VIMooZ

Film Society of Lincoln Center Horror Fest Scary Movies 7 Lineup

Scary Movies Horror Film Festival

THE GREEN INFERNO

The Film Society of Lincoln Center’s annual horror fest Scary Movies returns for its 7th edition at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center in New York City from Thursday, October 31 to Thursday, November 7, 2013. Films on the lineup include Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson’s high school horror-revenge film ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE; Eli Roth’s CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST homage, THE GREEN INFERNO; the Italian supernatural meets nature film ACROSS THE RIVER; creepy psycho-thriller PROXY; creepy psycho-comedy CHEAP THRILLS; Mark Hartley’s retelling of the Australian classic PATRICK; European vacation from hell outing AFFLICTED, and mind-warped puzzler OPEN GRAVE starring ELYSIUM and DISTRICT 9 star Sharlto Copley.

SCARY MOVIES 7 Films, Descriptions

U.S. Premiere!
ACROSS THE RIVER (2013) 91 min
Director: Lorenzo Bianchini
Country: Italy
Deep in the woodlands of Friuli, on the Italy-Slovenia border, a biologist stationed alone to perform animal census studies (played by an excellent, appropriately rugged-looking Renzo Gariup) makes a frightening discovery. And, no, it doesn’t involve the wildlife… This meticulously crafted naturalist film with a supernatural kick is good old-fashioned storytelling at its finest. In fact, its impeccable sound design and music, atmospheric locations, and slowly building tension are used to such great effect that you’ll feel like you’re trapped there alongside the scientist: damp, isolated, unsettled, scared to death.

NY Premiere!
AFFLICTED (2013) 85 min
Directors: Cliff Prowse & Derek Lee
Country: Canada
Cliff and Derek’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure? Actor-writer-directors Cliff Prowse and Derek Lee put a creepy new spin on the first-person “found-footage” horror subgenre, playing two friends named Cliff and Derek who decide to document their tour of Europe despite the latter’s potentially life-threatening medical condition. What begins as a deceptively playful “America’s Least Funny Videos” lark soon takes a gruesome turn when Derek contracts a mysterious infection after a one-night stand with a comely girl who picks him up in a club. The trip goes on, but Derek’s symptoms become more and more extreme, and you could say his illness is a classic case of—whoa, no spoilers, dude! Switching gears, AFFLICTED becomes a high-speed pursuit with Interpol chasing their seemingly superhuman—or subhuman—quarry from Italy to Paris, with Prowse and Lee’s fast-paced and inventive camerawork and effective special effects driving the action like there’s notomorrow. A CBS Films Release.
Cliff Prowse & Derek Lee in Person!

U.S. Premiere!
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE (2013) 90 min
Directors: Lucky McKee & Chris Sivertson
Country: USA
What’s worse than mean-girl cheerleaders? How about resurrected mean-girl cheerleaders with supernatural powers? Following first the gruesome accidental death of the squad captain and then the demise of four other squad members when their car is run off the road after an outdoor party turns into a boys-vs.-girls fight, witchcraft is used to revive and rejuvenate the crash victims , who return to school to avenge themselves on the football players who caused their deaths—and anyone else they don’t like. While character motivation shifts as the action plays out (a sapphic subtext may explain things), there’s more than enough mayhem and laughs to go around in this twisty, satirical take on high-school horror. An Image Entertainment release.
Introduced by producer Andrew van den Houten!

BABY BLOOD (1990) 84 min
Director: Alain Robak
Country: France
Though she may work as a circus animal wrangler, there’s one species of wild beast the well-endowed-and-proud-of-it Yanka (Emmanuelle Escourrou) can’t seem to control—men. Yet, surprisingly, it’s not one of her human admirers that ends up impregnating her but a slimy snake-like creature that arrives hidden inside an African leopard, frees itself, and finds refuge in her womb. And so begins what is quite possibly the worst pregnancy ever. That maternal glow nowhere to be found, Yanka becomes pale, sickly, and homicidal, under the telepathic influence of the bloodthirsty “fetus.” (While Gary Oldman provides the voice for the unborn monster in the English-language edition, it’s not nearly as unsettling as the one in original French version, screening here.) This is one batshit-crazy movie—and it’s not to be missed!

CEMETERY MAN (Dellamorte Dellamore) (1994) 103 min
Director: Michele Soavi
Countries: Italy/France
This compulsively watchable and quotable zombie classic from the warped minds of Dylan Dog comic-book creator Tiziano Sclavio and onetime Dario Argento protégé Michele Soavi has it all: gore, humor, heart, brains, sex and nudity, and more gore! A perfectly deadpan Rupert Everett stars as graveyard caretaker Francesco Dellamorte whose job—aided by his grotesque halfwit sidekick Gnaghi—becomes a little more complicated when the corpses start unearthing themselves after only a week’s rest, looking for human flesh to feed on. And to complicate matters further, “She” (Anna Falchi), the voluptuous woman Francesco falls for, herself joins the ranks of the undead…

NY Premiere!
CHEAP THRILLS (2013) 85 min
Director: E.L. Katz
Country: USA
Just when it seems like his day couldn’t possibly get any worse—he’s already been served with an eviction notice and laid off—new-dad Craig (Pat Healy) and an old schoolmate (Ethan Embry) are approached at a bar by a pair of filthy-rich thrill-seekers (David Koechner and Sara Paxton) looking to spice up their anniversary celebrations. What begins as a night of innocent enough boozy fun devolves into a series of increasingly disturbed “games.” While not a horror film in the conventional sense, this memorably twisted and darkly hilarious portrait of the extremes to which down-on-their-luck people will go for quick cash is actually quite terrifying. A Drafthouse Films release.

CURTAINS (1983) 89 min
Director: Richard Ciupka
Country: Canada
Method acting runs amok in this underappreciated slasher flick when an aging star (Samantha Eggar) who can’t quite master playing “crazy” decides to check herself into the loony bin for inspiration. Problem is that her regular collaborator, scumbag director Jonathan Stryker (John Vernon), leaves her there so he can hold a weekend casting session at his secluded mansion with six younger, very eager candidates. As the rivalry heats up, a masked lunatic who leaves creepy dolls as death warnings starts offing the women one by one. Is the scorned actress, who has escaped the asylum and crashed the audition bent on getting her role back, also responsible for killing off the competition?

DEATH WEEKEND aka THE HOUSE BY THE LAKE (1977) 87 min
Director: William Fruet
Country: Canada
A sleazy oral surgeon (Chuck Shamata) lures model Diane (Brenda Vaccaro) to his country home with the promise of meeting some good people. Those other “guests” of course never arrive—but some unwelcome ones do: a group of repulsive vengeance-seeking backwoods locals (led by Don Stroud) Diane pisses off on the ride up in a humiliating demonstration that she—yup, a mere woman, one who also knows how to fix a carburetor—can outdrive them. Produced by Ivan Reitman, this film is a cut above the standard home invasion/rape-revenge thriller, most of all because Vaccaro plays it smart and tough—though Diane may have been unwise to accept the invitation in the first place, she’s no bimbo. If exploitation films can have a conscience then let this be an example.

NY Premiere!
THE GREEN INFERNO (2013) 103 min
Director: Eli Roth
Country: USA
With this homage to the Italian 1980 cult classic CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST and other titles from the brief late-1970s vogue for Amazon cannibal movies, the inimitable writer-director-actor-producer-horror movie impresario who gave the world HOSTEL finds punishing and grisly new ways to inflict unimaginable torment and graphic violence on a group of unwary young Americans abroad. Justine (Lorenza Izzo), a naïve but feisty Columbia University student looking for a cause, joins a group of seemingly idealistic campus eco-activists on an trip to Peru to stage a cellphone-camera-wielding protest against the destruction of the jungle by the encroaching forces of land development. Mission accomplished. But when the group’s small aircraft crashes in the jungle, the survivors are captured by an indigenous tribe who definitely aren’t vegetarians. Let the ethnographically accurate bloodletting begin! Will Justine escape the fate of genital mutilation (i.e., a traditional “circumcision” ritual) and go on to be the proverbial Final Girl? Does a pygmy shit in the woods? An Open Road Films Release.
Eli Roth in Person!

LET’S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH (1971) 89 min
Director: John D. Hancock
Country: USA
“I sit here and can’t believe it happened. And yet I have to believe it. Dreams or nightmares? Madness or sanity? I don’t know which is which.” Spoken in somber voiceover by the titular Jessica (Zohra Lampert), these cryptic words are the first we hear in the film—they pull us in immediately and we never stop being transfixed by the creepy events that lead up to them. Following a recent stint in a mental hospital, Jessica has relocated to the Connecticut countryside with her husband and a friend from New York City to find some peace. But they sure picked the wrong farmhouse to live in! They arrive to find an alluring young squatter there—who, as it turns out, bears an uncanny resemblance to a woman who lived there centuries earlier, and who, as legend goes, drowned and now walks the grounds as a vampire. A series of strange occurrences begin, but only Jessica, who may or may not be unraveling again, seems to witness them. With its eerie use of water imagery and of the great outdoors in general, this unnerving film defines moody.

NY Premiere!
NIGHTBREED – The Cabal Cut (1990) 144 min
Director: Clive Barker
Country: USA
Restoration Director: Russell Cherrington (2012)
To serious fans, NIGHTBREED already holds a top spot in the fantasy-horror film canon (as does Cabal, the Clive Barker novella from which it was adapted, in the genre’s book canon). So to be given the opportunity to see an expanded version of the film—which incorporates an additional 42 minutes of recently recovered footage—is just the icing on the cake. And it’s delicious icing indeed. The new, richer cut presents the film as Barker originally envisioned it—with more of the subterranean world of Midian and its misunderstood mutant inhabitants, more Boone (Craig Sheffer), who is mysteriously tied to Midian through his dreams, more Lori (Ann Bobby), the girlfriend more loyal than any man deserves, more Dr. Decker (David Cronenberg), Boone’s no-good shrink, and, most frightening of all, more Buttonface, the serial killer hiding behind a spine-chilling mask. Whether it’s your first or 100th viewing, the Cabal Cut is the ideal way to experience the magic that is NIGHTBREED.
Please note: The additional footage is presented in VHS quality, which can be a bit jarring at first. You will adjust. At least this way there’ll be no confusion as to which scenes are “new.”

U.S. Premiere!
OPEN GRAVE (2013) 102 min
Director: Gonzalo López-Gallego
Country: USA
ELYSIUM and DISTRICT 9 star Sharlto Copley brings his hair-trigger intensity to this twisty mind game as an amnesiac who awakens one dark and stormy night—in a pit full of rotting corpses. He stumbles to an isolated house in the middle of a forest and discovers four other individuals who have likewise lost their memories. Mutual distrust reigns as the group slowly regain their identities, arm themselves thanks to the house’s rather conveniently well-stocked armory, and set out to understand where exactly they are, how they came to be there, and what all those distant screams in the woods means… A Tribeca Film release.

NY Premiere!
PATRICK (2013) 95 min
Director: Mark Hartley
Country: Australia
The comatose young man with telekinetic powers is back with a vengeance in this crackerjack gothic retelling of Richard Franklin’s 1978 cult classic. Newly hired nurse Kathy (Sharni Vinson, who kicked ass in this year’s YOU’RE NEXT) reports for duty at a private clinic, where among its near-vegetable patients, she finds Patrick (Jackson Gallagher) a most intriguing subject. Not only is he strikingly handsome but it appears that he’s trying to communicate with her (to account for modern technological advances, computers and cell phones have replaced typewriters as brain-wave receptors). The sketchy doctor (Charles Dance) and head nurse (Rachel Griffiths) who run the place don’t want to hear a word of it—and with good reason: even unconscious, the possessive Patrick is capable of causing great harm, which places everyone close to Kathy in serious jeopardy. A Phase 4 Films Release.

NY Premiere!
PROXY (2013) 120 min
Director: Zack Parker
Country: USA
When eight-months-pregnant single-mother Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) loses her child after an unseen attacker viciously assaults her, the solitary young woman joins a support group in an effort to deal with her depression. Another group member, Melanie (Alexa Havins), whose husband and son have been killed in a car accident, takes an interest in Esther for reasons unknown—but nothing is as it seems. As one revelation follows another, this genuinely twisted and perverse mind game escalates in a chain reaction of violence and revenge in which the motivations of its characters remain tantalizingly enigmatic. A truly disturbing indie set in the heart of darkness that is suburbia, this showcase for the singular sensibility of writer-director Zack Parker boasts terrific performances from Rasmussen, Havins, Kristina Klebe, and the ubiquitous Joe Swanberg. An IFC Midnight Release.

RITUALS aka THE CREEPER (1977) 99 min
Director: Peter Carter
Countries: USA/Canada
DELIVERANCE is a rare example of a film that’s actually spawned some quality imitators—and this is the best of them, and possibly the least-seen. Five doctors set out on their annual camping excursion, and while they may not always be the most sympathetic bunch—they bicker and whine—the men become increasingly sympathetic as the realization sets in that this may be their final trip. After their boots are mysteriously stolen, things go from bad to worse, until their idyllic wilderness trek descends into a full-on fight for their lives—and their attackers motivations just might be personal. Anchoring this grim, brutal (yet not overly bloody) backwoods survivalist horror entry is a commanding lead performance by Hal Holbrook.

TWINS OF EVIL (1971) 87 min
Director: John Hough
Country: U.K.

Vampire Girls Gone Wild! In this delicious culmination to Hammer Film’s luridly decadent lesbian vampire phase, and the conclusion of screenwriter Tudor Gates’s “Karnstein Trilogy,” orphaned twin sisters Frieda and Maria (played by identical twins and October 1970 Playboy Playmates Mary and Madeleine Collinson) move from Vienna to the village of Karnstein, where they are taken in by their austerely puritanical witch-hunter uncle Gustav (Peter Cushing). Entertaining himself with a sacrificial rite up at the castle meanwhile, jaded libertine Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas) inadvertently resurrects his vampire ancestress Mircalla (Katya Wyeth), who shows him how to have a reallygood time. And when the even racier Frieda, who has taken a fancy to the Count, slips away one night to visit the castle, the stage is set for a witch hunters vs. vampires showdown.
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12 Film Projects Selected for Biennale College – Cinema 2013/14

Industry

THE DEBT – Ritesh Batra

12 projects have been selected to participated in the first workshop of the second edition of Biennale di Venezia’s Biennale College – Cinema (2013 – 2014) held in Venice from the 5th to the 14th of October 2013. The first edition of the Biennale College – Cinema 2012/13 closed with the screening of three feature films at the 70th Edition of the Venice Film Festival in 2012: MARY IS HAPPY, MARY IS HAPPY – Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (director, Thailand) , MEMPHIS – Tim Sutton (director, USA) and YURI ESPOSITO – Alessio Fava (director, Italy) .

The 12 selected projects with a brief synopsis.

BLOOD CELLS – Joseph Bull (director, the UK), Luke Seomore (director, the UK), Samm Haillay (producer, the UK): a decade after a catastrophe destroyed his family and their farm, an eruption from the past compels an exiled young man to embark upon an odyssey through the broken and beautiful margins of contemporary Britain.

H. – RANIA ATTIEH (director, Lebanon), Daniel Garcia (director, USA), Shruti Rya Ganguly (producer, India): a tale of two women, both named Helen, whose lives and relationships begin to unravel in the wake of a meteor explosion over their town of Troy, NY. It is a modern and lyrical re-imagining of a classic Greek tragedy.

IMACULAT – Kenneth Mercken (director, Belgium), Marcian Lazar (producer, Romania): when a 19-year-old girl from a good family is committed to rehab, she becomes a prey to the male junkies. She learns that in order to regain control over herself and her own body, she must first destroy her old self.

LA BARRACUDA – Jason Cortlund (director, USA), Julia Halperin (director, USA), David Hartstein (producer, USA): when an odd young woman named Sinaloa shows up on Merle’s front porch claiming to be her half-sister, an exciting surprise leads to violence.

LA MUJER DE LOS PERROS – Laura Citarella (director, Argentina), Verónica Llinás (director, Argentina), Mariano Llinás (producer, Argentina): a woman shares her life with ten dogs in a shack in the outskirts of a big city. The realistic story of a strange queen.

NANCY – Christina Choe (director, USA), Gerry Kim (producer, USA): Nancy, a 40-year-old serial impostor, lives at home with her abusive, elderly mother. Desperate for love and connection, she creates a fake blog and catfishes a lover, until her hoaxes result in epic and tragic consequences.

RIVER OF EXPLODING DURIANS – Edmund Yeo (director, Malaysia), Ming Jin Woo (producer, Malaysia): a peaceful coastal town in Malaysia is turned upside down by the construction of a potentially radioactive plant. A young boy at the cusp of adulthood and an idealistic history teacher find themselves fighting for the soul of their hometown.

SHORT SKIN – Duccio Chiarini (director, Italy), Babak Jalali (producer, Iran / the UK): one has to grow hard but without ever losing tenderness.

THE DEBT – Ritesh Batra (director, India), Seher Latif (producer, India): a cop tries to prove his worth when he takes on the most important case of his life and learns how to be a parent.

THE STRIKE – Adam Breier (director, Hungary), Akos Schneider (producer, Hungary): one day a middle-aged family man asks himself what if his life would be different and decides to exchange the known for the unknown. An absurdly minimalist tragicomedy.

UNLESS – Matteo Servente (director, Italy), Ryan Watt (producer, USA): an imaginative 11-year-old boy barrels into a rural town on a stolen Trans-Am, upending the careful routines of an elderly police dispatcher and a secretive barber.

WINTER – Aamir Bashir (director, India), Alan McAlex (producer, India): Nargis was abandoned by her husband for the cause of Kashmir’s freedom. She waits and hopes for her love to return. But when he does return, scarred by violence, Nargis is forced to choose between love and freedom.
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2013 Vancouver International Film Festival Award Winners; “RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS” “THAT BURNING FEELING” Win Best Canadian First Feature Award

Vancouver International Film Festival

THAT BURNING FEELING by Jason James

RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS by Jeff Barnaby and THAT BURNING FEELING by Jason James tied to win the Best Canadian First Feature Award at the just wrapped Vancouver International Film Festival which took place September 26 – October 11, 2013. The jury commented, “These two films share storytelling of equal high quality but are so different in terms of genre, tone and creative expression that the jury decided to honour them both.”

RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS by Jeff Barnaby

RHYMES FOR YOUNG GHOULS is described by the festival as a very powerful and beautifully produced film, with a stellar cast and excellent photography and design. Depicting the aftereffects of the trauma inflicted by residential schools on the First Nations population, it also succeeds in telling a universal and touching story of an oppressed people trying to survive, rebuild and come to terms with their suffering. Using a highly creative vocabulary, from realistic to metaphorical, from fantastic to poetic, Jeff Barnaby demonstrates a promising and already impressive talent as a filmmaker.

THAT BURNING FEELING is noted as one of the best comedies the jury has seen in a long time. With a witty, smart and highly-articulate script, a talented cast and beautiful production, it makes for a wonderful self-deprecating portrait of Vancouver, with its condo maniacs, yoga lovers, community activists and other odd characters. While making us laugh along the way, it tells the human story of trying to find authenticity in a crazy world. Jason James is a rising filmmaker to watch with his wit, keen eye and intelligence.

Other awards

THE MOST PROMISING DIRECTOR OF A CANADIAN SHORT FILM AWARD
Mathieu Arsenault, NATHAN

WOMEN IN FILM + TELEVISION ARTISTIC MERIT AWARD
Chloé Robichaud, SARAH PREFERS TO RUN

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS

Rogers People’s Choice Award
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (Director: Koreeda Hirokazu)

VIFF Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award
WHEN I WALK (Director: Jason DaSilva)

VIFF Most Popular Canadian Environmental Documentary Award
SALMON CONFIDENTIAL (Director: Twyla Roscovich)

VIFF Most Popular Canadian Feature Film Award
DOWN RIVER (Director: Ben Ratner)

VIFF Most Popular International Documentary
DESERT RUNNERS (Director: Jennifer Steinman)

VIFF Most Popular First Feature
WADJDA (Director: Haifaa Al Mansour)

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Interview with Andrew Matthews, Co-Director of ZERO CHARISMA

Interviews

ZERO CHARISMA directors Andrew Matthews and Katie Graham outside of the Charles Theater at 2013 Maryland Film Festival

It’s easy to make a comedy that makes fun of its protagonist by making him or her a caricature of stereotypes. In ZERO CHARISMA, a comedy about an obnoxious RPG-playing nerd who acts like a child, writer/co-directed Andrew Matthews and co-director Katie Graham could have easily used their main character, Scott (Sam Eidson), as a punching bag because he is such an easy target. However, what I admire most about the film is that Matthews and Graham delved into Scott’s background to reveal the reasons behind his demanding attitude and exactly why he feels so out-of-place in the world around him. Scott’s role as as the all-powerful game master comes into question when cool “hipster” nerd Miles (Garrett Graham) joins the game and Scott’s estranged mother (Cyndi Williams) returns to his life. Because of this, Zero Charisma is one of my favorite types of films: a comedy that has enough human drama to make it easy to relate to because of its real-life similarities.

After reviewing the film, I had the opportunity to interview Andrew Matthews regarding writing and directing this film, which is his first feature. He provided plenty of insight into a film that must have been a labor of love for most of the creators involved, including how he and Katie Graham raised money for the film through crowdfunding, a route many indie filmmakers have recently successfully explored.

VIMOOZ: How familiar are you with the traditional roleplaying game subculture, and what made you want to make a film about Scott and the way his RPG fantasy world and reality collide?

Andrew Matthews: I have been playing RPGs for a long time–probably started in about 5th grade. It’s always been a very creative outlet and a comfortable environment for me, and the variety of types of people that play it (and reasons for playing) makes it a good backdrop for a movie about clashing personalities.

VIMOOZ: One of the reasons why the film works so well is that Sam Eidson is perfect for the role of Scott. Can you tell me about how you cast him in the role?

Andrew Matthews: We saw Sam in a few small roles in Austin-made indies and we thought he was funny so we approached him about helping us make a 4-minute teaser trailer to kick off our crowdfunding campaign. We ran around town for four days shooting bits and pieces of the script (none of which is in the final film) and the resulting teaser seemed to be a hit with people, and we knew Sam had a lot to do with that. So we offered him the role. Even though he’d never had a lead role in a feature before, we felt like he was so right for the part, such a committed actor, and had just the right kind of vulnerability to take on a character that on paper is so domineering and aggressive.

VIMOOZ: Why do you feel it was important for Scott to be physically intimidating in addition to his already demanding attitude?

Andrew Matthews: Everything about Scott’s exterior, from his physicality to his wardrobe and choice of music says “badass,” but his behavior, as you start to get to know him just screams insecurities. It’s also fun to cast someone into “geeky” things who’s not the stereotypically skinny nerd. There are all types of people who play this game.

VIMOOZ: When I first started watching the film I thought it was funny, but I initially felt it was kind of taking shots at easy targets (i.e. like “Comic Book Guy” jokes on The Simpsons). However, it soon became obvious to me that this wasn’t the case because Scott wasn’t just a stereotype and his persona hid deeply-rooted personal issues. Was it difficult to avoid portraying Scott as just a geeky stereotype, and did you do anything consciously to ensure you avoided that?

Andrew Matthews: The kind of comedy that we love plays upon audience’s perceptions and expectations before subverting them. We wanted the audience to first recognize the character as a type they probably see in real life. Once they’ve accepted the “type” we’re going for, then we want them to start thinking about him in a way they haven’t before. That means you do have to do a bit of a balancing act between using stereotypes and subverting them. Ultimately, we want the audience to have empathy for the character, which means showing his inner turmoil and at least some hints at why he behaves the way he does.

VIMOOZ: Garrett Graham’s character Miles obviously represents the “neo-nerd hipster” (to quote from the press notes) type of person which has become much more “acceptable” to the mainstream than the more traditional “nerd” type that Scott and his friends represent. What were some key things you wanted to portray in the conflict between Miles’ world and Scott’s world?

Andrew Matthews: Geek culture has long been a place of refuge and camaraderie for people who for whatever reason feel like outsiders. It’s understandable that when aspects of that culture become socially acceptable, there might be resentment towards those who might not be such fans if it came with a social cost. At the same time, how can the loss of stigma for one’s pastimes be a bad thing? The aim was not to portray Miles as a bad guy, but rather someone who passion for “nerdy” things doesn’t run quite so deep. Someone who likes to sample these hobbies, but hasn’t invested the time and sacrifices that Scott has, and someone who is still aware of social intricacies and perhaps divides his friends up based on those criteria.

VIMOOZ: Did the film change at all from its initial concept to the finish film? If so, what?

Andrew Matthews: Sure, but probably no more than most films change as things go from concept to execution and more collaborators come on board. I believe in the early development, Miles was more of a villain, but we thought the story would be more interesting if his motives were a little more ambiguous–and Scott’s problems more internal.

VIMOOZ: Both of you have worked on films before, but you both directed for the first time and this was also the first narrative feature either of you worked on. What were some challenges you had to overcome in your new roles?

Andrew Matthews: Being at the wheel of a ship is very scary, especially when so many people are working for so little, you really feel like you have an obligation to deliver something special so everyone feels like their time and talent (and money) was well invested. The buck stops with you, as it were. Also, making a narrative was more intimidating for us. When you’re working on documentaries, the characters are real people, so you don’t have to worry that the audience won’t find them credible. But with Zero Charisma, we were creating a character from scratch–and a pretty extreme one as well. Making him believable and memorable was so important to us. The whole thing would fall apart if that didn’t work.

VIMOOZ: You used Indiegogo to raise some money to put finishing touches on the film before South by Southwest. Can you talk about your experience with crowdfunding and offer any advice to other filmmakers who are considering to crowdfund their projects?

Andrew Matthews: Our main IndieGoGo campaign actually occurred two years ago, to raise initial funds. It was a successful campaign, not only in the money it raised, but the awareness it gave the film. We has several articles written and hundreds of people anticipating the film’s release–and we hadn’t made it yet! That was an anxious place to be, but the film would never have gotten off the ground if not for those original donors.

VIMOOZ: If you created your own fantasy RPG alter ego like Scott, what would yours be like?

Andrew Matthews:: I’m always the GM.

VIMOOZ: What were the most important things you learned about filmmaking from directing your first narrative feature that you will take with you as you go forward in your career?

Andrew Matthews: I’ve heard this many times before but it doesn’t hit home until you live through it: trust yourself. Take advice because it makes sense to you, not because the person giving it is somehow more experienced. We had a lot of great support and counsel throughout the process, but we also heard a lot of discouragement that turned out to be totally wrong. Besides, what’s the point of making an independent film if you’re not going to do things your way?

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Five Debut Films Nominated for European Discovery 2013

Awards

Eat Sleep Die (ÄTA SOVA DÖ)

Five debut films have been nominated for the European Film Academy, EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2013 – Prix FIPRESCI award, which is presented annually to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. The European Discovery 2013 – Prix FIPRESCI will then be presented at the European Film Awards Ceremony in Berlin on Saturday, December 7 , 2013.

Nominated are:

ÄTA SOVA DÖ (Eat Sleep Die)
Sweden, 104 min
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Gabriela Pichler
PRODUCED BY: China Åhlander

CALL GIRL

CALL GIRL
Sweden/Norway/Ireland/Finland, 133 min
DIRECTED BY: Mikael Marcimain
WRITTEN BY: Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten
PRODUCED BY: Mimmi Spång

MIELE

MIELE
Italy/France, 90 min
DIRECTED BY: Valeria Golino
WRITTEN BY: Francesca Marciano, Valia Santella & Valeria Golino
PRODUCED BY: Riccardo Scamarcio, Viola Prestieri, Anne-Dominique Toussaint & Raphaël Berdugo

OH BOY

OH BOY
Germany, 83 min
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Jan Ole Gerster
PRODUCED BY: Marcos Kantis & Alexander Wadouh

LA PLAGA (The Plague)

LA PLAGA (The Plague)
Spain, 85 min
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Neus Ballús
PRODUCED BY: Pau Subirós

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Australia’s Delphi Bank Greek Film Festival Launches 2013 Program; Opens With “WHAT IF…”

Greek Film Festival

Christoforos Papakaliatis in “WHAT IF…”

Celebrating its 20th anniversary the 2013 Greek Film Festival (GFF) has announced its full program of films, many of which have made their mark on the international film festival circuit. This year’s festival slate once again presents the best of contemporary Greek cinema with a program that will see 35 films including 9 shorts screen at the Palace Como in Melbourne and Palace Chauvel in Sydney. The festival will open in Brisbane on Thursday 31 October at Palace Centro, followed by Sydney on Wednesday 6 November and in Melbourne on Thursday 7 November with Greece’s box office smash hit, WHAT IF… The GFF then continues its tour to Adelaide (14 – 17 November at Palace Nova Eastend) and Canberra (29 November – 14 December at Palace Electric).

An adonis of the small screen, Christoforos Papakaliatis makes his leap to the big screen as both actor and auteur in a story about love set against the backdrop of the economic crisis. In a Sliding Doors style of storytelling WHAT IF… highlights the precarious nature of life and how much our future can be affected by a single life-changing decision.

Over two weeks later the captivating financial thriller, CAPITAL (Le Capital), will close the festival in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday 24 November. In this ambitious and thrilling melodrama which screened at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, filmmaker Costas-Gavras (known for his political thrillers, including the Oscar-winning Z) returns to familiar territory with this persuasively-detailed tale of boardroom politics, remorseless backstabbing and the evils of capitalism.

Alongside the full program Eleni Bertes has also been announced as a guest of the festival. Eleni is one of the former founders of the GFF in Australia and is currently producing films in Greece, including Joy which is part of this year’s program – a startling narrative from director Ilias Yannakakis, who recounts the story of a middle-aged woman accused of kidnapping a newborn baby from a maternity ward.

From the Greek Weird Wave the GFF screens Elina Psykou’s self-assured debut – THE ETERNAL RETURN OF ANTONIS PARASKEVAS. This engaging off-beat film played at this year’s Berlinale and Toronto IFF and follows a famous Greek TV anchorman played by Christos Stergioglou (Dogtooth, GFF ‘10) who fakes his own kidnapping in a desperate bid to salvage his ailing career. Also from Toronto the GFF brings veteran editor Yannis Sakaridis’s directing debut WILD DUCK, shot on a micro-budget, guerrilla-style in the wake of the country’s 2009 debt crisis. Smart, introspective and politically charged, the story loosely parallels the 2005 ‘Greek Watergate’ phone-tapping scandal when a pair of telephone engineers are enlisted to investigate a hacking.

There’s a strong documentary contingent in this year’s program too; Director Kostas Vakkas challenges the dominant stereotype of success and entrepreneurism in Greek American history in his direct and highly informative documentary, GREEK AMERICAN RADICALS: THE UNTOLD STORY. Much more than just a story about politics, Dimitris Athyridis’ ONE STEP AHEAD is a poignant documentary odyssey following the unconventional Yiannis Boutaris as he stands for independent candidate in the 2010 mayoral campaign of Thessaloniki. The GFF will also be holding a special free event screening of Zoe Mavroudi’s incendiary documentary RUINS, which chronicles the shockingly blatant witch-hunt of a group of HIV positive women accused of prostitution.

Greece’s creative talents are also featured in the beautiful and gripping family drama THE TREE AND THE SWING, from director Maria Douza, who delivers a powerful, multi-layered tale of one family’s estrangement, channelling universal themes of acceptance, love and repentance. Other festival highlights include Vasilis Kehagias’ uplifting LOVE IN THE END, where three real-life stories of unfulfilled love get the happy ending they never had; the poignant DO NOT FORGET ME ISTANBUl, where seven talented filmmakers of different nationalities come together in a portmanteau feature to remind audiences that this cosmopolitan city does not only belong to the Turkish people; and one of the most unique films of the 2013 GFF – BIG HIT – a noir ‘dead ringer’ from filmmaker Karolos Zonaras, which features femme fatales, tough guys, pithy one-liners, long shadows and dramatic music stings.

As part of the 20th anniversary celebration the GFF has selected nine festival favorites to be included in this year’s special ‘best of’ program strand. The films include the multi award winning narrative A TOUCH OF SPICE – a nostalgia-steeped parable from writer-director Tassos Boulmetis, that touched the hearts of all who saw it becoming the biggest hit at the Greek box office; FEMALE COMPANY from director Nicos Perakis, which follows six emotionally-deprived, sexually-underrated wives who take matters into their own hands by renting an apartment where amorous activities abound in this lively satire; and Sotiris Goritsas’ tragi-comic road movie BALKANISATEUR which follows 35 year-old ‘teenagers’, Fotis (Stelios Mainas) and Stavros (Gerasimos Skiadaresis), on a misguided highway to Switzerland as they plan to get rich quick through a currency scam.

Lighten up your days with a wonderful selection of Greek comedy favourites from over the years including the comedy classic, BONUS, from acclaimed filmmaker Nikos Zapatinas, who proves that some laughs are universal in this infinitely appealing film about a garbage collector on the brink of retirement; Zapatinas’ Greek comedy blockbuster IN GOOD COMPANY is also featured in the ‘best of’ program, where raunchy and scatological misadventures unfold when a madman and petty criminal’s worlds collide; and the return of filmmaker Dimitris Indares’ uncomplicated and very human comedy, TOTALLY MARRIED, which wrestles with the much-debated phenomenon of the ‘seven year itch’, but does it Greek-style.

Acclaimed filmmaker Constantinos Giannaris will also feature two of his films in the ‘best of’ program. FROM THE EDGE OF THE CITY follows the leader of a gang of Kazakhstani youths who live on the outskirts of Athens – where clubbing, drugs, prostitution and petty thievery is an everyday part of life. Giannaris’ gritty depiction of this urban reality won him Best Director and the Greek Film Critics’ Prize at the Thessaloniki IFF. Realist tones continue in Giannaris’ poignant narrative ONE DAY IN AUGUST which weaves together four different stories over 24 eventful hours. The film screened at Berlin, Chicago and Melbourne and won best screenplay at Troy and the Critics’ Prize in Thessaloniki.

The GFF program also houses a selection of nine Greek shorts including, Athina Rachel Tsangari’s (Attenberg, GFF ‘11) hauntingly beautiful short THE CAPSULE which has screened in numerous festivals including Toronto and Sundance and YOU KNOW WHAT? I LOVE YOU – a debut from Melbourne filmmaker Natalie Cunningham, a joyous meditation on family, heartbreak, adversity, and memory. The eight local shorts will screen in one program as part of the Greek-Australian Short Film Festival on Thursday 21 November, competing for the Napoleon Perdis Award for Best Short Film.

The Greek Student Film Festival and Competition returns for its 4th year in 2013, presenting another selection of imaginative films from local primary, secondary and tertiary students.

The 20th Delphi Bank Greek Film Festival runs 6-24 November at Palace Chauvel Cinema in Sydney and 7-24 November at Palace Cinema Como in Melbourne. It also tours nationally, with dates in Brisbane (31 October – 3 November) Adelaide (14 – 17 November) and Canberra (29 November – 14 December).

[via press release \ Delphi Bank Greek Film Festival ]

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‘THE SELFISH GIANT’, ‘CODE BLACK’ Winners of 2013 Hamptons International Film Festival

Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF)

THE SELFISH GIANT, directed by Clio Barnard

THE SELFISH GIANT, directed by Clio Barnard is the winner of the Golden Starfish Award for Best Narrative Feature Film at the 21st annual Hamptons International Film Festival. THE SELFISH GIANT is described as a contemporary fable about 13 year old Arbor (Conner Chapman) and his best friend Swifty (Shaun Thomas). Excluded from school and outsiders in their own neighborhood, the two boys meet Kitten (Sean Gilder), a local scrapdealer––the Selfish Giant. Arbor emulates Kitten, keen to impress him and make some money. However, Kitten favors Swifty, leaving Arbor feeling hurt and excluded and driving a wedge between the boys. The Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary Feature Film went to CODE BLACK, directed by Ryan McGarry, M.D. CODE BLACK follows a group of young doctors as they grapple with the divide between their idealistic expectations and the realities of a heavily bureaucratic system.The 21st Annual Hamptons International Film Festival took place October 10 to 14, 2013.

Golden Starfish Award for Best Narrative Feature Film
THE SELFISH GIANT, directed by Clio Barnard

Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary Feature Film
CODE BLACK, directed by Ryan McGarry, M.D.

Golden Starfish Award for Best Short Film
WHALE VALLEY, directed by Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson.
*WHALE VALLEY will also qualify for an Academy Award in the category of Best Live Action Short Film.

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature
PHILOMENA, directed by Stephen Frears

Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature
DESERT RUNNERS, directed by Jennifer Steinman

Audience Award for Best Short Film
ONE LAST HUG (… AND A FEW SMOOCHES) THREE DAYS AT GRIEF CAMP

Tangerine Entertainment Juice Award which honors an outstanding female filmmaker
FREE RIDE, directed by Shana Betz.

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals, as well as environmental protection
EMPTYING THE SKIES

The Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice, given to a film that most exhibits the values of peace, equality, and global justice
SQUARE, directed by Jehane Noujaim.

The Views From Long Island Award, presented by the Suffolk County Film Commission to a a film that features local/resident filmmakers, the area’s unique landscapes, and the important issues—both social and political—facing Hamptons communities
THE MAID’S ROOM, directed by Michael Walker.

The 2013 winner of the Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a film depicting positive Conflict & Resolution
PLOT FOR PEACE directed by Carlos Agullo and Mandy Jacobson
Jejane Nouhaim received an Honorable Mention for her film THE SQUARE.

The Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize, which goes to a narrative film highlighting a realistic and compelling portrayal of science and technology
DECODING ANNIE PARKER directed by Steven Bernstein
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2013 BendFilm Festival Winners; HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES Sweeps Major Awards

BendFilm

HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone

The feature film, HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES directed by Daniel Patrick Carbone, swept the 2013 BendFilm Festival, capturing numerous awards, including the “Best of Show” and the “Best Narrative Feature.” Hide Your Smiling Faces depicts the young lives of two brothers as they abruptly come of age through the experience of a friend’s mysterious death.

2013 Award Winners

Best of Show
HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES

Best Narrative Screenplay
BUOY

Best Directing
Daniel Patrick Carbone, HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES

Best Narrative Feature
HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES

Best Documentary Feature
BEFORE THE SPRING, AFTER THE FALL

Best Short
THE BOY SCOUT

Special Mention for Documentary Short:
HERD IN ICELAND

Best Student Short
SILK

Best Short Screenplay
Cody Blue Snider, Shane Snider; FOOLS DAY

Best Cinematography
HIDE YOUR SMILING FACES

Best Actor
Andrea Suarez Paz, STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS
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International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam Unveils 2013 Official Selections

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA)

AI WEIWEI: THE FAKE CASE by Andreas Johnsen

The 26th International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam taking place from November 20 toDecember 1, 2013 , in Amsterdam, unveiled the 2013 official film selections. The program consists of 288 titles (selected from more than 3,000 submissions), of which 100 will have their world première during the festival. 15 films will compete this year in IDFA’s competition for feature-length documentaries.

IDFA Competition for Feature-Length Documentary

AI WEIWEI: THE FAKE CASE by Andreas Johnsen (Denmark)
Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei wonders, after three months of lonely confinement, what the price of his struggle is.

ALPHABET by Erwin Wagenhofer (Austria/Germany)
Arm-in-arm in the classroom or painting whatever you want? An indictment of competitive education and a plea for the imagination of the individual.

BIRTH OF A TIGER by Sam Benstead (England)
The newly formed nation of South Sudan employs a Serbian coach to get its national football team up and running.

DISPLACED PERSONS by Åsa Blanck & Johan Palmgren (Sweden)
Forty years ago, Pelle Persson left Sweden and settled in Pakistan. Now he returns to his motherland with the family he started far from home.

FAREWELL TO HOLLYWOOD by Henry Corra & Regina Nicholson (USA)
A heartwarming yet heartbreaking and controversial ode to 17-year-old Reggie, who is struggling with cancer, her family and the realization of her cinematic dream.

AN INCONSOLABLE MEMORY by Aryan Kaganof (South Africa)
A reconstruction of the history of South Africa’s first opera company, Eoan, and an exercise in getting at the truth of what it was to be “a colored.”

LIFE ALMOST WONDERFUL by Svetoslav Draganov (Bulgaria/Belgium)
An observational documentary about three brothers and their granny. Despite their hardships, they still believe happiness is just a hope away.

NE ME QUITTE PAS by Niels van Koevorden & Sabine Lubbe Bakker (the Netherlands)
A Direct Cinema portrait of the Flemish Bob and the Walloon Marcel, two Belgian friends who share loneliness, humor, alcoholism and suicide plans with great élan.

PUTIN’S GAMES by Alexander Gentelev (Russia/Austria)
The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia are breaking all records when it comes to corruption and megalomania. This investigative documentary uncovers the hidden story behind Putin’s Games.

RETURN TO HOMS by Talal Derki (Syria/Germany)
A remarkably intimate portrait of the unequal struggle of a group of young revolutionaries in Homs, Syria, against the national army destroying their city.

SEPIDEH by Berit Madsen (Denmark)
A portrait of a courageous young Iranian woman who refuses to conform to expectations and dreams of a future as an astronaut.

SHADO’MAN by Boris Gerrets (the Netherlands)
A cinematic portrait of the nocturnal street life of the disabled in Sierra Leone, in which a group of friends reflects on their complex existences.

SONG FROM THE FOREST by Michael Obert (Germany)
American Louis Sarno has been living for 25 years in the jungle, among the pygmies of central Africa. Now he’s taking his pygmy son to see America for the first time.

STREAM OF LOVE by Agnes Sós (Hungary)
Love and desire still fill the hearts and thoughts of elderly villagers in Transylvania, Hungary. Their spirits are young, despite their years.

THE WILD YEARS by Ventura Durall (Spain)
Living without money or adult involvement, three street children struggle to survive in the capital of Ethiopia.
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Philadelphia Film Festival Adds 12 YEARS A SLAVE and OMAR to 2013 Lineup

Philadelphia Film Festival

12 YEARS A SLAVE

The 22nd Philadelphia Film Festival which runs from Thursday, October 17 – Sunday, October 27, has added a Centerpiece Screening of 12 YEARS A SLAVE on Saturday, October 19th. The follow-up from director Steve McQueen to 2011’s Shame, 12 YEARS A SLAVE tells the incredible true story of one man’s fight for survival and freedom after being abducted and sold into slavery.

The screening of Nebraska, previously scheduled for Saturday, October 19th will now take place instead on Monday, October 21st.

OMAR

The Festival also added OMAR, the Best Foreign Film nominee from the Palestinian Territory for the Academy Awards. The new film from Oscar-nominated director Hany Abu-Assad (Paradise Now), OMAR is described as an intense and romantic thriller about a Palestinian teenager whose life is thrown into disarray when he is arrested for the alleged shooting of an Israeli soldier and asked to turn on those closest to him. Omar replaces Documented, which will no longer be included in the Festival due to technical issues.

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Documentary MEDORA Sets November 2013 Release Date

Documentary

The documentary film MEDORA which premiered at the 2013 SXSW Festival, will open in theaters on November 8 and on VOD on November 12. MEDORA is directed by Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart, and focuses on the members of the Medora Hornets, a rural Indiana high school basketball team fighting to end their losing streak, as their dwindling town faces the threat of extinction.

Years ago, Medora was a booming rural community with prosperous farms, an automotive parts factory, a brick plant, and a thriving middle class. The factories have since closed, crippling Medora’s economy and its pride. The population has slowly dwindled to around 500 people. Drug use is common, the school faces consolidation, and as one resident put it, “This town’s on the ropes.”

MEDORA follows the down-but-not-out Medora Hornets varsity basketball team over the course of the 2011 season, capturing the players’ stories both on and off the court. The Hornets were riding a brutal losing streak when we arrived, and the team’s struggle to compete bears eerie resonances with the town’s fight for survival.

MEDORA is an in-depth, deeply personal look at small-town life, a thrilling, underdog basketball story, and an inspiring tale of a community refusing to give up hope despite the brutal odds stacked against them. On a grander scale, it’s a film about America, and the thousands of small towns across the country facing the same fight. As one towns-person told us, “Once we lose these small towns, we can’t get them back.”

MEDORA will open on Friday November 8 at the Village East in New York City and in the Los Angeles area at the Laemmle Playhouse 7 in Pasadena. In addition, in conjunction with Landmark theaters, Medora will play across the country on November 12 in a series of special screenings at top markets including Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC.

FilmBuff will release MEDORA across all leading Video On Demand platforms in the U.S. and Canada on November 12 including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Xbox Video, Sony Playstation and Vudu.

The film will also be available to rent or download directly from the filmmakers at www.medorafilm.com

http://youtu.be/4g3WQ2Nss80
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Milwaukee Film Festival Wraps; “THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE” “EDDIE ADAMS: SAIGON ‘68” Win Audience Awards

Milwaukee Film Festival

INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE director George Tillman Jr, with wife Marcia and son Chase at the 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival.

The 5th Milwaukee Film Festival, wrapped its 15-day run Thursday night October 10th, with official Closing Night Film, BLOOD BROTHER. Immediately following the Closing Night film, ballots were tallied to determine the winners of the 2013 Milwaukee Film Festival Allan H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. Selig Audience Awards. The winners of this year’s Allan H. (Bud) and Suzanne L. Selig Audience Awards are Feature Film: THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE directed by George Tillman Jr.; and Short Film: EDDIE ADAMS: SAIGON ‘68 directed by Douglas Sloan.

THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE

In THE INEVITABLE DEFEAT OF MISTER AND PETE, fourteen-year-old Mister and demure 9-year-old Pete (star-making turns from Skylan Brooks and Ethan Dizon, respectively) are forced to fend for themselves after both of their drug-addled parents disappear amid a sweltering summer in the Brooklyn projects.Forced to scavenge for food while dodging child protective services and the cops, the two must live beyond their years if they have any chance of staving off their seemingly inevitable defeat. Supporting performances from Anthony Mackie, Jordin Sparks, Jennifer Hudson and Jeffrey Wright bolster this beautifully observed tale of friendship in the face of great struggle.

EDDIE ADAMS: SAIGON ‘68

EDDIE ADAMS: SAIGON ‘68 tells the story behind the iconic photo from the Vietnam War and how it transformed the lives of the photographer and the man who pulled the trigger.

Main Photo credit: Jennifer Johnson
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