Legendary music manager, film producer and culinary arts visionary, Shep Gordon, will be fêted as the 2017 Trailblazer of the Woodstock Film Festival. Gordon, who is the subject of the 2013 hit documentary film SUPERMENSCH: The Legend of Shep Gordon, directed by Mike Myers, was chosen as the 2017 Trailblazer for his steadfast career launching one of the first independent film companies and film distributors, Alive Pictures/Island Alive, as well as managing musicians such as Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, and Luther Vandross; and for sparking the celebrity chef phenomenon by being the first to represent the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud.
The Woodstock Film Festival’s Trailblazer award is given to a leader in the film and media arts industry who has carved innovative paths in the business, established an independent vision, affected social change, and created a strong and widespread appreciation of quality, substantive change in the arts. The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Gordon on Saturday, October 14, at the Woodstock Film Festival’s Maverick Awards Ceremony at Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY.
Shep Gordon is known in the entertainment industry as having an eye for talent and an innate understanding of what people find entertaining. After graduating from SUNY Buffalo, Shep moved to Los Angeles, and in 1969 he created one of the first independent film production companies along with the first independent film distribution companies in the U.S., Island Alive, and distributed such films as Stop Making Sense, Koyaanisqatsi, The Whales of August and Ridley Scott’s first film The Duelist winning the Cannes Film Festival.
Over the years, Gordon has been responsible for managing the careers of Alice Cooper, Groucho Marx, Raquel Welch, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, and countless others. He’s also credited as creating the celebrity chef, which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion-dollar industry it is today. His clients include culinary legends, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu, Daniel Boulud and many more. In addition to the impact he’s had on the music, film and food industries, he’s also highly regarded for his philanthropic endeavors and sits on the board of the Tibet Fund for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Shep was named one of the 100 most influential people in Rolling Stone magazine. Gordon has 23 films to his credit as Producer or Executive Producer including Kiss of the Spider Woman, A Time of Destiny, Prince of Darkness, People Under the Stairs and Shocker.
“It’s a privilege to present our 2017 honorary Trailblazer Award to Shep Gordon,” said Meira Blaustein, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Woodstock Film Festival. “His visionary approach to music, film, artistic and culinary endeavors, coupled by his generous spirit which has inspired and empowered countless artists, is truly admirable, making him the epitome of a Trailblazer.”
“Woodstock has always been a community that encourages new ideas and champions the notion of being truly independent,” said Gordon. “I’m honored to be chosen as a representative of that at this year’s Woodstock Film Festival.”
The Trailblazer Award has previously been bestowed upon such film industry principals as David Linde (Chief Content Officer, Participant Media), Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer, Netflix), James Schamus (former President of Focus Features), Bob Berney (Head of Marketing & Distribution, Amazon Studios), Jonathan Sehring (President, Sundance Selects and IFC Films), John Sloss (Founder, Cinetic Media), and Robin Bronk (CEO, The Creative Coalition).
Gordon’s background spans film production, music management and production, culinary management, entrepreneurialism across all fields and book writing. He has built many careers from the ground up. Most recently, Gordon published the autobiography, They Call Me Supermensch, about his extraordinary life in the rock-n-roll business and beyond.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd0VOkPOrV0-
Shep Gordon to Receive Woodstock Film Festival’s 2017 Trailblazer Award
Legendary music manager, film producer and culinary arts visionary, Shep Gordon, will be fêted as the 2017 Trailblazer of the Woodstock Film Festival. Gordon, who is the subject of the 2013 hit documentary film SUPERMENSCH: The Legend of Shep Gordon, directed by Mike Myers, was chosen as the 2017 Trailblazer for his steadfast career launching one of the first independent film companies and film distributors, Alive Pictures/Island Alive, as well as managing musicians such as Alice Cooper, Teddy Pendergrass, and Luther Vandross; and for sparking the celebrity chef phenomenon by being the first to represent the likes of Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck and Daniel Boulud.
The Woodstock Film Festival’s Trailblazer award is given to a leader in the film and media arts industry who has carved innovative paths in the business, established an independent vision, affected social change, and created a strong and widespread appreciation of quality, substantive change in the arts. The Trailblazer Award will be presented to Gordon on Saturday, October 14, at the Woodstock Film Festival’s Maverick Awards Ceremony at Backstage Studio Productions in Kingston, NY.
Shep Gordon is known in the entertainment industry as having an eye for talent and an innate understanding of what people find entertaining. After graduating from SUNY Buffalo, Shep moved to Los Angeles, and in 1969 he created one of the first independent film production companies along with the first independent film distribution companies in the U.S., Island Alive, and distributed such films as Stop Making Sense, Koyaanisqatsi, The Whales of August and Ridley Scott’s first film The Duelist winning the Cannes Film Festival.
Over the years, Gordon has been responsible for managing the careers of Alice Cooper, Groucho Marx, Raquel Welch, Luther Vandross, Kenny Loggins, and countless others. He’s also credited as creating the celebrity chef, which revolutionized the food industry and turned the culinary arts into the multi-billion-dollar industry it is today. His clients include culinary legends, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Nobu, Daniel Boulud and many more. In addition to the impact he’s had on the music, film and food industries, he’s also highly regarded for his philanthropic endeavors and sits on the board of the Tibet Fund for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Shep was named one of the 100 most influential people in Rolling Stone magazine. Gordon has 23 films to his credit as Producer or Executive Producer including Kiss of the Spider Woman, A Time of Destiny, Prince of Darkness, People Under the Stairs and Shocker.
“It’s a privilege to present our 2017 honorary Trailblazer Award to Shep Gordon,” said Meira Blaustein, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Woodstock Film Festival. “His visionary approach to music, film, artistic and culinary endeavors, coupled by his generous spirit which has inspired and empowered countless artists, is truly admirable, making him the epitome of a Trailblazer.”
“Woodstock has always been a community that encourages new ideas and champions the notion of being truly independent,” said Gordon. “I’m honored to be chosen as a representative of that at this year’s Woodstock Film Festival.”
The Trailblazer Award has previously been bestowed upon such film industry principals as David Linde (Chief Content Officer, Participant Media), Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer, Netflix), James Schamus (former President of Focus Features), Bob Berney (Head of Marketing & Distribution, Amazon Studios), Jonathan Sehring (President, Sundance Selects and IFC Films), John Sloss (Founder, Cinetic Media), and Robin Bronk (CEO, The Creative Coalition).
Gordon’s background spans film production, music management and production, culinary management, entrepreneurialism across all fields and book writing. He has built many careers from the ground up. Most recently, Gordon published the autobiography, They Call Me Supermensch, about his extraordinary life in the rock-n-roll business and beyond.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd0VOkPOrV0
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2017 Capital City Black Film Festival Canceled [UPDATED]
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Louis Gossett, Jr[/caption]
[Updated: Festival canceled] Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy winner Louis Gossett, Jr., will be honored at the Opening Night Gala of the 15th Capital City Black Film Festival (CCBFF) on Thursday, August 17, 2017, at the Austin Convention Center.
Louis Gossett, Jr., will receive the Harlem Lights! Living Legend Award at the Gala on Thursday at 8:00pm. The award is named in honor of East Austin’s legendary Harlem Theater, which served African American moviegoers from 1935 to 1973. At that time, the Harlem Theater was one of only seven black-owned theaters in the country.
In addition, “Forgiveness,” a short film written and directed by Satie Gossett, will be screened on Thursday evening.
“We are incredibly excited and humbled that Louis Gossett, Jr., will be with us as we celebrate our 5th Anniversary. His are the shoulders on which we stand as we present the wealth of filmmaking and acting talent that exists in the African American community,” said Winston G. Williams, Executive Director of the Capital City Black Film Festival. “We hold Mr. Gossett, Jr., in the highest regard, as do millions around the world, for his character and integrity, his immense talent and the magic he brings to the stage and screen.”
The festival also announced the world premieres of Breaking Brooklyn and The Reason, both starring Louis Gossett, Jr.
Premieres Friday, August 18th: Breaking Brooklyn tells the story of a 12-year-old boy with a passion for dance and his brother who are rescued from the streets by an old showman (Louis Gossett, Jr.) who takes them in to live with his estranged former dancing partner/brother (Vondie Curtis-Hall). Breaking Brooklyn is directed by Paul Becker, and written by Paul Becker and Rory Owen Delaney. The movie stars Colin Critchley, Madeleine Mantock and Catherine Curtin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7eDjX9d2ew
Premieres Sunday, August 20th: The Reason, based on the William Sirls book, follows a small-town pastor (Louis Gossett, Jr.) whose son hasn’t spoken a single word in 38 years, and a mother whose five-year-old boy has leukemia, as a mysterious man is sent to give them hope. Sirls adapted his book for the screen, writing the screenplay with Aviv Rubinstein and Richard Clark Jr. The Reason is directed by Randall Stevens and stars Tatyana Ali, Beverly Todd and Burgess Jenkins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgcjnOtd3zs
Louis Gossett, Jr. will be present at each screening and will participate in a talkback with the audience.
Updated: Festival has been canceled. Winston G. Williams, executive director of the Capital City Black Film Festival, stated the unfortunate cancellation was due to receiving news that key sponsorship commitments would not be forthcoming making it impossible to put on the festival this year.
“I know this is devastating news coming only a few days before we were supposed to welcome our guests,” Williams said. “I want the CCBFF family, special guests, ticket holders, vendors and sponsors to understand that this was not an easy decision and know that the circumstances had to be dire in order for me to come to this decision.”
The CCBFF team regrets the necessity of this cancellation and ask that you accept our sincere apologies for this tremendous inconvenience. Those who have purchased tickets will receive refunds. All ticket sales will be refunded by Monday, August 21st, 5:00 p.m. In addition, all submission fees will be refunded to filmmakers.
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Kenneth Lonergan is Austin Film Festival’s 2017 Distinguished Screenwriter
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Kenneth Lonergan[/caption]
Kenneth Lonergan will be honored as the 2017 Distinguished Screenwriter of the Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference (AFF). AFF annually recognizes outstanding filmmakers and screenwriters for their accomplished bodies of work and contributions toward furthering the art and craft of storytelling. Past screenwriter honorees include Nancy Meyers, Eric Roth, and Steven Zaillian. Mr. Lonergan will be recognized at the 2017 Awards Luncheon on Saturday, October 28, and will participate in Festival and Conference programming, as well.
Kenneth Lonergan’s film credits include You Can Count On Me, Margaret, and Manchester by the Sea, for which he received this year’s Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay. Additionally, he co-wrote the screenplays for Analyze This and Gangs of New York. As a playwright, Lonergan penned This is Our Youth, The Waverly Gallery, Lobby Hero, The Starry Messenger, Medieval Play, and Hold On to Me Darling.
Austin Film Festival also revealed new panelists confirmed to speak at the Screenwriters Conference, held the first four days of the Festival, October 26-29. The roster features prominent writers in film, television, theater, fiction podcasting, and new media including David Simon (creator The Wire; co-creator of HBO’s upcoming The Deuce) and George Pelecanos (co-creator of The Deuce) Misha Green(co-creator Underground), Eric Heisserer (writer Arrival), Kourtney Kang (writer Fresh Off The Boat), David Lowery (writer/director A Ghost Story), and many more.
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VIDEO: New Poster + Watch Robert Pattinson in New Trailer for GOOD TIME
Good Time starring Robert Pattinson today released a new trailer and poster. The film opens in theaters on August 11.
Good Time directed by the Safdie brothers – Josh and Benny Safdie – also stars Benny Safdie, Barkhad Abdi and Jennifer Jason Leigh .
The Safdie brothers’ exhilarating New York thriller stars Robert Pattinson in a headlong rush into crime and chaos. The overwhelmingly positive reactions out of the Cannes Film Festival mark a thrilling turn for the filmmakers and a career-defining performance for Pattinson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upsR80YmwWc
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A FANTASTIC WOMAN, INSYRIATED, MR LONG Among First 6 Films Revealed for Stockholm International Film Festival
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A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica)[/caption]
The Stockholm International Film Festival today revealed the first six titles in the Fall program lineup. The 28th edition of the festival takes place November 8 to 19, 2017
A Fantastic Woman by Sebastian Lelio
The film, which depicts love and battle with great visual confidence, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded three times. Maren Ade, who directed the celebrated movie “Toni Erdmann”, is a co-producer of the film that challenges the audience in the best possible way.
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste by Anna Chai, Nari Kye
Every year, a third of all food is thrown away before it even reaches consumers. The directors Anna Chai and Nari Kye want to change this behaviour with this strong, educational and hopeful documentary.
Amant Double by François Ozon
After the critically acclaimed drama “Frantz”, director François Ozon is back with an erotic thriller. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the prestigious prize La Palme D’or.
Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw
“Insyriated” is a strong depiction of how a family caught in an apartment tries to endure another day in the Syrian war. The film blew the crowd away during Berlin film festival earlier this year and was awarded the Panorama Audience Award.
Mr. Long by Sabu
“Mr. Long “depicts the hard-boiled anti-hero from a new angle. With a unique blend of drama, humour and cooking, the film was nominated for the award for best film at the Berlin Film Festival.
This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous by Barbara Kopple
The documentary “This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” is a moving film about the transwoman Gigi Gorgeous’ gender transitioning followed by thousands of fans on YouTube. The director Kopple has previously been awarded with two Oscar awards.
During the Fall, the following acclaimed films will be previewed for the film festival’s members:
On Body and Soul by Ildikó Enyedi (Golden Bear in Berlin)
120 BPM by Robin Campillo (Grand Prix in Cannes)
The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola (Best Director in Cannes)
The Nile Hilton Incident by Tarik Saleh (Grand Jury Price in Sundance)
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Sneak Preview of 2017 Rome Film Fest – David Lynch Honored, Steve Soderbergh’s LUCKY LOGAN and More
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Logan Lucky[/caption]
The Artistic Director Antonio Monda today offered a preview of the 12th Rome Film Fest, which will take place from October 26th to November 5th 2017 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, extending, like last year, even further into the Italian capital. The complete lineup will be announced on Tuesday October 10th.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Like every year, ample space will be devoted to the Close Encounters (onstage conversations) with directors, actors and leading cultural figures.
David Lynch | Lifetime Achievement Award
Forty years after the release of his first feature-length film Eraserhead, the Rome Film Fest celebrates the genius of David Lynch with its Lifetime Achievement Award. The American filmmaker, who redefined contemporary cinema with his visionary oneiric style, will meet the audience and go through his extraordinary career from The Elephant Man to Mulholland Drive, from Blue Velvet to Inland Empire to the cult television series Twin Peaks. Lynch will discuss the three films that had the greatest influence on his career, including Federico Fellini’s 8½.
Ian McKellen
An extraordinary Shakespearean actor, winner of a Golden Globe and two Tony Awards, twice nominated for the Academy Award®, Ian McKellen will be the protagonist of a Close Encounter during the Rome Film Fest. The English actor rose to worldwide fame as Magneto in the “X-Men” film saga, and as Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies. Ian McKellen will share with the audience his deep love for cinema and, in particular, for the comic genius of Jacques Tati.
Xavier Dolan
Winner of the Jury Prize at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival for Mommy and of the 2016 Grand Prix for It’s Only the End of the World, at the young age of twenty-eight Xavier Dolan is already considered one of the most original and charismatic filmmakers of his generation. The young Canadian director will attend an onstage conversation and will talk about his career as an all-around artist, director and screenwriter of six hit feature-films and two music videos (including “Hello” for Adele), and as a highly regarded film and television actor.
Chuck Palahniuk
A surreal, non-conventional and controversial cult writer, Chuck Palahniuk won international acclaim for his first novel “Fight Club”, which became a world-wide best-seller following its remarkable film adaptation by David Fincher. The Close Encounter with Palahniuk will be called “American Gothic”: the novelist will talk about the horror films that have thrilled and unsettled him most.
Vanessa Redgrave
With a fifty-year career, Vanessa Redgrave is considered one of the greatest living actresses, having worked with great directors such as Michelangelo Antonioni (Blow-Up made her an international star), Fred Zinnemann (his film Julia won her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress), Sidney Lumet, James Ivory and Brian de Palma, among others.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
The official selection of the 12th Rome Film Fest will comprise about 35 feature-length films, including:
Logan Lucky by Steve Soderbergh
Following his incursion into the world of television series with the perturbing Gothic atmospheres of The Knick, Steven Soderbergh returns to the silver screen with Logan Lucky, an epic film that evokes the mood of the “Ocean” trilogy. In his new film, the director and winner of an Academy Award® for Traffic, the filmmaker of celebrated productions ranging from Sex, Lies and Videotape to Magic Mike, narrates a risky and elaborate robbery that takes place during the famous adrenalin-fuelled Nascar races. The star-studded cast features Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston and Sebastian Stan.
SPECIAL EVENT
NYsferatu by Andrea Mastrovito | with the “Luigi Boccherini” Orchestra from Lucca
The Rome Film Fest 2017 will host a special event combining cinema and music: the screening of the film NYsferatu by Andrea Mastrovito accompanied live by the “Luigi Boccherini” Orchestra from Lucca. The Italian artist, who lives and works in New York, has completed a hand-drawn version of one of the masterpieces of silent film, Nosferatu, the 1922 cult classic by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. The result, which required an extraordinary production effort with three years of work and around thirty-thousand drawings, is an animation film set in a dark and mysterious contemporary New York, rife with racial tension against immigrants.
RETROSPECTIVE
“The Italian School” is the title of the retrospective curated by Mario Sesti, which will take place during the twelfth edition of the Rome Film Fest. Organized in collaboration with the Istituto Luce Cinecittà and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, “The Italian School” was conceived to spotlight and explore the fundamental, but often lesser-known, work of some of the great professionals – from cinematographers to editors, from set designers to costume designers – who have played such an important role in the history of Italian cinema, without forgetting their contribution to the films of great international directors.
FILM RESTORATIONS
Three newly-restored great Italian films will be featured in the lineup of the Rome Film Fest: Dillinger è morto by Marco Ferreri, Miseria e nobiltà by Mario Mattoli (both in collaboration with the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia) and Sacco e Vanzetti by Giuliano Montaldo (with the Istituto Luce Cinecittà).
INSTALLATION
Contemporary art will be front and centre at the Rome Film Fest with an installation stemming from the creativity and interaction between six artists, six writers and six directors. The works of Piero Pizzi Cannella, Hidetoshi Nagasawa, Roberto Pietrosanti, Marina Sagona, Giuseppe Salvatori and Marco Tirelli engage with the words of Edoardo Albinati, Claudio Damiani, Jhumpa Lahiri, Marco Lodoli, Aurelio Picca and Elena Stancanelli. The narration that ensues becomes moving image in the six short films by young directors that will be screened in the Auditorium. The work was conceived by Simona Marchini for the Associazione Culturale Palatina, with the consultancy of the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
THE ROLE OF FILM CRITICISM
Following last year’s success, the Rome Film Fest will continue to discuss the role of international film criticism with some of the finest critics from around the world, such as, A.O.Scott (The New York Times) and Justin Chang (Los Angeles Times). Film historian Annette Insdorf will join the panel.
THE FILMS OF OUR LIVES: MUSICALS
Like every year, the Artistic Director and the members of the Selection Committee will present the films that influenced their passion for the seventh art. After last year’s Westerns, the choice for this year’s twelfth edition will be Musicals. Each film will be accompanied by an onstage conversation with directors, actors and guests. Furthermore, before each screening at the upcoming Rome Film Fest, spectators will enjoy short clips of some of the most famous and evocative musicals.
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THE BIG SICK and MONKEY BUSINESS Win Top Awards at Nantucket Film Festival
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The Big Sick[/caption]
The Big Sick, written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani and based on their real-life, cross-cultural relationship, and directed by Michael Showalter, was awarded Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 22nd annual Nantucket Film Festival. The atmospheric Native American reservation-set mystery Wind River, written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, is runner up.
Monkey Business: The Curious Adventures of George’s Creators, directed by Ema Ryan Yamazaki is the winner of theAudience Award for Best Documentary Feature, and Joe Kean’s Holocaust-focused After Auschwitz: The Stories of Six Women is the runner up. Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson’s study of human vulnerability, Ten Meter Tower, is the winner of the Audience Award for Best Short film, and Tom Scott and Dan Honan’s inspirational portrait, The Illumination, is the runner-up.
NFF also announced the winner of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award, a $5,000 grant to an emerging female filmmaker in honor of writer, director, and actor Adrienne Shelly and her contributions to film. This year’s recipient is Alexandra Dean, director of Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, which focuses on the Hollywood star’s groundbreaking but under-acknowledged work as an inventor.
In the Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, which recognizes the best-unproduced screenplays and television pilots by emerging writers, Moon Molson’s Johnny Ace received the top prize as the winner of the Feature Screenplay Competition. The Episodic Screenplay nods went to Tesia Walker’s for The Line and to Kaitlin Fontana for Casey Can’t. The Short Screenplay Competition was won by Rajiv Shah, with Jesse Wang and Robert Berg for The Yao Of Tao.
Moon Molson’s Johnny Ace follows two Houston homicide detectives as they investigate the seemingly accidental death of a popular R&B singer in 1954. Molson received a $5000 cash prize, VIP access to this year’s Festival, a bound copy of his script, and an exclusive spot in the Screenwriters Colony writers retreat on Nantucket for the entire month of October.
The Showtime Tony Cox Award for Episodic 60 Minute Pilot, The Line by Tesia Walker, is set in a small South Carolina historically black university, in the early 1960s. Walker received a $1000 cash prize, as well as a consultation with a Showtime executive.
The Half-Hour Episodic Screenplay winner, Casey Can’t by Kaitlin Fontana, is a dark comedy that tells the story of a flawed writer being blackmailed into managing a hipster music blog by its man-child owner. Fontana receives a $1000 cash prize, a consultation with a Showtime executive, and one of only four slots in the Screenwriters Colony: Episodic Comedy, a two-week immersive writing and mentorship program on Nantucket earlier this month.
The Short Screenplay Competition winner, The Yao Of Tao by Rajiv Shah, with Jesse Wang and Robert Berg, follows a Chinese caregiver for a Isaac, a dying cancer patient as he finds himself at odds with Isaac’s estranged daughter. Shah receives a $500 cash prize.
The Festival’s Teen View Jury Award, selected by a group of Nantucket junior high school students, went to Game, written and directed by Jeannie Donohoe.
“We were thrilled to present Nantucket audiences with a diverse offering of films and special events celebrating the craft of screenwriting and storytelling,” said Mystelle Brabbee, Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival and Basil Tsiokos, Film Program Director of the Nantucket Film Festival. “We are thankful to our audiences and to all of the screenwriters and filmmakers who shared their work with us this year.”
Actor, writer, director, producer and NFF Board Member Ben Stiller hosted the Screenwriters Tribute Awards from the Siaconset Casino on Friday, June 23rd. Director and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Tom McCarthy accepted the Screenwriting Tribute Award, given to him by Emmy Award®-winning actor Bobby Cannavale.
Ground-breaking television creators and Emmy®-nominated writing team Jeffrey Klarik and David Crane (“Friends,” “Mad About You,” “Episodes”) received the Creative Impact in Television Writing Award, presented to them by “Episodes” actress Kathleen Rose Perkins. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield (NFF Centerpiece Film (Whitney. “can I be me”) accepted the A&E Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling Award, presented to him by journalist Regina Weinreich, while the New Voices in Screenwriting Award was presented to Geremy Jasper (NFF Spotlight Film Patti Cake$) by comedian, actress, and performer Bridget Everett.
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New Trailer + Poster + Images for French Musical Comedy FOOTNOTES
Footnotes, the French whimsical musical comedy has released a new trailer and poster. The film directed by Paul Calori and Kostia Testut, and starring Pauline Etienne, Olivier Chantreau, François Morel, Loïc Corbery and Julie Victor, opens in New York on Friday, July 14th at the Village East Cinema with a national release to follow.
Inspired by the films of Jacques Demy and Stanley Donen, Footnotes is a whimsical and original musical comedy about Julie, a young woman struggling to make ends meet in France’s radically changing economy. Living out of a backpack, Julie spends her days jumping from job to job until she’s finally offered a temporary stockroom position at a women’s luxury shoe factory. After making friends with the boss’s spunky receptionist Sophie and the ever-charming factory truck driver Samy, Julie thinks the hard times are behind her. But Julie’s dreams of stability collapse when management threatens to close down the factory. As her intrepid group of female colleagues get together to go on strike, Samy and the other truck drivers decide to side with the company’s scheming CEO. Julie must choose whether to keep a low profile (and a shot at permanent employment) or to resist and fight back on the picket line.
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New York Latino Film Festival is Back, Sets Date of October 11-15
The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), presented by HBO, will make its much-anticipated return to the Big Apple October 11-15, 2017. Unveiling a new Logo and website, founder Calixto Chinchilla announced today that submissions for the 13th edition of the iconic film festival are now being accepted through August 4, 2017.
The premier marketplace for Latino films in the U.S., the NYLFF will once again showcase a diverse slate, spanning all genres and formats including features, shorts, documentaries and experimental films featuring, about and/or for the U.S. Latino community. Submission forms and complete information regarding eligibility for the 2017 NYLFF are available at www.NYLatinoFilmFestival.com.
“It’s a remarkable honor to announce the reemergence of the NYLFF to New York City, during a moment where content distribution is taking on this innovative expansion. Our event is about galvanizing and empowering community. It is incredible to have such a strong supporter in HBO, our founding partner, and Time Warner, who have been an integral part through every step of this continuing journey,” said Chinchilla.
“We have been eagerly awaiting the rebirth of the NYLFF. The importance of Latino voices in our industry is evident to anyone watching television, going to the movies, listening to music, or just walking and breathing in this country,” said Dennis Williams, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility, HBO. “As a founding partner of the NYLFF, we are once again lending our support as presenting sponsor to what we believe is one of the most groundbreaking Latino film festivals in the United States.”
To be considered, all projects must have been completed by deadline of August 4, 2017. Projects in a language other than English must have English-language subtitles. Films cannot have been broadcast (television or Internet) or distributed commercially in the U.S. prior to the festival. Exceptions may be granted for short films and documentaries.
New York agency sociedAD led the rebranding efforts, including the creation of the Festival’s new logo. The website was created in partnership with Gala Festival Engine.
Since its inception in 1999, each year the NYLFF brings together more than 20,000 movie fans and industry executives over the course of several days.
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2017 Palm Springs International ShortFest Announces Winners, FACING MECCA Wins Best Of Festival Award
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Facing Mecca[/caption]
The 2017 Palm Springs International ShortFest announced its Festival award winners on Sunday, June 25, 2017, with Swiss film Facing Mecca directed by Jan-Eric Mack winning the prize for the Best of Festival Award.
“After spending a week in and out of theaters, and talking with filmmakers and audiences, we close out the festival with such a strong sense of community,” said Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “Filmmakers are making movies about the changing world around them. I think our award winners showcase an understanding and compassion for people and it’s a great thing to see.”
The 2017 Palm Springs International ShortFest award winners are:
JURY AWARDS
BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD – Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The winner of this award may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. Facing Mecca (Switzerland), Jan-Eric Mack Pensioner Roli comes to Fareed’s assistance when the Syrian refugee is faced with a bewildering forest of Swiss bureaucracy before he can bury his Muslim wife. GRAND JURY AWARD – Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. The Head Vanishes (France/Canada), Franck Dion Jacqueline, no longer quite in her right mind, still goes on her annual summer trip. This year, she’s followed by some woman who claims to be her daughter. PANAVISION BEST NORTH AMERICAN SHORT – The use of a camera package valued at $60,000 courtesy of Panavision. Dekalb Elementary (USA), Reed Van Dyk Inspired by an actual 911 call placed during a school shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia. NON-STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS All first place winners in the non-student categories received a cash award of $2,000 and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. BEST ANIMATED SHORT The Head Vanishes (France/Canada), Franck Dion Jacqueline, no longer quite in her right mind, still goes on her annual summer trip. This year, she’s followed by some woman who claims to be her daughter. BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES Retouch (Iran), Kaveh Mazaheri Maryam’s husband does weightlifting at home. When a weight falls on his throat and puts him near death, Maryam makes a decision. BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER Great Choice (USA), Robin Comisar A woman gets stuck in a Red Lobster commercial. BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Edith + Eddie (USA), Laura Checkoway Ninety-something Edith and Eddie are America’s oldest interracial newlyweds, whose unusual and idyllic love story is disrupted by a family feud that threatens to tear them apart.STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS
FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD – Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Where You Found Refuge (France), Guillaume Legrand After Didier finds his daughter living in a cult, he decides to bring her home by force. Special Mention: Fry Day (USA), Laura Moss An adolescent girl comes of age against the backdrop of serial killer Ted Bundy’s execution in 1989. All first place winners in these categories received a $500 cash prize. BEST STUDENT ANIMATION Sog (Germany), Jonatan Schwenk After a flood, the fish are stuck in trees, in danger of drying out. They scream sharply, disturbing the inhabitants of a nearby cave. BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES Facing Mecca (Switzerland), Jan-Eric Mack Pensioner Roli comes to Fareed’s assistance when the Syrian refugee is faced with a bewildering forest of Swiss bureaucracy before he can bury his Muslim wife. BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER Iron Hands (USA/China), Johnson Cheng A 12-year old girl tries out for the traditionally all-boys’ Chinese youth Olympic weightlifting team. And makes an unlikely connection with the weightlifting gym’s reclusive groundskeeper. BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT Searching for Wives (Singapore), Zuki Juno Tobgye Male migrant workers from South India living in Singapore send photos back home in the hope of finding suitable and willing marriage partners. Special Jury Mention: I Made You, I Kill You (Romania/France), Alexandru Petru Badelita In a remarkable cinematic diary, by turns touching and disturbing, Badelita looks back at his traumatic childhood growing up in rural Romania.AUDIENCE AWARDS
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT Red Light (Bulgaria/Croatia), Toma Waszarow A bus stops at a village’s only intersection, where the traffic light is stuck on red. The driver refuses to move forward BEST ANIMATION SHORT Coin Operated (USA), Nicholas Arioli Seventy years pass in the life of one naïve explorer. BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT Kayayo (Norway), Mari Bakke Riise Elementary-school-age Bamunu works as a kayayo (a living shopping cart) at the markets in Accra thousands of miles from her village. SHORTFEST ONLINE AUDIENCE AWARD Lost Face (Australia/Canada), Sean Meehan Based on a classic story by Jack London set in mid-1800s Alaska, a man makes a deal with a native chief in hopes to save his life.ADDITIONAL PRIZES
ALEXIS AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING STUDENT FILMMAKER – The Alexis Award is selected by the Festival’s programming team and was created in honor of Alexis Echavarria, whose talent as a budding filmmaker and gift for inspiring excellence among his fellow students were cut short suddenly in 2005 at age 16. The recipient received Final Cut Pro X courtesy of Apple. Chebet (Kenya/USA), Tony Koros A pregnant woman in the Kenyan highlands decides to take drastic action when she finds her husband passed out in front of their house yet again. HP BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD PRESENTED BY CINEMA WITHOUT BORDERS – The award goes to a film that is most successful in bringing and connecting the people of our world closer together. The winner received an HP ZBook 17 Mobile Workstation valued at $3,000. Pantheon (France), Ange-Régis Hounkpatin Son of a Beninese immigrant, cut off from his roots, Solomon is about to donate his deceased father’s Voodoo costume to a museum when a young street-dancer reminds him of the ancestral soul. YOUTH JURY AWARD – The winner received a $500 cash prize. Everybody Else is Taken (New Zealand), Jessica Grace Smith Meet Mika, a girl who refuses to let her gender define her place in one of the harshest environments on Earth-the play-ground.
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ALMOST SUNRISE Award-Winning Documentary on Veterans “Moral Injury” Opens July 14 in NY | Trailer
Almost Sunrise, a feature documentary by the award-winning filmmaking team behind Give Up Tomorrow (a 2013 News & Documentary Emmy nominee) Michael Collins (director) and Marty Syjuco (producer), is a timely and groundbreaking look at what could be a missing piece of the puzzle—the true nature of the psychological wounds of returning soldiers known as “moral injury” and the undeniable potential power of meditation and nature therapy in helping veterans to reclaim their lives.
As part of the film’s week-long theatrical release at IFC Center in New York, Collins and Syjuco along with Tom Voss and Anthony Anderson, the subjects of Almost Sunrise, will participate in a Q&A at a special screening on opening night, Friday, July 14 (time TBD), and throughout the film’s opening weekend.
Almost Sunrise tells the inspiring story of Voss and Anderson, two Iraq veterans, who, in an attempt to put their haunting combat experience behind, embark on an extraordinary 2,700-mile trek on foot across America. While the physical trek across snowy mountains and vast deserts is punishing, the inner journey proves to be, by far, the most dangerous mission they will ever undertake. Like many of their fellow returned servicemen and women, Tom and Anthony are tackling post traumatic stress, or PTS, but the pair are simultaneously dealing with an unseen battle scar called “moral injury”—often manifested as an extreme brand of guilt and shame that arises when one goes against one’s own moral code. While PTS, characterized by fear, can be treated with drugs, therapists are finding that no amount of medication can treat the pain that comes from carrying a moral burden. Almost Sunrise is the first feature documentary film to introduce the emerging term “moral injury,” what some experts believe may eventually be recognized as the signature war wound of our generation.
While the film exposes some of the brutality of war, it does not dwell there. “It’s ultimately a story of hope and potential solutions,” Collins says. Most importantly, the film reveals the promise of holistic practices for healing. When Tom signs up for a special breathing workshop for veterans, he must confront his deepest spiritual identity. He encounters Father Thomas Keating, a renowned Trappist monk who has counseled veterans for decades, who gently illuminates the need to turn inward to achieve true peace, guidance that culminates in a remarkable transformation, rarely depicted on screen. Where the stereotypes of “the broken veteran” and “homecoming hero” leave off, Almost Sunrise continues onward, presenting audiences with an unprecedented portrait of those who return from war; richer, far more complex beings—driven by a universal human aspiration for happiness—who discover life’s soaring possibilities.
“One of the main pillars of our Impact Campaign is ‘Connecting Communities,’ and every week we experience this in meaningful ways at screenings across the country,” says Syjuco. “Our vision for the campaign is to walk with veterans on a path towards healing by following these four pillars: 1. Educate on Moral Injury; 2. Promote Wellness; 3. Connect Communities; and 4. Change Legislation.”
Since making its World Premiere on Memorial Day 2016 at Telluride Mountainfilm Festival, where it also launched its immersive two-year Impact Campaign, Almost Sunrise has gone on to screen at impressive 125+ festival, community and live-event screenings across the country, including VA Hospitals and a special screening at the Wisconsin State Senate. University and academic screenings have included Harvard, Columbia, Georgetown, NYU, Stanford, Yale and International House NYC.
The many awards and accolades for Almost Sunrise include the 2017 Media Award for Best Film from the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)—social workers comprise highest number of staff at VA hospitals. At Telluride Mountainfilm, the film won the “Moving Mountains” Award, a top jury prize, which recognizes a film with a powerful social impact. It was also an official selection of the prestigious Human Rights Watch Film Festival, AFI Docs, and was the Centerpiece Presentation at Milwaukee Film Festival. It also took home the Audience Award at Reelworld Toronto and won Best Thought Provoking Film at Waimea Ocean Hawaii.
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Watch Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall in First Trailer for MARSHALL
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Marshall[/caption]
The official trailer has been released for Marshall, the biopic on Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American justice of the Supreme Court. The film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Chadwick Boseman, Kate Hudson, will open in theaters on October 13, 2017.
Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. The new motion picture, Marshall, is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days – a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), a young lawyer with no experience in criminal law: the case of black chauffeur Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), accused by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson), of sexual assault and attempted murder.