The Ashland Independent Film Festival has a new Executive Director. She is Anne Ashbey Pierotti, and she will succeed Tom Olbrich on November 1. Pierotti is already well known to the festival, having served on the Ashland Independent Film Festival’s board of directors from 2006 to June of 2011 and was the board’s President from 2008 to 2010. “I am deeply honored to have been selected for this position,” said Pierotti. “I look forward to […]
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has unveiled its new website design just in time for the 26th edition which runs October 21 – November 11, 2011 The festival kicks off with the film, About Fifty, previously titled Fifty Nothing, directed by Thomas Johnston. The film is described as “A “coming-of-age story about the coming of age,” Thomas Johnston’s comedy tackles a very timely subject in these times of aging baby-boomers: what happens when youth, […]
Seven screenwriters have been selected as winners of the 26th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 2011 Nicholl Fellows are (listed alphabetically by author): Chris Bessounian & Tianna Langham, Los Angeles, Calif., “Guns and Saris” Dion Cook, Altus, Okla., “Cutter” John MacInnes, Los Angeles, Calif., “Outside the Wire” Matthew Murphy, Culver City, Calif., “Unicorn” Abel Vang & Burlee Vang, Fresno, Calif., “The […]
Two award winning documentaries will premiere on tv/cable this week. The Education Of Dee Dee Ricks debuts October 27, exclusively on HBO, in conjunction with national breast cancer awareness month; and Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s Miss Representation premieres on OWN on October 20th. A self-made millionaire living on New York City’s Upper East Side, 39-year-old Dee Dee Ricks seemed to have it all – until she was diagnosed with aggressive stage II breast cancer. Insured and […]
The hometown film, Marc Levin’s HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND, and THE ARTIST directed by Michel Hazanavicius took the audience awards tonight at the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival.
HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND follows a group of Long Island residents as they courageously describe the effect that their long time unemployed status has had on their families, finances, and ultimately their American dream; and THE ARTIST is a comedic tribute to silent film starring Jean Dujardin. {jathumbnail off}
The 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival continues through Monday, October 17, 2011, but Saturday proved to be a very popular day for festival goers. With a packed day of screenings, it was frustrating because many of the great films and events (like TV channels) all seem to be happening at the same time, so it was really hard to pick and choose.
Mini Reviews {jathumbnail off}
Le Havre, Finland’s official submission for 2012 Academy Awards – Best Foreign Language Film, topped a lineup of more than 180 feature-length fiction films, documentaries and shorts to win the top prize, the Gold Hugo at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival Competitions. Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, “in this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight.” Le Havre opens in LA and NYC on October 21.
The complete list of winners of the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival. {jathumbnail off}
AFI FEST 2011 announced the films that will be featured in the festival’s Young Americans, New Auteurs and Spotlight sections at the 25th edition this November. Young Americans features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers, while New Auteurs highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world. This year’s Spotlight section focuses on acclaimed independent American filmmaker Joe Swanberg, featuring presentations of films from his Full Moon Trilogy – SILVER BULLETS, ART HISTORY and the world premiere of THE ZONE. {jathumbnail off}
VITO, an HBO documentary film about gay rights activist Vito Russo, premieres tonight at the New York Film Festival. The film premieres at 6:00 PM with an encore screening at 9:15 PM. VITO offers rare insight into one of the most important voices in the birth of contemporary gay culture and AIDS activism. His book The Celluloid Closet published in 1981 (and updated in 1987), remains a landmark historical work and his co-founding of GLAAD, […]
The documentary EVERYDAY SUNSHINE: THE STORY OF FISHBONE, which had its World Premiere at the 2010 Los Angeles Film Festival, and went on to screen at Mill Valley and SXSW film festivals, among many others, will open on October 21 at the Laemmle Sunset 5 in Los Angeles, CA. Many other cities (including Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, DC) will follow. Directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler, EVERYDAY SUNSHINE is a documentary about the band […]
Sixty-three countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®. The 2011 submissions are: Albania, “Amnesty,” Bujar Alimani, director;Argentina, “Aballay,” Fernando Spiner, director;Austria, “Breathing,” Karl Markovics, director;Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam, director;Bosnia and Herzegovina,”Belvedere,” Ahmed Imamovic, director;Brazil, “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within,” José Padilha, director;Bulgaria, “Tilt,” Viktor Chouchkov, Jr., director;Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau, director;Chile, “Violeta Went to Heaven,” Andrés Wood, director;China, […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 84th Academy Awards® has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar® nominations. The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company. “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement,” Purposeful Productions, Inc. “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” Documentress Films“In Tahrir Square: […]