• 2017 Boston Underground Film Festival Unleashes First Wave of Films – PREVENGE, THE VOID, BITCH and More

    [caption id="attachment_21176" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE VOID THE VOID[/caption] The 19th Boston Underground Film Festival returns to Harvard Square with what the festival describes as a “smorgasbord of phantasmagoria, dark comedy, thrillers, killers, and chillers” from March 22nd through the 26th, 2017. Veteran actress, co-writer of 2012’s Sightseers, and first-time director/writer/star Alice Lowe’s bloody British baby bump (off) slasher comedy Prevenge will open the festival on Wednesday March 22nd, and filmmaking triple-threat director/writer/actor Marianna Palka’s delightfully disturbing dive into dissociative doggone delirium, Bitch will close out the festival on March 26th. Bubbling up from down-under, also coming to Boston fresh from SXSW 2017, is not-to-be-missed Aussie crime thriller Hounds of Love, a masterful feat of tension, terror, and restraint from Perth-based, wildly talented first-time feature filmmaker Ben Young. In stark contrast to some of BUFF’s darker fare, prepare to meet your new obsession with first-time filmmaker Bill Watterson’s Slamdance 2017 standout Dave Made a Maze, which will beguile and a-maze with its hilarious odyssey through one man’s intricately crafted, booby trapped, living room box fort labyrinth; awe-inspiring stop-motion animation and strong lulz await. BUFF will also host the East Coast Premiere of 68 Kill from mad genius Trent Haaga, director of BUFF’s 2011 Director’s Choice Award-winner Chop and writer of 2013’s Cheap Thrills & 2008’s Deadgirl. Haaga’s highly anticipated punk rock heist film unites BUFF regulars AnnaLynne McCord & Matthew Gray Gubler in the ultimate highway to hell road film.

    2017 BOSTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL FIRST WAVE OF FILMS

    BITCH – East Coast Premiere Marianna Palka | USA | 2017 Caged in the suburbs of our discontent, a woman (Marianna Palka) snaps and enters a fugue state, consumed by the psyche of a vicious dog. Her philandering, stay-at-work husband (Jason Ritter) must grudgingly assume the role of family caretaker, forcing him to engage with his four children and sister-in-law (Jaime King) as they attempt to strengthen their familial unit and entice mom back to reality. Marianna Palka writes, directs, and stars in her bitingly funny and profound fourth feature. DAVE MADE A MAZE – East Coast Premiere Bill Watterson | USA | 2017 Dave (Nick Thune) is an artist who has yet to complete anything of significance in his short career; out of frustration, he builds an elaborate box fort in his living room. When his girlfriend and friends (including Kirsten Vangsness, Adam Busch, and Meera Rohit Kumbhani) enter against his protests, he must save them all from a series of fantastical pitfalls, booby traps, and creatures of his own creation. Actor Bill Watterson writes and directs his hilarious and idiosyncratic first feature. HOUNDS OF LOVE – East Coast Premiere Ben Young | Australia | 2016 In Ben Young’s tense, chilling feature debut, 17-year-old Vicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple and held prisoner in their home. As she observes the volatile dynamic between her captors, she soon realizes the key to survival lies in driving a wedge between them. PREVENGE – East Coast Premiere Alice Lowe | UK | 2016 In her directorial debut, Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Hot Fuzz, Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place) writes, directs and stars in a pitch black comedic tale of vengeance about seven-months-pregnant Widow Ruth and the unborn serial killer that compels her on her homicidal rampage. SAINT BERNARD – North American Premiere Gabe Bartalos | USA/France | 2013 Prolific creature designer Gabe Bartalos (Brain Damage, Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, Gremlins 2, and the Leprechaun series) crafts a phantasmagoric vision of a classical music conductor descending into insanity with his sophomore feature. Seemingly vanished from a short-lived run on the festival circuit in 2014, BUFF is proud to give this must-see nightmare, and the visionary filmmaker who created it, a proper North American premiere. 68 KILL – East Coast Premiere Trent Haaga | USA | 2017 Trent Haaga (writer of Deadgirl, Cheap Thrills) returns to the director’s chair following 2011’s Chop with a punk-rock after hours thriller about femininity, masculinity and the theft of $68,000. When Liza (AnnaLynne McCord) asks her boyfriend Chip (Matthew Gray Gubler) to help her rob her wealthy sugar daddy, he can’t say no. Once they step into the man’s home, Chip & Liza embark on a breakneck roadtrip to hell. Adapted from Bryan Smith’s 2013, no-holds-barred crime novel of the same name. THE VOID – New England Premiere Jeremy Gillespie, Steven Kostanski | Canada | 2016 ASTRON-6’s Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanski return with a Carpenteresque saga of brutal, cosmic dread, packed with creatures straight out of hell. In the middle of a routine patrol, officer Daniel Carter (Aaron Poole) happens upon a blood-soaked figure limping down a deserted stretch of road in the middle of the night. When he rushes the young man to a nearby rural hospital, he finds that patients and personnel are transforming into something… inhuman. As the horror intensifies, Carter must lead the other survivors into the subterranean depths of the hospital in a desperate bid to save their lives and end the nightmare before it’s too late. TRINITY – Boston Premiere Skip Shea | USA | 2016 Award-winning Massachusetts-based filmmaker, writer, artist and actor Skip Shea brings to life a deeply personal and disturbing first feature based on the true story about a moment in the life of a clergy abuse survivor. While at a coffee shop, a man accidentally bumps into the priest who abused him when he was a child, triggering a surreal, PTSD-induced dissociative moment that sends him on a twisted journey through his past.

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  • Slamdance Grand Jury Winner DIM THE FLUORESCENTS to Be Released in Canada | Trailer

    [caption id="attachment_21146" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Dim The Fluorescents -director Daniel Warth and producer Josh Clavir, Dim The Fluorescents – director Daniel Warth and producer Josh Clavir,[/caption] Dim The Fluorescents, the feature film debut of director Daniel Warth and producer Josh Clavir, and winner of the 2017 Slamdance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize will be released in Canada by Films We Like.  The film will have a cross-Canada fall theatrical release, followed by a wide digital release targeting SVOD, streaming and airline services. FWL has been following the film since before its debut at Slamdance Film Festival, and shortly after the fest, finalized the deal. Dim the Fluorescents tells the story of struggling actor Audrey (Claire Armstrong) and aspiring playwright Lillian (Naomi Skwarna), who pour all of their creative energy into the only paying work they can find: corporate role-playing demonstrations. When they book the biggest gig of their careers at a hotel conference, work commences on their most ambitious production to date, and the ensuing tensions threaten to derail both the production and their friendship. As wryly funny as it is unexpectedly poignant, Dim the Fluorescents is a one-of-a-kind portrait of the artistic life and process in the unlikeliest of settings. A labour of love painstakingly constructed over the course of four years, the film was written by Daniel Warth and Miles Barstead – who also composed the score – and produced by Josh Clavir. “I honestly can’t think of a better Canadian home for Dim the Fluorescents than Films We Like,” said Warth. “They have put out so many of my favorite films of the new century: Tabu, Berberian Sound Studio, Like Someone in Love, and far too many others to mention. I am beyond excited for this partnership, and I know they’re going to do an incredible job bringing the film to Canadian audiences.”

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  • Rob Meyer’s LITTLE BOXES from Tribeca 2016 Gets April 14th Delivery Date

    [caption id="attachment_15460" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Little Boxes Little Boxes[/caption] Rob Meyer’s LITTLE BOXES starring Melanie Lynskey (“Togetherness”), Nelsan Ellis (GET ON UP), Armani Jackson (THE LAST WITCH HUNTER), Oona Laurence (Broadway’s MATILDA), and Janeane Garofalo, will be released in theaters on April 14th by Gunpowder & Sky Distribution. It’s the summer before 6th grade, and Clark (Jackson) is the new biracial kid in a very white town. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act ‘more black’, he fumbles to meet expectations. Meanwhile, his urban intellectual parents Mack (Ellis) and Gina (Lynskey) try to adjust to small-town living. Accustomed to life in New York, the tight-knit family is ill-prepared for the drastically different set of obstacles that their new community presents. They soon find themselves struggling to understand themselves and each other in this new context. Written by Annie J. Howell, LITTLE BOXES premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, where it received a warm reception from critics. IndieWire praised Lynskey’s performance as “radiantly real” and called Howell’s script “knowing and perceptive”, noting approvingly that the film “addresses delicate questions about how our national conversations shape and seep into younger generations.” Variety concurred, hailing Ellis and Lynskey as “warm, funny and credible” and the film’s gentle touch on “issues of race, class and privilege”. “LITTLE BOXES is as heartwarming as it is timely,” said Gunpowder & Sky Distribution’s Jake Hanly. “Rob unpacked a very complex issue in a way any audience can understand and relate to.” Director Rob Meyer said, “It’s a thrill and an honor to team up with Gunpowder & Sky Distribution for the theatrical and VOD release. They distribute the kind of movies that I want to watch.” Producer Jared Ian Goldman added, “The Gunpowder & Sky team love the heart, humor and commentary of LITTLE BOXES as much as those of us who made it. They understand the timeliness and nuance to the mix-ups, misunderstandings, and stereotyping that the story utilizes so successfully.”  

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  • 2017 Oscars: MOONLIGHT Wins Best Picture After LA LA LAND Was Mistakenly Given The Award

    [caption id="attachment_21140" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Adele Romanski, Berry Jenkins, and Jeremy Kleiner accept the Oscar® for Best motion picture of the year, for work on “Moonlight” with host Jimmy Kimmel during the live ABC Telecast of The 89th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 26, 2017. Adele Romanski, Berry Jenkins, and Jeremy Kleiner accept the Oscar® for Best motion picture of the year, for work on “Moonlight” with host Jimmy Kimmel during the live ABC Telecast of The 89th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 26, 2017.[/caption] And the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to La La Land. Oops sorry, Moonlight. That’s pretty much how it went last night at the 2017 Oscars. Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were presenting the best-picture award when Faye Dunaway announced that La La Land was the winner. The La La Land team excitedly accepted the award and the speeches began, before one of the film’s producer realized the mixup and announced that Moonlight was instead the winner. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the accounting firm that tallies the Oscars voting, told ABC News in a statement that presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty were given the wrong envelope when they went on stage to announce the winner of the coveted best picture award. PricewaterhouseCoopers issued a statement shortly after apologizing, “We sincerely apologize to “Moonlight,” “La La Land,” Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred. We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.”

    Winners of the 89th Academy Awards

    ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE CASEY AFFLECK Manchester by the Sea ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE MAHERSHALA ALI Moonlight ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE EMMA STONE La La Land ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE VIOLA DAVIS Fences ANIMATED FEATURE FILM ZOOTOPIA Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer CINEMATOGRAPHY LA LA LAND Linus Sandgren COSTUME DESIGN FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Colleen Atwood DIRECTING LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE) O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT) THE WHITE HELMETS Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara FILM EDITING HACKSAW RIDGE John Gilbert FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM THE SALESMAN Iran MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING SUICIDE SQUAD Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE) LA LA LAND Justin Hurwitz MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) CITY OF STARS from La La Land; Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul BEST PICTURE MOONLIGHT Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers PRODUCTION DESIGN LA LA LAND Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco SHORT FILM (ANIMATED) PIPER Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION) SING Kristof Deák and Anna Udvardy SOUND EDITING ARRIVAL Sylvain Bellemare SOUND MIXING HACKSAW RIDGE Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright, Robert Mackenzie and Peter Grace VISUAL EFFECTS THE JUNGLE BOOK Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones and Dan Lemmon WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY) WINNER MOONLIGHT Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Written by Kenneth Lonergan

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  • Faith-Based Human Trafficking Thriller RUN Starring Stephen Baldwin Sets Premiere Date | Trailer

    [caption id="attachment_21126" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]RUN starring Stephen Baldwin RUN starring Stephen Baldwin[/caption] The new faith-based feature film, RUN, starring Stephen Baldwin, will premiere on March 9, 2017 at the Palladium IMAX in San Antonio, TX before expanding to select cities nationwide. The faith-based dramatic thriller stars Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects; Bio-Dome; Born on the Fourth of July), Taylor Murphy (Scream: The TV Series; The Middle; MTV’s Awkward) and Josiah Warren (The Prophet’s Son; Scarlett; In Over My Head) who also directs the film. RUN follows Levi (Warren), a young businessman who marries a passionate journalist who reports on human trafficking and fights to expose it. On their wedding night, Natalie (Murphy) is kidnapped and sold into sex slavery. Levi goes on the hunt for his wife chasing clues wherever he can find them, leading him to Jeff Conners (Baldwin) – a crime lord with no mercy. Will Levi be able to find his wife before she is moved out of the country? Only with the help of God can Levi find the strength to fight. Numerous anti-human trafficking organizations will be participating in the RUN premiere including Alamo Area Coalition Against Trafficking (AACAT), Embassy of Hope, Freedom Youth Project, Rape Crisis Center, Alamo Youth Center, Ransomed Life, A21 Freedom Chasers, Path Now Global, Heidi Search Center, No Strings Attached and New Life Refuge Ministries.

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  • RIP: Actor, Director Bill Paxton Dead at 61

    [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Bill Paxton in Haywire Bill Paxton in Haywire[/caption] TMZ is reporting that actor and director Bill Paxton died on Saturday February 25, 2017, due to complications of surgery.  He was 61 years. He appeared in a number of films, including The Terminator (1984), Weird Science (1985), Aliens (1986), Predator 2 (1990), True Lies (1994), Apollo 13 (1995), Twister (1996), and Titanic (1997). The family released a statement “It is with heavy hearts we share the news that Bill Paxton has passed away due to complications from surgery.” The family accurately describes his “illustrious career spanning four decades as a beloved and prolific actor and filmmaker. Bill’s passion for the arts was felt by all who knew him, and his warmth and tireless energy were undeniable.” Paxton was married to Louise Newbury, and the father of two children.

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  • 2017 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival Announces Winning Films

    [caption id="attachment_21104" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE 100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE[/caption] The 2017 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival announced the winning films, awarding the Big Sky Award to 100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE by Melinda Janko. Says Festival Director Rachel Gregg: “We’re extremely proud to have been able to share these incredibly accomplished films with the people of Montana and all our visiting guests. We’re thrilled to provide an opportunity for these movies to find an even larger audience thanks to the reach of these prestigious awards. Thanks to our juries for making the hard decisions!” With over 200 films in the festival, the following competition films have been given awards in the four categories. Big Sky Award: Presented to one film that artistically honors the character, history, tradition and imagination of the American West WINNER: 100 YEARS: ONE WOMAN’S FIGHT FOR JUSTICE Melinda Janko, 2016, USA, 76 minutes / Montana Premiere 100 Years is the David vs. Goliath story of Elouise Cobell’s courageous fight for justice for 300,000 Native Americans whose mineral rich lands were mismanaged by the United States Government. For 30 years Elouise Cobell fought “the good fight.” This is the compelling true story of how she prevailed and made history. Big Sky Artistic Vision Award WINNER: OYATE Dan Girmus , 2016, USA, 73 minutes / World Premiere OYATE is a film about life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. It follows two families as they go about their daily activities over the course of a single summer. They attend rodeos, shoot clay pigeons, and participate in pow wows. Family members get married, have children, and celebrate the 4th of July. All the while, the difficult, often intractable realities of modern reservation life threaten to encroach upon them. Jury statement: In recognition of the film’s artistic merit, approach and cinematography, the jury presents Dan Grimus’s OYATE the Artistic Vision Award for its cinematic eye, observational gaze, and ability to capture the beauty in the everyday. Mini-Doc Competition – films 15 minutes and under WINNER: THE FOURTH KINGDOM Alex Lora, Adan Aliaga, 2017, Spain, USA, 14 minutes / World Premiere The Fourth Kingdom is the kingdom of plastics, a redemption center in NY for immigrants and underdogs where the American Dream becomes possible indeed. Short Competition – films between 15 and 40 minutes in length WINNER: KAYAYO: THE LIVING SHOPPING BASKETS Mari Bakke Riise, 2016, Norway, 32 minutes / North American Premiere In the capital of Ghana, 10,000 girls from the ages of 6 work as real life shopping baskets – called Kayayo, carrying heavy loads on their head (from 130 to 220 pounds), earning very little and some end up in prostitution to make ends meet. This documentary is about Bamunu, an 8-year old girl who hasn’t seen her family since she was sent away from home two years ago to work as a Kayayo to support her family. We follow her incessant longing to get away from the harsh markets, her journey back home and what awaits there. Shorts Competition Artistic Vision Award WINNER: THE RAIN WILL FOLLOW Eugene Richards, 2016, USA — 15 minutes / Northwest Premiere Though confined to a nursing home, 90-year-old Melvin Wisdahl lives an interior life, filled with images of the war he fought in, the struggles of the early Norwegian settlers of North Dakota, his ghost town of a home, his love of the ever-evolving and threatened land. Jury Statement: The jury presents an Artistic Vision Award to THE RAIN WILL FOLLOW, which beautifully marries internal and external landscape imagery in a way that infuses the whole film with a third complete and powerful through line. Feature Competition – films over 40 minutes in length WINNER: CRADLE OF CHAMPIONS Bartle B Bull, 2017, USA, 100 minutes / Northwest Premiere Fighting for your life in the city of dreams. Three extraordinary young people battle to change their lives through the three-month odyssey of the New York Daily News Golden Gloves—the biggest, oldest, most important amateur boxing tournament in the world. Feature Competition Artistic Vision Award WINNER: LET THERE BE LIGHT Mila Aung-Thwin, 2017, Canada, 100 minutes / World Premiere LET THERE BE LIGHT follows the story of dedicated scientists working to build a small sun on Earth, which would unleash perpetual, cheap, clean energy for mankind. After decades of failed attempts, a massive push is now underway to crack the holy grail of energy. Jury Statement – In recognition of the film’s artistic merit and educational value, the jury presents LET THERE BE LIGHT with an Artistic Vision Award for its cinematic eye, innovative animation, and engaging (passionate) investigation into the future of fusion (clean energy).

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  • 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Winners – MOONLIGHT Wins Best Film

    Moonlight shined bright at the 32nd Film Independent Spirit Awards Moonlight shined bright at the 32nd Film Independent Spirit Awards, winning Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and the Robert Altman Award.  The Witch, Other People, Manchester by the Sea, Elle and Hell or High Water along with Spa Night, O.J.: Made in America and Toni Erdman also received awards at the ceremony, which was held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday. The Witch won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay; Manchester by the Sea won Best Male Lead; Elle won Best Female Lead; Hell or High Water won Best Supporting Male; Other People won Best Supporting Female; Spa Night won the John Cassavetes Award; O.J.: Made in America won Best Documentary and Toni Erdmann won Best International Film. The 10th annual Robert Altman Award was given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight received this award, along with casting director Yesi Ramirez and ensemble cast members Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes and Ashton Sanders. The 2017 Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation Fellowship, which includes a cash grant of $10,000, was awarded to Project Involve Fellow, Jomo Fray. This annual award is given to a filmmaker currently participating in a Film Independent Artist Development program with the mission of diversity in mind. Film Independent also awarded the inaugural Turner Fellowship, which includes a $10,000 cash grant, to Project Involve Fellow Kady Kamakate. The following is a complete list of 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards winners: Best Feature: Moonlight (A24) Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski Best Director: Barry Jenkins, Moonlight (A24) Best Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney (Story By), Moonlight (A24) Best First Feature: The Witch (A24) Director: Robert Eggers Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Jodi Redmond, Rodrigo Teixeira Best First Screenplay: Robert Eggers, The Witch (A24) John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000): Spa Night (Strand Releasing) Writer/Director: Andrew Ahn Producers: David Ariniello, Giulia Caruso, Ki Jin Kim, Kelly Thomas Best Supporting Female: Molly Shannon, Other People (Vertical Entertainment) Best Supporting Male: Ben Foster, Hell or High Water (CBS Films/Lionsgate) Best Female Lead: Isabelle Huppert, Elle (Sony Pictures Classics) Best Male Lead: Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea (Amazon Studios) Robert Altman Award: Moonlight (A24) Director: Barry Jenkins Casting Director: Yesi Ramirez Ensemble Cast: Mahershala Ali, Patrick Decile, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, Ashton Sanders Best Cinematography: James Laxton, Moonlight (A24) Best Editing: Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders, Moonlight (A24) Best International Film: Toni Erdmann (Germany and Romania– Sony Pictures Classics) Director: Maren Ade Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America (ESPN Films) Director/Producer: Ezra Edelman Producers: Deirdre Fenton, Libby Geist, Nina Krstic, Erin Leyden, Tamara Rosenberg, Connor Schell, Caroline Waterlow https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLpPm9s-eElkGWipG86oC8ajjdlit2qJKl&v=aSTBp1yW6vQ

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  • A QUIET PASSION, starring Cynthia Nixon as Emily Dickinson Sets Release Dates | Trailer

    [caption id="attachment_19428" align="aligncenter" width="1201"]A Quiet Passion A Quiet Passion[/caption] A QUIET PASSION starring Cynthia Nixon, and an official selection at the 2016 New York, Toronto and Berlin film festivals, will open in New York on April 14, and at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on April 21.  A national release will follow. Following Sunset Song, acclaimed British director Terence Davies turns to 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, and exquisitely evokes Dickinson’s deep attachment to her close-knit family along with the manners, mores and spiritual convictions of her time that she struggled with and transcended in her poetry. Cynthia Nixon delivers a triumphant performance as Emily Dickinson as she personifies the wit, intellectual independence and pathos of the poet whose genius only came to be recognized after her death. In addition to his two acclaimed semi-autobiographical features Distant Voices, Still Lives and The Long Day Closes, Mr. Davies’ films include the gorgeous literary adaptations The House of Mirth, The Neon Bible, The Deep Blue Sea, Sunset Song, as well as Of Time and the City, his masterful exploration of his native city, Liverpool. A QUIET PASSION written and directed by Terence Davies, reunites Davies with his Deep Blue Sea cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister to create a luminous rendering of the poet’s universe. Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. Not publicly recognized during her lifetime, her first volume of works was published posthumously in 1890 after her family discovered forty hardbound volumes containing nearly 1,800 poems.

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  • Martin Scorsese will Present Robert De Niro with the 44th Chaplin Award at FSLC Gala

    [caption id="attachment_21076" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro[/caption] Filmmaker Martin Scorsese will present Robert De Niro with the 44th Chaplin Award at Film Society of Lincoln Center Gala on Monday, May 8, 2017. The pair have worked together on eight films, beginning with Mean Streets in 1973. The evening’s presenters will also include Meryl Streep, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller, Barry Levinson, and Harvey Keitel. The annual event, attended by a host of notable guests and presenters, will include movie and interview clips, culminating in the presentation of the Chaplin Award to De Niro by Scorsese. Streep and Scorsese are both previous recipients of the Chaplin Award—the 35th and 25th, respectively. The Gala celebrates all the facets of De Niro’s remarkable career in cinema, including his amazing array of performances, which have resulted in some of the most memorable characters committed to film; his status as an unparalleled figure of New York film and culture; and his championing of independent film through the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute. In addition, on the occasion of the Gala, the Film Society will present a weeklong tribute celebrating De Niro’s most iconic roles, April 12-19. Among the 12 films featured in the series are many of his collaborations with Scorsese, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Casino, and more. The complete lineup will be announced next month. The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 when it honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. The award was then renamed for Chaplin and has been presented to many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Scorsese, Streep, Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Diane Keaton, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, and, last year, Morgan Freeman.

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  • SXSW Documentary MISSION CONTROL: THE UNSUNG HEROES OF APOLLO Sets Release Launch Date | Trailer

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    Mission Control The Unsung Heroes of Apollo The documentary Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, directed by David Fairhead, about the NASA team that guided the United States’ early astronauts, has been acquired by Gravitas Ventures for release in the U.S. Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, which is set for its world premiere on March 14 at the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, will be released in select U.S. theaters and through video on demand (VOD) on April 14. Featuring archival and on-site footage and stories from the men who lived it, “Mission Control” includes interviews with the founder of NASA’s Mission Control Center (and now its namesake) Chris Kraft and Apollo-era flight directors Gene Kranz (portrayed by Ed Harris in the 1995 film “Apollo 13”), Glynn Lunney and Gerry Griffin. Also appearing in the film are Apollo flight controllers Jerry Bostick, John Aaron and Sy Liebergot, and astronauts James Lovell (played by Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13”), Charles Duke, and the late Eugene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. Through their testimony, the movie explores the journey in Mission Control, from the Mercury and Gemini trailblazing flights to the tragic Apollo 1 fire and, ultimately, the glories of the moon landings. “To make this film of the unsung heroes [of NASA Mission Control] has been a fantastic experience,” Fairhead said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7maQ_-k6DI

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  • Gasparilla International Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup, and World Premiere of ALL NIGHTER Starring J.K. Simmons

    [caption id="attachment_21069" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]All Nighter All Nighter[/caption] The 2017 Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) taking place March 2 to March 9, at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor in Tampa, Florida, announced its official selection. The festival will open with Burn Your Maps and close with Unleashed. The festival will also host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0pNVrNLasI There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.

    2017 Gasparilla International Film Festival Film Line up:

    OPENING NIGHT FILM:

    Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts

    CLOSING NIGHT FILM:

    Unleashed: When a cosmic event turns Emma’s dog and cat into two perfect guys, Emma reconsiders her outlook on dating, hilariously works out her trust issues, and ultimately learns to love herself. Cast: Justin Chatwin, Steve Howe, Sean Astin, Kate Micucci. Directed by Finn Taylor

    SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS:

    Breakable You:  The film follows the Wellers, a dynamic New York City family as they come to terms with themselves and each other.  Cast:  Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub, Alfred Molina, Cristin Milloti.  Directed by Andrew Wagner Danger Close: (Documentary) Female war reporter Alex Quade’s daring missions to tell soldiers’ stories during a series of unprecedented embeds with Conventional Forces and US Special Ops Forces at the height of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Directed by Christian Tureaud and David Salzberg The Last Word: Retired businesswoman Harriet, controlling to the end, writes her own obituary, but the newspaper writer tasked with the piece insists on learning the truth about Harriet’s life and the two become reluctant partners and friends. Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, Tom Everett Scott, Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall.  Directed by Mark Pellington The Lost City of Z: Based on author David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller, The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett.  Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson.  Directed by James Gray

    LATE NIGHT FUN & THRILLS:

    First Round Down: Tim Tucker, a former hockey prodigy, returns home to take care of his younger brother having spent the last ten years as a hit man for the mob. Tim now lives on the straight and narrow, but his checkered past catches up to him faster than he can deliver pizza.  Cast: Dylan Bruce, Rachel Wilson, John Kapelos. Directed by Brett Butler and Jason Butler Veras Mantel:  A successful writer, Veras Martel, is prevented from leaving her house by agoraphobia. Sinister threats from a fan eventually lead her uncovering the secret of her illness. Cast: Lea Fassbender, Nico Zitek, Charlotte Ulrich. Directed by Ronald Unterberger Women Who Kill:  Commitment phobic Morgan and her ex-girlfriend Jean, hosts of a female serial killer-centric podcast, still show all the signs of being a couple. But everything changes when Morgan falls hard and fast for the mysterious Simone, who may or may not be a killer. Cast: Ingrid Jungermann, Ann Carr, Sheila Vand, Annette O’toole.  Directed by Ingrid Jungermann.

    US NARRATIVE FEATURES:

    American Wrestler: The Wizard: In 1980, a teenage boy escapes the unrest in Iran only to face more hostility in America, due to the hostage crisis. Determined to fit in, he joins the school’s floundering wrestling team.  Cast: Jon Voight, William Fichter, Ali Afshar.  Directed by Alex Ranarivelo The Architect: When a couple sets out to build their dream house, they enlist the services of an uncompromising modernist architect, who proceeds to build HIS dream house instead of theirs. Cast: Parker Posey, James Frain, Eric McCormack. Directed by Jonathan Parker AWOL: A young woman Joey is in search of direction in her small town. A visit to an army recruiting office appears to provide a path, but when she meets and falls in love with Rayna that path diverges in ways that neither woman anticipates. Cast: Lola Kirke, Breeda Wool, Dale Soules, Ted Welch. Directed by Deb Shoval Carrie Pilby: Carrie is person of high intelligence who graduated from Harvard at 19, and struggles to make sense of the world as it relates to morality, relationships, sex and leaving her apartment. Cast: Bel Powley, Nathan Lane, Gabriel Byrne, Jason Ritter.  Directed by Susan Johnson Dean: An illustrator falls hard for an LA woman while trying to prevent his father from selling the family home in the wake of his mother’s death. Cast: Demetri Martin, Asif Ali, Jesaiah Baer, Katherine Barnes. Directed by Demetri Martin Future 38: A 1938 screwball comedy set in the far future year of 2018. Cast: Betty Gilpin, Robert John Burke, Sean Young. Directed by Jamie Greenberg So B. It: A 12-year-old girl decides to take a cross-country trip by herself, leaving the safety of her home with her mentally-challenged mother and agoraphobic neighbor. Cast: Alfre Woodard, Dash Mihok, Jacin Barrett, John Heard, Cloris Leachman.  Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal

    INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES:

    About Us: Diego, a hopeless romantic desperately trying to salvage his relationship with long- time girlfriend Sofía, plans a beach getaway to propose and clear the air. A ‘chance’ encounter with Sofía’s old friend Malena will cast doubts on his relationship and skewed understanding of love, quickly turning a perfect weekend in paradise into Diego’s worst nightmare. Cast: Hernan Jimenez, Noelia Castano, Marina Glezer. Directed by Hernan Jimenez Frantz: In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé’s grave to lay flowers. Cast: Paula Beer, Pierre Niney, Ernst Stotnzer. Directed by Francois Ozon Handsome Devil: Two opposites, a loner and the top athlete at a rugby-obsessed boarding school, become friends until the authorities test their friendship. Cast: Fionn O’Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, Andrew Scott. Directed by John Butler Past Life: In the 1970s, two sisters try to solve a wartime mystery that has cast a shadow over their lives. Cast: Nelly Tagar, Joy Rieger, Doron Tavory. Directed by Avi Nesher Queen of the Desert: A chronicle of Gertrude Bell’s life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century. Cast: Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis, Robert Pattinson. Directed by Werner Herzog The Sense of an Ending: A reclusive older man must face the flawed recollections of his younger self and his long buried secrets. Cast: Jim Broadbent, Michelle Dockery, Emily Mortimer.  Directed by Ritesha Batra

    DOCUMENTARIES:

    Disturbing the Peace: The film explores people born into conflict, sworn to be enemies, who challenged their fate by taking extraordinary actions by standing for what they believe in. It challenges us all to decide what role we will play in creating a more humane world, starting with our willingness to disturb the peace. Directed by Stephen Apkon and Marcina Hale Finding Oscar: Feature length documentary about the search for justice in the devastating case of the Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala. That search leads to the trail of two little boys who were plucked from a nightmare and offer the only living evidence that ties the Guatemalan government to the massacre. Directed by Ryan Suffern, Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg Good Fortune: Homeless, Gang member, Billionaire, Philanthropist; this film reflects “conscious capitalism.”  Interviewees include Robert Kennedy Jr., Cheech Marin, Dan Akroyd, Arianna Huffington and Danny Trejo. Directed by Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell Lea and Mira: The film tells the story of two elderly women living in Argentina. As children, they were taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The movie depicts the thoughts of these women who, in the twilight of their lives, transmit their wisdom, their resilience, and their way of looking at life after trauma.  Directed by Poli Martinez Kaplun Score: This documentary brings Hollywood’s premier composers together to give viewers a privileged look inside the musical challenges and creative secrecy of one the world’s most widely known music genre: the film score. Interviewees include Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, John Williams, James Cameron and Quincy Jones. Directed by Matt Schrader

    FLORIDA FOCUS:  

    World premiere of independent films made in Florida Joey’s Show Will Go On: Tampa drag queen legend Joey Brooks, the ‘First Lady Of Ybor City’, talks about her decades-long female-impersonator career and judges a whacky contest to choose a new diva for her Christmas show. Cast: Joey Brooks.  Directed by Marcus Kempton King Charles:  A shady DEA agent does everything in his power within and outside the law to catch a cocaine kingpin. During a city’s crime investigation the DEA’s partner is gunned down. TC will now stop at nothing to catch his man and what he’s about to do next is pure justice. Cast: Rod Grant, Nicholas Naylor and Buddy Winsett. Directed by Nicholas Taylor The Lost Digit: After accidentally cutting off his finger, a man can’t escape the dire feeling that something important in his life is missing. As a dangerous obsession takes hold his career, marriage and grasp on reality suffer. The best part of his life gone, he ends up in a nursing home devoid of love and utterly alone. Cast: Christopher Rutherford, George Cassermey, Hillary Pyles, Jim Wicker.  Directed by Garrett Brown Turtle Tale:  TURTLE TALE is inspired by events that took place at the George C. McGough Nature Park in Largo, Florida – the story of JR the OWL as witnessed and told by the nature park’s first inhabitants, ‘THE TURTLES’. The turtles, HANK, RAFI and GOLIATH, and their community live in a beautiful pond with nice clean water, lots of food and are witnesses to all the events of the park as they get ready for another busy summer camp season, never suspecting what is about to happen at the park and to themselves. Cast: Mary Rachel Dudley, Noah Schnacky, Lily Cardone, Isiah McCaffrey. Directed by Luc Campeau There will also be Industry Panels featuring Meet The Press, Casting Directors, Special Effects, The Pitch and the Performance Actor’s panel.  

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