• RIP: Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Fay Kanin

     [caption id="attachment_3398" align="alignnone" width="550"]Fay Kanin (r) with Academy President Sid Ganis. [/caption]

    Oscar-nominated screenwriter and former president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Fay Kanin, died Wednesday. She was 95.

    Kanin wrote screenplays for 1958 Clark Gable-Doris Day comedy “Teacher’s Pet”, for which she received an Oscar nomination, and the 1954 Elizabeth Taylor romantic drama “Rhapsody”.

    Kanin served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1979 to 1983, and was its second female president after actress Bette Davis. Kanin also was a longtime chairperson of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress and served on the board of the American Film Institute.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a statement,  “The Academy is deeply saddened by the passing of our beloved former president and Oscar-nominated screenwriter Fay Kanin.  She was committed to the Academy’s preservation work and instrumental in expanding our public programming. A tireless mentor and inspiration to countless filmmakers, Fay’s passion for film continues to inspire us daily. Our prayers and condolences go out to her loved ones.”

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  • BLANCANIEVES to Open 2013 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival and 7 BOXES to Close The Festival

    Pablo Berger’s BLANCANIEVES will open the 16th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, on Tuesday, April 16 at the Stateside Theatre. Winner of multiple awards and chosen to represent Spain at the 2012 Academy Awards, the film stars Maribel Verdú, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Angela Molina and newcomer Macarena García.



    Closing the festival is 7 CAJAS (7 BOXES) on Sunday, April 21 also at the Stateside Theatre. A cunningly plotted action thriller, the film shows a rarely seen Paraguay on the cinematic map, bringing an inventive, lo-fi ingenuity to the traditional crime thriller. 

    A re-telling of the classic Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale “Snow White”, BLANCANIEVES is described as a breathtakingly beautiful film and a uniquely spirited homage to the black-and-white Golden Age of Europe’s silent cinema. Set in a romanticized 1920s Seville, Berger’s Snow White is Carmen, the daughter of a famous bullfighter, who lives under the tyrannical rule of her monstrous, evil stepmother, Encarna. She escapes and joins a troupe of bullfighting dwarves, where her beauty and natural talent in the ring attract notices from the press. But soon the news reaches Encarna, who at last she knows where to find Carmen, and she prepares for the final showdown.

    7 CAJAS develops on a single, sweltering hot night in Asuncion, Paraguay. Víctor, a 17-year-old wheelbarrow delivery boy, dreams of becoming famous and covets a fancy TV set in the infamous Mercado 4. He’s offered a chance to deliver seven boxes with unknown contents in exchange for a quick hundred bucks. But what sounds like an easy job soon gets complicated. When something in the boxes is highly coveted, Víctor and his pursuers quickly find themselves caught up in a crime they know nothing about.

    The 16th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, which runs April 16-21, 2013, will take place at the Stateside Theatre in downtown Austin, the Alamo Drafthouse Village, and the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC), with additional screenings at St. Edward’s University. All screenings at the MACC and at St. Edward’s University are free and open to the public. All films are subtitled in English.

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  • Mickey Sumner, Cheryl Hines Among Stars Attending 2013 Sarasota Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_3393" align="alignnone" width="550"]Greta Gerwig and Mickey Sumner in Frances Ha[/caption]

    Sarasota, FL – Mickey Sumner will receive the Breakthrough Performer Award at the 2013 Sarasota Film Festival for her performance in the closing night film FRANCES HA.  The award will be presented at the annual Tribute Luncheon, Sarasota Yacht Club on Friday, April 12th. Ms. Sumner was seen most recently on stage in New York City opposite Carol Kane in the Atlantic Theater Company’s production of THE LYING LESSON. Ms. Sumner joins previously announced guests Suzanne Clément, Griffin Dunne, Mariel Hemingway, Barbara Kopple and Lili Taylor in receiving honors at the Tribute. Ms. Sumner will also introduce the festival’s screening of FRANCES HA on Saturday, April 13th at The Sarasota Opera House.

    Cheryl Hines, star of the festival’s Spotlight film PASADENA, will serve as host for the festival’s Filmmaker Awards, Saturday, April 13th at 6:00 PM at The Sarasota Opera House. 

    In addition, several former Sea World whale trainers have announced that they will be joining the festival’s Opening Night screening of BLACKFISH to participate in a provocative post-screening Q&A, along with the film’s director Gabriela Cowperthwaite. The group includes John Hargrove, Samantha Berg, Carol Ray, John Jett and Jeff Ventre.

    Also joining the festival is David Call (GOSSIP GIRL, TINY FURNITURE) who has three films in the festival with DEAD MAN’S BURDEN, NOR’EASTER, and the short film MOBILE HOMES while WWE superstar Brodus Clay will attend with his film NO ONE LIVES on Saturday, April 13th.

    “We are honored to welcome these wonderful guests to our festival,” says Festival Director Tom Hall.  “Sarasota is a city that celebrates the arts, and we hope our community joins us in embracing these artists and their work.”

    via: Sarasota Film Festival

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  • American Documentary Film Festival to Present World Premiere of BEAUTY FACTORY

    Palm Springs, CA – BEAUTY FACTORY, which will have its world premiere at this year’s American Documentary Film Festival, follows five Venezuelan contestants over the course of four months as they compete for the coveted Miss Venezuela Crown; offering an intimate look into the world of beauty, and the sometimes-ugly things people do to be part of it.

    Venezuela has won more international beauty pageants than any other country. With 6 Miss International Crowns, 6 Miss World Crowns, and 6 Miss Universe Crowns, what is it that makes Venezuelan beauty queens so special? This film takes viewers behind the scenes as the girls are told how much weight to lose, how big their breasts need to be, what diet they need to follow, how long their hair should be and what color it should be, what gym routine they should follow, and even what plastic surgeries they should have prior to competing. For many of the contestants, the ultimate goal isn’t the Miss Venezuela crown, or even the Miss Universe crown. These are smart, savvy women who are using their beauty as the launching pad for something greater.  BEAUTY FACTORY is a film about Female empowerment, with some positive twists.

    For Tickets and/or More Information,
    visit http://americandocumentaryfilmfestival.com/

    The American Documentary Film Festival
    April 4-8, 2013

    Camelot Theatres
    2300 E Baristo Road
    Palm Springs, CA 92262
    760-325-6565

    Cinemark Century Theatres at The River
    71800 Hwy 111Suite A-137
    Rancho Mirage, CA 92270

    760-836-1940

    via: American Documentary Film Festival

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  • College Student, Allison Koch Wins Charleston International Film Festival’s Spire Award Design Contest

    (Charleston, SC ) – A senior and Studio Art major at the College of Charleston, Allison Koch, concepted and created the winning design for Charleston International Film Festival’s Spire Award. The award will be given annually during the festival to recognize those who exhibit the very best in the art of filmmaking and writing.  

    Chosen by the festival’s directors from more than a dozen award designs by College of Charleston students, Koch’s prototype truly captured the essence of the Spire, which alludes to Charleston’s iconic steeple-dotted skyline. Furthermore, the shape of a Spire demonstrates a reach for the skies, something the festival’s winning filmmakers and screenwriters truly embody.

    Koch, who is from New Jersey, but grew up in North Myrtle Beach said she was influenced by art deco movie theatre architecture. “The geometric, streamlined look seemed to suit the award,” Koch said. Her piece evolved, however, as it developed. Koch explained, “the initial form I had in mind is not at all what I felt worked best in the end.”

    The award will be cast in glass and given out for the first time during the 6th annual Charleston International Film Festival, April 24 – 28, 2013.

    For having the winning submission, Koch will receive a cash prize of $500.

    To learn more about Charleston International Film Festival or buy tickets, visit CharlestonIFF.org.

    via: Charleston International Film Festival

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  • Jill Morley’s Documentary, Fight Like A Girl to World Premiere at 2013 American Documentary Film Festival

    The World Premiere of Fight Like A Girl at the 2013 American Documentary Film Festival, will screen at 4:30pm on Fri. Apr 5, 2013, at the Cinemark Century Theatres at The River in Rancho Mirage, California. Jill Morley’s documentary, Fight Like A Girl, is a gritty, first person insider’s narrative shot over five years. 

    March 25, 2013, Palm Springs, CA – Boxers training for the Golden Gloves – the world’s most famous amateur boxing tournament – live in a world of sweaty leather gloves thudding against heavy bags, twirling jump ropes, and fierce competition. Many of these rising fighters must overcome obstacles of child abuse, depression, addiction and eating disorders to become champions on their own terms, facing their own mortality and demons within. The game changer: these fighters are women. 

    Jill Morley’s documentary, Fight Like A Girl, is a gritty, first person insider’s narrative shot over five years. Delving into the little-known world of female boxers, Jill discovers they all have a lot in common. Emotional traumas surface to reveal histories of battles with suicide, abuse, sexism, depression, racism and drugs. 

    While there has always been a fascination with women fighting, they were not allowed to compete in the New York Golden Gloves until 1995. 2012 saw the debut of female boxing in the Olympic games. From amateurs training for local tournaments to world champions, you meet the women who are passionate about fighting hard. 

    “When I decided to compete in the New York Golden Gloves, I was fascinated by this sisterhood of female boxers,” says Morley. “I realized how much more I had in common with these women than I originally thought. That inspired me to tell their stories. And gave me courage to tell my own.”

    Taking us into the world of sweaty boxing gyms where women must fight for respect in an alpha male culture, Fight Like A Girl shows the real fight that happens within, and the struggle to emerge as champions inside and outside the ring. The World Premiere of Fight Like A Girl will screen at 4:30pm on Fri. Apr 5, 2013, at the Cinemark Century Theatres at The River in Rancho Mirage.

    For Tickets and/or More Information,

    visit http://americandocumentaryfilmfestival.com/

    The American Documentary Film Festival
    April 4-8, 2013

    Camelot Theatres
    2300 E Baristo Road
    Palm Springs, CA 92262
    760-325-6565

    Cinemark Century Theatres at The River
    71800 Hwy 111Suite A-137
    Rancho Mirage, CA 92270
    760-836-1940

    via: The American Documentary Film Festival

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  • Launch Pad program brings World Premiere genre films to 2013 Fantastic Planet Film Festival in Sydney, Australia

    [caption id="attachment_3385" align="alignnone" width="550"]THE TAKING, directed by The BAPartists [/caption]

    Fantastic Planet Film Festival announced it’s inaugural LAUNCH PAD program of world premiere films. 

    “Launch Pad was developed to provide a solid starting point for genre feature films just commencing their festival run,” explains festival director Dr. Dean Bertram. “Festivals often tend to focus their publicity on films that already have buzz from previous screenings, those which originate from within the studio system, or from a name director. We wanted to provide a specific component of the festival dedicated to discovering, showcasing, and promoting exceptional independent feature films and talented filmmakers beginning their journey.”

    The three fantastic films accepted into the inaugural LAUNCH PAD program are: 

    A DARK MATTER, directed by James Naylor (Twisting cerebral sci-fi thriller.) 
    THE TAKING, directed by The BAPartists (Deep and disturbing art-house horror.)
    WET AND RECKLESS, directed by Jason Trost (Hilarious buddy-caper come reality TV parody.)

    All of these filmmakers, as well as some cast members from the films, will be attending the festival and partaking in Q&A sessions after their screenings. Launch Pad is a component of the 4th edition of Fantastic Planet Film Festival. Taking place in conjunction with the 7th annual A Night of Horror Film Festival, at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, April 11 to 21. Combined, the festivals will screen over 100 films. Together they are dedicated to presenting Sydney audiences with a stunning showcase of the latest in horror, sci-fi, fantasy and cult cinema.

    A brief synopsis and the screening details of this year’s three (3) Launch Pad films follow:

    A DARK MATTER (Screens Friday April 19, 9:00pm at Dendy Newtown)
    Director: James Naylor
    CAN / 2013 / 100 min
    World Premiere

    In this compelling and mind-bending sci-fi thriller, an artist struggles to find love in an underworld where murder, and what might be an alternate time-stream, distort his perception of reality. Angus and Laura love each other deeply…but Laura is holding a deep dark secret. When she leaves him inexplicably, Angus slips into a foreboding realm, where the Demon of Nothingness reigns supreme. After Laura’s exit, Angus questions his role in her disappearance and sets out to uncover the truth. Working his way through a cunning gallery of underworld figures, Angus slowly unlocks Laura’s secret while discovering sinister truths about himself. With nothing but his own Demon to guide him, Angus ventures across dimensions and alternate states of reality to find Laura and win her back. A powerful exploration of love and existence tinged with the type of masterful high strangeness one finds in a P. K. Dick novel or a David Lynch film. Lovers of cerebral sci-fi should not miss this mesmerising movie.


    THE TAKING (screens Saturday April 13, 9:00pm, at Dendy Newtown)
    Directors: The BAPartists (Cezil Reed and Lydelle Jackson)
    USA/2013/77 min
    World Premiere

    If David Lynch had written and directed THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE it well could have resembled this feverish and stylised nightmare. A man seeking vengeance against his best friend and unfaithful fiancee, and a woman determined to kill the man who murdered her daughter, are drawn into the depths of a mysterious forest. There, sadistic locals have far more horrifying plans for the vengeful interlopers than just torturing the flesh of their bodies. A dark, disturbing, independent masterpiece, that proves that there are still original stories to be told in the horror genre, and masterful ways to tell them.


    WET AND RECKLESS (Screens Monday April 15, 7:00pm, at Dendy Newtown)
    Director: Jason Trost
    USA/2013/87 min
    World Premiere

    Imagine Wes Anderson’s BOTTLE ROCKET fused with the reality TV show SURVIVOR, and you might get the slightest inkling of this hilarious buddy-comedy-crime-caper that spins entirely off the rails. Two party-animal, reality TV stars (Jason Trost – THE FP, and Lucas Till – X-MEN: FIRST CLASS) are dumped in Thailand by the producer of their over-the-top reality show. The only way home, and last chance of reclaiming their reality star-status? A treasure map… to a treasure map… Hilarity and adventure ensue in this indie comedic gem.

    via: Fantastic Planet Film Festival

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  • Inventor Ray Dolby to be Honored at 2013 San Francisco International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_3383" align="alignnone" width="550"]Ray Dolby [/caption]

    Ray Dolby, inventor of numerous recording technologies and founder of local industry powerhouse Dolby Laboratories, will be honored with the inaugural George Gund III Award at the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 25 – May 9, 2013). The George Gund III Award, given in tribute to the longstanding Film Society chairman of the board who passed away earlier this year, honors a worthy member of the filmmaking community for their outstanding and unique contributions to the art of cinema.

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  • The Atomic States of America Among 48 Films Selected for 2013 International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro

    [caption id="attachment_1890" align="alignnone" width="552"]THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA, USA[/caption]

    The 3rd International Uranium Film Festival Rio de Janeiro selected 48 films from 16 countries as finalists for this year’s festival at the Museum of Modern Art (MAM) Cinema. The films will compete for 3 Yellow Oscar Awards: Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, Best Animated Film

    Uranium Film Festival 2013 Finalists (Title / Country/ Director)

    FEATURE
    ATOMIC BOMB HOME – Japan, 2012, Katsumi Sakaguchi , 65 min – world premiere ATOMIC IVAN – Russia, 2012, Vasily Barkhatov , 91min
    ATOMIC MOM – Japan/USA, 2010, M. T. Silvia, 80 min
    CHILDREN OF URANIUM – Romania, 2009, Adina Popescu, 64 min
    CESIUM IBLODET – Sweden, 2009, Lars Westman, 70 min
    DER BAUCH VON TOKYO (Tokyo’s Belly) – Germany, 2013, Reinhild Dettmer-Finke, 70 min – world premiere DOUBLE HAPPINESS URANIUM – Australia, 2012, Cole Larsen, 87 min – world premiere
    FORBIDDEN GROUND FUKUSHIMA – Japan, 2012, Kazunori Kurimoto, 57 min – world premiere
    FRIEDLICH IN DIE KATASTROPHE (Quietly into the Disaster) – Germany, 2012, Marcin El, 120 min
    HIROSHIMA NAGASAKI DOWNLOAD – Mexico/Japan, 2010, Shinpei Takeda, 73 min
    IRAK: LES ENFANTS SACRIFIÉS DE FALLUJA (Falluja: A lost generation?) – France, 2011, Feurat Alani, 48 min NUCLEAR SAVAGE: The Islands of Secret Project – USA, 2012, Adam Jonas Horowitz, 87 min
    THE ATOMIC STATES OF AMERICA – USA, 2011, Don Argett, Sheena M. Joyce, 92 min
    THE ULTIMATE WISH: ENDING THE NUCLEAR AGE – USA, 2012, Robert Richter, 40 min
    THE FOUR CORNERS: A NATIONAL SACRIFICE AREA? – USA, 1983, Christopher McLeod, 58 min
    U 4 URANIUM – Australia, 2011, Astral Jester, 72 min
    UNDER CONTROL (Unter Kontrolle) – Germany, 2011, Volker Sattel, 98 min
    URANIUM – TO DIE FOR (HaZman Hatzahov) – Israel, 2012, Shany Haziza, 54 min – world premiere URANIUM PROJECT – Italy, 2011, Alan Gard e Stefania Prandi, 43 min

    SHORT
    ACOUPHENES (White Noise) – France, 2004, François-Xavier Drouet , 17 min
    ANATOMIA DI UNA BOMBA – Italy, 2006, Flaviano Masella, Angelo Saso, Maurizio Torrealta, 22 min ATOMIC FOOTPRINTS – Australia, 2006, Pip Starr, 14 min
    BLACKWATER – Spain, 2012, Karlos Alastruey, 4 min
    CAETITÉ – Brasil, 2013, Laura Pires, 35 min
    CURIOSITY KILLS – Estonia, 2012, Sander Maran, 14 min
    ENOLA – Germany, 1986, Christoph Boekel, 28 min
    EXCLUSION ZONE – Spain, Omar Kardoudi , 13 min
    FUOCO AMICO: RITORNO NEI BALCANI – Italy, 2010, Terra Project Photographers, 10 min GET UP STAND UP – India, Sreemith, 34 min
    HALBWERTSZEIT (Half Life) – Germany, 2012, Anne-Katrin Kiewitt, Alice von Gewinner, 20 min HIGH POWER – India, 2013, Pradeep Indulkar, 27 min – world premiere
    KINTYRE – Australia, 2012, Curtis Tylor, 15 min
    NO TO A NUCLEAR JORDAN – Jordan, 2012, Solenne Tadros, 7 min NUCLEAR WASTE – Ukraine, 2012, Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, 25 min RETORN OF NAVAJAO BOY EPILOGUE – USA, 2008, Jeff Spitz, 15 min TAILINGS – USA, 2012, Sam Price-Waldman, 12 min
    WAR ́S DUST – URANIUM BEIRUT – Italy, 2007, Flaviano Masella, Angelo Saso, Maurizio Torrealta, 23 min WOMEN OF FUKUSHIMA – Japan/Australia, 2012, Paul Johannessen, 27 min
    YURI’S OMEN – Spain, 2012, Jordi Montornés, 14 min

    ANIMATION
    ABITA – Germany, 2012, Shoko Hara, Paul Brenner, 4 min
    FAIRLIGHTS – Germany, 2013, Ilinca Höpfner, Helge Henning , 10 min, world premiere
    HERR HOPPE AND THE NUCLEAR WASTE – Germany, 2011, Jan Lachauer & Thorsten Löffler , 4 min HIBAKUSHA – USA, 2012, Steve Nguyen, Choz Belen, 54 min
    MOAB – Israel, 2012, Keren Zaltz, 3 min
    SLOUCHING TOWARDS YUCCA MOUNTAIN – USA, 2011, Eve-Andrée Laramée, 17 min
    THE LAST FLOWER – Iran, 2013, Sima Baghery, 6 min

    Further selected films – not part of the Competition

    BUDDHA WEEPS IN JADUGODA – India, 1999, Shriprakash, 55 min
    WHEN THE DUST SETTLES – UK, 2011, 7 min 

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  • Beaufort International International Film Festival Announces 2014 Festival Dates

    The 8th annual Beaufort International International Film Festival (BIFF) will be held February 12 – 16, 2014, in Beaufort, SC.  The festival is now accepting entries from filmmakers; Categories for competition are: Features , Documentaries, Short Films, Student Films, Animation, and Screenplays.  The Early Bird deadline for submissions is July 31, 2013 with the final deadline being October 31, 2013. 

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  • Academy Selects Show Dates for 2014 And 2015 Oscars

     

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network today announced the dates for the 86th and 87th Oscar® presentations. The 86th and 87th Academy Awards® will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, and February 22, 2015, respectively.

    Key dates for the Awards season are: 

    Saturday, November 16, 2013: The Governors Awards

    Monday, December 2, 2013: Official Screen Credits due

    Friday, December 27, 2013: Nominations voting begins

    Wednesday, January 8, 2014: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT

    Thursday, January 16, 2014: Oscar nominations announced

    Monday, February 10, 2014: Nominees Luncheon

    Friday, February 14, 2014: Final voting begins

    Saturday, February 15, 2014: Scientific and Technical Awards

    Tuesday, February 25, 2014: Final voting ends 5 p.m. PT

    Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014: 86th Academy Awards

    Oscar Sunday, February 22, 2015: 87th Academy Awards

    The 86th and 87th Academy Awards ceremonies will be held at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

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  • Ashland Independent Film Festival Unveils 2013 Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_3375" align="alignnone" width="550"]The Forgotten Kingdom[/caption]

    The full schedule, film descriptions and program are now all set for the Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) scheduled to be held in the heart of historic downtown Ashland, Oregon, April 4-8, 2013. 

    —————-

    Ashland, Ore. The nationally acclaimed Ashland Independent Film Festival (AIFF) today unveiled its complete program for the twelfth annual festival, to be held in the heart of historic downtown Ashland, Oregon, April 4-8. Over 7,500 film lovers are expected to gather with filmmakers from around the world for the five-day showcase of independent film at the Varsity Theatre, the Historic Ashland Armory, the Ashland Springs Hotel, and the festival’s newest venue, the Ashland Street Cinemas. The festival’s full schedule, film descriptions and program are available now at www.ashlandfilm.org. Tickets go on sale to members beginning March 12 and to the general public on March 18.

    SPECIAL GUEST

    Each year, the AIFF presents its Rogue Award to a filmmaker of unique talent who is making a mark in the world of independent film. This year the festival honors celebrated director and AIFF alumni Lucy Walker. Walker has been nominated twice for an Academy Award® — in 2010 for Waste Land (AIFF 2011), and in 2012 for The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (AIFF 2012). Walker will screen her latest documentary, The Crash Reel — about champion snowboarder Kevin Pearce and his ongoing fight to recover from a massive brain injury incurred while training for the 2010 Winter Olympics — as well as Going for Gold: Olympic Shorts, a selection of short films that follow four athletes from around the world as they meet the challenges of preparing for the Olympics. Walker will receive the Rogue Award at the festival’s Awards Celebration on Sunday, April 7.

    WORLD PREMIERES

    This year’s festival lineup features seven World Premieres, including the narrative features The Forgotten Kingdom about a young man’s return to his African homeland directed by Andrew Mudge, and the locally produced Redwood Highway starring Shirley Knight and directed by Gary Lundgren (Wow and Flutter, AIFF 2005, Calvin Marshall, AIFF 2010). Also premiering at the AIFF are films from a number of festival alumni: the feature length documentaries Before the Spring After the Fall, about four members of a heavy metal band in Egypt before, during and since the Arab Spring from Jed Rothstein (Killing in the Name, AIFF 2011), and the short films The Caretaker and The Mayor directed by Theo Rigby (Close to Home, AIFF 2010, Sin País, AIFF 2011), Like a Dance from director Jill Orschel (Sister Wife, AIFF 2010), and An Act of Revenge from returning filmmakers Sam Roden and Nick Hartanto (The Lonely Pair, AIFF 2012).  

    WORLD-CLASS DOCUMENTARIES

    Among the documentaries featured at the 12th annual AIFF are a candid portrait of one of the most influential – and controversial — political leaders our nation has ever known, in The World According to Dick Cheney; a profile of the Hawaiian ukulele virtuoso, Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings; an indelible portrait of the complex relationship between Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright/actor Sam Shepard and his close friend Johnny Dark in Shepard & Dark, and Joe Papp in Five Acts about the legendary theatre producer who nurtured a generation of American actors and playwrights and spent a lifetime expanding access to public arts. Academy Award®-winning director Roger Ross Williams (Music By Prudence, AIFF 2010) also returns to Ashland with God Loves Uganda, a powerful examination of the impact of the evangelical movement.

    OSCAR® WINNERS AND NOMINEES

    Other festival highlights include the Oscar®-winning short film, Inocente, a documentary about a homeless teen who transforms her life through her art, which is paired with the Oscar®-nominated Open Heart in the festival’s Oscar® Short Docs 2 program. Also screening is the Academy Award® winning narrative film Curfew, the story of a young man coerced into spending an evening with his nine-year-old niece, which appears in the Short Stories program. This year, the festival also presents Oscar Short Docs 1,which includes nominees Redemption, about New York City’s burgeoning bottle and can collectors, and Mondays at Racine, about a beauty salon that opens its doors each week to women undergoing chemotherapy.  

    FEATURE FILMS

    The AIFF again presents some of the best new feature film work available on the festival circuit. Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes is a coming-of-age story about a teenager who becomes preoccupied with her mysterious new neighbor, Linda (Jessica Biel), who bears a striking resemblance to her dead mother. The Story of Luke is about an autistic young man, Luke (Lou Taylor Pucci) who sets off on a quest to find a job and true love. The Kings of Summer, which plays at the Ashland Street Cinemas, is the tale of three unhappy teenage boys who flee to the wilderness to live off the land as masters of their own destiny. Aquí y Allá (Here and There) offers an unexpected take on the traditional immigrant story, as a young father abandons an uncertain future in the United States and returns to his homeland to try to make a living.

    FAMILY PROGRAMS

    The festival again offers a special program of independent film geared toward younger audiences. The program and Q&A with visiting filmmakers will screen five times throughout the festival weekend at the Ashland Street Cinemas, providing increased capacity, access and scheduling flexibility for local families. The program offers a selection of ten short films that are geared for kids, but whose creativity will engage and delight audiences of all ages. Among the selections are animation from around the world, films from Rogue Valley students, and a new documentary by AIFF 2008 Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Albert Maysles. The AIFF and Coming Attractions Theatres will donate $1.00 to the non-profit Ashland Schools Foundation for each Family Film ticket purchased.

    FREE PROGRAMS

    The AIFF features the work of local filmmakers in a free Locals Only program, which plays at the Ashland Street Cinema and the Varsity Theatre. Among the eight films to be screened are The Michael Maag Story: You Don’t Have to Be Able to Stand to Walk Tall, Jim Long’s tribute to a local hero who finds the courage to live life in a new way following a severe spinal cord injury, and Breath: in Three Verses, Katherine Roselli’s carefully composed visual and auditory journey on the impact of breath.  The Locals Only program on Saturday, April 6 will include the winners of The Launch, the festival’s Siskiyou region student competition, and will be followed by an Award Ceremony for the winning students with prizes made possible by a grant from the Fred W. Fields Fund of the Oregon Community Foundation.

    Three free TalkBack panel discussions will be held with filmmakers of all genres discussing their craft at the Ashland Springs Hotel on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10am. Guest moderators will lead the discussions and field audience questions on such topics as No Borders, which tackles the complexities of international short- and long-form narrative and documentary filmmaking; Close-Up and Personal, about the art and craft of translating private and public personalities to film, and Transmedia 101: The Future of Storytelling, which pairs filmmakers and technologists in a lively discussion about the evolution of storytelling in the digital age.

    This year, the festival introduces a new form of programming with eMerge, a showcase of digital and interactive storytelling that crosses genres and platforms. The program, developed in collaboration with SOU’s Emerging Media and Digital Arts program and sponsored in part by the Governor’s Office of Film and Project A, includes Follow the Food, a series of short videos profiling local artisan food providers; a live community storytelling event, Immigrant Nation, which includes a gallery installation at Houston’s Custom Framing and Fine Art and a two-day hackathon at SOU’s Digital Media Center, and a TalkBack panel.

    Many of the screenings features question-and-answer sessions with visiting filmmakers and film subjects. Audiences also have the opportunity to rub elbows with filmmakers over a late-night drink at the AfterLounge, hosted by a different restaurant every night.

    Tickets for festival films and events, as well as more information about films, special events and parties and the festival’s complete program are available online at ashlandfilm.org and at the festival Box Office located at Ashland Hardwired, 340 A Street, and at the Varsity Theatre April 4 – 8.

    source: AIFF

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