Director Paul Schrader at 44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Paul Schrader, Shekhar Kapur, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul are amont 70 movie directors from all over the world invited to make a short film lasting between 60 and 90 seconds, for a special project, Venezia 70 – Future Reloaded, in celebration of the 70th Venice International Film Festival (August 28 – September 7, 2013).
The ‘original” supernatural chiller INSIDIOUS which had its world premiere in the Midnight Madness program at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival will make its debut on the cable channel FEARnet on Sunday, September 8, and on VOD starting Wednesday, September 11 before the theatrical release of the film’s sequel INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 on Friday, September 13.
Actor Dennis Farina, a onetime Chicago police officer who played Detective Joe Fontana on the television show “Law & Order,” died on Monday. He was 69.
Rita Moreno Arriving for the Red Carpet at the West Side Story 50th Annivesary Celebration
Actress Rita Moreno has been named the 50th recipient of SAG-AFTRA‘s highest tribute – the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. The SAG Life Achievement Award will join Moreno’s other industry and public honors, which includes an Oscar, two Emmys, a Tony, a Grammy, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of the Arts. Moreno will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 20th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2014
IT’S ALL SO QUIET, directed by Nanouk Leopold
Outfest Los Angeles wrapped its 31st festival and awarded IT’S ALL SO QUIET, directed by Nanouk Leopold the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding International Dramatic Feature Film, and BORN THIS WAY, directed by Shaun Kadlec and Deb Tullman won the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature Film. The Audience on the other hand picked REACHING FOR THE MOON, directed by Bruno Barreto with the Audience Award for Outstanding Dramatic Feature Film and BRIDEGROOM, directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature Film.
Actress Jessica Chastain was honored at the 2013 Giffoni Film Festival with ‘Giffoni Experience Award’ dedicated to international guest stars. The Giffoni Film Festival located in Giffoni Valle Piana in Campania, Southern Italy, is considered the largest children’s film festival in Europe.
Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, the longest running competitive short film and animation festival in the UK returns to Bristol from September 17-22, 2013. This year the festival has announced a Swiss Focus in partnership with Swiss Films and Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, highlighting today’s hottest Swiss film and animation exports. The showcase includes ‘God You’re So Square’, curated by Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, which breaks down the conventional image of the Swiss psyche (efficient, boring, predictable) by exploring dysfunctional males who are struggling to find their place in society and the film THE LIVING ALSO CRY by Basil da Cunha, who recently presented his first feature at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Sam Eidson as Scott in ZERO CHARISMA directed by Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews. Photo credit courtesy of Zero Charisma
From the San Diego Comic-con comes the announcement that Nerdist Industries in partnership with Tribeca Film will co release Katie Graham and Andrew Matthews’s directorial debut “ZERO CHARISMA”. The “Dungeons & Dragons” culture-inspired indie-dramedy, which world premiered at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival – taking home the audience award in the Narrative Spotlight category, stars Sam Eidson (Natural Selection, My Sucky Teen Romance), Garrett Graham, and Brock England. The film was written by Matthews and produced by Shark Films and Magic Stone.
Tribeca Film and Nerdist Industries will co-release the film this fall beginning October 8, 2013 on cable/telco and satellite video-on-demand platforms, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU, Playstation, and Google Play, followed by a theatrical release on October 11, 2013.
Filmmaker Magazine released the 16th edition of its annual “25 New Faces of Independent film” – its bet on the individuals who will be shaping the independent film world of the future. The Summer 2013 issue features on its cover Fruitvale Station director Ryan Coogler, who himself was selected for the “25 New Faces” series just one year ago.
SPARROWS DANCE, winner of Best Narrative Feature at the 2012 Austin Film Festival will be available nationwide on demand August 20, 2013 and select theatrical release in NY on August 23, 2013. Directed by Noah Buschel and starring Paul Sparks and Marin Ireland, the film is described as “a tender movie about love and fear,” the film tells the story of “An agoraphobic actress who hasn’t stepped outside in over a year finds her comfortable routine broken when her toilet overflows. “
As we reported earlier, the World Premiere “OF GOOD REPORT” from South African director Jahmil XT Qubeka was scheduled to open the 34th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), in Durban, South Africa, on Thursday, July 18, 2013. However, just before the festival was scheduled to begin, the filmmakers tweeted that the opening night film screening had to be canceled at the last minute after the South African government Film and Publication Board effectively censored the film. Instead an image was displayed on the screen that read, “This film has been refused classification by the Film and Publication Board, in terms of the Film and Publications Act of 1996. Unfortunately we may not legally screen the film, Of Good Report, as doing so would constitute a criminal offense.”
The San Francisco Film Society today announced the eight finalists for the fifth annual $15,000 SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant. The 2013 finalists include a number of writer-directors whose work has recently made waves on the international festival scene, including Destin Cretton (Short Term 12), Tom Gilroy (The Cold Lands) and Eliza Hittman (It Felt Like Love). The winner will be announced in mid-September.