• Fighting Okan and Vucciría are Best In Show at Indie Fest

    The Japanese feature film ‘Fighting Okan’ and the Italian music video titled ‘Vucciría’ were the latest Best in Show winners at Indie Fest. Fighting Okan follows a 38-year old woman’s dream of becoming a professional boxer and the impact on her family; and Vucciría, music video, in which a young woman passes a mirror and her reflection is much more colorful than her real life.

    Best of Show

    Naoki Maeda (Japan), Fighting Okan, feature film, follows a 38-year old woman’s dream of becoming a professional boxer and the impact on her family. This film has a fun and uplifting storyline with strong character development created by a talented actress and director. Link

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    Nota Preziosa (Italy), Vucciría, music video, in which a young woman passes a mirror and her reflection is much more colorful than her real life. Drawn closer, she passes into a new world filled with strange and wonderful characters. A superbly crafted little film with dazzling special effects, unique costuming and souring music.


    Award of Excellence

    553AM, Memory Lane, feature film

    7Ponies Productions, Inc., LA Love Story Part 1, supporting actor (Glen the Agent)

    American Heart Association, Heartsaver First Aid CPR AED, educational/instructional

    Dan Lieberstein, Lights! Action! Music!, documentary feature

    GivenTendency, LLC (Germany), Bright in the Dark, feature film

    Perception, 2 Kings, short film and leading actor (Sam Nima: Jon Alex)

    Prashant Nair (France), Delhi in a Day, feature film

    Robot Films & Three 21 Films, Starla, leading actress (Nancy Mitchell as Katie Wilson)

    Saberman…too, My Life as Abraham Lincoln, feature film

    Swinburne University (Australia), The Grace of Others, art direction

    T-Films Limited (China), Beach Spike, feature film

    Zumapaz Productions, I, Omega, short film



    Award of Merit

    Almost Holden Productions, Resolution of Two, short film

    Andy Tubbesing, Another Day In (Retired) Paradise, music video

    Anthony Brenneman, Frienemies, short film

    Backyard Green Films, Hillsville 1912: A Shooting in the Court, short documentary

    BadNinja9, Just Another Noir, feature film

    bio/pic films, a wet dream, music video

    Clever Lever Pictures, Pinching Penny, leading actor (Alex)

    Daniel Killman, Last Ride on the Midwest Pacific, feature film

    Dena Greenbaum, The Agents, short documentary

    Different Drummer Films (Canada), Donkey Love, feature documentary

    Digital Light Beam Productions (Canada), Affairs Across America – The Ashley Madison Story, movie trailer

    Elemental Productions, Afflictions: Culture & Mental Illness in Indonesia Series: Volume 2, documentary feature

    Framework Production, Trapped in Perfection, feature film

    James Ruffatto, Tinsel, experimental

    Jon Ryan Sugimoto, Her, film short

    Les Seraphins (France), Suivez La Flèche (Follow The Arrow), short film and direction

    Light on a Hill Media & Diverse City Films (Australia), Worlds Apart: Together in Adversity, short documentary

    Liquid Vision Pictures, Snooze, Charlie, short film

    Michael Mazzeo, The Bakery, leading actor

    Lisa Shreve, Lights! Action! Music!, editing

    Moonshine Movies (Australia), LIFE Before Death, documentary feature

    Morgan Paar Productions, Five Boroughs, music video

    New Concept Films, Awakening Atlantis, short film

    One Way Or Another Productions, Uptown, leading actress (Isabel: Meissa Hampton)

    Parousian Pictures, Beneath The Veneer of a Murder, experimental

    Perception, 2 Kings, post-production: overall, special effects: animation, and viewer impact: entertainment value

    Preston Randolph, Bridging the Gap: The Beverly Morgan Story, short documentary

    Productions Forever (France), Une Larme de Plus (A Tear More), short film

    Raymond Yeung, Derek & Lucas, short film

    Regent University, The Fire that Sweeps the Pine, short film

    Richard Weiss Productions, The Book, feature film

    Rick Almada, Papa Zeus, feature film

    Sandra Weston, Phone Monkeys, supporting actress (Sandra Watson)

    Scooping Owl Productions, Inc. (Canada), I Choose Chaos, feature film

    Spheroid Productions, Love Carries, original song (Your Love Will Carry You Through)

    Spinning Owls Productions, Through the Door , short film

    Steven Pristin, Le Voidwell, tube length video

    Susanne Barr, Christel Clear, short documentary

    Swinburne University (Australia), The Grace of Others, short film, cinematography, and costume design

    Sylvideo Productions, LLC, I Want A Man, short film

    Tarantula Entertainment, The Pact, feature film

    T-Films Limited (China), Beach Spike, supporting actress (Rachel)

    Trevor Hollen, The Gate, short film

    Winston Tao, Wash Me, short film

    Zac Geoffray, Obsolete, short film

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  • Graphic Horror Movie Human Centipede 2 BANNED in Australia

    Just three weeks after its Australian premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival, the horror movie ‘Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence’ has been banned in Australian. The film was originally rated R 18+ by the Classification Board in May, but was denied by the Review Board.

    What is the fuss about?

    The sequel to Tom Six’s 2009 film The Human Centipede: First Sequence, Human Centipede 2 tells the story of a man who becomes sexually obsessed with a DVD recording of the first film and who imagines putting the ‘centipede’ idea into practice.” The film features a 12-person centipede. 

    The full synopsis

    “Martin is a mentally disturbed loner who lives with his nagging mother in a bleak London housing project, where loud neighbors and cramped living conditions threaten to plunge this victim of sexual and psychological abuse over the edge.

    He works the night shift as a security guard in an underground parking garage, where customers and their vehicles come and go as he indulges his obsession with THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE) watching the film over and over on the small TV set in his office and meticulously examining the scrapbook he has lovingly filled with memorabilia from the film, including the mouth-to-anus surgery instructions made famous by Dr. Heiter, the mad scientist from Martin’s favorite movie.

    Pushed to the brink by his harridan mother, haunted by the teasing voices of his abusive and incarcerated father, Martin sets into motion his plan to emulate Heiter’s centipede by creating his own version, in a rented warehouse, which he begins to fill with victims, including a loud neighbor, two drunk nightclubbers, a prostitute and a lecherous john, and several more … including Martin’s pièce de résistance, one of the actresses from THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FIRST SEQUENCE).

    Except that Martin lacks the surgical skill, medical instruments and operating theater necessary to create a larger centipede in the image of Dr. Heiter’s masterpiece. So he makes use of materials at hand: duct tape, staple gun, household tools and a fanboy moxie.

    What follows is one of the most harrowing and terrifying films ever conceived, featuring a central character that makes FIRST SEQUENCE’s Dr. Heiter seem downright cuddly in comparison. THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE (FINAL SEQUENCE) is a triumph in biological horror by one of the new masters of the horror film.”

    Human Centipede 2 opened in the US early last month, October 2011, at the IFC Center in New York City

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  • New York Film Critics Circle Award The Artist Best Film of 2011

    [caption id="attachment_1882" align="alignnone"]The Artist[/caption]

    The New York Film Critics Circle has spoken and they officially love The Artist, giving the film the awards for Best Picture of 2011, and Best Director for Michel Hazanavicius. The Tree of Life was also highly lauded, receiving awards for Best Actor for Brad Pitt, Best Supporting Actress for Jessica Chastain and Best Cinematography for Emmanuel Lubezki.

    2011 Awards

    Best Picture – The Artist
    Best Director – Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
    Best Screenplay – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball
    Best Actress – Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
    Best Actor – Brad Pitt, Moneyball, The Tree of Life
    Best Supporting Actress – Jessica Chastain, The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter
    Best Supporting Actor – Albert Brooks, Drive
    Best Cinematographer – Emmanuel Lubezki, The Tree of Life
    Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary) – Cave of Forgotten Dreams
    Best Foreign Film – A Separation
    Best First Film – J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
    Special Award – Raoul Ruiz

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  • Take Shelter and The Artist lead the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations

    [caption id="attachment_768" align="alignnone"]Take Shelter[/caption]

    Take Shelter and The Artist lead the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations with 5 nods each including the nomination for Best Feature Film. Other nominees for Best Feature Film include 50/50, Beginners, and Drive.  Margin Call was selected to receive the annual Robert Altman Award.

    “The Film Independent Spirit Awards recognize the finest artistic achievements across the broad spectrum of independent filmmaking—from emerging talent working on a shoestring budget to established auteurs,” said Film Independent Senior Director Sean Mc Manus. “The 2012 nominees tell their stories in such an authentic way and reflect the inclusive nature of the independent filmmaking community. We are delighted to support them and expand the audience for their work.”

    2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS



    BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)
    50/50
    Producers: Evan Goldberg, Ben Karlin, Seth Rogen
    Beginners
    Producers: Miranda de Pencier, Lars Knudsen, Leslie Urdang, Dean Vanech, Jay Van Hoy
    Drive
    Producers: Michel Litvak, John Palermo, Marc Platt, Gigi Pritzker, Adam Siegel
    Take Shelter
    Producers: Tyler Davidson, Sophia Lin
    The Artist
    Producer: Thomas Langmann
    The Descendants
    Producers: Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

    BEST DIRECTOR
    Michel Hazanavicius
    The Artist
    Mike Mills
    Beginners
    Jeff Nichols
    Take Shelter
    Alexander Payne
    The Descendants
    Nicolas Winding Refn
    Drive

    BEST SCREENPLAY
    Joseph Cedar
    Footnote
    Michel Hazanavicius
    The Artist
    Tom McCarthy
    Win Win
    Mike Mills
    Beginners
    Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
    The Descendants

    BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
    Another Earth
    Director: Mike Cahill
    Producers: Mike Cahill, Hunter Gray, Brit Marling, Nicholas Shumaker
    In the Family
    Director: Patrick Wang
    Producers: Robert Tonino, Andrew van den Houten, Patrick Wang
    Margin Call
    Director: J.C. Chandor
    Producers: Robert Ogden Barnum, Michael Benaroya, Neal Dodson, Joe Jenckes, Corey Moosa, Zachary Quinto
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Director: Sean Durkin
    Producers: Antonio Campos, Patrick Cunningham, Chris Maybach, Josh Mond
    Natural Selection
    Director: Robbie Pickering
    Producers: Brion Hambel, Paul Jensen

    BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
    Mike Cahill, Brit Marling
    Another Earth
    J.C. Chandor
    Margin Call
    Patrick deWitt
    Terri
    Phil Johnston
    Cedar Rapids
    Will Reiser
    50/50

    JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000.  Award given to the writer, director, and producer.  Executive Producers are not listed
    Bellflower
    Writer/Director: Evan Glodell
    Producers: Evan Glodell, Vincent Grashaw
    Circumstance
    Writer/Director: Maryam Keshavarz
    Producers: Karin Chien, Maryam Keshavarz, Melissa M. Lee
    Hello Lonesome
    Writer/Director/Producer: Adam Reid
    Pariah
    Writer/Director: Dee Rees
    Producer: Nekisa Cooper
    The Dynamiter
    Writer: Brad Inglesby
    Director: Matthew Gordon
    Producers: Kevin Abrams, Matthew Gordon, Merilee Holt, Art Jones, Mike Jones, Nate Tuck, Amile Wilson

    BEST FEMALE LEAD
    Lauren Ambrose
    Think of Me
    Rachael Harris
    Natural Selection
    Adepero Oduye
    Pariah
    Elizabeth Olsen
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Michelle Williams
    My Week with Marilyn

    BEST MALE LEAD
    Demián Bichir
    A Better Life
    Jean Dujardin
    The Artist
    Ryan Gosling
    Drive
    Woody Harrelson
    Rampart
    Michael Shannon
    Take Shelter

    BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
    Jessica Chastain
    Take Shelter
    Anjelica Huston
    50/50
    Janet McTeer
    Albert Nobbs
    Harmony Santana
    Gun Hill Road
    Shailene Woodley
    The Descendants

     

    BEST SUPPORTING MALE
    Albert Brooks
    Drive
    John Hawkes
    Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Christopher Plummer
    Beginners
    John C. Reilly
    Cedar Rapids
    Corey Stoll
    Midnight in Paris

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
    Joel Hodge
    Bellflower
    Benjamin Kasulke
    The Off Hours
    Darius Khondji
    Midnight in Paris
    Guillaume Schiffman
    The Artist
    Jeffrey Waldron
    The Dynamiter

    BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)
    An African Election
    Director/Producer: Jarreth Merz
    Bill Cunningham New York
    Director: Richard Press
    Producer: Philip Gefter
    The Interrupters
    Director/Producer: Steve James
    Producer: Alex Kotlowitz
    The Redemption of General Butt Naked
    Director/Producers: Eric Strauss, Daniele Anastasion
    We Were Here
    Director/Producer: David Weissman

    BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)
    A Separation
    (Iran)
    Director: Asghar Farhadi
    Melancholia
    (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany)
    Director: Lars von Trier
    Shame
    (UK)
    Director: Steve McQueen
    The Kid With a Bike
    (Belgium/France/Italy)
    Directors: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
    Tyrannosaur
    (UK)
    Director: Paddy Considine

    PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 15th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
    Chad Burris
    Mosquita y Mari
    Sophia Lin
    Take Shelter
    Josh Mond
    Martha Marcy May Marlene

    SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 18th annual Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
    Simon Arthur
    Silver Tongues
    Mark Jackson
    Without
    Nicholas Ozeki
    Mamitas

    TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 17th annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.  The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
    Heather Courtney
    Where Soldiers Come From
    Danfung Dennis
    Hell and Back Again
    Alma Har’el
    Bombay Beach

    ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
    Margin Call
    Director: J.C. Chandor

    Casting Director: Tiffany Little Canfield, Bernard Telsey

    Ensemble Cast: Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Zachary Quinto, Kevin Spacey, Stanley Tucci

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  • Beginners and Tree of Life tied for Best Film at 21st Gotham Independent Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_785" align="alignnone"]Beginners [/caption]

    Beginners and Tree of Life tied for Best Films of 2011 at the 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards in New York City on Monday night.

    From writer/director Mike Mills, and starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer, Beginners is a comedy/drama about a father, who, following the death of his wife of 45 years, comes out of the closet at age 75.

    Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick and starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain is the story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s.

    Girlfriend, directed by Justin Lerner received the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award and Scenes of A Crime, from co-directors Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock received the Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award.

    The complete list of winners:

    Best Feature – A Tie between: BEGINNERS directed by Mike Mills and TREE OF LIFE directed by Terrence Malick

    Best Documentary – BETTER THIS WORLD directed and produced by Katie Galloway and Kelly Duane de la Vega

    Breakthrough Director Award – DEE REES Writer and director of Pariah

    Breakthrough Actor Award – FELICITY JONES Actor in Like Crazy

    Best Ensemble Performance Award – Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Melanie Laurent, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, Mary Page Keller, Keegan Boos  in BEGINNERS

    Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You Award – SCENES OF A CRIME Blue Hadaegh & Grover Babcock, Directors and Producers

    Gotham Independent Film Audience Award – GIRLFRIEND Justin Lerner, Director

    Produced by Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson, Justin Lerner, Shaun O’Banion The Audience Award was voted on line by filmgoers who love movies.

    euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant – LUCY MULLOY for upcoming film UNA NOCHE

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  • Tribeca Film Festival Gets New Artistic Director

    Frederic Boyer, who most recently ran the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, has been named the new Artistic Director of Tribeca Film Festival.

    Boyer said, “I could not be more honored and excited to begin this new chapter at Tribeca. This Festival has matured and developed so impressively from its origins, but there are many more frontiers to explore while keeping the core focus on discovering new voices in filmmaking. I am grateful to Jane, Geoff, Nancy and the entire team for giving me the opportunity to help lead that exploration through the medium of film.”

    Other changes to the executive structure include the promotion of Genna Terranova, former Senior Programmer, to Director of Programming.

    The 11th annual Tribeca Film Festival will be held April 18-29, 2012, in New York City.

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  • Brazilian film director Oscar Maron Filho Suffers Heart Attack and Dies at International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1876" align="alignnone" width="550"]Oscar Maron Filho at Festival de Rio[/caption]

    Brazilian film director and journalist Oscar Maron Filho suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday afternoon, while in Goa, India,  to promote his film ‘Mario Filho: The Creator of Crowds’ at the 2011 International Film Festival of India (IFFI).

    Filho reportedly collapsed in his chair while participating in an ‘Open Forum’ on ‘Football and films’, when he “touched his head and collapsed backwards while sitting”.

    He was rushed to the Goa Medical College hospital where he later died. He was 56.

    Filho other notable films include Bye Bye Romario, Pele and O Papa da Bola.

     

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  • South Korean Film Planet of Snail Wins 2011 International Documentary Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1874" align="alignnone"]VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, Planet of Snail[/caption]

    The winners of the 2011 International Documentary Film Festival were just announced and Seung-Jun Yi’s Planet of Snail (South Korea) won the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary. The Special Jury Award went to 5 Broken Cameras (Palestine/Israel) by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, who also won the Publieke Omroep IDFA Audience Award.

    VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary
    The VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary went to Seung-Jun Yi for Planet of Snail (South Korea), which depicts the everyday life of deaf & blind Young-Chan and the love of his life, Soon-Ho.
    Planet of Snail was pitched at the FORUM 2010.

    Special Jury Award
    The jury also awarded a Special Jury Award to directors Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi for 5 Broken Cameras (Palestine/Israel/Netherlands/France). The film is a personal portrait of a Palestinian village resisting encroaching Jewish settlements, as recorded by an inhabitant of the village over a number of years.

    NTR IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary
    Jorge Gaggero received the NTR IDFA Award for Best Mid-Length Documentary for Montenegro (Argentina), about an old man living with his dogs on a quiet island in a river delta, in a seemingly harmonious symbiosis with a hermit who lives a little way away.

    IDFA Award for First Appearance
    The IDFA Award for First Appearance was presented to Xun Yu for The Vanishing Spring Light (China/Canada), which documents the life of the residents of West Street in Dujiangyan City.

    Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary
    The Dioraphte IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary went to Jessica Gorter for 900 Days, in which survivors of the siege of Leningrad soberly separate propagandist myth from their horrific personal memories.

    Publieke Omroep IDFA Audience Award
    De Publieke Omroep IDFA Audience Award went to 5 Broken Cameras (Palestine/Israel/Netherlands/France) by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi.

    IDFA Award for Student Documentary
    Karen Winther received the IDFA Award for Student Documentary for The Betrayal (UK/Norway). The film is about Karen, who as a teenager made a crucial mistake as part of the Norwegian squatting scene, and is hoping for forgiveness.

    BlackBerry IDFA DOC U Award
    The BlackBerry IDFA DOC U Award went to The Last Days of Winter (Iran) by Mehrdad Oskouei. The film is a portrait of seven Iranian boys in a youth detention centre, who talk candidly about their lives.

    IDFA Award for Best Green Screen Documentary
    The IDFA Award for Best Green Screen Documentary (€ 2,500) went to Bitter Seeds (USA/India) by Micha X. Peled. Filmmaker Peled investigates why every thirty minutes an Indian cotton farmer commits suicide, and follows one such farmer on his journey to the edge of the abyss.

    IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling
    This year saw the presentation for the second time of the IDFA DocLab Award for Digital Storytelling. This went to Insitu (France) by Antoine Viviani. Insitu is a search for creative, artistic ways to intervene in the public space.

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  • Documentary film maker Jehane Noujaim Arrested in Egypt

    Documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, who directed the documentary film Control Room, a 2004 documentary about Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera, was reportedly arrested and released on Friday by Egyptian security forces after being held for 36 hours.

    Ms. Noujaim was filming in Tahrir Square for a planned documentary about the protests in Egypt.

    She reportedly said “I ran into then one military guy, my camera got taken, my eyepiece got broken by him, he called me a spy; whereas the rest of the military had been very helpful in getting us out of the situation, this particular military guy was absolutely not.”

    Noujaim, who also directed  “Startup.com” and “Mokattam,” and others were charged with congregation and destruction of public property. She was freed unharmed after the Committee to Protect journalists appealed to Egyptian authorities to let her go.

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  • Renowned 89 year-old Cinematographer finds inspiration in current Occupy movements

    Haskell Wexler, an 89 year-old Academy Award Winning cinematographer, is turning his camera on the Occupy LA movement for his latest political and social documentation.

    The groundbreaking cinematographer and film director has been in the business since the early 1960s, starting out with documentaries, then breaking into Hollywood with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, for which he won his first Oscar. He went on to shoot such famous and well respected films as In the Heat of the Night and One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest. But healso continued to make documentaries and socially relevant films, such as Medium Cool, which he directed, and stands out as a lesser-known film renowned for its realistic and almost journalistic style in capturing the atmosphere leading up to the The Democratic National Convention in 1968.

    Now Wexler has seemed to found a new subject of inspiration and filmmaking with the Occupy movement spreading throughout the country, focusing on LA, where he lives. He has already generated press for his videos (which are being posted online, on various sites) from such publications as The Huffington Post and the LA Times. Vimooz looks forward to what could turn into a full-length documentary. Although Wexler is older and seemingly at the end of a long and great career, it seems he is by no means ready to sit back and stop filming. As he told the LA Times, “You can take that insulation and figure you’re an old guy and you [already] did your thing, and then something inside me gets reminded that my ‘thing’ is what makes me alive — to be able to have a camera and an idea and an urge that gives me pleasure.”

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  • Palm Springs International Film Festival to honor Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award

     

    [caption id="attachment_1868" align="alignnone"]Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs[/caption]

    The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award at its Awards Gala.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

    “Glenn Close has the gift of mesmerizing an audience whenever she performs,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “Since her film debut in 1982, Close’s ability to capture the essence of a character is unparalleled, be it a femme fatale, a notorious stalker or the trusted aide to a president.  In Albert Nobbs, her upcoming film, Close portrays a woman whose plan for survival in 19th century Ireland is to “pass” as a man, only to find herself trapped by the reality she’s created.  Here she revives a previous stage role and brings it to gritty life in yet another bravura performance.  To this star, a superstar in every sense of the word, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the 2011 Career Achievement Award to her.”

    Past recipients of the Career Achievement Award include Cate Blanchett, Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Samuel L. Jackson and Helen Mirren.

    In her forthcoming film Albert Nobbs, Close plays a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th-century Ireland.  Some thirty years after donning men’s clothing, she finds herself trapped in a prison of her own making.  Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Johnson and Brendan Gleeson join a prestigious, international cast that includes Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Janet McTeer, Brenda Fricker and Pauline Collins.  Rodrigo Garcia directs from a script that Glenn Close, along with Man Booker prize-winning novelist John Banville and Gabriella Prekop, adapted from a short story by Irish author George Moore.  Roadside Attractions will release the film theatrically this December.

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  • French Director Michel Hazanavicius to be honored at 2011 Palm Springs International Film Festival

     

    The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.

    “Director Michel Hazanavicius boldly takes us back in time and reacquaints modern-day audiences with the magical power of black and white silent cinema to capture our hearts and our imaginations in The Artist,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The film opened to rave reviews at its premiere in Cannes and will continue to be one of the films to watch throughout awards season as a leadingbest picture contender. For his creative innovation in filmmaking The Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present Michel Hazanavicius with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award.”

    Past recipients of the Sonny Bono Visionary Award include Danny Boyle, Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrmann, M. Night Shyamalan, Gus Van Sant and Joe Wright.

    The Artist takes place in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932 and focuses on a declining male film star and a rising actress, as silent cinema grows out of fashion and is replaced by talking pictures.  The Weinstein Company presents The Artist, written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius and produced by Thomas Langmann.  Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell, Missi Pyle, Beth Grant, Ed Lauter, Koel Murray and Ken Davitan.

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