• HBO to Release Documentary Me @THE Zoo from 2012 Sundance Film Festival

    Just before its premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, in the U.S. Documentary Competition, HBO Documentary Films has acquired the feature documentary ME @THE ZOO. Directed by Chris Moukarbel and Valerie Veatch, ME @THE ZOO is an in-depth exploration of the new phenomenon of internet celebrity.

    Focusing on the story of Chris Crocker, the video blogger who exploded into the international spotlight after his infamous “Leave Britney Alone” YouTube declaration, ME @THE ZOO explores how video sharing and social platforms have shaped the way people tell their stories and mediate their lives.

    This film marks the directorial debut for both Moukarbel and Veatch.

    Read more

  • Miami International Film Festival Announces Official Premiere Lineups

    [caption id="attachment_2270" align="alignnone"]Mariachi Gringo[/caption]

    The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced its official lineup of red carpet Olympia Theater galas, parties, education seminars and international film premieres that will make up the Festival’s showcase of more than 100 films from 35 countries during the 10-day event, which runs March 2-11, 2012.

    On Friday, March 2nd, the Festival commences with its Opening Night Film, the World Premiere of Tom Gustafson’s musical tour-de-force Mariachi Gringo. The drama stars Shawn Ashmore (“Iceman” in X-Men) as a young man from Kansas who falls in love with the mariachi lifestyle, and travels to Guadalajara to prove that anything is possible. Ashmore and co-stars Academy Award nominee (Babel) Adriana Barraza and Mexican starlet Martha Higareda are expected to attend the premiere. 

    The Festival’s Awards Night takes place on Saturday, March 10th before the screening of the U.S. Premiere of Chinese Take-Away. Winner of three Argentinean Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, director Sebastián Borensztein’s touching fish out of water comedy stars Argentine superstar Ricardo Darín as a shopkeeper who takes in an illegal immigrant desperate to find his extended family. Darín, who starred in the 2010 Academy Award-winning film The Secret in Their Eyes, and Borensztein are expected to attend the premiere.

    7 WORLD PREMIERE FEATURES

    Born & Raised (USA); La Casa Del Ritmo, A Film About Los Amigos Invisibles (USA/Ecuador); The Diary of Preston Plummer (USA); Hombre y Tierra (USA); Mariachi Gringo (Mexico/USA); The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar (de ciertas cosas)) (Ecuador); Underground Hip-Hop in China (China/USA)

    4 WORLD PREMIERE SHORTS

    The Beach Chronicles AGX (USA); Beyond Assignment (USA); Cell Phone Zombies (Cel zombies) (Ecuador); Shift (USA)

    5 INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES

    180 Seconds (180 segundos)(Colombia); Baracoa: Where Cuba Began (Baracoa: 500 Años Despues) (Spain); Ben Lee: Catch My Disease (Australia);  Speechless (Sin palabras) (Colombia); Zoo (Zoológico) (Chile)

    10 NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES

    Annalisa (Il Paese Delle Spose Infelici) (Italy);Choked (South Korea); Code Blue (The Netherlands); A Cube of Sugar (Ye Habeh Gand) (Iran);  I’d Receive the Worst News From Your Beautiful Lips (Eu Receberia As Piores Notícias De Seus Lindos Lábios) (Brazil); In The Name of The Girl (En el nombre de la hija) (Ecuador); Motherland or Death (Patria o Muerte) (Russia); Pescador (Ecuador/ Colombia); Promising The Moon (Das Blaue Vom Himmel) (Germany); Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You (Un Giorno Questo Dolore Ti  Sará Utile)  (Italy/USA)

    10 U.S. PREMIERES

    Chinese Take-Away (Un cuento chino) (Argentina/Spain); The Cat Vanishes (El gato desaparece) (Argentina); Distance (Distancia) (Guatemala); The Fifth Commandment (El quinto mandamiento) (Mexico); Heleno (Brazil); The Sleeping Voice (La voz dorminda) (Spain); Porfirio (Colombia/Spain/Uruguay/Argentina/France); The Strawberry Tree (El arbol de las fresas) (Canada); UFO In Her Eyes (Germany/China); Vaquero (Argentina)

     


    This year’s Festival will include films directed by:

    Sean Ackerman, Dominic Allan, Javier Andrade, Urzula Antoniak, Andrea Arnold, Anthony Baxter, Joe Berlinger, Sebastián Borensztein, Beto Brant,   Laura Brownson, Alejandro Brugués, João Canijo, Simone Rapisarda Casanova, Renato Ciasca,  Amiel Courtin-Wilson, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Terence Davies, Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Roberto Faenza, Tim Fehlbaum, Joel Fendelman, José Henrique Fonseca, Pablo Giorgelli, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Xiaolu Guo, Tom Gustafson, Cristián Jiménez, Bess Kargman, Lawrence Kasdan, Yorgos Lanthimos, Bart Layton, Beth Levison,  Rodrigo Marín, Albert Maysles, Matias Meyer,  Riza Mirkarimi, Ben Murray, Alysa Nahimas, Pawel Pawlikowski, Anne  Renton, Carlos Sorín, Ken Scott, Santiago Segura, Susan Seidelman, Hans Steinbichler, Joachim Trier, David Trueba, Vicente Villanueva, Lisa Immordino Vreeland, Andrés Wood, and Benito Zambrano, among many others.

    This year’s Festival will include films featuring:

    María Abadi, Shawn Ashmore, Adriana Barraza, Harry Belafonte, Marisa Berenson,  Blanca Rosa Blanco, The Beastie Boys, Ellen Burstyn, David Byrne, Jean-Marc Calvet, Angie Cepeda, Richard Chamberlin, Rae Dawn Chong, Andrés Crespo, Claire Danes, Ricardo Darín, Germán de Silva, Emily Deschanel, Hebe Duarte, Jerry Hall, Peter Gallagher, Francisca Gavilán, Marcia Gay Harden, Whoopi Goldberg, Ethan Hawke, Hannah Herzsprung, Tom Hiddleston,  Patrick Huard, Richard Jenkins, Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Stephen Lang, Lucy Liu, Ben Lee, John Leguizamo, Paul McCartney, Robert Loggia, Trevor Morgan, Elizabeth Peña, Paulina Porizkova, Jason Ritter, Isabella Rossellini, Simon Russell Beale, Winona Ryder, José Sacristán, Muriel Santa Ana, Rodrigo Santoro, Susan Sarandon, Jason Schwartzman, Jason Segel, Santiago Segura, Sam Shepard, Paul Simon, Kristin Scott Thomas,  Donald Trump, Christy Turlington, Kathleen Turner, María Valverde, Diana Vreeland, Rachel Weisz, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams, Rumer Willis and Oprah Winfrey, among many others.

    OLYMPIA THEATER GALAS

    In addition to the Opening and Awards Night presentations, the Gala series includes:

    Darling Companion (USA, directed by Lawrence Kasdan)
    The Deep Blue Sea (UK, directed by Terence Davies)
    The Diary of Preston Plummer (USA, directed by Sean Ackerman) – stars Robert Loggia and Rumer Willis are expected to attend
    Heleno (Brazil, directed by José Henrique Fonseca) – star Rodrigo Santoro is expected to attend
    Juan of The Dead (Juan de los muertos) (Cuba/Spain, directed by Alejandro Brugués) – star Alexis Diaz de Villegas is expected to attend
    Musical Chairs (USA, directed by Susan Seidelman)
    Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You (Un Giorno Questo Dolore Ti Sará Utile) (Italy/USA, directed by Roberto Faenza) – star Marcia Gay Harden is expected to attend                                                   

    All directors of the Olympia Theater Galas are expected to be in attendance.

    TRIBUTE TO ROBERT LOGGIA

    On Monday, March 5th, the Festival will celebrate the dynamic career of award-winning American actor Robert Loggia, prior to the World Premiere of Sean Ackerman’s made-in-Florida romance, The Diary of Preston Plummer.  Loggia, a veteran Hollywood character actor and 1985 Academy Award nominee for Jagged Edge, is well-loved by Miami audiences for his role as Frank Lopez in Brian de Palma’s classic Scarface, and has made many more memorable appearances in films such as Big, Independence Day, Prizzi’s Honor, Lost Highway, An Officer and a Gentleman and HBO’s “The Sopranos”.

    NEW FILM CATEGORIES

    4 World Directors to Watch: a showcase of films by up-and-coming filmmakers hailing from the four corners of the globe. The category introduces Miami audiences to significant young talents working in Asia, South America, Europe and the Middle East. The lineup includes:

    Choked (Ga-si) (South Korea, directed by Kim Joong-hyun)
    Porfirio (Colombia/Spain/Uruguay/Argentina/France, directed by Alejandro Landes)
    Annalisa (Il Paese Delle Spose Infelici) (Italy, directed by Pippo Mezzapesa)
    Habibi (Palestine/USA/The Netherlands/United Arab Emirates, directed by Susan Youssef)

    Spotlight on Québec Cinema: On the heels of MIFF’s 2011 hit screening of Incendies, the Festival is proud to debut four new masterpieces from the Canadian region.

    Café de Flore (Canada, directed by Jean-Marc Vallé)
    Monsieur Lazhar (Canada, directed by Philippe Farlardeau)
    The Salesman (Le Vendeur) (Canada, directed by Sebastién Pilote)
    Starbuck (Canada, directed by Ken Scott)

    America, The Beautiful: Celebrating the American independent voice, the Festival has programmed three must-watch films.

    Jeff Who Lives At Home (USA, directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass)
    Sawdust City (USA, directed by David Nordstrom)
    Without (USA, directed by Mark Jackson)

    Films for Youth: Created to broaden the horizons of young moviegoers and families, the Festival confirms two international films.

    First Position (USA, directed by Bess Kargman)
    In The Name of The Girl (En el nombre de la hija) (Ecuador, directed by Tania Hermida)

    Cuba ³:  Three dynamic visions of contemporary Cuban life are depicted in this category about the controversial island regime.

    Baracoa: Where Cuba Began (Baracoa: 500 Años Despues)(Spain, directed by Mauricio Vincent Mulet)
    Motherland or Death (Patria o Muerte) (Russia, directed by Vitaliy Manski)
    The Strawberry Tree (El arbol de las fresas) (Canada, directed by Simone Rapisarda Casanova)

    Mayhem: Suspenseful genre thrillers intended to keep you on the edge of your seat. The three titles in this category include:

    The Fifth Commandment (El quinto mandamiento) (Mexico, directed by Rafa Lara)
    Hell (Germany/ Switzerland, directed by Tim Fehlbaum and executive produced by Roland Emmerich)
    Hombre y Tierra (USA, directed by Christian Cisneros)

    Miami Mavericks: Prolific in-depth conversations with filmmakers about their bourgeoning careers, film and industry.  This section will Feature an extended in-person session with Timothy Greenfield-Sanders about his film About Face.

    About Face (USA, directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders)

    KNIGHT DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

     

    Ten titles will compete for a $10,000 John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Award in the Knight Documentary Competition:

    Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (USA, directed by Alison Klayman)
    Ben Lee: Catch My Disease (Australia, directed by Amiel Courtin-Wilson)
    Calvet (UK/Spain, directed by Dominic Allan):
    First Position (USA, directed by Bess Kargman)
    The Imposter (UK, directed by Bart Layton)
    Lemon (USA, directed by Beth Levison and Laura Brownson)
    The Strawberry Tree (El arbol de las fresas) (Canada, directed by Simone Rapisarda Casanova)
    Under African Skies (USA, directed by Joe Berlinger)
    Unfinished Spaces (USA, directed by Alysa Nahimas and Benjamin Murray)
    You’ve Been Trumped (UK, directed by Anthony Baxter)

    CINEMA 360 & DOC-YOU-UP

    Baracoa: Where Cuba Began (Baracoa: 500 Años Despues) (Spain, directed by Mauricio Vincent Mulet)
    Beyond Assignment (USA, directed by Jim Virga) and Poetry of Resilience (USA, directed by Katja Esson)
    Corpo Celeste (Italy, directed by Alice Rohrwacher)
    A Cube of Sugar (Ye Habeh Gand) (Iran, directed by Reza Mirkarimi)
    Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel (USA, directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland)
    Free Men (Les Hommes Libres) (France, directed by Ismael Ferroukhi)
    The Kid with a Bike (Le Gamin au Velo) (Belgium/France/Italy, directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
    The Last Christeros (Los Ultimos Cristeros) (Mexico, directed by Matias Meyer)
    The Opposite of Love (Lo Contrario Al Amor) (Spain, directed by Vicente Villaneuva)
    Oslo, August 31st (Norway, directed by Joachim Trier)
    Pelotero (USA, directed by Ross Finkel, Trevor Martin and Jonathan Paley)
    Promising The Moon (Das Blaue Vom Himmel) (Germany, directed by Hans Steinbichler)
    Superclasico (Denmark, directed by Ole Christian Madsen)
    Torrente 4: Lethal Crisis (in 3D) (Spain, directed by Santiago Segura)
    UFO in Her Eyes (Germany/China, directed by Xiaolu Guo)
    The Woman in The Fifth (UK/France/Poland, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski)
    Wuthering Heights (UK, directed by Andrea Arnold)

    Read more

  • More Films Added to 2012 Miami International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2268" align="alignnone"]Las Acacias directed by Pablo Giorgelli[/caption]

    Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced a new category for its upcoming 29th edition, March 2 -11, 2012 –  the  Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition.

    In this newly created category, six films from first-time feature filmmakers from Spain, Portugal and/or Latin America will compete for a $5,000 USD cash prize.

    The finalists for the competition were selected by MIFF programmers from films already submitted to the 2012 Festival.

    2012 MIFF Lexus Ibero-American Opera Prima Competition films:

    Las Acacias (Argentina/Spain, directed by Pablo Giorgelli): Already a winner of major prizes at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (Camera d’Or for Best First Film) and the Latin Horizons prize at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Giorgelli’s road movie unfolds along the highway linking Asunción to Buenos Aires, which trucker Rubén is accustomed to traveling solo. This time, however, he’s got a passenger, Jacinta, and a road full of revelations on the horizon.  East Coast Premiere

    Expiration Date (Fecha de caducidad) (Mexico, directed by Kenya Márquez): After the tragic loss of her son, Ramona (Ana Ofelia Murguía) becomes convinced local handyman Genaro (Damián Alcázar) is responsible for the death. Becoming increasingly obsessed and paranoid, she enlists the help of neighbor to avenge his death. East Coast Premiere

    Vaquero (Argentina, directed by Juan Minujín): Actor-turned-filmmaker Minujín’s profoundly revealing film follows mid-level Buenos Aires actor Julian Lamaz on a darkly comic quest for a leading role in a Hollywood movie. Through an amusing voice-over, the actor endures endless patronizing advice from fellow actors, casting agents and even his family. Minujín’s experience in the Buenos Aires film and theatre community gives the narrative multiple layers of self-referential resonance. U.S. Premiere

    The Student (El estudiante) (Argentina, directed by Santiago Mitre): College student Roque (Esteban Lamothe) navigates the murky world of university politics, while seducing assistant professor and activist (Romina Paula), in Santiago Mitre’s briskly paced debut. A microcosm for the world at large, the film brilliantly exposes the backroom dealings and negotiations of student politics. Florida Premiere

    Speechless (Sin palabras) (Colombia, directed by Ana Sofía Osorio Ruiz and Diego Bustamante): After helping a disoriented Chinese immigrant find her way, Raul (Javier Ortíz) can’t help but fall slowly in love with the exotic beauty. Osorio Ruiz and Bustamante prove the language of the heart is the most universal of all in this touching romance.  International Premiere

    Distancia (Guatemala, directed by Sergio Ramírez): Tomás Choc travels 150 kilometers to be reunited with his only daughter, kidnapped 20 years ago during the Guatemalan civil war. In order to keep his memories of her alive, Tomas has kept a journal of his daily struggles, which he plans to give her when they meet in Ramirez’s heart wrenching drama. U.S. Premiere

    Additionally, the Festival confirms the return of the University of Miami Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film. The established category showcases short films from developing international directors competing for a $2,500 cash prize. The 2011 winner in this category was Chilean short film Blokes (Blockes) by Marialy Rivas.

    Some of the short films already confirmed to compete in MIFF 2012 include:


    The Beach Chronicles (USA, directed by Kevin Sharpley) – World premiere
    Catharis (France, directed by Cédric Prévost) – US premiere
    Cell Phone Zombies (Cel Zombies) (Ecuador, directed by Jorge Luis Miranda) – World premiere
    The Dancer (USA, directed by Seth Stark) – Florida premiere
    Grandmothers (Abuelas) (United Kingdom, directed by Afarin Eghbal) – Florida premiere
    Immune (USA, directed by Andrew Lathorp) – Florida premiere
    Shift (USA, directed by Juan Carlos Zaldívar) – World premiere
    The Trip (A Viagem) (Portugal/USA, directed by Simao Cayatte) – Florida premiere

    The above titles are in addition to the 10 film titles previously announced by MIFF  for the Knight Ibero-American Competition.   Approximately 100 films from 40 countries are anticipated for the annual 10-day event.

    Read more

  • The Samaritan starring Samuel L Jackson Added to 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2266" align="alignnone"]THE SAMARITAN, starring Academy Award® nominated Samuel L. Jackson[/caption]

    The 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival which takes place January 26 through February 5, announced the addition of the World Premiere of THE SAMARITAN, starring Academy Award® nominated Samuel L. Jackson, to the program as a Gala Presentation. The red carpet Gala event will take place on Sunday, January 29, at 7pm at the Lobero Theatre.

    Produced by Andras Hamori and directed by David Weaver from a screenplay by Weaver and Elan Mastai, The Samaritan also stars Luke Kirby (Take This Waltz), Ruth Negga (Love/Hate) and Oscar nominated Tom Wilkinson (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol). After twenty-five years in prison, Foley (Jackson) is finished with the grifter’s life. When he meets an elusive young woman named Iris (Negga), the possibility of a new start looks real. But his past is proving to be a stubborn companion: Ethan (Kirby), the son of his former partner, has an ingenious plan and he wants Foley in. The harder Foley tries to escape his past, the tighter he is ensnared in Ethan’s web of secrets, until it becomes all too clear to Foley that some wrongs can never be made right.

    THE SAMARITAN was produced with the participation of Telefim Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation and The Harold Greenberg Fund. Producers are Hamori and Weaver with Suzanne Cheriton and Tony Wosk, Executive producers are Mark Musselman with Lacia Kornylo, Mark Horowitz, Jackson, Eli Selden, Geoffrey Brant, James Atherton, and Jan Pace.

    IFC Films recently acquired the U.S. distribution rights from H2O Motion Pictures and Traction Media. H2O and Quckfire Films is selling international rights for The Samaritan.

    SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling says “THE SAMARITAN is an electrifying neo-noir thriller with amazing twists and turns. Samuel L. Jackson’s performance is fantastic.”

    Read more

  • Santa Barbara International Film Festival Unveils its 2012 Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_2264" align="alignnone"]Where Do We Go Now? directed by Nadine Labaki[/caption]

    The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced its line-up for 2012. The Festival begins Thursday, January 26 and continues through Sunday, February 5, 2012.

    “Our program this year reflects invigorating change,” remarks SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “When I joined SBIFF ten years ago, I set out to bring the festival’s program and its sidebars to reflect the city of Santa Barbara as a city, and its community. This year we’ve taken that concept even further. We have a fantastic, quirky, all encompassing program.”

    OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT GALAS

    SBIFF 2012 will kick off at the historic Arlington Theatre with the World Premiere of the Sony Pictures Classics film Darling Companion. The Opening Night film will be preceded by the new Pixar animated short film, La Luna, written and directed by Enrico Casarosa. La Luna is a fable of a young boy who heads to sea for a most unusual rite of passage. Following the Opening Night screening, the festivities will continue with a party at Paseo Nuevo in downtown Santa Barbara. Opening Night Film and Gala is sponsored by Studio 7 and The Hollywood Reporter.

    On Closing Night, SBIFF proudly presents the West Coast Premiere of Where Do We Go Now? directed by Nadine Labaki. Winner of the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, this anti-war comedy offers a wildly creative take on the intractable religious conflict in a remote village. Fed up with mourning their husbands and sons, the women of the village, where Christians and Muslims live side by side, concoct inventive schemes to prevent sectarian violence from further corrupting their loved ones. To quash interreligious conflicts, the women are not above sabotaging the village’s sole television, colluding with the priest and imam, nor enlisting a busload of sexy Ukrainian strippers to distract their men. Through Labaki’s wonderfully insightful comic eye, Where Do We Go Now? confronts the hard truths of a fractured society, offering an alternate vision of transcendence and unity. The Closing Night film is sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent.

    CENTERPIECE GALA

    The Centerpiece Gala will feature the U.S. Premiere of Samsara, directed by Ron Fricke. Prepare yourself for an unparalleled sensory experience! Samsara reunites Fricke and producer Mark Magidson, whose previous films Baraka and Chronos were acclaimed for combining visual and musical artistry. Samsara expands on their effort to portray the connections between humanity and nature in a bold way. Filmed for over four years and in more than twenty countries, the film transports us through multiple cultures to sacred grounds, disaster sites, industrialized zones and natural wonders. By dispensing with dialogue and descriptive text, the filmmakers subvert our expectations of a documentary. Instead, they encourage our own interpretations inspired by images and musical compositions that infuse the ancient with the modern. Samsara is a Tibetan word that means “the ever turning wheel of life,” and Fricke describes the film as a “guided meditation on the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.”

     

    Click here for the full film lineup

    Read more

  • Demián Bichir of A Better Life Among Performers to be Honored by SBIFF with 2012 Virtuosos Award

    [caption id="attachment_2262" align="alignnone"]Demián Bichir in A Better Life[/caption]

    Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues its tradition of honoring the year’s standout performers with The 2012 Virtuosos Award. The actors who were selected to be recognized for their exceptional performances are: Demián Bichir for his earnest portrayal as Carlos, a virtuous father struggling to provide for his son in A Better Life; Rooney Mara for her dark and provocative performance as Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; Melissa McCarthy for her role as the hilariously outspoken Megan in Bridesmaids; Patton Oswalt for masterfully navigating between the realms of comedy and drama as Matt Freehauf in Young Adult; Andy Serkis for stepping into the mind and body of an ape through his master of performance-capture technology in his role as Caesar in Rise of the Planet of the Apes; and Shailene Woodley for bringing an emotional complexity to a character rarely seen at her age as Alexandra in The Descendants.

    Comments Durling, “I’m ecstatic about this strong line-up of Virtuosos. They all gave us indelible performances.”

    The Virtuosos Award was created to recognize a select group of actors who have distinguished themselves through performances in film this past year. Last year’s recipients for this award were Lesley Manville, John Hawkes, Jacki Weaver and Hailee Steinfeld.

    The Award presentation, moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger, is sponsored by Stella Artois and will now take place at the Arlington Theatre on Friday, February 3, 2012.

    Read more

  • The Artist Leads 2012 BAFTA Awards With 12 Nominations

    [caption id="attachment_2260" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

    The 2012 Orange British Academy Film Awards nominations were announced today, and The Artist continues to sweep award season, scoring a phenomenal 12 nominations. My Week with Marilyn has six nominations, The Descendants, Moneyball, Senna and We Need to Talk about Kevin all have three nominations apiece and Shame and The Ides of March each receive two.

    The Artist is nominated in the following categories: Best Film, Original Screenplay, Original Music, Cinematography, Editing, Make Up & Hair, Costume Design, Sound and Production Design. Michel Hazanavicius is nominated for Director and Jean Dujardin is nominated for Leading Actor. His co-star Bérénice Bejo is nominated for Leading Actress.

    Other nominations include Attack the Block’s Writer/Director Joe Cornish nominated in the Outstanding British Debut category alongside Director Ralph Fiennes for Coriolanus, Writer/Director Richard Ayoade for Submarine and Director Paddy Considine and Producer Diarmid Scrimshaw for Tyrannosaur. The self-distributed Black Pond is the final film in this category with nominations for Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer).

    Incendies, Pina, Potiche, A Separation and The Skin I Live In are all nominated in the Film Not in the English Language category.

    Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2012 – Nominations 

    BEST FILM
    THE ARTIST Thomas Langmann
    THE DESCENDANTS Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
    DRIVE Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
    THE HELP Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo


    OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
    MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Simon Curtis, David Parfitt, Harvey Weinstein, Adrian Hodges
    SENNA Asif Kapadia, James Gay-Rees, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Manish Pandey
    SHAME Steve McQueen, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Abi Morgan
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo,
    Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan
    WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay, Luc Roeg, Jennifer Fox, Robert Salerno,
    Rory Stewart Kinnear


    OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
    ATTACK THE BLOCK Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
    BLACK POND Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
    CORIOLANUS Ralph Fiennes (Director)
    SUBMARINE Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
    TYRANNOSAUR Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)


    FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
    INCENDIES Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw
    PINA Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
    POTICHE François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
    A SEPARATION Asghar Farhadi
    THE SKIN I LIVE IN Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar


    DOCUMENTARY
    GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD Martin Scorsese
    PROJECT NIM James Marsh, Simon Chinn
    SENNA Asif Kapadia


    ANIMATED FILM
    THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Steven Spielberg
    ARTHUR CHRISTMAS Sarah Smith
    RANGO Gore Verbinski


    DIRECTOR
    THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
    DRIVE Nicolas Winding Refn
    HUGO Martin Scorsese
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Tomas Alfredson
    WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN Lynne Ramsay


    ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
    THE ARTIST Michel Hazanavicius
    BRIDESMAIDS Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
    THE GUARD John Michael McDonagh
    THE IRON LADY Abi Morgan
    MIDNIGHT IN PARIS Woody Allen


    ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
    THE DESCENDANTS Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
    THE HELP Tate Taylor
    THE IDES OF MARCH George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
    MONEYBALL Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan


    LEADING ACTOR
    BRAD PITT Moneyball
    GARY OLDMAN Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
    GEORGE CLOONEY The Descendants
    JEAN DUJARDIN The Artist
    MICHAEL FASSBENDER Shame


    LEADING ACTRESS
    BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist
    MERYL STREEP The Iron Lady
    MICHELLE WILLIAMS My Week with Marilyn
    TILDA SWINTON We Need to Talk About Kevin
    VIOLA DAVIS The Help


    SUPPORTING ACTOR
    CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER Beginners
    JIM BROADBENT The Iron Lady
    JONAH HILL Moneyball
    KENNETH BRANAGH My Week with Marilyn
    PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Ides of March


    SUPPORTING ACTRESS
    CAREY MULLIGAN Drive
    JESSICA CHASTAIN The Help
    JUDI DENCH My Week with Marilyn
    MELISSA MCCARTHY Bridesmaids
    OCTAVIA SPENCER The Help


    ORIGINAL MUSIC
    THE ARTIST Ludovic Bource
    THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
    HUGO Howard Shore
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Alberto Iglesias
    WAR HORSE John Williams


    CINEMATOGRAPHY
    THE ARTIST Guillaume Schiffman
    THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO Jeff Cronenweth
    HUGO Robert Richardson
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Hoyte van Hoytema
    WAR HORSE Janusz Kaminski


    EDITING
    THE ARTIST Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
    DRIVE Mat Newman
    HUGO Thelma Schoonmaker
    SENNA Gregers Sall, Chris King
    TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY Dino Jonsater


    PRODUCTION DESIGN
    THE ARTIST Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
    HUGO Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
    WAR HORSE Rick Carter, Lee Sandales


    COSTUME DESIGN
    THE ARTIST Mark Bridges
    HUGO Sandy Powell
    JANE EYRE Michael O’Connor
    MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jill Taylor
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Jacqueline Durran


    MAKE UP & HAIR
    THE ARTIST Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
    HUGO Morag Ross, Jan Archibald
    THE IRON LADY Marese Langan
    MY WEEK WITH MARILYN Jenny Shircore

    SOUND
    THE ARTIST Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
    HUGO Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
    TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
    WAR HORSE Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns


    SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
    THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN Joe Letteri
    HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
    HUGO Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
    RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
    WAR HORSE Ben Morris, Neil Corbould


    SHORT ANIMATION
    ABUELAS Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
    BOBBY YEAH Robert Morgan
    A MORNING STROLL Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe


    SHORT FILM
    CHALK Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
    MWANSA THE GREAT Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
    ONLY SOUND REMAINS Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
    PITCH BLACK HEIST John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn
    TWO AND TWO Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen


    THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
    ADAM DEACON
    CHRIS HEMSWORTH
    CHRIS O’DOWD
    EDDIE REDMAYNE
    TOM HIDDLESTON

    Read more

  • Perfection and LA Comedy Shorts Festival Block Added to 2012 Oxford Film Festival and Music Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2258" align="alignnone"]Perfection[/caption]

    “Perfection” and “L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival” have been added to the Oxford Film Festival and Music Festival since the original lineup was announced.

    A new film, “Perfection” has been added to the line-up and will have its world premiere with the festival. “Perfection” is Christina Beck’s first feature film and was nominated by IFP for best screenplay and selected for their Rough Cut Labs. Beck was awarded the Adrienne Shelly female directing grant.

    The festival will present a block from the L.A. Comedy Shorts Festival, the largest comedy film festival in the United States. Co-founded by Gary Anthony Williams (“Boston Legal,” “Special Agent Oso,” “Malcolm in the Middle”), L.A. Comedy Shorts attracts heavy- weights from the world of comedy. Major sponsors include Will Ferrell and Judd Apatow’s website ‘FunnyOrDie.com, Catoon Network, Atom.com and Atom TV on Comedy Central, and Freemantle’s Atomic Wedgie.

    Read more

  • Derby City Film Festival Announces 2012 Award Finalists

    [caption id="attachment_2256" align="alignnone"]Below Zero[/caption]

    With the festival opening in lass than a month, the organizers of The Derby City Film Festival have announced the award finalists for the 2012 edition. Awards will be handed out in 7 categories; US Short Film, International Short Film, Student Short Film, Documentary Film, Feature Film, Best Actor and Best Actress. The festival has also partnered with York Entertainment, based in Los Angeles, who will offer distribution to one or more of the Feature Films and IndieFlix, based in Seattle, who will hold an on-line short film contest the week before the opening of the festival.

    Three films with Kentucky ties are among the finalists. One, the short film “Bizarnival: Tuxedos in the Attic” from filmmakers Todd Sheene, Allen Martin, and Scott Stafford screens Saturday February 18th at 4:00 PM with Shorts Group C. “Bizarnival” is a pseudo-experimental film which follows three men who seek the key to a magic suitcase, guarded by a mechanical man, and takes them on a journey through the ridiculously fantastic world of Bizarnival. “Bizarnival” is nominated for Best US Short Film.

    James Sheldon who stars as the title character from Alex O. Gaynor’s “Wid Winner and the Slipstream” is nominated for Best Actor. ‘Wid Winner & the Slipstream’ is a poetic, blue-collar story of a disenchanted auto parts store clerk and the road trip that will change his life. “Wid” screens Friday February 17th at 7:00 PM.

    “It’s in the Blood” from Louisville natives and Ballard High School graduates Scooter Downey & Sean Elliot is up for three awards including Best Feature Film and two Best Actor Nominations for the film’s stars Sean Elliot & Lance Henriksen. “Blood”  tells the tale of a father and son who become stranded in the wild and must confront the horrors of their past to escape with their lives.  However, this wilderness is not what it seems, and as they deteriorate, so to does their concept of reality: horrifying creatures, ghostly apparitions, is it all in their heads, or could the truth be far more terrible? “It’s in the Blood” screens at 8:00 PM on February 18th with the short film “Endless”.

    Another film up for three awards is the closing film of the festival, the Edward Furlong film “Below Zero”, which will screen at 6:00 PM on Sunday February 19th. “Zero” follows screenwriter Jack “The Hack” (Furlong) who, facing writer’s block and a crucial deadline, decides to remove himself from all distractions by locking himself in the freezer of an abandoned slaughterhouse, where fiction and reality blur. Inspired by true events, method writer Signe Olynyk’s BELOW ZERO is a twisty story within a story, within a real-life story. The film also stars Kristin Booth and Michael Berryman. “Zero” was directed by Justin Thomas Ostensen who’s film “By the Wayside” screened at the inaugural DCFF in 2008. “Zero” is nominated for Best Feature, Best Actor (Furlong) and Best Actress (Booth).

    All 9 of the Short Film Finalists (US, International & Student) have also been invited to take part of the DCFF-IndieFlix on-line film contest which will run February 10th-16th. All films will be available to watch on-line and the public can vote on their favorite. The winning film will receive a one year subscription to Videoblocks & The Footage Firm, an online library of downloadable production material, video clips and royalty free music. A link to the IndieFlix film contest will be available on the DCFF website starting February 10th.

    York Entertainment has invited 4 films to be considered for distribution. Included among the finalists is “Overtime” from Louisville filmmakers Matt Neihoff & Brian Cunningham. The other three are “Below Zero”, “Blind Turn” & “It’s in the Blood”. Any agreement will be between York and the selected film(s) and the festival will not be part of the negotiations

    The 2012 Derby City Film Festival runs February 17th – 19th at the Clifton Center in Louisville, Kentucky. The full festival schedule and film descriptions are available on the festival website. Tickets for all films and screening groups are also on-sale through the website. More information on the festival can be found at the festival website: www.derbycityfilmfest.com or by calling the DCFF office at 502-454-7801. Additional details about the upcoming festival will be released in the coming weeks.

    The following includes the full list of award finalists for the 2012 Derby City Film Festival.


    Best Feature:
    Below Zero: Directed by: Justin Thomas Ostensen
    It’s in the Blood (KY Premiere): Directed by: Scooter Downey
    Johnny’s Gone (KY Premiere): Directed by: Giorgio Serafini

    Best Documentary
    Bailout (USA – KY Premiere): Directed by: Sean Patrick Fahey
    Israel vs. Israel (Israel – KY Premiere): Directed by: Terje Carlsson
    Holding the Line (Libya/UK – US Premiere): Directed by: Patrick Wells

    Best US Short Film
    Bizarnival: Tuxedos in the Attic: Directed by: Todd Sheene, Allen Martin, and Scott Stafford
    Easy Street (KY Premiere): Directed by Russell Greene
    Grounded (World Premiere): Directed by Kevin Margo

    Best International Short
    Donkey (UK – KY Premiere); Directed by: Keir Burrows
    Employee of the Month (Switzerland – KY Premiere): Directed by: Olivier Beguin
    Endless (UK – KY Premiere): Directed by: Matt Bloom

    Best Student Short
    GoldenBox (USA): Directed by: Matt MacDonald
    Made in China (USA – World Premiere): Directed by: Kellen Moore
    Thin Air (USA – World Premiere): Directed by: Max Rosen

    Best Actor
    Sean Elliot – It’s in the Blood
    Lance Henriksen – It’s in the Blood
    James Sheldon – Wid Winner and the Slipstream
    Edward Furlong – Below Zero
    Michal Cholka – Znikniecie

    Best Actress
    Katarzyna Zawiglak-Dolny – Znikniecie
    Inge Chiles – Thin Air
    LaDon Drummond  – Johnny’s Gone
    Rachel Boston – Blind Turn
    Kristin Booth – Below Zero

    Read more

  • Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Announces its 2012 Thematic Program and Tribute

    [caption id="attachment_2254" align="alignnone"]Ross McElwee – Photographic Memory[/caption]

    The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has announced its 2012 Thematic Program and Tribute. The annual Full Frame Tribute will be presented to Stanley Nelson for his significant contribution to the documentary form. The 2012 Thematic Program will focus on family, with a series of films curated by Ross McElwee. McElwee will also present his most recent film “Photographic Memory” at the April event.

    “Exploring one’s family seems deeply entwined with the desire to document and record one’s surrounding world,” said director of programming Sadie Tillery. “For many, the first form of documentary encountered was through family pictures, videos, albums. We consider many personal stories each year, and we wanted to bring a selection of that work to the forefront and view it as a collective.”

    “Documentary cameras have long courted danger,” said McElwee. “Recently, they’ve been hauled onto the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, slipped behind the fences of polluting oil industries, and onto the streets during crackdowns by military dictatorships.   But perhaps the most challenging place to try to film is within the realm of your own family.  The risk in doing so is, of course, not physical, but rather emotional. In this selection of American documentaries, the filmmakers explore the delicate terrain along the fault line of family.”

    Ross McElwee grew up in North Carolina. He has made nine feature-length documentaries as well as several shorter films, many of which were shot in his homeland of the American South. His films include “Sherman’s March,” “Time Indefinite,” “Six O’Clock News,” and “Bright Leaves.” He has screened numerous films at Full Frame and received the Festival’s Career Award in 2007. McElwee has been teaching filmmaking at Harvard University since 1986 where he is a professor in the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies.

    McElwee’s latest film “Photographic Memory” contemplates the filmmaker’s relationship with his young adult son, Adrian. In exploring their strained bond, McElwee travels back to St. Quay-Portrieux in Brittany, where he spent time as a young man himself, and seeks out those he was close to there at a similar time of his own life. Adrian McElwee and the film’s producer Marie-Emmanuelle Hartness will also be present for the screening in Durham.

    The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival has received a $20,000 grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to support the 2012 Thematic Program.

    The Festival will also honor filmmaker Stanley Nelson with the annual Full Frame Tribute. Nelson’s body of work includes the critically acclaimed films “A Place of Our Own,” “Freedom Riders,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple,” “Wounded Knee,” “Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice,” and “The Murder of Emmett Till,” among numerous other titles.  An Emmy-winning MacArthur “genius” Fellow, Nelson is co-founder and Executive Director of Firelight Media, which provides technical education and professional support to emerging documentarians, and co-founder of the documentary production company, Firelight Films.

    “Stanley Nelson is an incredible filmmaker, and it’s been a privilege to showcase his films over the years,” said Tillery. “We not only look forward to screening a selection of his work during the Festival, but also spotlighting the significant ways in which he supports and encourages up and coming filmmakers through Firelight Media. We’re excited that he will be joining us in Durham.”

    “I am thrilled to be honored with the 2012 Full Frame Tribute,” said Nelson.  “Full Frame’s past honorees include not only some of the most important documentary filmmakers working today, but some of my personal mentors and role models. I am humbled to be in their illustrious company.

    “I have been working in documentary film for decades, and I believe that now, in these difficult and tumultuous times, independent documentary films are more important than ever.  We need a diversity of voices and vision of independent filmmakers of all kinds, particularly from those communities that have been left out of the mainstream, to tell us who we are as a nation, and where we are – and should be – going.  That is what I try to do through my work as a filmmaker and through the Firelight Media Producers’ Lab, and that is what Full Frame has shown itself committed to as well.

    “In providing a creative community, an exhibition showcase, and building audiences for documentaries, Full Frame is a rare and critical organization in the field.  I’m grateful to be part of the Full Frame family.”

    Specific titles for the Thematic Program and Full Frame Tribute, along with attending guests, will be announced in March.

    The 15th Annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival will be held April 12-15, 2012, in Durham, N.C., with Duke University as the presenting sponsor. Festival passes can be purchased online at www.fullframefest.org.

    Read more

  • TIFF Launches New Festivals For Kids and Youth

    [caption id="attachment_2252" align="alignnone" width="550"]Funky Forest[/caption]

    TIFF, the organization behind September’s Toronto International Film Festival, announced today two new film festivals directed towards children and youth with a new emphasis on interactive programming, including gaming and participatory activities in a digital environment. The two new film festivals represent an evolution of the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children and Youth, effectively dividing its programming into separate events for two age groups. Running from April 10 through 22, 2012, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival will celebrate special programming and activities for children aged 3 to 13. New for 2012 is TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace, a family-friendly interactive environment which includes interactive installations, learning-centric games, apps, new digital creative tools and hands-on production activities. Also launching this year, the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival runs May 10 through 12, 2012 and engages youth aged 14 to 18 with programming aimed at a teen audience.

    “We’ve had the pleasure of seeing our children’s film festival grow at a phenomenal pace into one of the most prominent and respected in the world, one that is extremely successful with children in elementary and middle schools and with teen audiences,” said Shane Smith, Director of Public Programmes, TIFF. ?It’s fitting that as we celebrate our 15th anniversary, we separate our programming into two festivals that allow us to broaden and deepen the selection and experience for each audience, as well as their families and educators. We’re beyond excited to be presenting both the TIFF Kids International Film Festival and the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival this year.?

    In addition to premiere screenings of high-calibre feature films and shorts from around the world, special guests, learning workshops and the Jump Cuts competitions, interactive engagement will be a key feature of the TIFF Kids International Film Festival—both online and through on-site activities. Not only will young audiences take over all five cinemas and learning studios of TIFF Bell Lightbox, but for the first time the first floor gallery space will be transformed into the TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace—an interactive playground where children will learn, laugh and be entertained by emerging creative technologies and innovative media experiences. Several installations, games and workshop zones will allow children to exercise their creativity and see first-hand how the future of storytelling is evolving.

    A signature of the TIFF Kids digiPlaySpace is the Canadian premiere of Funky Forest, an interactive ecosystem where children create trees with their bodies and then divert the water flowing from a waterfall to keep the trees alive. The health of the trees contributes to the overall health of the forest and the types of creatures that inhabit it. Other highlights include installations from leading interactive play developers Aesthetec Studio, where movement and voice is transformed into light and music; giant green screens that enable children to immerse themselves into the worlds of film and dance; and stop-motion stations that provide the chance for kids to learn the magic of animation.

    Read more

  • TIFF is Calling Young Filmmakes for the TIFF Kids and TIFF Next Wave Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers competitions and TIFF Kids Juries

    Toronto International Film Festival is encouraging young filmmakers and cinephiles to take part in its two new film festivals, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival and the TIFF Next Wave Film Festival, both happening this Spring at TIFF Bell Lightbox. Running from April 10 through 22, 2012, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival will celebrate special programming and activities for children aged 3 to 13. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival runs May 10 through 12, 2012 and connects with youth aged 14 to 18 with programming aimed at a teen audience.

    Entering its 11th year, the Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers programme engages Ontario’s young people and gives emerging directors the opportunity to see their work on the big screen. The TIFF Kids International Film Festival Jump Cuts competition is open to young filmmakers in two categories: grades 3 to 6 and grades 7 to 8.The submission deadline is March 5, 2012 and entries can be submitted via tiff.net/tiffkids. The TIFF Next Wave Film Festival Jump Cuts competition is open to amateur filmmakers in grades 9 through 12. The submission deadline is March 19, 2012 and entries can be submitted via tiff.net/nextwave/jumpcuts.

    The TIFF Kids International Film Festival is also looking for young cinephiles to participate on their young people’s juries. The jurors actively discuss the films they see and work collaboratively to reach consensus on determining the Festival winners. TIFF Kids jurors attend the Festival for free and watch films in special reserved jury seating, all while enjoying complimentary popcorn and drinks. Winners of the internationally recognized awards will be announced at the end of the Festival. To apply for a place on the juries, young film fans aged 8 to12 must write a short review (100 to 250 words) of a movie they either particularly enjoyed or did not like. The official Jury Entry Form can be found on the TIFF Kids website. All reviews must be received by February 10, 2012.

     

    Read more