it has the joyous feeling of Cliff Richard or Dave Clark Five movies from the 60s. With Lyndon Ogbourne and Luke Marty, and great original songs.

LES LOUPS (WOLVES) Sophie Deraspe, Canada World Premiere
A haunting new drama from the director of previous Borsos winner Vital Signs, about an attractive Montreal woman who arrives on a North Atlantic island during whale hunting season for no apparent reason. The locals are a rough and tumble group living a harsh life off the land, but they become very curious about why the young lady has chosen to join them. Starring Evelyne Brochu, Gilbert Sicotte and Louise Portal.

MOUNTAIN MEN Cameron Labine, Canada World Premiere
Whistler provides the perfect setting for the World Premiere of this Borsos entry of hilarious banter, nail-biting suspense and charismatic leads in Chace Crawford and Tyler Labine as estranged brothers forced to reconcile when a fire leaves them no choice but to descend a dangerous wintery mountain landscape and fight for their lives.

PRETEND WE’RE KISSING Matt Sadowski, Canada World Premiere
A first feature from director Matt Sadowski, this is a charming comic romance between a classic uber-nerd played by Dov Tiefenbach, whose character personifies neurotic self-doubt, and a dream girl played by Zoe Kravitz who shows some interest in him. Reminding you of early Woody Allen, the sex scenes are laugh out loud awkward.

SNOWMAN Mike Douglas, Canada World Premiere
Whistler filmmaker and ‘Godfather of free skiing’ Mike Douglas returns to WFF with his documentary feature debut, SNOWMAN, which pays tribute to mountain culture lifestyle and to living in Whistler in particular. It doesn’t sugarcoat the dangers of living life on the edge of a mountain, as a helicopter crash during a routine inducement of a controlled avalanche provides the film with some real-life jeopardy.

STAY AWHILE Jessica Edwards, Canada World Premiere
Anyone over a certain age may not necessarily remember the name The Bells, but they will certainly recognize the signature theme song that was a worldwide monster hit back in the early 70s before the era of radio quotas for Canadian content. Canada’s first super-group, The Bells appeared on US television, toured extensively andmade the rounds of Canadian variety and musical shows of the time. Other hits included ‘Little White Dove’ and ‘Moody Manitoba Morning’. An intimate insider’s look at the group The Bells, as told by the daughter of two of its principals, Jessica Edwards.

WHAT AN IDIOT Peter Benson, Canada World Premiere
Borrowing a plot line from the Rock Hudson/Doris Day movie SEND ME NO FLOWERS, a man (played by first-time director Peter Benson) pretends to be gay in order to befriend his gorgeous new boss at work, who seems to have a real soft spot for gay men, while treating all others with disdain. Julia Benson plays the boss, and in real life, Peter and Julia are a Vancouver based couple, which explains the genuine romantic connection between the two leads in this classic romantic comedy.

Following is a list of the many other fine Canadian films being showcased at this year’s Whistler Film Festival:

ALLY WAS SCREAMING: Jeremy Thomas, Canada BC Premiere
A tense but darkly funny exploration of the thin line between greed and morality, follows two buddies who find a dead friend’s winning lottery ticket, but her do-gooder sister stands in the way of redemption. Nice Canadian boys would never think of knocking her off, now would they? Starring Charlie Carrick, Giacomo Baessato and Camille Sullivan.

BANG BANG BABY Jeffery St. Jules, Canada Western Canadian Premiere
A wildly unique and original take on the musical genre is a first feature from Jeffrey St. Jules. The Borsos entry tells the story of a 60s teenager who dreams of making it big as a singer, if only that pesky nearby chemical plant leak wasn’t turning the townsfolks into genetic mutants. Starring Jane Levy, Justin Chatwin and Peter Stormare.

BACKCOUNTRY Adam MacDonald, Canada Western Canadian Premiere
An extremely well made true story of two ill-prepared campers who were attacked in their tent by a ferocious black bear. The bear footage was shot in Squamish BC, because that’s where the producers found the most ferocious (trained) bear, who could roar and bare his fangs on cue. This true-life horror movie is a remarkable first feature by Adam MacDonald and starring Eric Balfour, Missy Peregrym and Nicholas Campbell.

THE BACKWARD CLASS Madeleine Grant, Canada Western Canadian Premiere
Cheer-out-loud documentary filmmaking and winner of the Audience Award at this year’s Hot Docs, this is a remarkable look at the link between education and class. The film focuses on the first graduating class of low-caste individuals plucked from their impoverished families in India and given a European style education for the last thirteen years. They are about to write their first college entrance exams. How will they do as individuals, and how will this reflect on this privately funded project that has nearly bankrupted its chief proponents? A first feature directed by Vancouver-based Madeleine Grant.

BIG MUDDY Jefferson Moneo, Canada Western Canadian PremiereFirst feature from director Jefferson Moneo, this is a visually stylish look at a crime spree set in the prairies. A Saskatchewan mother gets by performing low-level cons, but must go into hiding when an escaped murderer comes looking for her and her son. This is a film that could best be described as Prairie Noir, and may remind you of Terrence Malick’s classic Badlands. Starring Nadia Litz, Stephen McHattie and Rossif Sutherland.

FÉLIX AND MEIRA: Maxime Giroux, Canada Western Canadian PremiereVoted the Best Canadian Film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, this is a delicate, quiet study of a forbidden romance between a depressive francophone Montrealer, and the married Hasidic mother that attracts his romantic attention. The conflict between desire and duty has never come into sharper focus. Directed by former Borsos competitor Maxime Giroux (JO FOR JONATHAN, WFF 2010) with Martin Dubreuil and Hadas Yaron.

I PUT A HIT ON YOU: Dane Clark, Linsey Stewart Western Canadian PremiereDirected by first-timers Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, this very funny thriller follows a jilted fiancée who drunkenly offers her engagement ring online to anyone who wants to kill her boyfriend for her. Someone takes her up on the offer, and in the sober light of the next morning’s hangover, what do you do when your would-be assassin is anonymous and can’t be called off? Starring Sara Canning and Aaron Ashmore

IN HER PLACE Albert Shin, Canada/South Korea Western Canadian PremiereA second film from Canadian director Albert Shin, this is a meticulously authentic South Korean shot film, with Korean actors, and a distinctly Korean storyline, about a rich city woman who comes to live with some poor country bumpkins, a woman and her teenage daughter, for reasons that are not immediately apparent. With Yoon-Da-Kyung and Ahn Ji Hye.

THE OUTLAW LEAGUE (LA GANG DES HORS-LA-LOI) Jean Beaudry, Canada Western Canadian PremiereDirected by Jean Beaudry, this is veteran family film producer Rock Demers’ 24th entry in the Tales for All series. A rare film to be shot in French in New Brunswick, it tells the story of some local kids who fight for the right to clear a lot full of junk, so that they can have a baseball diamond to play on. City planners oppose them, of course. Starring Guy Thauvette and André Kasper Kolstad.

RELATIVE HAPPINESS Deanne Foley, Canada Western Canadian PremiereThis previously announced Borsos entry follows a pleasingly plump and plucky Nova Scotia bed and breakfast operator who needs to find a date for her gorgeous sister’s wedding. In walks the hunk of her dreams… A second film directed by Deanne Foley, starring Melissa Bergland and Aaron Poole

WE WERE WOLVES Jordan Canning, Canada Western Canadian PremiereA first feature directed by Jordan Canning, this is another perfect Whistler film as two estranged brothers reconcile in a cabin in the Kawartha Lakes region following the death of their father. They discover secrets of their father’s life that they never suspected, and must reconcile with their memories and each other. Starring Lynda Boyd, Steve Cochrane and Peter Mooney.
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“Unlucky Plaza” is Opening Film for Singapore International Film Festival + Egyptian Ahmad Abdalla is Filmmaker in Focus

Singapore International Film Festival

Unlucky Plaza

After a two-year hiatus, the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) is back and will open December 4th with Ken Kwek’s Unlucky Plaza, a first for a Singaporean film. Unlucky Plaza is a story about one man’s financial woes that spiral into a harrowing crisis. When he is further outdone by a financial scam, he takes a group of people hostage in a millionaire’s bungalow and the crisis, captured on video, sparks an international outcry. A multi-character thriller from one of Asia’s most exciting young filmmakers, Unlucky Plaza navigates among three narrative threads in order to create a dramatic statement about the things we do for money.

It stars Filipino actor Epy Quizon in the lead role. The other parts are taken by local veteran stage and screen actors Adrian Pang, Judee Tan, Shane Mardjuki, Janice Koh, Pamela Oei, who is Kwek’s wife, and television host and actor Guo Liang. The film’s title is a play on Lucky Plaza, the Orchard Road mall known for its businesses serving Filipino residents.Ken Kwek was born in Singapore and attended Cambridge University. He has written and directed the shorts anthology Sex.Violence.FamilyValues. Unlucky Plaza is his first feature, which debuted in the Discovery section at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.

The festival which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, will screen over 100 feature and short films, of all genres. Audiences can look forward to Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s (Turkey) Winter Sleep (2014), a story set in Anatolia that examines the significant divide between the rich and poor, as well as the powerful and powerless in Turkey. At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, the film won the Palme d’Or and the FIPRESCI Prize. The film has also been selected as the Turkish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.

Also in the line-up are Red Amnesia (2014) by acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Wang Xiaoshuai (China) (Beijing Bicycle, In Love We Trust), and From What Is Before (2014) by SGIFF regular Lav Diaz (Philippines).

Red Amnesia is a disturbing thriller about a retired widow, who has her daily routine disrupted when she starts receiving mysterious, anonymous phone calls. It is set in the ever-changing world of contemporary China, and brings powerful political urgency to the telling of its suspenseful tale. A renowned auteur, Wang is regarded as one of China’s “Sixth Generation” filmmakers, along with names like Zhang Yuan and Jia Zhangke.

Meanwhile, From What Is Before follows a remote town in the Philippines under Marcos’ dictatorship in the 1970s. The film had its world premiere in the Philippines in July this year, and won the Golden Leopard at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival. It recently had its North American premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, under the Wavelengths section.

36-year-old Ahmad Abdalla El Sayed Abdelkader, an Egyptian film director, editor and screenwriter, has been confirmed as this year’s Filmmaker in Focus.

SGIFF will feature his latest film Décor (2014), a psychological drama set in Cairo about a woman struggling to know what she wants, and have her own choices in life. The main character is obsessed with old Egyptian films, which she keeps playing on VHS. In keeping with the classic theme, the entire film is played out in black and white, the first Egyptian film to use this format since Mohamed Fadel’s 1996 drama Nasser 56, about the late Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser.
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Tribeca Film to Release “I Am Big Bird” Documentary

Documentary

The documentary, I Am Big Bird, which had its world premiere at Hot Docs earlier this year and will screen at DOC NYC in November, will be released theatrically and on VOD in early 2015 via Tribeca Film. Directed by Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker, I Am Big Bird focuses on Caroll Spinney, who since1969, is the man behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. Now at 80 years old, I Am Big Bird features incredible footage of Spinney’s earliest collaborations with Jim Henson as it traces his journey from bullied child to celebrated performer.

I AM BIG BIRD is a feature-length documentary about Caroll Spinney, who has been Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969… and at 80 years old, he has no intention of stopping. Think you know everything there is to know about Sesame Street ? You don’t. You might know that Frank Oz turned down an offer to play Big Bird, but you probably don’t know that until a last minute change of heart by NASA, Big Bird was supposed to go to space aboard the Challenger. Or you may know that Oscar the Grouch got his voice from a cantankerous cabbie, but you’d be surprised to learn that a fire in his trash can almost led to Caroll’s untimely demise. Caroll’s stories are the stuff of legend. He has been a constant presence in our lives for over 40 years, his path weaving through American history like that of Forrest Gump. His time inside the Bird has taught him about the world and about himself.

I AM BIG BIRD will peel away the instances in Caroll’s life that inspired his creation of characters that influenced generations of children. And, as the yellow feathers give way to grey hair, it is the man, not the puppet, who will steal your heart.

http://youtu.be/uFTCUF853H0
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Watch TRAILER for Orson Welles documentary “Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles”

Documentary

The trailer is released for the Orson Welles documentary Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles from Oscar-winning filmmaker Chuck Workman. The film which was released at the Telluride Film Festival features interviews with with Richard Linklater, Peter Bogdanovich, Frank Marshall, Anthony Perkins, Martin Scorsese, Sydney Pollack, Steven Spielberg. Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles opens on December 12th.

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles looks at the remarkable genius of Orson Welles on the eve of his centenary – the enigma of his career as a Hollywood star, a Hollywood director (for some a Hollywood failure), and a crucially important independent filmmaker. From Oscar-winner Chuck Workman.

http://youtu.be/VN8L7TsjfDk
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AFI FEST 2014 Reveals Remaining Films on World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, and Cinema’s Legacy Program Lineup

AFI FEST

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME)

AFI FEST 2014 revealed the remaining films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, and Cinema’s Legacy programs. AFI FEST will take place November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, CA, at the Dolby Theatre®, the TCL Chinese Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (29 titles)

The World Cinema selections showcase some of the most acclaimed international films of the year.

’71 – A rookie British soldier (rising star Jack O’Connell) must survive one night in war-torn Belfast at the height of the Troubles in this taut thriller. DIR Yann Demange. SCR Gregory Burke. CAST Jack O’Connell, Paul Anderson, Richard Dormer, Sean Harris, Barry Keoghan, Martin McCann, Charlie Murphy, Sam Reid.   UK.

THE ABSENT (LOS AUSENTES) – When an elderly man loses his isolated cabin deep in the Mexican woods, he also loses his grip on reality. DIR Nicolás Pereda. SCR Alejandro Mendoza. CAST Guadalupe Cárdenas, Eduard Fernández, Gabino Rodríguez. Mexico. U.S. Premiere.

AUGUST WINDS (VENTOS DE AGOSTO) – When a young Brazilian couple makes a discovery in the ocean waters off their small village, they must confront the realities of life and death. DIR Gabriel Mascaro. SCR Gabriel Mascaro & Rachel Ellis. CAST Dandara de Morais, Geová Manoel dos Santos, Maria Salvino dos Santos, Gabriel Mascaro. Brazil.

BLACK COAL, THIN ICE (BAI RI YAN HUO) – In this Berlin Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, a down-and-out former detective is lured back to an old murder case when the brutal killer re-emerges. DIR Diao Yinan. SCR Diao Yinan. CAST Liao Fan, Gwei Lun Mei, Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun, Yu Ailei, Ni Jingyang. China, Hong Kong.   This screening is co-presented by the China Onscreen Biennial 2014 and is the closing night screening of their Los Angeles series.

BREATHE (RESPIRE) – High school student Charlie is sent reeling after her intense friendship with Sarah falls apart in Mélanie Laurent’s sophomore feature. DIR Mélanie Laurent. SCR Mélanie Laurent & Julien Lambroschini. CAST Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré, Claire Keim. France.

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY – An amateur butterfly collector and her housekeeper can’t get enough of their sadomasochistic games in this phantasmic tale. DIR Peter Strickland. SCR Peter Strickland. CAST Sidse Babett Knudsen, Chiara D’anna. UK.

EDEN – Mia Hansen-Løve’s 20-year journey through the electronic dance music scene follows DJ Paul, whose love for the turntables stays strong even after the craze has ended. DIR Mia Hansen-Løve. SCR Mia Hansen-Løve & Sven Hansen-Løve. CAST Felix De Givry, Pauline Etienne, Vincent Macaigne, Greta Gerwig, Golshifteh Farahani, Laura Smet, Vincent Lacoste. France.

THE FOOL (DURAK) – A small-town plumber must evacuate a building before its occupants are put in a deadly situation, but citywide corruption makes it nearly impossible to find help. DIR Yury Bykov. SCR Yury Bykov. CAST Artem Bystrov, Natalia Surkova, Dmitry Kulichkov, Ilya Isaev, Maxim Pinsker, Lyubov Rudenko. Russia.

FROM WHAT IS BEFORE (MULA SA KUNG ANO ANG NOON) – Filipino arthouse sensation Lav Diaz’s latest epic centers on a coastal village haunted by strange and supernatural occurrences. DIR Lav Diaz. SCR Lav Diaz. CAST Perry Dizon, Roeder Camañag, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel, Joel Saracho, Reynan Abcede, Ching Valdes-Aran, Mailes Kanapi, Ian Lomongo, Noel Sto. Domingo, Evelyn Vargas, Bambi Beltran, Teng Mangansakan. Philippines. U.S. Premiere.

GETT, THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM – Unfolding entirely in a small courtroom, this edge-of-your-seat film follows Viviane Amsalem’s tense battle for a divorce in Israel’s strict rabbinical court. DIR Ronit Elkabetz & Shlomi Elkabetz. SCR Ronit Elkabetz & Shlomi Elkabetz. CAST Ronit Elkabetz, Menashe Noy, Simon Abkarian, Sasson Gabay , Eli Gorstein, Rami Danon, Roberto Pollack. Israel.

GIRLHOOD (BANDE DE FILLES) – Teenager Marieme drops out of school and finds acceptance with a gang of free-spirited girls, while taking on a new feminine identity. DIR Céline Sciamma. SCR Céline Sciamma. CAST Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré. France.

GOODNIGHT MOMMY (ICH SEH, ICH SEH) – Twin boys fear that their mother, whose face is masked with bandages after plastic surgery, has been subsumed by an evil being. DIR Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala. SCR Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala. CAST Susanne Wuest, Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz. Austria.

HAEMOO – Amid a shroud of sea fog, the voyage of a South Korean boat smuggling a group of illegal immigrants turns into a catastrophe. DIR Shim Sung-bo. SCR Shim Sung-bo & Bong Joon-ho. CAST Kim Yoon-seok, Park Yu-chun, Han Ye-ri. South Korea.

HUMAN CAPITAL (IL CAPITALE UMANO) – The fates of two seemingly unrelated families become increasingly intertwined in this stylish Italian murder mystery. DIR Paolo Virzì. SCR Paolo Virzì, Francesco Bruni and Francesco Piccolo. CAST Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino, Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio. Italy.

THE IRON MINISTRY – Three years spent on China’s vast train system are distilled into a one-of-a-kind sensory experience in this immersive, formally daring documentary. DIR J.P. Sniadecki. China, USA.

JAUJA – Viggo Mortensen stars as a 19th-century Danish general who must search the unforgiving Patagonian wilderness for his runaway daughter. DIR Lisandro Alonso. SCR Lisandro Alonso & Fabián Casas. CAST Viggo Mortensen, Viilbjork Malling Agger, Ghita Nørby. Argentina, USA, Netherlands, France, Mexico.

LEVIATHAN – In the latest work from Russian filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, a small-town auto mechanic becomes embroiled in a property dispute with devastating consequences. DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. SCR Oleg Negin & Andrey Zvyagintsev. CAST Alexey Serebryakov, Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovitchenkov, Roman Madyanov, Anna Ukolova, Alexey Rozin, Sergey Pokhodaev. Russia.

MANOS SUCIAS – Brothers Jacobo and Delio agree to transport millions of dollars of cocaine into Panama in this suspenseful portrait of lives forever altered by the drug trade. DIR Josef Kubota Wladyka. SCR Alan Blanco & Josef Kubota Wladyka. CAST Cristian Advincula, Jarlin Martinez, Manuel David Riascos, Hadder Blandon. Colombia, USA.

OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (KUIME) – Actors rehearsing a classic play find their violent, double-crossing stage roles seeping into real life in a ghost story from Takashi Miike. DIR Takashi Miike. SCR Kikumi Yamagishi. CAST Ebizo Ichikawa, Ko Shibasaki, Hideaki Ito, Miho Nakanishi, Maiko, Toshie Negishi, Hiroshi Katsuno, Ikko Furuya. Japan.

REALITY (RÉALITÉ) – A cameraman for a TV show is offered a chance to direct in this tapestry of dream logic that slides from one brilliantly bizarre situation to the next. DIR Quentin Dupieux. SCR Quentin Dupieux. CAST Alain Chabat, Jonathan Lambert, Elodie Bouchez, Kyla Kenedy, John Glover, Eric Wareheim, Jon Heder. Belgium, France. North American Premiere.

RED ARMY – The Cold War plays out with vivid intensity – on the ice – in this vibrant documentary on the history of the Soviet Union’s Red Army hockey team. DIR Gabe Polsky. FEATURING Slava Fetisov, Vladislav Tretiak, Scotty Bowman, Vladimir Pozner. USA, Russia.

THE SALT OF THE EARTH – This documentary on Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, often referred to as the master of black-and-white photojournalism, is co-directed by filmmaker Wim Wenders and Salgado’s son, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. DIR Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. SCR Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, Wim Wenders and David Rosier. France.

SONG OF THE SEA – In this Irish animated film, a brother and sister embark on a magical journey to discover their connection to the mythical selkies. DIR Tomm Moore. SCR Will Collins. CAST Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan, Pat Shortt, Jon Kenny, Liam Hourican, Colm Ó’Snodaigh, Lucy O’Connell, Kevin Swierszcz, David Rawle, Lisa Hannigan. Ireland. U.S. Premiere.

STATIONS OF THE CROSS (KREUZWEG) – Fourteen masterfully composed single-shot scenes tell the story of adolescent Maria, a girl caught between a secular world and the strict religious teachings of her church. DIR Dietrich Brüggemann. SCR Anna Brüggemann & Dietrich Brüggemann. CAST Lea van Acken, Franziska Weisz, Florian Stetter. Germany.

TIMBUKTU – Mauritania’s official entry for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar® centers on the 2012 Islamic jihadist takeover of northern Mali, and its toll on the region’s civilians. DIR Abderrahmane Sissako. SCR Abderrahmane Sissako & Kessen Tall. CAST Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara. France, Mauritania.

TITLI – Young Titli must risk everything to escape his life of abject poverty and intergenerational crime in this assured debut feature. DIR Kanu Behl. SCR Sharat Katariya & Kanu Behl. CAST Ranvir Shorey, Amit Sial, Lalit Behl, Shivani Raghuvanshi, Shashank Arora. India.

TU DORS NICOLE – Nicole trips aimlessly through her post-college summer in this delightfully light and sublime film. DIR Stéphane Lafleur. SCR Stéphane Lafleur. CAST Julianne Côté, Catherine St-Laurent, Francis La Haye, Simon Larouche, Godefroy Reding, Marc-André Grondin. Canada.

VILLA TOUMA – A teenage Palestinian orphan’s life is turned upside down when she goes to live in the secluded home of her three aristocrat aunts. DIR Suha Arraf. SCR Suha Arraf. CAST Nisreen Faour, Ula Tabri , Cherien Dabis , Maria Zriek.

WILD TALES (RELATOS SALVAJES) – Characters are pushed to delightfully deranged savagery in this anthology of six sublimely absurd short films. DIR Damián Szifrón. SCR Damián Szifrón. CAST Ricardo Darin, Oscar Martinez, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Érica Rivas, Rita Cortese, Julieta Zylberberg, Dario Grandinetti. Argentina, Spain.

MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (4 titles)

These dark and macabre films from around the world will grip audiences with terror and laughter.

ALLELUIA – A hustler has the tables turned on him when a besotted con victim becomes his partner in crime in this genre-bending tale of sex and obsession. DIR Fabrice Du Welz. SCR Fabrice Du Welz & Vincent Tavier. CAST Laurent Lucas, Lola Dueñas, Stéphane Bissot, Edith Le Merdy, Anne-Marie Loop, Helena Noguerra, Pili Groyne, David Murgia. France, Belgium.

A HARD DAY (KKEUT-KKA-JI GAN-DA) – When corrupt Detective Ko is involved in a hit-and-run, a chain of events is unleashed that pits him against a diabolical nemesis. DIR Kim Seong-hun. SCR Kim Seong-hun. CAST Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Jin-woong. South Korea.

IT FOLLOWS – A group of friends is plagued by a nightmarish supernatural threat in this coming-of-age horror film from AFI FEST alum David Robert Mitchell. DIR David Robert Mitchell. SCR David Robert Mitchell. CAST Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe. USA.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS – In this hilarious mockumentary, the undead lives of five flat-mates are thrown into pandemonium when a recently turned hipster tries to join the party. DIR Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement. SCR Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement. CAST Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Jonathan Brugh, Cori Gonzalez-Macuer, Stu Rutherford, Jackie Van Beek, Ben Fransham. New Zealand.

BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (4 titles)

The Breakthrough section is dedicated to the true discoveries of the programming process. It exists as a platform for artists at a crucial stage in their career to share their innovative work with enthusiastic audiences.

THE BLUE WAVE (MAVI DALGA) – Deniz and her friends are restless Turkish teenagers, distracted by love interests and ever-changing friendship dynamics, as they await the end of high school. DIR Zeynep Dadak & Merve Kayan. SCR Zeynep Dadak & Merve Kayan. CAST Ayris Alptekin, Onur Saylak, Baris Hacihan. Turkey, Germany, Netherlands, Greece.

FISH & CAT – Achieved in one stunning long take, this Iranian arthouse slasher follows a group of students in the woods and the sinister crooks they encounter there. DIR Shahram Mokri. SCR Shahram Mokri. CAST Babak Karimi, Saeed Ebrahimifar, Abed Abest, Ainaz Azarhoush, Mona Ahmadi, Neda Jebraieli, Parinaz Tayeb, Samaneh Vafaiee. Iran.

MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE! (QU’ALLAH BENISSE LA FRANCE!) – French rapper Abd Al Malik adapts his raw memoir chronicling the way religion and hip-hop saved him from the streets. DIR Abd Al Malik. SCR Abd Al Malik. CAST Marc Zinga, Sabrina Ouazani, Larouci Didi, Mickaël Nagenraft, Matteo Falkone, Stéphane Fayette-Mikano. France. U.S. Premiere.

THE MIDNIGHT SWIM – Three half-sisters try to unlock the mystery of their mother’s deep-water disappearance in this unsettling tale, part ghost story and part family drama. DIR Sarah Adina Smith. SCR Sarah Adina Smith. CAST Lindsay Burdge, Aleksa Palladino, Jennifer Lafleur, Ross Partridge, Beth Grant, Michelle Hutchison, Shirley Venard. USA. U.S. Premiere.

CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (4 titles)

Now in its second year, Cinema’s Legacy is AFI FEST’s celebration of motion picture history, and a special opportunity to screen recent restorations of film classics and films about the history of cinema.

CINEMA PARADISO (1989) – A famous Italian film director reflects on his childhood friendship with a local theater projectionist in this must-see classic. DIR Giuseppe Tornatore. SCR Giuseppe Tornatore. CAST Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Antonella Attili, Enzo Cannavale, Isa Danieli, Leo Gullotta, Marco Leonardi, Pupella Maggio, Agnese Nano, Leopoldo Trieste, Salvatore Cascio. Italy.

LOVE STREAMS (1984) – Centering on a boozy, hedonistic writer and his beleaguered sister, this latter-era film by the great John Cassavetes celebrates its 30th anniversary. DIR John Cassavetes. SCR John Cassavetes. CAST Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Diahnne Abbott, Seymour Cassel, Eddy Donno, Tom Badal, Joan Foley, Jakob Shaw, Al Ruban, Margaret Abbott. USA.

MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES (2014)– Combining extensive filmmaker interviews and rare archival footage, Chuck Workman’s documentary takes us through the life of one of cinema’s greatest masters: Orson Welles. DIR Chuck Workman.   USA.

YESTERDAY, TODAY AND TOMORROW (IERI, OGGI, DOMANI) (1963) – Vittorio De Sica’s unique, three-part omnibus film features the mega-watt star coupling of international icons Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. DIR Vittorio De Sica. SCR Eduardo De Filippo, Isabella Quarantotti, Cesare Zavattini, Bella Billa and Lorenza Zanuso. CAST Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Giuffrè, Agostino Salvietti, Lino Mattera, Tecla Scarano, Silvia Monelli, Carlo Croccolo, Pasquale Cennamo, Armando Trovajoli. Italy, France.

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St Louis-Set Drama “The Makings of You” to Kick off Lineup for 23rd Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival

St. Louis International Film Festival

The 23rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) will be held November 13 to 23, and will screen 389 films, including 89 narrative features, 76 documentary features, and 224 shorts. The festival will open on Thursday, Nov. 13, with the premiere of “The Makings of You,” a St. Louis-set and -shot drama by Matt Amato. An award-winning director of music videos and commercials, Amato returned to his hometown of St. Louis to shoot his feature debut, which stars Jay R. Ferguson (of “Mad Men”) and Sheryl Lee and Grace Zabriskie (both of “Twin Peaks”). Ferguson and Zabriskie will attend.

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Watch TRAILER for Iranian Film “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night”

News

Wowser!! Check out the trailer for the Iranian film, “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night” directed by Ana Lily Amirpour, which just snagged a nomination for Breakthrough Director: 2014 Gotham Independent Film Awards. Kino Lorber will release “A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night” in New York and Los Angeles on November 21st, with national expansion to follow

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GOODBYE TO ALL THAT Starring Paul Schneider Sets December Release Date

News

Angus MacLachlan’s GOODBYE TO ALL THAT starring Paul Schneider in his Tribeca Film Festival “Best Actor” Award-winning performance opens December 17th theatrically in NYC and on VOD.

Otto Wall (Paul Schneider, ALL THE REAL GIRLS) is your typical suburban husband and father, domesticated into a state of placidity. When his wife (Melanie Lynskey, UP IN THE AIR) pulls the rug out from underneath him and announces she is filing for divorce, Otto is thrust into the uncharted territory of single fatherhood and – even more frightening – getting back into the rather unpredictable dating pool.

Schneider shines in his leading role as Otto, supported by the stellar female supporting cast of Lynskey, Heather Graham, Anna Camp, Heather Lawless, Amy Sedaris, Ashley Hinshaw, and Audrey Scott in a breakout role as his young daughter, Edie.

Making his directorial debut, JUNEBUG screenwriter Angus MacLachlan returns to North Carolina with GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, crafting a film that is at once sexy, moving, and sharply comedic.
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Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Announces 2014 Film Festival Lineup; Opens with “Lucky Stiff” Starring Jason Alexander

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival

Actor Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame, will be honored with the Career Achievement Award on Friday, November 7 at the 29th annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) Opening Night film, the East Coast Premiere of Lucky Stiff, in which he stars with Pamela Shaw (also attending). Lucky Stiff marks the first time the festival debuts with a musical comedy. Directed by Christopher Ashley, the zany and fast-paced Lucky Stiff follows a down and out British shoe salesman who, in order to receive his inheritance of $6 million, must fulfill his deceased Uncle’s request of taking him for the best time of his “life” in Monte Carlo for a week of fun, sun, dancing, and gambling. Book writer/lyricist, Lynn Ahrens adapted her clever 1988 New York stage hit for the screen with additional songs written by her and composer Stephen Flaherty.

Selected as the Centerpiece Film, is the Southeast premiere of Frank vs God, a light-hearted, uplifting story of a former lawyer, David Frank. Unable to move past the loss of his wife, he had all but given up…that is until a tornado not only destroys his house but, takes his beloved dog Brutus. When the insurance company deems the loss an “act of God,” David becomes desperate and decides to serve God…with a lawsuit. In attendance are stars Henry Ian Cusick (TV hit series LOST) and director Stewart Schill.

FLiFF closes on Sunday, November 23, with the Southeast Premiere of dark comedy, Just Before I Go, the feature film directorial debut of actress Courteney Cox (Friends, Cougar Town). Seann William Scott (American Pie franchise) stars as Ted Morgan, who’s on the verge of giving up on life. Before he does, he decides to return to his hometown one last time to confront some old demons.

FLiFF line-up for the 2014 event will feature over 175 American Independent and World Cinema features, shorts and documentaries will premiere. The Sunshine Celluloid segment will highlight film by Florida talent. There are 34 World Premieres, 12 U.S Premieres, 27 East Coast and 16 Southeast.

Feature films on the lineup include the World premieres of Oro Verde (Switzerland) directed by Mohammed Soudani, Foreign Land (USA-Mexico) directed byRafi Girgis, Love Thy Nature ( USA-Brazil-Namibia-British Virgin Islands) directed by Sylvie Rokab , Every Child Counts ( Bahamas-Canada), directed by Wendy Loten.

U.S Premieres include Arabani (Israel) directed by Adi Adwan, Lost in Karastan (Georgia) directed by Ben Hopkins, La Casa Ausente (The Absent House), (Puerto Rico-USA-Switzerland) directed by Rubén Abruña, Non Present Time (Lithuania) directed by Mykolas Vildziunas and Papita, Mani & Toston (Venzuela) directed by Luis Carlos Hueck.

East Coast Premieres include Gone Doggy Gone (USA) directed by Kasi Brown & Brandon Walter, Healing (Australia) directed by Craig Monahan, FLiFF’s opener Lucky Stiff (USA) directed by Christopher Ashley, Sombras de Azul (Cuba-Mexico-USA) directed by Kelly Daniela Norris.

Southeast Premieres include: Centerpiece Film Frank vs God (USA) directed by Stewart Schill, Amka and the Three Golden Rules (Mongolia) directed by Babar Ahmed, Human Capital (Italy) directed by Paola Virzi, Charlie’s Country (Australia) directed by Rolf de Heer, Inside Out: The People’s Art Project, (France-Israel-Abu Dhabi-USA) directed by Alastair Siddons, Jersey Shore Massacre (USA) directed by Paul Tarnpool, FLiFF’s closer Just Before I Go (USA) directed by Courtney Cox, Manos Sucias (Colombia) / directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka. Shunned (Philippines/USA) directed by Janice Villarosa, Two Bit Waltz (USA) directed by Clara Mamet, and Traitors (Morroco) directed by Sean Gullette.

The Southeast Premiere of director Paulo Virzi’s Human Capital, the Italian Candidate for the Foreign Language Oscar 2015, is a slick, stylish drama about the destinies of two families irrevocably tied together after a cyclist is hit by a jeep the night before Christmas Eve.

The Florida premiere of The Imitation Game features Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley in the a historical thriller about Alan Turing, a genius who pioneered modern-day computing and is credited with cracking the German Enigma code. However, Turing was prosecuted for homosexual acts which The U.K deemed illegal in 1952.

Big In Japan, from director John Jeffcoat, a semi-fictionalized rock ‘n roll road movie, featuring the band Tennis Pro, is based loosely on actual events and told with rollicking humor with a fresh narrative approach and guerrilla production style.

Director Sean Gullette attends the Southeast Premiere of his film, Traitors. Tangiers is the launching pad for this intoxicating, slick suspense ride into desperation and ambition.

The Salvation, a Florida Premiere directed by Kristian Levring, stars Mads Mikkelsen (The Hunt) as a peaceful American settler who revenges his family’s murder in this Danish western which is just as compelling as Eastwood’s Unforgiven.

Under The Same Sun, is the story of two businessmen – one Palestinian and one Israeli – who struggle to set up a solar energy company to communities in the Palestinian territories. The film was produced by Amir Harel, an Oscar nominated Israeli producer for Paradise Now, and directed by Sameh Zoabi, a leading Palestinian film-maker.

Directed by Alexandre Coffre, The Volcano, is a fun, fast moving comedy starring Danny Boon and Valerie Bonneton as two divorcees who must swallow their pathological hatred for each other and hit the road together if they are to make it in time to their daughter’s wedding. The Southeast premiere is an extension of French Week.

Winter Sleep took the 2014 Cannes Film Festival’s coveted Palme d’Or. The richly engrossing and ravishingly beautiful Turkish drama, directed by Nuri Bilge, is about three people with marital issues whose animosities are fueled when they are inescapably isolated in a small mountain hotel as the snow begins to fall.

Fascinating Documentaries include: An Honest Liar, directed by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom, is about deception and the life of world-famous magician, escape artist and master skeptic, James ‘The Amazing’ Randi.

The South Florida Premiere of Shunned, from Filipino-American director Janice Villarosa, is a no holds barred look into the lives of transsexuals (male to female), in the Philippines. The film documents the rejection and attacks of violence within the society and transition to what it takes to be a woman.

FLiFF hosts the Florida Premieres of two documentaries with a focus on remarkable women.The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things is the incredible journey of 5 female filmmakers driving across America to encourage, empower, and inspire the next generation of strong women to go after their career ambitions. Director Sarah Moshman and executive producer will attend. I know a Woman Like That, directed by Elaine Madsen and produced by daughter/actress Virginia Madsen, features interviews with extraordinary women over the age of sixty-five.

Sammy: The Journey is the incredible story of child Holocaust survivor, Sam Harris, the instrumental force behind the building of the 65,000 square foot Illinois Holocaust Museum and Educational Center, of which he is President Emeritus.

FLiFF premieres several ambitious Florida films. Among them are: Short film, Tom In America, directed by Flavio Alves stars Oscar nominees, Burt Young and Sally Kirkland. The foundation of a 50 year marriage is rocked when the husband confesses to being gay. The film marks the first time Burt Young, from the Rocky franchise, has played a gay man in his career.

City of Memory by local filmmaker, director Robert Adanto and producer Gabriel Tyner, explores the ways in which the cataclysmic events in the wake of Hurricane Katrina became imprinted on the memory of the visual artists who lived through them. Adanto and Tyner head the Film & TV program at University School of Nova Southeastern University.

The Art of Community, directed by Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale film professor, Tas Salini, looks at a unique initiative led by the Community Foundation of Broward in bringing people together through civic engagements and by utilizing the arts in solving issues and problems important to the communities.

The first of two shorts in FLiFF’s Salute To Veteran’s special program is Rudy +Neil Go Fishing, directed by Abigail Tannebaum Sharon, and filmed in the Everglades, Aventura and Davie. The short doc is a touching story about Neil – a hairdresser and tournament fisherman, and Rudy, a U.S. soldier with PTSD who go fishing for therapy. The second short doc, And Great Showers of Tears Came Down, by Miami filmmaker, Dalton Narine, underscores themes about spirituality, suffering and fate, as a Marine’s tough slog in Vietnam attests to horrific experiences.

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