• 71 Countries Vie for 2012 Foreign Language Film Oscar

    [caption id="attachment_2889" align="alignnone" width="550"]After Lucia[/caption]

    A record 71 countries, including first-time entrant Kenya, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 85th Academy Awards®.

    The 2012 submissions are:

     

    Afghanistan, “The Patience Stone,” Atiq Rahimi, director;
    Albania, “Pharmakon,” Joni Shanaj, director;
    Algeria, “Zabana!” Said Ould Khelifa, director; 
    Argentina, “Clandestine Childhood,” Benjamín Ávila, director;
    Armenia, “If Only Everyone,” Natalia Belyauskene, director; 
    Australia, “Lore,” Cate Shortland, director;
    Austria, “Amour,” Michael Haneke, director; 
    Azerbaijan, “Buta,” Ilgar Najaf, director;
    Bangladesh, “Pleasure Boy Komola,” Humayun Ahmed, director;
    Belgium, “Our Children,” Joachim Lafosse, director;
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Children of Sarajevo,” Aida Begic, director;
    Brazil, “The Clown,” Selton Mello, director;
    Bulgaria, “Sneakers,” Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov, directors;
    Cambodia, “Lost Loves,” Chhay Bora, director;
    Canada, “War Witch,” Kim Nguyen, director;
    Chile, “No,” Pablo Larraín, director;
    China, “Caught in the Web,” Chen Kaige, director;
    Colombia, “The Snitch Cartel,” Carlos Moreno, director;
    Croatia, “Vegetarian Cannibal,” Branko Schmidt, director;
    Czech Republic, “In the Shadow,” David Ondrícek, director;
    Denmark, “A Royal Affair,” Nikolaj Arcel, director;
    Dominican Republic, “Jaque Mate,” José María Cabral, director; 
    Estonia, “Mushrooming,” Toomas Hussar, director;
    Finland, “Purge,” Antti J. Jokinen, director;
    France, “The Intouchables,” Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, directors;
    Georgia, “Keep Smiling,” Rusudan Chkonia, director;
    Germany, “Barbara,” Christian Petzold, director;
    Greece, “Unfair World,” Filippos Tsitos, director;
    Greenland, “Inuk,” Mike Magidson, director;
    Hong Kong, “Life without Principle,” Johnnie To, director;
    Hungary, “Just the Wind,” Bence Fliegauf, director;
    Iceland, “The Deep,” Baltasar Kormákur, director;
    India, “Barfi!” Anurag Basu, director; 
    Indonesia, “The Dancer,” Ifa Isfansyah, director;
    Israel, “Fill the Void,” Rama Burshtein, director;
    Italy, “Caesar Must Die,” Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani, directors;
    Japan, “Our Homeland,” Yang Yonghi, director; 
    Kazakhstan, “Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe,” Akan Satayev, director;
    Kenya, “Nairobi Half Life,” David ‘Tosh’ Gitonga, director;
    Kyrgyzstan, “The Empty Home,” Nurbek Egen, director;
    Latvia, “Gulf Stream under the Iceberg,” Yevgeny Pashkevich, director;
    Lithuania, “Ramin,” Audrius Stonys, director;
    Macedonia, “The Third Half,” Darko Mitrevski, director;
    Malaysia, “Bunohan,” Dain Iskandar Said, director; 
    Mexico, “After Lucia,” Michel Franco, director;
    Morocco, “Death for Sale,” Faouzi Bensaïdi, director;
    Netherlands, “Kauwboy,” Boudewijn Koole, director;
    Norway, “Kon-Tiki,” Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, directors;
    Palestine, “When I Saw You,” Annemarie Jacir, director; 
    Peru, “The Bad Intentions,” Rosario García-Montero, director;
    Philippines, “Bwakaw,” Jun Robles Lana, director;
    Poland, “80 Million,” Waldemar Krzystek, director;
    Portugal, “Blood of My Blood,” João Canijo, director;
    Romania, “Beyond the Hills,” Cristian Mungiu, director;
    Russia, “White Tiger,” Karen Shakhnazarov, director;
    Serbia, “When Day Breaks,” Goran Paskaljevic, director;
    Singapore, “Already Famous,” Michelle Chong, director;
    Slovak Republic, “Made in Ash,” Iveta Grófová, director;
    Slovenia, “A Trip,” Nejc Gazvoda, director;
    South Africa, “Little One,” Darrell James Roodt, director;
    South Korea, “Pieta,” Kim Ki-duk, director; 
    Spain, “Blancanieves,” Pablo Berger, director;
    Sweden, “The Hypnotist,” Lasse Hallström, director;
    Switzerland, “Sister,” Ursula Meier, director;
    Taiwan, “Touch of the Light,” Chang Jung-Chi, director;
    Thailand, “Headshot,” Pen-ek Ratanaruang, director;
    Turkey, “Where the Fire Burns,” Ismail Gunes, director;
    Ukraine, “The Firecrosser,” Mykhailo Illienko, director;
    Uruguay, “The Delay,” Rodrigo Plá, director;
    Venezuela, “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” Hernán Jabes, director;
    Vietnam, “The Scent of Burning Grass,” Nguyen Huu Muoi, director.

    The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

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  • Gulf Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

    The Gulf Film Festival (GFF), described by the festival as “the home of bold, experimental, and the best of Arab cinema from the Gulf countries and the rest of the world” have announced that the sixth edition will be held from April 11 to 17, 2013 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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  • Ben Affleck’s Argo to Open 2012 Leeds International Film Festival on Thursday

     [caption id="attachment_2885" align="alignnone" width="550"]Argo[/caption]

    Ben Affleck’s new thriller Argo has been announced as the Opening Gala film of this year’s Leeds International Film Festival. Argo, based on the remarkable true story of a CIA expert posing as a fake film producer in order to infiltrate Iran at the time of the hostage crisis in 1979 and rescue a group of stranded Americans, will open the annual festival at Leeds Town Hall on Thursday November 1, 2012. 

    The Official Selection will close with Michael Haneke’s second Palme d’Or winnerAmour, a drama about the bond of love between an elderly couple in their eighties, starring Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva.

    Other new feature film highlights in the Official Selection include Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux, Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths, Tribeca award winners Lucy Mulloy’sUna Noche and Kim Nguyen’s War Witch, and Dominga Sotomayor’s Rotterdam Tiger Award winner From Thursday Till Sunday.

     

    The Retrospectives section will include an appearance by leading Russian filmmaker Andrei Konchalovsky, who will attend the festival as part of a focus on his early work. Best known for cult favorite Runaway Train, the focus will screen five of his early Soviet works from his directorial debut The First Teacher in 1965 to Asya’s Happiness, A Nest of Gentlefolk, Uncle Vanya, and his Cannes prize-winner Siberiade. The work of legendary Japanese actress and filmmaker Kinuyo Tanaka (1909-77) will also be honored at the festival with a selection of her finest performances in films by Yasujirô Ozu, Mikio Naruse, and Kenji Mizoguchi, and two rarely shown features she directed herself, The Eternal Breasts (1955) and Girls of Dark(1961). 

    Fanomenon section, considered the home of cult films at Leeds International Film Festival,will include Ben Wheatley’s long-awaited Sightseers, a pitch-black story of a camping holiday killing spree across Yorkshire and the Lakes, together with some of the most anticipated genre films of the year: Antiviral (Dir. Brandon Cronenburg), Citadel (Dir. Ciaran Foy), John Dies at the End (Dir. Don Coscarelli),The Legend of Kaspar Hauser (Dir. Davide Manuli), and V/H/S (Dirs. Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Ti West, Glenn McQuaid, Joe Swanberg). Fanomenon 2012 also features a special focus on the growth of genre filmmaking in Yorkshire with screenings of Before Dawn (Dir. Dominic Brunt), When the Lights Went Out (Dir. Pat Holden), and the world premiere of new feature Heretic (Dir. Peter Handford).

    Cinema Versa section is the home of documentaries inspired by the underground festival aesthetic with two major themes of human rights and music films. Highlights among the human rights films selection for 2012 include: Anand Patwardhan’s acclaimed epic Jai Bhim Comrade, one of the best documentaries of the year, about the culture of India’s Dalits, dehumanized in the traditional caste system as ‘untouchables’; the extraordinary 1/2 Revolution, featuring unmissable first person camcorder reportage from the streets of Cairo, smuggled out of the country in a pram after the filmmakers were arrested by the secret police; and the UK Premiere of Back to the Square, tracking the changes in the lives of five ordinary Egyptians after the overthrow of Mubarak. Music films in Cinema Versa 2012 range across every style and genre including: the UK Premiere of Charles Bradley: Soul of Americaabout the world-weary Brooklyn soul man, who made it big in his ‘60s after paying his dues over the decades as a James Brown impersonator; the wonderfully entertaining tale of the first tour of China by a UK punk band, dogged veterans Sham 69 in This Band is so Gorgeous; and Jobriath AD, profiling the fascinating career of the first openly gay pop star.

     

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  • 14 Shorts Nominated for European Film Awards

     [caption id="attachment_2883" align="alignnone" width="550"]Little Children Big Words[/caption]

    This year’s list of 14 short films nominated for the European Film Academy were announced earlier this month at the International Short Film Festival in Drama (Greece). The nominees will be presented to the over 2,700 members of the European Film Academy and it is they who will elect the overall winner: the European Film Academy Short Film 2012 which will be presented at the 25th European Film Awards Ceremony on December 1, 2012 in Malta. 

    NOMINATED ARE: 

    Ghent Short Film Nominee 

    DEMAIN, ÇA SERA BIEN (Tomorrow Will Be Good) 
    directed by Pauline Gay 
    France, 16 min, fiction 

    Valladolid Short Film Nominee 
    SUPERMAN, SPIDERMAN SAU BATMAN (Superman, Spiderman or Batman) 
    directed by Tudor Giurgiu 
    Romania, 11 min, fiction 

    Cork Short Film Nominee 
    TWO HEARTS 
    directed by Darren Thornton 
    Ireland, 17 min, fiction 

    Bristol Short Film Nominee 
    MITEN MARJOJA POIMITAAN (How To Pick Berries) 
    directed by Elina Talvensaari 
    Finland, 18 min, documentary 

    Angers Short Film Nominee 
    L’AMBASSADEUR ET MOI (The Ambassador And Me) 
    directed by Jan Czarlewski 
    Switzerland, 15 min, documentary 

    Rotterdam Short Film Nominee 
    IM FREIEN (In the Open) 
    directed by Albert Sackl 
    Austria, 23 min, experimental 

    Berlin Short Film Nominee 
    VILAINE FILLE MAUVAIS GARÇON (Two Ships) 
    directed by Justine Triet 
    France, 30 min, fiction 

    Tampere Short Film Nominee 
    CSICSKA (Beast) 
    directed by Attila Till 
    Hungary, 20 min, fiction 

    Krakow Short Film Nominee 
    VILLA ANTROPOFF 
    directed by Vladimir Leschiov & Kaspar Jancis 
    Latvia/Estonia, 13 min, animation 

    Grimstad Short Film Nominee 
    SESSIZ / BÉ DENG (Silent) 
    directed by L. Rezan Yeşilbaş 
    Turkey, 14 min, fiction 

    Vila do Conde Short Film Nominee 
    MANHÃ DE SANTO ANTÓNIO (Morning of Saint Anthony’s Day) 
    directed by João Pedro Rodrigues 
    Portugal, 25 min, fiction 

    Locarno Short Film Nominee 
    BACK OF BEYOND 
    directed by Michael Lennox 
    UK, 25 min, fiction 

    Venice Short Film Nominee 
    TITLOI TELOUS (Out of Frame) 
    directed by Yorgos Zois 
    Greece, 10 min, experimental 

    Drama Short Film Nominee 
    EINSPRUCH VI (Objection VI) 
    directed by Rolando Colla 
    Switzerland, 17 min, fiction 

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  • Jason Wolos’ debut feature Trattoria Kicks Off Lineup for 2012 San Francisco Cinema by the Bay Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2881" align="alignnone" width="1020"]A scene from Jason Wolos’ TRATTORIA, the Opening Night film at Cinema by the Bay, November 9-11 at New People Cinema [/caption]

    The San Francisco Film Society announced the program lineup for the fourth annual Cinema by the Bay festival, November 9 – 11 at New People Cinema. The three-day festival will feature new work produced in or about the San Francisco Bay Area and will open with Jason Wolos’ debut feature Trattoria. Set in the world of San Francisco’s competitive restaurant culture, a popular chef and his son must reconnect and heal their past through cooking if they want to save their relationship and change the direction of their lives.

    The program lineup:

    Friday, November 9    OPENING NIGHT
    7:00 pm Trattoria
    Jason Wolos    Director Expected
    Set in the world of San Francisco’s competitive restaurant culture, Trattoria serves up familial drama and foodie delights. Chef Sal Sartini and his second wife Cecilia have just opened a new restaurant and are trying to generate the reviews and buzz that are critical to success. When Sal’s estranged son Vince comes to visit and help out in the restaurant, underlying tensions are brought to the surface. It becomes clear that Chef Sartini has lost his way by focusing so intensely on his success, and with the help of his son he must rekindle his passion for food and for life. (USA 2011. 82 min. Written by Jason Wolos, Dawn Rich. Photographed by Frazer Bradshaw. With Tony Denison, John Patrick Amedori, Lisa Rotondi, Kandis Erickson. Fine Dining Productions.)


    Saturday, November 10
    2:30 pm Casablanca mon amour    
    John Slattery    Director Expected
    This fiction/nonfiction hybrid presents two bright and humorous Moroccan college students, Hassan and Abdel, as they journey from Casablanca over the Atlas mountains to the Sahara desert. Hassan, in the midst of creating a media project, uses the trip to investigate how Morocco has been depicted in popular culture and used in Hollywood staples such as Casablanca (of course) and The Jewel of the Nile, among others. The conceit ingeniously allows us to see how the country has been figured in film, while also showing us the country itself and how Moroccans view their own nation through the lens of Hollywood. (USA/Morocco 2012. 79 min. In French, Arabic and English with English subtitles. Written by John Slattery. Photographed by Fara Akrami. With Abdel Alidrissi, Hassan Ouazzani, Amin Chadati, Fraida Bouazzaoui. Zween Works.)

    5:00 pm Essential SF
    Essential SF is an ongoing compendium of the Bay Area film community’s most vital figures and institutions. H.P. Mendoza, Judy Stone, Wholphin, Terry Zwigoff and others yet to be announced will be feted at this short ceremony. An outgrowth of SF360.org’s Essential SF column and a key event in the Film Society’s Cinema by the Bay festival, this event shines a light on the region’s legendary idiosyncratic and multifaceted contributions to the filmmaking world. Past Essential SF honorees include Les Blank, Canyon Cinema, Joshua Grannell (aka Peaches Christ), Rick Prelinger and Marlon Riggs, among others. Free admission.

    7:00 pm Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet    
    Jesse Vile    Subject Expected
    In 1980, guitarist Jason Becker appeared to be destined for international stardom when he signed with David Lee Roth’s band at the age of 20. That same year, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease and was given 3-5 years to live. Now, more than 20 years since his diagnosis, Jason’s story is far from over. Through home movies, photographs and concert footage, this documentary presents an affectionate portrait of a gifted teenager who realized his wildest dreams at an early age and is still creating and thriving due to the care and love of his devoted family and fans. (USA 2012. 90 min. Photographed by Carl Burke. Edited by Gideon Gold.)

    9:30 pm Amity    World Premiere
    Alejandro Adams    Director Expected
    A divorced Air Force sergeant rents a limousine to celebrate his daughter’s high school graduation, but when only a few hours before the ceremony his daughter rejects his overtures to celebrate with him, he decides to spend the evening with the limo driver. As they drink and loosen up, their camaraderie gives way to an awkward but somehow therapeutic violence, and their misadventures throughout the evening ratchet up the tension to expose an underbelly of pain. Reminiscent of the early work of Neil Labute, Amityunflinchingly presents a version of masculinity that is deeply insecure, sadistic and ultimately powerless. (USA 2012. 80 min. Written by Alejandro Adams. Photographed by Alejandro Adams. With Greg Cala.)

    Sunday, November 11
    2:00 pm Moving Image at the End of the World: Shorts from Headlands Center for the Arts
    Presented in person by Brian Karl, Program Director, Headlands Center for the Arts
    2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Headlands Center for the Arts, one of the most vital creative organizations in the Bay Area and the country. Headlands’ mission is to support artistic culture by providing the environment and means for artists to produce innovative work and to connect such practitioners to audiences of all sorts, and their residencies are among the most sought-after around the world. Ranging from the wonderfully humorous to the devastatingly beautiful, this not-to-be-missed program of short films consists of works that have been made at Headlands throughout the years. 

    4:15 pm A Conversation with Lucy Gray
    Scintillating San Francisco-based artist Lucy Gray will be on hand for an intimate talk about her work and the creative impulse. While Gray is recognized for her compelling photographs — including the “Big Tilda” exhibition at the 2006 San Francisco International Film Festival — her artistry is not merely limited to photography. This unique event will feature a screening of her magical debut short film Genevieve Goes Boating, followed by two scene readings from her latest creative venture A Stage of Her Own, a play based on the life and work of theater producer Irene Selznick. Writer Steven Winn will moderate the discussion. 

    6:00 pm The Revolutionary Optimists    Work-in-progress screening
    Maren Grainger-Monsen, Nicole Newnham    Directors Expected
    Lawyer turned social advocate Amlan Ganguly doesn’t rescue children; he empowers them through education and activism to battle poverty and transform their lives and communities. The Revolutionary Optimists follows Amlan and the children he works with — Shika, Salim, Kajal and Priyanka — as they staunchly fight against the forces that oppress them. Shot over the course of three years, this film vividly captures the vibrancy of India while taking us on an intimate journey with these children, during which we witness not only the changes they are able to make in their neighborhoods, but also the changes within each of them. (USA 2012. 83 min. Photographed by Jon Shenk, Ranu Ghosh, Ranjan Palit. Edited by Andrew Gersh, Mary Lampson. Helianthus Media.)

    8:30 pm CXL    World Premiere
    Sean Gillane    Director Expected
    Nolan, an aspiring writer, feels stuck: he is frustrated with his career, his relationships, the world and ultimately with himself. Unable to keep from displaying his considerable disdain, he focuses on everything wrong in his life as he treads the same dissatisfying paths. When he meets the stunning and unpredictable Cassie, she invites him to let down his guard and enjoy the world around him. Nolan slowly gives in to Cassie’s exuberance, but just as he begins to change his perspective, circumstances conspire to throw his already fragile psyche into turmoil in this poignant and darkly comedic debut feature. (USA 2011. 90 min. Written by Theo Miller. Photographed by Sean Gillane. With Cole Smith, Lisa Greyson. Briana Eason, Amir Motlagh. Playlist.)

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  • Seth MacFarlane to Host 85th Academy Awards

     

    Seth MacFarlane, the creative force behind the television series “Family Guy” and co-creator of “American Dad!” and “The Cleveland Show,was announced earlier this week as the host the 85th Academy Awards to be broadcast live on Sunday, February 24, on the ABC Television Network.

    “We are thrilled to have Seth MacFarlane host the Oscars. His performing skills blend perfectly with our ideas for making the show entertaining and fresh,” said Zadan and Meron. “He will be the consummate host, and we are so happy to be working with him.”

    “It’s truly an overwhelming privilege to be asked to host the Oscars,” said MacFarlane. “My thoughts upon hearing the news were, one, I will do my utmost to live up to the high standards set forth by my predecessors; and two, I hope they don’t find out I hosted the Charlie Sheen Roast.”

    Seth is unbelievably talented,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “We couldn’t be happier with the creative team we’ve assembled. With Craig, Neil, and now Seth, we’re off to a great start.”

    MacFarlane made his feature directorial debut this summer with the box office success “Ted. “He also co-wrote and produced the film, and voiced the title character. “Ted” has brought in over $420 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

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  • Tribeca Films to Release the Award Winning Spanish Thriller No Rest for the Wicked in December

    [caption id="attachment_2877" align="alignnone" width="550"]José Coronado in No Rest for the Wicked directed by Enrique Urbizu. Photo courtesy of Tribeca Film.[/caption]

    Tribeca Film will release the award-winning thriller No Rest for the Wicked (No habra paz para los malvados), directed by Spanish thriller/film noir director Enrique Urbiz, which is currently screening as part of Fantastic Fest in Austin. Tribeca Film plans a December release for the film.

    Santos Trinidad (José Coronado) is a dirty cop with a violent streak and a serious thirst for rum and Coke. During a drunken binge, he murders three people in a bar. A witness escapes from the building before Santos can catch him. While Santos sets out to kill the witness and cover up his crimes, a judge and the police conduct an investigation into the murders. Santos’ hunt for the witness and the parallel police investigation slowly converge to reveal a massive criminal conspiracy that no one involved could have ever anticipated.

    The film swept the 2012 Goya Awards —the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars— with wins for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, and Best Sound. No Rest for the Wicked was scripted by Urbizu and Michel Gatzambide and produced by Gonzalo Salazar-Simpson and Alvaro Augustin as well as Lazona and Telecinco Cinema.

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  • 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival Dates and Call For Wisconsin’s Own Films

    The 2013 Wisconsin Film Festival will take place April 11 to 18, 2013, and is now accepting film submissions for inclusion in the Festival’s Wisconsin’s Own section. The Festival welcomes narrative, documentary, experimental, and animated films or videos of any length that have been made in Wisconsin or have been made by key personnel with Wisconsin roots.

    For the 2013 Festival, submissions are only open to Wisconsin’s Own films, including student films. The 2013 Festival program will also include a wide variety of U.S. and international cinema curated specifically for the event.

    Deadlines:
    Wisconsin’s Own (films of any length from filmmakers with Wisconsin ties) deadline is Wednesday, October 31, 2012
    Wisconsin’s Own Student (films of any length from student filmmakers with Wisconsin ties) deadline is Monday, December 31, 2012

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  • Filmmakers Win Twelve Filmmaker Fund Grants From Rooftop Films

    [caption id="attachment_2766" align="alignnone" width="550"]Rooftop Films Summer Series screenings[/caption]

    In addition to the Summer Series – which takes place in unique outdoor venues every weekend throughout the summer – Rooftop Films also provides grants to filmmakers. Rooftop Films announced the 2012 Filmmakers’ Fund grantees with 12 grants, including a new $10,000 cash award from AT&T, plus grants from DCTV, Eastern Effects, Edgeworx Studios and the Adrienne Shelly Foundation.

    Rooftop Films’ Founder and Artistic Director, Mark Elijah Rosenberg, said of the grants: “We would not be able to make the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund grants without the support of our community—our audience and our sponsors—so it’s wonderful to be able to represent the diversity of that community with a wide range of films this year, ranging from comedies and animation to serious films addressing global political issues. Each of these filmmakers previously screened at our festival, so it’s a wonderful opportunity for us to give something back to them and help them make new films which will sure to make a big impact in the near future.”

    The 2012 Grantees are: 

    ROOFTOP FILMS & AT&T FEATURE FILM GRANT:
    Bill and Turner Ross, untitled Texas / Mexico film

    ROOFTOP FILMS & DCTV COLOR CORRECTION GRANT:
    Tony Gerber and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Citizen Bout

    ROOFTOP FILMS & EASTERN EFFECTS EQUIPMENT GRANT:
    Alison Bagnall, Funny Bunny

    ROOFTOP FILMS & EDGEWORX POST-PRODUCTION GRANT:
    Shaka King, Newlyweeds

    ROOFTOP FILMS EQUIPMENT GRANT:
    Jeremy Saulnier, Blue Ruin

    ROOFTOP FILMS & ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION SHORT FILM GRANT FOR WOMEN:
    Talibah Newman, Sweet Honey Chile’

    ROOFTOP FILMS & DCTV EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES SHORT FILM GRANTS:
    Julia Pott, Neighbors “Diamonds”
    Jesse Moss, Reality Party

    ROOFTOP FILMMAKERS’ FUND SHORT FILM GRANTS:
    Nellie Kluz, Gold Party
    Stephen Irwin, The Obvious Child
    Edwin Martinez, The Last Doo Wop
    David and Nathan Zellner, Part-Time Jobs
    Mauricio Arango, We Won’t Always Be Hyenas

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  • Gay Independent Film In The Family Returns to NYC Theatre on November 16

    Patrick Wang’s award-winning debut independent feature film In The Family returns to New York City’s Cinema Village on November 16. The  film has won multiple awards, including nomination for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature and filmmaker Patrick Wang was named one of “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2012 by Filmmaker Magazine.

    In the film, Chip Hines (Sebastian Banes), a precocious and loving six year-old, only knows life with his two Dads, Cody Hines, his biological father, “Pa”, (soap sensation, Trevor St. John, ONE LIFE TO LIVE) and the kind and resourceful Joey Williams, “Dad” (writer-director Wang). Both men are embraced by Cody’s family and by their community of co-workers and friends. Caught up in the lapidary and subtle rhythms of their small, sophisticated Southern town, Martin, Tennessee, Cody teaches Junior High Math and Joey is a general contractor who has been supervising the restoration and preservation of a mansion owned by retired attorney Paul Hawks and his wife Marge (Susan Kellermann (BEETLEJUICE; 33 VARIATIONS)).

    Suddenly their world is shattered when Cody is killed in a car accident. Gradually Joey and young Chip work to regroup and regain their balance until Joey learns that Cody’s Will, written six years earlier, was never amended to insure his position as Chip’s Dad; Cody had named his sister, Eileen, as Chip’s legal guardian, and Chip is taken away from Joey. When Joey objects, a restraining order is placed against him. Instantly Joey is without standing in a world he had trusted as safe, and rational, and loving.

    Joey has the support of his friends, but the prospects are bleak until his client, Paul Hawks—in a towering performance by Brian Murray (American Theatre Hall of Fame; three-time Tony Award nominee)—guides Joey to the restoration and preservation of his broken world. Wang’s assured pacing and mise-en-scene are correlatives for Joey’s methodical pursuit of a way back to his son. As a consequence of this exquisite control, the audience has time to engage in his images and inhabit his story, and a profoundly personal experience emerges. Also joining the luminous ensemble are Peter Hermann (WAR HORSE; UNITED 93); Park Overall (EMPTY NEST; BILOXI BLUES); Kelly McAndrew (CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF); Elaine Bromka (UNCLE BUCK); Eisa Davis (PASSING STRANGE); and Gina Tognoni (GUIDING LIGHT).

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_wUKachuhs

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  • Key Dates for 85th Academy Awards

     

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the key dates for the 85th Academy Awards season.

    The key dates are:          
     
    Friday, November 30, 2012:         Official Screen Credits due
    Saturday, December 1, 2012:         Governors Awards presentation
    Monday, December 17, 2012:         Nominations voting begins
    Thursday, January 3, 2013:         Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT
    Thursday, January 10, 2013:         Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater
    Monday, February 4, 2013:         Nominees Luncheon
    Friday, February 8, 2013:         Final voting begins
    Saturday, February 9, 2013:         Scientific and Technical Awards presentation
    Tuesday, February 19, 2013:         Final voting ends 5 p.m. PT
    Sunday, February 24, 2013:         85th Academy Awards presentation
     
    The Academy Awards ceremony 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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  • Twin Cities Film Fest Unveils Lineup of Films for 2012 with Toronto Film Fest Winner Silver Linings Playbook as Centerpiece

    [caption id="attachment_2869" align="alignnone" width="1024"]SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK FROM DAVID O. RUSSELL. [/caption]

    Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) announced the lineup of films for their 2012 festival, to be held October 12-20 at Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON at The Shops at West End.  

    In addition to A Place at The Table which will open the festival Friday night and host director Lori Silverbush, Twin Cities Film Fest will also feature 2012 TCFF Centerpiece film and Toronto International Film Festival Audience Favorite Silver Linings Playbook from David O. Russell.   Other films include David Chase’s feature directing debut Not Fade Away, Nobody Walks, Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet, A Late Quartet starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and critical darling The Sessions, with Minnesota’s own John Hawkes.

    Twin Cities Film Fest will debut the Minnesota Feature film The Rhymesayers European Tour, which gives the audience a never before seen view into the lives and music of the Twin Cities’ Rhymesayers record label and family.

    The festival will conclude on Saturday, October 20 with Lumpy, starring Justin Long, Jess Weixler and Addison Timlin.  Lumpy was filmed in Minnesota.  Cast and crew, including Director Ted Koland and actress Addison Timlin, will be in attendance.

    TCFF will feature a total of 60 films, including a special screening of E.T.” The Extra-Terrestrial. 

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