• World Premiere of Laura Poitras’s Edward Snowden Documentary CITIZENFOUR Added to 2014 New York Film Festival

    Laura Poitras’s CITIZENFOUR

    The World Premiere of Laura Poitras’s CITIZENFOUR has been added to the 2014 New York Film Festival’s Main Slate as a Special Presentation on Friday, October 10 at 6PM in Alice Tully Hall. Poitras will also participate in a FREE HBO Directors Dialogues the following day, October 11 at 4PM, at the Walter Reade Theater. CITIZENFOUR will open theatrically on October 24.

    New York Film Festival Director Kent Jones said, “Seeing CITIZENFOUR for the first time is an experience I’ll never forget. The film operates on multiple levels at the same time: a character study (of Edward Snowden)… a real-life suspense story… and a chilling exposé. When the lights came up, everyone in the room was alternately stunned, excited, and deeply troubled. A brave documentary, but also a powerful work from a master storyteller.”

    In January 2013, filmmaker Laura Poitras was several years into the making of a film about abuses of national security in post-9/11 America when she started receiving encrypted e-mails from someone identifying himself as “citizen four,” who was ready to blow the whistle on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies.  In June 2013, she and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with the man who turned out to be Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her. The film that resulted from this series of tense encounters is absolutely sui generis in the history of cinema: a 100% real-life thriller unfolding minute by minute before our eyes.

    The Film Society of Lincoln Center has long been a supporter of Poitras’s work, premiering several of her films throughout the years and honoring her as the 2011 recipient of the 25th anniversary Martin E. Segal Award, given annually to two rising young artists in recognition of exceptional accomplishments.  CITIZENFOUR marks the final film in her 9/11 trilogy. The first film, My Country, My Country focused on the Iraq War and had its New York premiere in 2006 at the Film Society’s New Directors/New Films series. My Country, My Country was nominated for an Academy Award, an Independent Spirit Award, and an Emmy Award. The second installment in the trilogy, The Oath, was about Guantánamo and also received its New York premiere at New Directors/New Films, in 2010. The Oath won the Sundance Cinematography Award, the Edinburgh Film Festival Documentary Jury Award, and a Gotham Award for Best Documentary.  Poitras has taught filmmaking at Duke and Yale Universities, and in 2012, her work was selected for the 2012 Whitney Biennial. She is also the recipient of a 2012 MacArthur Fellowship. Her NSA reporting contributed to a Pulitzer Prize awarded to The Guardian and The Washington Post.  Along with Glenn Greenwald and Jeremy Scahill, she is co-founder of the digital magazine The Intercept. She currently lives in Berlin.

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  • Director Ana Lily Amirpour “The Bad Batch” Wins Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant

    Romain Pianet, Senior Brand Director for Piper-Heidsieck, presents Ana Lily Amirpour with the inaugural Piper-Heidsieck Rooftop Films Feature Film Grant

    Rooftop Films awarded fourteen cash and service grants to alumni filmmakers, including The Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant, which was awarded to director Ana Lily Amirpour. Amirpour was feted at a Piper-Heidsieck champagne reception at the spectacular garden rooftop of John Jay College on Monday in New York City and will receive a monetary grant of $10,000 to help finish her new film, The Bad Batch, the follow up to her critically acclaimed feature film debut,  A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night.

    Selected for its grand and bold style of storytelling, Amirpour’s film is a highly twisted, unusual, romantic, and innovative movie set in a future dystopia. In a desert wasteland in Texas, a muscled cannibal breaks one important rule: don’t play with your food. The Bad Batch is a savage love story, like a psychedelic Road Warrior, inspired by films like El Topo and Wild at Heart. Shot in bold saturated hues and stylings of the ’80’s & ’90’s the film will also feature a wicked techno & western-laced soundtrack.

    “Piper-Heidsieck has a long history of supporting the cinema, and we’re delighted to continue this tradition by recognizing Ana Lily Amirpour as the first-ever recipient of the Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant,” says Romain Pianet, Senior Brand Director for Piper-Heidsieck. “The grant was created to support grand and bold direction in cinema, and we have selected a filmmaker whose past work and upcoming film exemplifies this direction.  We are excited to be able to help bring this film to fruition.

    COMPLETE LIST OF 2014 ROOFTOP FILMMAKERS FUND GRANTS:

    Rooftop Films / Piper-Heidsieck Feature Film Grant:
    Ana Lily Amirpour, The Bad Batch

    In a desert wasteland in Texas, a muscled cannibal breaks one important rule: don’t play with your food. The Bad Batch is a savage love story and a psychedelic Road Warrior, inspired by films like El Topo and Wild at Heart, and shot in bold saturated hues and stylings of the 80’s & 90’s, with a wicked techno & western-laced soundtrack.

    Rooftop Films / Technological Cinevideo Services Camera Grant:
    Rachel Israel, Keep the Change

    Based on Israel’s Columbia thesis short film, “Keep the Change” stars non-professional actors Brandon Polanksy and Samantha as two individuals with autism who fall in love. Polanksy stars as David, a man who tries to hide his high-functioning autism, but is nonetheless forced to attend a support group for people with disabilities. There he meets Elisofon’s character, a shy woman with autism.

    Rooftop Films / Eastern Effects Equipment Grant:
    Christina Choe, Nancy

    Nancy, is a psychological drama about a 35-year old serial imposter who lives at home with her abusive, elderly mother. Desperate for love, she creates a fake blog and catfishes a lover, until her hoaxes cause epic and tragic consequences. NANCY will be Christina’s feature directorial debut.

    Rooftop Films / Edgeworx Post-Production Grant:
    Bernardo Britto, Jacqueline (Argentine)

    Starring Camille Rutherford as a “25-year-old French Edward Snowden-type” who takes refuge in Argentina after leaking government secrets, Jacqueline (Argentine) is a live action feature film that will be shot from the perspective of a documentary crew she’s hired to trail her while awaiting the fallout.

    Rooftop Films / DCTV Equipment and Services Feature Film Grant
    Trey Shults, Krisha

    Adapted from an award-winning short film of the same name, KRISHA tells the story of a multi-generational family that is gathering for Thanksgiving. Krisha has not seen her family for ten years, but when she decides to join her family for a holiday dinner, tensions escalate, and Krisha struggles to keep her demons at bay.

    Rooftop Films / DCTV Equipment and Services Short Film Grant:
    Frances Bodomo, Beatdown
    Steven Girard, Floaters Dot Com

    Frances Bodomo | Beatdown
    Beatdown is a web series that follows a carefree black vigilante girl gang. Our protagonists skip school (“they’re not teaching our history anyways”) to loiter, chat, protect New York’s unprotected, and avenge the crimes that the NYPD won’t touch: from getting their hair petted to “columbusing” to gentrification. It begins as a series of vengeful (and comedic) wish fulfillments that grow bloodier and bloodier … until we start to question & complicate our discourse on brutality, power, female weakness, justice, etc. Beatdown asks the question: when the violence against us isn’t physical, how do we fight it? 

    Steven Girard | Floaters Dot Com
    “Floaters Dot Com” is a half animated, half live-action short film about two men who work for a company that “collects” human beings. Floaters employees beam targeted civilians with a hallucinatory impulse to login to floaters.com, where the victim is sucked into his/her computer and dragged through a slew of websites. After the victim’s deepest fantasies and worst nightmares come true, he/she is “ejected” from the computer’s drive as a Free Trial disk.

    Rooftop Films / Domicile NYC Sound Mix Grant:
    Jarred Alterman and Ryan Scafuro, American Renaissance

    AMERICAN RENAISSANCE is a short documentary that takes place at the largest outdoor Renaissance Faire in America. Knights, wizards, goths, fairies and demons all stood in front of our static lens and slowly, stories began to unfold… A family who chose to raise their 13-year-old son on the road. A Parisian expat, performing as a mime. A young woman who left the “real world” behind after the death of a close friend.

    Rooftop Films / Adrienne Shelly Foundation Short Film Grant For Women:
    Debra Granik, Second Act

    Second Act is a documentary about inmate re-entry. Once released, felons often find themselves held apart from mainstream society, particularly in regards to employment. To survive, many turn to various forms of entrepreneurship. This film follows a man recently released from prison who is attempting to build his own business. In pursuing his dream, the subject of our documentary must navigate the transition from one lifestyle to another, negotiate a new and unfamiliar world, and wrestle with the question of who he is and what he wants.

    Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Short Film Grant:
    Joanna Arnow, Bad at Dancing
    Frances Bodomo, Beatdown
    Reka Bucsi, LOVE
    Steven Girard, Floaters Dot Com
    Efren Hernandez, Ham Heads

    Joanna Arnow | Bad at Dancing
    Bad At Dancing. A perpetual third wheel and awkward outsider, Joanna increasingly inserts herself into the relationship of her more charismatic roommate Eleanore. The two women test each other’s sexual and emotional boundaries in this surreal dark comedy.

    Reka Bucsi | LOVE
    An animated short film about love that will show love in three chapters: Longing, Love and Solitude. Haiku-like scenes will show different characters evolving along these states of emotions. The goal is to capture feelings through pictures and surreal situations which are undescribable by words.

    Efren Hernandez | Ham Heads
    Barry and Larry are the world’s oldest living conjoined twins. After retiring from the sideshow circuit, they move into their brother’s house. Barry is sick and he’s getting worse, Larry not far behind him. As their sickness develops, they take trips to the beach; they waltz together; they fight about the volume on their separate television sets. They look out of their living room window at their old-lady neighbor who drinks too much beer. They play games with their teenage nephew and Larry verbally harasses the doctor who checks up on them. They get visits from old friends and spend every moment of every day together. Whether it is good or bad, it is their life together.

    “A record number of entries were received this year and it was tougher than ever to select our winners from what was a stellar crop of films and scripts,” says Dan Nuxoll, programming director of Rooftop Films. “Each of the filmmakers that we awarded grants to this year have screened their impressive work at Rooftop Films events in the past and have demonstrated their talent, passion and perseverance throughout their careers. We are particularly excited to be supporting Ana Lily Amirpour’s latest work. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night screened this summer at Rooftop Films and that film showcases her extraordinary talent and unique flair for bringing unexpected, artful and innovative twists to a genre film. We are confident that The Bad Batch will be an exciting next step for one of the most promising new filmmakers working in independent cinema today. A special thanks to Piper-Heidsieck –and all of our other sponsors, community partners, and audience members– for their significant help and commitment in support of these new and talented films and filmmakers.”

    Amirpour was selected to attend the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in 2014 for her script for The Bad Batch and the film is set to begin pre-production this fall and will begin shooting in the spring of 2015. Amirpour’s debut feature film, the Iranian Vampire Western A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, premiered in the NEXT section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, screened to a sold out crowd on the roof of Industry City as part of the Rooftop Films Summer Series, and was opening night selection of the New Directors/New Films series at the MoMA. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night will be released in theaters this autumn by Kino Lorber.

    Amirpour joins the ranks of past Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grantees, an illustrious group that includes Gillian Robespierre with her indie hit Obvious Child, Lucy Walker with her Academy Award-nominated short documentary The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin, which premiered at Cannes Director’s Fortnight and garnered the FIPRESCI Critics’ award, Keith Miller’s critically acclaimed and Tribeca Film Festival award winning Five Star, and Benh Zeitlin’s Academy Award-nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild. Other Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund grantees have achieved tremendous success at film festivals and their films have reached audiences worldwide.  

    image: Romain Pianet, Senior Brand Director for Piper-Heidsieck, presents Ana Lily Amirpour with the inaugural Piper-Heidsieck Rooftop Films Feature Film Grant on the roof of John Jay College Monday night.

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  • “Black and White” Starring Kevin Costner, “Time Out of Mind” Starring Richard Gere Among First 5 English-Language Films at 2014 Rome Film Festival

     Black and White Black and White

    Rome Film Festival announced the titles of the first five English-language films on the lineup of the ninth edition taking place October, 16 to 25, 2014. The program section Cinema d’Oggi (Cinema Today) will present the European Premiere of Time Out of Mind by Oren Moverman (starring Richard Gere and Jena Malone). The Gala section will present the International Premiere of Trash by Stephen Daldry (starring Rooney Mara and Martin Sheen); the International Premiere of  Love, Rosie by Christian Ditter (starring Lily Collins and Sam Claflin) and the European Premiere of Black and White by Mike Binder (starring Kevin Costner, Gillian Jacobs, Jennifer Ehle and Octavia Spencer), presented in collaboration with the independent sidebar Alice nella Città. Finally, the European Premiere of Stonehearst Asylum by Brad Anderson (starring Kate Beckinsale, Jim Sturgess, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Brendan Gleeson, and David Thewlis) will be presented in the Mondo Genere (Genre World) section.

    Time Out of Mind marks the return behind the camera for writer-director Oren Moverman. His debut feature, The Messenger, saw him awarded the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (with Alessandro Camon). He is also the director of Rampart, a gritty thriller based on a subject by cult writer James Ellroy, who co-wrote the screenplay. Moverman’s new film stars Richard Gere, the icon and star of An Officer and a Gentleman, Pretty Woman, and Chicago, in a remarkable, ground breaking performance. In Time Out of Mind the famous American actor plays a man in dire straits who is forced to find refuge in a homeless shelter. As he struggles to get by, he also tries to reconnect with his daughter, played by Jena Malone (Return to Cold Mountain, Pride and Prejudice, The Messenger, Hunger Games: Catching Fire).

    TrashTrash

    Trash is the new film by the award-winning English filmmaker and theatre director Stephen Daldry, director of several of the most beloved films of the past decade, all of which were nominated for an Oscar®: Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. In Trash, a dramatic thriller set in a Brazilian megalopolis, Daldry brings to the screen the eponymous novel by Andy Mulligan. The screenplay is by Richard Curtis, the author of successful comedies such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, The Diary of Bridget Jones, and Love Actually. The cast features Rooney Mara, the young actress famous for her roles in The Social Network, Millenium: Men who Hate Women and Her (screened in Rome in 2013), and Martin Sheen, the extraordinary film and television actor, star of masterpieces such as Badlands by Terrence Malick and Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola, and winner of the Golden Globe for his role as the US President in the television series The West Wing.

    Love, RosieLove, Rosie

    Love, Rosie, the film adaptation of the best-selling “Where Rainbows End”  by author Cecelia Ahern, is directed by German screenwriter and director Christian Ditter, auteur of the award-winning short films Enchanted and Grounded, and the box-office hit feature French for Beginners. The film tells the story of two young people, Rosie and Alex, who have been best friends since childhood, and are forced to live apart; their relationship will continue in e-mails, letters, text messages, postcards, as they move closer together or farther apart, always on the fine line between friendship and love. The female star of the film is Lily Collins, the actress and model who achieved fame in the film Mirror Mirror, alongside Julia Roberts. The film also features Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair in the Hunger Games saga) and Christian Cooke (Mercutio in Carlo Carlei’s Romeo and Juliet, presented at the Rome Film Festival in 2013).

    Black and White is the new film by director, actor, and screenwriter Mike Binder (The Sex Monster, The Upside of Anger, Man About Town) stars Oscar®-winning actors Kevin Costner (Dances with Wolves, The Bodyguard, JFK) and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Snowpiercer, included in the 2013 Rome Film Festival). Black and White – presented in collaboration with the independent sidebar Alice nella città – explores the tensions caused by the racial divide, focusing on the painful domestic story of lawyer Elliot Anderson who, with his wife, raises his black granddaughter Eloise. When his wife dies, he will be forced to fight for legal custody against Rowena, the child’s grandmother. The two starring actors are joined by Anthony Mackie (Real Steel, The Fifth Estate,Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Jennifer Ehle (The Ides of March, Contagion, Zero Dark Thirty).

    Stonehearst AsylumStonehearst Asylum

    Stonehearst Asylum is the latest film by Brad Anderson, the cult director of Session 9, The Machinist, Transsiberian presented at the Berlin Film Festival, Vanishing on the 7th Street, and The Call. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”, Stonehearst Asylum is a thriller set in an asylum that conceals an alarming secret. The film features a heavyweight cast including Sir Ben Kingsley (winner of an Oscar® for Gandhi, who has worked for directors such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Roman Polanski, and James Ivory), Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor, Underworld, The Aviator), Jim Sturgess (21, Across the Universe, The Best Offer, Cloud Atlas), Brendan Gleeson (Gangs of New York, Troy, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire), and Daniel Thewlis (Total Eclipse, Seven Years in Tibet, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for Naked). Stonehearst Asylum also features two-time Oscar®-winner Sir Michael Caine (whose memorable performances have contributed greatly the history of cinema, from Alfie to Batman Begins, Sleuth, The Wilby Conspiracy, The Man Who Would Be King, Hannah and Her Sisters).

     

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  • deadCENTER Film Festival announces 2015 dates, opens call for entries

     dead-center-film-festival

    The 15th annual deadCENTER Film Festival will take place Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, June 14, 2015 in downtown Oklahoma City. Filmmakers may submit their films for review now.  Films will be selected in the following categories: narrative feature, documentary feature, narrative short, documentary short, animations, student film and Oklahoma film.

     New this year, submissions can be made online through submissions platform, Submittable, at www.deadcenterfilm.org. 

    The early bird deadline is Nov. 30 and entry fees vary based on the type of submission: $40 for narrative and documentary features, $25 for narrative and documentary shorts, animations and Oklahoma films, and $20 for college films. High school films are free to submit.

    From hilarious comedies and insightful documentaries to scary horror films and intense dramas, deadCENTER selects a broad slate of films that cater to all tastes. More than 1000 films were submitted in 2014 from Oklahoma and around the world, and 90 were selected for an official screening. The festival added a distribution forum in 2012 to help filmmakers connect with sales agents and distributors.

    “For 14 years, deadCENTER has featured over 1,400 quality independent films providing a nationally recognized platform for filmmakers to share their work,” Director of Programming/Festival Director Kim Haywood said. “The level of competition has escalated considerably over the last few years, attracting talent like James Marsden, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, Famke Janssen, Wes Studi, Daisy Von Scherler Mayer and Oscar winners Gray Frederickson, Matthew W. Mungle, and Albert S. Ruddy to Oklahoma City. We can’t wait to see what surprises 2015 will hold.”

    A record-breaking 25,000 people attended the screenings in 2014, generating an economic impact of more than $1.25 million for Oklahoma City. 

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  • “Finding Fela” “My Prairie Home” Among Lineup for 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival Music Documentary Program, Sound Vision | TRAILERS

    Finding FelaFinding Fela

    The music documentary program, Sound Vision. returns for the third year, to the 2014 Milwaukee Film Festival, and will feature a lineup of eight outstanding and wide-ranging music documentaries complimented by Soundtrack, a live music series that takes place throughout the Festival at The Hotel Foster.  

    Blyth Meier, Marketing Director for Milwaukee Film and programmer for Sound Vision is ecstatic about this year’s riveting lineup: “20,000 Days on Earth–about the enigmatic musician, writer and poet Nick Cave­–is one I’m incredibly excited to bring to Milwaukee. The timing on this is fantastic as Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds recently performed here and left us all in awe. What makes it even more special to me on a personal level is that the first time I watched 20,000 Days was at Sundance, sitting across from Cave himself. It was surreal,” shares Blyth. On why she programmed The Talking Heads documentary for the second year in a row, Blyth explains, “Last year’s screening of Stop Making Sensebecame a gigantic dance party–how could we not show it again this year for its 30th anniversary?”

    2014 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL

    SOUND VISION 

    My Prairie Home
    (Canada / 2013 / Director: Chelsea McMullan)

    http://youtu.be/zWTNcp8GHJo

    Simultaneously a look into the life of transgender singer-songwriter Rae Spoon (who uses the gender-neutral pronoun “they”) as well as a celebration of the categorization-defying music they create (fusing folk, country, indie rock, and electronica), My Prairie Home is a truly original portrait of a true original. We follow Rae as they travel across Canada on tour, revealing the evangelical upbringing and forbidden first love that marked their early life intermingled with playfully surreal music videos set at prom or among the dinosaurs in a natural history museum. This documentary is as unique and untraditional as the performer it aims to capture.

    Finding Fela
    (USA / 2014 / Director: Alex Gibney)

    http://youtu.be/937SQ8-6RV4 

    Fela Kuti: musical pioneer, postcolonial activist, polyrhythmic innovator. Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney (Audience award-winner Mea Maxima Culpa, MFF 2012) sifts through the contradictions and presents a complex portrait of a man whose artistic legacy is nearly matched by his political activism. Alongside a backstage portrait of “Fela!,” an energetic Broadway show with Bill T. Jones devoted to exploring the life of this Afrobeat pioneer, we discover a man who realized the revolutionary potential that music offered through mesmerizing performance footage and revealing archival interviews. We see Fela warts and all, a man whose work in all aspects of life endures.

    20,000 Days on Earth
    (United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard)

    http://youtu.be/WDlmnXBUoH0

    Poet/musician/general enigma Nick Cave aims to lay his creative process bare with this stick of cinematic dynamite blowing up any and all rockumentary conventions. 20,000 Days on Earth takes the form of a loosely staged single day in the life of this cult musician. This hallucinatory blend of documentary and fiction features a therapy session and sudden reappearances of friends from his past (Ray Winstone, Kylie Minogue) alongside a primordial, blistering live performance. For neophytes and diehards alike, this exploration of Cave’s life and music is every bit up to the task of providing a portrait as dynamic and engaging as its subject matter.

    This May Be the Last Time
    (USA / 2014 / Director: Sterlin Harjo)

    http://youtu.be/8uQKOYDH8Qw

    A probing examination of a personal history as well as an expansive portrait of cultural expression, This May Be the Last Time lifts the veil on the power of song and storytelling among an American-Indian tribe through the prism of a mysterious disappearance that took place some 60 years prior. Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo re-examines his grandfather’s disappearance while focusing on the tribal hymns sung by the search parties that looked for him, beautiful music filled with hope and forgiveness born out of past tumult. Harjo traces these ancient songs back through time, illuminating a surprising genealogy of cultural influence whose borders expand far beyond that of his southeastern tribe.

    The Ballad of Shovels and Rope
    (USA / 2014 / Director: Jace Freeman)

    http://youtu.be/_rbWbaXv1oo

    This foot-stomping, heartwarming journey follows Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent, the husband-and-wife folk duo known as Shovels and Rope, as they pack their belongings (along with their beloved dog Townes Van Zandt) into their van and begin a relentless tour in support of their dreams. The Ballad of Shovels and Rope tracks the creation of their critically acclaimed album “O’ Be Joyful,” following this loving couple’s journey from waitress and studio artist to award-winning musical artists, stopping at all of the dive bars and nightclubs along the way and showing the hard work, creativity, and ingenuity that will make you fall in love with this amazing duo.

    Revenge of The Mekons
    (USA / 2013 / Director: Joe Angio)

    http://youtu.be/_Hk_c6e7gv0

    Once described by Lester Bangs as “the most revolutionary group in the history of rock ’n’ roll,” genre-bending British outfit The Mekons are now four decades into an ever-evolving career that has netted them endless critical acclaim despite their pursuit of commercial success—success that has constantly eluded them, though this rollicking documentary portrait aims to correct that cultural wrong. With the aid of effusive supporters (Jonathan Franzen, Fred Armisen, Luc Sante), we examine this group as they traverse from their punk rock origins in Thatcher-era England to their current middle age in the vanguard of what is now known as alt-country without ever losing sight of their status as political provocateurs.

    Take Me to the River
    (USA / 2014 / Director: Martin Shore)

    Take Me to the RiverTake Me to the River

    Trailer: http://vimeo.com/79138363

    An ode to an unprecedented era of creativity, Take Me to the River is a soul-stirring examination of the influence that Memphis and Stax Records held over the music world, a must-see for fans of Muscle Shoals and the Oscar-winning 20 Feet From Stardom. In this film, produced by Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison, we’re granted access to the creative process behind a new album (featuring artists such as Snoop Dogg and Mavis Staples) looking to continue the proud intergenerational and interracial influence of the Memphis music scene, an exuberant celebration of the grooves that stand in defiance of segregation and show the power of creative collaboration toward realizing this utopian ideal.

    Stop Making Sense
    (USA / 1984 / Director: Jonathan Demme)

    Stop Making SenseStop Making Sense

    Trailer: http://vimeo.com/5804404

    To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Jonathan Demme’s essential concert film returns to the festival after a run last year that had our audience literally dancing in the aisles. Filmed over the course of two performances, this epic documentary of The Talking Heads, their live-wire frontman David Byrne, and Milwaukee’s own Jerry Harrison is as exuberant a portrait of the live concert experience as we’re ever likely to have on the big screen. Gaining momentum as though the performance is rocketing downhill, this film will be once again the can’t-miss experience of the festival.

     

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  • Toronto International Film Festival Announced 2014 Winners, “The Imitation Game” “Beats of the Antonov” Win People’s Choice Awards

    The Imitation GameThe Imitation Game

    The Toronto International Film Festival announced award winners from the 39th Festival which wrapped on Sunday evening.  This year marked the 37th year that Toronto audiences were able to cast a ballot for their favorite Festival film, with the Grolsch People’s Choice Award. This year’s award went to Morten Tyldum for The Imitation Game. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing, the genius British mathematician, logician, cryptologist and computer scientist who led the charge to crack the German Enigma Code that helped the Allies win WWII. Turing went on to assist with the development of computers at the University of Manchester after the war, but was prosecuted by the UK government in 1952 for homosexual acts which the country deemed illegal. The award offers a $15,000 cash prize and custom award, sponsored by Grolsch. The first runner up is Isabel Coixet’s Learning to Drive. The second runner up is Theodore Melfi’s St. Vincent.

    Beats of the AntonovBeats of the Antonov

    The Grolsch People’s Choice Documentary Award went to Hajooj Kuka for Beats of the Antonov. Beats of the Antonov follows refugees from the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountains in Sudan as they survive displacement and the trauma of civil war. Music, a cornerstone of their traditions and identity, becomes itself a vehicle for survival. First runner up is David Thorpe’s Do I Sound Gay?and the second runner up is Ethan Hawke’s Seymour: An Introduction.

    What We Do in the ShadowsWhat We Do in the Shadows

    The Grolsch People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award went to Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement for What We Do in the Shadows. The film follows three flatmates who are just trying to get by and overcome life’s obstacles — like being immortal vampires who must feast on human blood. First runner up is Kevin Smith for Tusk and the second runner up is Jalmari Helander for Big Game.

    The winner of the Vimeo Award for Best Canadian Short Film goes to Randall Okita for The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer. The jury remarked, “For its bold blend of live action and digital animation to produce a striking meditation on the nature of memory and its legacy, the jury awards the Vimeo Award for Best Canadian Short Film to Randall Okita’s The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer.”The award offers a $10,000 cash prize.

    The jury gave an honorable mention, “For its entirely unexpected development of a science fiction high concept into something alternately heartbreaking and humorous, the jury gives an honorable mention to Rob Grant’s What Doesn’t Kill You.”

    The winner of the Vimeo Award for Best International Short Film goes to Sotiris Dounoukos’s A Single Body (Un seul corps). The jury remarked, “For its extraordinary exploration of the value of friendship, hope, and aspiration in an unusually brutal and austere environment… and world — made especially heartbreaking by striking performances by Doudou Masta and Mexianu Medenou — the jury awards the Vimeo Award for Best International Short Film to Sotiris Dounoukos for A Single Body.” The award offers a $10,000 cash prize.

    The jury gave an honorable mention, “For its charming absurdist comedy about loneliness, identity, and the art of finding yourself, the jury gives an honourable mention to Atsuko Hirayanagi for Oh Lucy!.”

    Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira)Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira)

    The Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira (Félix et Meira). The jury remarked, “For its immense sophistication and craftsmanship in telling a brave story bridging two disparate worlds, its generosity of spirit, masterful use of music, and exquisite performances that fuel the film’s power as both an intimate love story and a profound statement on the value of passion, family and community, the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film goes to Maxime Giroux’s Felix and Meira.” This award is made possible thanks to Canada Goose and comes with a cash prize of $30,000.

    Bang Bang BabyBang Bang Baby

    The City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film goes to Jeffrey St. Jules for Bang Bang Baby. The jury remarked,“For its ingenious mixing of genres, sophisticated blend of tones and ability to create its own strange, tragicomic and original world without sacrificing any richness in regards to story, character and emotion, the jury recognizes as Best Canadian First Feature Film Bang Bang Baby by Jeffrey St. Jules.” The award carries a cash prize of $15,000.

    Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI) for Special Presentations is awarded to Oren Moverman’s Time Out of Mind. The jury remarked, “For Oren Moverman’s sensitive and human depiction of homelessness, and Richard Gere’s remarkable performance, the FIPRESCI jury is pleased to grant the Special Presentations prize to Time Out of Mind.”

    Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI) for the Discovery programme is awarded to Abd Al Malik for May Allah Bless France!(Qu’Allah bénisse la France!) The jury remarked, “The FIPRESCI jury is pleased to grant the Discovery prize for a story of a youth displaced in their own country, struggling to find the balance between chaos and serenity, on the strength of art, music and human spirit. While the startling cinematography is purely black and white,

    As selected by a jury from the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema, the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere goes to Shonali Bose for Margarita, with a Straw. Jury members include Lekha Shankar (India), Hannah Fisher (China) and Anderson Le (Hawaii). The jury remarked, “Margarita, with a Straw is both universal and groundbreaking. Director Shonali Bose and actress Kalki Koechlin have jointly created a character and a world that embody a love letter to life, with all its highs and lows, in spite of overwhelming physical limitations.”

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  • 20 Films Selected for 2014 Hamptons International Film Festival’s Golden Starfish Competition + Hilary Swank and Joel Schumacher Confirmed for “A Conversation With…”

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

    The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) announced more of its extensive lineup of signature programs for the 22nd annual festival. Since the festival’s inception, “A Conversation With…” has been an integral part of HIFF, and this year Hilary Swank and Joel Schumacher will participate in individual talks as part of the annual program. In another signature program, 20 films have been selected for this year’s Golden Starfish competition, including the US premieres of Melanie Laurent’s BREATHE, Gabriel Mascaro’s AUGUST WINDS, and Tamara Erde’s THIS IS MY LAND, and the East Coast premieres of Peter Strickland’s THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY and Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz’s GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM. HIFF will take place on Columbus Day Weekend, from October 9-13.

    “A Conversation With…” Joel Schumacher will take place on Saturday, October 11th at 11:00am at Bay Street in Sag Harbor. Jess Cagle, Editorial Director of People and Entertainment Weekly, will lead the talk and will present Schumacher with the Golden Starfish Lifetime Achievement in Directing Award. Hilary Swank’s “A Conversation With…” will be held on Sunday, October 12th at 3pm at Bay Street. Along with this Master Class discussion moderated by Variety Executive Editor, Steven Gaydos, she will also be honored with Variety’s Creative Impact in Acting Award. Swank is attending on behalf of the Corcoran-sponsored Sunday Centerpiece film, THE HOMESMAN, which will mark its East Coast premiere at HIFF.

     FULL LIST OF GOLDEN STARFISH COMPETITION FILMS

     GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: Narrative Feature

    AUGUST WINDS “Ventos de Agosto” (Brazil)

    AUGUST WINDS “Ventos de Agosto”AUGUST WINDS “Ventos de Agosto”

    US Premiere
    Director: Gabriel Mascaro
    On a tiny coastal village in Brazil, Shirley and Jeison pass the time by working on a coconut plantation. On their spare time, he dives for seafood while she sunbathes and dreams of being a tattoo artist. Their restless but tranquil life is provoked as intense tropical storms approach, washing ashore a corpse. Drawing on his documentary roots, Gabriel Mascaro deliberately eschews a traditional narrative in favor of an atmospheric and lyrical approach. Weaving the textures of the landscape with superb, natural performances, Mascaro delicately reveals a thoughtful and, sometimes humorous, meditation on life and death.

    BREATHE “Respire” (France)
    US Premiere
    Director: Melanie Laurent
    Famed actress Melanie Laurent (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, ENEMY) steps behind the camera for BREATHE, an assured and refined look at fragile adolescent friendships.  Entering the private world of Charlie and Sara, whose raw attraction quickly makes them inseparable, we see tenderness turn sour as Sarah shifts her attention to a young pilot, leaving Charlie heartbroken. Superbly acted by Josephine Japy (Charlie) and Lou De Laage (Sara), BREATHE is an honest look at young friendships, where passion can easily turn into obsession and the harsh reality of trying to find your voice means you may be left lost, wounded, and devastated. 

    THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (United Kingdom)

    THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY

    East Coast Premiere
    Director: Peter Strickland
    Similar to a larva transforming into a caterpillar only to cocoon and bloom into a butterfly, Peter Strickland’s THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY shifts and twists from a classic melodrama into a perverse and psychedelic sadomasochistic lesbian experience – all done with an artists eye for mood and detail. Both the gothic scenery and haunting score envelop the senses and manipulate the viewer into a feeling of frenzy. Elevated by powerful and sensual performances by the two leads, Strickland’s strange film achieves a unique beauty and profundity somewhere between David Lynch’s MULHOLLAND DR. and Luis Buñuel’s BELLE DE JOUR.

    GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM “Gett” (Israel, France, Germany)
    East Coast Premiere
    Directors: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz
    This final piece of the trilogy by Israeli siblings Ronit and Shlomi Elkabetz explores the unfolding of a marriage under the jurisdiction of a rabbinical court in which a Jewish marriage may only end if the husband presents a “gett,” a divorce document, to his wife. Calling attention to a male-dominant process that can take years, sometimes decades, and set entirely in the courtroom, this brilliantly written and acted film reveals the slow dissolution of a marriage between Vivane (Ronit Elkabetz) and Elisha (Simon Abkarian). Balancing the seriousness of what’s at stake with an often-humorous tone, GETT offers a deeply moving take on an otherwise painful process.

    LITTLE ACCIDENTS (United States)
    New York Premiere
    Director: Sara Colangelo
    A haunting portrait of the unintended consequence, LITTLE ACCIDENTS follows the wake of tragedy in small town America where a mining disaster leaves 10 dead and the delicate social fabric of a community in tatters. When the son of the chief executive goes missing, his wife; the lone survivor to the disaster, Amos; and Owen, a local boy left fatherless by the tragedy, become bound to one another by their shared grief and through a series of shocking revelations. A stunning work by first-time feature filmmaker, Sara Colangelo, it features a stellar cast, including Elizabeth Banks, Boyd Holbrook and Chloe Sevigny.

     

    GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: Documentary Feature

    THE GREAT INVISIBLE (United States)
    New York Premiere
    Director: Margaret Brown
    On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded devastating communities throughout the Gulf Coast of the United States. Eleven lives were lost, the natural ecosystem was destroyed, and the pollution forced countless local businesses to shut down. Margaret Brown’s THE GREAT INVISIBLE, winner of the Grand Jury prize at SXSW, is a thought provoking and complex human drama that lifts the curtain on a corrupt and negligent industry driven by greed. With harrowing testimonies from survivors, families, local fisherman, an others perpetually effected by the disaster, Brown seeks to tell a sobering and layered account of a tragedy still unfolding.

    KILLING TIME (The Netherlands)

    KILLING TIMEKILLING TIME

    New York Premiere
    Director: Jaap Van Hoewijk
    On June 12, 2013 in Huntsville, Texas, preparations take place for the lethal injection of Elroy Chester, a man convicted of the rape of two teenage girls and the murder of their uncle. After 15 years on death row, Chester will be executed at precisely 6:00PM. While his family prepares to say goodbye, the victims and their family prepare for closure. KILLING TIME is the emotional follow up to the 1995 film, PROCEDURE 769, WITNESS TO THE EXECUTION, which examined those who came to Chester’s court sentences. Returning to Texas once more, director Jaap van Hoewijk turns his lens on the people most affected as they pass the final hours.

    THIS IS MY LAND (France)
    US Premiere
    Director: Tamara Erde
    “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela, and artist-filmmaker Tamara Erde’s first feature length film examines how the shared, complex and charged history of Israel and Palestine is taught to the next generation in this volatile region. Does it fuel conflict or encourage peace? How much freedom does the Ministry of Education give teachers? Through dialogues, debates, celebrations and field trips at six independent schools, this fascinating documentary observes how young minds are shaped by what is said and, just as importantly, by what is unspoken.

    VELVET TERRORISTS (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Croatia)

    VELVET TERRORISTS VELVET TERRORISTS

    US Premiere
    Director: Pavol Pekarčík, Ivan Ostrochovský, Peter Kerekes
    Charged as terrorists, but now hailed as heroes three Czechoslovakian’s recount and reenact their odd and fascinating tales of armed resistance against the old communistic powers. Three portraits by three directors. A presidential assassination foiled through sheer laziness, a botched political tribune bombing due to alcoholism and a notorious bulletin board bomber who wanted nothing more than to blow up…you guessed it. Each story may be different, but the sentiment is the same: actions are what define you and even if you don’t hurt anyone or change anything, they still may be recognized for better or for worse.

     

    GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: Narrative Short Film
    Featuring brave, innovative and remarkable stories, the Golden Starfish Award for Best Narrative Short Film honors new talent in the field. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize and qualify for consideration at the Academy Awards for Best Live Action/Animated Short Film.

    CUTAWAY (Canada)
    US Premiere
    Director: Kazik Radwanski
    Told through close details of hands and objects, this film intimately portrays uncertainty and loss.

    THE BABY “LA BAMBINA (BACHE)” (Italy, Iran)
    North American Premiere
    Director: Ali Asgari
    Narges and her friend are calling everyone they can think of with an unusual request.  They urgently need someone to look after her baby for a night or two…

    ALL WE SHARE “ALLT VI DELAR” (Sweden)
    North American Premiere
    Director: Jerry Carlsson
    Two arborists, Samir and Sara, are hired to cut down a perfectly healthy tree. This, and the urgency with which it needs to be done, surprises them but they agree and as they work, comprehension dawns.

    TZNIUT (USA)
    East Coast Premiere
    Director: David Formentin
    A Hasidic woman in Brooklyn discovers she has an STD. Although limited by her social standing in a deeply Orthodox community, she seeks the origin of her illness.

    THE BIGGER PICTURE (United Kingdom)
    North American Premiere
    Director: Daisy Jacobs
    Using seven-foot-tall characters in life-size sets, THE BIGGER PICTURE uniquely animates a stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly parent.

     

    GOLDEN STARFISH AWARD: Documentary Short Film
    Our inaugural Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary Short Film highlights some of the year’s most interesting opinions and viewpoints and is sure to capture your imagination. The winner will receive a $500 cash prize. 

    THE QUEEN “LA REINA” (Argentina)
    East Coast Premiere
    Director: Manuel Abramovich
    Memi is 11 years old, and she is going to be Queen of the Carnival. It’s a dazzling honor, but you have to suffer to be beautiful.

    ONCE UPON A TREE “HET MEISJE EN DE BOOM” (The Netherlands)
    North American Premiere
    Director: Marleen van der Werf
    Sitting in her favorite oak tree, 11-year-old Filine encounters little wonders in the natural world around her. Filine doesn’t like changes that much. She sometimes wishes she could be a tree and everything would stay the same.

    JUTRA (Canada)
    US Premiere
    Director: Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre
    Through the ingenious repurposing and animation of archival footage, a remarkable and revealing documentary homage to filmmaker Claude Jutra pulls us deep inside the life, times and imagination of the artist.

    ABANDONED GOODS (United Kingdom)
    North American Premiere
    Directors: Pia Borg, Edward Lawrenson
    From 1946 to 1981 a psychiatric hospital in the UK allowed its patients to create art. After the dissolution of the asylum only around 5,500 pieces survived. This is their story.

    AN IMMORTAL MAN (USA)
    US Premiere
    Directors: Josh Koury, Myles Kane
    Baseball legend Ted Williams lived his life in the public eye and his death, like his life, will be forever frozen in time – however this time (contrary to the instructions in his will) via cryostasis. 

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  • Director Sharon Greytak and Actress Sally Kirkland Talk About Their Film ARCHAEOLOGY OF A WOMAN Now Playing in Theaters

     sharon-greytak-sally-kirkland-archaeology-of-a-woman1

    Award-winning indie filmmaker Sharon Greytak’s ARCHAEOLOGY OF A WOMAN, starring Oscar nominated/Golden Globe winner Sally Kirkland is playing at Village East Cinema Sept. 12-18.   ARCHAEOLOGY OF A WOMAN, is described as a gripping drama of a woman’s fierce determination to save her mind from spiraling into delusion as she attempts to keep a chilling secret from her past buried. 

    We recently sat down with director Sharon Greytak, one of the only disabled filmmakers directing, writing and producing from a motorized wheelchair, and Sally Kirkland, sporting a bandaged knee, the result of knee surgery. Earlier this year Sally fell, breaking her leg in two places while attending the Studio City Film Festival to receive an award for Best Actress.

    VIMOOZ: The film took a while to be released, why did it take so long?

    Sharon Greytak: That’s a great first question. 

    Sally Kirkland: Well you did 2 edits

    Sharon Greytak: Yes. I did the initial edit and then I decided to do a bit more editing. I describe the process as being like a rose, and you want to remove anything that takes away from the beauty of it. So I simplified a couple of things – I sort of pruned away a few things that I thought would make it stronger.

     sally-kirkland-archaeology-of-a-woman1

    VIMOOZ: Now Sally, we have to ask about the topless scene. How did you react when you read that in the script?

    Sally Kirkland: I liked it. A little bit of history you may not know, I was the first nude actress in American theater in 1968 with Terrence McNally’s Sweet Eros.  I’ve been nude in so many films you can’t believe it. I loved that she did that because it got me a chance to show people about dementia and the Alzheimer – people who don’t know where they are, or what they are doing.

    Here she is, putting her bra in the refrigerator; it is such a classic piece of writing to demonstrate the pathetic stage of Margaret.

    I felt great, to answer your question.

    VIMOOZ: Is there anything you will not do in a film?

    Sally Kirkland: Ah no.

    sharon-greytak-archaeology-of-a-woman1

    VIMOOZ: The story is very original. Where did you get the idea?

    Sharon Greytak: It stemmed from my experience with my own mother who was starting to have some issues of confusion and some really early signs of dementia. 

    In many movies, you always see a character that’s in the late stages of Alzheimer, spiraling downhill.  The audience is superior and watching this poor character – it is so sad and a tearjerker.   You never see a character that is functioning socially, but is having these terrible moments in the early stages of dementia. And I thought, how do you show a character like that?  Where they are fiercely independent, they are very verbal, and they are use to running their own lives.  And they are certainly not going to give in and say OK this is it.  That is the character that I wanted to portray.

    VIMOOZ: Tony-winner Victoria Clark plays Sally’s daughter and the resemblance is amazing.  How were you able to make that connection with casting?

    Sally Kirkland: A lot of people say that.

    Sharon Greytak: I went for the best talent – the best actress I can get. I worked with a casting director who helped me. I went from an isolated writer one day to having managers and agents calling setting up meeting the next.

    VIMOOZ: Sally, You’ve been in the business a very long time.

    Sally Kirkland: Since 1960

    VIMOOZ:  Do you stay up to date with all the latest stuff like social media?     

    Sally Kirkland: I’m a Facebook freak. I was on the plane the other day Facebooking everybody.  And I have friends coming in town for a movie premiere and I’m literally chatting away with them on the plane.

    VIMOOZ: What about Twitter and Instagram?

    Sally Kirkland: I use Twitter, but not as much as Facebook.  I do not know how to do Instagram yet. 

    VIMOOZ: What about you Sharon?

    Sharon Greytak:  I do. Of course

    Sally Kirkland: You have to. Well, you have to tell the story.

    Sharon Greytak: You do.

    Sally Kirkland: Ok. So I get the call from my agent, and he says, “I have this fabulous role for you. “ And it was Friday, and I said, “great, when can I see it?”  He replied, “I’ll send it with a messenger.” The messenger came and I read it in an hour and 20 minutes or something and I thought, “Oh my God, I have to do this role”

    But it’s Friday now, and all the offices are closed, so I couldn’t think what to do with my patience, my energy and determination. And so I went to Facebook and I looked up Sharon Greytak and there she was. She didn’t have a picture but she had a page and I requested her to be my friend. 

    But I didn’t mention the film because I thought that might be overboard. But I just wanted to get my foot in the door. So then what happened?

    Sharon Greytak: I had no idea she had the script.  And when the breakdowns went out, I thought it was funny, all of a sudden my IMDB rating skyrocketed.    On Facebook, everyone was friending me left and right. I was telling friends that this was hysterical. I found this humorous. And I’m going through the list and I see Sally Kirkland. And I was like, “Really, Sally Kirkland?” So I accepted. And the weekend goes by and Monday I get a call saying, be at your phone on Tuesday, Sally Kirkland will call you.   I had no idea she had the script all weekend.  And on Tuesday she called and we talked on the phone for 3 hours.

    Sally Kirkland: It was an hour.

    Sharon Greytak:  It was 3 hours.

    Sally Kirkland: We talked for 3 hours? I want you to put that on record.

    VIMOOZ: It’s on record.

    Sally Kirkland: So yes, I was by my phone, and 7:30 she called. And we talked about the script, the character.  It was so gratifying that somebody outside of myself got the character and understood what I was writing.  And she was so smart about it.

    And we exchanged some personal stories, and it was a done deal.  This is it. I don’t want to see anyone else.

    VIMOOZ: I’m glad we ask that question.

    VIMOOZ: What are 2 things we don’t know about Sally Kirkland.

    Sharon Greytak: Should I step outside the room?

    Sally Kirkland: I’m deaf in my left ear. I have tinnitus in my right ear. And I’m in love with Michael Fassbender.

    VIMOOZ: What about you Sharon?

    Sharon Greytak: Oh no.  I’m a director, you don’t get that stuff from me.

    VIMOOZ: That counts as one, two more to go.

    Sharon Greytak: My eyes are 2 different colors.

    VIMOOZ:  What colors? 

    Sharon Greytak:  I think one is green and one is blue, which is the same as David Bowie.  There you go.

     

    Credits: Photography by Tazaca Simpson

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  • BFI London Film Festival Unveils 2014 Film Lineup; to Open with THE IMITATION GAME

    THE IMITATION GAMETHE IMITATION GAME

    The 58th BFI London Film Festival unveiled a lineup of  245 fiction and documentary features, including 16 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 38 European Premieres and 19 Archive films including 2 Restoration World Premiere’s.1 There will also be screenings of 148 live action and animated shorts.  The 58th BFI London Film Festival will run Wednesday 8 – Sunday 19 October 2014.

    The Festival opens with the European Premiere of THE IMITATION GAME, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley. Director Morten Tyldum returns to the Festival with a film about Alan Turing, one of the world’s greatest innovators and pioneer of modern-day computing, who is credited with cracking the German Enigma code.

    The European Premiere of FURY will close the Festival, directed by David Ayer whose End of Watch appeared in LFF Official Competition in 2012, this Second World War epic stars Brad Pitt as Wardaddy, a battle-hardened army sergeant who commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. 

    Among the other Galas are the American Express Gala of Bennett Miller’s FOXCATCHER, the dark and fascinating story of the unlikely and ultimately tragic relationship between an eccentric multimillionaire and two champion wrestlers, starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. The Accenture Gala is the audacious thriller WHIPLASH, about a young jazz drummer under the tutelage of a ruthless and fearsome maestro starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons. We are delighted to welcome a new Official Airline Partnerto this year’s Festival, Virgin Atlantic who will present the European Premiere of Jason Reitman’s MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN starring Adam Sandler and Ansel Elgort with a racy voiceover by Emma Thompson. The May Fair Hotel Gala is the European Premiere of biopic-drama WILD starring Reese Witherspoon, adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby from Cheryl Strayed’s extraordinary account of her 1,100-mile solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trails. The Centrepiece Gala supported by the Mayor of London is the World Premiere of TESTAMENT OF YOUTH based on Vera Brittain’s memoir of World War 1 starring Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Hayley Atwell, Emily Watson and Dominic West. The Festival Gala is Mike Leigh’s MR. TURNER starring Timothy Spall as the great British artistJ.M.W. Turner whose paintings evoked the moving image before there was cinema. The Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the BFI National Archive restoration of THE BATTLES OF CORONEL AND FALKLAND ISLANDS.

    The nine programme strands are each headlined with a gala, they are: the Love Gala, Alan Rickman’s A LITTLE CHAOS (European Premiere); the Debate Gala, Jon Stewart’s ROSEWATER (European Premiere); the Dare Gala, Xavier Dolan’s MOMMY; the Laugh Gala, Damián Szifron’s WILD TALES; the Thrill Gala, Kristian Levring’s THE SALVATION; the Cult Gala, Jacob Cheung’s THE WHITE HAIRED WITCH OF LUNAR KINGDOM(International Premiere); the Journey Gala, Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s WINTER SLEEP; and the Family Gala is Tomm Moore’s SONG OF THE SEA (European Premiere). In addition to which, the previously announced Sonic Gala is Peter Strickland and Nick Fenton’s concert film BJÖRK: BIOPHILIA LIVE.

    OFFICIAL COMPETITION

    The Official Competition line-up, recognising inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, includes the following:
     Peter Ho-Sun Chan, DEAREST
     Peter Strickland, THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY (European Premiere)
     Carol Morley, THE FALLING (World Premiere)
     Ana Lily Amirpour, A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT
     Céline Sciamma, GIRLHOOD
     Daniel Barber, THE KEEPING ROOM (European Premiere)
     Andrey Zvyagintsev, LEVIATHAN
     François Ozon, THE NEW GIRLFRIEND
     Christian Petzold, PHOENIX
     Mohsen Makhmalbaf, THE PRESIDENT
     Julius Avery, SON OF A GUN (European Premiere)
     Abderrahmane Sissako, TIMBUKTU

    FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION
    Titles in consideration for the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition recognising an original and imaginative directorial debut are:
     Yann Demange,‘71
     Josephine Decker, BUTTER ON THE LATCH
     Daniel Wolfe, Matthew Wolfe, CATCH ME DADDY
     Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, DIFRET
     Franco Lolli, GENTE DE BIEN
     Guy Myhill, THE GOOB
     Adityavikram Sengupta, LABOUR OF LOVE
     Sudabeh Mortezai, MACONDO
     Debbie Tucker Green, SECOND COMING
     Ester Martin Bergsmark, SOMETHING MUST BREAK
     Naji Abu Nowar, THEEB
     Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, THE TRIBE

    DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
    The Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition category recognises cinematic documentaries with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance. This year the Festival is screening:
     Nadav Schirman, THE GREEN PRINCE
     Jean-François Caissy, GUIDELINES
     Randall Wright, HOCKNEY (World Premiere)
     Jason Sussberg, David Alvarado, THE IMMORTALISTS (European Premiere)
     Ulrich Seidl, IN THE BASEMENT
     Sergei Loznitsa, MAIDAN
     Frederick Wiseman, NATIONAL GALLERY
     Sabine Lubbe Bakker & Niels van Koevorden, NE ME QUITTE PAS
     Edward Lovelace & James Hall, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS (European Premiere)
     Ossama Mohammed & Wiam Simav Bedirxan, SILVERED WATER, SYRIA SELF-PORTRAIT
     Debra Granik, STRAY DOG
     Lynette Wallworth, TENDER (European Premiere)

    BEST BRITISH NEWCOMER
    Closing the Awards section is the prize for Best British Newcomer which highlights new British talent and is presented to an emerging writer, actor, producer or director. This year’s nominees are:
    1. Guy Myhill – Writer/Director THE GOOB
    2. Florence Pugh – Supporting Actor THE FALLING
    3. Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – Actor CATCH ME DADDY
    4. Rebecca Johnson – Writer/Director HONEYTRAP
    5. Taron Egerton – Actor TESTAMENT OF YOUTH
    6. Daniel Wolfe & Matthew Wolfe – Writers/Directors CATCH ME DADDY
    7. Alex Lawther – Supporting Actor THE IMITATION GAME

    STRANDS / PATHWAYS

    The Festival programme is organised into categories clustered around the themes of Love, Debate, Dare, Laugh, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Sonic and Family – an approach designed to help Festival-goers find the films that appeal the most to them and to open up the Festival for new audiences.

    LOVE

    Love is strange, and cinema reaps the fruit of its strangeness. The Love Gala is the European Premiere of Alan Rickman’s sophomore feature A LITTLE CHAOS set in the Court of Versailles starring Rickman himself as King Louis XIV, Kate Winslet as landscape gardener Sabine De Barra, Matthias Schoenaerts as the famous architect Le Nôtre and Stanley Tucci in hilarious form as a court dandy.

    Other titles in this section include: Benoît Jacquot’s 3 HEARTS starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Chiara Mastroianni
    and Catherine Deneuve; Daniel Ribeiro’s romantic tale of the joys and woes of young love, THE WAY HE LOOKS; Ira Sachs’ LOVE IS STRANGE starring Alfred Molina and John Lithgow as life-long lovers; the European Premiere of Shonali Bose’s portrait of a Punjabi teenage girl MARGARITA, WITH A STRAW; a new adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s classic MADAME BOVARY directed by Sophie Barthes and starring Mia Wasikowska as the eponymous lead; the World Premiere of Corinna McFarlane’s SILENT STORM starring Andrea Riseborough and Damian Lewis; Susanne Bier’s SERENA starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, and the European Premiere of BAFTA-winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Matthews’ debut feature X + Y.

    DEBATE

    Debate presents films that rush headfirst and unafraid into some of the stormiest issues of the day. This year’s Debate Gala is the European Premiere of Jon Stewart’s directorial debut ROSEWATER starring Gael Garcia Bernal and based on the real–life ordeal of London-based journalist Maziar Bahari.

    Other highlights in this section include: the European Premiere of Michael Winterbottom’s THE FACE OF AN ANGEL about an American student charged with the murder of her British housemate; the World Premiere of Tom Harper’s House of Commons-set political thriller War Book;  Gabriel Mascaro’s haunting tale of the effects of climate change on a coastal community in Brazil, AUGUST WINDS; Annalet Steenkamp’s documentary about the four generations of her Afrikaner family I, AFRIKANER; Dieudo Hamadi’s NATIONAL DIPLOMA following a group of Congolese high schools students preparing for their exams; Steve James’ newly restored 1994 documentary HOOP DREAMS about the ultra-competitive world of college basketball; and Shira Geffen’s SELF MADE and Eran Riklis’ DANCING ARABS which both explore life on either side of the Palestinian–Israeli divide.

    DARE

    Here you’ll find cinema’s troublemakers and boundary pushers, with films for those who take their movies strong, no sugar. The Dare Gala is Xavier Dolan’s MOMMY which jointly won the Jury Prize in Cannes earlier this year.

    Other highlights in this strand include: Jean-Luc Godard’s first foray into 3D, GOODBYE TO LANGUAGE which jointly won the Jury Prize in Cannes in May and will be presented here at BFI IMAX; New Queer Cinema alumnus Gregg Araki’s WHITE BIRD IN A BLIZZARD starring Eva Green and Shailene Woodley; the World Premiere of Rebecca Johnson’s HONEYTRAP based on the 2008 case of Samantha Joseph, dubbed the ‘honeytrap killer’; Duane Hopkins’ social melodrama BYPASS; Aleksei German’s black and white epic HARD TO BE A GOD completed by his wife and son following German’s death in 2013; and Abel Ferrara’s PASOLINI starring Willem Dafoe as the Italian filmmaker.

    LAUGH

    This year’s comedic crop mine potentially treacherous terrain that some might consider no joke. This year’s Laugh Gala is WILD TALES, a delirious black comedy directed by Damián Szifron with Augustín and Pedro Almodóvar as producers.

    Other titles in this strand include: Director-writer-star Desiree Akhavan’s fearless feature debut APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR; Hungary’s most innovative and controversial director György Pálfi’s new film FREE FALL; the International Premiere of Justin Simien’s razor-sharp satire DEAR WHITE PEOPLE; Martha Stephens and Aaron Katz’ delicate and heart warming comedy LAND HO!; Josh Lawson’s whip-smart sex comedy THE LITTLE DEATH; Emilio Martínez-Lázaro’s SPANISH AFFAIR, a massive box-office hit in its native Spain; and John Boorman’s semi-autobiographical film, QUEEN AND COUNTRY.

    THRILL

    The Thrill strand covers noir, neo-noir, sci-fi, pulp, crime, action and adventure in a programme that’s as sure to inspire wanderlust as it is to set your pulse racing. The Gala presentation for this strand is Kristian Levring’s THE SALVATION, a gripping tale of revenge set in the Old West starring Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green.

    Other highlights in this section include: Diao Yinan’s murder mystery and Berlin winner BLACK COAL, THIN ICE; the European Premiere of Toa Fraser’s thriller THE DEAD LANDS made entirely in the Maori language; Michaël R. Roskam’s THE DROP starring Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace and the late James Gandolfini; the European Premiere of Kriv Stenders’ boldly enjoyable comedy thriller KILL ME THREE TIMES starring Simon Pegg; the World Premiere of Tom Green’s MONSTERS: DARK CONTINENT, a sequel to Gareth Edwards’ 2010 debut Monsters; and Andrew Hulme’s crime thriller, SNOW IN PARADISE.

    CULT

    In the Cult strand, you’ll find a curious selection of films guaranteed to provoke, excite and take you entirely off guard. Welcome to the weird side. The Cult Gala is the International Premiere of Jacob Cheung’s lavish wuxia epic THE WHITE HAIRED WITCH OF LUNAR KINGDOM starring Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing.

    Other highlights in this strand include: Mark Hartley’s latest celebration of exploitation films ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS; David Robert Mitchell’s remarkable shocker IT FOLLOWS; the European Premiere of British director Oliver Blackburn’s latest horror KRISTY; Carter Smith’s ethereal coming-of-age tale JAMIE MARKS IS DEAD; Sion Sono’s Yakuza gangster flick-cum-hip hop musical TOKYO TRIBE and the World Premiere of Alfonso Gomez Rejon’s striking debut THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN inspired by the 1976 classic of the same name.

    JOURNEY

    Whether it’s the journey or the destination, here are films to transport you and shift your perspective. This year’s Journey Gala is Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s extraordinary WINTER SLEEP which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes this year.

    Other titles in this section include: AFRICAN METROPOLIS, a collection of six short films that explore the complexity of African urban life; Rolf de Heer’s CHARLIE’S COUNTRY starring legendary Australian actor David Gulpilil who won Best Actor in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year; Writer-Director David Oelhoffen’s FAR FROM MEN featuring Viggo Mortensen, Fatih Akin’s THE CUT starring Tahar Rahim; Israel Horovitz’s MY OLD LADY starring Maggie Smith, Kevin Kline and Kristin Scott Thomas; 18 different filmmakers including Warwick Thornton, Justin Kurzel and a debut by Mia Wasikowska contribute to an expansive adaptation of Australian author Tim Winton’s THE TURNING starring Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne and Hugo Weaving; the World Premiere of Bryn Higgins’ ELECTRICITY starring Agyness Deyn; and the World Premiere of Gerry Fox’s MARC QUINN –MAKING WAVES documenting one year in the life of the artist Marc Quinn.

    SONIC

    Like cinema, music has the power to envelop us and move us, both emotionally and physically. This year’s Sonic Gala is Peter Strickland and Nick Fenton’s BJÖRK: BIOPHILIA LIVE, a concert film capturing the extraordinary closing night performance of Björk’s Biophilia project at London’s Alexandra Palace last year.

    Other highlights in this strand include: the European Premiere of James Marcus Harvey’s AUSTIN TO BOSTON about a modern music tour, done the old fashioned way; One9’s documentary NAS: TIME IS ILLMATIC about one of the most influential and important records in hip hop; the European Premiere of Alan Hicks’ KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON about the relationship between legendary Jazz trumpet player Clark Terry and his protégé Justin Kauflin; Mia Hansen-Løve’s EDEN, a fictionalised account of the French house boom that spawned Daft Punk, Michael Obert’s SONG FROM THE FOREST that explores one man’s quest to find and record the music and sound of the remotest parts of the African jungle, Fenar Ahmad’s FLOW, a portrait of Copenhagen’s hip-hop scene; and a BUG SPECIAL: FULL TIME HOBBY devoted to the 10th anniversary of the independent London record label.

    FAMILY

    This year’s Family section has titles from all over the world to suit all ages and tastes, and the Family Gala is the European Premiere of SONG OF THE SEA, director Tomm Moore’s sophomore feature following his Oscar-nominated debut The Secret of Kells.

    Other highlights are the International Premiere of Xavier Picard’s MOOMINS OF THE RIVIERA a glorious animated tale of Tove Jansson’s much-loved characters released in time to celebrate the 100th anniversary of her birth; the World Premiere of Christian De Vita’s animated family tale YELLOWBIRD 3D; Jon Wright’s British sci-fi adventure ROBOT OVERLORDS starring Gillian Anderson and Sir Ben Kingsley; Chan Hyung-Yun kooky animated love story THE SATELLITE GIRL AND MILK COW; and Martin Miehe-Renard’s teen drama THE CONTEST – TO THE STARS AND BACK. We will show the UK’s first animated feature, ANIMAL FARM (1954) based on George Orwell’s novella, and directed and produced by John Halas and Joy Batchelor.

    There is a dedicated section for animated shorts for younger audiences which include the World Premiere of Aardman’s new short film RAY’S BIG IDEA in 3D directed by Steve Harding-Hill and the World Premiere of Illuminated Films’new short film ON ANGEL WINGS directed by Dave Unwin and based on a story by Michael Morpurgo.

    As part of our celeberation of 20 years of Dreamworks Animation, we present a special event for younger audiences and animation enthusiasts alike DreamWorks Animation: Taking Flight and Beyond showcasing the work of producer Bonnie Arnold and director Dean DeBlois, who will be joined by Cressida Cowell, author of the highly successful ‘How to Train your Dragon’ series of novels. Exclusive footage from upcoming release The Penguins of Madagascar will also be shown.

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  • THE HOMESMAN Directed by Tommy Lee Jones and Starring Hilary Swank is Centerpiece Film for 2014 Hamptons International Film Festival

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    THE HOMESMAN starring Hilary Swank will be the Centerpiece film  of the 22nd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival held over Columbus Day  Weekend, October 9-13, 2014.  Hilary Swank will attend the film’s premiere and will participate in the festival’s signature program “A Conversation With…”  The festival revealed its “Views from Long Island” section, which focuses on local filmmakers and films with geographic ties to the Hamptons, along with one of its most famous local filmmakers, Bob Balaban, who is this year’s Honorary Chairman.

    Directed by Tommy Lee Jones, THE HOMESMAN is based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize nominee Glendon Swarthout. When three women living on the edge of the American frontier are driven to the brink, the task of saving them from their surroundings falls to the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank). Transporting the women by covered wagon to Iowa, she soon realizes just how daunting the journey will be, and employs a feisty low-life drifter, George Biggs (Tommy Lee Jones), to join her. The unlikely pair and the three women (Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter) head east, where a waiting minister and his wife (Meryl Streep) have offered to take the women in. But the group first must traverse the harsh Nebraska Territories marked by stark beauty, psychological peril and constant threat. Roadside Attractions and Saban Films will release the film on November 14, 2014.“Beginning our 22nd annual film festival announcement with the highly acclaimed film from Tommy Lee Jones as our Centerpiece and having Hilary Swank be a part of our Signature program Conversation with… is the tip of what HIFF will showcase this year,”says Anne Chaisson, Executive Director of the festival.

    The Hamptons International Film Festival unveiled the first three films screening in its “Views from Long Island” section.  Set against the beautiful backdrop of the eastern end of Long Island, the upcoming SHOWTIME® series “The Affair” explores two marriages and the emotional and psychological effects of the affair that disrupts them. The provocative drama stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson and premieres on Sunday, October 12, at 10:00pm ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

    Lou Howe’s GABRIEL, much of which was filmed in the Hamptons, stars Rory Culkin as Gabriel. Longing for stability in the throes of mental illness, Gabriel will stop at nothing until he proposes to his high school girlfriend – never mind the fact that they haven’t seen each other in years. A sure-footed portrait of a young man on the edge, Howe’s debut feature examines our fixation with the nuclear household, and whether or not it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

    The festival will hold the New York premiere of Amagansett resident Volker Schlöndorff’s DIPLOMACY. At the end of World War II, General Dietrick von Choltitz, the governor of Nazi-occupied Paris, received an order to destroy the city if the Nazis were to lose it to Allied Forces. Adapted from the stage and directed by legendary German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff, DIPLOMACY is deeply connected with its moment in history, yet resounds with timeliness in its study of diametrically opposed ideologies and the necessary search for common ground.

    The short film WEENIE will mark its world premiere at the festival. WEENIE was filmedin East Hampton, and filmmaker Dan Roe lives in Sag Harbor, teaching at the Ross School. The film’s main character Weenie is 16. Weenie wants to go to a party. Weenie has just been grounded. Weenie’s mom just doesn’t understand. What will Weenie do?

    Returning for the sixth year, the Suffolk County Film Commission will present their annual Next Exposure Award, with a cash value of $6,000, to one of the full-length features in the “Views From Long Island” section.

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  • ‘Beyond the Lights’ To Open 18th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival – This Week in NYC

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    Beyond the LightsBeyond the Lights

    The 18th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, will take place this weekend September 17-21, 2014, at Manhattan’s AMC Loews 34th Street 14, and various other locations in New York. The festival will screen over 70 films, including 12 world premieres.

    Relativity’s Beyond the Lights, a drama written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees) and produced by Relativity, Relativity Sports, Undisputed Cinema and Homegrown Pictures in association with BET Films, will serve as the opening film at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 18 at the SVA Theater at 333 W. 23rd Street. The story of a talented young musician on the brink of super stardom struggling with the pressure of her new-found success stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle, Larry Crowne), Nate Parker (Red Tails, The Great Debaters), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting) and Emmy Award® nominee Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon). The film opens nationwide on November 14, 2014. Prince-Bythewood, a longtime supporter of the festival and Independent Spirit Award® winner, is the ambassador for this year’s festivities.

     URBANWORLD 2014 FILM SLATE

    OPENING NIGHT FILM
    Beyond the Lights – Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (USA) – US Premiere

    SPOTLIGHT EVENTS
    Avenues – Directed by Aaref Rodriguez (USA) – Hosted by HBO Latino
    Blood and Bone – Directed by Ben Ramsey (USA) – Hosted by Cinemax – Curated by Urban Action Showcase
    Habla Men – Hosted by HBO Latino
    Purple Rain – Directed by Albert Magnoli (USA) – 30th Anniversary Sing-A-Long
    Sleep Dealer – Directed by Alex Rivera (Mexico) – Hosted by The National Association of Latino Independent Producers
    Urbanworld Underground – Curated by Project Catalyst
     Jo – Directed by April A. Wilson (USA)
     La Solitaria – Directed by Nelson Isava (USA)
     Page 36 – Directed by Nelsan Ellis (USA)
     The Unseen Beauty – Directed by Gabriel de Urioste (USA)
     Touch – Directed by Shola Amoo (United Kingdom)
     Trust & Estates – Directed by Jeanette Bonds (USA)

    NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
    Brooklyn – Directed by Pascal Tessaud (France) – US Premiere
    Christmas Wedding Baby – Directed by Kiara Jones (USA) – World Premiere
    Cry Now – Directed by Alberto Barboza (USA) – New York Premiere
    Difret – Directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia)
    God Loves The Fighter – Directed by Damian Marcano (Trinidad & Tobago) – New York Premiere
    In the Morning – Directed by Nefertite Nguvu (USA) – World Premiere
    Lake Los Angeles – Directed by Mike Ott (USA) – New York Premiere
    Los Angeles – Directed by Damian John Harper (Mexico) – New York Premiere
    Love Magical – Directed by Justin Foran & Jason Sokoloff – World Premiere
    Montana – Directed by Mo Ali Out of Comp (UK) – US Premiere
    Night Has Settled – Directed by Steve Clark (USA)
    Unsound – Directed by Darious Britt (USA)
    What It Was – Directed by Daniel Armando (USA)

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS
    12 Months – Charysse Tia Harper (USA) – World Premiere
    Finding Samuel Lowe – Directed by Jeanette Kong (USA)
    Hating Obama – Directed by Marquis Smalls (USA) – World Premiere
    Lucky – Directed by Laura Checkoway (USA)
    Sewing Hope – Directed by Derek Watson (Uganda) – New York Premiere

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS (con’t)
    SODIQ – Directed by Adeyemi Michael (UK)
    The Hip-Hop Fellow – Directed by Kenneth Price (USA) – New York Premiere

    DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
    Bookin – Directed by John Kerkscey (USA)

    ANIMATED SHORT FILM
    Nine – Directed by Wanichaya Phraejunya & Chawalit Kaewmanee (Thailand)

    NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
    Afronauts – Directed by Frances Bodomo (USA)
    Anatomy of Assistance – Directed by Cory Bowles (Canada) – New York Premiere
    Barrio Boy – Directed by Dennis Shinners (USA)
    Berea – Directed by Vincent Moloi (South Africa) – East Coast Premiere
    Celluloid Dreams – Directed by Jonathan Dillon (USA) – New York Premiere
    Contamination – Directed by R. Shanea Williams (USA) – New York Premiere
    ContentMode x J. Cooper Present “206” Starring David Oyelowo – Directed by J. Cooper (USA)
    For The Birds – Directed by Tara Atashgah (USA/Iran)
    Full-Windsor – Directed by Faraday Okoro (USA) – New York Premiere
    Habeas Corpus – Directed by Booker T. Mattison (USA) – New York Premiere
    Hechki (Hiccups) – Directed by Kartik Singh (USA) – World Premiere
    Hermanas – Directed by Cristina Kotz Cornejo (Mexico) – East Coast Premiere
    Hypebeasts – Directed by Jessica dela Merced (USA)
    Isaiah’s Birthday – Directed by Shawn Gerrard (Canada) – World Premiere
    J-1 – Directed by Geoffrey Guerrero (USA)
    Jaya – Directed by Puja Maewal (India) – New York Premiere
    Jenny & Lalo – Directed by Janine Salinas Schoenberg (USA) – East Coast Premiere
    L’Autre Feme – Directed by marie KA (Senegal) – East Coast Premiere
    Midday Crisis – Directed by Jeff Man (USA) – New York Premiere
    Milk & Honey – Directed by Daniel Pfeffer (USA)
    Missing Grandma – Directed by Adel L. Morales (USA) – World Premiere
    Muted – Directed by Rachel Goldberg (USA)
    One Past – Directed by Juli S. Kobayashi (USA) – World Premiere
    Pitahaya – Directed by Albert Espinosa (Spain) – New York Premiere
    Present Trauma – Directed by Mark D. Manalo (USA) – East Coast Premiere
    Serena Strong – Directed by Philiane Phang (USA) – World Premiere
    Seventh Grade – Directed by Stefani Saintoge (USA)
    Silencio Chino – Directed by Javier Melero De Luca (Venezuela) – US Premiere
    Sketch – Directed by Stephen T. Barton (USA) – New York Premiere
    Strings Attached – Directed by Nelcie Souffrant (USA) – New York Premiere
    The Bravest, The Boldest – Directed by Moon molson (USA) – New York Premiere
    The End Again – Directed by Crystle C. Roberson (USA) – New York Premiere
    Tobacco Burn – Directed by Justin Liberman (USA) – New York Premiere
    Tonsure – Directed by Fred Bumaye (USA) – World Premiere
    Woman In Fragments – Directed by Qun Xhou (USA/China/Japan) – New York Premiere
    Your Love – Directed by Laila Petrone (USA) – World Premiere
    You’re Dead To Me – Directed by Wu Tsang (USA) – New York Premiere

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  • Mat Kirkby’s THE PHONE CALL, Péter Vácz’s RABBIT AND DEER Win at 1 Reel Film Festival

    RABBIT AND DEERRABBIT AND DEER

    The 19th annual 1 Reel Film Festival announced this year’s jury award winners for best narrative and best animated short. Curated by SIFF, the festival brings in over 100 short films from around the world during the three days of the Bumbershoot festival. The 1 Reel Film Festival is known as one of the nation’s most well-attended short film festivals in the United States, drawing nearly 10,000 attendees each year.

    The 2014 1 Reel Film Festival Jury award winners will each be presented with a $500 cash prize.

    1 Reel Film Festival jury award winners:

    Narrative Winner:

    THE PHONE CALL, director: Mat Kirkby (United Kingdom)

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    Jury Statement: The jury awards the Narrative Prize to the short, The Phone Call. This moving film engages the viewer with its bold and authentic approach to mental illness, beautiful cinematography, and dynamic performances from Sally Hawkins and (the voice of) Jim Broadbent. It’s a touching, relevant, and heartbreaking piece of filmmaking that imparts audiences with a tender balance of awareness and empathy. Mat Kirkby’s short film is a small but stunning wonder.

    Special Jury Award:

    THE NEW WEST, director: Peter Edlund (USA)

    Jury Statement: The jury awards the Narrative Prize to the short, The New West. This tense and pulsating short immediately engages the viewer with its crisp and luminous cinematography, heartfelt and dynamic performances, and bold story. It’s a remarkable piece of filmmaking that’s enigmatic and dream-like, yet also startling and haunting. A thriller with much on its mind, The New West is simply compelling.

    Animation Winner:

    RABBIT AND DEER, director: Péter Vácz (Hungary)

    Jury Statement: The jury awards the Animation Prize to the short, Rabbit and Deer. It’s a witty, wild, and wickedly clever piece of animation that experiments with the genre’s form while remaining fantastically entertaining and accessible. Rabbit and Deer is equal parts wacky and profound, taking a unique approach to tell a story of friendship and realms of existence.

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