The original documentary special, “Detroit: Comeback City,” which recounts the saga of the rise, fall and rebirth of Detroit through the iconic Michigan Central Station will premiere on HISTORY on Sunday, July 1 at 9pm ET/PT.
Narrated by Academy Award(R)-winner and Detroit native JK Simmons, the film chronicles how Detroit went from the engine of American capitalism to a city of ruins that is now on the cusp of an exciting rebirth. The story of the city is told by real Detroiters who recount the stories of their relatives who helped build the city and the country. Among the interview subjects are Alice Cooper, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winner Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, Bill Ford and NASA Astronaut Jerry Linenger.
From Henry Ford’s automated assembly lines å turned Detroit into a wheelhouse of innovation to the factories that made the city WW2’s arsenal of democracy, we will hear from those who found freedom and prosperity in the Motor City, including those who fled racism in the South to build a new life, and those who lived through the city’s 1967 riots and the city’s eventual downturn – leading to Detroit’s painful filing for bankruptcy in 2013.
The anchor of the story is the iconic Michigan Central Station (MCS). Designed by Warren & Wetmore and Reed and Stem, the firms that designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, MCS was built in the early 20th Century to announce Detroit’s dream for the future. The station was an emblem of Detroit’s innovative power, but after six decades it was shut down and abandoned, a painful symbol of the city’s demise.
Ford Motor Company has purchased Michigan Central Station, and recently announced plans to transform the building into an innovation hub.
“Part of History’s mission is to not just tell stories of the past, but capture history as it unfolds,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President of Programming, HISTORY. “Working together with organizations like Ford Motor Company, we are able to breathe new life into the past by working together to save our most precious landmarks for future generations.”-
Documentary DETROIT: COMEBACK CITY Narrated by Detroit Native JK Simmons to Premiere on History
The original documentary special, “Detroit: Comeback City,” which recounts the saga of the rise, fall and rebirth of Detroit through the iconic Michigan Central Station will premiere on HISTORY on Sunday, July 1 at 9pm ET/PT.
Narrated by Academy Award(R)-winner and Detroit native JK Simmons, the film chronicles how Detroit went from the engine of American capitalism to a city of ruins that is now on the cusp of an exciting rebirth. The story of the city is told by real Detroiters who recount the stories of their relatives who helped build the city and the country. Among the interview subjects are Alice Cooper, Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Pulitzer Prize-winner Dr. Heather Ann Thompson, Bill Ford and NASA Astronaut Jerry Linenger.
From Henry Ford’s automated assembly lines å turned Detroit into a wheelhouse of innovation to the factories that made the city WW2’s arsenal of democracy, we will hear from those who found freedom and prosperity in the Motor City, including those who fled racism in the South to build a new life, and those who lived through the city’s 1967 riots and the city’s eventual downturn – leading to Detroit’s painful filing for bankruptcy in 2013.
The anchor of the story is the iconic Michigan Central Station (MCS). Designed by Warren & Wetmore and Reed and Stem, the firms that designed New York City’s Grand Central Terminal, MCS was built in the early 20th Century to announce Detroit’s dream for the future. The station was an emblem of Detroit’s innovative power, but after six decades it was shut down and abandoned, a painful symbol of the city’s demise.
Ford Motor Company has purchased Michigan Central Station, and recently announced plans to transform the building into an innovation hub.
“Part of History’s mission is to not just tell stories of the past, but capture history as it unfolds,” said Eli Lehrer, Executive Vice President of Programming, HISTORY. “Working together with organizations like Ford Motor Company, we are able to breathe new life into the past by working together to save our most precious landmarks for future generations.”
-
Terry Gilliam, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer and More Guests Confirmed for Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_30282" align="aligncenter" width="1204"]
Terry Gilliam, Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer[/caption]
Among the guests coming to the festival, the 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF will welcome Director Terry Gilliam, actor Anna Paquin and director Stephen Moyer, actor Rory Cochrane, Actor Caleb Landry Jones, Romain Gavras and producer John Lesher.
TERRY GILLIAM TO PRESENT THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE IN KARLOVY VARY
Director Terry Gilliam will personally appear at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival to present his new film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which had its premiere at this year’s festival in Cannes. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote faced many trials and tribulations and was many years in the making. Eighteen years ago, the original shoot starring Johnny Depp and Jean Rochefort was halted after just six days. The series of catastrophes that halted the project, which Gilliam had spent ten years preparing, was later the subject of Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s documentary Lost in La Mancha (2002), which was shown at the 37th KVIFF. But the legendary director did not give up on his dream and now, eighteen years later, he can present his film to the public. Cynical advertising director Toby comes across his nearly forgotten student film and sets out for the place where he had filmed his adaptation of Cervantes’s famous novel. He discovers that his film project has forever changed the hopes and dreams of a small village. He meets a confused shoemaker who is convinced that he is Don Quixote and that Toby is his Sancho Panza. Soon, Toby finds himself prisoner of the old man’s bizarre fantasies, and it becomes more and more difficult to discern fact from fiction. Over the course of his comical and surreal adventures, Toby is forced to face up to the tragic consequences of his film. Gilliam’s film stars Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Olga Kurylenko, Stellan Skarsgård and Joana Ribeiro. Terry Gilliam, one of the most distinctive contemporary directors in the world today, gained fame as a member of the famous comedy troupe Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and along with Terry Jones he co-directed several of the Pythons’ feature film projects. His best known solo outings as director include The Fischer King (1991, nominated for a Golden Globus for director), Twelve Monkeys (1995), Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) and The Brothers Grimm (2005). In 2006, Terry Gilliam visited the KVIFF to personally present his film Tideland (2005).OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR ANNA PAQUIN AND ACTOR/DIRECTOR STEPHEN MOYER TO BE GUESTS AT THE KARLOVY VARY FESTIVAL
Among the guests coming to the festival, the 53rd Karlovy Vary IFF will welcome actor Anna Paquin and director Stephen Moyer, who will present The Parting Glass along with screenwriter, and co star Denis O’Hare, and producer Cerise Hallam Larkin. Moyer currently stars in FOX/MARVEL’S “The Gifted”.“The Parting Glass” is Moyer’s feature film directorial debut. Paquin will next be seen in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, a crime drama for Netflix, and is starring in and Executive Producing Flack, directed by Peter Cattaneo. O’Hare was most recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance on the acclaimed series This Is Us and will next be seen in the feature films Late Night, The Goldfinch and Swallow.ACTOR RORY COCHRANE WILL PRESENT FILM HOSTILES
The film Hostiles will be presented at KVIFF by american actor Rory Cochrane, known to audience primarily for the television series CSI: Miami. Rory Cochrane recently starred in the critically acclaimed film Black Mass opposite Johnny Depp, and portrayed the real-life character ‘Stephen Flemmi’. Before this, Rory was honored as a member of the ensemble cast of the 2012 Oscar-winning Best Picture Argo, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. Cochrane shared in several accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Motion Picture Ensemble, for his role as one of six American Embassy staffers trapped in Iran after the 1979 embassy takeover. His more recent film credits include another true-life drama Parkland, and the horror thriller Oculus, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. Upcoming, he stars in the independent war drama Soy Negro and The Most Hated Woman in America, Netflix’s drama feature starring Melissa Leo and produced by Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect). Born in New York, Cochrane spent much of his childhood in England, eventually returning to Manhattan to study at the La Guardia High School of Performing Arts. His first notable role was as Jeff Goldblum’s character’s son in the drama Fathers and Sons. His early film roles also include Slater, the young stoner in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, Billy Mack Black, the crazed tattooed killer in Love and A 45 and Lucas in Empire Records. His subsequent film credits include The Low Life and Dogtown for director George Hickenlooper; Joel Schumacher’s Flawless, with Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Robert De Niro; The Prime Gig with Vince Vaughn and Ed Harris; Hart’s War, opposite Colin Farrell and Bruce Willis; A Scanner Darkly which reunited him with Richard Linklater; Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale; Passion Play, with Bill Murray and Mickey Rourke; and Bringing Up Bobby, with Milla Jovovich.WORLD PREMIERE OF IN-COMPETITION “TO THE NIGHT” TO BE PRESENTED BY ACTOR CALEB LANDRY JONES
Actor Caleb Landry Jones, whom audiences will recognize from the series Twin Peaks and Breaking Bad or from the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, will be at the festival to present the in-competition film To the Night. Caleb Landry Jones started out with small film roles, after which he got the chance to appear in several episodes of Breaking Bad (2009–10) and Twin Peaks (2017). In 2011, he appeared as one of the mutants in X-Men: First Class, which was followed by appearances alongside Tom Cruise in the thriller American Made (2017), in the horror movie Get Out (2017), which won an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and in the widely acclaimed Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).DIRECTOR ROMAIN GAVRAS TO PRESENT HIS FILM “THE WORLD IS YOURS”
Romain Gavras has been making films since he was young, when he began directing shorts. He co-founded the cinematic group Kourtrajmé, which focused on recording Paris’s hip-hop scene. He has also shot numerous music videos that have been viewed by millions of people – for instance for M.I.A., Kanye West and Jay-Z – and for which he has been nominated for the Grammy Awards. His video for M.I.A.’s “Bad Girls” won two MTV awards in 2012 and was also nominated for a Grammy. Gavras is also a respected director of commercials. In 2010, he made his feature-film debut with Our Day Will Come starring Vincent Cassel. The son of the famous director Costa-Gavras, Romain Gavras will appear at the 53rd KVIFF to present The World Is Yours (Le Monde est à toi, 2018), a gag-filled comedy that surprised audiences at this year’s festival in Cannes and that features such actors as Isabelle Adjani and Vincent Cassel.OSCAR-WINNING PRODUCER TO PRESENT “HOSTILES”
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is proud to welcome as one of its guests producer John Lesher, who won an Oscar for Birdman (2014) starring Michael Keaton. With over 25 years years of experience, John Lesher is an Academy Award-Winning Producer, having worked on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Birdman”. In addition to that, Lesher produced “Hostiles”, starring Christian Bale, “Black Mass”, starring Johnny Depp, “Fury”, starring Brad Pitt and “End of Watch” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Lesher has “White Boy Rick” and “The Beach Bum” in post production both starring Matthew McConaughey. Prior to producing, Lesher founded Paramount Vantage in addition to being president of the film group at Paramount Pictures and before that Lesher was a partner at Endeavor and UTA. John Lesher has produced numerous successful films, including the Brad Pitt wartime drama Fury (2014) and the biographical crime drama Black Mass (2015) with Johnny Depp. At this year’s festival, Lesher will present the latest film by director Scott Cooper, Hostiles, starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike. Karlovy Vary audiences may remember Cooper thanks to his Crazy Heart (2009), which was shown at the 45th KVIFF.PRODUCER GREG SHAPIRO TO AGAIN VISIT KVIFF
Producer Greg Shapiro, who won a Best Picture for director Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, will make his fourth appearance at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Shapiro also collaborated with Bigelow on the critically-acclaimed Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and produced Daniel Espinosa’s Child 44 (2015), which was filmed in the Czech Republic. He is currently completing several films, including Serenity with Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey and Richard Says Goodbye with Johnny Depp.
-
Hulu to Release Award-Winning Whistleblower Documentary CRIME + PUNISHMENT
Hulu has acquired the whistleblower doc Crime + Punishment that premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, and will partner with IFC Films to release the documentary simultaneously in theaters and on Hulu on August 24th.
After debuting at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, Crime + Punishment went on to win the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact Filmmaking, and has garnered numerous awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the 2018 Independent Film Festival in Boston. Stephen Maing directed, produced and filmed, and Academy Award Winner Laura Poitras serves as an executive producer.
Crime + Punishment is a galvanizing and visually striking documentary that goes behind the scenes and undercover to expose discriminatory policing practices, intimidation and corruption within the New York Police Department. Told from multiple perspectives and precincts throughout New York City, Maing cinematically chronicles a band of minority whistleblower officers known as The NYPD 12, as well as the efforts of ex-cop turned private investigator, Manuel Gomez as they seek to expose the illegal use of arrest and summons quotas.
With unprecedented fly-on-the-wall access, the film artfully weaves an ensemble of interconnected stories and evidence from The NYPD 12, who put their careers on the line and mount a David vs. Goliath legal challenge – only to find themselves weathering harassment and retaliation from within their own departments.
“It was an act of bravery and defiance by all the cops and families who allowed their stories to be documented over the past four years so I’m heartened to know their efforts will not be in vain and this story made widely accessible,” said Maing. “It’s exciting to have Hulu’s amazing partnership and share this film theatrically, pursue an ambitious social impact campaign and present these previously unheard voices of active duty officers into the national dialogue around police reform. I am grateful for the collaborations and support I’ve received along the way, but most importantly to the brave participants of the film who have stepped forward for the sake of other citizens and officers.”
Crime + Punishment is the latest film to join Hulu’s award-winning documentary slate, which includes the recently-released TINY SHOULDERS: RETHINKING BARBIE and MARCH OF THE PENGUINS 2: THE NEXT STEP, as well as Grammy and Emmy Award winning film THE BEATLES: 8 DAYS A WEEK – THE TOURING YEARS, TOO FUNNY TO FAIL, OBEY GIANT, BECOMING BOND, DUMB and BATMAN AND BILL.
-
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival To Award Oscar-Winning Actor and Director Tim Robbins
Actor, director, screenwriter, producer and musician Tim Robbins, who won an Oscar for best supporting actor for his performance in Mystic River (2003) and who was nominated for a best director Oscar for Dead Man Walking (1995) will be honored at this year’s 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival with the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Contribution to World Cinema.
Thanks to his family background, Tim Robbins had contact with the world of art from an early age. He began his acting career at theaters in New York, and after completing his education he worked as an actor and director with the experimental theatre ensemble The Actor’s Gang, which under his guidance earned widespread audience acclaim and more than a hundred critics’ awards.
After appearing in several smaller film and television roles, Robbins gained more widespread attention thanks to his part in director Ron Shelton’s sports film Bull Durham (1988). Proof that Robbins was an actor of great promise came with his performance in the drama Jacob ’s Ladder (1990). A decisive moment in his acting career was his collaboration with the outstanding director Robert Altman – Robbins’ appearance in the main role in Altman’s The Player (1992) earned him a Golden Globe and the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival.
That same year, Robbins showed that he was a multifaceted auteur by filming his directorial debut Bob Roberts (1992) according to his own screenplay. Besides appearing in the title role, he also wrote (in collaboration with his brother David) the music for the film and even sang many of the songs himself.
Soon thereafter, Robbins again joined with Robert Altman to shoot Short Cuts (1993). The ensemble cast won a Special Golden Globe and also took home the Volpi Cup from the Venice Film Festival.
There followed appearances in the Coen brothers’ The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), another outing with Robert Altman (the comedy from the world of fashion Prêt-à-Porter, 1994), and his work with Frank Darabont on The Shawshank Redemption (1994), which was nominated for seven Oscars.
Also around this time, Robbins successfully continued with his work as director and screenwriter. Dead Man Walking (1996) earned him an Oscar nomination for best director, while Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for best actress. His next auteur outing, Cradle Will Rock (1999), which premiered at Cannes, explored the relationship between the individual artist and society during a tumultuous time in the U.S. though this time in another era. As with Dead Man Walking, Robbins produced, and the music was written by his brother David.
After Stephen Frears’s romantic comedy High Fidelity (2000) and Michel Gondry’s bizarre Human Nature (2001) – the latter of which was based on a script by Charlie Kaufman – Robbins appeared in one of his most successful roles in Clint Eastwood’s crime drama Mystic River (2004), for which both Robbins and lead actor Sean Penn won an Oscar and a Golden Globe. Recently Robbins has been seen in Marjorie Prime (2017) and HBOs The Brink (2016) and Here And Now (2018).
At the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Tim Robbins will present his two auteur films Bob Roberts and Cradle Will Rock. In addition, he will appear on stage for a special concert performance by Tim Robbins and The Rogues Gallery Band.
-
Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Ex Drummer Cliff Martinez Heads Jury of 7th International Film Music Competition
The International Film Music Competition returns for the 7th edition during the 14th Zurich Film Festival this coming Fall. The celebrity jury will be presided over by Cliff Martinez. Martinez made a name for himself as Steven Soderberg’s and Nicolas Winding Refn’s preferred composer and during the mid eighties as the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ drummer. Winding Refn’s THE NEON DEMON won Best Soundtrack in 2016 at the International Film Festival in Cannes. The musical evening and award ceremony take place on October 4 at the Tonhalle Maag.
This year’s International Film Music Competition Jury is presided over by film music composer Cliff Martinez. Martinez was drummer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the mid-eighties and played on the first two albums of the band. Later, he made a name for himself as a film composer and was nominated for several awards, including a Grammy and César. With the series TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG expected in 2019, the American continues his collaboration with DRIVE-director Nicolas Winding Refn.
He will be joined by German conductor and returning jury member Frank Strobel, who will once again conduct the approx. 100-piece Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich during this year’s musical event on October 4. The jury further comprises Swiss film music composer and pianist Christine Aufderhaar and Swiss film director Sabine Gisiger. The short film HAPPINESS by Steve Cutts forms the basis of this year’s competition.
List of jury members:
Cliff Martinez (film music composer / USA / Jury President)
Frank Strobel (conductor, musician / Germany)
Christine Aufderhaar (film music composer, musician / Switzerland)
Sabine Gisiger (film director / Switzerland)
The expert jury will select five works out of the 304 submissions from 44 countries. These nominated compositions will be performed live by the renowned Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich in front of a public audience at the Tonhalle Maag on October 4. The jury will then choose the winner of the Golden Eye for ‘Best International Film Music 2018’. The presentation of the award endowed with a CHF 10’000 cash prize is followed by a grand film music concert under the title ‘Thriller’.
-
Paraguayan Film THE HEIRESSES by Marcelo Martinessi Wins Top Prize at 65th Sydney Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_30258" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
THE HEIRESSES by Marcelo Martinessi Wins Top Prize at 65th Sydney Film Festival[/caption]
The Heiresses, the debut feature of Paraguayan filmmaker Marcelo Martinessi, won the prestigious Sydney Film Prize, out of a selection of 12 Official Competition films, at the 65th Sydney Film Festival. Winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize for opening new perspectives and the Silver Bear for Best Actress for Ana Brun, this complex relationship drama takes an unusual look at the lives of wealthy Paraguayan families through the tribulations of a lesbian couple.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD_LxrE9vVA
Lexus Australia Short Film Fellowship, Presented By Sydney Film Festival
Melissa Anastasi (Arncliffe, NSW) is a filmmaker committed to telling intimate character-driven stories that challenge and provoke audiences. Melissa’s short films have screened worldwide at over 40 international film festivals. As a writer, Melissa’s feature film screenplays have been shortlisted for the Sundance Lab, and previously selected for the Binger FilmLab in Amsterdam. She is currently developing the feature screenplay Bluebirds with support from Screen Australia and Screen NSW. Sunday Emerson Gullifer (Waterloo, NSW) is an award-winning filmmaker based in Sydney. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts, her short film, Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow, had its world premiere at Sydney Film Festival in 2017, where it was Highly Commended in the Dendy Awards, and went on to premiere internationally at Telluride Film Festival. Her work is internationally acclaimed, having won a slew of awards and two Australian Directors’ Guild Award nominations. Originally hailing from a background in theatre, she is drawn to bold stories told with heart. Jamieson Pearce (Brunswick, VIC) is a freelance director and editor. His award-winning short films have screened at festivals around the world. Most notably, his most recent film Adult, adapted from a story by Christos Tsiolkas, screened at South by Southwest 2017. He likes stories about the stranger manifestations of human desire. Nathan Mewett (Paddington, NSW) is a writer/director from Western Australia who has produced numerous short films, documentaries and music videos. As a young child he grew up in a remote gold mine Telfer, which resides in the Great Western Desert and has helped build his creative partnership with Martu Director Curtis Taylor with whom he co-directed Yulubidyi – Until The End, screening at Sydney Film Festival 2018. Nathan’s previous short film Sol Bunker has won over 9 awards across Australia and is a ‘proof of concept’ for a feature film of the same name. He is also currently in development of the feature film Baby which focuses on extending Nathan’s interest in working with characters and actors with disability. Curtis Taylor (Subiaco, WA) is a filmmaker, screen artist, actor and a young Martu leader. Growing up in remote Martu desert communities and in the city, Curtis has both traditional Martu knowledge and a non-Aboriginal education. After finishing school in 2008, Curtis worked as Community Coordinator and Youth Development Officer at Martu Media (a division of Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa), where he also spent 18 months working on the major Yiwarra Kuju: The Canning Stock Route project as a filmmaker and youth ambassador. Curtis was the recipient of the 2011 Western Australian Youth Art Award and Wesfarmers Youth Scholarship. His screen work, including the acclaimed short film Mamu, has been shown in international film festivals from Brazil to Nepal. Curtis was the Director’s Attachment and is the Narrator of Emmy Award winning VR documentary Collisions.Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary
Ghosthunter is the winner of the 2018 Documentary Australia Foundation Award. Sydney filmmaker Ben Lawrence was awarded the Documentary Australia Foundation Award for Australian Documentary’s $10,000 cash prize for Ghosthunter, about a Western Sydney security guard and part time ghost hunter searching for his absent father.The Sydney-UNESCO City of Film Award
Warwick Thornton was awarded the Sydney-UNESCO City Award from Create NSW. He received a $10,000 cash prize for a trailblazing NSW-based screen practitioner whose work stands for innovation, imagination and high impact.Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films
In 2018, The Dendy Awards for Australian Short Films saw the $7000 cash prize for the Dendy Live Action Short Award going to Second Best, directed by Alyssa McClelland. Tom Noakes’ Nursery Rhymes took out the $7000 Rouben Mamoulian Award for Best Director, with Special Mention going to Alison James’ Judas Collar. The $5000 Yoram Gross Animation Award went to Andrew Goldsmith and Bradley Slabe’s Lost and Found , with Larissa Behrendt’s Barbara receiving a Special Mention.Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award
The Event Cinemas Australian Short Screenplay Award, a $5,000 prize for the best short screenwriting, was awarded to Indigenous screenwriter Tyson Mowarin of Undiscovered Country.
-
Jacques D’Amboise and Trey McIntyre to Receive Awards at Dance on Camera Festival
[caption id="attachment_30245" align="aligncenter" width="1205"]
Jacques D’Amboise and Trey McIntyre[/caption]
Jacques D’Amboise and Trey McIntyre will both receive a 2018 Dance in Focus Award, to be presented at the Dance on Camera Festival Kickoff Gala, Monday July 16th at Gibney Dance, 280 Broadway New York, NY 10007.
Shining Sung, U.S. Representative of the Chimei Foundation will present to awardee: Jacques D’Amboise for his exceptional contributions to the community through his artistry on stage and screen, and his leadership In arts education.
Ella Baff, former Executive Director of Jacob’s Pillow, will present to awardee: Trey McIntyre for his outstanding contributions to dance innovation through choreography, photography, and film.
This is the fifth time DFA has presented Dance in Focus Award awards saluting figures whose effect on the world of dance and film has been critical and far-reaching.
Jacques D’Amboise is renowned as one of the most classical dancers of our time on stage and screen, as choreographer for companies all over the world, including the New York City Ballet – and most significantly as founder of the National Dance Institute, through which he has impacted the lives of millions of young people through dance. Jacques has had a global impact on generations through his work, and commitment to providing arts education to everyone.
Trey McIntyre, founder of the Boise-based Trey McIntyre Projects which made dance history for its ten years of existence, garnering both critical acclaim and attention for choreographic excellence, the artistry of dancers in the company, and its wide audience appeal. DFA salutes Trey McIntyre’s feature film debut with GRAVITY HERO, a semi-autobiographical and and poetic musing on endings, a debut as melancholy as it is dynamic.
From the Board of Directors, Dance Films Association: “We celebrate the contributions of these two extraordinary gentlemen to the world of dance, on film, and in making dance accessible to a wider audience: Mr. D’Amboise through the National Dance Institute and Mr. McIntyre through Trey McIntyre Projects, on the occasion of the premiere of GRAVITY HERO, at Dance on Camera Festival, co-presented by DFA and the Film Society of Lincoln Center.”
-
Animation In Focus At Upcoming Edinburgh International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_30232" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR[/caption]
Edinburgh International Film Festival revealed further details of the much-anticipated Animation program scheduled to take place as part of this month’s 72nd edition of the Festival. Four programs of short animation highlighting the role of the medium in foreseeing issues affecting contemporary anxieties and passions will screen alongside the annual presentation of some of the hottest British animating talent in the McLaren Award screenings as well as a special retrospective of a unique talent in animated filmmaker Elizabeth Hobbs.
Taking place on Wednesday 27 June, ELIZABETH HOBBS – A RETROSPECTIVE OF ANIMATED WORK, running as part of Anim18, a celebration of British animation taking place across the UK, will pay tribute to the award-winning animator who has been making short films for over 17 years and is both a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art and a recipient of EIFF’s McLaren Award. Screening will be THE FILING OF THE FANGS, LITTLE SKIPPER and THE TRUE STORY OF SAWNEY BEANE amongst a number of other charming stories by this wonderful indie animator.
Hobbs’ I’M OK will also compete in this year’s McLaren Award for Best British Animation, supported by the British Council, alongside Emily Scaife’s ATTRACTION; Chris Shepherd’s topical BREXICUTED; INVADERS, made by Daniel Prince; Jonathan Hodgson’s ROUGHHOUSE and THAT YORKSHIRE SOUND by Marcus Armitage amongst a host of other titles with the winner crowned by the Festival audience.
International Animation returns this year with a focus on female directors each bringing a unique perspective to very relevant debates taking place in the public consciousness of our day: short films screening includes Alison Snowden’s ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR, Emily Ann Hoffman’s NEVADA and ICEBURGS from Eirini Vianelli.
Animation at EIFF is supported by creative communications consultancy, Emperor, who are celebrating their 15th anniversary in Edinburgh this year, with match funding provided by the Culture & Business Fund Scotland. Launched in April 2017, this program is run by independent charity Arts & Business Scotland to encourage closer collaboration between businesses and the cultural sector by match-funding business sponsorship of cultural projects pound for pound.
FILM FEST JUNIOR boasts two UK Premieres of animations VITELLO, in which a young boy goes in search of his father and ZOMBILLENIUM where a member of the undead must find his place at a monster theme park as well as an exclusive preview of PRINCESS EMMY, animated entertainment aimed at fans of princesses and horses. This year’s Family Gala is the long-awaited Disney-Pixar animation, INCREDIBLES 2.
Striking animated documentary WALL by director Cam Christiansen, written by and starring Sir David Hare will also screen as part of this year’s Focus on Canada country strand, supported by Telefilm Canada.
-
Watch New Trailer for Jordana Spiro’s Sundance Winner NIGHT COMES ON
Check out the new trailer that dropped for NIGHT COMES ON, the powerful directorial debut from actress Jordana Spiro (Netflix’s Ozark) which had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival where it won the NEXT Innovator Award. The film is co-written by Angelica Nwandu, who is the founder of The Shade Room, and features breakthrough performances by two fast rising stars, Dominique Fishback (HBO’s The Deuce) and newcomer Tatum Marilyn Hall.
NIGHT COMES ON follows Angel LaMere (Dominique Fishback) as she is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, Angel embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister (Tatum Marilyn Hall) to avenge her mother’s death.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJrOkFVIzLE
The film will open in the theaters below as well as on digital/VOD on August 3, 2018.
New York – Cinema Village
Los Angeles – Laemmle NoHo
Baltimore – Parkway Theatre
Atlanta – Plaza Theatre
Chicago – Cinemas Entertainment
Cleveland – Tower City
Greensboro, NC – Red Cinema
Phoenix – Harkins Valley Art
**Additional cities to follow
-
Fantasia 2018 Unleashes Second Wave of Films, Opens with JUST A BREATH AWAY
[caption id="attachment_30222" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Just a Breath Away (Dans la brume)[/caption]
The Fantasia International Film Festival, celebrating its 22nd Anniversary in Montreal this summer, from July 12 to August 1, revealed a selected Second Wave of titles and events. Its Frontières International Co-Production Market will be held July 19 to 22.
The festival’s 22nd edition will open with the North American Premiere of DANS LA BRUME (“Just a Breath Away”), a large-scale genre co-production between France and Canada, directed by celebrated Quebec filmmaker Daniel Roby (LOUIS CYR, WHITE SKIN), starring Romain Duris (MOOD INDIGO), Olga Kurylenko (QUANTUM OF SOLACE), and Fantine Harduin (HAPPY END). Paris is hit by an earthquake, then filled with a mysterious toxic gas that seems to come from below ground. A family attempts to survive the massive catastrophe, but first… they will have to face the fog.
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF RUSTY CUNDIEFF AND DARIN SCOTT’S TALES FROM THE HOOD 2
Fantasia will present the highly-anticipated world premiere of Universal 1440 Entertainment’s TALES FROM THE HOOD 2. The sequel to the groundbreaking original film TALES FROM THE HOOD reunites Executive Producer Spike Lee and writers/directors/producers Rusty Cundieff and Darin Scott for an all-new gripping, horrifying, and oftentimes devilishly comical anthology. This next installment will keep viewers on the edge of their seats, as they course through several stories that explore socially relevant topics from the past and present.WORLD PREMIERIN’ SATOSHI MIKI’S LOUDER! CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SINGIN’, WIMP!
After a five-year hiatus from feature-filmmaking following 2013’s IT’S ME, IT’S ME, Fantasia favorite Satoshi Miki is back with LOUDER! CAN’T HEAR WHAT YOU’RE SINGIN’, WIMP! An explosive musical comedy with energy to spare, Miki’s usually quirky, offbeat characters, extravagant hairdos and vintage costumes are back, colliding here with a renewed sense of energy and chaos, as the charismatic Sin (THE APOLOGY KING’S Sadao Abe), a rock musician with an superhuman, steroid-enhanced voice, meets the shy Fuka (AKEGARASU’S Riho Yoshioka), a gifted busker with a whisper quiet style. With an eclectic soundtrack oscillating from J-pop to metal to clerical music, with contributions from TOO YOUNG TO DIE!’s Kankuro Kudo, Hyde from L’Arc~en~Ciel, and comedian Abe himself, this is the rock ‘n’ roll feel-good-movie for the ages!SAM ELLIOTT IS THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT (World Premiere)
Sam Elliott stars as a legendary World War II veteran who many years ago assassinated Adolf Hitler – an incredible secret that he’s frustratingly unable to share with the world. One day, just as he’s coming to terms with rounding out his life, Calvin gets a visit from the FBI and RCMP. They need him to take out Bigfoot. A wondrous feature debut from writer/director Robert D. Krzykowski, featuring visual effects by celebrated two-time Academy Award Winner Douglas Trumbull (2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, BLADE RUNNER), who also co-produced alongside the great John Sayles and Lucky McKee. A fantastical discourse on the melancholia of old age and a singular blast of entertaining wit, THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT (World Premiere) also stars Aidan Turner, Caitlin FitzGerald, and Ron Livingston.THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF THE BLOODY ACTION-FANTASY THE WITCH: PART 1. THE SUBVERSION
A nefarious agency has been genetically engineering children. One of the telekinetic kids escapes and goes into hiding with an adopted family. Ten years later, she appears on a talent show, where she’s spotted by the bad guys and becomes prey for both her peers and a hit squad. Writer/Director Park Hoon-jung, who wrote the savage I SAW THE DEVIL, is back with THE WITCH: PART 1. THE SUBVERSION. Nothing will prepare you for the fusion of over-the-top sci-fi thrills, surprising twists and a climactic bloodbath that will leave you gasping. After THE VILLAINESS, South Korea has a new girl in town (Kim Da-mi) to kick butts and give action fans what they always dreamed of.ACHIEVEMENT AWARD GOES TO THE LEGENDARY CYNTHIA ROTHROCK
Fantasia will bestow its first-ever Action! Achievement Award upon U.S. athlete and action legend Cynthia Rothrock, an unstoppable action starlet who inspired a generation of martial artists and kicked open doors for women in the male-dominated action industry. Her skills, courage, and determination – along with black belts in seven separate martial arts – paved the way for today’s action starlets such as Charlize Theron, Gina Carano, and Milla Jovovich. Rothrock – or Law Fu Lok, as she was known to millions of Hong Kong cinephiles – was a five-time World Champion before becoming the first western actor to headline a Hong Kong action film with 1989’s THE BLONDE FURY. A member of Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame and the inspiration for the Mortal Kombat character Sonya Blade, Rothrock would go on to star in over thirty martial arts films and inspire a generation. Fantasia is deeply honored to bestow their debut Action! Achievement Award to the amazing Cynthia Rothrock, a true pioneer in the worlds of martial arts and action cinema.CANADIAN PREMIERE OF SEARCHING
[caption id="attachment_29286" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]
John Cho stars in the LAAPFF Audience Award Winning film SEARCHING – directed by Aneesh Chaganty. Photo Courtesy of Screen Gems[/caption]
Fantasia will be showcasing the Canadian Premiere of Aneesh Chaganty’s Sundance smash SEARCHING, produced by Timur Bekmambetov (working with Sev Ohanian, Natalie Qasabian, and Adam Sidman) in his innovative “screenlife” storytelling approach that brilliantly captures the way we engage online. After David Kim (John Cho)’s sixteen-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter’s laptop. In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.
DENNISON RAMALHO’S AMONG THE LIVING (World Premiere)
Brazilian Writer/Director Dennison Ramalho instantly captured the hearts and nightmares of legions with his brilliant shorts LOVE FROM MOTHER ONLY (2003) and NINJAS (2011), in addition to scripting José Mojica Marins’ celebrated Coffin Joe comeback EMBODIMENT OF EVIL (2008). His entry in ABCS OF DEATH 2 (2014) further cemented the filmmaker as a hellishly original talent to watch in world horror cinema. Fantasia will proudly be bringing Brazil’s subterranean maestro of the macabre back to Montreal for the World Premiere of his long-awaited feature debut, AMONG THE LIVING, a film brimming with grotesque imagination and otherworldly magick in which a morgue attendant working the night shift in a very large, very violent city possesses an occult ability to communicate with cadavers. He commits the sin of acting on information obtained from the dead and horrifically curses himself and those that he loves. Brace yourself.WITTY COMEDY-FANTASY I HAVE A DATE WITH SPRING
Multiple award-winning director Baek Seung-bin brings us to doomsday with a smile in the omnibus styled intimist South Korean apocalyptic dramedy I HAVE A DATE WITH SPRING (North American Premiere). Different characters, all with unique personalities, celebrate their birthday the day before the end of the world, meeting bizarre individuals in surreal circumstances in this truly unique gem of a film that debuted at 2018’s International Film Festival Rotterdam.HURT (World Premiere)
The world first discovered Sonny Mallhi’s poignant style of character-driven horror storytelling with 2015’s ANGUISH (a Fantasia World Premiere). Earlier this year, his second feature, the vampiric drug addiction chiller FAMILY BLOOD debuted on Netlfix. And now, Sonny Mallhi has teamed with Blumhouse for his third feature, HURT, in which the collective psychosis of American culture is an inescapable horror film and a waking nightmare. Its story honors masked mascots of fear such as Jason, Freddy, and Michael…. but explores those who helplessly wear a mask of normalcy while desperately fighting the traumatic monsters within.WORLD PREMIERE OF PLEDGE
It’s not getting into an exclusive fraternity that three geeky college freshmen need to worry about, it’s getting out – alive! Boasting amazingly well-rounded characters, endearing performances, a wicked streak of black humour, and a desperate situation that erupts into sickening violence, in many ways Daniel Robbins’ PLEDGE (World Premiere) is an intense, acceptance-themed companion film to Jeremy Saulnier’s similarly gasp-inducing GREEN ROOM. Rats, torture, knife fights, and vodka shots – who’s ready to pledge?WRITER/DIRECTOR LEE CHANG-HEE’S THE VANISHED (North American Premiere)
In this clockwork thriller, nothing is what it seems – not even a corpse. THE VANISHED (North American Premiere) is a piece of classic cinematic construction right out of the Golden Age of Hollywood, polished to a sleek modern sheen, South Korean-style. Without an ounce of padding, this is modern suspense in gothic drag, full of old school brio, dolly zooms, a ticking clock, entitled murderers, and vengeful ghosts.CAMERA LUCIDA UNVEILS TWO INTERNATIONAL PREMIERES: TADASHI NAGAYAMA’S BEING NATURAL AND AARON SCHIMBERG’S CHAINED FOR LIFE!
The Camera Lucida section, dedicated to experimental, boundary-pushing and auteur-driven works on the borders of genre cinema, unveils two major International premieres! Taka (SAUDADE’s Yota Kawase) is a bong-playing, turtle-loving saint. When a hypocritical couple from Tokyo moves into town, intent on opening a health-conscious, eco-friendly coffee shop at all costs, the man’s peaceful existence is shattered to pieces. Tadashi Nagayama’s second feature, BEING NATURAL, is a total revelation; a surprising and eccentric satirical rural comedy, with a dash of the absurd and the supernatural! A unique introduction to one of Japanese cinema’s most promising new auteurs! The beautiful Mabel (TEETH’s Jess Weixler) admits to being pushed outside of her comfort zone on the set of a foreign auteur’s shlocky English-language horror film debut. Playing the role of a blind woman, she soon meets her disabled co-star Rosenthal (UNDER THE SKIN and DRIB’s Adam Pearson) and soon, the boundaries between fiction, reality, exploitation, and fair representation become blurry. GO DOWN DEATH’s Aaron Schimberg returns to Fantasia with CHAINED FOR LIFE, a reflexive and surreal black comedy about life on set – casting a critical eye on cinematic representations of disability and difference, from ELEPHANT MAN to FREAKS and beyond. The full Camera Lucida lineup will be unveiled on June 26.FANTASIA 2018’S ACTION! SECTION UNVEILS BUYBUST, CHUCK STEEL: NIGHT OF THE TRAMPIRES, AND LÔI BÁO
Dedicated to discovering the world’s best undiscovered action films, Fantasia’s Action! Section, now in its seventh year, is proud to announce three new titles and one incredible retrospective film. Following the section becoming competitive in 2017, Action! will introduce its debut Action! Achievement Award, which will be bestowed on U.S. martial arts legend Cynthia Rothrock. For the occasion, Fantasia will present a 35mm print of the 1989 Hong Kong classic THE BLONDE FURY with star Rothrock in attendance. Four years after seducing Fantasia audiences with his short film RAGING BALLS OF STEEL JUSTICE, Michael Mort will return to the festival with his animated feature debut, CHUCK STEEL: NIGHT OF THE TRAMPIRES (North American Premiere), hot off its World Premiere at Annecy. Chuck Steel is a maverick, renegade, loose cannon, lone wolf, cop-on-the-edge who doesn’t play by the rules. He’s the best goddamn man on the force and, once again, Los Angeles needs him to save the city from an army of Trampires – a mutated hybrid of vampire and hobo. With LÔI BÁO (North American Premiere), Vietnam has officially jumped on the wave of superhero movies in a very big way. Without a single cape or hero clad in spandex, Victor Vu’s clever interpretation of what it means to be a superhero brings a wildly unique vision to the genre, as a man on the receiving end of a head transplant finds himself suddenly granted a seemingly endless supply of superhuman abilities. With LÔI BÁO, Vietnam has created a world of very unlikely superheroes – and villains – like no other. [caption id="attachment_30085" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
BuyBust[/caption]
Five years after the impressive ON THE JOB, director Erik Matti returns to Fantasia with the Canadian Premiere of BUYBUST, one of the most action-packed movies ever to come out of the Philippines. Here he writes, produces, and directs a truly one-of-a-kind actioner about a rookie female cop who finds herself in hot water with an anti-narcotics squad. Starring Filipino superstar Anne Curtis, over 1200 extras, and featuring an unbelievable 300 stuntmen and women, BUYBUST is packed with spectacular gunplay, nonstop hand-to-hand combat, and a nearly-uncountable number of people being stabbed in the face.
As of 2017, all titles selected in the Action! Section are eligible for Fantasia’s Best Action Film Award, awarded by a jury composed of Quebec director Alain Desrochers (BON COP BAD COP 2), actor/stuntman Alain Moussi (KICKBOXER: VENGEANCE), and filmmaking duo Sebastien Landry and Laurence Morais-Lagace (GAME OF DEATH).
MAJOR ANIME PREMIERES ARAGNE: SIGN OF VERMILLION AND PENGUIN HIGHWAY
Fantasia’s Axis section is thrilled to announce two more anime titles in its lineup, each a major premiere. Something sinister is manifesting itself – something at the cursed crossroads of mythology, monstrosity, and medical science – in Saku Sakamoto’s ARAGNE: SIGN OF VERMILLION, a potent new slash of independent, high-standard horror anime from Japan making its World Premiere at Fantasia this summer. One memorable summer, a precocious schoolboy contends with a crush on an older woman and a strange penguin invasion in the sentimental, surreal science fiction anime PENGUIN HIGHWAY (International Premiere). The first feature from Japanese director Hiroyasu Ishida, creator of the 2009 indie online sensation FUMIKO’S CONFESSION, and his colleagues at Studio Colorido, PENGUIN HIGHWAY is a delight for the mind, eye, and heart.FANTASIA UNDERGROUND’S INSPIRED 2018 LINEUP REVEALED!
Fantasia’s section dedicated to bold, ultra-independent, outsider works returns with a charming, counter-cultural teen film made by a twenty-year-old girl who cut classes to shoot it, a single-take Japanese zombie oddity, a genuinely shocking and surprising black comedy/crime thriller from Colorado, and a Mexican-Canadian action siege assault that’s likely the bloodiest coming-of-age film ever made. Described at the latest Berlinale as the “distant cousin of Louis Malle’s ZAZIE DANS LE MÉTRO crossed with the DIY spirit of punk Japanese cinema from the 1980s (Tsukamoto, Sogo Ishii, and co.), one thing’s for sure: twenty-year-old Yoko Yamanaka’s AMIKO (North American Premiere) will instantly charm you with its gleeful irreverence, and its crystalline, sour-sweet candied confection of extreme emotions, forged in the fiery pits of adolescence, and effectively turning the schoolgirl into a counter-culture icon. Let’s be honest – a low-budget zombie movie shot in one take about a film crew shooting a low-budget zombie movie in one take sounds bad. Add the fact that the indie film crew stumbles across real-life zombies and Shunichiro Ueda’s debut, ONE CUT OF THE DEAD (Canadian Premiere) sounds worse. And you couldn’t be more wrong. This indie marvel isn’t a just zombie movie or even a one-take stunt. Instead, it’s Japan’s smartest comedy of the year: a touching father-daughter story, a tale about the value of perseverance, and a meta puzzlebox that cleverly unpacks itself onscreen, one severed limb at a time. Pick your rotting jaw up off the floor, because this is pure horror-comedy gold in the vein of SHAUN OF THE DEAD. A neurotic, introverted young military veteran forces himself to go to a party to meet new people and finds himself plunged into a bizarre criminal underworld of sex and blood in Drew Barnhardt’s utterly mad RONDO (World Premiere). An exuberantly seedy, obsessively well-directed gonzo thriller that’s funny in the darkest ways, RONDO’s violent twists and genuinely uncomfortable moments will leave you breathless from gasping, laughing, and screaming – possibly at the same time. Oddly reminiscent of CRIMEWAVE-era John Paizs by way of De Palma, this is a squirm-inducing, one-of-a-kind exploitation oddity that even the most brazen viewers will never be able to unsee. Award-winning Mexican-Canadian filmmaker Gigi Saul Guerrero bathes the screen with ferocity in her scorching web series LA QUINCEAÑERA (Canadian Premiere), in which a girl’s fifteenth birthday party becomes a demented, blood-fuelled journey of revenge when the cartel shows up to attack her relatives. This ultra-violent homage to the strength of women and the power of family may be the bloodiest coming-of-age tale ever told.2018 DOCUMENTARIES FROM THE EDGE LINEUP REVEALED!
Fantasia’s showcase of compelling documentary works returns with a trio of docs hailing from Quebec, China, and the USA. Jailed for comics?! The unbelievable true story of the only U.S. artist convicted of obscenity is explored in the chilling and captivating BOILED ANGELS: THE TRIAL OF MIKE DIANA (International Premiere), directed by the legendary Frank Henenlotter (BASKET CASE, BAD BIOLOGY) and narrated by Dead Kennedys’ Jello Biafra, neither of whom are strangers to censorship struggles themselves. The obsessively well-researched doc features Neil Gaiman, Stephen Bissette, Peter Bagge, and Diana himself, alongside the case’s investigating officers, prosecution, defense, and even members of the local Florida press who initially reported on the situation. This truly thoughtful account won a well-deserved Audience Award at NYC’s What The Fest!? and should be considered required viewing for anyone remotely interested in confrontational art or stories of overreaching law enforcement. Marginally-talented internet personalities skyrocket to fame in Hao Wu’s provocative, dystopian documentary PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE (Quebec Premiere), where hordes of devoted fans tune in to find comfort in virtual relationships through live streaming. A Grand Jury Prize-winner at SXSW, the film tracks China’s emergent breed of off-the-rails celebrity-making obsession, and the impact of plunging into the virtual to satisfy real human needs. Fantasia’s screening will be a co-presentation with the RIDM. Shot over a period of three years, Jean-Simon Chartier’s PLAYING HARD (Quebec Premiere) gives us a sprawling behind-the-scenes window into the drama, tension, and compromises behind the creation of a blockbuster Ubisoft video game, and the grueling personal tolls the process can take on its creators, both in terms of fractured relationships and mental anguish. An engrossing film that met with major acclaim at its recent Hot Docs launch.
-
NEON to Release Nia DaCosta’s Feminist Western LITTLE WOODS Starring Tessa Thompson and Lily James
Nia DaCosta’s debut film Little Woods which premiered in April at Tribeca Film Festival has bee acquired by NEON for release in the US. Written and directed by DaCosta, the resulting film is a reimagining of the traditional western film as told from the female perspective.
Little Woods is a modern Western that tells the story of two sisters, Ollie (Tessa Thompson) and Deb (Lily James), who are driven to work outside the law to better their lives. For years, Ollie has illicitly helped the struggling residents of her North Dakota oil boomtown access Canadian health care and medication. When the authorities catch on, she plans to abandon her crusade, only to be dragged in even deeper after a desperate plea for help from her sister. Little Woods is an intimate look at the plight of the working class in rural America.
The film features performances by Tessa Thompson (Sorry to Bother You, Creed), Lily James (Baby Driver, Darkest Hour), Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), James Badge Dale (13 Hours) and Lance Reddick (John Wick,John Wick 2).
-
SOHO International Film Festival Opens Today in NYC, See Full 2018 Schedule
[caption id="attachment_30164" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
SNAPSHOTS[/caption]
The SOHO International Film Festival #SOHO9 returns to NYC today Thursday, June 14th through Thursday, June 21st at Village East Cinemas (189 2nd Avenue on 12th Street).
Some of the highlights at this year’s SIFFNYC include the NY Premiere of “Snapshots” from director Melanie Mayron, an LGBTQ Drama about a grandmother’s secret past colliding with her granddaughter’s secret future and her daughter’s angry present, starring Piper Laurie (“Carrie”) and Brooke Adams (“Monk”); “Diminuendo” from Director Adrian Stewart starring Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) about filmmaker Haskell Edwards, who becomes obsessed with the lifelike robot created to mimic his actress girlfriend who committed suicide while directing her biopic; Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from award-winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker Keely Brosnan (“Entertainment Tonight”) & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered SEED corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines; “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”) in which Clifton Collins Jr. (“Star Trek”) plays John, an ordinary American guy who receives word that his estranged mother has passed away in her home country of Cuba and discovers that she was mixed up with a motley crew of criminals, and Documentary “Oh, Rick!” about award-winning actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, composer and teacher Rick Crom. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, what better way to celebrate than taking Dad to the movies?! The festival will be screening Short Films all day long with the NY Filmmaker Series, Broome Street Series, and Spring Street Series and so much more throughout the week!
Films showing include the dramatic thriller “Block Island” (U.S. Premiere) from Director Tony Glazer staring Jeff Kober (“The Walking Dead”) and Matty Cardarople (“Stranger Things”) about a group of college kids who miss the ferry to their graduation party on Block Island, then fall prey to a local fishing boat captain and his sadistic first mate; “The Visit” from Writer/Director Romina Schwedler staring Academy Award Nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”); “Artemis & The Astronaut” from Writer/Director Alice L. Lee staring Lynn Cohen (“The Hunger Games”) ; “Sam Did It” Written/Directed by and Starring Dominic Burgess as Sam, who loves his job working in a morgue almost as much as he loves his celebrity idol – Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man”) and the Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from filmmaker Keely Brosnan & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) which follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines.
The foreign films category includes actors Tomasz Kot (“Teatr Telewizji”) and Lech Mackiewicz (“Na Dobre i Na Złe”) in “Bikini Blue”, Northeast Premiere from Poland from Writer/Director Jarek Marszewski; “Just A Fling”, a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from France starring Fanny Valette (“Spiral”) and Amaury de Crayencour (“Le Bureau des Légends”) from Writer/Director Gorune Aprikian; “Never Saw It Coming” a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from Canada from Director Gail Harvey starring Katie Boland (“Reign”), Emily Hampshire (“Mother!”), and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”), and “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”).