• The second NY/SF International Children’s Film Festival Lineup of Films; October 21 – 23 in San Francisco

    [caption id="attachment_1621" align="alignnone" width="550"]A scene from the documentary CHANDANI: THE DAUGHTER OF THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER, playing at the NY/SF International Children’s Film Festival, October 21 – 23 at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema and Letterman Digital Arts Center. [/caption]

    The second NY/SF International Children’s Film Festival, a three-day celebration of diverse, enlightening, inspiring and entertaining films for kids and teens ages 3-18 and their families, will run October 21 – 23 at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema and the Premier Theater, Letterman Digital Arts Center.

    “The inaugural Children’s Film Festival in 2010 was such a great success and a testament to the demand for — and appreciation of — high quality international films, from Bay Area kids and families,” said Joanne Parsont, SFFS director of education. “We have been working hard to cultivate those audiences over the last year and are really looking forward to bringing them another fun and festive program in 2011. We are especially pleased to be able to showcase this great slate of films in two of San Francisco’s preeminent theaters, with two 3-D offerings at Lucasfilm’s Premier Theater on Opening Night and a full weekend of films at the new San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema.”

    See lineup below.

    All programs at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema, except as noted.

    Friday, October 21 Opening Night

    Premier Theater, Letterman Digital Arts Center

    5:00 pm Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage

    Ben Stassen (Belgium 2010)

    This delightful eco-adventure is an immersive 3-D experience, taking you on an animated undersea journey with Sammy, a sea turtle embarking on a 50-year odyssey around the world-and a lifetime of adventure. Vibrant visuals are accompanied by a lively soundtrack featuring pop songs by Bruno Mars and Michael Jackson. 85 min. In English. Preceded by short The Deep. Recommended for all ages.

    6:00 pm Opening Night Party

    Palm Room, San Francisco Film Centre, 39 Mesa Street, The Presidio

    A fun-filled party with face painting, butterfly tattoos, shadow puppets, music, kid-friendly food, drinks and complimentary grown-up grape juice that film-and-party ticket holders can attend either after Sammy’s Adventures or before Tales of the Night. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume, like the costume-changing characters in Tales of the Night.

    7:30 pm Tales of the Night

    Michel Ocelot (Les contes de la nuit, France 2011)

    Renowned French animation auteur Michel Ocelot marks his first foray into 3-D animation using his unique shadow puppet style to tell six different fables each unfolding in an exotic locale. History blends with fairy tale in enchanted lands full of dragons, werewolves, sorcerers, captive princesses and brave warriors. 84 min. In French with subtitles. Preceded by short Don’t Go. Recommend for ages seven and up.



    Saturday, October 22

    10:00 am Tigers and Tattoos – and More

    Karla von Bengston (Denmark 2010)

    Maj and her tattoo artist uncle Sonny make a hasty escape after she foolishly engraves her own artwork on a burly customer. They embark on an unexpected adventure, discovering a fairy-filled forest and a circus family with a man-eating tiger. In Danish with English voiceover. Preceded by shorts The Happy Duckling, Chicken Cowboy and The Wooden Pirate with the Flesh Leg. Total running time 63 min. Recommended for ages five and up.

    12:00 pm Party Mix

    This entertaining, thought-provoking and visually stunning collection of animated and live-action short films from around the world includes the NYICFF Grand Prize-winning Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, 2010 Oscar winner The Lost Thing and the Guinness World Record holders for both the smallest and largest stop-motion animation films, Dot and Gulp, produced by multiple-Oscar-winning studio Aardman Animations. Total running time 68 min. Recommended for ages 7-14.

    2:15 pm The Storytelling Show

    Jean-Chrisophe Roger (France/Luxembourg 2010)

    In this hilarious animated comedy, a brother and sister enter their father in a reality TV show contest, where dads compete to tell the best bedtime stories. Inspired by the filmmaker’s childhood memories, it’s a raucous tribute to the joys of imagination and the limitless possibilities of storytelling. 77 min. In French with subtitles. Preceded by short Johnny. Recommended for ages seven and up.

    4:15 pm Girls’ POV

    This eye-opening and engaging selection of short films celebrates the trials and triumphs of girls from different cultures, countries and backgrounds. Featuring NYICFF jury-award winner Chalk and BAFTA winner I-Do-Air, the program steers through a wide range of issues and emotions from friendship and rivalry to jealousy and love, from arranged marriages to eating disorders. Total running time 82 min. Recommended for ages 9-16.

    7:00 pm Echoes of the Rainbow

    Alex Law (Hong Kong 2010)

    Set in 1960s Hong Kong, this graceful and poignant story about the family of an illiterate shoemaker focuses on his eight-year-old son, nicknamed Big Ears, who idolizes his older brother and dreams of being an astronaut. But when a family tragedy strikes, Big Ears must learn how to deal with love and loss, good times and bad. Written by Alex Law. Photographed by Charlie Lam. With Buzz Chung, Aarif Lee, Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Ann Hui. 117 min. In Cantonese, Mandarin and French with subtitles. Distributed by Mei Ah Entertainment. Recommended for ages ten and up.



    Sunday, October 23

    10:00 am Kid Flix Mix

    Perfect for youngest audiences, this colorful and musical mix of the best animated films from around the world features chatty birds, beatboxing cats and one very hungry pig. From Slovakia to Spain, filmmakers demonstrate a range of styles, using everything from hand-drawn to computer-generated animation and mixed media collage with characters made from patterned fabrics, burlap and buttons. Total running time 62 min. Recommended for ages 3-6.

    12:15 pm Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams     

    Director in person

    Sinem Sakaoglu, Jesper Møller (Germany 2010)

    Ever wonder where you go when you sleep? In this fantastical stop-motion adventure, six-year-old Milo is transformed into an animated character and swept into the secret nocturnal Dreamland on a mission to thwart the nefarious schemes of Habumar, creator of nightmares. 80 min. In English. Preceded by short Ormie. Recommended for all ages.

    2:45 pm Chandani: The Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer

    Arne Birkenstock (Germany/Sri Lanka 2009)

    Chandani dreams of following in the footsteps of her father and becoming the first female mahout-a guardian of wild elephants. Set in the Sri Lankan tropics, this documentary is a stunning tale of ambition, tradition, gender bias, familial bonds and playful pachyderms. Photographed by Marcus Winterbauer. 86 min. In English and Sinhalese with subtitles. Preceded by short Dot. Recommended for ages eight and up.

    5:30 pm Aurélie Laflamme’s Diary 

    Director in person

    Christian Laurence (Le journal d’Aurélie Laflamme, Canada 2010)

    Aurélie Laflamme suspects she’s an alien. But she’s really just a teenager navigating the strange conventions of adolescence on planet Earth. Facing teachers, tampons, fake tans and first crushes, she’s an endearingly awkward French Canadian version of a Judy Blume character. Written by India Desjardins. Photographed by Martin Leon. With Rose Adam, Valérie Blais, Genevieve Chartrand, Édith Cochrane. 108 min. In French with subtitles) Preceded by short Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. Recommended for ages eight and up.

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    The 2011 grantees are:

    ROOFTOP FILMS & EDGEWORX POST-PRODUCTION GRANT:
    AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS (David Lowery)

    ROOFTOP FILMS & EASTERN EFFECTS EQUIPMENT GRANT:
    OBVIOUS CHILD (Gillian Robespierre)

    ROOFTOP FILMS & ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION SHORT FILM GRANT FOR WOMEN:
    A LIGHT IN THE NIGHT (Sarah Daggar-Nickson)

    ROOFTOP FILMMAKERS’ FUND SHORT FILM GRANTS:
    MAN ON MARS (Anna Farrell)
    TSUNAMI / SAKURA [TIDAL WAVE / CHERRY BLOSSOM] (Lucy Walker)
    I’M NOT NOTHING (Zachary Volker)
    THE SEEDS (Todd Chandler & Jeff Stark)

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    2011 Winners

    Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, An American Promise, $25,000

    In 1999, filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson began documenting the experiences of two African American boys — their son and his best friend — as they started kindergarten at the prestigious, private, predominantly white Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, just as the school began to actively cultivate a diverse student body. This unprecedented longitudinal documentary reveals the life-changing experiences of the boys and their families as they navigate the challenges of academic achievement further complicated by issues of race and class.

    Priya Desai and Ann Kim, Match +, $25,000

    How do you find love and marriage when you are HIV-positive? And how do you do that in India, where marriage is a must but HIV/AIDS is unspeakable? Shame led some people to marry without disclosing their diagnosis and others to remain single. Twenty-five years ago the doctor who discovered the first cases of HIV in India could do little more than console her patients. Now she also acts as their matchmaker, helping HIV-positive people fulfill their familial duty as well as their own wish to marry.

    Zachary Heinzerling, Cutie & the Boxer, $50,000

    Cutie & the Boxer chronicles a unique love story between two Japanese artists and reveals the roots of their relationship. Ushio Shinohara achieved notoriety in postwar Japan with his avant-garde boxing paintings, and in 1969 moved to New York City in search of international recognition. Three years later, at age 19, Noriko left Japan to study art in New York and was instantly captivated by the middle-aged Shinohara. She abandoned her education and became the wife of an unruly, alcoholic husband. Forty years into their marriage the Shinoharas’ art and personalities are the basis for a deep and challenging symbiosis. Cutie & the Boxer reveals painful, universal truths about the lives of artists and examines how the creative process intersects with reality, identity and marriage.

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    Urbanworld was founded in 1997 by Stacy Spikes, and is dedicated to redefining the multicultural roles in contemporary cinema.

    One of the spotlight films, Mario Van Peebles domestic drama “All Things Fall Apart,” which stars Fifty Cent as a rising college football star struck down by cancer (!), was a big, deserved audience hit. But, the real and true stand-outs of Urbanworld Film Festival were the narrative shorts.

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    Vimooz just cannot wait to see what fresh talent Urbanworld will discover next year…

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    Late ‘60s America was so multi-dimensional, so rife with various and extensive cultural and political facets, it’s difficult to get a true hold on what was really accomplished in that era, since the Civil Rights Movement of the early to mid 1960s. But a LOT surely was accomplished, just as much as so much was left bitterly undone. The “Black Power Movement” of that era, spearheaded by a young, brilliant freedom-rider named Stokley Carmichael, has its roots in the soil sown of decades upon decades of poverty, slavery, abuse of all kinds, and political injustice towards African-Americans in the United States.

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  • Morgan Spurlock rings NASDAQ Closing Bell to celebrate Guinness World Record for The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

    Academy Award nominee Morgan Spurlock visited the NASDAQ on Friday to ring the closing bell in celebration of his film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, being officially recognized by Guinness World Records as holding the record for the Most Paid-For Product Placements in a Film.


     

     

    He was joined by Amanda Mochan of Guinness who presented the certificate to Morgan, as well as multiple sponsors of his film, including POM Wonderful, Hyatt, Old Navy, Solstice Sunglasses, JetBlue and Mane ‘N Tail, among others.

     

     

    POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is currently available for digital download and will be available on Blu-ray and DVD August 23rd.

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  • Tribeca Film Festival Announces 2012 Dates

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

    For filmmakers, deadlines to submit U.S. and International films for the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival are as follows:

    September 19, 2011 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN

    October 28, 2011 –      EARLY DEADLINE, FEATURES & SHORTS

    December 2, 2011 –    OFFICIAL DEADLINE, ALL FEATURES AND SHORTS

    January 11, 2012 –      LATE DEADLINE, AVAILABLE TO FEATURE LENGTH FILMS ONLY

    In addition, the Tribeca Film Institute, the year round nonprofit arts organization, announced submissions are now open for Tribeca All Access (TAA), TFI Documentary Fund, Latin America Media Arts Fund and the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund.

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  • Tribeca Film to release Edward Burns ‘Newlyweds’ later this year

    Tribeca Film has acquired Newlyweds, actor/writer/director Edward Burns’ comedic relationship drama that had its world premiere as the Closing Night selection at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and plans a late 2011 release date.

    Newlyweds is the 10th film written and directed by Burns. Shot in a fast paced 12 days exclusively in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood, the film is a chronicle of modern marriage complete with the crackling humor and sharp insights into contemporary relationships that Burns fans have come to love.   The film tracks a newly wedded couple whose honeymoon period is upended by the arrival of the husband’s wild-child baby sister and the crumbling marriage of the wife’s meddlesome sister.  A 21st Century Manhattan love story, Newlyweds highlights the unarguable truth that when you get married, you’re not just getting a husband or wife, you’re getting the family, the friends, and even the exes.

    The cast includes Burns, Caitlin FitzGerald (It’s Complicated), Max Baker, Marsha Dietlein Bennett and Kerry Bishé (Nice Guy Johnny, Scrubs). Burns produced Newlyweds with producing partner Aaron Lubin and William Rexer. Mike Harrop served as executive producer.

     

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  • Brett Ratner and Don Mischer to Produce 84th Academy Awards

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    “I was so impressed with Brett when I met with him to discuss the Oscar show,” said Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak.  “He has an incredible love of film and its history and is a true student of the business of movies.  He’s unbelievably creative and knows how to take risks that are both interesting and inspiring.  Together with Don Mischer – who, by the way, just earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the 83rd Academy Awards – I think these two will give us a fantastic Oscar show that you won’t want to miss.”

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  • James Earl Jones, Dick Smith and Oprah Winfrey To Receive Honorary Academy Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1603" align="alignnone" width="550"]Oprah Winfrey received her Oscar nomination for her debut film performance in The Color Purple [/caption]

    The  Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Honorary Awards to actor James Earl Jones and makeup artist Dick Smith and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to philanthropist Oprah Winfrey at the Academy’s 3rd Annual Governors Awards dinner on Saturday, November 12.

    The Honorary Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual for “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

    The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar statuette, is given to an individual in the motion picture industry whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry.

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  • Tom Sherak Re-elected President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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    Previously, Sherak was a partner at Revolution Studios and prior to joining Revolution, Sherak held various positions at Twentieth Century Fox including senior executive vice president of Fox Filmed Entertainment.  Sherak has been responsible for the launch, distribution and/or post-production of many blockbuster films including “Black Hawk Down,” “Anger Management,” “Rent,” “Across the Universe.” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Speed,” “Independence Day,” “Romancing the Stone,” ” Aliens,” “Wall Street,” “Die Hard”  and “Working Girl.”  He began his career in the industry at Paramount Pictures in 1970.

     

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  • Argentinian film ‘Puzzle’ opens Friday, September 9 at the San Francisco Film Society’s new theatrical home,| New People Cinema

    [caption id="attachment_1599" align="alignnone" width="550"]Maria Onetto stars in the Argentine film PUZZLE, opening at San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema September 9. [/caption]

    If you live in San Francisco, Puzzle, (Rompecabezas, Argentina/France 2010), Natalia Smirnoff’s delicate first feature which focuses on a marginalized woman in Latin American society, opens Friday, September 9 at the San Francisco Film Society’s new theatrical home, San Francisco Film Society | New People Cinema (1746 Post Street).

    A middle-aged housewife, cherished by her husband and two sons but nevertheless taken for granted, discovers an aptitude for jigsaw puzzles in this beautifully modulated character portrait. After a broken dinner plate leads to an epiphany, María del Carmen (played by María Onetto, star of Lucrecia Martel’s The Headless Woman) begins assembling newly purchased puzzles on a small table. Though her husband wonders what the point is, she perseveres, eventually signing up for a competition with a wealthier, more extroverted man named Roberto as her partner. Much of the film’s delight comes from watching the characters develop-as María finds the missing piece in her life, the members of her family tacitly acknowledge the ways in which they were keeping her from becoming whole.

     

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