2011 Tribeca Film Festival to Open with the World Premiere of Cameron Crowe's The Union

2011 Tribeca Film Festival to Open with the World Premiere of Cameron Crowe’s The Union

Elton John and Leon Russell from the The Union. photo credit: Joseph Guay

The world premiere of Cameron Crowe’s documentary The Union will open the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express. A performance by the film’s subject – Elton John – will follow the free, outdoor screening to kick off the Festival’s 10th edition and thank the New York City community for its ongoing support. The Union will premiere on Wednesday, April 20 at the North Cove at the World Financial Plaza. The 10th annual Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 20 through May 1, 2011.

RIP: Producer, Director Gary Winick

RIP: Producer, Director Gary Winick

Gary Winick, a pioneering producer and director of independent digital films who found mainstream success with such movies as “13 Going on 30” and “Letters to Juliet,” has died. He was 49. Winick, who was diagnosed with brain cancer about two years ago, died Sunday at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, said Niels Mueller, a longtime collaborator. When Winick went to the Sundance Film Festival in 2002, he didn’t even have an […]

One World uses “Empty Chair” to draw attention to imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo

One World uses “Empty Chair” to draw attention to imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo

One World International Film Festival running in Prague from March 8 to 17, 2011 will use an “Empty Chair” to draw attention to imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo.  The Chinese dissident had been sentenced to 11 years in jail. During the One World festival viewers will come across an empty chair with the poster ofLiu in screening halls. In 2009, People in Need gave its Homo Homini award to the Chinese intellectual and […]

Tribeca Film to Distribute 26 Films in 2011, Doubling 2010 Slate

Tribeca Film to Distribute 26 Films in 2011, Doubling 2010 Slate

Tribeca Enterprises announced that Tribeca Film will expand to commercially release 26 films over the next year, more than double the number of titles released in 2010. The comprehensive distribution label for independent film also announced that it acquired U.S. rights to nine new titles to be released across multiple platforms. The curated selection of films includes many genres and features stars including Zach Braff, Vincent Gallo and Zoe Kravitz and filmmakers such as Peter […]

Melissa Leo Drops the F-Bomb at the Oscars | Video

Melissa Leo Drops the F-Bomb at the Oscars | Video

Dirty mouth. Actress Melissa Leo dropped the F-bomb while accepting the Oscar forr Best Supporting Actress at the 83rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night. Making up her acceptance speech as she spoke, the actress said, “Yeah, I am kind of speechless,… when I watched Kate two years ago, it looked so f***ing easy.” Oscar co-host Anne Hathaway had the best come-back, “Wow, I thought the ‘F’ stood for ‘The Fighter.’ It’s the young and […]

83rd annual Academy Awards Winners; The King's Speech Rules

83rd annual Academy Awards Winners; The King’s Speech Rules

“The King’s Speech” was the ‘King’ at the 83rd annual Academy Awards on Sunday night, winning four Oscars: including Best Picture, Directing for director Tom Hooper, Writing – Original Screenplay for David Seidler and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Colin Firth. And as expected Natalie Portman won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in “Black Swan,” while Christian Bale  and his co-star Melissa Leo took the Oscars […]

2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards for Black Swan, Winter's Bone, 127 Hours

2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards for Black Swan, Winter’s Bone, 127 Hours

Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, handed out top honors to Black Swan, Winter’s Bone, 127 Hours, and The Kids Are All Right at the 26th Film Independent Spirit Awards.  The King’s Speech, Exit Through the Gift Shop, Get Low, Tiny Furniture, and Daddy Longlegs also received awards at the ceremony. This year’s major category winners were Fox Searchlight’s Black Swan, which won Best […]

13th annual Washington D.C. Independent Film Festival to close with special screening of The Blair Witch Project

13th annual Washington D.C. Independent Film Festival to close with special screening of The Blair Witch Project

The 13th annual Washington D.C. Independent Film Festival (DCIFF) will take place March 3-13, 2011.  DCIFF will showcase more than 100 features, shorts, animations, and documentaries created btalented artists from around the world. Films are grouped by theme into 26 different sessions. This year’s festival will close on March 13 with a special screening of The Blair Witch Project and an appearance by Eduardo Sanchez, the film’s writer an co-director. The official Selection of Animated […]

2011 Cesar Awards; Of Gods and Men Wins Best Film

2011 Cesar Awards; Of Gods and Men Wins Best Film

Xavier Beauvois’ “Des hommes et des dieux,” (Of Gods and Men) took the top prize for Best Film but Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer,” lead the Cesar Awards aka the French Oscars with 4 wins including Best Director for Roman Polanski, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score and Best Editing. “Of Gods and Men,” which was also France’s official entry to 2011 Oscar and “Gainsbourg” tied for 3 awards. “Of Gods and Men took the awards […]

Cleveland International Film Festival to open with Hamill and close with Soul Surfer

Cleveland International Film Festival to open with Hamill and close with Soul Surfer

The 35th Cleveland International Film Festival, scheduled for March 24 to April 3, 2011, will open with Oren Kaplan’s Hamill, based on Ohio wrestler Matt “The Hammer” Hamill; and close with Sean McNamara’s Soul Surfer. HAMILL, directed by Oren Kaplan, is an inspirational story of hope, perseverance, and the unbreakable belief in one’s dream. Starring Russell Harvard, Raymond Barry, Shoshannah Stern, and Michael Anthony Spady, the film is set to open the 35th Cleveland International […]

2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival To Open with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Quattro Hong Kong 2

2011 Hong Kong International Film Festival To Open with Don’t Go Breaking My Heart and Quattro Hong Kong 2

The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) announced Miriam YEUNG as the ambassador of the 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF); and Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, by the Hong Kong film industry’s duo of Johnnie TO and WAI Ka-fai; and Quattro Hong Kong 2, jointly directed by four award-winning filmmakers as the two opening films of this year. In Don’t Go Breaking My Heart Louis KOO plays a high-flying playboy who has […]

Zeitgeist Films to release documentary “Something Ventured”

Zeitgeist Films to release documentary “Something Ventured”

Zeitgeist Films has just acquired Miralan Productions’ SOMETHING VENTURED which looks at the early investors behind the revolutionary technology that created companies like Apple, Intel and Cisco and in the process completely changed our world. Directed by award-winning filmmakers Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller (BALLETS RUSSES) and narrated by best-selling author Po Bronson, SOMETHING VENTURED will have its World premiere at this year’s South by Southwest Film Festival. SOMETHING VENTURED was Executive Produced by Miralan […]