• Gary International Black Film Festival to Open This Weekend with African American Western “THEY DIE BY DAWN”

    they die by dawn

    The Fourth Annual Gary International Black Film Festival (GIBFF) taking place this weekend, October 17, 18 and 19, 2014, at Indiana University Northwest Bergland Auditorium, Savannah Hall, in Gary, Indiana, will offer what the festival calls “a powerful lineup of drama, documentary and short films.” The festival opens tonight with THEY DIE BY DAWN, a star-studded film based on the true life African American Cowboys of the old west.

    http://youtu.be/d7UXL8D7XSw

    Directed by Jeymes Samuel (aka The Bullits), THEY DIE BY DAWN features an all-star cast including Giancarlo Esposito, Michael K Williams, Nate Parker, Jesse Williams, Rosario Dawson, Isaiah Washington, Erykah Badu, Bokeem Woodbine and Harry Lennix, the film sets out to tell the story of a showdown between the real life characters in the Wild Black West.

     MY NAME IS GARYMY NAME IS GARY

    The festival will also feature the World Premiere of MY NAME IS GARY. This documentary is described by the festival as a loving and well balanced tribute to the people of Gary, IN produced and directed by French filmmakers Frederic Cousseau and Blandine Huk. The film features reflections and interviews with current and former Gary residents on the rise, decline and hope for the future of this once-proud steel town. Interviews with former Gary Mayor Richard Gordon Hatcher, and others provide unique history of the city where black people rose to power.

    Christmas Wedding BabyChristmas Wedding Baby

    Saturday Night Spotlight film is the Midwest Premiere of Christmas Wedding Baby directed by Kiara Jones along with the stunning drama, Stay Cold: Stay Hungry, directed by award winning cinematographer Eric Branco. As part of the festival’s annual celebration that shines a light on the hometown, Gary Wirt alumni Antwon Tanner will be on hand to discuss and share his work in the provocative drama, CRU. A youth film showcase with films by young people and for young people will open the Saturday menu of films.

     http://youtu.be/kuPGZ-kjiks

     

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  • “INHERENT VICE” and “THE GAMBLER” Added to the Lineup for 2014 AFI FEST

    INHERENT VICEINHERENT VICE

    Warner Bros. Pictures’ INHERENT VICE and Paramount Pictures’ THE GAMBLER have been added to the lineup for the 2014 AFI FEST which will take place November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, California. THE GAMBLER directed by Rupert Wyatt will have its World Premiere on Monday, November 10, 2014, and INHERENT VICE written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Thomas Anderson, based on the novel by Thomas Pynchon will play on Saturday, November 8.

    In THE GAMBLER, Jim Bennett (Academy Award® nominee Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker.  Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral.  Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Academy Award® winner Jessica Lange) in his wake.  He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future.  As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance. Produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff and David Winkler. Based upon the film written by James Toback with a screenplay by William Monahan. Directed by Rupert Wyatt.

    INHERENT VICE is the seventh feature from Academy Award® nominee Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel; and stars Academy Award® nominees Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin and Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Academy Award® winners Reese Witherspoon and Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, Jena Malone and Joanna Newsom, 

    When private eye Doc Sportello’s ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him a loony bin…well, easy for her to say.

    It’s the tail end of the psychedelic ‘60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that “love” is another of those going around at the moment, like “trip” or “groovy,” that’s being way too overused—except that this one usually leads to trouble.

    With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity knows as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentist…Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp – all Thomas Pynchon.

    The film is produced by Anderson, together with Academy Award® nominees JoAnne Sellar and Daniel Lupi. 

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  • Neil Patrick Harris to Host 2015 Oscars

    neil patrick harris

    Actor Neil Patrick Harris will host the 87th Oscars®, scheduled to air live on ABC on Oscar® Sunday, February 22, 2015. “It is truly an honor and a thrill to be asked to host this year’s Academy Awards.  I grew up watching the Oscars and was always in such awe of some of the greats who hosted the show,” said Harris. “To be asked to follow in the footsteps of Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, and everyone else who had the great fortune of hosting is a bucket list dream come true.” 

    “We share Craig and Neil’s excitement in welcoming the incredibly talented Neil Patrick Harris,” said Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy President.  “He is the consummate entertainer.  Neil’s distinctive charm and showmanship make him the ideal host to honor the Oscar legacy and ensure we all enjoy another unforgettable celebration.”

    “Neil is a terrific actor, singer, risk-taker and collaborator,” said Dawn Hudson, Academy CEO. “We can’t wait to see the show that he and Craig and Neil create together.” 

    A triple-threat performer, Harris has enjoyed a successful career in entertainment.  He can currently be seen starring opposite Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike in David Fincher’s critically-acclaimed feature film, “Gone Girl.”  Harris garnered multiple Emmy® and Golden Globe award nominations for his role as Barney Stinson on the hit television series, “How I Met Your Mother,” and he won an Emmy for his guest-starring role on “Glee” in 2010.  He also recently starred in the title role of “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” on Broadway, earning the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical.  Harris served as host of the 61st and 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as the 63rd, 65th, 66th and 67th Tony Awards, for which he won four Emmys.  Most recently, Harris added the title of author to his list of accomplishments with the release of his autobiography from Crown Publishing, “Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography.”   

    The last two Oscars telecasts, which were produced by Zadan and Meron, received a major spike in the ratings.  The 86th Oscars was TV’s most-watched entertainment event in 10 years and attracted the biggest viewership since 2000, with more than 45 million viewers.  The show resulted in dramatic gains in younger demos and social media conversation, with more than one billion impressions generated on Twitter and 25 million interactions happening on Facebook on Oscar Sunday.  Additionally, the star-studded “selfie” became the most retweeted photo of all time with 32.8 million views.

    The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 4 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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  • Watch TRAILER for The Blind Chess Players of India in ALGORITHMS

    Algorithms

    Check out the trailer for The Blind Chess Players of India in ALGORITHMS, a First Run Features film which opens in Los Angeles on October 17 and in New York City on October 24.  In India, a group of boys dream of becoming Chess Grandmasters. But this is no ordinary chess and these are no ordinary players.  Algorithms, the debut feature documentary from filmmaker Ian McDonald, is a film that transports us into the little known world of Blind Chess.  Chess is an ancient and universal game with origins in India. 

    Filmed over three years in different parts of India, Algorithms follows three boys and an adult champion who not only aspires to bring global recognition to India’s blind chess players, but also wants to encourage all blind children to play chess. The filmmakers travel with the players to competitive tournaments, including the World Junior Blind Chess Championship. They also film them in their home milieu where they reveal their struggles, anxieties and hopes. Moving through the algorithms of the blind chess world, the film is a tactile and mindful journey that challenges the notion of what it means to “see.”

    The Chess Players



    Charudatta Jadhav from Mumbai is a champion player turned pioneer. He discovered the game of chess soon after he went blind in his teenage years. It gave him confidence and a purpose in life. Convinced of the power of this game, he has dedicated his life to develop chess for the blind. A highly successful IT professional, Charu is a man of great drive and ambition, and he aims to situate India in the top five countries for Blind Chess.



    Darpan Inani from Baroda is the most talented and highest ranked totally blind player in India. This idiosyncratic, confident and highly intelligent teenager is focussed on what he wants to achieve in chess, and in life. Darpan possesses a wisdom that belies his young age. He is a topper in his sighted school and  wants to be the first blind entrepreneur of India.



    SaiKrishna S.T. from Chennai is the ambitious rising star of blind chess in India. He is fun-loving, gregarious and makes friends easily. But as a partially sighted boy faced with the possibility of going totally blind, there is a lot more steel to Sai’s character than at first appears. Sai studies in a blind school and is again a topper. He wants to be the first blind journalist of India.



    Anant Kumar Nayak from Bhubaneshwar is a promising new talent. He is a gentle boy with an endearing if slightly eccentric personality. With a strong sense of moral duty and responsibility, the totally blind Anant struggles to balance his commitment to chess and studies. Anant has come second in training exams for IAS and hopes to be a rare blind IAS officer of India.

    http://youtu.be/vkDse3PJguU

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  • Robert Redford to be Honored with 42nd Annual Chaplin Award

    Robert Redford

    Robert Redford, Academy Award–winning director, actor, producer, environmentalist, and founder of the Sundance Film Festival and Institute, will be honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center at the 42nd Annual Chaplin Award Gala held at Lincoln Center on Monday, April 27, 2015. 

    “The Board is thrilled to have Robert Redford as the next recipient of the Chaplin Award,” said Ann Tenenbaum, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Board Chairman. “Not only is he an internationally known and loved actor, director, and producer, but perhaps no other single artist has done more to champion the work of independent filmmakers. This makes him a truly distinguished honoree—the Film Society, the New York Film Festival, and the film world in general are immensely richer because of his contributions.”

    Born in 1936 in Santa Monica, Redford began his career in New York in 1959 appearing as a guest star on several TV shows, including The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and that year also marked his Broadway debut in Tall Story (1959), followed by roles in The Highest Tree (1959), Sunday in New York (1961), and his biggest Broadway success as the newlywed husband in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (1963). He also earned an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Voice of Charlie Pont in 1963, followed by one of his last television appearances on Breaking Point.

    Redford made his screen debut in War Hunt (1962), which also marked the directorial debut of Sydney Pollack, and the first of several collaborations between the two. He won his first Golden Globe award for Inside Daisy Clover (1965), in which he played a bisexual movie star who weds Natalie Wood. He worked with the actress again in Pollack’s This Property Is Condemned(1966), and that same year, he starred in Arthur Penn’s The Chase opposite Jane Fonda, with whom he would later reteam with for the movie version of Barefoot in the Park (1967) and Pollack’s The Electric Horseman (1979).

    Playing alongside Paul Newman in 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Redford launched to superstardom, and throughout the following two decades he further cemented his role within film history playing iconic characters in such films asJeremiah Johnson (1972), The Candidate (1972), The Way We Were (1973), the Oscar-nominated The Sting (1973), The Great Gatsby (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), All the President’s Men (1976), The Natural (1984) and Out of Africa (1985), winner of seven Academy Awards.     

    Redford’s impressive career also extends behind the camera. He made his directorial debut with the Academy Award–winningOrdinary People, followed by The Milagro Beanfield War (1987), A River Runs Through It (1992), Quiz Show (1994), The Horse Whisperer (1998), and The Company You Keep (2012), among others. 

    He was the recipient of the 1997 National Medal for the Arts by President Clinton. In 2001 he was honored with the Freedom in Film Award presented by the First Amendment Center, and in 2002 received the Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts: Lifetime Achievement Award. In December 2005, Redford accepted the Kennedy Center Honors for his “distinguished achievement in the performing arts and in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the life of our country.” Most recently, Redford received the Legion d’Honneur medal, France’s highest recognition, from President Nicolas Sarkozy on October 14, 2010.

    Redford starred in last year’s New York Film Festival selection All Is Lost, and just completed production on A Walk in the Woods, based on Bill Bryson’s memoir and co-starring Nick Nolte. It is scheduled for release in 2015. He is now shooting Truthwith Cate Blanchett. The film is based on the book Truth and Duty by Mary Mapes.

    The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 and honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has been renamed for Chaplin, and has honored many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Michael Douglas, Sidney Poitier, Catherine Deneuve, Barbra Streisand and, last year, Rob Reiner.

    image via flickr

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  • “THE OVERNIGHTERS” “LISTEN UP PHILIP” Among 2014 Official Selections of Los Cabos International Film Festival

    THE OVERNIGHTERS

    THE OVERNIGHTERS

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  • Compelling Drama “Diplomatie” (Diplomacy)

    "Diplomatie" (Diplomacy)

    In late August 1944, the Allies were advancing on German-occupied Paris. General von Choltitz (Niels Arestrup) the military governor of Paris (a position he held less than three weeks before the events of the film begin) is given orders to destroy Paris and abandon the city. He enlists a French engineer named Jacques Lanvin (Jean-Marc Roulot) to develop a plan to destroy Paris. Lanvin proposes blowing up the city’s many bridges to cause the Seine to flood, which would destroy the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and the Opera. The remaining city monuments – including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and Parliament – would be destroyed by explosives. Ironically, Choltitz points out to Lanvin that Paris is Hitler’s favorite city. “So why destroy it?” Lanvin asks. Choltitz responds, “Hitler wanted Berlin to be as beautiful as Paris, and bigger. Now, four years later, Berlin is in ruins, while Paris is as glorious as ever, see? It’s unbearable for him.”

    Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling (André Dussollier) – who was born and raised in Paris – sneaks into Cholititz’s headquarters and tries to persuade him from destroying the city. Though Choltitz at first dismisses Nordling’s efforts as futile, by appealing to Choltitz’s better nature and his deep-seeded doubts that Germany can win Nordling begins to get through to Coltitz. However, Nordling soon learns that Coltitz fears for something greater than his own life if he does not fulfill the Fuhrer’s orders to destroy Paris are not fulfilled.

    Diplomacy is adapted for the screen from the play by Cyril Gely and the film’s director, Volker Schlöndorff. The stage origins of Diplomacy are obvious – most of the narrative is a two-man show between Choltitz and Nordling, and both actors convey the intense emotion of the weight of history as the debate over the city’s future lies in the balance. Naturally, viewers know that Paris and its monuments remain until this day, but Schlöndorff (who has been directing films for more than half a century) focuses on the dramatic proceedings that led Paris to safety. Like most great play adaptations, the power of the film is in its dialogue. What the film adds that the play would lack on stage is the beautiful shots of Paris’ monuments and the evocative score composed by Jörg Lemberg.

    What Diplomacy primarily offers is two great European actors (both Arestrup and Dussollier are three-time César Award winners) sparing in one of the most monumental decisions in modern European history. Anyone who has an appreciation for history or for effective dramatic  acting will be enthralled by the performances by both men. Of course, if an 84 minute play adaptation based on historical events in German isn’t your thing, you might want to overlook Diplomacy. Despite its wartime setting there are no battles depicted – or any action, for that matter – nor any semblance of romance except for Nordling’s love for Paris. Yet all the ingredients for compelling drama are here – making Diplomacy an excellent film for both history and theater buffs.

    Review Rating: 4 out of 5 : See it …… It’s Very Good

    Diplomacy opens in New York City on Wednesday, October 15 and Los Angeles on Friday, November 7.

     http://youtu.be/rO6jcH5khvE

     

    Credits

    Directed by Volker Schlöndorff
    Written by Cyril Gély, Volker Schlöndorff,
    based on the play by Cyril Gély
    Cinematography Michel Amathieu

    Cast

    André Dussollier (Consul Raoul Nordling)
    Niels Arestrup (General Dietrich von Choltitz)
    Burghart Klaußner (Major Ebernach)
    Robert Stadlober (Leutnant Bressensdorf)
    Charlie Nelson (Concierge)
    Jean-Marc Roulot (Jacques Lanvin)
    Stefan Wilkening (Unteroffizier Mayer)
    Thomas Arnold (Oberleutnant Hegger)
    Lucas Prisor (SS-Officer, Obersturmführer)
    Attila Borlan (SS-Officer)

    Film Info

    2014
    84 mins
    Color
    France/Germany
    In French and German
    DCP
    Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
    Rating: Not Rated

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  • DOC NYC Unveils Film Lineup; DO I SOUND GAY? Opens, THE YES MEN ARE REVOLTING Closes Fest

    Do I Sound Gay?Do I Sound Gay?

    DOC NYC, announced the full line-up for its fifth edition, running November 13-20 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas in New York CIty. Representing a dramatic growth from last year’s edition, the 2014 festival will showcase 153 films and events, with over 200 documentary makers and special guests expected in person to present their films to New York City audiences.

    The Yes Men Are RevoltingThe Yes Men Are Revolting

    Joining the US premiere of Opening Night Film Do I Sound Gay? as a Gala presentation, is this year’s Closing Night Film, the US premiere of The Yes Men Are Revolting, directed by Laura Nix and The Yes Men. Both films made their debut in September at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    Among the world premieres are the debuts of An Open Secret, an exposé about sexual abuse in Hollywood, by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Amy Berg (Deliver Us from Evil, West of Memphis); Still Dreaming, in which the residents of an actors’ retirement home perform Shakespeare, by Hank Rogerson and Jilann Spitzmiller; and Almost There, a portrait of an outsider artist with a surprising past, by Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden.

    In addition to an expanded Short List—DOC NYC’s selection of the best docs of the year—and the increase of the festival’s panel series, Doc-A-Thon, by two days, this year’s event debuts four new thematic programming strands: Fight the Power celebrates activism,Centerstage highlights performance, Jock Docs focuses on sports, and Docs Redux revisits classic films.

    The following is a breakdown of programming by section:

    GALAS

    Opening Night: Do I Sound Gay?
    Dir: David Thorpe, 2014, US Premiere
    After a breakup with his boyfriend, journalist David Thorpe embarks on a hilarious and touching journey of self-discovery, confronting his anxiety about “sounding gay.” In person: David Thorpe

    Closing Night: The Yes Men Are Revolting
    Dirs: Laura Nix, The Yes Men, 2014, US Premiere
    A chronicle of the past five years of pranksters The Yes Men, the infamous activists known for duping the media with their impersonations of corporate shills and government stooges. In person: Laura Nix, The Yes Men

    SPECIAL EVENTS – Seven standout films coupled with high-profile conversations with the directors and special guests.

    Above and Beyond
    Dir: Roberta Grossman, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Reveals the hidden history behind the creation of Israel’s air force. International Film Circuit, opens Jan. 30. In person: Producer Nancy Spielberg

    Back On Board: Greg Louganis
    Dir: Cheryl Furjanic, 2014, NYC Premiere
    This strikingly candid profile explores the triumphs and tragedies of Olympian Greg Louganis, considered by many the greatest diver of all time. In person: Cheryl Furjanic, film subject Greg Louganis

    Banksy Does New York
    Dir: Chris Moukarbel, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Last October, when infamous street artist Banksy revealed his New York City residency, he set off a daily scavenger hunt among curious fans, would-be art collectors and, of course, the police. HBO Documentary Films, broadcasts Nov. 17. In person: Chris Moukarbel

    Enquiring Minds: The Untold Story of the Man Behind the National Enquirer
    Dir: Ric Burns, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Serving up a sensational exposé in line with his juicy subject, acclaimed multiple-Emmy Award-winner Ric Burns uncovers the strange history of the National Enquirer and the tabloid’s legendary publisher, Generoso Pope Jr. In person: Ric Burns

    I Am Big Bird: The Caroll Spinney Story
    Dirs: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Sesame Street‘s Big Bird may be one of the world’s most recognizable characters, but far less familiar is Caroll Spinney, the man who has brought to life the yellow-feathered Muppet—as well as the irascible Oscar the Grouch—since 1969. In person: Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker, film subjects Caroll & Debra Spinney

    An Open Secret
    Dir: Amy Berg, 2014, World Premiere
    Every year, thousands of children swarm Hollywood in search of fame, but what they often find under the surface is a deep and disturbing underbelly of manipulation and abuse. In person: Amy Berg

    Soul Boys of the Western World
    Dir: George Hencken, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Spandau Ballet, one of the bands that defined the 1980s, tell their own story, set against a backdrop of evocative period footage, including never-before-seen home movies. In person: George Hencken and all the band members from Spandau Ballet—their first time in New York since 1983!

    VIEWFINDERS – Juried Competition. Ten films notable for their distinct directorial visions.

    Almost There
    Dirs: Dan Rybicky & Aaron Wickenden, 2014, World Premiere
    After the filmmakers meet octogenarian artist Peter Anton, they become enmeshed in his life, helping to stage an exhibition of his work.

    Cairo Drive
    Dir: Sherief Elkatsha, 2013, NYC Premiere
    Shot before, during and after the revolution, this entertaining film explores Cairo from the street level through the perspectives of its drivers.

    In Country
    Dirs: Mike Attie & Meghan O’Hara, 2014, NYC Premiere
    By now, the idea of Civil War re-enactment is familiar, but the subjects of this intriguing film relive the battles of a far more surprising conflict: Vietnam.

    Kasamayaki
    Dir: Yuki Kokubo, 2014, World Premiere
    Following the devastation of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Yuki visits her estranged parents in Kasama, Japan, a rural artist community, in the hopes of making sense of their past.

    The Life and Mind of Mark Defriest
    Dir: Gabriel London, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Sentenced to four years in prison in 1978, Mark DeFriest’s numerous escapes have kept him incarcerated for over three decades.

    Meet the Patels
    Dirs: Geeta V. Patel & Ravi V. Patel, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Nearing 30, first-generation Indian-American Ravi Patel breaks up with his secret, white girlfriend to seek the Indian woman of his parents’ dreams—who should also be named Patel, keeping with tradition. Sundance Selects, opens Mar. 14.

    Monsieur Le Président
    Dir: Victoria Campbell, 2013, World Premiere
    Volunteering in Haiti in the immediate aftermath of the devastating 2010 earthquake, the filmmaker encounters Gaston, a charming voodoo priest who shows leadership during the emergency.

    No Control
    Dir: Jessica Solce, 2014, World Premiere
    A provocative exploration of the contentious issue of gun control through profiles of two men at opposite ends of the debate.

    Song From the Forest
    Dir: Michael Obert, 2013, NYC Premiere
    An American musicologist who abandoned modern civilization to join an African pygmy tribe brings his son to New York City. Film Collaborative, opens Spring 2015.

    The Wound and the Gift
    Dir: Linda Hoaglund, 2014, US Premiere
    All over the world, people save animals that were bred, abused or sold on the black market, with an impact on both rescuer and rescued.

    METROPOLIS – Juried Competition. Nine quintessentially New York stories.

    Coming Home
    Dir: Viko Nikci, 2014, North American Premiere
    Finally released from prison, an innocent man attempts to repair his relationship with his daughter and to confront the man who committed the crime for which he was punished.

    The Hand That Feeds
    Dirs: Rachel Lears & Robin Blotnick, 2014, NYC Premiere
    An Upper East Side “Hot & Crusty” bakery serves as the unlikely setting for an old-fashioned David vs. Goliath story, as service workers demand better working conditions and wages.

    Homme Less
    Dir: Thomas Wirthensohn, 2014, North American Premiere
    From all outside appearances, Mark seems to have the glamorous New York City life that many would envy… but he harbors a secret.

    Penthouse North
    Dir: Johanna St Michaels, 2014, NYC Premiere
    In her heyday, Swedish bombshell Agneta ruled the world from her fabulous Central Park West apartment, but times—and her finances—have changed.

    Rubble Kings
    Dir: Shan Nicholson, 2014, North American Premiere
    Confronting a bankrupt, decaying city and the dashed hopes of the civil rights generation, African-American and Latino teenagers violently took over the streets of 1970s New York.
    Rubble Kings screens with the short film The Chaperone (Fraser Munden & Neil Rathbone,14 min.). An action-packed, animated retelling of what happened when a drunken motorcycle gang invaded a 1970s school dance.

    The Seven Five
    Dir: Tiller Russell, 2014, NYC Premiere
    NYPD officer Michael Dowd was at the center of an infamous cop corruption scandal of the early 1990s.

    Some Kind of Spark
    Dir: Ben Niles, 2014, World Premiere
    Illustrating the transformative power not only of music, but of mentorship, this film is an uplifting look at Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program for inner-city youth.

    Stop
    Dir: Spencer Wolff, 2014, World Premiere
    After David Ourlicht was stopped and searched by the NYPD for no discernible reason, he filed a class-action suit against the City of New York, alleging racial profiling in the police department’s stop-and-frisk policy.

    Tough Love
    Dir: Stephanie Wang-Breal, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Having lost custody of their children to Child Protective Services, two parents in New York City and Seattle fight to win back the trust of the courts and reunite their families.

    AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES – Nine films present a virtual tour around the United States.

    The Age of Love
    Dir: Steven Loring, 2014, NYC Premiere
    An unprecedented speed-dating event for seniors serves as the backdrop for this alternately poignant and funny look at love among the 70+ set.

    All American High Revisited
    Dir: Keva Rosenfeld, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Thirty years after he profiled the senior class of a typical California high school, the filmmaker revisits several members of the class of 1984 to see how they turned out.

    Florence, Arizona
    Dir: Andrea B. Scott, 2014, World Premiere
    A resonant work of modern Americana, this film paints a rich and often humorous portrait of a cowboy town set in the heart of Arizona’s prison industry.

    Grazers: A Cooperative Story
    Dirs: Lisa F. Jackson & Sarah Teale, 2014, World Premiere
    With interest in farm-to-table food on the rise, a small band of upstate New York farmers sees an opportunity to hold on to their endangered farms by raising and selling grass-fed beef.

    Hotline
    Dir: Tony Shaff, 2014
    Even in our increasingly disconnected digital age, telephone hotlines continue to bring strangers together for a multiplicity of reasons. Gravitas, VOD Nov. 18.

    Little White Lie
    Dir: Lacey Schwartz, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Growing up in an upper-middle-class Jewish household, Lacey Schwartz knew she looked different from the rest of her family, but never suspected the truth.
    Little White Lie screens with the short film Mirror Image (Danielle Schwartz, Israel, 11 min.). An attempt to establish the provenance of an Israeli family’s heirloom becomes a debate over language and history.

    Matt Shepard is a Friend of Mine
    Dir: Michele Josue, 2013, NYC Premiere
    While the world remembers Matthew Shepard’s death at the hands of homophobic attackers, this poignant film celebrates his life.

    A Murder in the Park
    Dirs: Shawn Rech & Brandon Kimber, 2014, World Premiere
    A college journalism class’s re-examination of a murder case leads to the exoneration of an innocent man… or does it?

    Sex and Broadcasting, a film about WFMU
    Dir: Tim K. Smith, 2014, World Premiere
    A portrait of New Jersey’s WFMU, which has occupied a unique position as an independent, commercial-free, listener-supported radio station since its inception in the late 1950s.

    INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES – Eight films go globetrotting.

    Every Last Child
    Dir: Tom Roberts, 2014, World Premiere
    After the Taliban bans polio vaccinations and spreads misinformation, Pakistan suffers devastating outbreaks of the disease, prompting strategic problem-solving from the World Health Organization.

    The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
    Dir: Mami Sunada, 2013, NYC Premiere
    Offering animation fans a rare look inside Japan’s Studio Ghibli, this fascinating film profiles its most famous creators, Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away), and his friendly rival and business partner, Isao Takahata (Pom Poko). GKIDS, opens Nov. 28.

    Marmato
    Dir: Mark Grieco, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Exploring the intersection of economic development, environmental impact and globalization, this is an intimate and richly observed portrait of Marmato, a rural mining town threatened with destruction.

    Miss Tibet: Beauty in Exile
    Dir: Norah Shapiro, 2014, World Premiere
    A Tibetan teenager travels from Minneapolis to India to compete in a most unlikely beauty pageant.

    The Return
    Dir: Adam Zucker, 2014
    How does one claim an identity in a vacuum? Living in Poland, the four young women in this engaging film learned of their Jewish roots after growing up Catholic. Seventh Art Releasing.

    A Small Section of the World
    Dir: Lesley Chilcott, 2014, NYC Premiere
    In equal measures inspiring and endearing, this film spotlights a group of Costa Rican village women who form a coffee-growing collective—despite not knowing the first thing about growing coffee. FilmBuff, opens Dec. 5.
    A Small Section of the World screens with the short film Santa Cruz del Islote (Luke Lorentzen, 19 min.). Inhabitants of a remote Colombian island paradise face an uncertain future in changing times.

    Vessel
    Dir: Diana Whitten, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Moved by the plight of desperate women in countries with restrictive reproductive rights, a Dutch physician uses laws governing international waters to bring much-needed abortion and contraceptive services on the high seas.

    When People Die They Sing Songs
    Dir: Olga Lvoff, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Under the watchful eyes of her dutiful daughter Sonia, Regina recalls the Yiddish and French songs of her youth through music therapy sessions following a stroke.
    When People Die They Sing Songs screens with the short film The Lion’s Mouth Opens(Lucy Walker, 28 min.). A young woman is about to learn whether she has inherited her father’s incurable, terminal disease.

    CENTERSTAGE – New section! Four films put the spotlight on performance.

    Capturing Grace
    Dir: David Iverson, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Recognizing that music and rhythmic activity can help those suffering from Parkinson’s disease achieve greater control of their mobility, two dancers from New York’s Mark Morris Dance Group lead a dance workshop.
    Capturing Grace screens with the short film The Astronaut’s Secret (Zach Jankovic, 30 min.). After his 1996 mission in space, astronaut Rich Clifford and NASA kept a secret for 17 years.

    The Last Impresario
    Dir: Gracie Otto, 2014, NYC Premiere
    From The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, producer Michael White has helped bring enduring cultural touchstones to Broadway, London’s West End and the silver screen over the last four decades, but the bon vivant may be the most famous person you’ve never heard of. FilmBuff, opens Dec. 5.

    Still Dreaming
    Dirs: Hank Rogerson & Jilann Spitzmiller, 2014, World Premiere
    Located just outside of Manhattan, the Lillian Booth Actors Home provides a most resonant setting for the staging of a classic play in which nothing is what it seems.

    Us, Naked: Trixie & Monkey
    Dir: Kirsten D’Andrea Hollander, 2014, World Premiere
    A pair of acrobatic burlesque performers attempt to juggle art, love and financial stability in this perceptive portrait.

    JOCK DOCS – New section! Five films focused on sports and athletes.

    9-Man
    Dir: Ursula Liang, 2014
    A variant of volleyball developed by Chinese immigrants to America as both an athletic pastime and a social outlet in a time of widespread anti-Chinese sentiment, discrimination and segregation, now serves to unite young men with their culture.

    Althea
    Dir: Rex Miller, 2014, World Premiere
    In the 1950s, long before Arthur Ashe or Venus and Serena Williams, Althea Gibson was the first African-American tennis player to win Grand Slam tournaments.

    Hardy
    Dir: Natasha Verma, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Although Brooklyn’s Heather “The Heat” Hardy has only been boxing for a few years, she’s a world champion in the making—but first she has to be given the chance to prove herself in a sport that has been slow to open its doors to female athletes.

    Opposite Field
    Dir: Jay Shapiro, 2014, World Premiere
    In its nearly 70-year history, the Little League World Series has never hosted a team from Africa. The Ugandan team hopes to change that.

    Top Spin
    Dirs: Sara Newens & Mina T. Son, 2014, World Premiere
    Three driven teenage athletes attempt to go for Olympic gold in the perpetually popular but underappreciated game of table tennis.

    FIGHT THE POWER – New section! Six films celebrate the power of activism.

    Brothers of the Black List
    Dir: Sean Gallagher, 2014, NYC Premiere
    In the fall of 1992, despite efforts to recruit minority students, SUNY Oneonta set off a firestorm of controversy that led to the longest litigated civil-rights case in US history.

    Disruption
    Dir: Pamela Yates, 2013, NYC Premiere
    Recognizing the persistence of income inequality in South America, a group of activist economists join together to offer an alternative path to eliminating poverty.

    Divide in Concord
    Dir: Kris Kaczor, 2014, NYC Premiere
    A feisty octogenarian, concerned about the environmental impact of our disposable culture, is on a mission to ban the local sale of plastic bottled water, facing off against her celebrity publicist-turned-pundit nemesis.

    Limited Partnership
    Dir: Thomas G. Miller, 2014, NYC Premiere
    A poignant portrait of four decades of devotion despite overwhelming odds, this film follows a transnational LGBT couple’s immigration battle.

    She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
    Dir: Mary Dore, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Through a treasure trove of archival material and profiles of several outspoken pioneers of the women’s movement, we revisit the remarkable eruption of activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s that signaled the arrival of modern feminism. International Film Circuit, opens Dec. 5.

    Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa
    Dir: Abby Ginzberg, 2014, NYC Premiere
    At the height of apartheid, noted South African activist, author and attorney Albie Sachs was driven into exile, yet still faced threats to his life that cost him dearly.

    SONIC CINEMA – Six films explore music and musicians.

    Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto
    Dirs: Béla Fleck and Sascha Paladino, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Commissioned to create a first-of-its-kind concerto for the banjo and an 80-piece symphony orchestra, virtuoso musician Béla Fleck faces an intensely personal challenge of collaboration and composition. Argot Pictures, opens Winter 2015.

    Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock & Roll
    Dir: John Pirozzi, 2014, NYC Premiere
    A fascinating exploration of history as reflected through a nation’s popular culture, this film excavates Cambodia’s lost era of American-inflected music. Argot Pictures, opens Spring 2015.

    Heaven Adores You
    Dir: Nickolas Rossi, 2014, NYC Premiere
    An artful tribute to the too-soon departed singer/songwriter Elliott Smith.

    Jingle Bell Rocks!
    Dir: Mitchell Kezin, 2013, NYC Premiere
    An entertaining quest to locate the top twelve strangest holiday songs you’re likely to ever hear, from “Santa Claus Was a Black Man” to “Christmas in Vietnam.” 
    Oscilloscope Laboratories.

    Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-1990)
    Dir: Scott Crawford, 2014, US Premiere
    An exploration of the development and evolution of the Washington, DC punk scene, and how it shaped independent music and popular culture in the decade that followed.

    Songs for Alexis
    Dir: Elvira Lind, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Eighteen-year-old hopeless romantic Ryan, a young transgender man, writes songs about his sixteen-year-old girlfriend Alexis as the couple navigates a long distance relationship between Long Island and San Francisco.

    DOCS REDUX – New section! Revisit seven past nonfiction favorites, including several films by this year’s DOC NYC Visionaries Tribute recipients.

    The Chair
    Filmmakers: Drew Associates, 1962
    This classic follows the attorney Louis Nizer as he attempts to save prisoner Paul Crump from the electric chair.

    David 
    Filmmakers: DA Pennebaker & William Ray, 1961
    Rare 35mm screening of Drew Associates’ portrait of a jazz trumpeter struggling through drug rehab.

    High School
    Dir: Frederick Wiseman, 1968
    Wiseman’s classic look at an urban Philadelphia high school, capturing interactions between students, teachers, parents and administrators.

    Hoop Dreams
    Dir: Steve James, 1994
    Twentieth anniversary restoration. Two Chicago teens are followed over their four years of high school as they aspire to use their basketball skills to create better futures for their families.

    Kings Of Pastry
    Dirs: Chris Hegedus & DA Pennebaker, 2009
    Sixteen French pastry chefs put their reputations at stake in a prestigious competition.

    Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
    Dirs: Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 2004
    Tenth anniversary. The members of the heavy metal band go through group therapy to save not only the band, but themselves.

    Salesman
    Dirs: Albert Maysles, David Maysles & Charlotte Zwerin, 1968
    This breakthrough documentary follows door-to-door Bible salesmen as they ply their trade from Boston to Chicago to Miami.

    MIDNIGHT DOCS – Three films worth staying up late to see.
     
    Haunters
    Dir: Anthony Morrison, 2014, World Premiere
    A Michigan family-run business sets out to create the scariest haunted house in the state.

    Love and Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere
    Dir: Dave Jannetta, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Imagine a This American Life episode devoted to a real-world Twin Peaks, and you might approximate the stranger-than-fiction story of small-town Chadron, Nebraska.

    Sex(Ed)
    Dir: Brenda Goodman, 2014, NYC Premiere
    Revisit the health class of your awkward teenage years in this fun survey of sexual education films. First Run Features, VOD/DVD Feb. 3.

    SHORTS PROGRAMS – Six thematic groupings of the best in short nonfiction filmmaking. DOC NYC is now an Academy Awards®-qualifying festival, with this year’s winning short film qualifying for consideration in the Documentary Short Subject category.

    Art + Design
    Ways of seeing and interacting with the world, ranging from interior design and fonts to artisanal craftwork and custom yarmulkes.

    Life + Death
    An exploration of beginnings and endings, including the healing power of music, the recording of life’s major moments and the ethics of euthanasia.

    Lost + Found
    Unexpected discoveries and hidden histories, from secret presidential recordings and the lost payphones of NYC, to fancy cats and the world’s longest yard sale.

    Parts + Labor
    A series of shorts about making a living, offering portraits of workers and their work—selling pickles, raising buffalo, stuffing animals, cobbling, and casting manhole covers.

    Point + Shoot
    Views through the photographic lens, focusing on blind creators, unconventional beauty, Warhol history, and war photography.

    Show + Tell
    Kids offer their perspectives on NYC snow days, middle-school heavy metal, dog shows, and North Dakota’s oil boom.

    SHORT LIST – Our newly expanded section offers our picks for awards-season contenders. Last year, nine of our ten selections made that other short list.

    The Case Against 8
    Dirs: Ben Cotner & Ryan White, 2014
    Following the fight for marriage equality all the way to the Supreme Court, as former legal foes, progressive David Boies and ultra-conservative Ted Olson, join forces. HBO Documentary Films.

    CITIZENFOUR
    Dir: Laura Poitras, 2014
    A real-life thriller chronicling how Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies.
    RADiUS/Participant Media/HBO Documentary Films, opens Oct 24.

    E-Team
    Dirs: Katy Chevigny & Ross Kauffman, 2014
    A look at the dangerous but life-affirming work performed by the Human Rights Watch Emergency Team, or E-Team, a compelling group of intrepid investigators willing to enter hostile territories to document crimes against humanity that might otherwise go unreported. Netflix.

    Finding Vivian Maier
    Dirs: John Maloof & Charlie Siskel, 2013
    When Vivian Maier died in 2009 at age 83, she left behind more than 100,000 negatives of her street photography—images that she’d scarcely shared with anyone. Sundance Selects.

    The Great Invisible
    Dir: Margaret Brown, 2014
    An examination of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on fishermen, oilmen and survivors. RADiUS/Participant Media, opens Oct. 29.

    Happy Valley
    Dir: Amir Bar-Lev, 2014
    An exploration of the Penn State scandal, focusing on hero worship and the court of public opinion, and their impact on everyday people caught in their wake. Music Box Films, opens Nov. 19.

    Keep On Keepin’ On
    Dir: Alan Hicks, 2014
    Celebrating mentorship as much as music, this inspirational and poignant film explores the common bonds between a 92-year-old jazz legend and his 23-year-old protégé. RADiUS.

    Last Days in Vietnam
    Dir: Rory Kennedy, 2014
    In the final weeks of the Vietnam War, with the invasion of Saigon imminent, the White House ordered the evacuation of U.S. citizens—but their South Vietnamese allies flooded onto embassy grounds seeking help. American Experience Films/PBS.

    Life Itself
    Dir: Steve James, 2014
    Acclaimed filmmaker Steve James pays tribute to the late Roger Ebert and to the love of movies. Magnolia Pictures.

    Merchants of Doubt
    Dir: Robert Kenner, 2014
    The director of Food, Inc reveals how corporations affect what we think, exploring the shadow world of experts who stake claims contrary to scientific consensus. Sony Pictures Classics/Participant Media, opens March 6.

    The Overnighters
    Dir: Jesse Moss, 2014
    Pastor Jay Reinke offers newcomers seeking employment the chance to sleep in his church, setting off a controversy within his small North Dakota town and his congregation. Drafthouse Films.

    Red Army
    Dir: Gabe Polsky, 2014
    This emotional look at the Soviet hockey team blends politics, sports and human drama. Sony Pictures Classics, opens Jan. 23.

    Rich Hill
    Dirs: Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo, 2014
    With roots in the eponymous, impoverished Missouri town, filmmaker cousins bring a sensitive touch to this richly observed and sublimely shot portrait of three boys. The Orchard.

    The Salt of the Earth
    Dirs: Wim Wenders & Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, 2014
    An insider and outsider’s perspective on photographer Sebastiao Salgado and the nature preserve Instituto Terra. Sony Pictures Classics, opens Apr. 3.

    Tales of the Grim Sleeper
    Dir: Nick Broomfield, 2014
    In one of his finest films, Nick Broomfield digs into a true crime story of a Los Angeles serial killer that raises larger questions about gender, race and class inequalities. HBO Documentary Films, 2015 broadcast.

    DOC-A-THON – Newly expanded from four to six days, DOC NYC’s panel and masterclass series for both emerging and established filmmakers offers 24 events, organized by daily themes. All Doc-A-Thon panels take place at the IFC Center.

    For the First-Time Filmmaker
    Thursday, Nov. 13
    Essential information for new filmmakers, with panels on “Mapping Out Your Film,” “Funding,” “Post-Production,” and “Distribution & Outreach.”

    All About the Short
    Friday, Nov. 14
    A focus on short-form storytelling, with panels on “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Short Filmmaking But Were Afraid To Ask,” “Who’s Buying Doc Shorts,” “Shorter Forms for Ever Shorter Attention Spans,” and “Nonfiction Shorts & the Festival Audience.”

    Shoot Your Doc
    Monday, Nov. 17
    A series of masterclasses exploring production, including “Cinematography,” “Producing,” “Music Rights,” and “Casting for Nonfiction.”

    Finish Your Doc
    Tuesday, Nov. 18
    Masterclasses offering critical advice for post-production, including “Editing,” “How to Produce an Award-Winning Archival Documentary,” “Sound Design,” and “Graphics & Animation.”

    Fund Your Doc
    Wednesday, Nov. 19
    Learn who is funding nonfiction and what they’re looking for, with panels on “Lessons on Creative Funding & Audience Building,” “Social-Action Filmmaking,” Pitch Workshop,” and “The ‘Documatrix’ of HBO,” a conversation with HBO Documentary Films’ Sheila Nevins.

    Reach Your Audience
    Thursday, Nov. 20
    Panels illuminating the importance of audience engagement, including “Social-Media Workshop,” “How to Maximize Digital Distribution,” “Documentaries are Narrative,” and “Making a Living as a Documentary Filmmaker.”

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  • Philadelphia Film Festival Screenings Beginning to Sell out and Add New Films

    The GuestThe Guest

    The 23rd Philadelphia Film Festival, which begins this week on Thursday, October 16 and continues through Sunday, October 26, have added new films to the event line-up.  The Festival will add a midnight screening of Sundance hit The Guest to this year’s Graveyard Shift film category.  Advance tickets have sold out for the Festival’s Opening Night Film, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) and Centerpiece film, The Imitation Game. The October 23rd film screening of Imperial Dreams is also sold out with tickets still remaining for the October 22nd film screening. 

    From the filmmaking team behind You’re Next and the first two segments of the V/H/S trilogy, The Guest is a brilliant, John Carpenter-esque thriller/comedy about a small-town family whose lives are turned upside down when a mysterious man shows up at their doorstep claiming to be an army buddy of their deceased son. The screening of The Guest will take place on Friday, October 17th at 11:59pm at the Ritz Bourse Theater with writer Simon Barrett in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.

     http://youtu.be/-psayRM1XqU

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  • WATCH Trailer for Health Care Documentary REMOTE AREA MEDICAL

    REMOTE AREA MEDICAL

    Cinedigm has released the trailer for the documentary REMOTE AREA MEDICAL directed by Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman which opens in NY on November 28th and nationwide on December 5th. The film was shot during a three-day clinic held at Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway where, some of the country’s sickest individuals finally received health care. Their extraordinary stories create a lasting impression about the state of modern health care in America.

    During the U.S. debate about healthcare reform, the media—reporters and news crews and filmmakers— failed to put a human face on what it means to not have access to healthcare. REMOTE AREA MEDICAL fills that gap—it is a film about people, not policy. Focusing on a single three-day clinic held in the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, REMOTE AREA MEDICAL affords us an insider’s perspective on the ebb and flow of the event—from the tense 3:30 a.m. ticket distribution that determines who gets seen to the routine check-ups that take dramatic turns for the worse, to the risky means to which some patients resort for pain relief. We meet a doctor who also drives an 18-wheeler, a denture maker who moonlights as a jeweler, and the organization’s founder, Stan Brock, who first imagined Remote Area Medical while living as a cowboy in the Amazon rainforest, hundreds of miles from the nearest doctor. But it is the extraordinary stories of the patients, desperate for medical attention, that create a lasting impression about the state of modern health care in America. 

    http://youtu.be/l71S9goU37A

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  • “GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM” “THE SPECIAL NEED” Win Top Awards at Hamptons International Film Festival

    GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEMGETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM

    GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM, directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz won The Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award at the 2014 Hamptons International Film Festival. The Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary was awarded to THE SPECIAL NEED directed by Carlo Zoratti. The best documentary Short Film goes to THE QUEEN (La Reina), directed by Manuel Abramovich.

    The Narrative Jury awarded a special jury prize for Outstanding Performance by an actress in a film to Ronit Elkabetz in GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM. The jury also gave a Most Promising Performance By A Newcomer to Jacob Lofland in LITTLE ACCIDENTS and Evocative Cinematography to Arnaud Potier for BREATHE. The jury has awarded the short film TZNIUT, directed by David Formentin, an award for raising awareness of a socially relevant issue.

    The documentary jury awarded a special prize to Tamara Erde for her achievement in Visionary Filmmaking for THIS IS MY LAND. The jury also awarded a Special Mention For Artistic Merit to Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský and Peter Kerekes for their film VELVET TERRORISTS. The short film ONCE UPON A TREE was given an award for Artistic Merit for director Marleen van de Werf.

    Joel Schumacher was in attendance joined by actor Keifer Sutherland and People Magazine’s Editorial Director Jess Cagle and presented with a Lifetime AchievementAward in Directing. Hilary Swank was presented with Variety’s Creative Impact in Acting Award Presented by Montblanc.

    The Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award has been awarded to LITTLE ACCIDENTS directed by Sara Colangelo. This award honors an outstanding female narrative filmmaker.

    Prior to the Festival, E-TEAM, directed by Ross Kauffman, Katy Chevigny, was awarded the 2014 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution, presented in partnership with REACT to FILM. This includes being a part of REACT to FILM’s “Influencer Series” in spring 2014 at a high profile cultural organization, as well as the opportunity to be featured across REACT to FILM’s College Action Network, comprised of over 40 campuses nationwide.

    VIRUNGA, directed by Orlando Von Einsiedel, has been awarded The Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for social justice. This award is given to a film that most exhibits the values of peace, equality and global justice.

    The Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award, which recognizes an emerging filmmaker who is a creative risk taker and is fearlessly dedicated to their craft, was presented to THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY’s Peter Strickland.

    Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection. This year the award has been presented to VIRUNGA, directed by Orlando Von Einsiedel.

    Also previously announced was the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize which was awarded to THE IMITATION GAME, by Morten Tyldum.

    HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS:

    The Wall Street Journal GSA Narrative Feature Winner
    Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, directed by Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz

    The GSA Documentary Feature Winner presented by A&E Indie
    The Special Need, directed by Carlo Zoratti

    GSA Award for Best Documentary Short Film
    The Queen, directed by Manuel Abramovich

    GSA Narrative Short
    Tzniut, directed by David Formentin

    The Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice
    Virunga, directed by Orlando Von Einsiedel

    The Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award
    Little Accidents, directed by Sara Colangelo

    Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award
    Virunga, directed by Orlando Von Einsiedel

    The Wouter Barendrecht Award
    Duke Of Burgundy, directed by Peter Strickland

    Suffolk County Next Exposure Award
    Gabriel, directed by Lou Howe

    The 2014 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution, presented in partnership with REACT to FILM
    E-Team, directed by Ross Kauffman, Katy Chevigny

    The 2014 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
    The Imitation Game, directed by Morten Tyldum

    2014 VARIETY 10 ACTORS T0 WATCH
    Kaitlyn Dever, Laggies
    Eve Hewson, This Must Be The Place
    Dakota Johnson, 21 Jump Street
    Lola Kirke, Gone Girl
    Zoe Kravitz, X-Men: First Class
    Caleb Landry Jones, Low Down
    Jack O’Connell, Skins
    Tye Sheridan, The Tree of Life
    Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
    Miles Teller, Whiplash

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  • 83 Countries In Competition For 2014 Foreign Language Film Oscar

    A Few Cubic Meters of Love

    A record 83 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®.  Kosovo, Malta, Mauritania and Panama are first-time entrants.

    The 2014 submissions are:

    Afghanistan, “A Few Cubic Meters of Love,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
    Argentina, “Wild Tales,” Damián Szifrón, director;
    Australia, “Charlie’s Country,” Rolf de Heer, director;
    Austria, “The Dark Valley,” Andreas Prochaska, director;
    Azerbaijan, “Nabat,” Elchin Musaoglu, director;
    Bangladesh, “Glow of the Firefly,” Khalid Mahmood Mithu, director;
    Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, directors;
    Bolivia, “Forgotten,” Carlos Bolado, director;
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, “With Mom,” Faruk Lončarevič, director; 
    Brazil, “The Way He Looks,” Daniel Ribeiro, director;
    Bulgaria, “Bulgarian Rhapsody,” Ivan Nitchev, director;
    Canada, “Mommy,” Xavier Dolan, director;
    Chile, “To Kill a Man,” Alejandro Fernández Almendras, director;
    China, “The Nightingale,” Philippe Muyl, director;
    Colombia, “Mateo,” María Gamboa, director;
    Costa Rica, “Red Princesses,” Laura Astorga Carrera, director;
    Croatia, “Cowboys,” Tomislav Mršić, director;
    Cuba, “Conducta,” Ernesto Daranas Serrano, director;
    Czech Republic, “Fair Play,” Andrea Sedláčková, director;
    Denmark, “Sorrow and Joy,” Nils Malmros, director;
    Dominican Republic, “Cristo Rey,” Leticia Tonos, director;
    Ecuador, “Silence in Dreamland,” Tito Molina, director;
    Egypt, “Factory Girl,” Mohamed Khan, director;
    Estonia, “Tangerines,” Zaza Urushadze, director;
    Ethiopia, “Difret,” Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, director;
    Finland, “Concrete Night,” Pirjo Honkasalo, director;
    France, “Saint Laurent,” Bertrand Bonello, director;
    Georgia, “Corn Island,” George Ovashvili, director;
    Germany, “Beloved Sisters,” Dominik Graf, director;
    Greece, “Little England,” Pantelis Voulgaris, director;
    Hong Kong, “The Golden Era,” Ann Hui, director;
    Hungary, “White God,” Kornél Mundruczó, director;
    Iceland, “Life in a Fishbowl,” Baldvin Zophoníasson, director;
    India, “Liar’s Dice,” Geetu Mohandas, director;
    Indonesia, “Soekarno,” Hanung Bramantyo, director;
    Iran, “Today,” Reza Mirkarimi, director;
    Iraq, “Mardan,” Batin Ghobadi, director;
    Ireland, “The Gift,” Tom Collins, director;
    Israel, “Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem,” Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz, directors;
    Italy, “Human Capital,” Paolo Virzì, director;
    Japan, “The Light Shines Only There,” Mipo O, director;
    Kosovo, “Three Windows and a Hanging,” Isa Qosja, director;
    Kyrgyzstan, “Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains,” Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, director;
    Latvia, “Rocks in My Pockets,” Signe Baumane, director;
    Lebanon, “Ghadi,” Amin Dora, director;
    Lithuania, “The Gambler,” Ignas Jonynas, director;
    Luxembourg, “Never Die Young,” Pol Cruchten, director;
    Macedonia, “To the Hilt,” Stole Popov, director;
    Malta, “Simshar,” Rebecca Cremona, director;
    Mauritania, “Timbuktu,” Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
    Mexico, “Cantinflas,” Sebastián del Amo, director;
    Moldova, “The Unsaved,” Igor Cobileanski, director;
    Montenegro, “The Kids from the Marx and Engels Street,” Nikola Vukčević, director;
    Morocco, “The Red Moon,” Hassan Benjelloun, director;
    Nepal, “Jhola,” Yadav Kumar Bhattarai, director;
    Netherlands, “Accused,” Paula van der Oest, director;
    New Zealand, “The Dead Lands,” Toa Fraser, director;
    Norway, “1001 Grams,” Bent Hamer, director;
    Pakistan, “Dukhtar,” Afia Nathaniel, director;
    Palestine, “Eyes of a Thief,” Najwa Najjar, director;
    Panama, “Invasion,” Abner Benaim, director;
    Peru, “The Gospel of the Flesh,” Eduardo Mendoza, director;
    Philippines, “Norte, the End of History,” Lav Diaz, director;
    Poland, “Ida,” Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
    Portugal, “What Now? Remind Me,” Joaquim Pinto, director;
    Romania, “The Japanese Dog,” Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, director;
    Russia, “Leviathan,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
    Serbia, “See You in Montevideo,” Dragan Bjelogrlić, director;
    Singapore, “Sayang Disayang,” Sanif Olek, director;
    Slovakia, “A Step into the Dark,” Miloslav Luther, director;
    Slovenia, “Seduce Me,” Marko Šantić, director;
    South Africa, “Elelwani,” Ntshavheni Wa Luruli, director;
    South Korea, “Haemoo,” Shim Sung-bo, director;
    Spain, “Living Is Easy with Eyes Closed,” David Trueba, director;
    Sweden, “Force Majeure,” Ruben Östlund, director;
    Switzerland, “The Circle,” Stefan Haupt, director;
    Taiwan, “Ice Poison,” Midi Z, director;
    Thailand, “The Teacher’s Diary,” Nithiwat Tharathorn, director;
    Turkey, “Winter Sleep,” Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
    Ukraine, “The Guide,” Oles Sanin, director;
    United Kingdom, “Little Happiness,” Nihat Seven, director;
    Uruguay, “Mr. Kaplan,” Álvaro Brechner, director;
    Venezuela, “The Liberator,” Alberto Arvelo, director.

    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.

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