• Ted Hope to Step Down as Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society

    Ted Hope, Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society, at the premiere of 'What Maisie Knew' at the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival

    Ted Hope, Executive Director of San Francisco Film Society since August 2012, announced today that he will step down at the end of the year to pursue other film-related interests. He will continue in his current role and will manage all activities of the organization until December 31, working with the staff and board to facilitate a smooth leadership transition. Hope will join the SFFS Advisory Board, to assist in guiding the Film Society into the future in a new capacity.

    Statement from Ted Hope:
    “When I came to San Francisco after producing so many films, it surprised some that I wanted to lead a non-profit organization,” said Hope. “Over the past 14 months I’ve come to realize that as much as I fully embrace the mission of the Film Society, my passion is more entrepreneurial. We accomplished a great deal at SFFS over the last year, and the same fantastic team that initially drew me to the Bay Area is still in place to drive the organization well into the future. Vanessa and I plan to stay in the Bay Area and I look forward to staying involved in an advisory role and collaborating with the Film Society in our film-related activities.”

    Statement from SFFS Board President David Winton:
    “The Film Society has been fortunate to have Ted Hope at its helm,” said Winton. “He brought with him a lot of great ideas about expanding our already considerable role in promoting film culture given so much disruptive change in media, and we are grateful for his tenure and guidance. We are happy to have Ted’s continued creative input as he steps into his new role on our Advisory Board. The SFFS Board of Directors is committed to finding a new leader that will continue to work closely with our staff to further the mission of the Film Society and its core programs.”

    Read more


  • 2013 Austin Film Festival to Honor Susan Sarandon; Adds WHITEWASH, THE PRETTY ONE to Lineup

    WHITEWASHWHITEWASH

    Austin Film Festival (AFF)  taking place this October 24th to 31st, 2013 will honor actress Susan Sarandon with the 2013 Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking – Actor.  The festival also added WHITEWASH, a comic thriller starring Thomas Haden Church and THE PRETTY ONE, starring Zoe Kazan, Jack Johnson, and Ron Livingston to the 20th Anniversary Film Schedule lineup.

    Sarandon will accept the award at the Festival’s annual Awards Luncheon held on Saturday, October 26, 2013 at the Austin Club. The Inaugural Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking – Actor Award was presented to Johnny Depp in 2011. Sarandon will present a retrospective screening of John Turturro’s Romance and Cigarettes, and join a conversation on the art and craft of storytelling with the other 2013 Awardees, Vince Gilligan (Outstanding Television Writer), Jonathan Demme (Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking), Callie Khouri (Distinguished Screenwriter), and Barry Josephson (Heart of Film Award).

    Austin Film Festival’s Opening Night will feature the US Premiere of Jonathan Sobel’s break-out Toronto heist hit THE ART OF THE STEAL starring Kurt Russell, Matt Dillon and Jay Baruchel, as well as the World Premiere of AFF success story COFFEE, KILL BOSS – a film that emerged from the Festival’s world-renowned Screenplay Competition in 2011. Coffee, Kill Boss stars Eddie Jemison (Ocean’s 11-13, Hung), Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management) and Robert Forster (Jackie Brown, Mulholland Drive). The comedy is about ten executives who meet in secret to sell off their company and end up the victims of a murder plot. 

    AFF’s Closing Night film falls on Halloween and will feature the US Premiere of ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE, a horror comedy about a rebellious outsider who joins the cheerleading squad on a mission to take down the captain of the football team…. until a supernatural force changes everything. Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson co-wrote and directed the film, hailed as a monster midnight sensation in Toronto.

    Read more


  • Toronto After Dark Film Festival Unveils 2013 Lineup; Opens with WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

    wearewhatweareWE ARE WHAT WE ARE directed by Jim Mickle

    Toronto After Dark Film Festival taking place October 17 to October 25, 2013, unveiled its complete lineup and schedule of new horror, sci-fi, action and cult movies.  The festival will open with the Toronto Pemiere of WE ARE WHAT WE ARE. The film is described as a stunningly shot,  incredibly well-acted, acclaimed new horror-thriller from award-winning filmmaker Jim Mickle (STAKELAND) that won rave reviews at both this year’s Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. A recently widowed father and his two teenage daughters try to keep their time-honored family tradition of consuming human flesh a secret from their increasingly suspicious small town neighbors.

    The festival will close on Friday, October 25, with the Toronto Premiere of the Israeli film BIG BAD WOLVES, described as a brilliantly constructed, award-winning, gripping crime thriller that deftly blends elements of horror and dark comedy. Two police officers kidnap a suspected brutal serial killer so they can carry out their own private interrogation in the woods. The twists and turns that follow will have you guessing whose side you should be on right up until the very end!  

    THE COMPLETE 19 FEATURES ANNOUNCED & SCHEDULE!

    THURS, OCT 17 
    OPENING NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (USA) Toronto Premiere & Opening Gala Film!
    A stunningly shot,  incredibly well-acted, acclaimed new horror-thriller from award-winning filmmaker Jim Mickle (STAKELAND) that won rave reviews at both this year’s Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals. A recently widowed father and his two teenage daughters try to keep their time-honored family tradition of consuming human flesh a secret from their increasingly suspicious small town neighbours.

    9.30 PM
    BOUNTY KILLER (USA) Toronto Premiere!
    MAD MAX meets THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY in this thrill-packed sci-fi actioner about duelling rival bounty hunters in a post-apocalyptic Earth wasteland. Co-stars REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA’s Alexa Vega and TERMINATOR 3’s Kristanna Loken. 

     

    FRI, OCT 18 
    BUG NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    BIG ASS SPIDER!  (USA) Toronto Premiere!
    In this crowd-pleasing monster action comedy,  when a giant spider threatens to destroy the city of Los Angeles, its up to a low-level bug exterminator (HEROES’ Greg Grunberg) to try and save the day. Co-stars Ray Wise (REAPER, TWIN PEAKS)  
    Screens with short film THE LAST VIDEO STORE

    9.30 PM
    EEGA (INDIA) Toronto Premiere!
    An amazing, action-packed, dark fantasy movie from India, about a murdered man who gets reincarnated as a housefly and sets out to have his revenge upon the evil crime lord that slayed him. 

     

    SAT, OCT 19

    4.15 PM
    SHORTS AFTER DARK – International Shorts!
    A collection of 9 amazing new horror, sci-fi, action and cult short films from around the world. This year’s titles are: INVOCATION, DON’T MOVE, SEQUENCE, NORTH BAY, ROPE A DOPE, C, BABY I LOVE YOU, MY FATHER IS A BIRD, KICK-HEART 

     

    ZOMBIE APPRECIATION NIGHT! 
    Discounted tickets for zombies in costume!

    7.00 PM
    STALLED (UK) Canadian Premiere!
    SHAUN OF THE DEAD meets PHONE BOOTH in this inventive and fun new British Zombie Comedy. A down on his luck maintenance worker finds himself trapped in the washroom during the Zombie apocalypse, forcing him to get creative as he tries to defeat the undead! 

    THE BATTERY (USA) Toronto Premiere!
    In this award-winning, fresh take on a zombie movie, the personalities of two former baseball players clash as they traverse the rural back roads of a post-plague New England teeming with the undead. Boasts an awesome indie rock soundtrack including contributions from Toronto’s own Rock Plaza Central.  

     

    SUN, OCT 20 

    4.15 PM
    SILENT RETREAT (CANADA) World Premiere!
    Horror thriller meets creature feature in this frightening tale of a rebellious teenager who gets sent to a strict rehabilitation camp in the woods, where all attempts to escape lead to encounters with something terrifying that lurks beyond the trees! 

     

    GROSS-OUT NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    SEPTIC MAN (CANADA) Canadian Premiere!
    From the twisted mind of celebrated writer Tony Burgess (PONTYPOOL) comes this disturbing and disgusting tale about a sewage worker who gets trapped inside a septic tank during a water contamination crisis and undergoes a hideous transformation. Co-stars Robert Maillet (PACIFIC RIM), Julian Richings (MAN OF STEEL) and Stephen McHattie (300).  

    9.30 PM
    MOTIVATIONAL GROWTH (USA) Canadian Premiere!
    A dark, twisted and funny horror comedy about a depressed man who lets his home fall into such a hideous state of decay that a grotesque, giant, mould grows in the place. Then the mould starts talking (voiced by none other than RE-ANIMATOR’S Jeffrey Combs) and giving the man advice, that may or may not be for the best!

     

    MON, OCT 21 

    7.00 PM
    ODD THOMAS (USA) Canadian Premiere!
    Based on the best-selling novel by Dean Koontz. In a California desert town, a young cook (STAR TREK’s Anton Yelchin) with a unique ability to see supernatural forces at work, encounters a mysterious man with a link to a darkness that threatens to destroy the people around him. Directed by Stephen Sommers (THE MUMMY) and co-starring Willem Dafoe (SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE) 

    9.30 PM
    SOLO (CANADA) Toronto Premiere!
    In this suspenseful horror-thriller a teenage girl finds herself terrorized when she spends two nights alone, as part of her camp counsellor initiation, on the same remote island where a camper suspiciously disappeared decades before. Stars Annie Clark (DEGRASSI: TNG) and Daniel Kash (ALIENS) 

     

    TUES, OCT 22 
    SCI-FI NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    LAST DAYS ON MARS (UK/ IRELAND) Canadian Premiere!
    An intense sci-fi horror thriller about a deadly strain of bacteria discovered in the Martian soil that begins to infect a group of astronauts, turning them one by one into blood-thirsty zombies! Stars Liev Schreiber (SCREAM), Olivia Williams (THE SIXTH SENSE) and Elias Koteas (SHUTTER ISLAND) 

    9.30 PM
    THE MACHINE (UK) Toronto Premiere!
    A dark and stylish sci-fi thriller with clear nods to BLADE RUNNER about a conflicted scientific genius trying to make the perfect female android, while being funded by a secret government military program.  Co-stars Caity Lotz (THE PACT) and Toby Stephens (SEVERANCE)  

     

    WED, OCT 23
    GORY NIGHT

    7.00 PM
    FOUND (USA)  Toronto Premiere!
    An award-winning coming of age movie about a shy, bullied 10 year old who takes refuge in horror movies, only to see his life turn into a horror story for real when he discovers the older brother he shares the house with is a gruesome serial killer.  

    9.30 PM
    EVIL FEED (CANADA) World Premiere!
    Bloody, outrageous and wickedly entertaining, a one-of-a-kind horror-action-comedy about a sinister Chinese restaurant that kidnaps martial artists off the streets, forces them to fight to the death, and then serves the loser up for dinner to paying guests! 

    THU, OCT 24
    SCARY NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    WILLOW CREEK (USA) Toronto Premiere Co-hosted with Rue Morgue Cinemacabre Movie NIghts!
    A scary found footage film from acclaimed filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait (GOD BLESS AMERICA) about a young couple obsessed with tracking down Bigfoot, and finding the exact location where the famous 1967 footage of the creature walking in the woods was shot.

    A scary horror thriller about a young reporter in search of her missing friend, last seen experimenting with the same mind-altering drugs used by the CIA in the 1950s. 9.30 PMBANSHEE CHAPTER (USA/Germany) North American Premiere!

    FRI, OCT 25
    CLOSING NIGHT!

    7.00 PM
    CHEAP THRILLS (USA) Toronto Premiere!
    in this award-winning, outrageous, darkly funny and shocking thriller in the mould of BREAKING BAD, a recently unemployed dad, trys to pay off his debts by performing an increasingly risky series of dares for a wealthy thrill-seeking couple. Co-stars David Koechner (ANCHORMAN) and Sara Paxton (THE INNKEEPERS).

    A brilliantly constructed, award-winning, gripping crime thriller that deftly blends elements of horror and dark comedy. Two police officers kidnap a suspected brutal serial killer so they can carry out their own private interrogation in the woods. The twists and turns that follow will have you guessing whose side you should be on right up until the very end!  9.30 PMBIG BAD WOLVES (ISRAEL) Toronto Premiere and Closing Gala!

    Read more


  • Palm Springs Cultural Center Adds The Stanley Kramer Film Festival To It’s Annual List of Programs and Events

     Stanley Kramer Film Festival at Camelot Theatres

    The Palm Springs Cultural Center announced a new addition to its annual line-up of cultural programs and special events. The Stanley Kramer Film Festival will debut at Camelot Theatres on Friday, November 15th and run through Sunday, November 17th, 2013. The 2013 event, which is designed to coincide with other Stanley Kramer Centennial events taking place this year, will include special screenings of six of Stanley Kramer’s best-known films. It will also feature special events, and special appearances with actress Karen Sharpe Kramer, Stanley Kramer’s widow, and his daughter, the actress and singer, Katharine “Kat” Kramer. 

    “We are so thrilled that The Palm Springs Cultural Center has elected to create this annual celebration of Stanley’s films, as well as his legacy,” said Karen Sharpe Kramer. “And having it launch during his Centennial celebration makes it even more special to us.” 

    The inaugural edition of The Stanley Kramer Film Festival will open with 1958’s THE DEFIANT ONES, starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier as two escaped convicts who are shackled together, and must learn to get along in order to elude capture. 

    “THE DEFIANT ONES was ahead of its time, as were so many of Stanley’s films,” continued Karen Sharpe Kramer.“Set in the American South against the specter of segregation, the two men, one white and one black, are at first motivated to cooperate with one another purely to survive, but gradually, they begin to respect , and even like one another. This was powerful story-telling. Can you imagine that film playing in 1958?”

    The second film in the schedule is 1967’s GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, and Katharine Hepburn. The film contains what was, at the time, a rare positive representation of the controversial subject of interracial marriage (which was still illegal in 17 states), right up until June 12, 1967, when the Supreme Court struck them down ( just two days after Tracy died).  “Katharine Hepburn never saw the completed version of GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER,” said Katharine “Kat” Kramer (Hepburn’s god-daughter and namesake). “She said the memories of Spencer Tracy were just too painful for her.”

    THE WILD ONE (1953), starring then-heartthrob, Marlon Brando, opens Saturday’s Festival schedule. Often lauded as the first of the “outlaw biker film” movie genre, THE WILD ONE provides a gritty, somewhat romanticized version of the lives and loves of the rebel motorcycle-riding clubs that became popular in California  after World War Two. THE WILD ONE was based on a short story that loosely chronicled an actual event.

    Saturday evening takes audiences from the world of outlaw gangs into the mad, mad world of comedy with the ever-popular film, IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD. Produced and directed by Stanley Kramer in 1963, the epic comedy centers on the search, by a crazy and colorful group of characters, for $ 350,000 in stolen cash. Led by veteran actor Spencer Tracy, IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD features an all-star ensemble cast, including the likes of Edie Adams, Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Terry-Thomas, and Jonathan Winters.

    Sunday morning, November 17th, opens with the powerful drama, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, which chronicles the events of the Holocaust, and the post-World War II complexities of the Nuremberg War Trials. Stanley Kramer produced and directed this monumental film, which stars such film greats as Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, William Shatner,and Montgomery Clift. JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, won two (Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay), and earned Stanley Kramer the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg  Memorial Award. 

    The last film of the festival is THE CAINE MUTINY, starring Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Jose Ferrer, and Fred MacMurray. Set during World War II, and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk, THE CAINE MUTINY was a huge box office success in 1954, and received seven Oscar nominations. It has also been described as featuring Humphrey Bogart’s last great film performance. When the U.S. Navy was hesitant to endorse the film, it was almost lost to history. No studio, at the time, would touch it. Finally, Stanley Kramer, determined to tell the story, purchased the rights to Herman Wouk’s novel himself and set about to produce the film. 

    “The 2013 The Stanley Kramer Film Festival will include a number of wonderful special events,” said Janie Hughes, Project Manager for the festival. “There’s a private Tea with the Kramers for All Access Passholders, an over the top pre-opening party, and a birthday celebration complete with a giant birthday cake. We plan on making this quite an event.”

    Tickets and All Access passes for The Stanley Kramer Film Festival will be available at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, and online, starting Tuesday, October 8th. 

    To purchase tickets in-person, visit the Camelot Theatres Box Office (Open Daily, Call for Hours), 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs, CA, 92262, Box Office: 760-325-6565. For telephone orders, call: 888-718-4253, or order on-line at: Camelottickets.com 

    TICKET INFORMATION:

    NOTE: All screenings will be held at Camelot Theatres

    PASSES
    All Access Pass $120.00 (includes Tea with the Kramers, Pre-Opening Party, Birthday Party and all screenings)

    INDIVIDUAL TICKETS:
    Pre-Opening Party: $50.00
    Festival Screenings = $13.00 (on sale October 8th)
     
    To purchase your tickets in-person, visit:
    Camelot Theatres Box Office
    (Open Daily, Call for Hours)
    2300 E. Baristo Road,
    Palm Springs, CA, 92262,
    Box Office: 760-325-6565
     
    Telephone Orders: 888-718-4253

    Order online: Camelottickets.com

    Read more


  • Montclair Film Festival Announces Contest To Design 2014 Official Poster

    Montclair Film Festival (MFF)

    The Montclair Film Festival (MFF), in partnership with The Montclair Art Museum announced the launch of a contest to design the official poster for the 2014 Montclair Film Festival to be held April 28-May 4, 2014. The winning design will be seen on buses, lampposts, t-shirts, the web, catalogs and, of course, the big screen, as the centerpiece of a dynamic week of 80+ films and events that will comprise the third annual celebration of the art of filmmaking in Montclair. 

    Artwork can be submitted as digital file or as flat art.  Only original artwork will be considered. Image size should be no larger than 11” X 17”. The poster should include the words Montclair Film Festival 2014 and the dates April 28th-May 4th.

    Each entry should include artist’s full name, address, phone number, and a valid e-mail address.

    All entries must be postmarked/emailed by November 25th 2013. One winner will be chosen from all entries in early January by an independent panel of judges. The winner will receive two free tickets to the MFF Opening Night Gala and will be acknowledged on the MFF website.

    For more information, including mailing and email addresses for submission, go to http://montclairfilmfest.org/2014-mff-poster-contest/

    MFF Artistic Director Thom Powers said, “The poster is the focal point of the Festival and we’re excited to open up its design to the creative community who has supported us in our first two years in so many ways.”

    Added Michael Gillespie, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Montclair Art Museum, “We’re happy to join with the Montclair Film Festival in this poster competition.  The Festival, which champions local filmmakers, has become one of the premier cultural events in our area and this is another creative opportunity to showcase area talent.”

    Read more


  • NAACP Image Awards Moves to TV One

    NAACP Image Awards

    The NAACP Image Awards is moving to a new TV home.  Under a new five-year contract, TV One becomes the television home for the association’s awards show, beginning with the live airing of the “45th NAACP Image Awards” in February 2014.  The NAACP Image Awards describes itself as the nation’s premier event celebrating the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors. 

    TV One will air live broadcasts of the Image Awards and red carpet arrivals in 2014. In addition, the network will provide promotional support on TV One, Radio One and Reach Media, Interactive One, and via a multi-platform marketing campaign.  In addition, to elevate the historic organization’s initiatives, there will be dedicated coverage on News One Now, TV One’s new daily news and information program,

    “We are truly honored to be partnering with the NAACP and becoming the new home for the Image Awards,” said Liggins of TV One. “Today’s announcement is a game changer for TV One and our loyal viewers across the country. As we prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of TV One’s 2004 launch, I can think of no greater opportunity to thank this audience than by providing them with access to the preeminent awards show that showcases the incredible achievements of Black Americans and by creating an ongoing opportunity for dialogue around social justice issues on TV One.”

    There are many well-deserving actors, authors, directors, writers, performing artists, as well as television, motion picture, recording, and literary projects that are recognized during theNAACP Image Awards.  Submissions are now being accepted until Friday, November 15, 2013 – information is available at www.naacpimageawards.net.

    Nominations for the “45th NAACP Image Awards” will be announced next January.

     

    Read more


  • New Casting Directors Branch Elects Three To Academy Board Of Governors

    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    Three members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ newly created Casting Directors Branch have been elected to the Academy Board of Governors. The first-time governors are David Rubin, who is elected to a three-year term; Bernie Telsey, who is elected to a two-year term; and Lora Kennedy, who is elected to a one-year term.

    “The addition of these exceptional professionals to our Board is another positive step toward making our organization more inclusive and more reflective of the broader industry,” Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said.  “We welcome them, their ideas and their insights wholeheartedly.”

    The Academy’s 17 branches are each represented by three governors, who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms.  The addition of the Casting Directors Branch was approved by the Board in July of this year. 

    Read more


  • 2013 Manhattan Short Film Festival Winners, KIZMET DINER is Gold Medal Winner

    KIZMET DINERKIZMET DINER 

    KIZMET DINER, an 11-minute romantic love story directed by Mark Nunneley of England is the Gold Medal winner of the 16th annual Manhattan Short Film Festival. KIZMET DINER tells the tale of a singing waitress in a diner who finds the song that opens the heart of a disinterested customer. The Silver Medal went to PALE OF SETTLEMENT, directed by Jacob Sillman, an entry from the United States. Pale of Settlement chronicles the adventures of a 10-year-old boy trying to avoid conscription in the Russian army during the Crimean War.

    The Bronze Medal went to I AM A GREAT BIG BALL OF SADNESS, another USA entry adapted from the stage play by Ken Urban and directed by Chris Tyler. The film pushes past the veneer presented by three guests at a cocktail party.

    Reece Noi was voted Manhattan Short Best Actor for his portrayal of a young man coming to terms with the death of his mother in a terrorist bombing in the British short film FRIDAY.

    Read more


  • 76 Countries In Competition For 2013 Foreign Language Film Oscar

    Afghanistan, "WAJMA – AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY," Barmak Akram, directorAfghanistan, “WAJMA – AN AFGHAN LOVE STORY,” Barmak Akram, director

    A record 76 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 86th Academy Awards®.  Moldova and Saudi Arabia are first-time entrants; Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.

    The 2013 submissions are:

    Afghanistan, “Wajma – An Afghan Love Story,” Barmak Akram, director; 
    Albania, “Agon,” Robert Budina, director; 
    Argentina, “The German Doctor,” Lucía Puenzo, director;
    Australia, “The Rocket,” Kim Mordaunt, director; 
    Austria, “The Wall,” Julian Pölsler, director; 
    Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man,” Shamil Aliyev, director; 
    Bangladesh, “Television,” Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director; 
    Belgium, “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director; 
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director; 
    Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds,” Kleber Mendonça Filho, director; 
    Bulgaria, “The Color of the Chameleon,” Emil Hristov, director; 
    Cambodia, “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director; 
    Canada, “Gabrielle,” Louise Archambault, director; 
    Chad, “GriGris,” Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director; 
    Chile, “Gloria,” Sebastián Lelio, director; 
    China, “Back to 1942,” Feng Xiaogang, director; 
    Colombia, “La Playa DC,” Juan Andrés Arango, director; 
    Croatia, “Halima’s Path,” Arsen Anton Ostojic, director; 
    Czech Republic, “The Don Juans,” Jiri Menzel, director;
    Denmark, “The Hunt,” Thomas Vinterberg, director; 
    Dominican Republic, “Quien Manda?” Ronni Castillo, director; 
    Ecuador, “The Porcelain Horse,” Javier Andrade, director; 
    Egypt, “Winter of Discontent,” Ibrahim El Batout, director; 
    Estonia, “Free Range,” Veiko Ounpuu, director; 
    Finland, “Disciple,” Ulrika Bengts, director; 
    France, “Renoir,” Gilles Bourdos, director; 
    Georgia, “In Bloom,” Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross, directors; 
    Germany, “Two Lives,” Georg Maas, director; 
    Greece, “Boy Eating the Bird’s Food,” Ektoras Lygizos, director; 
    Hong Kong, “The Grandmaster,” Wong Kar-wai, director; 
    Hungary, “The Notebook,” Janos Szasz, director; 
    Iceland, “Of Horses and Men,” Benedikt Erlingsson, director; 
    India, “The Good Road,” Gyan Correa, director; 
    Indonesia, “Sang Kiai,” Rako Prijanto, director; 
    Iran, “The Past,” Asghar Farhadi, director; 
    Israel, “Bethlehem,” Yuval Adler, director; 
    Italy, “The Great Beauty,” Paolo Sorrentino, director; 
    Japan, “The Great Passage,” Ishii Yuya, director; 
    Kazakhstan, “Shal,” Yermek Tursunov, director; 
    Latvia, “Mother, I Love You,” Janis Nords, director; 
    Lebanon, “Blind Intersections,” Lara Saba, director; 
    Lithuania, “Conversations on Serious Topics,” Giedre Beinoriute, director; 
    Luxembourg, “Blind Spot,” Christophe Wagner, director; 
    Mexico, “Heli,” Amat Escalante, director; 
    Moldova, “All God’s Children,” Adrian Popovici, director; 
    Montenegro, “Ace of Spades – Bad Destiny,” Drasko Djurovic, director; 
    Morocco, “Horses of God,” Nabil Ayouch, director; 
    Nepal, “Soongava: Dance of the Orchids,” Subarna Thapa, director; 
    Netherlands, “Borgman,” Alex van Warmerdam, director; 
    New Zealand, “White Lies,” Dana Rotberg, director; 
    Norway, “I Am Yours,” Iram Haq, director; 
    Pakistan, “Zinda Bhaag,” Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, directors; 
    Palestine, “Omar,” Hany Abu-Assad, director; 
    Peru, “The Cleaner,” Adrian Saba, director; 
    Philippines, “Transit,” Hannah Espia, director; 
    Poland, “Walesa. Man of Hope,” Andrzej Wajda, director; 
    Portugal, “Lines of Wellington,” Valeria Sarmiento, director; 
    Romania, “Child’s Pose,” Calin Peter Netzer, director; 
    Russia, “Stalingrad,” Fedor Bondarchuk, director; 
    Saudi Arabia, “Wadjda,” Haifaa Al Mansour, director; 
    Serbia, “Circles,” Srdan Golubovic, director; 
    Singapore, “Ilo Ilo,” Anthony Chen, director; 
    Slovak Republic, “My Dog Killer,” Mira Fornay, director; 
    Slovenia, “Class Enemy,” Rok Bicek, director; 
    South Africa, “Four Corners,” Ian Gabriel, director; 
    South Korea, “Juvenile Offender,” Kang Yi-kwan, director; 
    Spain, “15 Years Plus a Day,” Gracia Querejeta, director; 
    Sweden, “Eat Sleep Die,” Gabriela Pichler, director; 
    Switzerland, “More than Honey,” Markus Imhoof, director; 
    Taiwan, “Soul,” Chung Mong-Hong, director; 
    Thailand, “Countdown,” Nattawut Poonpiriya, director; 
    Turkey, “The Butterfly’s Dream,” Yilmaz Erdogan, director; 
    Ukraine, “Paradjanov,” Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova, directors; 
    United Kingdom, “Metro Manila,” Sean Ellis, director; 
    Uruguay, “Anina,” Alfredo Soderguit, director; 
    Venezuela, “Breach in the Silence,” Luis Alejandro Rodríguez and Andrés Eduardo Rodríguez, directors.

    The 86th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 16, 2014, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

    Read more


  • Spanish Thriller OPEN GRAVE Gets U.S. Release December 2013

    Sharlto Copley and Erin Richards in "OPEN GRAVE", a Tribeca Film release

    Tribeca Film will release Spanish director Gonzalo López-Gallego’s “mind-bending thriller” OPEN GRAVE starring Sharlto Copley (District 9, Elysium), Joseph Morgan (“The Vampire Diaries,”” The Originals”), Josie Ho (“Contagion”), and Thomas Kretschmann (Valkyrie, Wanted) in the US.  OPEN GRAVE will premiere at the prestigious international genre festival, Sitges Film Festival, in Spain this month, before a December day and date release in the U.S.

    The high-concept OPEN GRAVE follows a man (Copley) who wakes up in a pit of dead bodies with no memory of who he is or how he got there. Fleeing the scene, he breaks into a nearby house and is met at gunpoint by a group of terrified strangers, all suffering from memory loss. Suspicion gives way to violence as the group starts to piece together clues about their identities, but when they uncover a threat that’s more vicious than each other, they are forced to figure out what brought them all together — before it’s too late.

    The film will be released day and date this December on cable/telco and satellite video-on-demand platforms, as well as iTunes, Amazon Watch Instantly, VUDU, Playstation, and Google Play, followed by a theatrical release in major markets.

    Read more


  • CHASING SHAKESPEARE Starring Danny Glover to Open African Diaspora International Film Festival | TRAILER

    CHASING SHAKESPEARE, directed by Norry Niven and starring Danny Glover and Graham Greene

    CHASING SHAKESPEARE, directed by Norry Niven and starring Danny Glover and Graham Greene, will open the 21st edition of the African Diaspora International Film Festival on November 29th, as a New York Premiere.

    CHASING SHAKESPEARE is described as a beautiful and enchanting love story about a young Native American woman’s search for her destiny and her widower husband’s attempts to reunite with her after her death. Based on a screenplay by James Bird,Chasing Shakespeare recounts the beginning, end and rebirth of a love affair between William and Venus in rural Arkansas. 

    http://youtu.be/0igUrymyWDY

    Read more


  • Milwaukee Film Festival Announces 2013 Jury Award Winners; WAR WITCH directed by Kim Nguyen Wins Top Award

     WAR WITCH directed by Kim NguyenWAR WITCH directed by Kim Nguyen

     The 5th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival announced the 2013 Jury Award Winners, for both the Competition and Cream City Cinema Programs, including a Filmmaker-in-Residence Award. WAR WITCH directed by Kim Nguyen is the winner of the Herzfeld Competition Award.  WAR WITCH, described as an inspiring tale of resistance, follows Komona, who at 14 is taken captive by armed rebels and trained to become a child soldier, perpetrating unspeakable acts of violence for her captors. Quickly ascending through the ranks due to her otherworldly sense for approaching danger, Komona finds love in the least likely place with a fellow soldier named Magician, and together they plot their escape.

    2013 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL JURY AWARDS

    The Herzfeld Competition Award Winner
    WAR WITCH (dir. Kim Nguyen)

    Special Competition Jury Prize
    12 O’CLOCK BOYS (dir. Lotfy Nathan)

    Cream City Cinema: Filmmaker-in-Residence
    Michael T. Vollman, BEFORE YOU

    Special Cream City Cinema Jury Prize
    HABIBEH (THICKER THAN PAINT) (dir. Maryam Sepehri)

    Special Cream City Cinema Jury Prize, Acting
    Logan Lark, WHEN THE KING TILTS

    Read more