• “LIFE INSIDE OUT” ‘FABERGÉ: A LIFE OF ITS OWN” “CATHEDRAL CANYON” “LION ARK” Win Top Awards at 2014 Palm Beach International Film Festival

    LIFE INSIDE OUTLIFE INSIDE OUT

    The Palm Beach International Film Festival (PBIFF) announced the winners of the 19th edition, which ran April 3 to 10, 2014.  The Jury awarded LIFE INSIDE OUT directed by Jill D’Agnencia the prize for Best Feature Film, and FABERGÉ: A LIFE OF ITS OWN directed by Patrick Mark received the award for Best Documentary Feature.  The audience voted CATHEDRAL CANYON directed by Paul Davis, winner of Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film and LION ARK directed by Tim Phillips grabbing the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature.

     JURIED

    Best Feature Film
    LIFE INSIDE OUT
    Directed by Jill D’Agnencia

    Laura is a devoted mother of three teenage boys. The twins are confident and outgoing, while the youngest son, Shane, is the family misfit, and a disappointment to his father. At 15, he is sullen and withdrawn, earbuds perpetually in his ears. When Laura impulsively decides to sing at her first open-mic night, she drags Shane along, and it becomes an experience that opens his eyes and shakes his earbuds loose. Soon, he discovers musical gifts of his own.Together, through the power of music, they are able to make sense of a world they’ve felt so lost in.

    Best Documentary Feature
    FABERGÉ: A LIFE OF ITS OWN
    Directed by Patrick Mark

    This feature-doc tells the epic story of the Faberge name, from Imperial Russia until the present-day, spanning one hundred and fifty years of turbulent history, romance, artistic development and commercial exploitation. From the bejewel led Easter eggs of the Romanov Tsarinas to the 1970s allure of ‘Brut by Faberge’ aftershave, and from the Russian revolution to today’s high-fashion glitz in New York and London, the film explores a multi-faceted world that began with one man: the prodigiously talented Peter Carl Faberge, Court Jeweler of St Petersburg. Shot at locations across Russia, Europe and USA (including the collection of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II), the film features interview contributions from the world’s foremost Faberge authorities, as well as personal reminiscences from Faberge family members.

    Best Short Film
    BRIGHTON
    Directed by Pierre Stefanos

    ‘Brighton’ follows the journey of Edward as he ventures to the famed English south coastal resort for a day on the town. The reason for his trip is unclear, at first, as we watch him paste photographs of himself as a young boy at famed monuments around Brighton, all the while ignoring phone calls that come in to his mobile throughout the day from his boss and his boyfriend.After breaking up a moment of schoolboy bullying, Edward’s demeanor changes. Upon meeting, and then flirting with, a Canadian tourist named Ben, Edward becomes more resolute to resist the man’s charms, making his way to the Brighton seafront in the dark of night. Ben discovers Edward on the beach at a bonfire, burning items from his duffel bag. Ben uncovers Edward’s mysterious reasons for visiting Brighton, which leads to a physical and emotional confrontation that leads to a mutually life-changing moment for both men.’Brighton’ is the follow-up to the acclaimed short film ‘Bedfellows,’ and the second in a planned trilogy of films called The Shakespeare Trilogy. ‘Bedfellows’ screened at over 140 films festivals in 40 countries during a 23-straight-month festival run, won over 30 jury and audience awards, is commercially available in a dozen North American and European countries. Its trailers have received over 1,000,000 hits on YouTube alone.

    Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Film
    CATHEDRAL CANYON
    Directed by Paul Davis

    A story set in both sprawling modern Phoenix and the fringe, rural polygamist communities of Northern Arizona, this film presents a hidden connection between these two very different worlds that permits the shocking acts of these cults to continue.

    Best Documentary Feature
    LION ARK
    Directed by Tim Phillips

    More action adventure than traditional documentary, Lion Ark follows the world’s most ambitious and daring animal rescue, with a narrative compiled from film, interviews, conversations and reactions as events unfolded. Following a shocking expos” Bolivia bans animal circuses. But the circuses defy the law and the team behind the investigation returns to track them down and save the animals. Stunning cinematography captures the confrontations, heartache and risks, before a joyous finale sees 25 lions airlifted to freedom. A story of bravery, compassion, a country that said ‘no’ to cruelty and how attitudes to animals changed across a continent.

    Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film
    TOBACCO BURN
    Directed by Justin Liberman

    Based on an oral history from the W.P.A. Writers, Tobacco Burn is set thirty-five years before the Civil War at the height of American slavery. When two of the enslaved weigh the complexities of killing their overseer, each develop a different understanding towards violence, acting on which could cost all of them their lives.

    Honorable Mention
    GOD’S SLAVE (ESCLAVO DE DIOS) 
    Directed by Joel Novoa

    Inspired by true events, “God’s Slave” is the story of Ahmed and David, two extremist characters, one Islamic and the other Jewish, who cross their paths while being in the opposite side of the conflict in the A.M.I.A bombings that took place in 1994 in Buenos Aires. Written By Isabel Meneses Motivated by personal tragedies, two obsessive characters on either side of the Arab-Israeli conflict are set on a collision course in GOD”S SLAVE, an adrenaline-rushing drama set against the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina. Stationed in Caracas and operating undercover as a doctor and family man, Ahmed Al Hassama (Mohammed Al-Khaldi) is a young Kuwaiti Muslim militant who is slated to execute a terrorist attack. Dispatched to Buenos Aires to diffuse the elusive but imminent threat, David Goldberg (Vando Villamil) is a cold-blooded and embittered Israeli Mossad agent who will stop at nothing to terminate the terrorist sleeper cell. In the wake of the AMIA bombing that leaves scores dead, the race is on to prevent another attack in the name of radical Islam. Both men embark on parallel paths of martyrdom, blinded by hatred born of childhood trauma and prepared to sacrifice everything for their beliefs.

    Descriptions via Palm Beach International Film Festival

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  • Official Poster Unveiled for the 67th Cannes Film Festival

    67th Cannes Film Festival Official Poster 2014

    The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the official poster for the upcoming festival taking place May 14 to 25, 2014. The poster design for the 67th Cannes Film Festival is based on a image taken from Federico Fellini’s 8½, which was presented in the Official Selection in 1963.

    In Marcello Mastroianni and Federico Fellini, we celebrate a cinema that is free and open to the world, acknowledging once again the artistic importance of Italian and European cinema through one of its most stellar figures. 

    “The way he looks at us above his black glasses draws us right in to a promise of global cinematographic happiness,” explains the poster’s designer. “The happiness of experiencing the Festival de Cannes together.”

    In his films, Marcello Mastroianni continued to encapsulate everything that was most innovative, nonconformist and poetic about cinema. On seeing the poster for the first time, Chiara Mastroianni, the actor’s daughter, said simply: “I am very proud and touched that Cannes has chosen to pay tribute to my father with this poster. I find it very beautiful and modern, with a sweet irony and a classy sense of detachment. It’s really him through and through!” 

    The 2014 Festival poster was designed by Lagency / Taste, Paris.

    The graphic charter of the 2014 Festival was designed by Bronx, Paris.

    The scene from Federico Fellini’s film 8 1/2 on which the poster is based. (below)

    http://youtu.be/Hh6V_BqEUjo

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  • VIDEO Watch Trailer for Award-Winning Indie Comedy “OBVIOUS CHILD”

    OBVIOUS CHILD

    OBVIOUS CHILD, directed and written by Gillian Robespierre, and will open in theaters on June 6, 2014, has a new trailer. The comedy film which features a breakout performance by comedian Jenny Slate, premiered earlier this year at Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the Varsity Audience Award for Best Feature at Ashland Independent Film Festival. 

    For aspiring comedian Donna Stern, everyday life as a female twenty-something provides ample material for her incredibly relatable brand of humor. On stage, Donna is unapologetically herself, joking about topics as intimate as her sex life and as crude as her day-old underwear. But when Donna gets dumped, loses her job, and finds herself pregnant just in time for Valentine’s Day, she has to navigate the murky waters of independent adulthood for the first time. As she grapples with an uncertain financial future, an unwanted pregnancy, and a surprising new suitor, Donna begins to discover that the most terrifying thing about adulthood isn’t facing it all on her own. It’s allowing herself to accept the support and love of others. And be truly vulnerable. Never failing to find the comedy and humanity in each awkward situation she encounters, Donna finds out along the way what it means to be as brave in life as she is on stage. Anchored by a breakout performance from Jenny Slate, OBVIOUS CHILD is a winning discovery, packed tight with raw, energetic comedy and moments of poignant human honesty. Writer/Director Gillian Robespierre handles the topic of Donna’s unwanted pregnancy with a refreshing matter-of-factness rarely seen onscreen. And with Donna, Slate and Robespierre have crafted a character for the ages – a female audiences will recognize, cheer for, and love.

    http://youtu.be/r2GN3wdfqbA

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  • Tribeca Film Festival Announces Winners of 2014 #6SecFilms competition

    Wrap Dancer The 13th annual Tribeca Film Festival, announced the winners of the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival #6SecFilms competition. Jurors Jerome Jarre, Tiffany Shlain, Julie Klausner, James Curleigh and Bethann Hardison selected four winners from a shortlist of 40 Vines curated by TFF programmers and narrowed down from a field of 536 total entries from 24 countries to name individual winners in the categories of “drama,” “comedy,” “animation” and “genre.” A fifth winner was selected by an online voting audience of 6,000 in the first-ever #6SecFilms Audience Choice award, powered by Pitch’d, a platform for brands to curate their audience’s videos and photos across social networks by hashtag and facilitate voting to find the most popular. The winning creators will each receive individual meetings with GrapeStory, the mobile-first marketing agency and production house founded by Gary and AJ Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia, a social-first digital shop, and Jerome Jarre, #6SecFilms juror and a serial entrepreneur with more than 4.6 million passionate Vine followers. The winning films, viewable on TribecaFilm.com/6secfilms, follow: Animation: Matt Willis, Australia, for “Wrap Dancer” (https://vine.co/v/MAYd1VhQQHO ) Drama: Jessica Harmon, USA, for “Addiction” (https://vine.co/v/Mb3B00tiiEd ) Comedy: Albert Birney, USA, for “Sylvio Let’s Go” (https://vine.co/v/MOeewxJKgin ) Genre: Lawrence Becker, USA, for “The Vortex Finds a Host” (https://vine.co/v/MatD6eVOK2B ) #6SecFilms Audience Award: Evan Hilton, USA, for “Shaking Free” (https://vine.co/v/MqJpVpgelt2 ) “When we launched the #6SecFilms competition at last year’s TFF, Vine was a brand new and many creators were just beginning to get their hands dirty,” said Genna Terranova, TFF’s director of programming. “A year later, there is more mastery of the platform and the increased creativity and quality of stories is apparent. “The winners of Tribeca’s #6SecFilms competition clearly shows how constraints, such as 6-second films, unleash stupendous creativity!” added Tiffany Shlain, TFF juror, filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards. The #6SecFilms contest debuted at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival with more than 400 U.S.-based entries in the categories of animate, genre, auteur and series. The contest’s visibility has helped to develop some of the young app’s current stars. #6SecFilms Jurors The five TFF jurors who ultimately selected the winners from a shortlist presented by the TFF programmers come to the Festival from a range of backgrounds, from Vine personalities to brand managers. Their names and bios are below: James Curleigh: President of the Levi’s® brand. Responsible for leading the strategic direction and execution of the brand globally with a focus on product creation, marketing concepts, and market solutions. He has more than 20 years of experience building and expanding consumer brands, including KEEN Footwear, Inc. and Salomon Sports North America. Bethann Hardison: Noted former model, manager, fashion advocate, and documentarian. During her modeling career she worked with a wide range of designers. She formed Bethann Management Co., Inc. in 1984, and has led the charge for an increase in diversity within the fashion industry through such initiatives as Black Girls Coalition and Balance Diversity. Jerome Jarre: Vine personality known for his passionate army of 5 million followers and contributions to The Ellen Degeneres Show. He launched GrapeStory in NYC in May 2013, an agency that pairs the best Viners with innovative Fortune 500 brands to tell powerful and engaging short stories. Julie Klausner: Comedy writer, performer, podcaster, and author, whose podcast How Was Your Week was recently called “one of the few essential podcasts” by The New York Times. She is currently a staff writer for the new Fox series, Mulaney. Other writing credits include television shows Billy on the Street and Best Week Ever, the memoir I Don’t Care About Your Band, and the young adult novel, Art Girls Are Easy. Tiffany Shlain: Filmmaker and founder of the Webby Awards who was honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century.” Her films have garnered her numerous awards including a Disruptive Innovation Award from TFF. Credits include her hit film series for AOL Originals’ The Future Starts Here and her newest “cloud” film, The Science of Character.

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  • “Hellion” “The Special Need” “Flutter” “Verbatim” “Queens & Cowboys” Among Winners of 2014 Dallas International Film Festival

    The Special NeedThe Special Need

    The Dallas International Film Festival announced its 2014 award winners; Hellion, directed by Kat Candler, won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize and The Special Need directed by Carlo Zoratti, grabbed the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize. Hellion is the debut feature from writer/director Kat Candler, based on her short film that screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, paints the powerful portrait of a family on the brink of dissolution set against the haunting backdrop of the refineries of Southeast Texas. The Special Need is a documentary film about Enea, an autistic man from Italy who is obsessed with finding a girlfriend. The film follows his struggles in interacting with women, and eventually he and his friends take to the road to find someone for Enea to sleep with. 

    NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

    Special Jury Prize, Directing: Brazilian Western, directed by René Sampaio

    Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Performance: 1982

    HellionHellion

    Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize: Hellion

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

    evolution of a criminalevolution of a criminal

    Documentary Feature Special Jury Prize, Directorial Vision: Evolution of a Criminal, directed by Darius Clark Monroe

    Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize: The Special Need

    TEXAS COMPETITION

    Special Jury Prize: Tomato Republic

    Texas Grand Jury Prize: Flutter

    SHORTS COMPETITION

    Student Short Special Jury Prize: Ni-Ni

    Student Short Grand Jury Prize: A Grand Canal

    Short Special Jury Prize: Easy

    Short Grand Jury Prize: Afronauts

    ANIMATED SHORTS COMPETITION

    Animated Short Grand Jury Prize: The Missing Scarf

    SILVER HEART AWARDS

    Special Jury Prize (will receive $5,000 cash prize): Above All Else

    Silver Heart Award (will receive $10,000 cash prize): Private Violence

    AUDIENCE AWARDS

    Audience Award for Best Short Film: Verbatim

    Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: Queens & Cowboys: A Straight Year on the Gay Rodeo

    Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: Noble

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  • VIDEO | Official Poster and Watch Trailer for Katie Couric Produced & Narrated Food Documentary “Fed Up”

    fed up poster

    The poster and official trailer is released for documentary Fed Up, directed by Stephanie Soechtig and executive produced by Katie Couric, that premiered earlier this year at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Fed Up will open in theaters on May 9, 2014.  In the film, filmmaker Stephanie Soechtig and TV journalist Katie Couric lead us through this potent exposé that uncovers why—despite media attention, the public’s fascination with appearance, and government policies to combat childhood obesity—generations of American children will now live shorter lives than their parents did.

    http://youtu.be/aCUbvOwwfWM

    Thirty years ago the U.S. Government issued its first ever dietary guidelines and with it one of the greatest health epidemics of our time ensued. In her documentary feature debut, executive producer and narrator Katie Couric joins Laurie David (An Inconvenient Truth), Regina Scully (The Invisible War) and Stephanie Soechtig (Tapped) to explore why, despite media attention and government policies to combat childhood obesity, generations of kids will now live shorter lives than their parents.

    Upending the conventional wisdom of why we gain weight and how to lose it, Fed Up unearths the dirty little secret the food industry doesn’t want you to know — far more of us are sick from what we are eating than anyone has ever realized. The truth is, only 30% of people suffering from diet-related diseases are actually obese; while 70% of us — even those of us who look thin and trim on the outside — are facing the same consequences, fighting the same medical battles as the obese among us.

    Following a group of children for more than two years, director Stephanie Soechtig achieves a profound intimacy with them as they document their uphill battles to follow the conventional wisdom, ‘diet and exercise’, in order to live healthier, fuller lives. They are undertaking a mission impossible. In riveting interviews with the country’s leading experts, Fed Up lays bare a decades-long misinformation campaign orchestrated by Big Food and aided and abetted by the U.S. Government. via official film site

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  • “Ida,” “Happy Valley,” “Ping Pong Summer” Among Winners of 2014 Sarasota Film Festival

      Thou Wast Mild and Lovely Thou Wast Mild and Lovely

    The Polish drama Ida, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, took the top narrative feature prize at the 2014 Sarasota Film Festival. Shot stunningly in black and white, IDA finds a novice nun coming face-to-face with her family’s past in 1960s Poland. In the documentary category, Happy Valley directed by Amir Bar-Lev won the documentary feature award.  In Hapy Valley, director Amir Bar-Lev explores the Jerry Sandusky controversy as it unfolded on the ground, as students, alumni and fans of the program rallied around legendary football coach Joe Paterno, who denied any role in the affair but who lost his job in the wake of the controversy.  The thriller Thou Wast Mild and Lovely directed by Josephine Decker won the Independent Vision Prize. Thou Wast Mild and Lovely follows a hired hand whose interactions with the father and daughter who hired him become awful in the most lovely of ways.

    The audience voted Michael Tully’s Ping Pong Summer best narrative feature, and Mike Myers’ Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon winning for best documentary feature.

    IdaIda

    Narrative Feature Competition Winner
    Ida — Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

    Narrative Feature Competition Special Jury Prize for Ensemble Acting
    We Are The Best! — Director: Lukas Moodysson

    Documentary Feature Competition
    Happy Valley — Director: Amir Bar-Lev

    Documentary Feature Competition Special Jury Prize For Direction
    Rich Hill — Director: Tracy Droz Tragos & Andrew Droz Palermo

    Independent Vision Prize Winners

    Independent Vision Prize
    Thou Wast Mild and Lovely — Director: Josephine Decker

    Outstanding Performance Award
    Joy Kevin 
    Actor – Tallie Medel
    Director – Caleb Johnson

    Best Ensemble Award
    BFE — Director: Shawn Telford

    Audience Awards

    Ping Pong Summer Ping Pong Summer

    Best Narrative Feature
    Ping Pong Summer — Director: Michael Tully

    Best Documentary Feature
    Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon — Director: Mike Myers

    Audience Award: Best Short Film
    Chub — Director: Samuel Albis

    Audience Award: Best In World Cinema
    Bicycling with Moléire — Director: Philippe le Guay

    via mysuncoast

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  • Stanley Film Festival Announces 2014 Lineup; Fest to Close with Vampire Mockumentary “What We Do In The Shadows”

     What We Do in the ShadowsWhat We Do in the Shadows

    The Stanley Film Festival (SFF) announced its full line-up and schedule, plus revealed the name of the closing night film. As previously announced, Doc of the Dead will open SFF. The festival, taking place April 24-27, will close with the mockumentary from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords), What We Do In The Shadows, about a house of vampires trying to get back in touch with modern society. 

    The Stanley Film Festival will honor the founders of SpectreVision, Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh Waller with the Visionary Award for their contribution to independent film.  The Visionary Award presentation will be followed by a screening of SpectreVision’s executive produced film, Open Windows, an otherworldly new thriller which stars Wood.

    In addition to the Visionary Award presentation and screening of Open Windows, SFF will spotlight SpectreVision’s wide-ranging influence in the industry with a panel highlighting the combined vision of Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh Waller as they talk about their recent productions – Cooties and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night – which both premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, as well as new and upcoming projects including The Boy (with Chiller Films). SpectreVison will also present a specially curated retrospective screening of Who Can Kill A Child?.

    FEATURE PRESENTATIONS:

    The Babadook – Australia/2013 – (Director: Jennifer Kent, Featuring Essie Davis, Noah Wiseman, Daniel Henshall, Hayley McElhinney ) – A break-out hit at the Sundance Film Festival, Jennifer Kent’s terrifying debut about an unhinged child, his suffering mother and a sinister spectre that may or may not exist offers sophisticated scares and commanding tension.

    Blood Glacier – Austria/2013 – (Director: Marvin Kren, Featuring Gerhard Liebmann, Edita Malovcic, Brigitte Kren, Hille Beseler, Peter Knaack) – A group of scientists stationed in the German Alps discover a melting glacier that leaks a strange red liquid. When that liquid begins producing rapidly increasing biological monstrosities, all hope may be lost in this environmental chiller.

    Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead – Norway/Iceland/2014 – (Director: Tommy Wirkola, Featuring Vegar Hoel, Martin Starr, Jocelyn DeBoer, Ingrid Haas) – In the follow up to his cult hit, director Tommy Wirkola brings back Colonel Herzog to lead his Nazi zombie army on their unholy quest. Although this time, a Russian battalion is wakened for the fight.

    Doc of the Dead – USA/2014 – (Director: Alexandre O. Philippe, Featuring George Romero, Simon Pegg, Bruce Campbell, Max Brooks, Tom Savini, Greg Nicotero, Robert Kirkman)- Could there be a real zombie outbreak? If so, Doc of the Dead can help you prepare. This definitive guide to all things undead delves deep into the evolution of the zombie genre in film and literature, as well as its impact and influence on pop culture, to deliver a comprehensive, fast-paced, highly entertaining look at a contemporary social pandemic of global proportions.

    Housebound – New Zealand/2014 – (Director: Gerard Johnstone, Featuring Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru) -An unruly hooligan sentenced to house arrest at her childhood home must contend with her family, police-handlers and the spectral frights that may be haunting the property in this tautly written comedy-thriller.

    Housebound – New Zealand/2014 – (Director: Gerard Johnstone, Featuring Morgana O’Reilly, Rima Te Wiata, Glen-Paul Waru) -An unruly hooligan sentenced to house arrest at her childhood home must contend with her family, police-handlers and the spectral frights that may be haunting the property in this tautly written comedy-thriller.

    Lesson Of The Evil – Japan/2012 – (Director: Takashi Miike, Featuring Ruth Sundell, Takayuki Yamada,Fumi Nikaidô) -The notorious and prolific Takashi  Miike (Audition, Ichi The Killer), one of the living legends of genre, tackles his most controversial subject matter yet in this story of a charismatic teacher with an extreme and violent plan to stop the rash of bullying at his school.

    Moebius – South Korea/2013 – (Director: Kim Ki-duk Featuring Jae-hyeon Jo, Eun-woo Lee, Young-ju Seo ) – Kim Ki-duk’s Freudian breakdown of the family unit sees a wife take revenge upon her adulterous husband by dismembering their son. And then things really take a turn to the extreme as the family falls into complete destruction.

    Nothing Bad Can Happen – Germany/2013 – (Director: Katrin Gebbe, Featuring Julius Feldmeier, Sascha Alexander Gersak, Annika Kuhl, Swantje Kohlhof) – Christian devotee Tore has his faith put to the ultimate test after moving in with a religious skeptic and his family. This tension building game of cruelty explores just how often one can turn the other cheek.

    Open Windows – Spain/USA/2014 – (Director: Nacho Vigolando, Featuring Elijah Wood, Sasha Grey, Neil Maskell) – This year’s Stanley Film Festival Visionary Award co-recipient Elijah Wood stars in an otherworldly new thriller from cult filmmaker Nacho Vigalondo (Time Crimes). Extreme technical bravado and frenetic energy create the sensation of Rear Window for the digital age.

    Ragnarok – Norway/2013 – (Director: Mikkel Brænne Sandemose, Featuring Pål Sverre Hagen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Bjørn Sundquist, Sofia Helin, Maria Annette Tanderød Berglyd) -An archeologist obsessed with ancient Viking myth stumbles upon the discovery of a lifetime in this good old fashioned creature feature adventure that’s fun for the whole family.

    R100 – Japan/2013 – (Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Featuring Nao Ohmori, Lindsay Kay Hayward, Hairi Katagiri) – Renowned cult director Hitoshi Matsumoto crafts a bizarre tale of a mysterious S&M club where dominatrixes can strike at any time and its participants can’t escape their leather clad relentlessness

    Rigor Mortis – Hong Kong/2013 – (Director: Juno Mak, Featuring Anthony Chan, Siu-hou Chin, Kara Hui, Hoi-Pang Lo, Richard Ng) – Produced by the director of the J-horror sensation seriesThe Grudge comes a viscerally charged, beautifully realized and relentlessly surreal interpretation of traditional tales of supernatural forces guaranteed to attack the sense

    The Sacrament – USA/2013 – (Director: Ti West, Featuring Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen, Kentucker Audley, Amy Seimetz, Gene Jones) -Stanley Film Festival’s inaugural Visionary Award winner Eli Roth produces indie horror icon Ti West’s slow-burn take on the Jonestown Massacre, a smart blend of found-footage style with excellent performances that instill true fear.

    Starry Eyes – USA/2014 – ( Directors: Dennis Widmeyer & Dennis Kölsch, Featuring Alexandra Essoe, Amanda Fuller, Fabianne Therese, Noah Segan, Shane Coffey, Natalie Castillo, Pat Healy) – From the producers of Cheap Thrills and Jorodowsky’s Dune, struggling actress Sarah will give anything to land her dream role in cutthroat Hollywood. But when a storied production company gives her that chance, she learns the true cost of fame.

    The Strange Colour of Your Body’s Tears – Belgium / France / Luxembourg/2013 – (Director:Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, Featuring Klaus Tange, Ursula Bedena, Joe Koener, Birgit Yew) -In this visual bounty of a thriller, a man searches for his wife through a kaleidoscope of stained glass windows, sliced flesh and sexual intrigue.

    Witching and Bitching – Spain/2013 – (Director: Alex De La Iglesia, Featuring Hugo Silva, Mario Casas, Pepón Nieto, Carolina Bang) – Cult director Alex De La Iglesia (The Last Circus) is in top form with this hilarious and gory tale of thieves who find themselves in over their heads when faced with a coven of bloodthirsty witches.

    What We Do In The Shadows – New Zealand/2014 – (Directors: Taika Waititi & Jemaine Clement, Featuring Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, Jonathan Brugh) – Living with roommates can always pose quirky challenges. But when you’re a vampire cohabitating with your fellow kind for a few hundred years, things get a bit tricky. From Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords) comes a hilarious mockumentary of a house of vampires trying to get back in touch with modern society.

    Who Can Kill A Child? – Spain/1976 – (Director: Narciso Ibáñez Serrador, Featuring Lewis Fiander, Prunella Ransome, Antonio Iranzo, Miguel Narros) – Presented by SpectreVision, in cooperation with Channel Z, this rarely seen Spanish horror finds an English coup

    SHORTS:

    Shorts Program I

    JONATHAN’S CHEST, USA, directed by Christopher Radcliff: Everything changes one night for Alex, a troubled teenager, when he is visited by a boy claiming to be his brother — who disappeared years earlier. UNICORN BLOOD, Spain, directed by Alberto Vazquez: Two teddy-bears go hunting unicorns, for their tender flesh and delicious blueberry-flavoured blood which the bears need to stay cute-looking. ANIMALS I KILLED LAST SUMMER, Sweden, directed by Gustav Danielsson: A young boy kills small animals and his father can’t deal with it. GHOST TRAIN, Australia, directed by James Fleming and Kelly Hucker: An elderly man struggling to cope with his wife’s dementia is drawn into a macabre cabaret restaurant where he becomes enchanted by the lead actress. KEKASIH, USA/Malaysia, directed by Diffan Sina Norman: In pursuit of his late wife, a botanical professor encounters a divine presence that will transform him forever. BOX ROOM, Ireland, directed by Michael Lathrop: Behind Jerry’s bedroom wall he discovers a seductive alien creature with which he has sex, leading to a horrific outcome. FLESH, Colombia, directed by Carlos Gómez Salamanca: FLESH reveals the sacrifice of an animal during a countryside celebration in Colombia. THE OBVIOUS CHILD, UK, directed by Stephen Irwin: Somebody broke the girl’s parents. The rabbit was there when it happened. It was an awful mess.

    Shorts Program II

    HERE BE MONSTERS, New Zealand, directed by Paul Glubb and Nic Gorman: He only has one chance to live the last day of his life. BASKIN, Turkey, directed by Can Evrenol: Four cops, go to hell. THE PRESENT, Taiwan, directed by Joe Hsieh: A hotel manager’s daughter falls for a married man at first sight. Rejected by the man, she embarks on a journey of revenge. THE GUEST, Canada, directed by Jovanka Vuckovic: In this existential thriller, a man must face the consequences of a mysterious bargain he has made. WHITE MORNING, UK, directed by Paul Barritt: Six naughty boys carry out an act of violence exploding into a visual investigation of the war machine the boys become. WAWD AHP, USA, directed by Steve Girard: A man raps in front of the mirror, cuts his head off and has sex with it. There is also a cartoon. ANGST, PISS & SHIT, Norway, directed by Fredrik S. Hana: A young couple that once shared a fascination for mass murder and torture, now resemble a sad and lifeless parody on relationships. PERFECT DRUG, Belgium, directed by Toon Aerts: A heist of strange chemical substances goes wrong when one of the thieves can’t resist drinking the glowing elixir.

    Shorts before features

    STARRY EYES THE MUCK, USA, directed by Tony Wash: Laverne arrives home and decides to relax in the bathtub. She strips down, settles into the tub, and closes her eyes. Serenity at last… or so she thought!

    LATE PHASES PAYADA PA’ SATAN, Argentina, directed by Antonio Balseiro and Carlos Balseiro: A Gaucho lives peacefully in the countryside with his wife until one day they hear explosions and the earth starts to shake.

    NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS TOY STORY OF TERROR!, USA, directed by Angus MacLane: From Disney*Pixar comes a spooky new tale featuring all of your favorite characters from the “Toy Story” films.

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  • VIDEO Watch Trailer for Tribeca Film Fest Award Winning Film “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors”

    stand clear of the closing doors poster

    Watch the new trailer for Sam Fleischner’s Stand Clear of the Closing Doors winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival, and set for release by Oscilloscope Laboratories on May 23, 2014. Stand Clear of the Closing Doors stars newcomer Jesus Sanchez-Velez and Andrea Suarez Paz, and follows a thirteen year-old boy who suffers from autism and finds himself lost in the city’s subway system. Due to his status as an illegal immigrant, his desperate mother must find him with whatever little means she has while her son explores and discovers NYC’s countless eccentricities as only an alienated youth could. The danger increases, however, when Hurricane Sandy (which occurred right in the middle of shooting) is set to destroy the city.

    http://youtu.be/6mo2uDPKtXw

    “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors” is the story of Ricky, a 13-year-old boy with autism, and his mother, Mariana. An undocumented immigrant from Mexico, Mariana works long days cleaning houses while Ricky, deeply imaginative but painfully isolated, struggles to cope. They live in Rockaway Beach, Queens along with Ricky’s rebellious older sister, Carla, and semi-absent father, Ricardo Sr. 

    Carla doesn’t pick Ricky up from school one day and as he walks home alone, he is scolded by Mariana over the phone. Blocking out his mother’s wrath, he is swooned by a mysterious dragon figure into the subway. This marks the beginning of the young boy’s odyssey of self-discovery, where his confrontation with the bizarre, indifferent world of the subway pushes him to interact with the world. Mariana’s search brings her out into her neighborhood in new ways. She forms a new relationship with the beach and befriends a shopkeeper who knows her son. As days pass with no sign of Ricky and an impending hurricane, the divisions that the family has tried to ignore are brought to light.

    “Stand Clear of the Closing Doors” is a family drama rooted in the vibrant depiction of a seldom-seen community on the city’s edge. With an eye-opening view of life on the autism spectrum, the film simultaneously explores the strains of the immigrant experience. The film is about identity and conformity; communication and intolerance. It explores the dark spaces between us, 

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  • Seattle International Film Festival Reveals First Films for 2014 – African Pictures Lineup

    Four CornersFour Corners

    The Seattle International Film Festival taking place May 15 to June 8, 2014, revealed the selection of films from and about Africa as part of its African Pictures program. Supported by a generous multi-year grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, African Pictures brings the best in cinema to audiences in Seattle and the broader Northwest.  This year’s lineup includes the world premiere of Leading Lady, the latest comedic romp from the director of SIFF 2013 audience favorite Fanie Fourie’s Lobola. In addition, Four Corners makes its North American premiere and brings a stark and gritty narrative of strategy and the streets to SIFF audiences. 

    In 2013, the inaugural African Pictures lineup challenged and delighted viewers with documentaries, comedies, political dramas, and snappy shorts. SIFF 2013’s Best Director Golden Space Needle Award, a write-in competition open to all films in the Festival, went to Nabil Ayouch for his Horses of God, an African Pictures selection from Morocco. Likewise, Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, an African Pictures romantic comedy from South Africa, took home the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award.

    The following African Pictures titles are the first films to be announced among official selections of the 2014 Seattle International Film Festival. Screening details to follow on May 1.

    African Metropolis
    d: Marie Ka, Philippe Lacote, Ahmed Ghoneimy, Vincent Moloi, Folsakin Iwajomo, Jim Chuchu, Kenya, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa 2013, 92 min

    Filmmakers from across the African continent paint a vivid picture of a new, urbanized Africa through innovative short stories featuring six fast-growing major cities: Abidjan, Cairo, Dakar, Johannesburg, Lagos, and Nairobi.

    B For BoyB For Boy

    B For Boy
    d: Chika Anadu c: Uche Nwadili, Nonso Odogwu, Ngozi Amarikwa, Frances Okeke, Nigeria 2013, 118 min

     In Chika Anadu’s award-winning debut film, Amaka, a 40-year-old Nigerian woman, is expected to produce a male heir. But when the baby dies in utero, she desperately searches for a solution that would keep her husband from taking a second wife.  

    DifretDifret

    Difret
    d: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari c: Meron Getnet, Tizita Hagere, Ethiopia 2014, 99 min

    After being beaten, assaulted, and kidnapped, 14-year-old Aberash shoots and kills her attacker in an act of self-defense, pitting herself and her tenacious lawyer against Ethiopia’s long-standing tradition of marriage by abduction. Based on an extraordinary true story.

    Electro ChaabiElectro Chaabi

    Electro Chaabi
    d: Hind Meddeb, Egypt/France 2013, 77 min

    They started as performers in the poorest neighborhoods of Cairo; now they’re among Egypt’s fastest-rising stars. Unlikely musical celebrities, their electrifying version of Arab hip hop has flourished across social classes to become the inspiring soundtrack to a tumultuous time.

    Finding FelaFinding Fela

    Finding Fela
    d: Alex Gibney, USA 2014, 120 min

    Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti’s magnetism reverberates through time. The social and political significance of his life’s work is considered through historic clips and scenes from the Broadway musical FELA!

    Four Corners
    NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
    d: Ian Gabriel c: Brendon Daniels, Irshaad Ally, Jezriel Skei, Lindiwe Matshikiza, Abdurahman Adams, South Africa 2014, 114 min

    13-year-old chess prodigy Ricardo gets caught between two long-warring gangs, the 26s and the 28s of the pitiless Cape Flats of South Africa, just as the father he’s never known is released from prison.

    Half of a Yellow SunHalf of a Yellow Sun

    Half of a Yellow Sun
    d: Biyi Bandele c: Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Boyega, Anika Noni Rose, Joseph Mawle, Nigeria/United Kingdom 2013, 106 min

    Based on the eponymous novel by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Half of a Yellow Sun follows the lives of two Nigerian sisters in the 1960s who return home after receiving educations in England. The tumultuous Nigerian Civil War is the backdrop to this author-approved drama adaptation.

    Leading Lady
    WORLD PREMIERE
    d: Henk Pretorius c: Gil Bellows, Katie McGrath, Brumilda van Rensburg, Bok van Blerk, Eduan van Jaarsveldt, South Africa 2014, 96 min

    From the director of Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, winner of the SIFF 2013 Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film, comes this uplifting tale of a teacher and struggling actress who enlist a South African sheep farmer in helping her prepare for a make-or-break film role. 

    Rags and TattersRags and Tatters

    Rags and Tatters
    d: Ahmad Abdalla c: Asser Yassin, Atef Yousef, Amr Abed, Yara Gubran, Mohamed Mamdouh, Egypt 2013, 87 min

    A nameless fugitive fights his way through the chaos of revolutionary Cairo to deliver cell phone footage of police brutality from his dying friend to the outside world. Hailed as “a touchstone of post-revolutionary Egyptian cinema.” 

    The RooftopsThe Rooftops

    The Rooftops
    d: Merzak Allouache c: Adila Bendimerad, Nassima Belmihoub, Ahcene Benzerari, Aïssa Chouat, Mourad Khen, Algeria/France 2013, 92 min

    Algeria’s most beloved director weaves the story of five Algiers neighborhoods organized according to the five calls to prayer over the course of a single day.

    Salvation ArmySalvation Army

    Salvation Army
    d: Abdellah Taïa c: Saïd Mrini, Karim Ait M’hand, Amine Ennaji, Malika El Hamaoui, Frederic Landenberg, Morocco/France 2013, 82 min

    Inspired by the director’s own experiences, the film recounts the journey of a gay Moroccan teenager who uses his sexuality to advance his position in, and eventually escape, the society that shuns him. A brave, provocative film that tackles taboo issues to offer a new vision of the queer Arab experience.

    Under the Starry SkyUnder the Starry Sky

    Under the Starry Sky
    d: Dyana Gaye c: Marème Demba Ly, Ralph Amoussou, Souleymane Seye N’Diaye, Maya Sansa, Babacar M’Baye Fall, France/Senegal 2013, 86 min

    Through three emotionally charged story lines, taking viewers from Senegal to Italy to America and back again, the destinies of three far-flung sojourners connect in this transcontinental drama that’s a richly realized examination of the African diaspora and the often fractal nature of contemporary emigration.

    White ShadowWhite Shadow

    White Shadow
    d: Noaz Deshe c: Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu, Salum Abdallah, Germany/Italy, Tanzania 2013, 115 min

    In Tanzania, young albino Alias is on the run after witnessing his father’s murder. He finds city life as fraught with danger as the bush in this intense and stunning feature debut centering on crime perpetrated because of superstition.

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  • PULP Music Documentary to Open 2014 Sheffield Doc/Fest | VIDEO Pulp Performing at 2014 SXSW

     PULP. A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets

     The 21st edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest, considered UK’s premier documentary and digital media festival, will officially open with the European Premiere of PULP. A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets, attended by the director Florian Habicht, producer Alex Boden of Pistachio Pictures Production and band-members: Jarvis Cocker, Nick Banks, Candida Doyle, Steve Mackey and Mark Webber. By turns funny, moving, life-affirming and (occasionally) bewildering, PULP is a music-film like no other. Florian Habicht unveils the deep affection that the inhabitants of Sheffield have for Pulp, and the formative effect the town has had on the band’s music (and front-man Jarvis Cocker’s lyrics in particular).

    Says Hussain Currimbhoy, Director of Programming, “I can’t think of a better film to open this year’s fest with than Florian’s PULP. And to have the whole band together to talk about the film after the screening is going to be awesome”.

    Sheffield Doc/Fest takes place across Sheffield and the Peak District in UK from Saturday 7 to Thursday 12 June. The full festival program will be launched on 8 May.

    PULP will be released in the UK by Soda Pictures on 6th June.

     http://youtu.be/9_u994qUxbc

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  • “Doc of the Dead” Documentary to Open Colorado’s Stanley Film Festival

     Doc of the DeadDoc of the Dead

    The Stanley Film Festival (SFF) in Denver, Colorado, which celebrates the best in independent horror cinema at the hotel that inspired The Shining, will open Thursday, April 24 with a Gala Presentation of an original documentary from EPiX, Doc of the Dead. Directed by Colorado filmmaker, Alexandre O. Philippe (The People Vs. George Lucas), the film explores the evolution of the zombie genre in film, television and literature, as well as its impact and influence on pop culture. The film which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival features footage taken at the 35th Starz Denver Film Festival’s “George Romero’s Zombie Town Hall Meeting.” 

    Stanley HotelStanley Hotel

    The Festival featuring a full slate of films, panels, competitions, and special events will be held April 24-27, 2014, at the ‘beautiful and historically haunted’ Stanley Hotel.

    In addition to the Opening Night film, SFF announced it will host a series of events, sure to satisfy even the most dedicated horror fans. Throughout the Festival, “players” of the Immersive Horror Game will use multiple media platforms and game elements to delve deep into a mystery/horror narrative that uses the Stanley Hotel and the Festival as a vehicle to engage its participants in a story that seamlessly exists concurrently with everyday life. On Friday evening, Fangoria Entertainment and ShockTilYouDrop.com will bring their Dead Right Horror Trivia from Los Angeles to Estes Park. Saturday evening, Glass Eye Pix will present The Stanley Edition of TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE with hosts, Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid, featuring two brand new tales performed at the Historic Park Theater in town by special guests with films at the Festival. Additional events include a Murder Mystery Dinner Friday evening, Zombie Crawl Saturday afternoon, and a Big Wheel Death Race on Sunday morning, all at the Stanley Hotel.

    FEATURE PRESENTATIONS:

    Doc of the Dead – USA (Director: Alexandre O. Phillipe, Featuring George Romero, Simon Pegg, Bruce Campbell, Max Brooks, Tom Savini, Greg Nicotero, Robert Kirkman) – Could there be a real zombie outbreak? If so, Doc of the Dead can help you prepare. This definitive guide to all things undead delves deep into the evolution of the zombie genre in film and literature, as well as its impact and influence on pop culture, to deliver a comprehensive, fast-paced, highly entertaining look at a contemporary social pandemic of global proportions.

    http://youtu.be/drttSC2enSU

     

    SPECIAL EVENTS:

    IMMERSIVE HORROR GAME Bleeding seamlessly into the atmosphere of fear and suspense we are excited to announce the Stanley Film Festival’s Inaugural Immersive Horror Game, a real horror/mystery narrative using the Festival itself as its medium. Those who follow the clues opt in to the game, becoming the protagonists of an engaging and creepy interactive thriller culminating in an irreproducible climax you can never unsee.

    Glass Eye Pix Presents TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE: The Stanley Edition An ongoing series of audio dramas penned by luminaries from the world of contemporary horror from JT Petty (HELLBENDERS) to Simon Barrett (YOU’RE NEXT), and Kim Newman (ANO DRACULA), featuring players from Ron Perlman (HELLBOY), to Angus Scrimm (PHANTASM), and Mark Margolis (AMERICAN HORROR STORY). The Stanley edition will feature performers culled from the film lineup. Join horror impresarios Glenn McQuaid and Larry Fessenden as they invite you to close your eyes and… listen. Learn more at talesfrombeyondthepale.com

    DEAD RIGHT HORROR TRIVIA HOSTED BY FANGORIA ENTERTAINMENT AND SHOCKTILYOUDROP.COM Do you consume horror as voraciously as zombies eat flesh? The hit Los Angeles horror event comes to the Stanley Film Festival! Join Fangoria’s Rebekah McKendry and ShockTillYouDrop.com’s Ryan Turek and test your horror knowledge in eight rounds of terrifyingly titillating trivia. Scare yourself with how much you actually know about horror. Trivia will be held early Friday evening at the Wheel Bar in Estes Park. Come with a team or join one there. All are welcome.

    MURDER MYSTERY DINNER Murder is afoot at the old Stanley Hotel. Guests of the festival are welcome to register for a night of intrigue and deception unraveling over a wonderful three-course meal as they become their very own detectives.

    BIG WHEEL DEATH RACE Guests will race through the expansive grounds of the Stanley Hotel on their very own adult sized big wheel, just like Danny Torrance. Festival pass holders will have an opportunity to race using adult sized big wheels on  a course that runs the grounds of the Stanley Hotel. Registration will take place at 

    the guest relations table for teams of four for a relay style race between 32 teams to determine one winner who will walk away with a complimentary stay at the Stanley Hotel.

    EYE HEART BRAINS ZOMBIE CRAWL When there’s no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth. And, now you can too. Converge upon the Stanley Film Festival in style by participating in a good ol’fashioned Zombie Crawl hosted by Eye Heart Brains, purveyors of the world’s largest zombie gatherings. The death march will move along The Stanley Hotel grounds and through the neighboring streets of Estes Park in search of brains. BRAAAAIIIIIIIIINNNNNS!!

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