• RAM-LEELA to Open 2013 Marrakech International Film Festival | PICS + TRAILER

    RAM-LEELA, the new film from Sanjay Leela Bhansali

    The opening ceremony of the 13th Marrakech International Film Festival will have an Indian flavor with the premiere of RAM-LEELA, the new film from Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the director of DEVDAS.  RAM-LEELA, described as a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, and starring  Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, will kick off the festival on 29 November, 2013.  The 13th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival takes place from 29 November to 7 December 2013 in Marrakech, Morocco.

     RAM-LEELA is said to be an adaptation of Shakespeare’s epic love story Romeo and Juliet, set in violent times

    RAM-LEELA, the new film from Sanjay Leela Bhansali

    Ram : Born in the land of guns, goons and hardcore enmity, RAM – the local village romeo, is a raapchik, cheap, dramatic vagabond. The lover who fights the whole world for his Leela and yet the man who stands by his clan even at the cost of his own love

    RAM-LEELA, the new film from Sanjay Leela Bhansali,

    Leela : In love with her enemy, a beautiful, young, spicy, fearless gujrati belle, born to an underworld mistress and yet far removed from the violence that surrounds her. Her life is only about her faith in her lover , her tireless wait for him, her sacrifices for him and ultimately her’self’ against him 

    When the two see each other for the first time, worlds collide, wars are fought and destinies are written in blood, forever. The Jadejas and the Rabaris are sworn enemies since the past 500 years and their own kin falling in love with each other is worst than any storm that could have ever come by. Set in the present day, magnificent vibrant landscape of Gujarat, woven with song and dance, Ram and Leela fight the world to live their own dreams. What will happen when they declare their love to the world? Will their families relent or will Ram and Leela carve their own destiny?

    http://youtu.be/StphRCLkx6Q

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  • AFI FEST 2013 Full Program Including World Cinema Selections

    WE ARE THE BEST directed by Lukas Moodysson. WE ARE THE BEST directed by Lukas Moodysson.

    AFI FEST announced the remaining sections and films that will screen in the festival’s World Cinema, American Independents, Breakthrough, Midnight, Cinema’s Legacy and Presentations programs. This year’s program includes CLOSED CURTAIN directed by Jafar Panahi; MOEBIUS directed by Kim Ki-duk; OUR SUNHI directed by Hong Sang-soo; TOM AT THE FARM directed by Xavier Dolan and WE ARE THE BEST directed by Lukas Moodysson.

    WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (32 titles)

    This section presents new work by many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers.

    BABY BLUES – DIR/SCR Kasia Rosłaniec. Poland.

    BETHLEHEM – DIR Yuval Adler. SCR Yuval Adler, Ali Waked. Isarel.

    BORGMAN – DIR/SCR Alex van Warmerdam. Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark.

    CHILD’S POSE – DIR Călin Peter Netzer. SCR Răzvan Rădulescu, Călin Peter Netzer. Romania.

    CLOSED CURTAIN – DIR Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi. SCR Jafar Panahi. Iran.

    THE CONGRESS – DIR/SCR Ari Folman. Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg.

    AN EPISODE IN THE LIFE OF AN IRON PICKER – DIR/SCR Danis Tanovic. Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Slovenia.

    EXHIBITION – DIR/SCR Joanna Hogg. United Kingdom.

    GABRIELLE – DIR/SCR Louise Archambault. Canada.

    GLORIA – DIR Sebastián Lelio. SCR Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza. Chile, Spain.

    GRAND CENTRAL – DIR Rebecca Zlotowski. SCR Gaëlle Mace, Rebecca Zlotowski. France, Austria.

    THE GREAT BEAUTY – DIR Paolo Sorrentino. SCR Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello. Italy, France.

    HALF OF A YELLOW SUN – DIR/SCR Biyi Bandele. Nigeria, United Kingdom.

    HELI – DIR Amat Escalante. SCR Amat Escalante, Gabriel Reyes. Mexico, France, Germany, Netherlands.

    JUVENILE OFFENDER – DIR Kang Yi-kwan. SCR Kang Yi-kwan, Park Joo-young. South Korea.

    LA JAULA DE ORO – DIR Diego Quemada-Diez. SCR Diego Quemada-Diez, Gibrán Portela, Lucía Carrera. Mexico, Spain.

    LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON – DIR/SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. Japan.

    THE LUNCHBOX – DIR/SCR Ritesh Batra. India, France, Germany.

    MANAKAMANA – DIR Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez. Nepal, USA.

    MANUSCRIPTS DON’T BURN – DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. Iran.

    MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS – DIR Thomas Imbach. SCR Thomas Imbach, Andrea Štaka, Eduard Habsburg. Switzerland, France.

    THE MISSING PICTURE – DIR Rithy Panh. SCR Christophe Bataille. Cambodia, France.

    MOEBIUS – DIR/SCR Kim Ki-duk. South Korea.

    OMAR – DIR/SCR Hany Abu-Assad. Palestine.

    OUR SUNHI – DIR/SCR Hong Sang-soo. South Korea.

    THE ROCKET – DIR/SCR Kim Mordaunt. Australia.

    STRANGER BY THE LAKE – DIR/SCR Alain Guiraudie. France.

    TOM AT THE FARM – DIR Xavier Dolan. SCR Xavier Dolan, Michel Marc Bouchard. Canada, France.

    VIC + FLO SAW A BEAR – DIR/SCR Denis Côté. Canada.

    WE ARE THE BEST! – DIR/SCR Lukas Moodysson. Sweden.

    WHEN EVENING FALLS ON BUCHAREST OR METABOLISM – DIR/SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. Romania, France.

    THE WIND RISES – DIR/SCR Hayao Miyazaki. Japan.

    AMERICAN INDEPENDENTS SELECTIONS (6 titles)

    The American Independents section features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers.

    AWFUL NICE – DIR Todd Sklar. SCR Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie. USA.

    BLUE RUIN – DIR/SCR Jeremy Saulnier. USA.

    BREATHE IN – DIR Drake Doremus. SCR Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones. USA.

    CAUCUS – DIR AJ Schnack. USA.

    CHARLIE VICTOR ROMEO – DIR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Karlyn Michelson. SCR Robert Berger, Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory. USA.

    WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE – DIR Zeke Hawkins, Simon Hawkins. SCR Dutch Southern. USA.

    BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (4 titles)

    B FOR BOY – DIR/SCR Chika Anadu. Nigeria.
    North American Premiere.

    CONGRATULATIONS! – DIR/SCR Mike Brune. USA.

    LITTLE BLACK SPIDERS – DIR Patrice Toye. SCR Ina Vandewijer, Patrice Toye. Belgium.

    MY AFGHANISTAN – LIFE IN THE FORBIDDEN ZONE – DIR/SCR Nagieb Khaja. Denmark.

    MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (5 titles)

    This section showcases comedy and horror programming worth staying up late for.

    BIG BAD WOLVES – DIR/SCR Navot Papushado, Aharon Keshlaes. Israel.

    THE GREEN INFERNO – DIR Eli Roth. SCR Eli Roth, Guillermo Amoedo. USA, Chile.

    R100 – DIR/SCR Hitoshi Matsumoto. Japan.

    THE SACRAMENT – DIR/SCR Ti West. USA.

    THE STRANGE COLOUR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS – DIR/SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. Belgium, France, Luxembourg.

    CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (3 titles)

    THE COURT JESTER (1955) – DIR/SCR Norman Panama, Melvin Frank. USA.

    MARY POPPINS (1964) – DIR Robert Stevenson. SCR Bill Walsh, Don DaGradi. USA.

    THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964) – DIR/SCR Jacques Demy. France.

    PRESENTATIONS SELECTIONS (2 titles)

    The Whitewater Films Roundtable

    Micro-Budget Filmmaking – The New Paradigm

    Producer and Director Rick Rosenthal brings the famed Whitewater Films roundtable to AFI FEST for a conversation about how micro-budget filmmaking has emerged as the new paradigm for independent filmmakers. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Rosenthal’s micro-budget film DRONES.

    DRONES – DIR Rick Rosenthal. SCR Matt Witten. USA.

    Michael Stevens presents HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE

    Special guests join director Michael Stevens for a panel discussion about the influence of the political cartoons of Herbert Lawrence Block. The conversation will be followed by a screening of Stevens’ HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE.

    HERBLOCK: THE BLACK AND THE WHITE – DIR Michael Stevens. SCR Sara Lukinson, Michael Stevens. USA.

     

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  • 2013 Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize Awards;

    2013 Heartland Film Festival Awards Winners2013 Heartland Film Festival Awards Winners

    The 22nd annual Heartland Film Festival taking place October 17 to 26, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, announced its four Grand Prize Awards.  HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone received the award for Best Narrative Feature Film and THE NETWORK directed by Eva Orner received the award for Best Documentary Feature. In addition actress Vanessa Hudgens received the Pioneering Spirit: Rising Star Award for her role in GIMME SHELTER, the Festival’s Opening Night Event film that held its world premiere at the festival.

    Narrative Feature
    HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES
    Directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone

    HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES, directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone

    While exploring their Northeastern environment, two young boys discover the dead body of one of their friends under a bridge. Even though there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of foul play, the event ripples under the surface of their town, unsettling the brothers and their friends in ways they can’t fully understand. Once-familiar interactions begin to take on a macabre tone in light of the tragic accident, leading Eric and Tommy to retreat into their wild surroundings. They face opposition from different forces in their town, including the father of their friend, as they struggle to come to terms with what happened and how this correlates with the existing paradigm of nature. As the two brothers vocally face the questions they have about mortality, they simultaneously hold their own silent debates within their minds that build into seemingly insurmountable moral peaks.

    Documentary Features
    THE NETWORK
    Directed by Eva Orner

    THE NETWORK, directed by Eva Orner

     

    This is the story of the first independent television network, TOLO TV, in one of the most unstable and dangerous places on earth, Afghanistan. In 2002, Kabul was emerging from five years of Taliban terror. Under the Taliban, all forms of media except the state-run radio station had been outlawed. Wanting to help rebuild their country, the Mohseni family returns from exile in Australia, passionate about giving the Afghan people a voice that had been taken away from them for so long. They knew nothing about the media, but they knew how to run a successful business. The result is Afghanistan’s largest and most successful television network employing over 800 Afghans producing news, current affairs, drama, comedy, music and lifestyle programs.

    This was not and is not an easy process. Expats are brought in to teach the Afghans the myriad details of running a television network and find themselves, in spite of the serious dangers, enamored of the Afghans; their optimism and how, really, they just want the same basic things we do. Women, despite cultural and familial pressures, risk their lives and reputations to work alongside the men at TOLO TV. You’ll find yourself completely taken in by this most unlikely subject, fascinated by the unusual challenges faced by the upstart television network. Finally, it’s a chance to see Afghanistan and its people as something other than a war-torn nation.

     

    Narrative Short
    THE AMBER AMULET
    Directed by Matthew Moore

    THE AMBER AMULET, directed by Matthew Moore

    The Masked Avenger can make things happen. Though at 10 he is considered young for a justice fighter he has already proved himself highly effective in the pursuit of peace. He has discovered powers that are locked inside gems and minerals and uses them to keep Franklin Street safe. But something is wrong in the house at the end of the street. There is a woman in trouble. When The Masked Avenger leaves a ‘happiness questionnaire’ in her letterbox a series of events are set in motion that no one could predict. This is the story of a superhero, a beagle, an amber amulet and the potential that is locked inside all of us.

    Documentary Short
    WRINKLES OF THE CITY – LA HAVANA
    Directed by José Parlá and J.R.

    WRINKLES OF THE CITY – LA HAVANA, directed by José Parlá and J.R.

    In 2012, the French artist JR collaborated with Cuban-American artist Jose Parla for the Havana Biennale. Through JR’s pasting and Jose’s painting, they created murals to tell the stories of 25 senior citizens who lived through the Cuban revolution.

    High School Film Competition
    UPROOTED
    Directed by Carol Nguyen

    UPROOTED, directed by Carol Nguyen

    Everyone has an origin story. It is important to know your history because it is part of your identity and reveals where you came from. ‘Uprooted’ is a personal retell of my father’s escape from Vietnam. His story displays the powerful strength of the human will and illustrates how we should enjoy the little things in life.

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  • IT’S BETTER TO JUMP Gets November 2013 Release Date | TRAILER

    IT'S BETTER TO JUMP

    IT’S BETTER TO JUMP, a documentary film about the ancient walled city of Akka in northern Israel, inhabited by Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Baha’i, and focuses on the aspirations and concerns of the Palestinian inhabitants who call the Old City home, opens in NYC on November 22, 2013 at The Quad Cinema. The film, directed by Patrick Alexander Stewart, Gina M. Angelone, and Mouna B.Stewart, will also be featured in a number of film festivals including the Boston Palestine Film Festival on October 21st and the Other Israel Film Festival in New York on November 19.

    IT’S BETTER TO JUMP is about the ancient walled city of Akka in northern Israel, inhabited by Muslims, Christians, Jews, and Baha’i.  But its history goes all the way back to rule of the Egyptian Pharaohs.  As Akka undergoes harsh economic pressures and vast social change, the present-day situation is causing Arab families to leave the places where they have grown roots for dozens of generations and shaped a rich culture for over a thousand years. This film focuses on the aspirations and concerns of the Palestinian inhabitants who call the Old City home.

    Atop a forty-foot, centuries-old seawall in this ancient port city, young people dare to stand along the one-meter thick structure and risk their fate by jumping into the roiling waters below. This perilous tradition has continued for many generations and has become a rite of passage for the children of Akka. Within their current dilemma, jumping from the ancient seawall becomes not only an expression of extreme exhilaration, but also a matter of self-determination. 

     http://youtu.be/zhYiZuRSUxg

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  • Winners Announced For Academy Nicholl Fellowships

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting awards dinner

    Four individual writers and one writing team have been selected as winners of the 2013 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition.  Each winner will receive a $35,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at an awards presentation on Thursday, November 7, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  For the first time, the event will also feature a live read of selected scenes from the fellows’ winning scripts.

    This year’s winners are (listed alphabetically by author):
    Frank DeJohn & David Alton Hedges, Santa Ynez, CA, “Legion”
    Patty Jones, Vancouver, BC, Canada, “Joe Banks”
    Alan Roth, Suffern, NY, “Jersey City Story”
    Stephanie Shannon, Los Angeles, CA, “Queen of Hearts”
    Barbara Stepansky, Burbank, CA, “Sugar in My Veins”

    The winners were selected from a record 7,251 scripts submitted for this year’s competition. 

    Fellowships are awarded with the understanding that the recipients will each complete a feature-length screenplay during their fellowship year.  The Academy acquires no rights to the works of Nicholl fellows and does not involve itself commercially in any way with their completed scripts.

    Directed by Rodrigo Garcia (“Albert Nobbs,” “Mother and Child,” “Nine Lives”) and produced by Julie Lynn ( “Albert Nobbs,” “Mother and Child,” “The Jane Austen Book Club”), the awards presentation and live read, which is supported by Lexus, will include members from the Academy’s Actors Branch performing scenes from the five winning scripts.  Casting for the live read will be announced.  Tickets to the event are available to the public at www.oscars.org.

    Lexus will engineer a new and innovative extension of the fellowship for the first time. One of the top five winners will be presented with a grant which will allow them to write and produce a short film that will appear on certain Lexus creative platforms such as LStudio.com. 

    The Academy Nicholl Fellowships Committee, chaired by producer Gale Anne Hurd, is composed of writers Naomi Foner, Daniel Petrie Jr., Tom Rickman, Eric Roth, Dana Stevens and Robin Swicord; actor Eva Marie Saint; cinematographer John Bailey; costume designer Vicki Sanchez; producers Peter Samuelson and Robert W. Shapiro; marketing executive Buffy Shutt; and agent Ronald R. Mardigian.

    Since 1986, 133 fellowships have been awarded, including one to 2010 winner Destin Daniel Cretton who recently wrote and directed “Short Term 12” from his Nicholl Fellowship-winning script.  Creighton Rothenberger co-wrote “Olympus Has Fallen,” which opened in theaters this past March.  Rebecca Sonnenshine is a writer and executive story editor on “The Vampire Diaries.”  Andrew Marlowe is a writer and executive producer, and Terri Edda Miller is a writer and consulting producer on “Castle.”

     via press release

    Pictured: Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presented its Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting awards dinner on November 4, 2010 in Beverly Hills.  via: Facebook

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  • 2013 New Hampshire Film Festival Granny Award Winners; ALL THAT I AM Wins Grand Jury Award

     ALL THAT I AM directed by Carlos PugaALL THAT I AM directed by Carlos Puga

    ALL THAT I AM directed by Carlos Puga is the winner of the Grand Jury Award at the 2013 New Hampshire Film Festival which took place October 17 to 20, 2013 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  GOODBYE WORLD directed Denis Henry Hennely took the award for Best Feature and THE CRASH REEL directed by Lucy Walker won the award for Best Documentary. 

    Grand Prize Screenplay Writers
    George Guthridge and Deborah Schildt

    Best Student Film – IF WE WERE ADULTS
    Directed by Michael Fitzgerald
    Starring: Suziey Block and Zach Alden
    When Mitch and Izzy learn of their best friend’s engagement, they become the last unmarried couple. Out of spite and a little booze, they decide to take the plunge, and what they find is downright frightening.

    Best Short Comedy – ALIVE FEELING LIKE A BUCK SEVENTY FIVE
    Directed by Michael Neithardt
    1999. I was somebody. Then she broke my heart. Can’t forget. Don’t want to remember. Amanda came into my life like a goddamn freight train. Why’d we ever meet? Everything was fine. It’s years later. Still feel empty. I’m nobody. For months, you know what, almost a whole year I was somebody. But I’d give it all back to avoid this empty, bleeding feeling. Because nobody deserves that. Never.

    Best Short Drama – PALIMPSEST
    Directed by Michael Tyburski
    A successful house tuner provides clients a unique form of therapy that examines subtle details in their living spaces.

    Best Short Documentary – HIGH AND HALLOWED: EVEREST 1963
    Directed by David Morton, Jake Norton, Jim Aikman
    High and Hallowed: Everest 1963 is the deeper story of the greatest Himalayan climb in American mountaineering history. Profiling the bold and visionary efforts of the 1963 American Mount Everest Expedition, the film examines the sheer commitment, step-by-step struggle and lasting impact of the first American ascent of Mt. Everest and the pioneering first ascent of the West Ridge by Tom Hornbein and Willi Unsoeld. Five decades later, High and Hallowed journeys back to Everest to discover if the essence of risk, adventure and the unknown that drew the first Americans to the summit still exists on Everest today.

    Best Animated Film – THE MISSING SCARF
    Directed by Eoin Duffy
    Albert the Squirrel makes a startling discovery … an empty space where once his favorite scarf lay. He heads off into the forest only to find everyone else is preoccupied with worries of their own. He helps whomever he can before moving on but never seems to get any closer to his goal. Ultimately, Albert’s problem is put in perspective by the friends he helped and the problems they faced and overcame together.

    Audience Choice Documentary – LIFE ACCORDING TO SAM
    Directed by Sean and Andrea Fine
    One family’s courageous fight to save their only son from a rare and fatal disease, progeria. The average age of death from progeria is 13, there is no treatment and no cure. Dr. Leslie Gordon and Dr. Scott Berns are set on changing this. Their son, Sam, was diagnosed with progeria at age two and they were told to enjoy what time they had. They refused to believe this was the answer. Sam is now 16. In less than a decade, their advances have led to the discovery of the gene at fault, creating the first drug trials for treatment, and revealing the amazing discovery that progeria is linked to the aging process in all of us.

    Audience Choice Feature – SANATORIUM
    Directed by Brant Sersen
    Starring: Kate Wood, Megan Neuringer, Don Fanelli, DJ Hazard.
    On a bitterly cold December night, a paranormal investigations team has set their sights on the bloody Hillcrest Sanatorium to answer the age old question: Is there life after death? With rumors of hauntings and local children gone missing, they may just get their answer the hard way when members of the team mysteriously disappear, leaving behind unnerving evidence…

    Best Documentary – THE CRASH REEL
    Directed by Lucy Walker
    Starring: Kevin Pearce, Shaun White and Mason Aguirre
    Fifteen years of vérité footage show the epic rivalry between snowboarding half-pipe legends Shaun White and Kevin Pearce. These childhood friends became number one and two in the world leading up to the Vancouver Winter Olympics, pushing one another to ever more dangerous tricks, until Kevin crashed on a Park City half-pipe, barely surviving. As Kevin recovers from his injury, Shaun wins Gold. Now all Kevin wants to do is get on his snowboard again, even though medics and family fear this could kill him. We also celebrate Sarah Burke who crashed in Park City and died January 19, 2012.

    Best Feature – GOODBYE WORLD
    Director Denis Henry Hennely (pictured above)
    Starring: Adrian Grenier, Gaby Hoffmann, Ben McKenzie, Mark Webber, Kerry Bishé, Scott Mescudi and Caroline Dhavernas
    James and Lily live off the grid, raising their young daughter in a cocoon of comfort and sustainability. When a mysterious mass text ripples its way across the country, triggering a crippling, apocalyptic cyber attack, their home transitions from sheltered modern oasis to a fortress for the estranged old friends that show up at their door for protection and community. The unexpected reunion—abundant with revelry and remembrances, generously enhanced by organic wine and weed—is quickly undermined by the slights of the past, the spark of lingering flirtations and the threat of a locally grown new world order.

    Grand Jury Award – ALL THAT I AM
    Directed by Carlos Puga
    Starring: Christopher Abbott, Gaby Hoffmann, Chris McCann and Dan Bittner
    When Dr. Lynn abandoned his terminally ill wife on her deathbed, he left his three children—Susan, Christian and Win—essentially orphaned. Almost a decade later, on the eve of their annual family reunion, Dr. Lynn unexpectedly shows up at Christian’s door claiming he can justify his nine-year absence. Drug-addled and emotionally vulnerable, Christian reluctantly agrees to escort his father to the reunion, sending an already volatile family environment reeling.

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  • 57th BFI London Film Festival Awards; IDA Wins Best Film

     Ida, directed by Pawel PawlikowskiIda, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski

    IDA, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski is the winner of Official Competition Best Film award at the 57th BFI London Film Festival which ran October 9 to 20, 2013.  Philip French, recent BFI Fellow and President of the Official Competition jury said, “The jury greatly admired Ida, the first film made in his native Poland by a director who came to prominence while living in Britain. We were deeply moved by a courageous film that handles, with subtlety and insight, a painfully controversial historical situation – the German occupation and the Holocaust – which continues to resonate. Special praise went to his use of immersive visual language to create a lasting emotional impact.”

    Ilo Ilo, directed by Anthony ChenIlo Ilo, directed by Anthony Chen

    The Sutherland Award presented to the director of the most original and imaginative feature debut in the Festival went to Anthony Chen, the director of ILO ILO, described as a devastating study of a modern affluent family and its vulnerabilities.

    MY FATHERS, MY MOTHER AND MEMY FATHERS, MY MOTHER AND ME

    The Best Documentary Award was awarded to MY FATHERS, MY MOTHER AND ME, a portrait of Friedrichshof, the largest commune in Europe, founded by the Viennese Actionist Otto Mühl in the 1970s and the devastating emotional effects on its residents.  The jury also commended CUTIE & THE BOXER for the original and creative way in which the filmmakers crafted an intimate portrait of a relationship, as well as Greg Baker’s compelling MANHUNT which gave the audience extraordinary access to usually unreachable secret intelligence operatives. The exquisite cinematography of PIPELINE was also recognized and commended.

     Starred UpStarred Up

    The Best British Newcomer award which honors new and emerging film talent, recognizing the achievements of a new writer, producer, director, actor or actress went to screenwriter Jonathan Asser, for his debut feature STARRED UP whose title refers to the practice of placing violent young offenders prematurely in adult prison.  The jury also highly commended the performances of nominees Conner Chapman and Shaun Thomas for their roles in THE SELFISH GIANT.

    via BFI London Film Festival

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  • Film Review: THE PRIME MINISTERS

    THE PRIME MINISTERS, a documentary film by Richard Trank

    THE PRIME MINISTERS documentary directed by Richard Trank is based on the eponymous best-selling book, The Prime Minister, written by Ambassador Yehuda Avner.  Yehuda Avner, who served as a chief aide, English language note-taker and speechwriter to former prime ministers Levi Eshkol, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, and Shimon Peres, takes the audience into this powerful office, with never before seen and heard details on major historical events such as the Six-Day War, the development of Israel’s close strategic relationship with the United States, the fight against terrorism, the Yom Kippur War and its aftermath. 

    The twist here is an interesting one, with narration by Hollywood superstars Sandra Bullock, Michael Douglas, Christoph Waltz, and Leonard Nimoy – they assume the personas of the political leaders. They morph into these political leaders and become voices from the past. 

    Yehuda Avner’s journey into the political arena which began by happenstance introduced him to a new world, and a ring side seat to major events.  Levi Eshkol, the third prime minister of Israel, was faced with the difficult task of staving off war and Avner accompanied him to America where he met with President Johnson.  During Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s reign, Yitzhak Rabin assumed office as Ambassador for Israel.  Avner describes him as a person with an ‘analytical mind’. Yitzhak Rabin eventually became the fifth prime minister of Israel.

    THE PRIME MINISTERS, a documentary film by Richard Trank

    Golda Meir was the fourth prime minister of Israel. In her early life, she came face to face with anti-Semitism and this impacted her choices in life. Golda strived for positive change in the lives of the Jewish community.  She was a force to be reckoned with; very strong leader. Her message was straightforward and candid. Her time as Israeli prime minister was fraught with war and political unrest.

    In addition to the use of Hollywood stars as narrators, director Richard Trank also uses a myriad of techniques that serve to hold the audience. He shuttles from black and white to color picture presentation. The background music is forceful but not overpowering. He utilizes stills (photographs) to reinforce the message, to make the story more engaging. The images are riveting and powerful; pictures of war ravaged areas, fighter pilots preparing for takeoff, presidents huddling in deep discussion of impending warfare and possible arms race.

    THE PRIME MINISTERS, a documentary film by Richard Trank

    THE PRIME MINISTERS documentary film is definitely an exploration of strong leaders who left an indelible mark not only on Israel but on humanity.  

    THE PRIME MINISTERS, a documentary film by Richard Trank, produced by Rabbi Marvin Hier open at the Quad Cinema in NYC on Friday, October 18, and at The Royal in Los Angeles and Town Center in Encino on Wednesday, November 6. A national release will follow.

    http://youtu.be/BhSO8N-kuwo

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  • 2013 Bel-Air Film Festival Award Winners; RETURN TO A HIDING PLACE is Top Winning Film

     RETURN TO A HIDING PLACERETURN TO A HIDING PLACE

    “RETURN TO A HIDING PLACE” is the top winning film of the 2013 Bel-Air Film Festival (BAFF) which was held October 7th to13th throughout Los Angeles.  RETURN TO A HIDING PLACE is the winner of the Jury Awards for Best Jury Feature Film, Best Jury Feature Film Cinematography, and Best Jury Feature Film Directing. Written and directed by Peter Spencer, the film is based on a true story about a group in Holland called The Resistance that fought against the Nazis to save lives and help the Jews during the World War II Era.

    “THE BOARDER” won Best Audience Feature Film Award. The film’s lead actor Andy Scott Harris won Best Jury Feature Film Lead Actor. Written by Jane Ryan, and directed by Jolene Adams, the film is a story about a family that adopts a child who has Reactive Attachment Disorder. Based on a true story and life experiences of the film’s writer Jane Ryan. The Boarder is an honest portrayal of the real life experiences of families with children who have experienced trauma at an early age in their life. Cast includes Leslie Stevens, Carlton Wilborn, Andy Scott Harris, and Dee Wallace.

    “UNCLAIMED,” directed by Emmy Award Winner Michael Jorgensen, received Best Jury Documentary Award. Embarking on a routine missionary trip, veteran and missionary, Tom a former Vietnam Veteran, discovers a man, John Robertson, claiming to be an MIA (missing in action) vet surviving in the jungle for decades. 40 years after the war that radically altered his life as a young man, Tom returns to Vietnam to reunite Robertson with his family in the United States.

    “ANTARCTICA: A YEAR ON ICE” received Best Jury Documentary Film. Written and directed by Anthony Powell, this feature-length documentary film reveals what it is like to live and work at the bottom of the planet, in Antarctica, for a full year. The story is not from the point of view of scientists, but of the people who spend the most time there; the everyday workers who keep the stations running in the harshest place on the planet. The film explores unparalleled access, and never before seen stunning footage of the deep Antarctic winters.

    “THE GUN, THE CAKE, AND THE BUTTERFLY” won both Best Jury Documentary Film Editing Award and Best Audience Documentary Award. Written and Directed by Amanda Eliasch. An experimental and stylish docudrama portrait of London socialite/fashion editor/poet/writer/artist, Amanda Eliasch. Using a variety of actresses as Eliasch’s alter egos, this seductive glimpse into her life spans childhood in the English countryside to her adult years looking for fulfillment in all corners of the globe. A woman full of character and complexity, Eliasch inhabits a modern world of luxury and heartache.

    “SUCCESS DRIVEN” won Best Audience Short Film Award. Executive Produced by Lloyd Klein and written and directed by Scott J. Harris. “Success is a journey, not a destination.” The closing line of the Bel-Air Film Festival Best Audience Short Film Winner, Success Driven, pretty much sums up not only the protagonist of film’s journey, but also the film itself. The original concept, a brainchild of fashion mogul Lloyd Klein and new recording artist Mohammad, was developed into screenplay form by Scott J. Foster. A team was soon assembled, placing Yancey Arias of NYC Films at the helm as director, with Klein, Arias and Foster producing. The film, starring Mohammad Molaei, nom d’arte Mohammad, is a breathtaking semi-autobiographical saga of a Middle Eastern singer who lands in America to become the most sought after musical talent in the world. The cast is rounded out quite elegantly, with Hollywood stars Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic) and Serena Scott Thomas (The World Is Not Enough). “The entire cast and crew are delighted that Success Driven garnered such a prestigious award in the company of so many wonderful films this year at the BAFF,” says Executive Producer Lloyd Klein.

    “DELAROSA” won Best Audience Student Short Film Award. Written and directed by student filmmaker Blake Simon, the film follows the story of a man, Don, who comes home one day to find a note from his wife saying that she has left him. The note contains his wife’s destination, and the film follows Don as he embarks out to recover his wife, meeting many people along the way who attempt to discourage Don’s journey. Don however, will stop at nothing to get back what he wants.

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  • GLORIA, Chile’s Oscar Entry Gets U.S. Release in January 2014 | TRAILER

    GLORIA directed by Sebastian Lelio

    GLORIA directed by Sebastian Lelio and Chile’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Oscars, will be released in the US on January 17, 2014 by Roadside Attractions. GLORIA stars Paulina García who won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for her performance as a vivacious, middle-aged divorcée who finds what may be her last chance for love while grooving on the dance floor of the local singles club.

    Gloria Cumplido (Paulina García) is in her late fifties and lives on her own. Divorced for more than twelve years, she has two grown children and a toddler grandson. While she loves her family, she is not ready to move into full-time grand-parenting. She is smart, savvy, and vivacious. Behind her coquettish demeanour and her oversized glasses is a woman who doesn’t want to settle into a tepid relationship she’s supposed to be grateful for. She wants a real romance, ideally with a partner who loves to dance. At night, Gloria visits her favourite clubs, filled with other middle-aged singles grooving on the dance floor. When she meets the recently separated Rodolfo (Sergio Hernández), it seems that she has found one last chance at love.TIFF

    http://youtu.be/h9PrVESAYeA

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  • GABRIELLE, Canada’s Oscar Entry, to Get US Release in Winter 2013 | TRAILER

    Gabrielle directed by Louise Archambault

    GABRIELLE, directed by Louise Archambault, and Canada’s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Oscars, is scheduled to be released in the US, in Winter 2013 by Entertainment One Films. GABRIELLE, which premiered earlier this year at the 2013 Locarno International Film Festival and also screened at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, is described as a film about a developmentally challenged young woman’s quest for independence and sexual freedom.

    Living in a group home, musically talented Gabrielle has found love in Martin, a fellow member in a choir for developmentally disabled adults. Gabrielle (Gabrielle Marion-Rivard) and Martin (Alexandre Landry) want to explore their feelings for one another physically, but are not allowed. Convinced that living alone will allow her to have the intimate relationship she so desperately craves, Gabrielle tries valiantly to prove she can be independent. TIFF

    http://youtu.be/H1_FkjD9I58

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  • THE WHITE STORM to Close 2013 Rome Film Festival; THE SEVENTH WALK to Close CinemaXXI Section

    THE WHITE STORM (SOU DUK /SAODU) by Benny ChanTHE WHITE STORM (SOU DUK /SAODU) by Benny Chan 

    THE SEVENTH WALK (SAATVIN SAIR), the latest film by Indian director, Amit Dutta, will be the closing film of CinemaXXI, the program section at the 8th Rome Film Festival taking place November 8 to 17, 2013. THE WHITE STORM (SOU DUK /SAODU) by Benny Chan will close the festival.

    THE SEVENTH WALK / SAATVIN SAIR by Amit Dutta, India, 2013, 70’

    THE SEVENTH WALK / SAATVIN SAIR by Amit Dutta

    The extraordinary landscape of the Kangra valley, which Amit Dutta had already filmed in Nainsukh (2010), is the setting once again for the latest film by the Indian director. But whereas Nainsukh was based on the artistic history of an XVIIIth century painter, whose work was figurative Saatvin Sair is inspired by the works of a contemporary Indian artist who paints abstract landscapes, giving free rein to the imagination, as is customary in the modern Western tradition (oil on canvas). In the film, wandering through a forest a painter sees a mysterious footprint and hears the strains of music, which lead him deeper into nature in pursuit of its source, hoping that it might lead to his innermost seeking. As he wanders, he rests under a tree; in his sleep he sees himself walking, painting, stones defying gravity, a small girl taking the sky-route to deliver his daily fruit and milk, seasons changing and years passing. He wakes up and walks into the landscape made-up of his own paintings where the object of his quest might await him. 

    THE WHITE STORM (SOU DUK /SAODU) by Benny Chan, China, Hong Kong, 2013, 140’
    Cast: Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Nick Cheung, Yuan Quan, Lo Hoi Pang

    THE WHITE STORM (SOU DUK /SAODU) by Benny Chan

    Tim (played by Sean Lau) is the ambitious chief inspector of the narcotics bureau, who puts his career above all else. Chao (played by Louis Koo) is a policeman who works undercover, in the depths of Hong Kong’s illegal trafficking. Wai (played by Nick Cheung) is Tim’s loyal subordinate who hopes, some day, to earn the respect of others. The three are life-long friends, but a new mission will put their brotherly bond in danger. In fact, the leader of the Chao gang, Hak Tsai is about to make the biggest drug deal in his criminal career with the notorious Eight-Faced Buddha, South East Asia’s most powerful and feared “drug lord”. Tim is convinced that capturing the Eight-Faced Buddha could be a pivotal moment for his career, while Chao reluctantly agrees to leave Hong Kong and go undercover to infiltrate Hak Tsai’s gang: this will be his last mission before beginning a new life with his pregnant girlfriend. Wai, whose girlfriend has just left him, simply wants to restore his confidence in himself and achieve success. The mission ends in a showdown in which Buddha gets the upper hand and forces Tim to choose which of his two friends will live. With great anguish, Tim chooses Chao and Wai is pushed off the cliff. Five years later, Buddha’s name resurfaces in Hong Kong. Tim and Chao reunite to take revenge, but find that Wai is still alive and involved in a dangerous plot. The three friends will once again have to sacrifice their friendship…. 

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