• Fallbrook International Film Festival to Now Include Action Films

    The Fallbrook International Film Festival has added what they describe as a “new and exciting” category to their 2013 festival: Action! The festival is welcoming filmmakers everywhere to submit their best action packed films for a chance to be featured in this category.

    This new category was added not only because of the festival’s expansion, but also because of the action/stunt community’s past involvement. Both Director David Ellis, who is known from everything from his stunts in Scarface and his Second Unit Directing in Master and Commander along with legendary stunt Director Dick Ziker, whose work can be seen in films such as Die Hard and Second Unit Directing in Charlie’s Angels, have both been honored at the festival. Rich Minga, who sits on the Board of Directors, is also an acclaimed stuntman and can be seen in everything from Miami Vice to 2 Fast 2 Furious.

    The festival welcomes filmmakers’ submissions, with the late deadline extending through November. The next festival will again be hosted at the UltraStar Cinemas in Bonsall, California April 5, 6, & 7, 2013.

    image via FaceBook.

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  • Toronto International Film Festival Expresses Deep Concern For Missing Syrian Filmmaker Orwa Nyrabia

    The Toronto International Film Festival issued a press release earlier this week expressing deep concern for independent filmmaker and producer Orwa Nyrabia who was reportedly arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport and has not been seen since. It is believed that he was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services

    The release …

    The Toronto International Film Festival® today expressed its deep concern in response to the recent arrest of Orwa Nyrabia, the director of Dox Box, the acclaimed international documentary film festival in Damascus. Nyrabia was arrested on the 23rd of August at the Damascus airport, as he was on his way to Cairo. He was arrested by one of the security services of the Syrian regime and detained in the jail cells of the intelligence services. There has been no news of him since.

    An independent filmmaker and producer, Nyrabia has produced films in Syria, most notably for the French-German television channel, Arté. He has also served on the jury of the Amsterdam, Tehran, Leipzig and Copenhagen documentary film festivals. Along with director Diana el-Jeiroudi, he was awarded the European Documentary Network award for their exceptional contribution to the development of documentary cinema.

    After receiving a diploma in the dramatic arts from the High Institute for Theater in Damascus (1999), Nyrabia was first assistant to Oussama Mohammad on the award winning feature, Sacrifices (2002) and was cast in the male lead in Yousry Nasrallah’s Gate of the Sun (2004). He was working with veteran documentary director Omar Amiralay on his new feature documentary before Amiralay untimely passing in 2011.

    Nyrabia belongs to the emerging generation of Syrian filmmakers passionate about world cinema and passionate about freedom. We are extremely concerned by his arrest — filmmakers must be allowed to express themselves through their films, without fear of reprisal.

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  • YOGAWOMAN Documentary Narrated by Annette Bening to Open in NYC on October 19 and LA on October 26

    YOGAWOMAN, the award winning documentary (narrated by Annette Bening, a keen yoga advocate)will open at Angelika Film Center in NYC on October 19 and at Laemmle Monica 4-Plex; NoHo 7 and Playhouse 7 on October 26, 2012.  A national release will follow.

    The film is described as … “Through rich personal stories, YOGAWOMAN reveals how yoga has utterly transformed the lives of thousands of over-stimulated, over-scheduled, and multi tasking modern women. From the buzzing streets of Manhattan to the dusty slums of Kenya, from the golden beaches of Australia to the serene piazzas of Italy, the film follows the heart-rending stories of women who have found a lifeline through this magical and mystical practice.

    How did the ancient practice of yoga, designed in India thousands of years ago – for men, become so relevant and increasingly popular in the lives of millions of American women? There are over 20 million people now practicing yoga in the United States, 80 percent of whom are women.

    Yoga was brought to the west from India by a lineage of male teachers. Now there’s a generation of women who are leading the way. They’re strong, they’re inspiring, and they’re radically changing people’s lives.  YOGAWOMAN uncovers a global phenomenon that has changed the face of yoga forever. Led by a new generation of dynamic female teachers, this “new” yoga replaces the male-centered, more rigid style with a distinctly feminine practice that honors intuition, family, strength, flow, connection, community, activism and the cyclical nature of women’s lives.

    In intimate interviews with the world’s leading experts, many who have become worldwide icons with rock-star status, YOGAWOMAN captures how these teachers have blazed a new trail for women. World-renowned teachers appearing in YOGAWOMAN include Patricia Walden, Sharon Gannon, Shiva Rea, Angela Farmer, Cyndi Lee, Seane Corn, Donna Farhi and forward-thinking medical professionals such as integrative physician Dr. Sara Gottfried and world-renowned research scientist Dr. Shirley Telles. YOGAWOMAN is the first film of its kind to bring together these luminaries, distilling their wisdom and spreading their message of peace and empowerment for the benefit of women everywhere.

    A revolution brews in yoga studios, hospitals, prison cells and living rooms around the globe. In record numbers women are discovering their own strength, vitality, peace and power through yoga. Claiming this ancient spiritual path from its traditionally male form, the result is a radical transformation of yoga into an international multi billion dollar industry.”

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  • LA INDIE Film Festival to Launch on Friday September 7

    [caption id="attachment_2847" align="alignnone" width="642"]Face 2 Face[/caption]

    The LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL kicks off on Friday September 7 and runs through September 13, 2012, at the LOS FELIZ 3 CINEMA (1822 N.Vermont Ave.) in Los Angeles, California. The LA INDIE Film Festival is the partner festival of the well-established LA Comedy Festival.

    The Documentaries screening at the festival include the West Coast Premiere of BETTIE PAGE REVEALS ALL, an intimate look at the rise, fall, and rise again of one of the world’s most recognized and controversial sex symbols. With her razor sharp wit and Tennessee twang Page emerges from decades of seclusion to reveal her secret past.

    The LA premiere of THE DEVIL AND THE DEATH PENALTY chronicles the current dysfunction within the California death penalty process by examining the case of Lawrence Bittaker, a convicted serial rapist and murderer who has been on San Quentin’s Death Row since 1981.

    How can you have 5,000 friends on Facebook, and still feel alone? is the provocative question posed by FACE 2 FACE, a feature-length documentary that follows the 11,000-mile cross-country adventure of award-winning filmmaker, Katherine Brooks, as she travels the country journeying into the homes and lives of 50 strangers that are her facebook friends.

    Rounding out the documentaries are MY WAY following the antics of the all girl band, The Rebekah Starr Band, as they travel cross country on their way to seeking fame in Hollywood. FREE CHINA: THE COURAGE TO BELIEVE examines human rights in China through the eyes of a Communist Party member and a Chinese American businessman who are persecuted for their spiritual beliefs. And WHO BOMBED JUDY BARI? focuses on the car bombing in May 1990 and its aftermath of Earth First Activists, Judy Bari and Darryl Cheney. The FBI arrested them for bombing themselves. Seven years later, dying of cancer after having survived the bombing, Bari gives her deathbed deposition in a lawsuit against the authorities and as she testifies, the movie flashes back to the colorful actions and antics of Earth First! she depicts. “…The kind of plot worthy of a Hollywood headliner… distinctly American, and distinctly compelling.”–Washington Life Magazine

    Among the features is a stellar production of THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH making its US premiere. Amazon UK declares it “a fantastic version.” JUAN IN A MILLION, from Chile, follows a young man when he wakes up on December 17th, 2012 to find the entire city of Santiago empty, why was he left behind? BOOSTER makes its LA premiere after successful screenings and winning the Jury prize for performance at SXSW. It is a crime story focused on the loyalty between brothers featuring a terrific cast headed by Seymour Cassell.

    Ireland brings us, COME ON EILEEN, in its West Coast Premiere, follows one summer, mother and ex dancer, Eileen, relapses into alcoholism as she starts a new relationship. We watch as she and her family combust. From the UK, based on the true British rock and roll hoax of 2004, the comedy VINYL tells how washed-up rocker Johnny Jones hoodwinks top record labels, radio DJs and the entire rock music world by releasing his new punk rock single under a fictitious teenage band’s name…now he just needs to recruit a rowdy group of kids and teach them true punk rock spirit!

    There are also eleven short program blocks featuring a wide range of genres and styles of filmmaking. In the mix are many premiering and multi-award winning films. Fresh from Comic Con is the multi-racial Western 6GUN and by way of Cannes comes the Russian short, FOREVER AFTER, about a mysterious alien phenomenon.

    There are such incredible gems in this lineup, like THE PARACHUTE BALL set during World War II on a secluded farm in Kent, two elderly ladies are unexpectedly called to duty one night when they discover an unconscious German pilot hanging from his parachute in their tree. CROQUEMBOUCHE focuses on a couple hosting a private dinner for four in the early 50’s. One of the guests turns out to be a woman the hostess had an affair with during the Second World War. LIFE ACCORDING TO PENNY, follows a teenage girl that has less than twenty-four hours to free herself and a mentally challenged friend from the Girls’ Home where they are held captive by a sadistic psychiatrist. Penny must draw on all her faith, wits, and courage to bring down a giant and risk everything for one last chance at freedom. THE DARKNESS IS CLOSE BEHIND continues the theme of the teenager in peril, where a teenage boy anxiously watches over his meth cook father and his little brother – but his vigilance is wearing thin.

    Not to be missed is the comedy thriller WE THINK NATE TORRENCE IS DEAD. By using only video footage retrieved from an abandoned cell phone, this 23 minute short film chronicles the last 24 hours of actor Nate Torrence before his disappearance in rural Colorado. It leaves the audience assuming only one possible outcome… we think Nate Torrence is dead. And delight in the Australian Production Designers Award winning animated short film, THE CARTOGRAPHER which will suck you into a beautiful world of mystery and intrigue. There are over 70 other dramatic, scary, thrilling short films. Each block is programmed carefully to offer a wide span of storytelling styles. And of course comedies are screened throughout!

    LA INDIE FILM FESTIVAL runs every night from September 7-13.

    via LA Indie Film Festival

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  • San Francisco International Film Festival Announces 2013 Dates

    The San Francisco Film Society announced the dates for the 56th San Francisco International Film Festival scheduled for April 25 – May 9, 2013. The festival is now also accepting submissions from filmmakers.

    Deadlines:
      *  Early deadline Tuesday, October 9
      *  Regular deadline Monday, November 5
      *  Final deadline for short films Monday, December 3
      *  Final deadline for features Monday, December 10

    Interesting fact, founded in 1957,  San Francisco International Film Festival is the longest-running film festival in the Americas. 

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  • Tribeca Film to release Ed Burns Toronto bound The Fitzgerald Family Christmas

    Tribeca Film will release writer/director/star Edward Burns’ new film, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, a family drama that reunites Burns with cast members Connie Britton and Michael McGlone from Burns’ award-winning debut film The Brothers McMullen.

    The film will have its world premiere on Sept. 9 as an official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival. Tribeca Film plans a late-November day and date release across multiple platforms timed to the holiday season.

    The Fitzgerald Family Christmas follows Burns’ 2011 release Newlyweds, which was a breakout success for the two-year-old Tribeca Film distribution label, ranking as one of last year’s top-selling VOD titles.

     

    With The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, Burns returns to the working-class, Irish-American roots of The Brothers McMullen. Reuniting with McMullen co-stars Connie Britton (“Friday Night Lights”), and Michael McGlone, along with Noah Emmerich (Little Children, Beautiful Girls), Kerry Bishé (Argo, Red State) and Caitlin FitzGerald (Damsels in Distress, Newlyweds) Burns seamlessly weaves an ensemble story of adult siblings dealing with the desire of their estranged father (Ed Lauter, The Artist, The Longest Yard) to return home for Christmas for the first time since he walked out on his family 20 years ago. Family rifts emerge, and like with any family, Christmas brings a mixed bag of complicated emotions and dynamics. Alliances form, old wounds are reopened or glossed over, and the possibility for a new hope and forgiveness emerges.

    “Having returned to my own filmmaking backyard with my most personal work, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, I’m thrilled to partner with my old friends at Tribeca,” said Edward Burns. “We’ve been working closely together for over a decade and I’m happy to have their support to launch the film this holiday season.”

    “Family dynamics around the holiday are a rich vein, brought to life on screen by Ed Burns’ unique ability to create relatable, intimate and affecting moments,” said Geoffrey Gilmore, Chief Creative Officer of Tribeca Enterprises. “Deeply felt performances from a strong ensemble cast make the Fitzgeralds a family that recalls the McMullens but with a fresh and wry perspective all its own.”

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  • Chicago Producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron to Produce 85th Academy Awards

     

    Craig Zadan and Neil Meron who produced the 2002 Academy Award Best Picture winner “Chicago,” will produce the 85th Academy Awards, Academy President Hawk Koch announced this week. The 85th Academy Awards will air live on Oscar® Sunday, February 24, 2013.

    “Craig and Neil have great talent relationships and bring an infectious energy to the production,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson.” They are creative producers in the best sense of the word.”

    Zadan and Meron served as executive producers on the 2002 Best Picture winner “Chicago,” which won Oscars® in 6 of the 13 categories in which it was nominated. Their credits also include the features “Footloose” (2011), “Hairspray” and “The Bucket List.”  Zadan also produced the original “Footloose” (1984).

    Zadan and Meron’s work in television includes the series “SMASH” and such movies as “A Raisin in the Sun” and the upcoming “Steel Magnolias.”

    For Broadway, they recently produced the Tony Award® winning revivals of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” and “Promises, Promises.”

    Their work has amassed 73 Emmy® nominations; 12 Tony nominations; and seven Grammy® nominations.

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  • Dick Van Dyke to receive SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor – the SAG Life Achievement Award

    Actor, singer, dancer, writer and comedian Dick Van Dyke will receive SAG-AFTRA’s highest honor – the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Van Dyke will be presented the performers union’s most prestigious accolade, given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which premieres live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2013, at 8 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. MT and 5 p.m. PT.

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  • Documentary Films Screening in Competition at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and Silverdocs Documentary Festival now qualify for The Producers Guild of America Awards

    Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival have been chosen by The Producers Guild of America as qualifying events for the annual awards.

    To determine award nomination eligibility for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture, a documentary is eligible for awards consideration if it satisfies one of the exhibition methods stated by the PGA.  Starting this year, a theatrically released documentary that was “in competition” can now be nominated if it screened at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs and South By Southwest. Other exhibition methods include completing a seven day commercial run in a theater located in a PGA sanctioned market or if the documentary premieres on national television.  

    Full Frame, AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs, and South By Southwest join an impressive festival list which has traditionally included AFI Fest, Berlin International Film Festival, Cannes Festival International Du Film, Los Angeles Film Festival, New York Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Venice Film Festival.

     

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  • Mark Cousins’ The Story of Film: An Odyssey to open 6th Buffalo International Film Festival

    The first three episodes of Mark Cousins’ The Story of Film: An Odyssey have been selected as the Opening Night Presentation of the 6th Annual Buffalo International Film Festival on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 7PM in The Screening Room, 3131 Sheridan, Amherst, NY.

    The Story of Film: An Odyssey is an epic, 15-part history of the motion picture as it developed all over the world. Opening Night at BIFF 2012 will present the first three episodes in a single evening with intermissions and special refreshments: 

     

    1] Birth Of Cinema (1895-1920)

    This opening of The Story of Film: An Odyssey shows the birth of a great new art form, the movies. Filmed in the very buildings where the first movies were made, it shows that ideas and passion have always driven film, more than money and marketing. We hear the story of the very first movie stars, close-ups and special effects and then we travel to Hollywood to see how it became a myth. The story is full of surprises, such as the fact that the greatest, and best, paid writers in these early years were women. And then there’s the glamour: the building of the great movie cathedrals.

    2] The Hollywood Dream (1920s)

    The movies in the roaring 20s. We see how Hollywood became a glittering entertainment industry and how star directors like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton emerged. But the gloss and fantasy was challenged by movie makers like Robert Flaherty, Eric Von Stroheim and Carl Theodor Dreyer, who wanted films to be more serious and mature. Filmed in Hollywood, Denmark and Moscow, this part looks at the battle over the soul of cinema and some of the greatest movies ever made.

    3] Expressionism, Impressionism, Surrealism (1920s)

    The 1920s were a golden age for world cinema. In this part, we visit Paris, Berlin, Moscow, Shanghai and Tokyo to discover the places where movie makers were pushing the boundaries of the medium. German Expressionism, Soviet montage, French impressionism and surrealism were passionate new film movements, but less well known are the glories of Chinese and Japanese films and the moving story of one of the great, now forgotten, movie stars: Ruan Lingyu.

    The Buffalo International Film Festival runs this year from September 14 (a special theater screening tie-in with Buffalo Curtain-Up!, September 21, 22, September 27-30, 2012. Tickets are available in advance through Eventbrite.com.  Early purchases are discounted.

    [via press release]

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  • Film director Tony Scott jumps to his death from Los Angeles bridge

    Film director Tony Scott jumped to his death Sunday from the the Vincent Thomas Bridge in Los Angeles, California; a suicide note was found inside his black Toyota Prius. Scott, 68, younger brother of mega film producer Ridley Scott, was married to his third and current wife, actress Donna Scott and the couple have twin boys.

    Scott, known for his trademark red baseball cap, directed Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” and “Days of Thunder,” Eddie Murphy in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” Will Smith and Gene Hackman in “Enemy of the State,” and Denzel Washington and John Travolta in “The Taking of Pelham 123.”

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  • Venezuelan film The Rumble of the Stones is Big Winner at HBO NY International Latino Film Festival

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    The films Under My Nails took the top US film prize, and the Venezuelan film The Rumble of the Stones took the top international prize as well as best director prize for Alejandro Bellame Palacios at the 2012 HBO® New York International Latino Film Festival (NYILFF). The festival presented its 2012 awards at a ceremony on Sunday, August 19, in the categories of Best Domestic Feature, Best International Feature, Best Director, Best Documentary and Best Short. 

    “This year’s festival line up was outstanding in its quality and range of diversity,” said Calixto Chinchilla, NYILFF Founder and Co-Executive Director. “We hope to continue to bring the highest quality films and stories to the New York community.”

    2012 NYILFF WINNERS

     

    BEST SHORT: “PESCADORA“

    20 Min. – PERU & USA

    Directors: Daniel Enrique García and Ahna Terpstra

    Dora has always dreamed of becoming a fisherman like her father. However, everyone in her Peruvian fishing village wants her to marry instead. Presented by Avid. Winner receives a Media Composer 6.

    BEST DOMESTIC FEATURE: “UNDER MY NAILS“

    NY Premiere/100 Min.

    Director: Arí Maniel Cruz; Writer: Kisha Tikina Burgos; Producers: Martín Arias, Arí Maniel Cruz, Kisha Tikina Burgos, Enrique Julia, Bobby De Jesús, Andrei Nemcik.

    Cast: Marilú Acosta, Maite Bonilla, Kisha Tikina Burgos, Iván Camilo, Dolores Pedro.

    Solimar, a Puerto Rican woman who works in a nail salon, becomes intrigued by the violent sexual practices of her new neighbors, Roberto and Perpetuel. When Perpetuel returns home to the DR, Solimar goes from voyeur to participant in Roberto’s games of sex and power. Presented by HBO®. Winner receives $5,000 cash award.

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE: “EL RUMOR DE LAS PIEDRAS”  (The Rumble of the Stones)

    New York Premiere/Venezuela/ 100 Min.

    Director/Producer: Alejandro Bellame Palacios

    Writers: Alejandro Bellame Palacios & Valentina Saa

    Cast: Alberto Alifa, Veronica Arellano, Aminta de Lara, Rossana Fernandez, Ariette Torres

    Single mother Delia struggles to raise her sons, William and Santiago, in a shantytown of Caracas, but it seems that everyday they slip farther away from her and closer to a life of crime and delinquency. Presented by El Diario-La Prensa. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

    BEST DIRECTOR: ALEJANDRO BELLAME PALACIOS for “EL RUMOR DE LAS PIEDRAS“

    Best Director Award Presented by Tribeca Film Institute and Heineken Voces. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

    BEST DOCUMENTARY: “EL MÉDICO: THE CUBATÓN STORY“

    New York Premiere/Cuba, Sweden/85 Minutes

    Director: Daniel Fridell

    Producers: Thomas Allercrantz, Daniel Fridell, Ingemar Johansson, Adel Kjellström, Margus Öunapuu, Petri Rossi

    High up in the Sierra Maestra mountains, where Castro’s revolution began, “El Médico,” a doctor and musician, serves the cause. When a Swedish music producer sees “El Médico” as the next big thing, Communist ideals collide with capitalist dreams, with the magic and beauty of Cuba and her music as backdrop. Presented by HBO®. Winner receives $1,000 cash award.

    HBO®/ NYILFF SHORT FILM COMPETITION WINNER: “THE ACTING LESSON” by Carmen Peláez

    Written by: Carmen Peláez

    Directors: Carmen Peláez and Nicolas Calzada

    Cast: Brigitte Khali and Wanda Arriaga

    “The Acting Lesson,” an original screenplay by Carmen Peláez, was chosen as the 2012 winner of the HBO/NYILFF Short Film Competition. The screenplay tells the story of Emily, a rising starlet who interviews her director’s maid Pepa, claiming that she is doing research for her next big movie role. But when the questions get personal, Pepa is forced to delve deep into her own history, erasing the line between telenovela and real life.

    In addition to receiving the $15,000 grand prize, an HBO creative executive will serve as a mentor to Peláez and consult during the production of the winning script to film. The short, which is being shot in the Miami area and co-directed by Peláez and Nicholas Calzada, was exhibited during screenings at the New York International Latino Film Festival, August 13-19, in New York City.

     

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