• Director Stephen Frears Receives Glory to the Filmmaker Award at Venice International Film Festival

    English Director Stephen Frears poses with The Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award during the 74th Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 3, 2017 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Sebastiano Pessina) Yesterday, in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema at the 74th Venice International Film Festival, director Stephen Frears received the Glory to the Filmmaker award for his significant contribution to innovation in contemporary cinema. English Director Stephen Frears receives The Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award and Reverso engraved watched from Chief Marketing Officer of Jaeger-LeCoultre Nicolas Siriez (L) and festival director Alberto Barbera (R) during the 74th Venice International Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 3, 2017 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Sebastiano Pessina) Director Stephen Frears received The Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory To The Filmmaker Award and Reverso engraved watched from Chief Marketing Officer of Jaeger-LeCoultre Nicolas Siriez (L) and festival director Alberto Barbera (R). (Photo by Sebastiano Pessina) Following the award ceremony, the Festival presented the Out of Competition screening of Frears’ new film Victoria & Abdul, receiving its world premiere screening in Venice.

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  • BORG/McENROE Starring Shia LaBeouf, Sverrir Gudnason to Open Zurich Film Festival

    Borg/McEnroe Danish director Janus Metz Pedersen’s tennis drama Borg/McEnroe starring Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason will open the 13th Zurich Film Festival on September 28, 2017. Director Janus Metz Pedersen and Björn Borg-actor Sverrir Gudnason will attend as the Zurich Film Festival’s honorary guests. Wimbledon, July 5, 1980: tennis pros Björn Borg and John McEnroe square up at the Wimbledon final for one of sporting history’s most legendary duels. The 24-year-old Swede and world’s number one ranked tennis player (Sverrir Gudnason) is feeling exhausted and burned out. The 20-year-old New Yorker (Shia LaBeouf) is determined to beat him. The two opponents go on to deliver a nerve-racking and grinding battle in one of the most suspense-packed matches in tennis history. Said ZFF Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri: „We are extremely proud to be opening the ZFF for the first time with a Swedish production. Borg/McEnroe is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated movies and is sure to delight cinemagoers around the globe.” They continued: “Borg/McEnroe is most definitely not a film just for tennis fans, but a thrilling cinema experience for everybody.” Legends of the tennis world The Swede Björn Borg and US American John McEnroe are two of the tennis world’s greatest legends – and their on-court rivalry is just as legendary. Borg/McEnroe depicts the two tennis icons as they prepare for the Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon. Borg is desperate to leave his mark as the winner of five titles in a row. His opponent is the ambitious young McEnroe, who is only driven by the thought of finally knocking Borg off his throne. While Borg prepares for the duel aided by his trainer Lennart Bergelin (Stellan Skarsgård), McEnroe continues to hit newspaper headlines. But despite the difference in their personalities, the two men come to realise that they have more in common than they could possibly have imagined. Björn Borg and John McEnroe played each other a total of 14 times between 1978 and 1981. Their on-court rivalry was famous the world over and compounded by the competitors’ conflicting personalities: while Borg remained cool and placid, McEnroe was famous for his fits of temper. Sverrir Gudnason and Shia LaBeouf undertook two months of intensive tennis training in order to lend their characters more authenticity. The movie was shot in Borg’s hometown of Södertälje near Stockholm in Sweden, and further in Gothenburg, Stockholm, Prague, London and Monaco. Borg/McEnroe hits cinemas in Switzerland on October 12, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgfFdEOGUqE

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  • A TAXI DRIVER is South Korea’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER

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    A TAXI DRIVER A Taxi Driver directed by Jang Hun, has been selected as South Korea’s official candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2018 Oscars. The film, starring Song Kang-ho, Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hai-jin, and Ryu Jun-yeol, is based on the true story of German reporter Jürgen Hinzpeter and Korean taxi driver Kim Sa-Bok.Jürgen Hinzpeter covering the Gwangju Uprising, which took place from May 18-27, 1980 in Gwangju, South Korea. A Taxi Driver had its international premiere as the closing night film of the 2017 Fantasia International Film Festival, where Song Kang-ho won the award for Best Actor. May, 1980, Seoul. Demonstrations denouncing the martial law proclaimed by the dictator Chun Doo-hwan disrupt the routine of Man-seob, a cranky taxi driver who curses the protesters who prevent him from working. Raising his daughter alone after the death of his wife, Man-seob is crushed by debt. Every fare counts. When he hears a colleague boast that he’s about to receive a colossal sum for taking a Westerner to Gwangju, Man-seob rushes to the rendezvous point to rob him of his client, a German journalist calling himself Peter. The latter intends to investigate clandestinely rumours that Gwangju is under siege by the army and that the government has cut off all communication between the city and the rest of the country. Man-seob, however, lies about his understanding of English and the reasons for their journey. He has no idea what he has embarked on. Their fate will be closely bound to that of the inhabitants of Gwangju. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbUwOP9HZQk

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  • Indie Legal Thriller CREATED EQUAL Wins at Action On Film Festival and BronzeLens Film Festival

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    [caption id="attachment_24340" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Thada Catalon, Bill Duke, Edy Ganem - Created Equal at Action on Film Festival. Thada Catalon, Bill Duke, Edy Ganem[/caption] The indie legal thriller Created Equal continues its award winning sweep, winning prizes at the Action On Film Festival in Las Vegas and the BronzeLens Film Festival in Atlanta. At Action On Film Festival, the film won “Best Picture” and “Best Actress,” and legendary actor/director, Bill Duke, received the esteemed Icon Award – the ultimate honor from Action On Film Festival that celebrated his lifetime of achievements in Hollywood. [caption id="attachment_24341" align="aligncenter" width="800"](L to R) John Newberg, Yohance Myles, Thada Catalon, Katheen Bertrand, Jo-Ann Robinson, Spence Maughon and Ketrick "Jazz" Copeland pose on the Bronze Carpet at the closing night screening event at the BronzeLens Film Festival. (L to R) John Newberg, Yohance Myles, Thada Catalon, Katheen Bertrand, Jo-Ann Robinson, Spence Maughon and Ketrick “Jazz” Copeland pose on the Bronze Carpet at the closing night screening event at the BronzeLens Film Festival.[/caption] At BronzeLens Film Festival, Created Equal took home the win for “Best Feature.” Deidre McDonald, artistic director of the BronzeLens Film Festival shared, “BronzeLens is pleased to have awarded Created Equal as our 2017 Best Feature. Bill Duke’s skillful direction made a story of gender equality in the Catholic Church an exciting thriller. Kudos, also, to Thada Catalon, an actress, writer, director and now producer who was able to bring it to the screen. I have no doubt we will see a lot of her films in the years to come!” Created Equal stars Broadway actor and singer Aaron Tveit (Grease Live!), Latina actress Edy Ganem (Devious Maids), Yohance Myles (Shots Fired), veteran actors Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire) and GregAlan Williams (Greenleaf). In the film, Thomas “Tommy” Reilly ( Aaron Tveit ), a cocky, up-and-coming attorney, begrudgingly takes on a case for Sister Alejandra “Allie” Batista ( Edy Ganem ), who’s desperate to become a priest in the Catholic Church. Against his supervisor’s wishes, Tommy files suit against the Archdiocese of New Orleans for gender discrimination without justifiable cause. As the trial unfolds, an extremist concocts a plot to stop the heresy against the church by attacking and threatening to kill Alejandra if they don’t back off. Tommy’s faith and conviction are tested, and as he questions his purpose, he begins the transformation from an egotistical, arrogant person, to one who is committed to a mission larger than his own self-interests. Based on the novel, Created Equal, written by Roger A. Brown, who also serves as executive producer, the film certainly lives up to its intent, as it sparks a worldwide conversation that explores the disparity between men and women holding the highest leadership positions within the church, as well as other positions that hold the greatest authority in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91Bw2UFlonM

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  • QUIT STARING AT MY PLATE is Croatia’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER

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    Quit Staring at My Plate (Ne gledaj mi u pijat) Quit Staring at My Plate (Ne gledaj mi u pijat), the debut feature film from director Hana Jušić’, has been selected by Croatia as its official candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2018 Oscars. The film starring Mia Petričević, Nikša Butijer, Arijana Čulina, Zlatko Buric had its World Premiere at the 2016 Venice Days where the film won the FEDEORA Award for Best European Film. In the film Marijana’s life revolves around her family, whether she likes it or not. They live on top of one another in a tiny apartment, driving one another crazy. Then her controlling father has a stroke and is left completely bedridden, and Marijana takes his place as head of the clan. Soon, she is working two jobs to keep everything afloat, while her mother and disabled brother do their best to scupper the ship. Driven to the edge, Marijana finds comfort in seedy sex with random strangers; and this taste of freedom leaves her wanting more. But now that she has finally found freedom, what’s she meant to do with it? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjE6IE9QgNk

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  • Piers Handling Stepping Down as Head of Toronto International Film Festival

    Piers Handling After almost 25 years, Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF, announced today that 2018 will be his final year leading the Toronto International Film Festival.  “Because of Piers’ leadership, TIFF is the leading cultural organization it is today, with a global reach and impact,” said Jennifer Tory, Chair of the Board of Directors of TIFF. “We are all indebted to him for his years of vision, innovation and dedication to the art of film.” Handling’s tenure at TIFF has been both ground-breaking and prolific, with career highlights including:
    • Growing TIFF from a 10-day event into a thriving year-round arts organization with global impact;
    • Leading the Festival into the top tier of internationally recognized film events;
    • Leading and mentoring a strong and seasoned team of executives and management and a passionate and dedicated staff;
    • Supporting the careers of many Canadian and international filmmakers, including David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, Guy Maddin, Denys Arcand, Denis Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Vallee, François Girard, Xavier Dolan, Michael Haneke, Danny Boyle, Kathryn Bigelow, Nanni Moretti, Agnieszka Holland, Abbas Kiarostami, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Glazer, Antoine Fuqua, Pedro Almodóvar, Aki Kaurismäki, Patricia Rozema, Jennifer Baichwal, Guillermo Del Toro, Steven Soderbergh; and many others.
    • Leading the campaign to design, fund and build TIFF Bell Lightbox, a permanent home for TIFF and film, now a cornerstone of engaging and innovative programming for audiences and professionals, here and around the world.
    “I joined the festival in 1982 and have been CEO for the past 23 years. I am incredibly proud of the legacy we have achieved during that time. I am completely confident in the future of TIFF. It is now one of the most important film organizations in the world,” said Handling. “We have an exciting and bold new strategic plan — Audience First. While I am excited about what the future holds in store for me, my immediate focus remains leading this wonderful organization through to the end of 2018, and ensuring that TIFF continues to inspire audiences and celebrate the riches of cinema from all over the globe.” In recognition of his many contributions, Handling has achieved some of the highest honours afforded to cultural leaders, including Officer of the Order of Canada, the Order of Ontario, France’s highest cultural insignia “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres”, CEO of the Year by the Canadian Public Relations Society, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, Technicolor Clyde Gilmour Award, the Human Rights Watch Award, and in November he will be recognized by Business for the Arts with the Peter Herrndorf Arts Leadership Award. He also holds five Honorary Doctorates from the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, Ryerson University, York University and OCAD University. Over the coming months, TIFF’s Board of Directors will begin the process of identifying and selecting a new Chief Executive Officer.

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  • VIDEO: Watch Trailers for 2 Netflix Documentary Shorts Premiering at 2017 Telluride Film Festival

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    Heroin(e) and The Long Shot Here are the trailers for two Netflix original documentary shorts – Heroin(e) and Long Shot premiering this weekend at the 2017 Telluride Film Festival. Heroin(e), making its world premiere, focuses on the once bustling industrial town, Huntington, West Virginia that has become the epicenter of America’s modern opioid epidemic. With an overdose rate 10 times the national average, the crisis threatens to tear this community apart. West Virginia native Sheldon highlights three women working to change the town’s narrative and break the devastating cycle of drug abuse one person at a time. Heroin(e) shows how the chain of compassion holds one town together. The Netflix original documentary short, by Peabody award-winning filmmaker, Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Hollow), will launch on September 12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khSO7qEKbvo Also making its’ world premiere, Long Shot, an improbable story where justice prevails with a series of events that could only happen in Hollywood. An innocent man is accused of murder, leading his dedicated attorney on a wild chase to confirm his alibi among thousands of people in a baseball stadium. To tell the whole story, the search would lead him from the LA Dodgers, to a cellphone tower, to the office of the entertainer Larry David. On the night in question, television cameras happened to be positioned throughout the stadium, and captured a story of remarkable circumstance. Directed by Jacob LaMendola (Anosmia), Long Shot launches September 29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDxISykYRc4

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  • SCARY MOTHER is Georgia’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER

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    Scary Mother (Sashishi deda) Ana Urushadze’s award-winning debut feature film, Scary Mother (Sashishi deda), has been selected by Georgia as its official candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2018 Oscars. The film starring Nata Murvanidze, Ramaz Ioseliani, Dimitri Tatishvili, and Avtandil Makharadze, World Premiered at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival where the film won the Swatch First Feature Award (Prize for Best First Feature). After the Locarno Film Festival, the film competed at the 2017 Sarajevo Film Festival where it won the the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Feature Film; and the Cineuropa Prize. Scary Mother follows the story of a  50-year-old housewife, Manana (Nato Murvanidze), struggling with a dilemma: she has to choose between her family life and a love for writing she has repressed for years. When she finally decides to follow her passion, she is ready to sacrifice everything for it, mentally and physically.

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  • VIDEO: Watch Trailer for THE PATHOLOGICAL OPTIMIST on Man Behind Controversial Anti-Vaccination Movement

    The Pathological Optimist Poster Here is the new trailer and poster for The Pathological Optimist directed by Miranda Bailey that documents Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the man behind one of the most highly controversial, intensely debated topics in modern medicine: the anti-vaccination movement.  The film will be released in theaters on September 29th. In The Pathological Optimist, director Miranda Bailey brings us a character study of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, one of 13 co-authors of a notorious 1998 paper in the UK medical Journal The Lancet, but who became the very public face of what has come to be known as “The Anti-Vaccination Movement.” An expat from Britain who currently resides in Austin, Texas, Wakefield allowed Bailey and her team to follow him and his family for five years beginning in 2011 as he fought a defamation battle in the courts against the British Medical Journal and journalist Brian Deer. The results of that case – and the self-reflection, pronouncements, and observations of Wakefield, his legal team, wife, and his children – create a complex and incisive look at one of our era’s most fear-provoking and continuingly provocative figures. The Pathological Optimist takes no sides, instead letting Wakefield and the battles he fought speak for themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRA0w1pvFLk

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  • World Premiere of ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. Starring Denzel Washington Added to 2017 Toronto International Film Festival

    Roman J. Israel, Esq., starring Denzel Washington The World Premiere of Dan Gilroy’s Roman J. Israel, Esq., starring Denzel Washington will complete the 2017 Official Program Selection lineup of the Toronto International Film Festival.  Written and directed by Gilroy and featuring an amazing transformation by Denzel Washington, Roman J. Israel, Esq. is the newest and final addition to TIFF’s Special Presentations program. “The Toronto International Film Festival has a wonderful history with both Dan Gilroy and Denzel Washington,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “Three years ago TIFF had the honor of premiering Gilroy’s directorial debut, Nightcrawler, at the Festival. In addition to previously screening The Equalizer and presenting the World Premiere of Training Day, which earned Washington an Oscar for Best Actor, the Washington-starring The Magnificent Seven was our Opening Night film last year. A project that teams up both of these remarkable creators is one not to be missed.” “We always hoped to premiere at Toronto and couldn’t be happier that TIFF audiences will be the first to see the film,” said Gilroy. “Thanks to Cameron and the entire Festival crew for embracing us and bringing Roman Israel to the world.” Roman J. Israel, Esq. is a dramatic thriller set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system. Denzel Washington stars as a driven, idealistic defense attorney whose life is upended when a turbulent series of events challenge the activism that has defined his career. Colin Farrell costars as the ambitious, monied lawyer who recruits Roman to his firm. This star-led cast features Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Lynda Gravatt, Amanda Warren, Hugo Armstrong, Sam Gilroy, Tony Plana, DeRon Horton and Amari Cheatom. R The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.

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  • Annemarie Jacir’s WAJIB is Palestine’s Entry for 2018 Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | TRAILER

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    wajib Wajib, a film written and directed by Annemarie Jacir, has been selected by Palestine as its official candidate in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2018 Oscars. The film starring Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri, Maria Zreik and Leila Bakri, World Premiered in official competition at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival, and will have its North American premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. In the film, Abu Shadi is a divorced father and a school teacher in his mid-60s living in Nazareth. After his daughter’s wedding in one month he will be living alone. Shadi, his architect son, arrives from Rome after years abroad to help his father in hand delivering the wedding invitations as per local Palestinian custom. As the estranged pair spend the day together, the tense details of their relationship come to a head challenging their fragile and very different lives. This  is director Annemarie Jacir’s third time representing Palestine at the Academy Awards, having been submitted for Salt of the Sea (2008) and When I Saw You (2012). Click here to see a clip from Wajib

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  • Actor Danny Glover and Producer Joslyn Barnes to Be Honored at Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival

    Danny Glover and Joslyn Barnes Actor Danny Glover and Producer Joslyn Barnes of Louveture Films will attend the 2017 Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival, where they will receive the Martha’s Vineyard Film Society’s 2017 Global Citizen Award. The Martha’s Vineyard International Film Festival will take place September 5 to 10, 2017. A screening of White Sun, a film produced by Glover and Barnes will immediately follow the on-stage conversation with Ms. Barnes and Mr. Glover about their careers and achievements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDeqkHyt8Rk Danny Glover Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer Louveture Films In addition to being one of the most acclaimed actors of our time, Mr. Glover is also the recipient of countless awards for his humanitarian and advocacy efforts on behalf of economic and social justice causes, Glover is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Amnesty International. His career spans 35 years and includes film classics like “Places in the Heart,” “The Color Purple,” the “Lethal Weapon” series and the acclaimed “To Sleep with Anger.” Mr. Glover has also executive produced numerous projects for film, television and theatre. Among these are “Good Fences,” “3 AM,” “Freedom Song,” “Get on the Bus,” “Deadly Voyage,” “Buffalo Soldiers,” “The Saint of Fort Washington,” and “Mooladé,” as well as the series “Courage and America’s Dream.” Joslyn Barnes Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer Louveture Films Joslyn Barnes is a writer and producer. In 2017, Ms. Barnes was the recipient of both the Cinereach Producer Award and the Sundance Institute Amazon Studios Producer Award. Prior to co-founding Louverture, she served as a program officer and expert consultant at the United Nations. She has lived and traveled widely in Africa and Asia, and has written numerous articles covering trade and social development issues, as well as contributing to books on the establishment of electronic communications in developing countries, food security in Africa, and strategic advocacy for the inclusion of gender perspectives on the international development agenda. Ms. Barnes also wrote and directed the short film Prana for Cinétévé France as part of an internationally distributed series of 30 short films to promote awareness of environmental issues.

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