Academy Award–winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins will receive a TIFF Tribute Actor Award; director Chloé Zhao will receive the TIFF Ebert Director Award; and Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Mira Nair will be honored with the Jeff Skoll Award in Impact Media at the TIFF Tribute Award Gala as part of the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival.
From director James Di Martino, the Australian horror film The Faceless Man, featuring Wolf Creek’s Andy McPhee, Roger Ward (Mad Max), Lucas Pittaway (Snowtown) and Sophie Thurling (“Counter Play”), arrives in America this summer.
The Virtual Reality works from 24 different countries in Venice VR Expanded, the Virtual Reality section of the 77th Venice Film Festival set to run September 2-12, 2020, will be available for viewing in the VR Lounge of many cultural institutions around the world, and online.
The sensational urban crime drama Last Shot about a young man looking to start over and experiencing the unpredictability of being a free man in a dangerous town is the debut feature film for writer/director, Terrence Arlyn. With its superb performances and an incredible original soundtrack featuring music from Maseratti Ran featuring MeWe and Jerzey B featuring Uniceson, Last Shot will be available on all major video-on-demand services and online at all major retailers from August 25, 2020.
San Francisco Documentary Festival (SF DocFest) is presenting a virtual festival to take place Sept 3-20, 2020. The festival features 46 new documentaries available to watch over a 17 day period, live or pre-recorded Q&As with almost all films plus some fun special events.
Virgil Films released the socio-political feature documentary film Stars and Strife, written and directed by New York Times Best-Selling Author David Smick and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Barry Levinson. Stars and Strife exposes how an epidemic of hatred and division has left America helpless and presents how a rediscovery of empathy will move the nation forward.
Azazel Jacobs’s French Exit starring Michelle Pfeiffer will make its World Premiere as the Closing Night of the 58th New York Film Festival.
The first virtual edition of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), now in its 24th year, will feature a robust slate of speakers including Stacey Abrams, Kenya Barris, Mary J. Blige, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Gabrielle Union and Lena Waithe, as well as panels ranging from the business of Hollywood to spotlights on new films and television series. The festival will offer a mix of live and on demand content from August 21st to 30th at abff.com.
The new trailer is here for David Darg and Price James’ wildly entertaining documentary, You Cannot Kill David Arquette, an official selection of this year’s cancelled 2020 SXSW Film Festival. The film instead had its debut in early March at the Arquette’s California home a mere 24 hours after hearing about the SXSW cancellation, surrounded by friends, family and a homemade wrestling ring.
Stage Mother, the new comedy-drama film starring Oscar-nominated Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook, Animal Kingdom), Adrian Grenier (Entourage, The Devil Wears Prada) and Emmy-Nominated Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Elementary, Ally McBeal), will kick-off the virtual 22nd edition of the OUTshine LGBTQ+ Film Festival on Thursday, August 20.
The new short film by Luca Guadagnino, Fiori, Fiori, Fiori!, and the independent film, Run Hide Fight, written and directed by Kyle Rankin, with Isabel May, Thomas Jane, and Radha Mitchell, have been added to the Out of Competition line-up of the 77th Venice International Film Festival. The festival is scheduled to take place from September 2 to 12 2020 at the Lido di Venezia.
ReelWorks Studios and Fathom Events release their latest film When We Last Spoke, a heartwarming tale of family, friendship and forgiveness featuring Corbin Bernsen (“Psych,” “L.A. Law”), Melissa Gilbert (“Little House on the Prairie”), Darby Camp (“Big Little Lies,” The Christmas Chronicles), Chandler Head (The Glass Castle) and Academy award-winning actress, Cloris Leachman (I Can Only Imagine, The Last Picture Show). When We Last Spoke will open in movie theaters for an exclusive two night showing October 27 and 29, 2020.