• 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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  • Iranian Film Wins at 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards

    Nader az Simin (A Separation)

    Asghar Farhadi’s Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation, Islamic Republic of Iran) won the Best Feature Film Award at the 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards.  Asghar Farhadi, who wrote, produced and directed the film, accepted his Award at the APSA Ceremony on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from 2011 APSA International Jury President, Hong Kong’s Nansun Shi.

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  • Hawaii’s North Shore Surf Film Festival Announce 2011 Lineup of Surf Films

    The 2011 North Shore Surf Film Festival taking place on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, will feature this year’s top surf films which will include Hawaii premiers and short films, local musicians, and exciting opportunity drawings of surfboards and great gifts.

    Films being featured this year are: Blue Sway by Jack McCoy, Year Zero by Globe, Sion Milosky Tribute by Volcom, Minds In The Water by Jason Krumb, Get N Classic by Graham Nash, 36 Hours In The City by Billabong, Imaginarium by Reef, Body Glove, Billabong and Rusty, Blow Up by Victor Pakpour, Surprise Excitement Party by Chris Cote & TransWorld Surf, Beer Can Surfboard by Rich Morrison, The Board Meeting by Maggie Franks, Hello, I’m Andy Irons as part of the upcoming Sunny Garcia documentary by Michael Oblowitz, Bonzer The Mothership 11.0 by Duncan and Malcolm Campbell, Behind The Lens Dan Merkel by Doug Walker, Lost & Found by Doug Walker Sanded by Tim Ryan, Float by Rip Curl, Walls Of Perception by Oxbow, Eddie by Claire Gorman, Chasing the Swell by Sachi Cunningham and Leave A Message by Jason Kentworthy and Aaron Leiber. 

    The theme for Friday is “Live Like Sion”, a tribute to North Shore resident, Sion who tragically drowned at Maverick’s this year while doing what he loved.  Saturday’s theme is “Surf Cinema” and the premier of long time North Shore resident Campbell Brother’s short version of “Bonzer The Mothership 11.0″.  Sunday’s theme is “Chicks Who Rip”, in honor of the many contributions women have made to and continue to make to the world of surfing. All the films featured are either made by women of featuring women.

    North Shore Surf Film Festival Schedule
    Friday Dec 2, 2011 “Live Like Sion”
    6 pm Doors Open
    7 pm Program Starts
    Blue Sway by Jack McCoy
    Year Zero by Globe
    Sion Milosky Tribute by Volcom
    8:30 pm Doors Open
    8:45 pm Program Starts
    Beer Can Surfboard by Rich Morrison
    Plastic Tide by Skye Kelly
    Minds In The Water by Jason Krumb
    10:30 pm Doors Open
    Donavon Frankenreiter In Concert
    With hits such as If It Don’t Matter, Free, Flow and Move By Yourself Donavon comes to the celebrative North Shore to Turtle Bay on the Opening Night of the North Shores Surf Film Festival. When Donavon Frankenreiter was 10 years old, he got his first surfboard. Six years later, he picked up his first guitar. It was the beginning of a wildly creative journey: His improvisational twin obsessions have carried him around the globe and into his fans’ hearts.

    Saturday Dec. 3rd Keiki’s Film Festival
    1:30 pm Doors Open
    2 pm Aidan Powell plays ukulele
    10 year old Oahu sensation brings his soulful style to the Children’s Surf Film Festival. Well known with his rendition of Train’s, Hey Soul Sister his Utube spot has had over 2 million hits to date!
    2:20 Program Starts
    North Shore Lifeguard NSLA Presentation
    36 Hours In The City by Billabong
    Get N Classic by Graham Nash
    Leave A Message by Jason Kentworthy and Aaron Lieber

    Saturday Dec. 3rd Surf Cinema Saturday Surfing’s Lost & Found
    6 pm Doors Open
    7 pm Program Starts
    Imaginarium by Reef, Body Glove, Billabong and Rusty
    Blow Up by Victor Pakpour – Billabong
    Surprise Excitement Party by Chris Cote & TransWorld SURF
    8:30 pm Door Open
    9 pm Program Starts
    Hello, I’m Andy Irons by Michael Oblowitz
    Bonzer The Mothership 11.0 by Duncan and Malcolm Campbell
    Behind The Lens Dan Merkel by Doug Walker
    Lost & Found by Doug Walker
    10:30 pm Doors Open
    Band Of Frequencies In Concert
    Top Australian band comes to the North Shore with percussionist Pro Surfer Dave Rastovich. They wow the crowds down under with their style and rhythm and now Hawaii will enjoy a rockin Saturday at Turtle Bay!

    Sunday Dec. 4th “Chicks Who Rip”
    6 pm Doors Open
    7 pm Program Starts
    Sanded by Tim Ryan
    Float by Andrew Buckley – Rip Curl
    Walls Of Perception by Oxbow
    8:30 pm Door Open
    9 pm Program Starts
    The Board Meeting by Maggie Franks
    Eddie by Claire Gorman
    Chasing the Swell by Sachi Cunningham
    Leave A Message by Jason Kentworthy and Aaron Leiber
    10:30 pm Doors Open
    John Cruz In Concert
    Hawaii’s own music man John Cruz brings, the rhythm of Aloha to the closing night of the North Shore surf Film Festival. Special friends will be on hand to share the stage and music!

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  • Swiss comedy The Sandman to open San Joaquin International Film Festival

    The San Joaquin International Film Festival will open its 5th Anniversary with the Valley Premiere of the Swiss comedy “The Sandman (Der Sandmann)” with the honorable presence of Director-Screenwriter Peter Luisi on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue). Mr. Luisi will participate in a post-film Q&A following the film’s screening.

    • From Director Peter Luisi: “I am delighted that my film ‘The Sandman’ has been chosen to open this year’s festival and that I have been invited to attend. Independent film festivals such as San Joaquin have become an increasingly important meeting point for us filmmakers and us film enthusiasts.”

    • From SJIFF Founder Sophoan Sorn: “We are honored to welcome director and screenwriter Peter Luisi all the way from Zurich, Switzerland to Stockton. His original and sensational comedy ‘The Sandman’ – along with his presence and delightful behind-the-scenes stories – will make the Opening Night of the 5th Anniversary San Joaquin International Film Festival an unforgettable experience!”

    Synopsis: “One morning, Benno finds sand in his bed. While he tries to ignore this, he soon realizes that he himself is the source of the sand. Day after day the sand increases, and time is running short. Finally, left with no choice, he asks Sandra the neighbor who runs a coffee shop under his apartment for help. Although Benno hates her with a passion, he starts having dreams of her each night. What could Sandra and the dreams have to do with the sand?” Starring Fabian Krüger, Irene Brügger, Beat Schlatter, Florine Elena Deplazes. (88 minutes; in Swiss German with English subtitles; produced in Switzerland in 2010-2011)

    “The Sandman” held its World Premiere at Film festival Max Ophuels Prize in Saarbrücken, Germany in January 2011, where it won the Audience Award. The film was nominated for three Swiss Film Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. It won over 20 awards around the world and screened at festivals in Solothurn and Locarno in Switzerland, Newport Beach and Berlin & Beyond in San Francisco.

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  • Harlem Film Festival to Screen Film 9 Lives About Victims of Puff Daddy City College Concert

     

    The Harlem International Film Festival will screen Jason Swain’s documentary 9 LIVES on Wednesday, December 7, 2011.

    The screening is timed to coincide with the death of rapper Heavy D last week, as well as to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragic night involving him that resulted in 9 people killed and 29 injured. 9 LIVES, is billed as director Jason Swain’s tribute to the nine victims including his brother Dirk, who died that night. The director will participate in a discussion after the screening.

     

     

    [caption id="attachment_1861" align="alignnone" width="549"]director Jason Swain (via MySpace)[/caption]

    In December 1991, Heavy D and Puff Daddy unravels the moments in the countdown to disaster and the circumstances that needlessly took nine youngsters from their loved ones. With Rodney King’s video-taped brutal beating making headlines in the Spring of 1991 and the Crown Heights riot spinning New York City into turmoil that August, this examination of the City College 9 disaster seeks peaceful reconciliation, artfully avoiding finger-pointing to let us witness first-hand how institutionalized prejudices combined to allow something as simple as a charity basketball game in Harlem to spiral out of control. Out of the devastating melee of lives lost a seed of hope emerged through the formation of the Dirk Swain Foundation to forever remember and combat the senselessness of December 28, 1991.

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  • Ralph Fiennes and Kenneth Branagh to be honored at 14th Moët British Independent Film Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1857" align="alignnone"]Ralph Fiennes[/caption]

    Ralph Fiennes will receive the coveted Richard Harris Award and Kenneth Branagh The Variety Award at the upcoming The Moët British Independent Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 4th December.

    The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2003 in honor of Richard Harris and recognizes outstanding contribution to British film by an actor.  Previous winners have included John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis and most recently Helena Bonham Carter in 2010.
    [caption id="attachment_1858" align="alignnone"]Kenneth Branagh [/caption]

    Kenneth Branagh will receive the Variety Award which recognizes an actor, director, writer or producer who has helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK.  The Variety Award was received last year by Liam Neeson and has previously been awarded to Sir Michael Caine, JK Rowling, Dame Helen Mirren, Richard Curtis, Michael Sheen and Keira Knightley to name a few.

    Both Ralph Fiennes and Kenneth Branagh will be present to receive their awards.

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  • 29 Documentary films Receive Grants From Sundance Institute

    29 feature-length documentary films will receive $582,000 in grants from the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, including two films selected to receive grants from the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute and one Time Warner Foundation Fellow.

    “For many of these filmmakers, receiving a grant will be just the beginning of our relationship with them,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “These filmmakers are also eligible for year-round creative support through our programs, including Creative Labs, Work-in-Progress screenings, and events and activities at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and Sundance Film Festival. We welcome these filmmakers to our community and look forward to working with them to further support and develop their unique visions.” 


    DEVELOPMENT
    The Bill (U.S. / Philippines)
    Director: Ramona Diaz
    A political firestorm hits the Philippines when “The Bill,” a reproductive health bill that could legalize birth control in the world’s 12th most populous nation, pits tradition against reform and brings the culture war into the streets and churches.

    Dirty Wars: The World is a Battlefield (U.S.)
    Director: Richard Rowley
    Reporting from the battlefields of the war on terror, journalist Jeremy Scahill investigates the wars waged by and against an empire, and constructs a global picture of asymmetric warfare today.

    Leone Stars (Canada / Sierra Leone)
    Directors: Ngardy Conteh and Allan Tong
    Surviving war, poverty and prejudice, the Sierra Leone amputee soccer team dreams of victory at the 2012 world championships. Can victims become champions?

    The Mouse That Roared (U.S. / Iceland)
    Director: Judith Ehrlich
    A great struggle for free speech in the 21st century will be fought online, and the first volley has been fired in Iceland. This film follows Birgitta Jónsdóttir, trailblazing Icelandic Parliamentarian and former WikiLeaks leader, as she takes us inside the global fight for internet freedom.

    The New Black (U.S.)
    Director: Yoruba Richen
    The New Black is a documentary that uncovers the complicated and often combative histories of the African-American and gay civil-rights movements.

    The Reckoning With Torture Project (U.S.)
    Director: Doug Liman
    Reading from secret documents chronicling the United States’ post-9/11 torture program, Americans from all walks of life join with leading cultural figures and former military and civilian officials to create a rolling, national performance.

    PRODUCTION

    A Whole Lott More (U.S.)
    Director: Victor Buhler
    Lott Industries, outside of Detroit, employs more than 1200 workers, all with developmental disabilities. For decades the workers excelled at assembling car parts. However, the decline of the auto industry has pushed this unique workplace to the brink of survival.

    Cooked (U.S.)
    Director: Judith Helfand
    Cooked is a story about extreme heat, poverty and the politics of “disaster”; Whoever gets to declare “disaster” also gets to determine when it started, when it’s over and how to fix it.

    Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (U.S.)
    Directors: Matthew Heineman and Susan Froemke
    Escape Fire exposes the perverse nature of American healthcare, contrasting the powerful forces opposing change with the creative solutions and compelling stories of pioneering leaders and the patients they seek to help. The film is about finding a way out, and about saving the health of a nation.

    These Birds Walk (U.S. / Pakistan)
    Directors: Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq
    A portrait of contemporary Pakistan is created through the eyes of an ambulance driver and a runaway boy who call a humanitarian and his mission based organization home.

    Gideon’s Army (U.S.)
    Director: Dawn Porter
    In the deepest South a group of dedicated lawyers is determined to find a way to represent the poor. But with large caseloads, long hours, low pay and harsh sentences can they honor their intentions?

    Gulabi  (India / Norway)
    Director: Nishtha Jain
    In Bundelkhand, India, a revolution is in the making among the poorest of the poor, as Sampat Pal and the fiery women of her Gulabi Gang empower themselves and take up the fight against gender violence, caste oppression and widespread corruption.

    The History Of The Universe As Told By Wonder Woman(U.S.)
    Director: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan
    Through the fascinating journey of the beloved superhero, Wonder Woman, the film explores the evolution of heroic women in American pop culture from the birth of the comic book in the 1940s, to TV action heroes of the 60s and 70s, and, finally, the big screen blockbusters of today.

    How To Survive a Plague (U.S.)
    Director: David France
    Highlighting a small group of activists that exploded into a mass social movement over a 10-year period, How to Survive a Plague uncovers the little known story of how AIDS stopped being a death sentence.

    Invisible War (U.S.)
    Director: Kirby Dick
    The Invisible War is an investigative and powerfully emotional documentary about the under-reported epidemic of sexual assault in our U.S. military, and its startling and profound personal and social consequences.

    Let The Fire Burn (U.S.)
    Director: Jason Osder
    Philadelphia, 1985: tensions between the radical African American group MOVE and the city police spiral out of control, resulting in a fire that claims eleven lives and destroys sixty-one homes in a forgotten national tragedy that still resonates today.

    Nuclear Underground (U.S.)
    Directors: Peter Galison and Robb Moss
    How can humankind dispose of and live with nuclear waste, a material that remains dangerous for a period as far into the future as we are from the Ice Age?

    Noces Rouges (Red Wedding) (Cambodia)
    Directors: Lida Chan and Guillaume P. Suon
    Between 1975 and 1979, at least 250,000 women were forced into marriages by the Khmer Rouge. Noces Rouges (Red Wedding) is the story of one of its victims, Pen Sochan, who pits her humanity against an ideology and a system designed to annihilate people like her.
    Strong Island (U.S.)
    Director: Yance Ford
    Set in the suburbs of the black middle class, Strong Island chronicles the director’s investigation into her brother’s violent death twenty years ago.

    Untitled: 1971 (U.S.)
    Director: Johanna Hamilton
    Filmmaker Johanna Hamilton continues her exploration of social movements and the limits of dissent, this time turning her lens to domestic contradictions in North America.

    Who Is Dayani Cristal? (U.K./ Mexico)
    Director: Marc Silver
    A man is found dead at the U.S. / Mexico border. An investigation uncovers a tale of family and faith, discovered by tracing his body’s only identifying feature; a tattoo reading “Dayani Cristal”.

    AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT

    Crime After Crime (U.S.)
    Director: Yoav Potash
    Two attorneys fight for the freedom of Deborah Peagler, 20 years into her life sentence for the murder of the man who abused her. The audience engagement campaign will partner with policy makers, legislative organizations, and legal education groups to inform other states about the successful California law allowing incarcerated survivors of domestic violence to petition for their freedom.

    Fix Food (U.S.)
    Director: Robert Kenner
    Building on Oscar-nominated Food, Inc., Fix Food is a cross-media film and social action project using viral videos, an interactive website and community engagement to activate a mainstream audience to help transform the food system, which over time can lead to broader social change.

    Gasland (U.S.)
    Director: Josh Fox
    It is happening all across America; rural landowners wake up one day to find a lucrative offer from an energy company wanting to lease their property. Reason? The company hopes to tap into a reservoir dubbed the “Saudi Arabia of natural gas.” The audience engagement award will support Fox’s ongoing effort to educate potentially vulnerable communities to the dangers of fracking; inspire political engagement around unregulated drilling; and bring together state and local grassroots efforts nationwide.   

    Our School (Romania / U.S.)
    Director: Mona Nicoara
    Shot over four years, Our School follows three Roma children in a small Transylvanian town who are among the pioneer participants in an initiative to integrate the ethnically segregated Romanian schools. The audience engagement award will support targeted screenings in the Human Rights community internationally, as well mobilize new energies at a moment that is ripe for change, when Europe has its own Brown vs. Board of Education moment.

    Semper Fi: Always Faithful (U.S.)
    Directors: Rachel Libert and Tony Hardmon
    When Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger’s young daughter dies from a rare type of leukemia, his search for the cause leads him to the shocking discovery of one of the largest water contaminations in U.S. history. The audience engagement award will support the effort to help notify families who may be affected by contaminated water on military bases, and help support screenings for legislators interested in health care for affected veterans.

    CINEREACH PROJECT AT SUNDANCE INSTITUTE

    The Kill Team (U.S.)
    Director: Dan Kraus
    The Kill Team tellsthe story of an American soldier who attempted to thwart U.S. war crimes even more heinous than Abu Ghraib, and who himself is now standing trial for murder.

    The Shadow World (U.S.)
    Director: Johan Grimonprez
    The Shadow World explores the arms industry: a business in which profits are calculated in the tens of millions of dollars, while losses are counted in human lives.

    TIME WARNER FOUNDATION

    The Silence of Others (U.S. / Spain)
    Director: Almudena Carracedo
    After decades of silence, children stolen during Franco’s brutal dictatorship begin the search to find loved ones and to confront the perpetrators. The Silence of Others will be a deeply personal account of Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy.

     

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  • Carol Channing – Larger than Life to Close 2012 San Joaquin International Film Festival

    The 5th Anniversary San Joaquin International Film Festival will close with “Carol Channing – Larger than Life,” a documentary film directed by Broadway producer Dori Berinstein. The film will screen on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 7:30pm at the Janet Leigh Theatre on the campus of University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue).

    Synopsis from Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival: “With an incomparable voice and presence, Carol Channing burst onto the Broadway scene in 1941, rising to stardom with lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello, Dolly. No stranger to documenting Broadway heavy-hitters, Dori Bernstein profiles the iconic star’s expansive career and vivacious persona. Now 90 years old, Channing is as outspoken and vibrant as ever, batting her signature false eyelashes and flashing her mile-wide smile as she candidly recounts tales of showbiz. A late-in-life romance seems to fuel this unstoppable entertainer. Now in her seventh year of marriage to her junior-high sweetheart, after nearly 70 years apart, Channing shows us true love may be the key to youth and vitality. An advocate for gay rights and AIDS awareness, Channing still lights up the stage with song and dance. You’re looking swell, Dolly, and it’s so nice to have you back where you belong.” –Lynne Crocker, Hot Docs

    (83 minutes; in English; produced in USA in 2011)

    This film also contains candid interviews with Lily Tomlin, Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Walters, Chita Rivera and Jerry Herman.

    “Carol Channing – Larger than Life” held its World Premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and was well-received at the prestigious Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival.

    Director Dori Berinstein is a Broadway producer and an award-winning director, producer, and writer of film and TV. Her 11 Broadway shows include: Legally Blonde (seven Olivier nominations), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award), The Crucible (Tony nomination), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award), Fool Moon (Tony Award), and Flower Drum Song (Tony nomination). (source: Tribeca Film Festival)

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  • Michelle Williams to be honored at 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1627" align="alignnone"]MIchelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn[/caption]

    Michelle Williams will be honored at the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs January 5-16, 2012, with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award. 

    “Every generation, the cinema has a few performers who mesmerize audiences with an exceptional blend of talent, versatility and grace,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “Michelle Williams epitomizes these qualities as she continues to accept challenging role after challenging role.  In her latest work, My Week with Marilyn, she perfectly captures the glamour and vulnerability of the iconic Marilyn Monroe who finds respite and solice during a week-long hiatus from Hollywood pressures.  To this actress, a cinematic star in her own right, the Palm Springs International Film Festival is proud to present the 2012 Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award.”

    Williams was last seen in Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine opposite Ryan Gosling, from which her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress as well as Golden Globe and Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations and her fourth Independent Spirit Award nomination.  She will next be seen starring in Simon Curtis’ My Week with Marilyn.

    Past recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award include Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Kate Winslet.

     

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  • Pipe Dreams documentary about Keystone XL Pipeline Playing in LA

    The new documentary, Pipe Dreams from Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated director Leslie Iwerks is playing at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in LA, through November 24 at 7:30 pm daily.

    Narrated by actress/activist Daryl Hannah, the documentary tells the story of the Keystone XL Pipeline and the company TransCanada’s efforts to build a transportation system for tar sands through some of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the region (with a route crossing the Sandhills and the Ogallala aquifer) and through the family lands of hundreds of farmers and ranchers.

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  • Award-winning documentary Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars opens January 13, 2012

    The award-winning documentary Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars, a riveting account of Richard Garriott’s lifelong quest to become the first son of an astronaut to blast into space opens January 13, 2012, in theaters and VOD platforms nationwide. Man on a Mission is directed by Mike Woolf, produced by Brady Dial and released by First Run Features.

    Best known as the father of early computer games like Ultima and Ultima Online, Richard Garriott always wanted to follow in his astronaut father’s footsteps. But when eye problems made a career at NASA impossible, he turned to private space travel to make his dream come true. Man On A Mission captures everything from Garriott’s training in Russia to his launch aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft, as well as life aboard the International Space Station, resplendent views of the earth from space, and a never-before-seen view from inside the capsule during the fiery re-entry to Earth.

    Already a legend in the PC gaming world, Richard Garriott is known to millions of followers as “Lord British.” His Ultima series was one of the first fantasy game sensations and he became a godfather of today’s massive multiplayer industry with Ultima Online. But most people don’t know that his father, Owen Garriott, flew NASA missions on Skylab in the early 70’s and the Space Shuttle in 1983 – and that Richard always hoped to follow his father into space.

    The trouble is, in order go into orbit from the U.S., you have to be a NASA astronaut. Being nearsighted, Richard knew at an early age that NASA was never option. But that didn’t stop him from dreaming. As he earned a fortune in the video game industry he worked tirelessly at making his dream a reality by investing in private space travel.

    The only way for a private citizen to get to space is onboard a Soyuz rocket through the Russian space program – for a hefty $30 million. But the commitment is more than financial; the rigorous training takes upwards of a year and in Richard’s case, demanded extra physical sacrifice.

    In riveting detail, Man on a Mission tracks Richard’s training, beginning at Star City, the mysterious headquarters for Russia’s space agency. As he learns about their previously secret history, Richard serves as a guide to the inner workings of Moscow’s mission control. He also works with NASA, and his father, to create a series of experiments aboard the space station. Richard doesn’t forget to pack his HD movie camera, and creates a dreamlike cache of home movie images from space.

    The excitement is palpable as the countdown enters its final days, hours, and then minutes, until finally it’s time for lift off.

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  • Le Havre and Being Elmo are Centerpiece films of the 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2090" align="alignnone"]Le Havre[/caption]

    The 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF) announced that its Centerpiece films will be the Valley premiere of “Le Havre” (Finland’s official entry for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki and “Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” by American documentary filmmaker Constance Marks.

    The films selected for the Centerpiece program are cinematic stories that capture the essence of humanity, power of expression and universality of cinema arts.

    “Le Havre ” will screen Saturday, January 14th, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue).

    “Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” will screen Sunday, January 15th at 3:00pm at the Janet Leigh Theatre on the campus of University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue).

    LE HAVRE

    “A stylized and sentimental fairy tale about the way the world might be… Aki Kaurismäki has become a major inheritor of the comic-humanist tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Jean Renoir and Jacques Tati.” –A.O. Scott, The New York Times

    “Four stars! There is nothing cynical or cheap about it, it tells a good story with clear eyes and a level gaze, and it just plain makes you feel good.” –Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

    Synopsis from Janus Films : “In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight..” (93 minutes; in French with English subtitles; produced in Finland, France and Germany in 2011)

    “Le Havre” held its World Premiere in Competition for the Palm d’Or at the prestigious Festival de Cannes in May 2011, where it won the FIPRESCI International Federation of Film Critics Award. After Cannes, it was selected for many of the world’s leading international film festivals, including Toronto, Busan, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, Stockholm, Sarajevo, Rio de Janeiro, Taipei, Torino, Melbourne, Haifa, Haugesund Norwegian, New York, Telluride and Hamptons. In Munich, it was honored with the Arri-Zeiss-Award. In Locarno, it screened to 8,000 spectators at the open-air Piazza Grande. In Chicago, it won the top prize, the Gold Hugo. “Le Havre” is currently nominated for four 2011 European Film Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenwriter.

    Director Aki Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila, Finland. His early work was featured in the Festival’s 1988 Spotlight programme. His feature films include Crime and Punishment (83), Calamari Union (85), Shadows in Paradise (86), Hamlet Goes Business (87), Ariel (88), Leningrad Cowboys Go America (89), The Match Factory Girl (90), I Hired a Contract Killer (90), La Vie de Bohème (92), Total Balalaika Show (94), Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatjana (94), Drifting Clouds (96), Juha (99), The Man Without a Past (02), Lights in the Dusk (06) and Le Havre (11).” –Toronto International Film Festival


    BEING ELMO – A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

    [caption id="attachment_2231" align="alignnone"]BEING ELMO – A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY[/caption]

    “Critics’ pick! A winning tale of the persistence and creativity behind one of the most famous and fuzziest faces in the world.” –Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

    “Production values are top-notch, particularly the cinematography by James Miller and Joel Goodman’s energetic, fanciful score. ‘Being Elmo’ is a rare documentary that will connect across generations and cultures to delight viewers worldwide for years to come.” –Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter

    Synopsis from BeingElmo.com: “Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.” (85 minutes; in English; produced in USA in 2011)

    “Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” held its World Premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize. It won the Audiencec Award and a Special Jury Award at the Traverse City Film Festival, and has screened at various festivals around the world, including Hot Docs Canada International Documentary Film Festival, AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs, SXSW and Mill Valley. It is currently nominated for the Audience Award at IFP’s 2011 Gotham Awards.

    Director Constance Marks is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker. She is the founder and president of Constance Marks Productions, Inc., a documentary production company based in New York City. Marks began her filmmaking career over 30 years ago as an assistant editor for the renowned Cinema Verite pioneers, David and Albert Maysles.Marks’ critically acclaimed films have been shown theatrically, broadcast widely, and garnered numerous awards. Her productions include Return to Appalachia which aired on PBS, Let’s Fall in Love: A Singles Weekend at the Concord Hotel. which was selected by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as one of the outstanding documentaries of the year, and Green Chimneys – a full-length documentary feature film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. Marks has produced numerous films focusing on important social issues including homelessness, the elderly, experimental charter schools and substance abuse recovery residences. –beingelmo.com

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