• Pedro Almodóvar’s Hilarious New Comedy I’M SO EXCITED to Open Australia’s Melbourne Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4110" align="alignnone" width="550"]I’M SO EXCITED![/caption]

    The 62nd Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) will open with the Australian Premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s hilarious comedy, I’M SO EXCITED! (Los Amantes Pasajeros).

    With cameo appearances by Penélope Cruz (Volver) and Antonio Banderas (The Skin I Live In), I’M SO EXCITED! features a top-notch cast of Spain, Mexico and Argentina’s finest acting talent, including previous Almodóvar collaborators Antonio de la Torre (Volver), Javier Cámara (Talk To Her, Bad Education) and Lola Dueñas (Volver, Talk To Her).  I’M SO EXCITED! opens in the US in late June 2013.

    I’M SO EXCITED! is the story of a Mexico-bound flight that runs into trouble when its landing gear malfunctions, and is put in a holding pattern. On board, the flamboyant cabin crew deal with the situation by drugging economy class to sleep and breaking out the tequila and mescaline in business class, where the passengers include a virgin psychic, a dominatrix, a soap star and a corrupt banker.

    I’M SO EXCITED! marks the first of 18 days for MIFF, which includes well over 300 films from around the world.

    http://youtu.be/gZW68fmlaMI

    Read more

  • Films Featuring Jason Ritter, Lee Meriwether, Brooke Shields among Lineup for Palm Springs International ShortFest

    The 2013 Palm Springs International ShortFest & Short Film Market will showcase 330 films including 70 World Premieres, 55 North American Premieres and 14 U.S. Premieres from June 18-24, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs.  

    This year’s star-studded shorts feature Academy Award winners and nominees, as well as film and television stars.  Jason Ritter in Boats Against the Current (USA); the voice of Rachel Griffiths in Butterflies (Australia); the voice of Cate Blanchett in the North American Premiere of A Cautionary Tale (Australia); Tom Sizemore in The Charlatan (USA); Christopher Lloyd in the World Premiere of The Coin (USA); Shannyn Sossamon in The Cyclist (USA); Yvan Attal and Anne Parillaud in the North American Premiere of Delicate Gravity (France); Alan Rickman in Dust (UK); Ian McKellen in the World Premiere of The Egg Trick (UK); Christopher Eccleston and Felicity Jones in the World Premiere of Emily (UK); Gerard Depardieu in Frank-Etienne (France); the voice of Bill Nighy in the North American Premiere of The Hungry Corpse (UK); Missi Pyle in Killing Vivian (USA); Brenda Blethyn and Tom Jones in the World Premiere of King of the Teds (UK); Anson Mount directs Last Time We Checked(USA); Elle Fanning in Likeness (USA); Nick Cassavetes in the World Premiere of Love and Skin  (USA) directed by Virgina Cassavetes; voices of Hugh Bonneville and Andy Serkis in the North American Premiere of The Magnificent Lion Boy (UK); Nastassja Kinski and Julian Sands in The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars (Italy) directed by Edoardo Ponti; Hugo Weaving in No Budget (Australia); David Lyons marks his directorial debut in the North American Premiere of Record (USA); Lee Meriwether in Remember to Breathe (USA); Lauren Ambrose and Adam Driver in The River (USA); Frances Conroy in Sequin Raze (USA); Shohreh Aghdashloo in Silk (USA) directed by Catherine Dent;Jordana Spiro directs Skin (USA); Denis Lavant in the North American Premiere of Spring Tides(France); Lisa Edelstein and James Le Gros in the World Premiere of Three Hours Between Planes(USA); Emma Thompson in Walking the Dogs (UK); Brooke Shields and Mireille Enos in the World Premiere of Wild Horses (USA); and Camilla Belle in Zero Hour (Mexico/USA).

    Sydney Netter (Founder, SND Films), Missi Pyle (actress) and Betsy Sharkey (Film Critic, Los Angeles Times) will serve on the ShortFest jury and  a total of $110,000 in prizes, including $16,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 19 categories to this year’s short films in competition.  First place winners in four categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for a possible Academy Award nomination.  

    Eleven films have been chosen to play online at the ShortFest Online Film Festival, starting a week prior to the festival and continue to play online for two months after the end of the festival.  

    Amstel (Netherlands) – It’s early Sunday morning, and Maarten has just met the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately he’s still drunk, and still with his date from the night before.  Director: Jaap van Eyck.  Cast: Tjebbo Gerritsma, Nyncke Beekhuyzen, IIke Paddenburg.

    Bad Cars (USA) – An exploration of the difficulty of finding love in Los Angeles, particularly when you have a crappy car.  Director: Anthony Deptula.

    Bubble Boy (USA) – Love makes everything look better (and bigger)!  Director: Tang Tao.

    Bouddhi Bouddha (France) – Just back from a trip to Nepal, two friends let the mysteries of meditation and the allure of exotic lands blur the lines of their relationship. Director: Sophie Galibert.

    The Mrs. (USA) – In one man’s world, it’s a good thing his wife gets up before he does. The Mrs. is one of five different films from the same script.  As part of Bombay Sapphire’s Imagination Series, Oscar winner Geoffrey Fletcher wrote a script stripped of any stage direction and asked people to imagine their film.  Director: Matt Smukler.  Cast: Paul Messinger, Bonnie Burroughs, Sean Miller.

    Naptime! (USA) – Naptime! might just be that revolutionary new product that could save your life (or at least your sanity).  Play this video to learn all about it!  Director: Chris Capel.  Cast: Mallory Moye, Asif Ali, Taylor Orci.

    Shelved (New Zealand) – Two industrial robots, Craig and Beano, figure they’re too cool for school until a plague starts hitting the warehouse floor: robot workers are being replaced by humans!  Can Craig and Beano survive the gathering storm?  Director: James Cunningham.  Cast: Simon McKinney, Stephen Papps, Lara Fischel-Chisholm, Penny Ashton, Peter Rowley.

    Sleddin’ (USA) – A daring little boy goes on a mini winter adventure, though not all is as it seems in beautifully crafted animated short.  Director: John Pettingill.

    Start the Engine and Reverse (Russian Federation) – A first date, illicit enough, but made all the more so since the couple are driving her father’s car, turns quickly into a showdown of morals and conscience on a snowy road.  Director: Andrey Zagidullin.  Cast: Lubov Novikova, Egor Kharlamov.

    [caption id="attachment_4108" align="alignnone" width="550"]Sweet Crude Man Camp [/caption]

    Sweet Crude Man Camp (USA) – A haunting look at the complicated realities surrounding the ongoing oil boom in the Bakken region of North Dakota.  Director: Isaac Gale.

    Whateverest (Denmark/Norway) – Enter the strange world of Marius Solum Hohansen, a young failed musician who cares for his father, manages the family’s tanning salon business and posts “drug recipes” on the Internet.  Director: Kristoffer Borgli.  Cast: Marius Solem Johansen, Jan Thomsen.

    Read more

  • Boxing Documentary “TAPIA” to World Premiere at Los Angeles Film Festival, Acquired by Rapper 50 Cent

    [caption id="attachment_4105" align="alignnone" width="550"]TAPIA[/caption]

    Rapper, actor, entertainment mogul Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and boxing promoter Lou DiBella have acquired the rights to TAPIA, the documentary based on the life of five-time world champion boxer, Johnny Tapia. TAPIA is set to world premiere as part of the Documentary Competition at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 15.

    TAPIA chronicles the personal and professional life of the boxer, beginning with his poor childhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The film explores the glory of his punishing ring prowess and five world titles in three weight classes, forever mired by personal demons: his mother’s brutal kidnapping and murder when he was 8 years old, and his drug addiction, mental illness and near death experiences. Using first person narration from Tapia himself, archival footage, and personal photos, director Eddie Alcazar paints an intimate picture of the fighter and the man.

    TAPIA follows the champ’s winding road through victories, downfalls and redemption. Director Alcazar spent many hours with Tapia filming the biopic, just weeks before the fighter’s tragic death at age 45. Tapia’s last interviews now serve as the heartbeat of Alcazar’s revealing documentary. In it, the soft-spoken champ opens up about his ‘vida loca’ and the unending pain of his mother’s murder, which led to glory in the ring and struggle throughout his life.

    http://youtu.be/yB3Oy3cEu_4

    Read more

  • “LOVELACE” to Open and “EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES” to Close the 15th Provincetown International Film Festival

    The 15th Anniversary of the Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) will take place in Provincetown, Massachusetts from June 19th through June 23rd, 2013.  The festival will open with Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s LOVELACE (pictured above), and close with EMANUEL AND THE TRUTH ABOUT FISHES, directed by Francesca Gregorini.  The Friday Night Spotlight selection is I AM DIVINE, directed by Jeffrey Schwartz and the Saturday Night Spotlight Selection is I’M SO EXCITED!, directed by Pedro Almodovar.

    The 2013 Filmmaker on the Edge Award will be awarded to writer/director Harmony Korine (SPRINGBREAKERS, GUMMO, MISTER LONELY, KIDS) in conversation with John Waters at Provincetown’s Town Hall on Saturday, June 22nd.

    The Festival will close on June 23rd with a block party and the presentation of the HBO Audience Awards.

    Read more

  • SAW Director, James Wan, to World Premiere New Film, “THE CONJURING” at Los Angeles Film Festival

     

    THE CONJURING directed by James Wan (Saw, Insidious) will World Premiere at the 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 21. The film, which stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Bates Motel), Patrick Wilson (Insidious), Ron Livingston (Office Space, Adaptation) and Lili Taylor (Hemlock Grove), is set for release on July 19.

    Before there was Amityville, there was Harrisville. Based on the true-life story, THE CONJURING tells the tale of how world-renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

    http://youtu.be/Gb-jRz7HWqs

    Read more

  • “SOMEWHERE SLOW” and “WITHOUT SHEPHERDS” Win Brooklyn Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4031" align="alignnone" width="550"]SOMEWHERE SLOW[/caption]

    The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) under the theme MAGNETIC which ran from May 31 through June 9, 2013 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC, at indieScreen and for the first time at Windmill Studios NYC came to a close last night with a ceremony honoring the winning films.  SOMEWHERE SLOW directed by Jeremy O’Keefe won the award for Best Narrative Feature, and WITHOUT SHEPHERDS directed by Cary McClelland won the award for Best Documentary. The prizes for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature award winners include a seven-day theatrical release at indieScreen in Brooklyn, New York.

    GRAND CHAMELEON AWARD:

    [caption id="attachment_4100" align="alignnone" width="550"]Without Shepherds[/caption]

    Cary McClelland for Without Shepherds

    BEST IN CATEGORY:

    Narrative Feature – Jeremy O’Keefe for Somewhere Slow
    Documentary – Cary McClelland for Without Shepherds
    Short Subject – David Figueroa García for Scoundrels (Ratitas)
    Animation –  Tomasz Popakul for Ziegenort
    Experimental – Eduardo Menz for A Film Portrait on Reconstructing 12 Possibilities that Preceded the Disappearance of Zoe Dean Drum

    AUDIENCE AWARDS:

    Documentary – Amy Finkel for Furever
    Narrative Feature – Dan Eberle for Cut to Black
    Animation – Rachel Salomon O’Meara for The Course
    Experimental – Timothy Ziegler For Baldr
    Short Subject – Max Sherwood for Nervous Person

    CERTIFICATES OF ACHIEVEMENT:

    Best New Director – Nicole Gomez Fisher for Sleeping With The Fishes
    Best Producer – James E. Duff & Julia Morrison for Hank And Asha
    Best Screenplay – Adam Weirbianski for HairBrained
    Best Cinematography – Polly Morgan for Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes
    Best Editing – Lindsay Lindenbaum & Nadav Kurtz for Scattered
    Best Original Score – Slavomir Kowalewski for Sado Tempest
    Best Actor (Female) – Sheila Etxeberría for Soft In The Head
    Best Actor (Male) – Alex Wolff for HairBrained

    SPIRIT AWARDS:

    Narrative Feature – Enrique Alvarez for Giraffes
    Documentary – Inigo Westmeier for Dragon Girls
    Short Subject – Connor Hurley for The Naturalist
    Experimental – Carlo Sampietro for Tambourine Buttocks
    Animation – Susanna Nicchiarelli for Live Bait

    Read more

  • World Premiere of “THE BIG MELT” at 20th Sheffield Doc/Fest

    [caption id="attachment_4098" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE BIG MELT directed by Martin Wallace[/caption]

    The world premiere of the “THE BIG MELT” directed by Martin Wallace will help kick off the 20th edition of Sheffield Doc/Fest and also celebrate the 100 Years of Stainless Steel in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK, the home of the festival, on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. In an interesting collaboration, leading Sheffield musicians – including The City of Sheffield Brass Band, Richard Hawley and band members, Pulp band members, The Forgemasters, a string quartet and a youth choir – will perform live to the world premiere of the film.

    THE BIG MELT is described as “A lyrical film for the contemporary age, The Big Melt uses footage from the BFI National Archive to tell the story of steel, the story of the men in the steelworks and the story of Sheffield. The score directed by Jarvis Cocker takes us on musical journey into the soul of a nation, bringing to life the ghosts of our past, leading us into the belly of the furnaces and showing how our national characters have been stamped from the mighty presses of our industrial heritage. Jarvis Cocker has gathered a group of leading Sheffield musicians to create a phenomenal music score for the film – a new kind of Sheffield heavy metal, with pictures.”

    Says Martin Wallace, Director: We wanted to tell a story about steel that opened-out the basic social history and facts about the process itself. There are some awesome BFI archive films that already paint a vivid picture of the real story, so we wanted to drag this archive into the present, re-imagine and invigorate it, turn it into something more fantastical, more playful and, at the same time, more challenging. 

    Read more

  • RIP: Mott Green, Chocolatier, Featured in Documentary “NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE,” Dies at 47

     [caption id="attachment_4096" align="alignnone" width="550"]Mott Green in NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE[/caption]

    Mott Green, who founded the Grenada Chocolate Company, the subject of the documentary “NOTHING LIKE CHOCOLATE,” directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani, died on June 1 in Grenada. He was 47.

    The NY Times is reporting that his mother, Dr. Judith Friedman, said he was electrocuted while working on solar-powered machinery for cooling chocolate during overseas transport.

    Green was born David Friedman in Washington, and grew up on Staten Island in New York City. He later took Green as his surname to reflect his environmental interests.

    As a child he built go-karts using lawn mower engines; he ran the New York City Marathon when he was 16; he dropped out of the University of Pennsylvania just months before graduation; and he spent much of his 20s squatting with a community of anarchists in abandoned homes in west Philadelphia, where he “rescued” food that restaurants had planned to throw away and distributed it to homeless people.

    He eventually ended up in Grenada, an island he visited as a child when his mother, Dr. Sandor Friedman, the director of medical services at Coney Island Hospital, taught there each winter.

    Mr. Green founded the Grenada Chocolate Company in 1999, under the slogan from “tree to bar.” Human rights advocates had criticized the treatment of small cocoa farmers, and Green set out to address these issues by dealing directly with small growers and by keeping the entires process including processing and packaging of chocolate within Grenada. 

    A message on the filmmakers website reads: “Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company, died suddenly while working in his beloved chocolate workspace in Grenada on June 1, 2013. We miss you, Mott.”

    http://youtu.be/nAyjRNhakZM

    Here is how the filmmakers, describe the film:

    Deep in the rain forests of Grenada, anarchistchocolatier Mott Green seeks solutions to the problems of a ravaged global chocolate industry. Solar power, employee shareholding and small-scale antique equipment turn out delicious chocolate in the hamlet of Hermitage, Grenada. 

    Finding hope in an an industry entrenched in enslaved child labor, irresponsible corporate greed, and tasteless, synthetic products, Nothing like Chocolate reveals the compelling story of the relentless Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company (GCC). [grenadachocolate.com]

    Relocating from Oregon to Grenada in 1998, headstrong and driven, Mott Green set out to make chocolate, from the tree to the bar, using recycled antique equipment. Wondering “would we really learn how to make great chocolate?”, the neophyte entrepreneur leased 100 acres of land from a neighboring estate and established the Grenada Organic Chocolate Co-operative.

    Within 5 years, the co-operative was producing 9 to 10 tons of local organic chocolate. Nothing Like Chocolate looks at this revolutionary experiment, focusing on how solar power, appropriate technology and activism merge to create a business whose values are fairness, community, sustainability and high quality. While Hersheys threatens to remove cocoa from chocolate, and can not guarantee slave-free cocoa in its chocolate, it is Mott Green and his friends, including calypso singer and lawyer Akima Paul, and Shadelle Nayack Compton, owner of the Belmont Estate, who defy all the odds. They insist that this worker co-operative is the model for the future: “We’re doing this for idealistic reasons: we are activists and our goal is to create a true worker-owned co-operative.”

    Nothing Like Chocolate traces the continued growth of Mott’s co-operative, exposing the practices and politics of how chocolate has moved worldwide from a sacred plant to corporate blasphemy. Governments around the world, beholden to multi-nationals, sell cocoa for export at the best possible price. Industrial chocolate dominates taste buds and the market. Threatened by boutique producers, such as Grenada Chocolate Company, mega-companies work hard to buy up these small artisans, as Hersheys has done with Scharffenberger.

    Confronted by the financial challenges of small-scale farming, Mott Green envisions a unique niche for exquisite organic chocolate in the global market, whose profits will come back to nourish the working shareholders.

    With a suitcase full of chocolate bars, Mott boards a plane to persuade chocolate distributors in the UK and the USA that Grenada Chocolate Company makes the best chocolate in the world. 65,000 chocolate bars in stylish new packaging, stashed in air-conditioned storage, await their destiny.

    How successful will this bold experiment be? The Grenada Chocolate Company produces less than 1% of the world’s chocolate, while at least 43% of cocoa beans come from Ivory Coast, where trafficked child labour is exploited to harvest cocoa. In the chocolate industry, Mott’s way of doing things – delicious chocolate, organics co-operatives, employment for local communities – is unusual.

    From currency to candy, chocolate reflects a rich history saturated with sacred ritual, endorphin highs, hip anti-oxidants, exotic sensuality and high quality luxury. Nothing Like Chocolate adds new depth to the stories of chocolate.

    via NYTimes

    Read more

  • Four Indie Films “BURN,” “HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE,” “MISS GULAG,” “MY BEST DAY” to Get Digital Release

    [caption id="attachment_4094" align="alignnone" width="550"]BURN[/caption]

    Four independent films will be released on digital platforms on June 18, via the Sundance Institute’s Artist Services program. The films will be available on a variety of platforms, including iTunes , Amazon Instant Video,  Microsoft Xbox,  Sony Entertainment Network,  SundanceNOW,  VUDU and YouTube.  The upcoming releases include 3 documentaries – “HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE” “MISS GULAG,” and “BURN”; and “MY BEST DAY” which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in the NEXT section.

    TITLES AVAILABLE JUNE 18

    BURN (Directors: Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez) — BURN is an award-winning, action-packed documentary capturing a year in the lives of Detroit firefighters who are charged with the thankless task of saving a city that many have written off as dead. A portion of proceeds from each sale go to the Leary Firefighters Foundation. (Released through Artist Services collaboration with Film Independent)

    High Tech, Low Life (Director: Stephen Maing) — High Tech, Low Life follows two of China’s first and most daring citizen reporters as they fight censorship, document the underside of the country’s rapid economic development, and challenge the boundaries of free speech. (2010 Documentary Edit and Story Lab)

    Miss Gulag (Director: Maria Yatskova-Ibrahimova) — Through the prism of a beauty pageant staged by female inmates of a Siberian prison camp emerges a complex narrative of the lives of the first generation of women to come of age in Post-Soviet Russia. (2006 Documentary Film Grant)

    My Best Day (Director: Erin Greenwell) — Karen has to work her receptionist gig on the Fourth of July. A call comes from her long-lost father. Enlisting her friend Meagan, Karen investigates her father’s trailer home. Karen’s journey sets in motion a chain of events that will change not just her but this one small town forever. (2012 Sundance Film Festival)

    Read more

  • “OUR NIXON” “C.O.G.” Among Top Winning Films at 39th Seattle International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_4092" align="alignnone" width="550"]C.O.G.[/caption]

    The 39th Seattle International Film Festival announced the winners of the SIFF 2013 Competition and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards – OUR NIXON, directed by Penny Lane won the GRAND JURY PRIZE for Best Documentary and C.O.G., directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez won the GRAND JURY PRIZE for Best New American Cinema. OUR NIXON is described as an “all-archival documentary, constructed from Super8 footage shot by three White House aides (Watergate conspirators Ehrlichman, Haldeman, and Chapin), creates an intimate and complex portrait of the Nixon presidency, as it has never been seen before.”  C.O.G. is described as the “first film adaptation of David Sedaris’ work .. a funny and poignant portrait of a lost soul and the amusing characters he meets as he pursues his Steinbeckian dream—to spend his summer working on an apple farm in Oregon.”

    SIFF 2013 COMPETITION AWARDS

    SIFF 2013 BEST NEW DIRECTOR

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Harmony Lessons, directed by Emir Baigazin (2013, Kazakhstan)

    JURY STATEMENT: Emir Baigazin’s astounding debut feature Harmony Lessons set the bar for all the films that the Narrative Jury watched before and after. On one level, it’s the simple tale of a bullied Muslim boy in rural Kazakhstan. But as no single child’s life is ever as simple as adults believe, from the moment we meet the dark-eyed, pimply hero chasing down a family sheep to slaughter with his aging babushka, to his ultimate act of vengeance in his struggle for survival, his confrontation with bullies at his local school spirals into a larger tale of societal dominance and submission. Power relations based on intimidation and violence flow from boy to sheep, alpha boy to beta, local police to accused criminals, and ultimately an entire society defined by a hierarchy of male bullying male. Visually exact, transparently acted by a mostly juvenile cast, and quietly terrifying, this Kazakhstan/Germany/France co-production is a hard-won lesson in how brutal life can be that is told with spellbinding assurance by a visionary young talent. 

    SIFF 2013 BEST DOCUMENTARY

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Our Nixon, directed by Penny Lane (2013, USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: For Best Documentary the prize goes to Penny Lane for Our Nixon. For this original telling of the unraveling of the Nixon presidency, Lane poured over a mountain of archival Super 8 home movie footage and audio to take a story that we think we already know and give it a fresh and human perspective.

     SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    The Crash Reel, directed by Lucy Walker (2013, USA

    JURY STATEMENT: We’re giving a Special Jury Prize to Lucy Walker for The Crash Reel, a deeply emotional and nuanced look at snowboarder and Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce, his inspiring journey back from traumatic brain injury, and the healing power of family.

     

    SIFF 2013 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    C.O.G., directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (USA, 2013)

    JURY STATEMENT: We, the members of FIPRESCI, are very pleased to award the International Critics Prize for Best New American Film to C.O.G., written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. Unsentimental yet openhearted, Alvarez’s adaptation of David Sedaris’ essay tells a compelling story of youthful self-actualization, of defining encounters with class, sex and religion, that refuses to succumb to the dictates of fashionable identity politics. Its narrative trajectory is fundamentally wayward, yet its clipped, idiosyncratic pacing, its evocative visualization of the fecund landscapes and overcast light of the Pacific Northwest, and its use of the percussive music of Steve Reich converge to immerse us in a very particular world, and to create a film of unlikely momentum, unnerving humour and subtle emotional resonance.

     

    SIFF 2013 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS

    BEST FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Fanie Fourie’s Lobola, directed by Henk Pretorius (South Africa, 2013)

    First runner-up: The Rocket, directed by Kim Mordaunt (Australia, 2013)
    Second runner-up: Monsters University, directed by Dan Scanlon (USA, 2013)
    Third runner-up: Decoding Annie Parker, directed by Steven Bernstein (USA, 2013)
    Fourth runner-up: Still Mine, directed by Michael McGowan (Canada, 2013) 
    Rounding out the top ten: Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (USA, 2013); Horses of God, directed by Nabil Ayouch (Morocco, 2013); Circles, directed by Srdan Golubovic (Serbia, 2013); The Forgotten Kingdom, directed by Andrew Mudge (USA, 2013); Unfinished Song, directed by Paul Andrew Williams (United Kingdom, 2012); Populaire, directed by Régis Roinsard (France, 2012).

     

    BEST DOCUMENTARY GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Twenty Feet from Stardom, directed by Morgan Neville (USA, 2013)

    First runner-up: The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)
    Second runner-up: Harana, directed by Benito Bautista (Philippines, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Alive and Well, directed by Josh Taft (USA, 2013)
    Fourth runner-up: Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (USA, 2013)
    Rounding out the top ten: Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, directed by Pratibha Parmar (USA, 2013); Finding Hillywood, directed by Leah Warshawski, Chris Towey (USA, 2013); Evergreen: The Road to Legalization in Washington, directed by Riley Morton (USA, 2013); SOMM, directed by Jason Wise (USA, 2012); The Otherside, directed by Daniel Torok (USA, 2013); Inequality for All, directed by Jacob Kornbluth (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST DIRECTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Nabil Ayouch, Horses of God, (Morocco, 2012)

    First runner-up: David Ondříček, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Joss Whedon, Much Ado About Nothing, (USA, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Thomas Vinterberg, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Andrew Mudge, The Forgotten Kingdom, (USA, 2013)
    Rounding out the top ten: Sarah Polley, Stories We Tell, (Canada, 2012); Brady Hall, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);Juan Carlos Maneglia,Tana Schémbori, 7 Boxes, (Paraguay, 2012); Reha Erdem, Jin, (Turkey, 2012); Michael Mayer, Out in the Dark, (Israel, 2012);Destin Daniel Cretton, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST ACTOR GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    James Cromwell, Still Mine, (Canada, 2012)

    First runner-up: Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt, (Denmark, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Terence Stamp, Unfinished Song (United Kingdom, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Ivan Trejon, In the Shadow, (Czech Republic, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Sabin Tambrea, Ludwig II, (Germany, 2013) 
    Rounding out the top ten: Michael Beach, Scrapper, (USA, 2013);Niels Arestrup, You Will Be My Son, (France, 2012); Edward Hogg, Imagine, (Poland, 2012); Ali Suliman, The Attack, (Lebanon, 2012); Casey Affleck, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (USA, 2013); Paul Eenhoorn, This is Martin Bonner, (USA, 2013).

     

    BEST ACTRESS GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Samantha Morton, Decoding Annie Parker, (USA, 2013)

    First runner-up: Onata Aprile, What Maisie Knew, (USA, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha, (USA, 2012)
    Third runner-up: Juliane Köhler, Two Lives, (Germany, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: Martina Gedeck, The Wall, (Austria, 2012)
    Rounding out the top ten: Brie Larson, Short Term 12, (USA, 2013); Robin Weigert, Concussion, (USA, 2013); Lisa Tomaschewsky, The Girl With Nine Wigs, (Germany, 2013); Anna Giles, Scrapper, (USA, 2013); Jeanne Moreau, A Lady in Paris, (Estonia, 2012); Alma Prica, Halima’s Path, (Croatia, 2012).  

     

    BEST SHORT FILM GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD
    Spooners, directed by Bryan Horch (USA, 2012)

    First runner-up: My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), directed by Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)
    Second runner-up: Malaria, directed by Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013)
    Third runner-up: Fora, directed by Ayuub Kasasa Mago (Rwanda, 2012)
    Fourth runner-up: While You Weren’t Looking, directed by Jeremy Mackie (USA, 2012)
    Rounding out the top ten: Good Karma $1, directed by Jason Berger, Amy Laslett (USA, 2012); Noodle Fish, directed by Jin-man Kim (South Korea, 2012); Walking the Dogs, directed by Jeremy Brock (United Kingdom, 2012); The Roper, directed by Ewan McNichol, Anna Sandilands (USA, 2012); Macropolis, directed by Joel Simon (United Kingdom, 2012); Penny Dreadful, directed by Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012).   

     

    LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION, PRESENTED BY WOMEN IN FILM/SEATTLE
    The Punk Singer, directed by Sini Anderson (USA, 2013)

      

    REEL NW AWARD, PRESENTED BY KCTS 9     

    REEL NW AWARD
    GRAND JURY PRIZE  Big Joy, directed by Eric Slade and Stephen Silha (USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: The Seattle International Film Festival assembled an impressive array of Northwest Connection films in 2013, with stories ranging from heart-breaking illness to life-affirming music, from the ballot box to the scrap yard, from Northwest noir to volatile blends of fact and fiction, and many places in between.  Quality was very high across the board, great news for local film fans and a difficult challenge for the jurors.  In a very close decision, the 2013 Reel NW Award goes to a beautifully constructed film that personifies the essence of independent creative spirit and re-discovers a great American story, which has been largely forgotten. 

     

    SIFF 2013 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS 

    YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    The Spectacular Now, directed by James Ponsoldt (USA)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its relatable story that embodies the teenage struggle in a realistic manner and for its powerful ensemble of actors, the Youth Jury Award for Best FutureWave Feature goes to The Spectacular Now.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    Blackbird, directed by Jason Buxton (Canada)

    The FutureWave Jury would also like to give a Special Jury Prize toBlackbird for its subtly powerful and original story featuring compelling performances.

     

    YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Ernest & Celestine, directed by Benjamin Renner, Stephane Aubier, and Vincent Patar (France)

    JURY STATEMENT: The film we chose told a fascinating story about characters from two different worlds learning to be friends. Through their friendship we learned that even though two worlds may seem completely different, in many ways they are the same. 

     

    WAVEMAKER AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN YOUTH FILMMAKING

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    The Painted Girl, directed by Ben Kadie (USA, 2013)

    FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD
    Piece of Cake, directed by Susan Procopio and Katherine Procopio (Canada, 2012)

     

    THEFILMSCHOOL PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS
    A Quest for Peace: Nonviolence Among Religions, directed by Matthew Evans (USA, 2013)

    Runner up: Laser Rabbit, directed by Matt Wells (USA, 2013)   

     

    SIFF 2013 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

    As a qualifying festival of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, short films that received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Live Action, Animated, and Documentary Short at SIFF may qualify to enter the Short Films category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without the standard theatrical run, provided the film complies with the Academy rules. Winners received a $1,000 cash prize.

     

    LIVE ACTION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE
    My Right Eye (The Apple of My Eye), directed by Josecho de Linares (Spain, 2012)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its beautifully crafted and profound exploration of love and loss told through touching performances that depict a young man’s authentic journey of rediscovery, the jury awards Best Narrative Short to The Apple of My Eye, written and directed by Josecho de Linares.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZES 
    Penny Dreadful, directed by Shane Atkinson (USA, 2012) 
    Mobile Homes, directed by Vladimir de Fontenay (USA/France, 2012) 
    Decimation, directed by Wade Jackson (USA, 2013)

    JURY STATEMENT: For its stylish direction and a terrific performance by Oona Laurence as a young kidnap victim who turns the tables on her abductors, the jury would like to give a Special Jury Mention to the short film Penny Dreadful.   The jury would also like to award a Special Jury Mention to Mobile Homes, a suspenseful, moving narrative with where the main characters stumble upon a most unexpected mean of escape. The jury awards a Special Jury Mention for outstanding ensemble filmmaking supported by the Northwest filmmaking community to the cast and crew of Decimation, written and directed by Wade Jackson.

     

    DOCUMENTARY 

    GRAND JURY PRIZE 
    Keep a Modest Head, directed by Deco Dawson (Canada, 2012)

    JURY STATEMENT: Although there were many great films to discuss and debate, ultimately there was one film that the jury unanimously felt was particularly worthy of receiving the Best Documentary Short award. For its brilliantly surrealistic imagining of the life of the last of the surrealists, the jury gives its award to Keep A Modest Head, directed by Deco Dawson.

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
    Today, directed by Philip Montgomery (USA, 2013)
    JURY STATEMENT: For its touching and inspiring story about a man who learns to find meaning in his life’s work even after a tragic accident, the jury awards a Special Jury Mention to Today, directed by Phillip Montgomery.  

     

    ANIMATION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE
    Woody, directed by Stuart Bowen (Australia) 

    JURY STATEMENT: For the award for Best Animated Short, the jury has unanimously decided upon a film that told a lovely story about a guy who was just like everyone else, but wanted deeply to be something different than what he was. The filmmakers took the art of film as a visual medium to heart – with no dialogue and without facial expressions, they crafted a complete story that evoked compassion for the character. The jury awards Best Animated Short to Woody, directed by Stuart Bowen.  

     

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE 
    Malaria, directed by Edson Oda (Brazil, 2013) 
    The Hunter, directed by Marieka Walsh (Australia, 2012)   
    JURY STATEMENT: For its intriguing and original visual storytelling, combined with the tautness of an old-school Western, the jury awards a Special Jury Mention to Malaria, directed by Edson Shundl Oda.   We had a very difficult time making a final decision between two films. After much discussion, the jury has decided to award a Special Jury Mention to The Hunter, directed by Marieka Walsh, for its beautifully simple, yet deeply emotional illustrations integrated into a folk-tale of a story.    

    Read more

  • “THE SPECTACULAR NOW” and “OUT OF PRINT” Win Top Awards at 2013 deadCENTER Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_3372" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE SPECTACULAR NOW[/caption]

    “THE SPECTACULAR NOW,” directed by James Ponsoldt, won the Grand Jury Feature category, and Vivienne Roumani’s “OUT OF PRINT” won top honors in the Grand Jury Documentary category at the 2013 deadCENTER Film Festival. THE SPECTACULAR NOW is a “sharply witty coming-of-age story” of youth confronting the funny, thrilling and perilous business of modern love and adulthood. OUT OF PRINT is “a thoughtful look into the impact of the digital revolution” with testimonials from authors, entrepreneurs, and educators alike highlighting how the digital revolution is changing every aspect of the printed word – and how it’s changing us.

    Winners also included:

    Special Jury Feature: “WORM”

    Special Jury Short: “Running Deer”

    Okie Feature: “Home, James”

    Okie Short: “Sherman & Pacifico”

    Narrative Short: “Black Metal”

    Documentary Short: “This is Normal”

    Screenplay: “Uterus Chat”

    Student Film: “The Treehouse”

    Read more

  • 40th Student Academy Awards Winners Receive Medals at Ceremony in Beverly Hills

    Sixteen students from colleges and universities around the world were honored last night, June 8, and received medal placements, as winners of the 40th Student Academy Awards. The ceremony was hosted by writer-director and 1978 Student Academy Award® winner Bob Saget, and writer-director Kimberly Peirce and actors Clark Gregg, Jason Schwartzman and Quvenzhané Wallis presented the awards.

    The winners are:

    Alternative
    Gold Medal: “Bottled Up,” Rafael Cortina, Occidental College
    Silver Medal: “Zug,” Perry Janes, University of Michigan
    Bronze Medal: “The Compositor,” John Mattiuzzi, School of Visual Arts

    Animation
    Gold Medal: “Dia de los Muertos,” Lindsey St. Pierre and Ashley Graham, Ringling College of Art and Design
    Silver Medal: “Will,” Eusong Lee, California Institute of the Arts
    Bronze Medal: “Peck Pocketed,” Kevin Herron, Ringling College of Art and Design

    Documentary
    Gold Medal: “A Second Chance,” David Aristizabal, University of Southern California
    Silver Medal: “Every Tuesday: A Portrait of The New Yorker Cartoonists,” Rachel Loube, School of Visual Arts
    Bronze Medal: “Win or Lose,” Daniel Koehler, Elon University

    Narrative
    Gold Medal: “Ol’ Daddy,” Brian Schwarz, University of Texas at Austin
    Silver Medal: “Josephine and the Roach,” Jonathan Langager, University of Southern California
    Bronze Medal: “Un Mundo para Raúl (A World for Raúl),” Mauro Mueller, Columbia University

    Foreign Film
    Gold Medal: “Miss Todd,” Kristina Yee, National Film and Television School, United Kingdom
    Silver Medal: “Parvaneh,” Talkhon Hamzavi, Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland
    Bronze Medal: “Tweesprong (Crossroads),” Wouter Bouvijn, RITS School of Arts, Erasmus University College Brussels, Belgium

    The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. The roster includes such distinguished filmmakers as John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.

    Image:

    Front row (left to right): Talkhon Hamzavi, Brian Schwarz, David Aristizabal, Eusong Lee, Lindsey St. Pierre, Ashley Graham, Kristina Yee and Rachel Loube.

    Back row (left to right): John Mattiuzzi, Kevin Herron, Jonathan Langager, Perry Janes, Mauro Mueller, Wouter Bouvijn, Rafael Cortina and Daniel Koehler.

    credit: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.

    Read more