• Rooftop Films Announce their Filmmakers’ Fund Grantees

     

    Rooftop Films is not only known for its Summer festival, they also support the filmmakers whose work they screen to help make new movies through the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund.

    Rooftop Films announced the recent recipients of their Filmmakers’ Fund Grantees:

    Lucy Walker’s short documentary The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’11) has been named among eight shortlisted contenders for the 84th Academy Awards’ best Documentary Short Subject category, of which three to five films will earn Oscar nominations.

    After premiering with great acclaim at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Sean Durkin’s debut fiction feature Martha Marcy May Marlene (Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’10) was sold to Fox Searchlight Pictures for $2 million. The film made its New York Premiere at this year’s New York Film Festival, and will make its theatrical premiere this Friday, October, 21, 2011.

    Melanie Shatzky and Brian M. Cassidy’s documentary feature The Patron Saints (Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’07) made its World Premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

    Susan Youssef’s fiction feature Habibi (Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’04) made its World Premiere at the 2011 Venice Biennale, and its North American Premiere at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.

    Ian Cheney’s documentary feature The City Dark (Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’09) has begun a successful theatrical run, hitting Boston, MA, Minneapolis, MN, Bellingham, WA, and Washington, DC, with more cities to follow.

    Moon Molson’s fiction short Crazy Beats Strong Every Time (Rooftop Filmmaker’s Fund Grantee ’09) premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and played the 2011 Rooftop Films Summer Series along with many other festivals across the country.

    Dustin Guy Defa’s fiction short Family Nightmare (Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’09) played the 2011 BAMCinemaFEST and the 2011 Rooftop Films Summer Series.

    James M. Johnston’s fiction short Knife (Filmmakers’ Fund Grantee ’09) played at this year’s Sarasota Film Festival, Rooftop Summer Series, and many other festivals across the country.

    Heidi Brandenburg and Matt Orzel’s feature documentary When Two Worlds Collide has received support from both Cinereach and the Sundance Institute.

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  • Entertainment Industry Expresses Concern for Imprisoned Iranian Filmmakers

    [caption id="attachment_1758" align="alignnone" width="550"]Imprisoned Iranian Filmmaker Jafar Panahi [/caption]

    Numerous entertainment industry organizations have issued statements in support of the six imprisoned Iranian filmmakers. According to the press release, “In September 2011, the Iranian government arrested six independent filmmakers for allegedly working with the BBC, on charges including espionage and treason. Along with the ongoing house arrest of director Jafar Panahi and the prior arrest of actress Marzieh Vafamehr, who was later sentenced to one year in prison and 90 lashes, the arrests sparked outrage from filmmaking communities within Iran and around the world. Prior to the release of two of the filmmakers, all six were denied access to their lawyers and families, who were forced to remain silent. ”

    Statement from the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

    As an international organization representing over 6000 artists in 35 countries, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is deeply concerned whenever and wherever the rights of filmmakers are threatened.  The recent arrest of six Iranian filmmakers, the sentence of “one year in jail and 90 lashes” to an actress just for playing a role in an acclaimed film, and the continued house arrest of Jafar Panahi, among others, is a situation that demands our serious attention.  These filmmakers – and others – are artists, not political combatants.  We join our colleagues around the world in calling unequivocally for these filmmakers’ safety, release, and return to filmmaking.  They deserve the same, full freedom of expression that the overwhelming majority of our members enjoy every day, no matter where they are from, no matter where they work, no matter what their beliefs.

    Statement from the Board of Directors of American Cinema Editors

    The American Cinema Editors is an organization of more than 500 professional film editors in the United States and around the globe.  We join with the other members of the filmmaking community in expressing our deep concern whenever and wherever the basic human rights of free expression are threatened.

    As storytellers, we feel that the arrest of fellow artists for expressing their beliefs, revealing truths and pursuing creative freedom, no matter how controversial, is a story that should no longer have to be told in the 21st century.

    Statement from the Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers

    The American Society of Cinematographers is an organization of more than 300 professional directors of photography in the United States and throughout the world. We foster the collaboration of cinematographers and the creative exchange of ideas and issues of mutual concern to our members and to the global filmmaking community.  We are deeply concerned whenever and wherever the rights of filmmakers are threatened. We share these concerns with our fellow guilds and film organizations: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), The Directors Guild of America (DGA), The Producers Guild of America (PGA), The Screen Actors Guild (SAG), The Writers Guilds of America East and West (WGA), the American Cinema Editors (ACE) and the International Documentary Association (IDA).

     

    Statement from the Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers (con’t)

    We are deeply concerned regarding the recent arrest of six Iranian filmmakers. The sentence of “one year in jail and 90 lashes” to an actress just for playing a role in an acclaimed film, and the continued house arrest of Jafar Panahi, among others, is a situation that demands our serious attention.  These filmmakers – and others – are artists, not political combatants.  We join our colleagues and cinematographers around the world in calling unequivocally for these Iranian filmmakers’ safety, release, and return to filmmaking.  They deserve the same, full freedom of expression that the overwhelming majority of our members enjoy every day, no matter where they are from, no matter where they work, no matter what their beliefs.

    Statement from the Directors Guild of America

    The Directors Guild of America joins our colleagues and fellow artists around the world in condemning the baseless and cruel imprisonment or detainment of filmmakers by the Iranian government.

    We first raised this issue last year immediately after the sentencing of prominent Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi.  We are extremely concerned that not only does Panahi remain under arrest, but the Iranian government continues to detain filmmakers and other artists without cause.

    As an organization representing 14,500 directors and members of the directorial team who live and work all over the world, it is our belief that for a society to flourish, artists must have the freedom to live and work without fear of imprisonment, retribution or censorship.  Creative freedom is an essential building block of liberty, culture, civil and human rights, and we join the world community in opposing any attempt to suppress the rights of artists to engage in creative expression.  We hope the Iranian government will release these filmmakers and recognize that their creative works can only strengthen and enrich Iranian society.

    Statement from the International Documentary Association

    The International Documentary Association believes that the power and artistry of film is vital to cultures and societies globally, and we fiercely defend the rights of filmmakers and artists everywhere to practice their art and to seek and reveal truth in their work, however provocative that truth may be. We strenuously uphold the principles of free speech and freedom from censorship. The expression of truth should never be silenced by the exercise of power by a State or system of authority that may feel threatened by the content of the artistic or journalistic work–both essential elements of democracy. Together with our entire international community of documentary filmmakers, The International Documentary Association calls for the release and fair treatment of Iranian filmmakers, artists, and actors. These artists, and other filmmakers, actors and journalists like them, must be immediately released and allowed to continue their artistic and journalistic work without restriction or penalty. We stand united with them, as do artists across the globe. And we will continue to fight for their fundamental human right of self-expression.

    Statement from the Producers Guild of America

    As supporters of creative freedom, the Producers Guild of America, on behalf of its more than 4,800 members, wishes to express its profound dismay over the treatment of producer Katayoun Shahabi, directors Jafar Panahi, Naser Saffarian, Hadi Afarideh, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb and Shahnam Bazdar, and journalist and documentarian Mohsen Shahrnazdar at the hands of their Iranian government.  The silencing of these voices and others via arrest, coercion and political pressure is unacceptable, and we stand steadfast with our colleagues within the industry and around the world in calling for their release.  We look forward to the day when these storytellers are permitted to resume their callings, and hope that even in their captivity, these artists know that they have the sympathy, respect and support of our creative community.

    Statement from Screen Actors Guild

    Iran has a strong tradition of artistic expression reaching back thousands of years. That tradition is under attack in a contemporary Iran that has seemingly turned against its own artists. Screen Actors Guild deeply deplores the persecution of actor Marzieh Vafamehr and the filmmakers and other entertainment and media industry representatives now under attack in Iran. We add our voices to the thousands of artists worldwide calling on the Iranian government to immediately free Marzieh and the other artists and filmmakers imprisoned because of their artistic and cultural endeavors.  We urge Iran to refrain from stifling the artistic expression of its citizens and to let their unique and valuable voices be heard once again.

    Statement from the Writers Guilds of America, West and East

    The Writers Guilds of America West and East add their voices to the calls for the release of writer/director Jafar Panahi, now under house arrest, and all other members of Iran’s creative community unjustly imprisoned or detained.

    The art of Iran is one of the great treasures of humankind.  Its cinema has a long and vibrant history–and in recent years, the Iranian cinema has been one of the very brightest lights illuminating the art form for the rest of the world. Its filmmakers represent the richness of Iranian culture and the extraordinary imagination of the Iranian people.  All of us are poorer when their voices are stilled.

    We urge the government of Iran to remember that these are artists, not political enemies, that they have, as all free people do, the right to hold and express opinions.  And we urge the government of Iran to remember that their work is the most powerful ambassador of understanding between the people of Iran and the people of the world.

    Nothing is more dangerous to a society than the silencing of art. Therefore, we ask the government of Iran to release its filmmakers and to allow them to live and to work freely, as they have previously done in their country and as most of their fellow artists do in the rest of the world.

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  • Bingham Ray named new Exec Director of San Francisco Film Society

     

    Bingham Ray has been appointed the new executive director of the San Francisco Film Society effective November 7, 2011.  Ray comes to the San Francisco Film Society from New York City, where he recently served as the first run programming consultant to the Film Society of Lincoln Center, executive consultant to the digital distribution company SnagFilms and adjunct professor at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

    “This opportunity defines the phrase ‘too good to be true’ for me,” said Ray. “To be invited to head one of the world’s greatest, most prestigious film societies, in one of the world’s greatest cities, is beyond extraordinary. Stepping in behind Graham Leggat is truly a daunting task. He elevated the San Francisco Film Society and its great Festival to world-class levels and assembled an incredibly talented staff, all of which are supported by a progressive, passionate and involved board of directors. I’m thrilled to be in such great company and welcome the challenges to come in this exciting new personal and professional chapter.”

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  • Ashland Independent Film Festival has a new Executive Director

    The Ashland Independent Film Festival has a new Executive Director. She is Anne Ashbey Pierotti, and she will succeed Tom Olbrich on November 1.  Pierotti is already well known to the festival, having served on the Ashland Independent Film Festival’s board of directors from 2006 to June of 2011 and was the board’s President from 2008 to 2010.

    “I am deeply honored to have been selected for this position,” said Pierotti. “I look forward to collaborating with the AIFF’s incredible staff, board, volunteers and community supporters to build upon the festival’s success and ensure a bright future for independent film in Southern Oregon.”

    The eleventh annual Ashland Independent Film Festival will be held April 12-16, 2012.

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  • Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Unveils New Website

    [caption id="attachment_1751" align="alignnone" width="550"]Opening Night film – About Fifty[/caption]

    The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival has unveiled its new website design just in time for the 26th edition which runs October 21 – November 11, 2011

    The festival kicks off with the film, About Fifty, previously titled Fifty Nothing, directed by Thomas Johnston. The film is described as “A “coming-of-age story about the coming of age,” Thomas Johnston’s comedy tackles a very timely subject in these times of aging baby-boomers: what happens when youth, with all its attendant hopes and dreams, is confronted by the reality of that 50th birthday making its increasingly rapid approach. For Adam (Martin Grey) and Jon (co-writer Drew Pillsbury), life in Los Angeles has taken a turn for the melancholy. With their careers solidly stuck in holding patterns, parents that are becoming increasingly in need of care, and the memories of lost love and divided assets looming large, our heroes decide on a course of action: escape. To the desert, that is, for a weekend of battery recharging in lovely Palm Springs, no less. Rather than spoil things by revealing too much, we will just say that—in the tradition of the best road-movie comedies—what starts out as fun and games soon evolves, as both men must come to terms with their pasts and look forward, however horrifying it may appear at first glance, to a post-50 future.”

     

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  • 7 Screenwriters Win 2011 Nicholl Fellowships

    [caption id="attachment_1660" align="alignnone" width="550"]2010 Nicholl Fellows[/caption]

    Seven screenwriters have been selected as winners of the 26th annual Don and Gee Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    The 2011 Nicholl Fellows are (listed alphabetically by author):

    • Chris Bessounian & Tianna Langham, Los Angeles, Calif., “Guns and Saris”
    • Dion Cook, Altus, Okla., “Cutter”
    • John MacInnes, Los Angeles, Calif., “Outside the Wire”
    • Matthew Murphy, Culver City, Calif., “Unicorn”
    • Abel Vang & Burlee Vang, Fresno, Calif., “The Tiger’s Child”

    Each writer (or writing team) will receive a $30,000 prize, the first installment of which will be distributed at a gala dinner in Beverly Hills on November 3.

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  • Two Award Winning Documentaries Premiere on Cable TV This Month

    [caption id="attachment_1746" align="alignnone" width="550"]The Education of Dee Dee Ricks[/caption]

    Two award winning documentaries will premiere on tv/cable this week.  The Education Of Dee Dee Ricks debuts October 27, exclusively on HBO, in conjunction with national breast cancer awareness month; and Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s Miss Representation premieres on OWN on October 20th.

    A self-made millionaire living on New York City’s Upper East Side, 39-year-old Dee Dee Ricks seemed to have it all – until she was diagnosed with aggressive stage II breast cancer. Insured and affluent, she could afford the best treatment money could buy, but was shocked to realize how difficult it is for uninsured women in the same situation, and determined to do something about it.

    Marking National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the candid documentary The Education Of Dee Dee Ricks chronicles her transformation from successful businesswoman to determined advocate for poor breast-cancer patients and takes a no-holds-barred look at her own battle with the disease. This moving film by award-winning newswoman Perri Peltz debuts THURSDAY, OCT. 27 (8:30-9:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

    Other HBO playdates: Oct. 27 (5:30 a.m.), and 30 (5:30 p.m.), and Nov. 2 (8:30 a.m.), 5 (10:45 a.m.), 8 (12:15 p.m.), 18 (4:00 p.m.) and 21 (10:00 p.m.)

    In a recent interview with Diane Davis of Examiner.com, Jennifer Siebel Newsom revealed that her directorial debut Miss Representation that premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival is headed to OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

    JSN: We are gearing up Oprah Winfrey’s premiere on October 20th at 9pm Eastern/Pacific and and 8pm Central.

    DD: Will there be anything surrounding the showing of the film?

    JSN: Yes, there’s going to be a special with Rosie O’Donnell directly following the premiere of the film. That Gloria Steinem, myself, Gena Davis and others are going to be a part of. It will be an hour long special with Rosie O’Donnell.

    Written and directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman to feel powerful herself.

    Stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics, like Condoleezza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Margaret Cho, Rosario Dawson and Gloria Steinem build momentum as Miss Representation accumulates startling facts and statistics that will leave the audience shaken and armed with a new perspective.

     

     

     

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  • HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND, and THE ARTIST Take The Top Prizes at 2011 Hampton Film Fest

    The hometown film, Marc Levin’s HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND, and THE ARTIST directed by Michel Hazanavicius took the audience awards tonight at the 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival.

    HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND follows a group of Long Island residents as they courageously describe the effect that their long time unemployed status has had on their families, finances, and ultimately their American dream; and THE ARTIST is a  comedic tribute to silent film starring Jean Dujardin. 

    THE FAIRY, directed by Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon, took the the jury award as winner of The Golden Starfish Narrative Feature Award, and the Golden Starfish Award for Best Documentary went to Fellipe Barbosa’s LAURA.

    HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS:



    THE ARTIST

    Audience Award Narrative

    Directed by Michel Hazanavicius



    HARD TIMES: LOST ON LONG ISLAND

    Audience Award Documentary

    Directed by Marc Levin’s



    TWO’S ACROWD

    Audience Award Winner for Best Short

    Directed by Jim Isler and Tom Isler



    THEFAIRY

    Narrative Jury Winner

    DominiqueAbel and Fiona Gordon



    LAURA

    Documentary Jury Winner

    Directed by Fellipe Barbosa’s



    THE STRANGE ONES

    Short Documentary Jury Winner

    Directed by Christopher Radcliff and Lauren Wolkstein



    WITHOUT

    The Kodak Award for Best Cinematography. 

    The Wouter Barendrecht Pioneering Vision Award

    Directed by Mark Jackson.



    YOU’VE BEEN TRUMPED

    Winner of the Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice

    Director Anthony Baxter



    SPECIAL JURY MENTIONS:



    THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD

    Directedby Joshua Marston



    VODKA FACTORY

    Directed by Jerzy Sladkowski



    SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS

    The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize

    Directed by Annie Howell and Lisa Robinson



    THE BULLY PROJECT

    The Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution

    Directed By Lee Hirsch



    2011 Breakthrough Performer Recipients

    Emily Browning – SLEEPING BEAUTY

    Alexander Skarsgard- MELONCHOLIA

    Stine Fischer Christensen – CRACKS IN THE SHELL

    Ezra Miller – ANOTHER HAPPY DAY

    Shailene Woodley – THE DESCENDANTS

    Anton Yelchin – LIKE CRAZY

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  • Reviews of OK, Enough Goodbye and Scenes of a Crime at 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival

    The 2011 Hamptons International Film Festival continues through Monday, October 17, 2011, but Saturday proved to be a very popular day for festival goers. With a packed day of screenings, it was frustrating because many of the great films and events (like TV channels) all seem to be happening at the same time, so it was really hard to pick and choose.

    Mini Reviews

    OK, Enough, Goodbye, is the feature film debut of Co-Directors/Co-Screenwriters Rania Attieh and Daniel Garcia. The film which is in Arabic, with subtitles, is described as “…much a striking portrait of Tripoli, Lebanon, as it is the offbeat story of a helpless middle-aged man who lives at home with his elderly mother. When his mother, fed up with cooking and cleaning for her grown son, leaves without notice, he seeks out the company of an unusual mix of characters: a prostitute, a six-year-old boy, and an Ethiopian maid. This astonishing feature film debut is a coming of age story of an adult on his own amidst the landscape of a multi-cultural, modern day Lebanon.”

    The film is a good film, and was funny at times, especially when the main character interacts with the little boy who no doubt steals the film every time he appears in a scene. Other times, the film appears long (although the time is only listed as 93 minutes) because the directors shot the film in more of a documentary style (they admitted this in the Q & A at the end).  A lot of the film was spent observing the city of Tripoli, Lebanon or the characters doing mundane things like switching TV channels and eating pastries.

    Up next, playing to a packed house was the documentary, ‘Scenes of a Crime’.


    Winner of the Grand Jury Award at the 2011 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, SCENES OF A CRIME explores a nearly 10-hour interrogation that culminates in a disputed confession, and an intense, high-profile child murder trial in New York state.  Police video-recordings allow directors Blue Hadaegh and Grover Babcock to unravel the complicated psychological dynamic between detectives and their suspect during a long interrogation.  Detectives, prosecutors, witnesses, jurors and the suspect himself offer conflicting accounts of exactly what happened in this mysterious and disturbing true-crime documentary.”

    The documentary was preceded by the short film/documentary ‘You Have the Right To An Attorney’ that follows two young public defenders in the South Bronx with little time to clear their caseload and odds always stacked against their clients. This served as an excellent pretext to the film that followed.

    Without giving away most of the storyline, most of the documentary Scenes of a Crime is spent observing the interrogation of the suspect Adrian Thomas and understanding how/why/ and everything there is to know about this process, but you will be left with more questions than answers. I’ll put it this way, no matter what your opinion is as you watch the film, you will be SHOCKED by the outcome. But I was more shocked that no one seemed to address the other huge elephant in the room. Figure that one out when you watch.


    I’m not sure that this will make it to theaters, well because most documentaries do not, unless they are directed by Michael Moore (just kidding) but it will definitely make it to your TV/cable. I promise you that. It’s that good.




     

     

     

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  • Le Havre Takes The Top Film Prize at the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1724" align="alignnone" width="550"]Le Havre[/caption]

    Le Havre, Finland’s official submission for 2012 Academy Awards – Best Foreign Language Film, topped a lineup of more than 180 feature-length fiction films, documentaries and shorts to win the top prize, the Gold Hugo at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival Competitions. Directed by Aki Kaurismäki, “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.” Le Havre opens in LA and NYC on October 21.

    The complete list of winners of the 2011 Chicago International Film Festival.

     

    Gold Hugo to LE HAVRE (Finland/France) for the mastery of film director Aki Kaurismäki and his stylized yet very humane depiction of illegal immigration.

    Silver Hugo for CAIRO 678 (Egypt) for addressing relevant social issues. It takes a strong stand on sexual harassment for women at home and work. It is a brave film for presenting women as an oppressor rather than a victim.

    Silver Hugo for Best Actress to Olivia Colman in TYRANNOSAUR (UK) for an outstanding performance hitting every note showing her vulnerability, her power and her humor.

    Silver Hugo for Best Actor to Maged El Kedwany in CAIRO 678 (Egypt) for his ability to bring balance to the story and light to a heavy tone. His presence draws you into every frame he is in.

    Silver Hugo for Best Screenplay to Joshua Marston and Andamion Murataj for THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD (US/Albania) for a lovingly crafted story that takes us on an intimate journey through the fate of families that are ruled by the laws of honor and vengeance. The writers lay out for the audience the complexity of human relations and make us reconsider our own standards and convictions.

    The International Feature Film Competition Jury includes Jury president Nimród Antal (US/Hungary), Leonardo García Tsao (Mexico), Claudia Landsberger (The Netherlands), Carlitos Ruiz Ruiz (Puerto Rico) and Bhawana Somaaya (India).

    New Directors Competition

    This selection of first and second feature films receiving their US premiere in Chicago celebrates the spirit of discovery and innovation upon which the Festival was founded.

    The Gold Hugo goes to THE GOOD SON (Finland) for its real psychological insight. Economical without being overly abstract, the film depicts each character as selfish, but dependent on someone else, exposing their unstable familial relationships. Director Zaida Bergroth impresses with her ability to create characters and their environment, intersecting in believable yet shocking ways.

    The Silver Hugo is awarded to VOLCANO (Iceland/Denmark), a film that triggers a deep emotional response that has nothing to do with sentimentality. It juxtaposes domestic space with the dramatic Icelandic landscape to riveting effect. Not just another film about redemption, Rúnar Rúnarsson’s debut depicts the moral ambiguity of the choices facing a complex, older man.

    The New Directors Competition Jury includes Eileen Favorite, Tom Quinn, and Michael Raine.

    Founder’s Award

    The Founder’s Award is given to that one film across all categories that captures the spirit of the Chicago International Film Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of the moving image. This year’s recipient of the Founder’s Award is THE ARTIST (France), director Michel Hazanavicius’ delightfully romantic comedy about silent cinema and the movies in general.

    Special Awards

    The 47th Chicago International Film Festival recognized French film director and producer CLAUDE LELOUCH’s 50 years in the film industry with a Silver Hugo award. The award was presented to him on October 8 at a screening of his 43rd film What Love May Bring.

    Actor ANTHONY MACKIE received the Artistic Achievement Award at the Festival’s annual Black Perspectives Tribute

    Docufest Competition

    This selection of international documentaries competing for the Gold Hugo go beyond the headlines in telling those true stories that surprise, entertain and challenge us.

    Gold Hugo goes to CINEMA KOMUNISTO (Serbia), an exquisite matching of form and content. This film uses cinema as both a metaphor and a mechanism for the telling of unique national, cultural, and personal histories. Archival and contemporary footage are deftly interwoven to yield a result that is at once intimate and universal. Director: Mila Turajlic.

    Silver Hugo goes to the visually and aurally innovative DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL (US). The subject, Diana Vreeland, embodies the exuberance of the 20th century (often called the American Century) even though she was not born in the US and was a confirmed Europhile all her life. The filmmakers have used a range of techniques in the service of a central aim: to connect audiences with the essence of this unique woman who reflected her times. Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland.

    A Gold Plaque goes to SALAAM DUNK (US/Iraq). This documentary delivers an extraordinary level of access to the emotions of these courageous young Iraqi women who formed a basketball team at the American University of Iraq. There are so many ways the director could have sacrificed the sense of direct connection to steer our attention towards social and political analysis but this does not happen: we live with the players and their coach and with the complexities of ethnicity in post-Saddam Iraq. Director: David Fine.

    A Silver Plaque goes to ALL ME: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF WINFRED REMBERT (US), a patient portrayal of an individual’s life that peels away social history layer by layer. It connects audiences with aspects of US racial history they may know in general terms but will rarely have had the opportunity to access through the life of a man who is also an extraordinary visual artist compelled to tell his story in his work. Director: Vivian Ducat.

    The jury gives a Certificate of Merit to ENDING NOTE: DEATH OF A JAPANESE SALESMAN (Japan). The filmmaker demonstrates considerable courage and determination in this refreshing and candid film that naturalizes dying and death. She has a very special ability to preserve affection and intimacy even as she reveals the final months of her father’s life to the world. Director: Mami Sunada.

    The Docufest Competition Jury includes Jill DiBiase, Bruce Sheridan and Jonathan Towers.

    After Dark Competition

    This competitive program of scary movies from around the world takes audiences on a journey to the darkest corners of the human soul.

    The Gold Hugo goes to SNOWTOWN (Australia), a cinematically told, verité style portrait of a serial killer which is surprising in its execution and never relies on stock characters. Director: Justin Kurzel.

    The Silver Hugo goes to A LONELY PLACE TO DIE (UK), which employs stunning cinematography and majestic mountain landscapes to tell a story which thrilled the jury with its capacity for the unexpected. Director: Julian Gibley.

    The After Dark Competition Jury includes Shayna Connelly, Julian Grant and John Russell Taylor.

    Short Film Competition

    The Gold Hugo for Best Short Film goes to THE EAGLEMAN STAG (UK), for its virtuoso and wide-ranging technical feats with a form and style that seem wholly its own, all in the service of characterizing a brilliant, acerbic scientist from cradle to grave, and beyond. The film’s monochromatic palette, intriguing textures, wry narration, and imaginative aesthetic illuminate the life and mind of a potentially cold figure, yielding a precise vision of what dazzles and bores him during the finite time he will spend on this strange, wonderful planet. Director: Michael Please.

    The Silver Hugo for Best Animated Short is awarded to BIRDBOY (Spain). This film’s dynamic realization of two souls searching for some better place in a flawed and fractured world is a compelling journey wrought with contradictions and surprises — and ultimately hope. Directors: Pedro Rovero and Alberto Vazquez.

    The Silver Hugo for Best Documentary Short is awarded to CARETAKER FOR THE LORD (Scotland), for its beautifully observed, intensely moving, but rigorously unsentimental record of a small-town church faced with closing its doors, prompting complex questions about how we use our communal institutions, why we need them, and how to decide when it’s time to let them go. Director: Jane McAllister.

    The Silver Hugo for Best Narrative Short is awarded to THE UNLIVING (Sweden), for combining the rich atmospheres and sterling production values of a feature with the eccentric rhythms of truly independent cinema, all braided into a deeply unnerving thriller that is manna for horror fans but a resonant, indelible experience for all audiences. Director: Hugo Lilja.

    A Gold Plaque goes to THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF ROCKY (Belgium), a brilliant darkly comedic tale of one young man’s grappling with fate, love, and the meaning of life. Director Kevin Meul.

    A Silver Plaque goes to MEATHEAD (New Zealand) for the most inspired location to film a coming-of-age story. With a terrifying sound mix and amazing cinematography, the filmmakers turn a real life meat factory into a full-on haunted house for a young man facing the trials (and entrails) of adulthood. Director: Sam Holst.
    The Gold Plaque for Best Student Short (Animated) is awarded to BELLY (UK), which marries a poignant, pivotal experience shared among three characters to a series of innovative character designs and unusual physical environments, reminding us that adolescence is a sad, weird, eye-opening journey, and that every person and every relationship is made of multiple, sometimes conflicting sides. Director: Julia Pott.

    The Gold Plaque for Best Student Short (Documentary) is awarded to GOODBYE, MANDIMA (Switzerland), for its heartrending dissection of a seminal moment in time captured in a single photograph. The rupture between past and future is so beautifully articulated, and so deeply felt, that the final shot manages to leave you breathless. Director: Robert-Jan Lacombe.
    The jury awards a Special Mention to GRANDMOTHERS (UK). This short truly defies categorization –all at once an animated, short, student, documentary film combining a very personal (almost narrative approach) and an innovative visual specificity– painting a picture far beyond its 9 1/2 minutes of loss and recovery in the multi-generational search for Argentina’s “disappeared.” Director: Afarin Eghbal.

    The Short Film Jury includes Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, Nick Davis, and Todd Lillethun.

    INTERCOM Competition

    One of the longest-running international competitions of its kind, INTERCOM honors a wide range of corporate-sponsored, educational and branded films.

    The Gold Hugo goes to SUVA – THE MOMENT OF TRUTH by Seed Audio-Visual Communication, commissioned by insurance company SUVA to promote work safety.

    The Silver Hugo goes to OSTEOBLASTS AND OSTEOCLASTS by Random42 Medical Animation, the world’s premier medical animation company.

    The INTERCOM Competition Jury includes Ron Falzone, Cortney Groves and Kim Kubiak.

    Chicago Award

    The Chicago Award, presented to a Chicago or Illinois artist for the best feature, short film or documentary, goes to L TRAIN, directed by Anna Musso. It is purposeful, mysterious and formal in a way that heightened its expressiveness.

    The Chicago Award jury includes Tim Kinsella, Natasha Korecki, and Brigid Reagan.

    The Audience Choice Award will be announced on October 24th. The 48th Chicago International Film Festival runs October 11-25, 2012.

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  • AFI FEST 2011 Announces Young Americans, New Auteurs and Spotlight Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_1736" align="alignnone" width="550"](L-R) Ariane Labed and Evangelia Randou in ATTENBERG Courtesy of Strand Releasing[/caption]

    AFI FEST 2011 announced the films that will be featured in the festival’s Young Americans, New Auteurs and Spotlight sections at the 25th edition this November. Young Americans features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers, while New Auteurs highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world. This year’s Spotlight section focuses on acclaimed independent American filmmaker Joe Swanberg, featuring presentations of films from his Full Moon Trilogy – SILVER BULLETS, ART HISTORY and the world premiere of THE ZONE.

     

    NEW AUTEURS SELECTIONS
    The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world.
    ATTENBERG: DIR/SCR Athina Rachel Tsangari. Greece.
    BONSAI: DIR/SCR Cristián Jiménez. Chile/France/Argentina/Portugal.
    BULLHEAD: DIR/SCR Michaël R. Roskam. Belgium.
    HANAAN: DIR/SCR Ruslan Pak. Russia/South Korea/Uzbek.
    THE LONELIEST PLANET: DIR/SCR Julia Loktev. USA/Germany.
    MICHAEL: DIR/SCR Markus Schleinzer. Austria.
    OSLO, AUGUST 31: DIR Joachim Trier. SCR Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier. Norway.
    RESTLESS CITY: DIR Andrew Dosunmu. SCR Eugene Gussenhoven. USA.
    SNOWTOWN: DIR Justin Kurzel. SCR Justin Kurzel, Shaun Grant. Australia.

    YOUNG AMERICANS SELECTIONS
    The Young Americans section features work by emerging U.S. filmmakers.
    THE COLOR WHEEL: DIR Alex Ross Perry. SCR Alex Ross Perry, Carlen Altman.
    THE DISH & THE SPOON: DIR Alison Bagnall. SCR Alison Bagnall, Andrew Lewis.
    DRAGONSLAYER: DIR Tristan Patterson. (Documentary)
    GREEN: DIR/SCR Sophia Takal.
    SPARK OF BEING: DIR Bill Morrison. (Experimental)
    WUSS: DIR/SCR Clay Liford.

    SPOTLIGHT ON JOE SWANBERG
    SILVER BULLETS: DIR/SCR Joe Swanberg.
    ART HISTORY: DIR Joe Swanberg. SCR Joe Swanberg, Josephine Decker, Kent Osborne.
    THE ZONE: DIR/SCR Joe Swanberg. World Premiere.
    Film stills and director headshots are available for press use

    AFI FEST will take place November 3 through 10 in Hollywood, California.

     

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  • Documentary about Gay Rights Activist , Vito Russo Premieres Tonight at NY Film Fest

    VITO, an HBO documentary film about gay rights activist Vito Russo, premieres tonight at the New York Film Festival. The film premieres at 6:00 PM with an encore screening at 9:15 PM.

    VITO offers rare insight into one of the most important voices in the birth of contemporary gay culture and AIDS activism.  His book The Celluloid Closet published in 1981 (and updated in 1987), remains a landmark historical work and his co-founding of GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and early activism with ACT UP established Vito Russo as one of the most important civil rights activists in New York and the country.

    For over two decades, Vito Russo was a ubiquitous presence in New York, a ravenous, tireless cinephile and critic who became one of the earliest, most important voices in the struggle for gay rights. His two passions came together in an extraordinary book, The Celluloid Closet, a groundbreaking study of gay and lesbian imagery and themes in movies that remains a landmark in the field. Now Jeffrey Schwarz, using some incredible period footage as well as the testimonies of those who knew him best, has created this heartfelt, insightful portrait of Vito that serves simultaneously as a revealing chronicle of the birth of contemporary gay culture and of later AIDS activism. An HBO Documentary FIlms release.

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