Pop Aye – Kirsten Tan[/caption]
A record 92 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants.
The 2017 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “A Letter to the President,” Roya Sadat, director;
Albania, “Daybreak,” Gentian Koçi, director;
Algeria, “Road to Istanbul,” Rachid Bouchareb, director;
Argentina, “Zama,” Lucrecia Martel, director;
Armenia, “Yeva,” Anahit Abad, director;
Australia, “The Space Between,” Ruth Borgobello, director;
Austria, “Happy End,” Michael Haneke, director;
Azerbaijan, “Pomegranate Orchard,” Ilgar Najaf, director;
Bangladesh, “The Cage,” Akram Khan, director;
Belgium, “Racer and the Jailbird,” Michaël R. Roskam, director;
Bolivia, “Dark Skull,” Kiro Russo, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Men Don’t Cry,” Alen Drljević, director;
Brazil, “Bingo – The King of the Mornings,” Daniel Rezende, director;
Bulgaria, “Glory,” Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva, directors;
Cambodia, “First They Killed My Father,” Angelina Jolie, director;
Canada, “Hochelaga, Land of Souls,” François Girard, director;
Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, “Wolf Warrior 2,” Wu Jing, director;
Colombia, “Guilty Men,” Iván D. Gaona, director;
Costa Rica, “The Sound of Things,” Ariel Escalante, director;
Croatia, “Quit Staring at My Plate,” Hana Jušić, director;
Czech Republic, “Ice Mother,” Bohdan Sláma, director;
Denmark, “You Disappear,” Peter Schønau Fog, director;
Dominican Republic, “Woodpeckers,” Jose Maria Cabral, director;
Ecuador, “Alba,” Ana Cristina Barragán, director;
Egypt, “Sheikh Jackson,” Amr Salama, director;
Estonia, “November,” Rainer Sarnet, director;
Finland, “Tom of Finland,” Dome Karukoski, director;
France, “BPM (Beats Per Minute),” Robin Campillo, director;
Georgia, “Scary Mother,” Ana Urushadze, director;
Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director;
Greece, “Amerika Square,” Yannis Sakaridis, director;
Haiti, “Ayiti Mon Amour,” Guetty Felin, director;
Honduras, “Morazán,” Hispano Durón, director;
Hong Kong, “Mad World,” Wong Chun, director;
Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director;
Iceland, “Under the Tree,” Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, director;
India, “Newton,” Amit V Masurkar, director;
Indonesia, “Turah,” Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo, director;
Iran, “Breath,” Narges Abyar, director;
Iraq, “Reseba – The Dark Wind,” Hussein Hassan, director;
Ireland, “Song of Granite,” Pat Collins, director;
Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz, director;
Italy, “A Ciambra,” Jonas Carpignano, director;
Japan, “Her Love Boils Bathwater,” Ryota Nakano, director;
Kazakhstan, “The Road to Mother,” Akhan Satayev, director;
Kenya, “Kati Kati,” Mbithi Masya, director;
Kosovo, “Unwanted,” Edon Rizvanolli, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Centaur,” Aktan Arym Kubat, director;
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, “Dearest Sister,” Mattie Do, director;
Latvia, “The Chronicles of Melanie,” Viestur Kairish, director;
Lebanon, “The Insult,” Ziad Doueiri, director;
Lithuania, “Frost,” Sharunas Bartas, director;
Luxembourg, “Barrage,” Laura Schroeder, director;
Mexico, “Tempestad,” Tatiana Huezo, director;
Mongolia, “The Children of Genghis,” Zolbayar Dorj, director;
Morocco, “Razzia,” Nabil Ayouch, director;
Mozambique, “The Train of Salt and Sugar,” Licinio Azevedo, director;
Nepal, “White Sun,” Deepak Rauniyar, director;
Netherlands, “Layla M.,” Mijke de Jong, director;
New Zealand, “One Thousand Ropes,” Tusi Tamasese, director;
Norway, “Thelma,” Joachim Trier, director;
Pakistan, “Saawan,” Farhan Alam, director;
Palestine, “Wajib,” Annemarie Jacir, director;
Panama, “Beyond Brotherhood,” Arianne Benedetti, director;
Paraguay, “Los Buscadores,” Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schembori, directors;
Peru, “Rosa Chumbe,” Jonatan Relayze, director;
Philippines, “Birdshot,” Mikhail Red, director;
Poland, “Spoor,” Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik, directors;
Portugal, “Saint George,” Marco Martins, director;
Romania, “Fixeur,” Adrian Sitaru, director;
Russia, “Loveless,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Senegal, “Félicité,” Alain Gomis, director;
Serbia, “Requiem for Mrs. J.,” Bojan Vuletic, director;
Singapore, “Pop Aye,” Kirsten Tan, director;
Slovakia, “The Line,” Peter Bebjak, director;
Slovenia, “The Miner,” Hanna A. W. Slak, director;
South Africa, “The Wound,” John Trengove, director;
South Korea, “A Taxi Driver,” Jang Hoon, director;
Spain, “Summer 1993,” Carla Simón, director;
Sweden, “The Square,” Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, “The Divine Order,” Petra Volpe, director;
Syria, “Little Gandhi,” Sam Kadi, director;
Taiwan, “Small Talk,” Hui-Chen Huang, director;
Thailand, “By the Time It Gets Dark,” Anocha Suwichakornpong, director;
Tunisia, “The Last of Us,” Ala Eddine Slim, director;
Turkey, “Ayla: The Daughter of War,” Can Ulkay, director;
Ukraine, “Black Level,” Valentyn Vasyanovych, director;
United Kingdom, “My Pure Land,” Sarmad Masud, director;
Uruguay, “Another Story of the World,” Guillermo Casanova, director;
Venezuela, “El Inca,” Ignacio Castillo Cottin, director;
Vietnam, “Father and Son,” Luong Dinh Dung, director.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.-
92 countries in Competition for Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards
[caption id="attachment_19636" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Pop Aye – Kirsten Tan[/caption]
A record 92 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards. Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria are first-time entrants.
The 2017 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “A Letter to the President,” Roya Sadat, director;
Albania, “Daybreak,” Gentian Koçi, director;
Algeria, “Road to Istanbul,” Rachid Bouchareb, director;
Argentina, “Zama,” Lucrecia Martel, director;
Armenia, “Yeva,” Anahit Abad, director;
Australia, “The Space Between,” Ruth Borgobello, director;
Austria, “Happy End,” Michael Haneke, director;
Azerbaijan, “Pomegranate Orchard,” Ilgar Najaf, director;
Bangladesh, “The Cage,” Akram Khan, director;
Belgium, “Racer and the Jailbird,” Michaël R. Roskam, director;
Bolivia, “Dark Skull,” Kiro Russo, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Men Don’t Cry,” Alen Drljević, director;
Brazil, “Bingo – The King of the Mornings,” Daniel Rezende, director;
Bulgaria, “Glory,” Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva, directors;
Cambodia, “First They Killed My Father,” Angelina Jolie, director;
Canada, “Hochelaga, Land of Souls,” François Girard, director;
Chile, “A Fantastic Woman,” Sebastián Lelio, director;
China, “Wolf Warrior 2,” Wu Jing, director;
Colombia, “Guilty Men,” Iván D. Gaona, director;
Costa Rica, “The Sound of Things,” Ariel Escalante, director;
Croatia, “Quit Staring at My Plate,” Hana Jušić, director;
Czech Republic, “Ice Mother,” Bohdan Sláma, director;
Denmark, “You Disappear,” Peter Schønau Fog, director;
Dominican Republic, “Woodpeckers,” Jose Maria Cabral, director;
Ecuador, “Alba,” Ana Cristina Barragán, director;
Egypt, “Sheikh Jackson,” Amr Salama, director;
Estonia, “November,” Rainer Sarnet, director;
Finland, “Tom of Finland,” Dome Karukoski, director;
France, “BPM (Beats Per Minute),” Robin Campillo, director;
Georgia, “Scary Mother,” Ana Urushadze, director;
Germany, “In the Fade,” Fatih Akin, director;
Greece, “Amerika Square,” Yannis Sakaridis, director;
Haiti, “Ayiti Mon Amour,” Guetty Felin, director;
Honduras, “Morazán,” Hispano Durón, director;
Hong Kong, “Mad World,” Wong Chun, director;
Hungary, “On Body and Soul,” Ildikó Enyedi, director;
Iceland, “Under the Tree,” Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson, director;
India, “Newton,” Amit V Masurkar, director;
Indonesia, “Turah,” Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo, director;
Iran, “Breath,” Narges Abyar, director;
Iraq, “Reseba – The Dark Wind,” Hussein Hassan, director;
Ireland, “Song of Granite,” Pat Collins, director;
Israel, “Foxtrot,” Samuel Maoz, director;
Italy, “A Ciambra,” Jonas Carpignano, director;
Japan, “Her Love Boils Bathwater,” Ryota Nakano, director;
Kazakhstan, “The Road to Mother,” Akhan Satayev, director;
Kenya, “Kati Kati,” Mbithi Masya, director;
Kosovo, “Unwanted,” Edon Rizvanolli, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “Centaur,” Aktan Arym Kubat, director;
Lao People’s Democratic Republic, “Dearest Sister,” Mattie Do, director;
Latvia, “The Chronicles of Melanie,” Viestur Kairish, director;
Lebanon, “The Insult,” Ziad Doueiri, director;
Lithuania, “Frost,” Sharunas Bartas, director;
Luxembourg, “Barrage,” Laura Schroeder, director;
Mexico, “Tempestad,” Tatiana Huezo, director;
Mongolia, “The Children of Genghis,” Zolbayar Dorj, director;
Morocco, “Razzia,” Nabil Ayouch, director;
Mozambique, “The Train of Salt and Sugar,” Licinio Azevedo, director;
Nepal, “White Sun,” Deepak Rauniyar, director;
Netherlands, “Layla M.,” Mijke de Jong, director;
New Zealand, “One Thousand Ropes,” Tusi Tamasese, director;
Norway, “Thelma,” Joachim Trier, director;
Pakistan, “Saawan,” Farhan Alam, director;
Palestine, “Wajib,” Annemarie Jacir, director;
Panama, “Beyond Brotherhood,” Arianne Benedetti, director;
Paraguay, “Los Buscadores,” Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schembori, directors;
Peru, “Rosa Chumbe,” Jonatan Relayze, director;
Philippines, “Birdshot,” Mikhail Red, director;
Poland, “Spoor,” Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik, directors;
Portugal, “Saint George,” Marco Martins, director;
Romania, “Fixeur,” Adrian Sitaru, director;
Russia, “Loveless,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Senegal, “Félicité,” Alain Gomis, director;
Serbia, “Requiem for Mrs. J.,” Bojan Vuletic, director;
Singapore, “Pop Aye,” Kirsten Tan, director;
Slovakia, “The Line,” Peter Bebjak, director;
Slovenia, “The Miner,” Hanna A. W. Slak, director;
South Africa, “The Wound,” John Trengove, director;
South Korea, “A Taxi Driver,” Jang Hoon, director;
Spain, “Summer 1993,” Carla Simón, director;
Sweden, “The Square,” Ruben Östlund, director;
Switzerland, “The Divine Order,” Petra Volpe, director;
Syria, “Little Gandhi,” Sam Kadi, director;
Taiwan, “Small Talk,” Hui-Chen Huang, director;
Thailand, “By the Time It Gets Dark,” Anocha Suwichakornpong, director;
Tunisia, “The Last of Us,” Ala Eddine Slim, director;
Turkey, “Ayla: The Daughter of War,” Can Ulkay, director;
Ukraine, “Black Level,” Valentyn Vasyanovych, director;
United Kingdom, “My Pure Land,” Sarmad Masud, director;
Uruguay, “Another Story of the World,” Guillermo Casanova, director;
Venezuela, “El Inca,” Ignacio Castillo Cottin, director;
Vietnam, “Father and Son,” Luong Dinh Dung, director.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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Francis Lee’s GOD’S OWN COUNTRY to Compete at 2017 Stockholm Film Festival | Trailer
Director Francis Lee intense new drama God’s Own Country described as the “new Brokeback Mountain” will screen at the 2017 Stockholm Film Festival and participate in the official Stockholm XXVIII Competition. The film has been awarded at the Berlin Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival among others.
God’s Own Country takes it’s start in the British countryside where we meet the young farmer Johnny Saxby who numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex. Until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker named Gheorghe ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path…
This is Francis Lee’s feature film debut as a writer and director after leaving his acting career to return to the British countryside where he grew up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sPE9sbXQoQ
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Watch Trailer for THE HEYDAY OF THE INSENSITIVE BASTARDS Starring James Franco, Natalie Portman
Here is the funny trailer for The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards, a series of vignettes ranging from comical to bittersweet to poignant.
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards stars James Franco (This is the End), Kate Mara (The Martian), Natalie Portman (Jackie), Rico Rodriguez (Modern Family), Abigail Spencer (Mad Men), Amber Tamblyn (Django Unchained), Thomas Mann (Kong: Skull Island) and Kristen Wiig (Ghostbusters).
Based on short stories from Robert Boswell’s critically acclaimed book of the same name, The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards explores the difference between fantasy and reality, memory and history, and the joy and agony of the human condition, through seven tales.
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards has a theatrical release date of October 27, 2017. Also releasing on Digital & On Demand on the same day.
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Watch Trailer for Kelly Noonan Gores’ Documentary HEAL, Opening in Theaters Late October
Kelly Noonan Gores’ documentary Heal takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that our thoughts, beliefs, and emotions have a huge impact on our health and ability to heal.
The documentary will open in theaters in Los Angeles on October 20 and in New York on October 27.
The latest science reveals that we are not victims of unchangeable genes, nor should we buy into a scary prognosis. The fact is we have more control over our health and life than we have been taught to believe. This film will empower you with a new understanding of the miraculous nature of the human body and the extraordinary healer within us all.
HEAL not only taps into the brilliant minds of leading scientists and spiritual teachers, but follows three people on actual high stakes healing journeys. Healing can be extremely complex and deeply personal, but it can also happen spontaneously in a moment. Through these inspiring and emotional stories we find out what works, what doesn’t, and why.
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STRONGER, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Boston Marathon Bombing Hero, to Screen at Rome Film Fest
Stronger, the critically acclaimed film by David Gordon Green, starring Jake Gyllenhaal will screen at the 12th Rome Film Fest, taking place October 26 to November 5, 2017.
The American director brings the inspiring true story of Jeff Bauman to the screen, an ordinary man who captured the hearts of his city and the world to become a symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. It is Jeff’s deeply personal and heroic journey – a tour de force portrayal by Jake Gyllenhaal – which tests a family’s bond, defines a community’s pride and inspires his inner courage to overcome devastating adversity while rebuilding his life beside his partner Erin, played by Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Jeff Bauman will attend the Rome Film Fest, and Gyllenhaal will participate in a Close Encounter on-stage conversation with the audience, during which the actor will discuss his career and his complex and profoundly different roles in films such as Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain, End of Watch, Prisoners, Nightcrawler, and Nocturnal Animals.
Artistic director Antonio Monda said: “I am extremely happy to present in Rome Stronger, a hymn to life and a splendid film. And I am enthusiastic to have the opportunity to conduct a “Close Encounter” with Jake Gyllenhaal, who in Stronger presents us with one of his greatest and most touching interpretations”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkoM5r9LR14
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Magnolia to Release BOOM FOR REAL THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT
BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, director Sara Driver’s love letter to New York City’s past through the eyes of people who knew the renowned artist has been acquired by Magnolia for a 2018 theatrical release. The film, which world-premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim, will next screen at the 55th New York Film Festival, presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center. .
BOOM FOR REAL The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, follows Basquiat’s life pre-fame and how New York City, the times, the people and the movements surrounding him formed the artist he became. Using never before seen works, writings and photographs, Driver worked closely and collaboratively with her friends and other artists who emerged from that scene: Nan Goldin, Jim Jarmusch, James Nares, Fred Brathwaite aka Fab Five Freddy, Lee Quiñones, Luc Sante and many others. Providing their thoughts, period film footage, music, images, and anecdotes of their young friend, they helped visually tell the story of Basquiat’s downtown NYC – pre Aids, President Reagan, the real estate and art boom, and before anyone was motivated by money and ambition. The definition of fame, success and power were very different than today – to be a penniless but published poet was the height of success, until everything changed in the early 1980’s. This is New York City’s story before that change.
“I have always admired Magnolia’s film selections and their attention to their releases over the years,” said Driver. “And now, I am honored and delighted to have our film with such a caring and wonderful company of true cinephiles.”
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2017 Downtown LA Film Festival Awards – A THOUSAND JUNKIES Wins Best Film
[caption id="attachment_24667" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
A Thousand Junkies[/caption]
A Thousand Junkies, Tommy Swerdlow’s bittersweet dark comedy about a day in the life of three Los Angeles addicts — won this year’s top prize, Best Picture at the 2017 DTLA Film Festival.
Best Director for documentary feature was awarded to Miranda Bailey for The Pathological Optimist about the controversial vaccine researcher Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Adam Cushman was awarded Best Director for Restraint, his narrative feature about the dark side of suburbia.
The Best Documentary feature award was given to The Work, a powerful and poignant look at a new therapy changing the lives of convicts at Folsom Prison. The film, directed by Jairus Mcleary, will be released theatrically by The Orchard.
Top acting awards went to Sophia Mitria Schloss for Lane 1974 and Charlie Tahan for Super Dark Times.
Other top prizes announced this evening were Best Screenplay for Zach’s Brown contemporary drama Hard Surfaces, Best Short Film for Reed Van Dyk’s Dekalb Elementary, Best Editing to Carl Ambrose and Francisco Bello for their work on the psychological thriller Most Beautiful Island, and Best Cinematography to Luis Montalvo and Carlos Rossini for the atmospheric documentary The Cloud Forest.
The following special prizes were also announced: Jury Prize for Creative Vision to Art Jones for his drama Forbidden Cuba; Female Pioneer Award to Iranian director Shiva Sanjari for her documentary biopic Here The Seats Are Vacant, and actor Leo Ramsey for his Breakthrough Performance in the contemporary coming-of-age story Blue Line Station.
The festival’s Audience Favorite Award was a tie, given to both Dare To Be Different, director Ellen Goldfarb’s nostalgic look back at influential Eighties radio station WLIR, and The Dating Project, Jonathan Cipiti’s exploration of courtship in the digital age.
2017 DTLA Film Festival Awards
FEATURES
Best Picture: A Thousand Junkies, directed by Tommy Swerdlow Best Actress in a Leading Role: Sophia Mitri Schloss | Lane 1974 Best Actor in a Leading Role: Charlie Tahan | Super Dark Times Best Screenplay: Zach Brown | Hard Surfaces Best Ensemble Cast: Dog Park, directed by Jade Jenise Dixon Best Documentary: The Work, directed by Jairus McLeary Best Director – Documentary Feature: Miranda Bailey | The Pathological Optimist Best Director – Narrative Feature: Adam Cushman | Restraint Best Cinematography: Luis Montalvo and Carlos Rossini | The Cloud Forest Best Foreign Film (TIE): Zoe Panoramas, directed by Rodrigo Guardiola and Gabriel Cruz Rivas Female Pioneer Award Here the Seats Are Vacant, directed by Shiva Sanjari Breakthrough Performance: Leo Ramsey | Blue Line Station Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Feature: Forbidden Cuba directed by Art Jones Audience Favorite Award (TIE): Dare To Be Different, directed by Ellen Goldfarb The Dating Project, directed by Jonathan Cipiti Best Film Editing: Carl Ambrose and Francisco Bello | Most Beautiful Island Best Score: Ben Frost | Super Dark Times Best Actors in Supporting Role: Blake Heron | A Thousand Junkies Matthew Brumlow | Blur Circle Michael Ferrell | Laura Gets A Cat Betty Gilpin | Future ’38SHORTS
Best Short Film: Dekalb Elementary, directed by Reed Van Dyk Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Shorts: The Point System, directed by Conner Bell Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast: Lost Dogs | Chris Lee, Edward Hong, Linda Him, Jen Yim, William Crespo, Joshua Han Best Webisode: Fakers, directed by Ryan Mitchel Best Short Film – Series: Sing For Me, directed by Sama Waham Best Film – Student Shorts: Geeta, directed Sohil Vaidya Best Director – Student Shorts: Noble Creatures, directed by Daniel Lafrentz Jury Prize for Creative Vision – Student Shorts: Light Sight, directed by Seyed M. Tabatabaei
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A LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT is Afghanistan’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | Trailer
A Letter to the President directed by Roya Sadat, has been submitted by Afghanistan as its candidate for nomination in the foreign-language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Roya Sadat is the first director and producer to successfully shoot and produce films after the fall of the Talibans. “A Letter to the President” made its world premiere at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival in August and will screen at the upcoming 2017 Busan Film Festival.
In the film, Soraya is a public official struggling to enforce the law in Afghanistan today. When she decides to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan, things spiral for the worse to the point that she’s arrested and put on death row. Asking for justice, she writes to the president, the last person who can save her. But will he listen to her plea?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_txke5_nnXY
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20th Savannah Film Festival to Honor Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Aaron Sorkin + Unveils Lineup
[caption id="attachment_24944" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
MOLLY’S GAME[/caption]
The 2017 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, celebrating it’s 20th anniversary, will run October 28 to November 4, and feature over 131 films. The festival will open with Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game, and the Centerpiece Gala film is Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird.
This year, SCAD will honor Richard Gere (Lifetime Achievement Award), Zoey Deutch (Rising Star Award), Mariska Hargitay (Humanitarian Award), Ashley Judd (Virtuoso Award), Kyra Sedgwick (Spotlight Award), Andrea Riseborough (Outstanding Supporting Actress Award for “Battle of the Sexes”), Willow Shields (Rising Star Award), Salma Hayek Pinault (Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award), John Boyega (Vanguard Award), Holly Hunter (Icon Award), Robert Pattinson (Maverick Award), Aaron Sorkin (Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award) and Sir Patrick Stewart (Legends of Cinema Award).
2017 Savannah Film Festival Film Lineup
GALA SCREENINGS
Call Me Be Your Name (Director: Luca Guadagino. Cast: Armie Hammer, Timothee Chalamet, and Michael Stuhlbarg) Darkest Hour (Director: Joe Wright. Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Stephen Dillane and Ben Mendelsohn) Downsizing (Director: Alexander Payne. Cast: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, and Kristin Wiig) Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (Director: Paul McGuigan. Cast: Annette Bening, Jamie Bell, Julie Walters, and Vanessa Redgrave) The Florida Project (Director: Sean Baker. Cast: Willem Dafoe, Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, and Valeria Cotto) I, Tonya (Director: Craig Gillespie. Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Allison Janney) Into the Rainbow (Director: Norman Stone, Gary Wing-Lun Mak. Cast: Willow Shields, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Wu Lei Leo and Jacqueline Joe) U.S. Premiere Lady Bird (Director: Greta Gerwig. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Lois Smith, and Stephen McKinley Henderson) Last Flag Flying (Director Richard Linklater. Cast: Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, and Laurence Fishburne) LBJ (Director: Rob Reiner. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Stahl-David, Rich Sommer, Bill Pullman, C. Thomas Howell, Jeffrey Donovan and Richard Jenkins) The Leisure Seeker (Director: Paolo Virzi. Cast: Helen Mirren, and Donald Sutherland) Molly’s Game (Writer and Director: Aaron Sorkin. Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, and Kevin Costner) Mudbound (Director: Dee Rees. Cast: Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan) The Shape of Water (Director: Guillermo del Toro. Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Octavia Spencer) Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Director: Martin McDonagh. Cast: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving, John Hawkes, and Zeljko Ivankek) The Upside (Director: Neil Burger. Cast: Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman) Wonderstruck (Director: Todd Haynes. Cast: Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore, and Millicent Simmonds)DOCS TO WATCH
Expected to attend this year are directors Evgeny Afineevsky (Cries from Syria); Greg Barker (The Final Year); Bryan Fogel (Icarus); Yance Ford (Strong Island); Amanda Lipitz (Step); Brett Morgen (Jane); Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Coral); Laura Poitras (Risk); John Ridley (Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992) Ceyda Torun (Kedi).SIGNATURE SERIES
Beatriz at Dinner (Director: Miguel Arteta. Cast: Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Chloë Sevigny, Connie Britton, David Warshofksy, Amy Landecker, Jay Duplass, and John Early) The Ballad of Lefty Brown (Director: Jared Moshe. Cast: Bill Pullman) Battle of the Sexes (Director: Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Cast: Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming, Bill Pullman, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell, and Natalie Morales) The Big Sick (Director: Michael Showalter. Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoey Kazan, Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) Detroit (Director: Kathryn Bigelow. Cast: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Algee Smith, Will Poulter, and Jacob Latimore) Flower (Director: Max Winkler. Cast: Zoey Deutch, Adam Scott, and Kathryn Hahn) Gifted (Director: Marc Webb. Cast: Chris Evans, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate, and Octavia Spencer) Good Time (Director: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Benny Safdie, Buddy Duress, and Barkhad Abdi) I Am Evidence (Producer Mariska Hargitay. Director: Trish Adelsic, Geeta Gandhbir) Logan (Director: James Mangold. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, and Dafne Keen) Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer (Director: Joseph Cedar. Cast: Richard Gere, Michael Sheen, and Steve Buscemi) Ruby in Paradise (Director: Victor Nuñez. Cast: Ashley Judd, Todd Field, and Bentley Mitchum) Served Like a Girl (Director: Lysa Heslov. Cast: Nichole Alred, Jas Boothe, and Rachel Engler) Story of a Girl (Director: Kyra Sedgwick. Cast: Kevin Bacon, Sosie Bacon, and Ryann Shane) Strange Weather (Director: Katherine Diekmann. Cast: Holly Hunter, Carrie Coon, and Ransom Ashley) Tulip Fever (Director: Justin Chadwick. Cast: Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Jack O’Connell, and Holliday Grainger) The Year of Spectacular Men (Director: Lea Thompson. Cast: Madelyn Deutch, Zoey Deutch, Lea Thompson, and Avan Jorgia)
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THE ARROW OF TIME, Documentary on Mikhail Gorbachev, will World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival
Former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev will be not be able to attend the World Premiere of his documentary The Arrow of Time directed by Leila Conners, at the Zurich Film Festival.
The Nobel Laureate was strongly advised by his doctors not to travel, and for that reason cancelled his trip. Instead, the former General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union has written a letter to the ZFF, in which he expresses his thanks for the invitation to Zurich and wishes the film, in which he plays a major part, a successful launch.
The director of the documentary film The Arrow of Time, Leila Conners, and further members of this Swiss-American co-production’s crew, will attend the festival in person. The ZFF will host the world premiere of The Arrow of Time in its Special Screenings section.
The former USSR President, whose disarmament negotiations with the USA led to the end of the Cold War, is warning once again of a new nuclear arms race. Director Leila Conners interviewed Gorbachev and other renowned politicians from Germany, France and the USA in her film, which is both a taut and disturbing review of our complicated 20th century world history, and an appeal not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Here is the letter from Mikhail Gorbachev to the Festival (slightly shortened version):
Dear hosts of the Zurich Film Festival!
Dear guests! Dear ladies and gentlemen, my dear friends!
Sadly, I am not in a condition to personally take part in our meeting – doctors have not been cooperative in this regard.
But I am very happy that The Arrow of Time documentary is finally on its way to the viewers. It is released at an uneasy time when the armaments race is gaining momentum again, when there are new attempts to fix global issues by force, often by military means.
The relationship between Russia and the West has fundamental importance in today’s global world. One of the key links in this chain – Russian-American relations. It has been three quarters of a year since the new President of the US assumed office, yet up to date there has been no full-fledged Russian-American meeting at the highest level. This is simply abnormal. I would like to call upon the leaders of our countries to immediately start preparations for such meeting. It will serve as the most crucial turning point to improve the state of affairs in the entire world.
I know what I am talking about. It was the Soviet-American summit in Geneva that paved the road to ceasing the Cold War. At that time, at first nobody believed that the negotiations would end well. But it was there, on the shore of Lake Geneva, that for the first time ever the leaders of USSR and USA said that “the nuclear war is untenable and there will be no winning side”. It was precisely that meeting that played the crucial role in transforming the globe, which was at the time paralyzed in the Cold War.
Unfortunately, due to a number of reasons we find ourselves thrown back in our efforts to build a new world.
Global issues that we face, starting from protecting the peace and safety to climate change, cybersecurity, and terrorism, demand that we rise to the new level of global government that would reflect the challenges of the XXI century. And for that, we need to reform the United Nations.
Many of these ideas might appear Utopian or unachievable in the context of the present political order, and that is precisely because they address the roots of the current issues.
These ideas, essentially presented in the documentary, aim to dispel the fatalistic feeling of helplessness, to show that there is a way forward, and that we will definitely start on that way, be it today by a conscious choice, or in the near future as a result of painful convulsive shocks.
And the clock is ticking…
In conclusion, I would like to thank the makers of the movie: Leila Conners and her entire creative crew, many of my friends and partners in implementation of the new course of action in international relations, for their contribution in creating this important cinematic document.
Mikhail Gorbachev
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VIDEO: Watch New Trailer for Phillip Gelatt’s THEY REMAIN
Here is the new trailer for Phillip Gelatt’s They Remain which will World Premiere at H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival this week in Portland on October 7 and a theatrical release this Fall.
The film starring William Jackson Harper (“Paterson,” “True Story”) and Rebecca Henderson (“Mistress America”) is based on the 2010 short story, “-30-” by award-winning author Laird Barron.
They Remain explores the evolving relationship between Keith and Jessica, two scientists who are employed by a vast, impersonal corporation to investigate an unspeakable horror that took place at the remote encampment of a mysterious cult. Working and living in a state-of-the-art, high tech environment that is completely at odds with their surroundings, they spend their days gathering physical evidence, analyzing it, and reporting on their findings.
The intensity of their work, and their extreme isolation, bring the pair closer. But, when Jessica discovers a mysterious artifact of unknown origin, the dynamic between them changes: secrets are kept, sexual tensions arise, and paranoia sets in. Keith begins to have visions and is unable to distinguish whether they are nightmares or hauntings. Having lost all sense of what is real and what is imagined, all he knows is that the horror he and Jessica have been sent to uncover—a horror that could be biological, psychological, or supernatural— now threatens his very survival.
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Léa Mysius’ AVA is First Film Selected for Stockholm Film Festival Competition | Trailer
Stockholm Film Festival is working hard to promote female directors in the film industry, and has selected Ava by Léa Mysius as the first movie in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition.
Léa Mysius debut drama Ava was nominated for four awards at 2017 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, winning the Palme d’Or for Best Movie in the SADC category as well as the Palm Dog jury prize.
Ava will also have the honor of being the official campaign picture of this year’s Stockholm Film Festival.
Léa Mysius’ captivating drama follows thirteen-year-old Ava who is spending the summer at the Atlantic coast with her mother. But the summer idyll is shattered when Ava is told that she will lose her eyesight in just a few months. To live life to the fullest before turning blind Ava decides to escape – with a young man on the run.
“I’m very proud that we can present an equal lineup in the Stockholm XXVIII Competition. It’s a result of hard work. We review all films directed by women, and for that reason we manage to find fantastic movies that we want to highlight,” says festival director Git Sheynius.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF2XRVr2o2c