2011 SOHO International Film Festival Winners; "Tanzania: A Friendship Journey" Wins both Best World Showcase and Best Documentary awards

2011 SOHO International Film Festival Winners; “Tanzania: A Friendship Journey” Wins both Best World Showcase and Best Documentary awards

The 2011 SOHO International Film Festival wrapped up in New York City last Friday, April 22nd, 2011 with its award ceremony.   One of the highlights of the ceremony was the presentation of the very first NYC ICON AWARD to legendary character actor, Frank Vincent (“Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas”, “Sopranos”) honoring a New York film artist who has achieved a high degree of creative excellence over the years.

Newport Beach Film Festival announced its 2011 Action Sports Film Series

Newport Beach Film Festival announced its 2011 Action Sports Film Series

The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) announced its 2011 Action Sports Film Series (ASFS), that will take place during the week of the Newport Beach Film Festival (April 28 – May 5, 2011) in Orange County, CA.

The NBFF Action Sports Film Series will spotlight 23 films from around the world. The Action Sports Film Series will celebrate athletes pushing the limits in some of the world’s most challenging and spectacular outdoor playgrounds and give filmgoers an opportunity to experience breathtaking cinematography, cultural journeys, in-depth portrayals and compelling stories that explore the physical, emotional, historical and spiritual realms of surfing, skateboarding, skiing, snowboarding, stand up paddle boarding, cycling and motocross.

2011 Newport Beach Film Festival to Close with A Beginner’s Guide to Endings starring Harvey Keitel

2011 Newport Beach Film Festival to Close with A Beginner’s Guide to Endings starring Harvey Keitel

The 2011 Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) will end its eight-day run with A Beginner’s Guide to Endings on Thursday, May 5, 2011. Written and directed by Jonathan Sobol, A Beginner’s Guide to Endings follows three brothers as they set off to rectify a lifetime of mistakes after learning they only have a few days left to live.  Duke White (Harvey Keitel) has not been an ideal father to his five boys. An inveterate gambler […]

Protesters Shut down Bollywood Movie Set Over Use of Foreign Dancers

Protesters Shut down Bollywood Movie Set Over Use of Foreign Dancers

Production on the set of the Bollywood action movie “Bbuddha” starring Amitabh Bachchan was brought to a screeching halt, in Mumbai on Tuesday after a political party protested against the use of foreign dancers. Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) reportedly barged onto the set, and told the crew to stop filming, claiming that 40 overseas artists were performing without valid work permits. Although foreign performers are often used in Hindi-language Bollywood for the […]

Dates Announced for 84th Academy Awards(R)

Dates Announced for 84th Academy Awards(R)

The 84th Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, Academy President Tom Sherak announced yesterday. The ceremony will again take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.  A 90-minute red carpet show will immediately precede the ceremony broadcast. Key dates currently scheduled are: Thursday, December 1, 2011: Official Screen Credits forms dueTuesday, December 27, 2011: Nominations ballots […]

Tribeca Film Festival: One on One with Mateo Gil, director of western, “Blackthorn”

Tribeca Film Festival: One on One with Mateo Gil, director of western, “Blackthorn”

The Tribeca Film Festival’s lineup describes Mateo Gil’s blazing new western, “Blackthorn” as about “…the final years in the life of legendary bandit Butch Cassidy, which are shrouded in mystery, from his rumored death in a Bolivian military standoff, to his escape from South America to die quietly on a Nevada ranch the 1930s. In Mateo Gil’s intimate and adventurous Western, a re-imagined and aged Butch Cassidy (Sam Shepard) is living under the assumed name James Blackthorn, in a secluded village in Bolivia, 20 years after his disappearance in 1908. Surviving humbly off the land, and finding occasional comforts with a local woman, Yana (Magaly Solier, The Milk of Sorrow), he longs to end his personal exile and return to the US to see his family. Reluctantly joining forces with a Spanish mine robber (Eduardo Noriega) who promises him a cut of the loot, Blackthorn sets out on one final adventure… and discovers he’s not the only one harboring a deep secret.”  Stephen Rea also gives a sensational performance as an ex-Pinkerton cop, who never quite got over having never brought Butch and Sundance to custody.

The film has an incredible depth and quiet beauty, and Sam Shepherd  gives the performance of his career. {jathumbnail off}

Incendies, a Box Office Winner in Limited Release

Incendies, a Box Office Winner in Limited Release

Rio was the the box office winner last weekend – both domestically and internationally; with Tyler Perry, Madea’s Big Happy Family coming in at second place. Holdouts including the documentary African Cats, Soul Surfer, and Insidious performed well enough to remain in the top 10. However, it was the Academy Award nominee for best foreign film, Incendies that scored the best theater average of the weekend with an estimated $54,582 from three theaters in New […]

The Weinstein Company picks up 2011 Tribeca Film Festival documentary THE BULLY PROJECT

The Weinstein Company picks up 2011 Tribeca Film Festival documentary THE BULLY PROJECT

The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced today that it has acquired THE BULLY PROJECT, the new documentary from Emmy and Sundance award-winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch (AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR PART HARMONY) that premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival on Saturday, April 23.

THE BULLY PROJECT is directed by Lee Hirsch, produced by Hirsch and Cynthia Lowen, and written by Lowen and Hirsch. Cindy Waitt is the executive producer. {jathumbnail off}

5 Foreign Finalists Selected for 2011 Student Academy Awards®

5 Foreign Finalists Selected for 2011 Student Academy Awards®

Five finalists, selected from 52 entries from 32 countries, will advance in the Foreign Student Film category in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards competition.  Up to three winners, to be selected from this group, will be brought to Los Angeles to join U.S.-based Student Academy Award® winners for a week of industry-related activities and social events that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, […]

Filmmaker Alma Har’el discusses her gorgeous and groundbreaking new documentary “Bombay Beach”

Filmmaker Alma Har’el discusses her gorgeous and groundbreaking new documentary “Bombay Beach”

Beirut Frontman Zach Condon, Filmmaker Alam Har’el, and Bombay Beach heart and star Benny. PHOTO BY Kristianna Smith

I met with the amazing, charismatic and riveting documentary director Alma Har’el, to discuss her first film, the documentary “Bombay Beach,” which is shaping up to be the surprise runaway hit of the Tribeca Film Festival. Shot on a $600 consumer camcorder (using 35 mm lenses), Har’el discusses her background in photography, music videos,  video/concert imagery, and PSAs, how she secured three Bob Dylan songs, and her obsessive love for the band Beirut, whose music comprises most of her magical soundtrack. {jathumbnail off}

Documentary Highlights of 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

Documentary Highlights of 2011 Tribeca Film Festival

Being overwhelmed at Tribeca is not unusual; there is a huge amount of cinema to choose from. Vimooz is here to help! Here are some films that we find to be highlights of the fest, either hidden gems we’ve mentioned, films generating a buzz, or films that are simply not to be missed. These are some documentary feature highlights, put into general categories to give an idea of what kinds of films they are. Of course, many of these films crossover into different categories, and could be included in any or all of them, as complex as they are. But when delving through the many choices Tribeca offers, it helps to have an idea of what subject a film fits into.