Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired all U.S. rights to director Danny Buday’s debut feature film 5 STAR DAY, starring Cam Gigandet and Jena Malone for a November 2nd national theatrical release, followed by a VOD release on November 4th and a DVD release set for the first quarter of 2012. In 5 STAR DAY, Jake Gibson’s (Cam Gigandet) horoscope forecasts a flawless day the morning of his birthday. Little does he realize, his entire world […]
The 2011 Doha Tribeca Film Festival’s (DTFF) announced today that Luc Besson’s The Lady is the closing night film for the five-day Festival (October 25-29) along with the Contemporary World Cinema programme.
Starring Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis, William Hope and Sahajak Boonthanakit, The Lady is an epic biopic depicting the real life love story of Burmese activist Aung San Suu Kyi’s marriage to writer-academic, Michael Aris, as she fights against governmental oppression to instill democracy into Burma’s political system.{jathumbnail off}
The 14th Arpa International Film Festival wrapped on Saturday with a screening of FIVE MINARETS IN NEW YORK followed by a the awards ceremony. Taking top honors were THREE VEILS, MY UNCLE RAFAEL, THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA and BOLIS.
The Best Picture honor this year went to Rolla Selbak’s drama, THREE VEILS. BEST DIRECTOR and BEST SCREENPLAY kudos went to director Marc Fusco and writers Scott Yagemann and Vahik Pirhamzei for their comedy MY UNCLE RAFAEL.
Pirhamzei also received the festival’s 2011 Breakthrough Performance Award for his starring role in the film. Arman Yeritsyan and Inna Sahakyan’s THE LAST TIGHTROPE DANCER IN ARMENIA was given the award for Best Documentary with Eric Nazarian’s BOLIS winning BEST SHORT FILM.{jathumbnail off}
Director Roman Polanski attended the 7th Zurich Film Festival to accept the lifetime achievement award that was intended for him two years ago, to honor his outstanding career achievements as a filmmaker. Almost two years to the day, Polanski was arrested on his way to the festival ceremony to receive the award. The World Premiere of a full-length non fiction film followed the ceremony. In the documentary, Polanski reportedly briefly addressed the sexual assault case, […]
The British Independent Film Awards announced on its website that the 2011 ceremony will will take place on Sunday December 4th at Old Billingsgate in Central London. Nominations will be announced in October 31st. Created in 1998, The British Independent Film Awards set out to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, to honor new talent, and to promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.
The Toronto International Film Festival in a press release expressed its deep concern in response to the recent arrest of six Iranian filmmakers by the Iranian authorities on charges of espionage. The six filmmakers are Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Katayoun Shahabi, Hadi Afarideh, Nasser Saffarian, Shahnama Bazdar and Mohsen Shahrnazdar. The detaineed filmmakers have been accused of collaborating with the BBC network, forbidden in Iran, and of portraying a negative image of the country in their films. […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is already gearing up for the 84th Academy Awards. The Academy announced today that Monday, October 3, is the deadline to submit entries in the Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film and Foreign Language Film categories to be considered for the 84th Academy Awards®. Complete entries must arrive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by 5 p.m. PT that day. The 84th Academy […]
The Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) wrapped and announced the audience and other special award-winners of the 2011 festival. 2011 Twin Cities Film Fest Best Feature Award “Like Crazy,” directed by Drake Doremus 2011 Twin Cities Film Fest North Star Award for Excellence Tom Sizemore (For an indelible body of work, including TCFF official selection “White Knight”) 2011 Twin Cities Film Fest Shorts Film Award “14 Minutes,” directed by Elise Plakke 2011 Twin Cities Film […]
The 12th Anniversary Woodstock Film Festival which began Wednesday, Sept. 21st, will close Sunday September 25th, 2011, held its Maverick Awards Ceremony last night at the historic Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY.
A special Tribute to Gary Winick was included in the ceremony, to honor the filmmaker and pioneering producer who passed away in February of this year from brain cancer at the age of 49.{jathumbnail off}
The next presentation of Kevin Smith’s SMoviola will take place during the upcoming New York Film Festival with a celebration of the cult hit THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION featuring the film’s star Peter Weller, John Lithgow and additional guests. The festival also released the lineup of filmmakers set for NYFF’s celebrated HBO Films® Directors Dialogues and the complete lineup of films for the 15th edition of the film festival’s Views From the Avant-Garde series.
Returning to the Film Society after a special screening of VALLEY GIRL during the launch of the new Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Kevin Smith’s SMoviola will now be a continuing series of appearances by the popular filmmaker and film personality during which he will take a look at a classic, and personally beloved film, with the filmmakers and stars of the film.
Directed by W.D. Richter, THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984) stars Peter Weller as an adventurer/surgeon/rock star who leads a band of men known as the Hong Kong Cavaliers versus nefarious alien invaders from the 8th dimension. Featuring a formidable cast including Ellen Barkin, Jeff Goldblum, John Lithgow, Christopher Lloyd as well as Russian comic Yakov Smirnoff and musician Billy Vera, the film was a made-to-order cult hit from its debut onward. The film will screen at the Walter Reade Theater on Saturday, October 15 at 7:30PM with Smith leading a discussion about the film with Weller, Lithgow and others following the screening.{jathumbnail off}
The 2011 New York Film Festival announced two short films programs as well as late-breaking updates for the Oliver Stone presentation and the Masterworks screening of BEN HUR.
Due to scheduling conflicts, Oliver Stone’s “Untold History of the United States” will no longer screen at the 2011 New York Film Festival. However, Oliver Stone will still be appearing at NYFF to present a 25th Anniversary screening of SALVADOR, a film that burst onto the American film scene with a force that immediately established Stone as an artist to be reckoned with. {jathumbnail off}
The 49th New York Film Festival will offer an ‘unprecedented’ selection of programs, led by the first-ever premiere screening of a new ending to Joe Berlinger’s and Bruce Sinofsky’s PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY including footage from the events surrounding the recent celebrated release of the West Memphis Three. PARADISE LOST 3: PURGATORY is an HBO Documentary Films production set to premiere on the network in 2012.
Oliver Stone will offer a special sneak preview of his new documentary project, The Untold History of the United States. Produced as a 10-part miniseries for Showtime (where it will premiere in 2012), NYFF will present this special sneak preview of Untold History’s first three chapters, which focus on the events leading up to America’s entrance into World War II, the war itself, and the unjustly forgotten figure of former U.S. Vice President Henry Wallace.{jathumbnail off}