“The Descendants” starring George Clooney as a father in Hawaii trying to take care of his daughters after his wife falls into an accident-induced coma, was named this year’s best film by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The family drama, The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt was named runner-up best film, and its director Terrence Malick received the award for best director of the year. Bill Morrison received the Doublas Edwards Independent/Experimental Award […]
Cook County is a new independent film from first time writer/director David Pomes exploring a specific family and community in rural east Texas, reflecting an entire culture and drug world in America. The film presents the narrative through the eyes of Abe (Ryan Donowho), a teenager living with his meth-cooking and smoking uncle, Bump (Anson Mount). Abe goes day to day simply surviving with his dangerous caretaker, and trying to protect his young cousin Deandra […]
The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the line-up of ten Ibero-American premieres that will compete for $45,000 in jury prizes at its 29th annual event, March 2 – 11, 2012.
The lineup includes four International/North American premieres and two U.S. premieres, including new films from acclaimed veteran directors Carlos Sorin, David Trueba and Andrés Wood.
“As of today, only one of the films in the competition has U.S. distribution secured – Strand Releasing will be releasing Bonsai later in 2012,” noted MIFF’s executive director Jaie Laplante. “It is our hope that U.S. buyers attending the Festival will discover many more riches– and see through our MIFF audiences how U.S. audiences respond to these amazing films.”
2012 MIFF Knight Ibero-American Competition films: {jathumbnail off}
“Putin’s Kiss” a film by Lise Birk Pedersen, was acquired by Kino Lorber at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), where it had its world premiere in the IDFA Feature Documentary competition. It will be released theatrically after its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival (in the World Cinema Documentary competition). “Putin’s Kiss” portrays contemporary life in Russia through the coming-of-age story of Masha, a middle-class, 19-year-old Russian girl and a member […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 15 films have been selected for consideration for Achievement in Visual Effects for the 84th Academy Awards®. The films are listed below in alphabetical order: “Captain America: The First Avenger”“Cowboys & Aliens”“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”“Hugo”“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”“Real Steel”“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”“Sucker Punch”“Super 8”“Thor”“Transformers: Dark of […]
Oscar® -winning composer Hans Zimmer and Grammy® Award-winning songwriter and producer Pharrell Williams will serve as music consultants for the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced today. This will be the first time the composers have worked on the Oscar show. “Hans is one of the most accomplished and creative film composers of our time, and Pharrell is a phenomenal songwriter with an amazing list of credits,” said Grazer […]
Actress, musician Rainey Qualley, and daughter of actress Andie McDowell, has been chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as Miss Golden Globe 2012. “She is a talented and beautiful young woman,” said HFPA president Dr. Aida Takla-O’Reilly at the HFPA/InStyle Young Hollywood Party in West Hollywood. “We’re excited to have her as part of this year’s show.” Rainey, 21, recently appeared in the movie Mighty Fine and is writing songs and working on her […]
In the Signals section’s theme programme ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will present a vast panorama of features and shorts from São Paulo’s so-called ‘Boca do Lixo’ (Mouth of Garbage), the nickname for the working class neighborhood in the center of the Brazilian metropolis. These quick and dirty productions frequently highlighted the sleazy underbelly of Brazilian society using established genres such as noir, […]
The San Francisco Film Society and the Kenneth Rainin Foundation today announced the five winning projects in the sixth round of SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants. The grants are awarded twice annually to filmmakers for narrative feature films with social justice themes that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community. Between 2009 and 2013 the SFFS/KRF Filmmaking Grants will award nearly $2.5 million, including more than $1 million awarded in the […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Octavia Spencer with the Breakthrough Performance Award. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. Hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius and Michelle Williams. The Festival runs January 5-16. “Octavia Spencer is a consummate actress who seamlessly blends her […]
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, will honor Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo with the Cinema Vanguard Award for their performances in the silent film The Artist at the 27th edition of the Festival which runs January 26 – February 5, 2012. The Cinema Vanguard Award was created in recognition of an actor who has forged his/her own path – taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. The award has […]
Blaming the economy – dwindling contributions and attendance, SI Live is reporting that unless someone steps and takes the rein from the current organizer, Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, the Staten Island Film Festival will not return next year. “The board made a decision…based on the shrinking funding for film festival, and the fact that we weren’t seeing the economic impact that other film festivals have on their areas, we thought it might be best […]