11 films set in Asia, Europe, North America, and Central America will comprise the 2019 Masters program of the Toronto International Film Festival. The Masters lineup has titles that run the gamut, from dramatic true stories to dark comedies, from a black-and-white narrative to a documentary film, with a healthy dose of introspection and socio-political commentary throughout. The slate will bring two World Premieres to Toronto.
Toronto International Film Festival announced the second set of films in the Gala and Special Presentations programs screening this September at the 44th edition of the Festival.
The new trailer dropped today for director Owen Long’s gothic horror SEEDS starring Trevor Long, star of Netflix drama Ozark, about a man haunted by his dark past while pursuing some self-care on the New England coast. Andrea Chen, Garr Long, and Kevin Breznahan star opposite Trevor Long
Festival of Cinema NYC announce the winners of its 3rd annual event at the Awards Gala on Sunday. From a pool of nearly 450 film submissions, the festival presented 125 remarkable films from 25 countries with the top awards going to “Quest – The Truth Always Rises” directed by Santiago Rizzo for Best Feature Narrative, and “The Ringmaster” directed by Molly Dworsky and Dave Newberg for Best Documentary.
The Projections section of the 57th New York Film Festival is comprised of six features, seven shorts programs, and two videos that will be looped in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center Amphitheater Drawing on a broad range of innovative modes and techniques, including experimental narratives, avant-garde poetics, crossovers into documentary realms, and contemporary art practices, Projections brings together a diverse offering of short, medium, and feature-length work by some of today’s most essential and groundbreaking filmmakers and artists.
The XVIII edition of Nest Film Students, the international film students meeting taking place in the framework of the San Sebastian Festival’s 67th edition, has selected fourteen short films from Argentina, Belgium, Chile, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Portugal, Russia and the UK.
The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) will return to New York this fall for its 11th season. ADFF:NY is the festival’s anchor event that takes place annually during Archtober – New York City’s Architecture & Design month.
The documentary I Am Patrick Swayze, which held its world premiere at the San Antonio Film Festival (SAFILM) on August 2, was awarded the Festival’s Grand Prize.
Michael Steiner’s romantic comedy Wolkenbruch’s Wondrous Journey into the Arms of a Shiksa which premiered at the 2018 Zurich Film Fest, has been selected by Switzerland as the country’s submission for the Best International Feature category (formerly Best Foreign Language Film) in the 92nd Academy Awards.
Prague Independent Film Festival announced the winners of the 2019 edition with the experimental art-house film M by Finnish director Anna Eriksson receiving the Grand Prix and best feature film awards. The film, loosely inspired by the last days of Marilyn Monroe, initially premiered at the Venice’s International Film Critics’ Week in 2018. Anna Eriksson took upon herself multiple duties during the making of the film; she directed it, played the lead role, edited the film and composed the score.
Cinematographer Luca Bigazzi (The Great Beauty, The Way We Laughed, Bread and Tulips) is the recipient of the Campari Passion for Film Award of the 76th Venice International Film Festival. The award, instituted last year at the 75th Venice Film Festival, seeks to highlight the remarkable contribution given by the director’s closest collaborators to the fulfillment of the artistic project that each film represents. It is not often that cinematographers, editors, composers, set or costume designers are adequately recognized for their work, which is often key to the quality of the final result. Passion for Film attributes this award to these professional figures (last year the prize was awarded to American film editor Bob Murawski), who are more than just craftsmen: they are artists and co-authors of the films to which they offer the gift of their unparalleled talent.
Big World Pictures will release Milko Lazarov’s ÁGA, which had its World Premiere at the Closing Night Film of Berlin International Film Festival – the first Bulgarian film in 29 years to be honored with that slot. The film went on to win many top prizes at several international film festivals, including Best Film at Cairo International Film Festival; Best Film at Bulgarian Feature Film Festival; Audience Award at Best Feature at Llubljana International Film Festival; and Best Film at Sarajevo Intl. Film Festival.