Holy Hell[/caption]
The New York premiere of 2016 Sundance sensation Holy Hell has been added to the opening weekend lineup of the 20th Annual Rooftop Films Summer Series.
This fascinating and controversial film, which features stunning home movie footage shot within a California cult over the course of 20 years, will be screened on the roof of The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn on Saturday, May 21st.
HOLY HELL (Will Allen | USA | 103’)
In 1985, recent film school graduate Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual group. Also acting as the group’s official videographer, he began to document their activities, which centered on the mysterious leader they called Michel, or The Teacher. Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface as total devotion turned to paranoia, until finally, unexpected truths about their enlightened leader were revealed – all in front of Allen’s camera. This incredible, 22-year archive of video footage became the basis for Holy Hell. Now, for the first time since he left the group, Allen turns the camera on himself and asks fellow ex-cult members to come to terms with their past and the unbelievable deceit they experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSM9KqAzp4g-
NY Premiere of Holy Hell Added to Rooftop Films Summer Series
[caption id="attachment_11817" align="aligncenter" width="1088"] Holy Hell[/caption]
The New York premiere of 2016 Sundance sensation Holy Hell has been added to the opening weekend lineup of the 20th Annual Rooftop Films Summer Series.
This fascinating and controversial film, which features stunning home movie footage shot within a California cult over the course of 20 years, will be screened on the roof of The Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn on Saturday, May 21st.
HOLY HELL (Will Allen | USA | 103’)
In 1985, recent film school graduate Will Allen became a member of The Buddhafield, a Los Angeles area spiritual group. Also acting as the group’s official videographer, he began to document their activities, which centered on the mysterious leader they called Michel, or The Teacher. Over time, the group’s dark side began to surface as total devotion turned to paranoia, until finally, unexpected truths about their enlightened leader were revealed – all in front of Allen’s camera. This incredible, 22-year archive of video footage became the basis for Holy Hell. Now, for the first time since he left the group, Allen turns the camera on himself and asks fellow ex-cult members to come to terms with their past and the unbelievable deceit they experienced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSM9KqAzp4g
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San Francisco International Film Festival Announces 2016 Golden Gate Award Winners
[caption id="attachment_9418" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
The Demons[/caption]
The 59th San Francisco International Film Festival announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Award (GGA) competitions at an event held at Gray Area.
This year the Festival awarded nearly $40,000 in prizes to emerging and established filmmakers.
GOLDEN GATE NEW DIRECTORS (NARRATIVE FEATURE) PRIZE
The 2016 Golden Gate Awards New Directors jury was composed of film critic Justin Chang, producer Benjamin Domenech, and IFP’s Executive Director Joana Vicente.
Winner: The Demons, Philippe Lesage (Canada)
* Receives $10,000 cash prize
In a sunny, placid Montreal suburb in the late 1980s, before every child was attached to their parents by a cell phone, 10-year-old Félix (Edouard Tremblay-Grenier) grapples with the insecurities and confusion of impending adolescence. He harbors a crush on his teacher as a distraction from the uncomfortable sensation that everyone fits in perfectly at school except him. At home, Félix and his doting older siblings land in the middle of a scarily intense fight between their parents. Innocence is a fragile thing, easily dented and destroyed, and Félix surprises himself by inflicting cruelties on a younger boy. From the opening frames, documentary filmmaker Philippe Lesage infuses his exquisitely observed debut feature with an unsettling air of ambiguity and dread that portends greater crimes to follow. Nicolas Canniccioni’s calmly probing camera and Pye Corner Audio’s intense, judiciously placed score alert us to the incursion of an unseen danger into this pastel setting of swimming pools and playgrounds. The adults are caring but distracted, and their obliviousness—which extends to the end of the film, and presumably beyond—enables unexpected malevolent forces. The Demons evokes the close escapes and inevitable traumas that speckle the path to adulthood, culminating in a gentle entreaty to love your children well.
In a statement, the jury noted: “The Demons is an extraordinarily perceptive and structurally daring exploration of childhood in all its terrors and anxieties, both real and imagined.”
Special Jury Prize: Mountain, Yaelle Kayam (Israel/Denmark)
The jury noted: “The film provides a rigorous and multifaceted character study that becomes a bold statement about the role of women in physical and psychological confinement.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
The GGA Documentary feature competitions jury was comprised of journalist, film critic and programmer Eric Hynes; Sundance Institute’s Director of the Documentary Film Program Tabitha Jackson; and documentarian Jeff Malmberg.
[caption id="attachment_11488" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
Cameraperson[/caption]
Documentary Feature Winner: Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson (USA)
* Receives $10,000 cash prize
Simultaneously an astute observation of nonfiction filmmaking’s dilemmas, and a wonderfully creative autobiographical collage, Cameraperson is a must-see for all documentary enthusiasts. As the cinematographer for acclaimed documentaries such as Citizenfour, Fahrenheit 9/11, and Darfur Now, Kirsten Johnson has seen the world from behind her camera lens. Here she assembles moments from 25 years of location shoots—including a birthing clinic in Nigeria, a Bosnian farm, a detention center in Yemen and a boxing ring in Brooklyn—and stitches together an illuminating, emotional patchwork memoir. It’s abundantly clear that Johnson loves her work and values the experience of filming with people from all walks of life. Along with editor Nels Bangerter and co-editor Amanda Laws, Johnson draws out the similarities of seemingly different people all over the world, and elicits the question of the observer’s responsibility to the observed. Rather than employ the obvious tool of narration, Johnson cannily places statements made by interview subjects and crew members into contexts that reflect the complex challenges she feels herself, as a professional who can chronicle extensively, but interfere minimally. Amid the exotic and the foreign, Johnson weaves her own home movies of her young children and Alzheimer’s afflicted mother, bringing her experience of her own personal world into focus.
The jury noted in a statement: “We honor Cameraperson for its compassion and curiosity; for its almost tangible connection to subjects and humble acknowledgment of its own subjectivity; for its singular enfolding of memoir, essay and collage; for its perfect expression of the vital collaboration between director and editor; and for its disarming invitation for us to participate in the meaning and construction of the work, and by extension the meaning and construction of documentary cinema itself.”
Special Jury Prize: Notes on Blindness, Peter Middleton, James Spinney (UK/France)
The jury noted: “We extend a special mention to Notes on Blindness, in recognition of an audaciously ambitious, formally inventive and yet fully realized film that somehow manages to translate an intensely interior experience into compelling, even revelatory cinema, ingeniously articulating what it means to see and be seen.”
[caption id="attachment_12753" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
The Return[/caption]
Bay Area Documentary Winner: The Return, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway (USA)
* Receives $5,000 cash prize
In 1994, California voters enacted the Three Strikes law, mandating a sentence of at least 25 years to life for third-time felons. In 2012, voters amended that law with Prop. 36, which added a provision for non-violent offenders and the radical demand that currently incarcerated prisoners be re-sentenced. “Overnight,” the filmmakers explain, “thousands of lifers became eligible for release.” The Return chronicles what happens next—on an individual and statewide scale. Weaving together the confessional musings of newly freed men, interviews with cautiously hopeful family members and on-the-ground coverage of lawyers working to free eligible lifers, filmmakers Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway (Better This World, SFIFF 2011) build a case against long prison terms for crimes driven by poverty, addiction and mental illness. Whether following Bilal Chatman—who served 11 years of a 150-to-life sentence—on his bike ride to work or Michael Romano—a lawyer who co-authored Prop 36 and heads Stanford’s Justice Advocacy Project—mustering resources to help clients transition to life outside of prison, the film illuminates the long, fraught, and joyful journey from incarceration to resettlement.
The jury noted: “We are honoring a film that starts where others would stop, that addresses the inhumanity of America’s criminal justice system through patient and humane observation, handling the complexities of its subjects not as matters to work around, but to embrace as a pathway to deeper feeling and understanding.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARDS FOR SHORT FILMS
The GGA Short Film jury consisted of festival programmer Laura Thielen; Fandor’s Vice President of Film Acquisitions Amanda Salazar; and independent media writer, producer and creative consultant Santhosh Daniel.
Narrative Short Winner: Night Without Distance, Lois Patiño (Portugal/Spain)
* Receives $2,000 cash prize
Documentary Short Winner: The Send-Off, Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas (USA)
* Receives $2,000 cash prize
Animated Short Winner: Manoman, Simon Cartwright (UK)
* Receives $2,000 cash prize
Special Jury Prize: Glove, Alexa Lim Haas, Bernardo Britto (USA)
New Visions Short Winner: My Aleppo, Melissa Langer (USA)
* Receives $1,500 cash prize
Bay Area Short First Prize Winner: Extremis, Dan Krauss (USA)
* Receives $1,500 cash prize
Bay Area Short Second Prize Winner: In Attla’s Tracks, Catharine Axley (USA)
* Receives $1,000 cash prize
The shorts jury noted: “These well-wrought miniatures connected us to the world and our own humanity in urgent and unexpected ways. We were impressed by the 29 storytellers in competition, and we thank them for sharing their visions with San Francisco audiences. We look forward to seeing what they do next.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR FAMILY FILM
The Family Film jury consisted of Betsy Bozdech, Executive Editor, Ratings & Reviews at Common Sense Media; animator and filmmaker Jim Capobianco; and animation director Simon J. Smith.
Winner: Bunny New Girl, Natalie van den Dungen (Australia)
* Receives $500 cash prize
The jury noted: “Bunny New Girl was recognized for its great, relatable message of acceptance and solidarity in a new community — as well as technical achievement, strong talent direction, and able storytelling that builds to a powerful and entertaining ending.”
Special Jury Prize: Simon’s Cat: Off to the Vet, Simon Tofield (UK)
The jury noted: “We recognize this film for its pure entertainment value, great observational comedy, laugh-out loud jokes, and clear cat knowledge.”
GOLDEN GATE AWARD FOR YOUTH WORK
The Youth Works jury was comprised of bay area high school students Sophia Anderson, Karla Mandujano and Kyle Wolfe, with adult supervisor Aldo Mora-Blanco of Film School Shorts at KQED.
Winner: Elliot, Dennis Kim (South Korea/USA)
* Receives $1,000 cash prize — including $500 donated by Vancouver Film School. The winner will also receive a one week scholarship, including tuition and accommodation, to one of the Vancouver Film School’s Summer Intensive Programs.
The jury noted: “In another filmmaker’s hands, the story may have been an old hat. But in this filmmaker’s craft, what emerges is a meticulously crafted, well thought-out narrative that is engaging and beautiful to look at.”
Special Jury Prize: Lucky Numbers, Chester Milton (USA)
* Receives $500 cash prize donated by Vancouver Film School
The jury noted: “Lucky Numbers is a crowd pleasing black comedy that managed to balance humor and morbidity perfectly.”
GOOGLE BREAKTHROUGH IN TECHNOLOGY AWARD
The Google Breakthrough in Technology Award jury was comprised of members of Google’s Computer Science in Media and Industry Relations teams, including: Courtney McCarthy, Strategist in Computer Science in Media and Julia Hamilton Trost, Account Executive, Google Media Sales.
Google presents the Breakthrough in Technology Award for the best use or display of technology and innovation. The award honors filmmakers who go the extra mile to highlight the use of technology to solve a problem and make the world a better place, and aspires to promote diversity in tech while disrupting negative stereotypes in STEM fields.
Winner: From My Head to Hers, Maria Alvarez (USA)
* Receives $500 cash prize donated by Google Inc.
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HANDS OF STONE Starring Robert De Niro Added to Cannes Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_13611" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]
Hands of Stone[/caption]
Robert De Niro will attend the upcoming 2016 Cannes Film Festival for the screening in Official Selection of his latest film Hands of Stone by Venezuelan director Jonathan Jakubowicz.
The movie is about the common history of Panamanian boxer Roberto Duràn (Edgar Ramírez) and manager and coach Ray Arcel (Robert De Niro) who is going to take him to the highest worldwide successes of the ring in the ’70s and ’80s, including legendary fights against Sugar Ray Leonard.
“I’m excited to be coming back to Cannes especially with this movie Hands of Stone that I’m so proud of, said Robert De Niro. This movie is uplifting, triumphant and a good time for audiences, so I’m looking forward to seeing my friends from across the world of cinema in joining us for this fun event.”
Hands of Stone is produced and distributed by the Weinstein Company. Harvey Weinstein declared: “Hands of Stone is vintage De Niro. Anyone who knows Bob, knows what a passion he has for boxing and his huge input into this movie made it very realistic and smart. On behalf of the company, we are thrilled that the Festival deCannes chose to honor Bob this year with a special screening. It promises to be a fun time and a fantastic night to pay tribute to one of the great men of our industry.”
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Indie Thriller HARBINGER to World Premiere at Cine Las Americas International Film Festival
The fantasy/eco-thriller Harbinger, the debut feature of writer-director Cody Duckworth, will have its world premiere at the 19th Annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival.
Austin-based entertainment company luzworks produced Harbinger, a cautionary fairy tale in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm that follows a young girl and her family who leave the city for an idyllic location to escape her nightmares, only to find more horrific experiences in reality than she could have ever dreamed.
Literature is rich with examples of tales that were not only intended for children but for adults as well. Harbinger does owe its story line to classic folklore in a modern way. Just as Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a message about innocent children seeing things more clearly than adults, Harbinger stresses an environmental theme that is current and socially significant for all ages. The film’s tag line says it all: “Not all fairy tales are created equal.”
“I love the magic of storytelling,” intones the movies’ director Cody Duckworth, “When I was a kid, the whole world seemed all at once magical and frightening. Adults need more fairy tales in their lives. It helps explain the real world in a less invasive way … because Marvel comic book characters can only do so much.”
Harbinger most recently won a Silver Remi Award in the Fantasy/Horror category at the 49th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival. However, the filmmakers chose to premiere Harbinger in Austin instead of Houston.
Writer-director Cody Duckworth was born and raised in Boerne, Texas, a small town outside of San Antonio. He studied Film and Television at Savannah College of Art and Design and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts.
Harbinger will premiere at the festival on May 7th at 4pm at The Marchesa Hall and Theatre, in Austin, Texas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAKae0lHIBk
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Newport Beach Film Festival Announces Award Winners
[caption id="attachment_10160" align="aligncenter" width="1913"]
Embers[/caption]
The 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) wrapped up its eight day run and announced the winners of the 17th edition of the Festival.
Embers directed by Claire Carré, won the Jury Award for Best Feature Film, and Off The Rails directed by Adam Irving won the Jury Award for Best Documentary. The audience picked The Lennon Report directed by Jeremy Profe, and Nobody Walks in LA directed by Jesse Shapiro as winners of Best Feature Film; and Orange Sunshine directed by William A. Kirkley, and The Ataxian directed by Zack Bennett and Kevin Schlanser as winners of Best Documentary Award.
Complete list of 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival Award Winners
NEWPORT HONORS AWARDS
NBFF WOMAN OF DISTINCTION AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO ACTING – Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship)
LEGEND AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO MUSIC IN CINEMA – Burt Bacharach (Po)
LEGEND AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA – Rita Moreno (Remember Me)
AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO SCREENWRITING – Linda Woolverton
2016 AUDIENCE AWARDS:
FEATURE FILM – The Lennon Report – Jeremy Profe, Director
FEATURE FILM – Nobody Walks in LA – Jesse Shapiro, Director
FOREIGN FILM – Battalion (????????) – Dmitry Meskhiev, Director
DOCUMENTARY – Orange Sunshine – William A. Kirkley, Director
DOCUMENTARY – The Ataxian – Zack Bennett and Kevin Schlanser, Directors
ACTION SPORTS – Dirty Old Wedge – Tim Burnham, Director
ENVIRONMENTAL – Huntwatch – Brant Backlund, Director
ART, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN – Tyrus – Pamela Tom, Director
FAMILY- The Kids From 62-F – Imani Shakur, Director
SHORT FILMS
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – Seeking: Jack Tripper – Quinlan Orear
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – Reality+ – Coralie Fargeat, Director
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Follow Your Heart – Rob O’Neill, Director
BEST FOREIGN SHORT FILM – Zaatari – David Ghali – Director
ART, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN – The Whimsical Imagineer – Ken Kebow, Director
2016 JURY AWARDS
BEST FEATURE FILM – Embers – Claire Carré, Director
BEST ACTOR – George Kosturos – American Wrestler: The Wizard
BEST DIRECTOR – Claire Carré – Embers
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – Rudiger Barth, William A. Kirkley – Orange Sunshine
BEST DOCUMENTARY – Off The Rails – Adam Irving, Director
BEST EDITING – Chris Catanach – Orange Sunshine
SHORT FILMS
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM – Hi, How Are You – Director, Daniel Johnston
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM – The Last Barn Dance – Jason Arthurs and Ted Richardson, Directors
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM – Violet – Windy Marshall, Director
BEST FOREIGN SHORT FILM – Deszcz – Malina Maria Mackiewicz, Director
2016 FESTIVAL HONORS:
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: DIRECTING – Bob Yari – Papa: Hemingway in Cuba
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – Love & Friendship – Director Wit Stillman
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FEATURE FILM – American Wrestler: The Wizard – Alex Ranarivelo, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FOREIGN FILM – The Violin Teacher – Sergio Machado, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FOREIGN FILM – The Innocents (Agnus Dei) – Anne Fontaine, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTING – Dev Patel – The Man Who Knew Infinity
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTING – Evanna Lynch – My Name is Emily
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SCREENWRITING – Alexander Janko – Year By The Sea
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: EDITING – Todd Holmes – Coming Through The Rye
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ENSEMBLE CAST – Love Is All You Need?
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Roksana – Shaina Pakravan, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Zelos – Thoranna Sigurdardottir, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Clock Maker’s Dream – Cashell Horgan, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FILM – Delicate Things – Patrick Maxwell, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT FOREIGN FILM – Foal
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT DOCUMENTARY FILM Twin Visions – Louise Salter and Gavin Bowden, Directors
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: SHORT ANIMATION FILM – Dissonance – Till Nowak, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: FAMILY FILM – Lost & Found – Liam O’Neill, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: MUSIC – Monument – Israel Anthem, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTION SPORTS – Fire and Water – Thomas Brookins, Director
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: ACTION SPORTS – Chasing Niagara – Rush Sturges
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN FILMMAKING: BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE – Brianna Hildebrand – The Voice Inside, Actress & Producer
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Cynthia Nixon to Receive Acting Award at Provincetown International Film Festival
Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award-winner Cynthia Nixon will be honored with the 2016 Excellence in Acting Award at this year’s Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF), running June 15 – 19, 2016 in Provincetown, MA.
Nixon will be on hand to accept the award at a special ceremony on Saturday, June 18 at Provincetown’s historic Town Hall.
“We are thrilled to honor Cynthia Nixon’s remarkable versatility and talent as evidenced by the sheer depth and volume of her film, TV, and stage performances, her work with the top directors in the world, and her ability to successfully engage the worlds of super stardom and the art house elite,” said Christine Walker, Executive Director of PIFF and CEO of the Provincetown Film Society.
Nixon can currently be seen in Pamela Romanowsky’s film THE ADDERALL DIARIES and later this year will star in Terence Davies’ biopic A QUIET PASSION as reclusive poet Emily Dickinson. Recent projects include Showtime’s “The Affair,” Comedy Central’s “Broad City,” Josh Mond’s JAMES WHITE (Independent Spirit Award nominee, Best Supporting Female), Richard Loncraine’s 5 FLIGHTS UP, and Nikole Beckwith’s STOCKHOLM, PENNSYLVANIA (Critics’ Choice Television Award nominee, Best Supporting Actress in a Movie or Limited Series).
Previous recipients of the Excellence in Acting Award include Patricia Clarkson, Parker Posey, Vera Farmiga, Tilda Swinton, Alessandro Nivola, Gael García Bernal and Alan Cumming.
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Complete Lineup for 2016 Seattle International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_13531" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Captain Fantastic[/caption]
The 2016 Seattle International Film Festival announced the complete lineup of films, guests, and events for the 42nd annual 25-day Festival taking place May 19 to June 12, 2016.
This year, SIFF will screen 421 films representing 85 countries: 181 features (plus 4 secret films), 75 documentaries, 8 archival films, and 153 shorts. The films include 54 World premieres (29 features, 25 shorts), 56 North American premieres (42 features, 14 shorts), and 27 US premieres (15 features, 12 shorts).
Both Opening and Closing Nights include period comedies: hearkening to the golden 1930s heyday of Hollywood, Opening Night film Café Society from master filmmaker Woody Allen stars Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell, and Blake Lively; the 1950s-set Australian revenge comedy-drama The Dressmaker closes SIFF 2016 on Sunday, June 12 with an acclaimed cast including Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, and Hugo Weaving. The emotionally wrenching documentary Gleason, follows Spokane-born NFL star Steve Gleason’s battle with ALS using intimate footage masterfully assembled by director Clay Tweel, and will screen at the Festival’s Centerpiece Gala on Saturday, June 4.
The Northwest premiere of Matt Ross’s Captain Fantastic, filmed in Washington, will screen as part of a tribute presentation to Viggo Mortensen on Saturday, June 11, where the acclaimed actor will be presented with the Festival’s Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award and interviewed on stage at the flagship SIFF Cinema Egyptian. Selections from Mortensen’s rich and diverse career are slated during SIFF 2016 in celebration of his work, including A Walk on the Moon, Eastern Promises, and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.
Among this year’s 53 World premieres is Seattle native Megan Griffiths’s The Night Stalker, a penetrating psychological thriller centered on the spine-chilling character of Richard Ramirez, California’s most notorious serial killer. Griffiths and star Lou Diamond Phillips will be in attendance at the June 4 screening.
GALAS
Opening Night Gala
Café Society
Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg star in a sparkling new romantic comedy from Woody Allen about a movie-industry hopeful who arrives in 1930s Hollywood, falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the vibrant café society that defined the age. North American Premiere (d: Woody Allen c: Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Steve Carell, Parker Posey, Judy Davis, USA 2016, 96 min)
Centerpiece Gala
Gleason
Director Clay Tweel delivers a bold and moving portrait of beloved Spokane born, former WSU and New Orleans Saints football player Steve Gleason, who at age 34 was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease and courageously filmed his journey for the public eye. (d: Clay Tweel f: Steve Gleason, Michel Gleason, Rivers Gleason, USA 2016, 110 min)
Closing Night Gala
The Dressmaker
Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, and Judy Davis star in this hysterically madcap adaptation of the beloved novel about a chic 1950s dressmaker who returns from Paris to her small Australian town to right the wrongs of the past and revolutionize the local couture. (d: Jocelyn Moorhouse c: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving, Australia 2015, 118 min)
SPECIAL GUESTS
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN ACTING AWARD
Viggo Mortensen
Featuring Captain Fantastic
Plus screenings of A Walk on the Moon, Eastern Promises, and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
An actor, painter, poet, photographer, and jazz musician, Viggo Mortensen’s combination of rugged exterior and reflective interior have infused his wide range of film roles with equal parts gravitas and compassion—from criminals to cowboys, lovers to lieutenants, post-apocalyptic survivors to sagacious psychoanalysts, and the rightful king of Gondor.
Past honorees of the SIFF Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award include Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kevin Bacon, Edward Norton, Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen, and Anthony Hopkins amongst others.
AN AFTERNOON WITH
Molly Shannon
Featuring Other People
Plus World Premiere of Miles
Molly Shannon’s penchant for theatrical comedy inspired some of “Saturday Night Live”’s most famous characters from 1995-2001, including Mary Catherine Gallagher and Sally O’Malley. Shannon went on to appear in several films such as Superstar, Wet Hot American Summer, Marie Antoinette, last year’s SIFF favorite Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and the TV series “Glee” and “Enlightened.” Her ability to shift seamlessly from comic characters to more nuanced dramatic roles is something not many can match. Tonight, SIFF will welcome her to the stage for an interview featuring film clips from her career, followed by a screening of one of Shannon’s latest films, Other People, directed by Chris Kelly. There will also be an opportunity for audience questions following the screening.
COMPETITIONS
Official Competition
Battle of Sevastopol (d: Sergey Mokritskiy, Ukraine/Russia 2015, North American Premiere)
[caption id="attachment_13537" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Burn Burn Burn[/caption]
Burn Burn Burn (d: Chanya Button, United Kingdom 2015, North American Premiere)
Creepy (d: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan 2016, North American Premiere)
Eternal Summer (d: Andreas Öhman, Sweden 2015, North American Premiere)
Girl Asleep (d: Rosemary Myers, Australia 2016, North American Premiere)
Holding the Man (d: Neil Armfield, Australia 2015, North American Premiere)
Moon in the 12th House (d: Dorit Hakim, Israel 2016, World Premiere)
News From Planet Mars (d: Dominik Moll, France/Belgium 2016, US Premiere)
Radio Dreams (d: Babak Jalali, Iran/USA 2016)
The Scent of Mandarin (d: Gilles Legrand, France 2015, North American Premiere)
The Sound of Trees (d: François Péloquin, Canada (Québec) 2015, US Premiere)
Welcome To Norway! (d: Rune Denstad Langlo, Norway 2016, North American Premiere)
New Directors Competition
Antonia (d: Ferdinando Cito Filomarino, Italy/Greece 2015, North American Premiere)
Before the Streets (d: Chloé Leriche, Canada (Québec) 2016, US Premiere)
Coconut Hero (d: Florian Cossen, Germany/Canada 2015, North American Premiere)
Family Film (d: Olmo Omerzu, Czech Republic/Germany/Slovenia/France/Slovakia 2015, North American Premiere)
The Lure (d: Agnieszka Smoczynska, Poland 2015)
Nakom (d: Kelly Daniela Norris, TW Pittman, Ghana/USA 2016)
The Paradise Suite (d: Joost van Ginkel, Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria 2015)
Rara (d: Pepa San Martín, Chile/Argentina 2016, North American Premiere)
Sand Storm (d: Elite Zexer, Israel 2016)
[caption id="attachment_10404" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Sparrows[/caption]
Sparrows (d: Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Denmark/Croatia 2015)
The Violators (d: Helen Walsh, United Kingdom 2015)
Where Have All the Good Men Gone (d: René Frelle Petersen, Denmark 2016, World Premiere)
Ibero-American Competition
Awaiting (d: Daniela Fejerman, Spain/Lithuania 2015, North American Premiere)
Deconstructing Dani García (d: Iñigo Ruiz, Alfonso Cortés-Cavanillas, Spain 2015, North American Premiere)
How Most Things Work (d: Fernando Salem, Argentina 2015, US Premiere)
Nueva Venecia (d: Emiliano Mazza de Luca, Colombia/Mexico/Uruguay 2016, US Premiere)
The Pretty Ones (d: Melisa Liebenthal, Argentina 2016, North American Premiere)
Red Gringo (d: Miguel Ángel Vidaurre, Chile 2016, North American Premiere)
Warehoused (d: Jack Zagha, Mexico 2015, US Premiere)
You’ll Never Be Alone (d: Alex Anwandter, Chile 2016, US Premiere)
New American Cinema Competition
11:55 (d: Ari Issler, Ben Snyder, USA 2016)
All the Birds Have Flown South (d: Joshua H. Miller, Miles B. Miller, USA 2016, World Premiere)
Americana (d: Zachary Shedd, USA 2016, World Premiere)
The Architect (d: Jonathan Parker, USA 2016, World Premiere)
As You Are (d: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, USA 2016)
Claire in Motion (d: Lisa Robinson, Annie J. Howell, USA 2016)
Free In Deed (d: Jake Mahaffy, USA/New Zealand 2015)
Middle Man (d: Ned Crowley, USA 2016, World Premiere)
The Night Stalker (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2016, World Premiere)
Transpecos (d: Greg Kwedar, USA 2016)
Documentary Competition
[caption id="attachment_13536" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin[/caption]
The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Maddin (d: Yves Montmayeur, France 2015, US Premiere)
Action Comandante (d: Nadine Angel Cloete, South Africa/Lesotho 2016, World Premiere)
Death By a Thousand Cuts (d: Juan Mejia Botero, Jake Kheel, USA 2016, US Premiere)
Death by Design (d: Sue Williams, China/Ireland 2016, World Premiere)
Finding Babel (d: David Novack, USA/Ukraine/Russia/France 2015, North American Premiere)
The IF Project (d: Kathlyn Horan, USA 2016, World Premiere)
Mr. Gaga (d: Tomer Heymann, Israel/Sweden/Germany/Netherlands 2015)
Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale (d: Ben Bowie, Geoff Luck, USA/Botswana 2016, World Premiere)
The Queen of Ireland (d: Conor Horgan, Ireland 2015, North American Premiere)
The Revolution Won’t Be Televised (d: Rama Thiaw, Senegal 2016, US Premiere)
Tsukiji Wonderland (d: Naotaro Endo, Japan 2016, World Premiere)
We the People 2.0 (d: Leila Conners, USA 2016, World Premiere)
Shorts Competition
All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. Jurors will choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $2,500 and winners in any of the three categories may also qualify to enter the respective Short Film category of the Academy Awards® for the concurrent season without the theatrical run.
Golden Space Needle Awards
For the past 30 years, SIFF has celebrated its most popular films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Award. Awards by Festival audiences are given in five categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Short Film.
AFRICAN PICTURES
African Pictures showcases the best filmmaking happening in and about Africa today. This program, made possible through the generous support of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, will bring shorts and features, documentaries and fiction films to American audiences who might never have the chance to see them otherwise. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity to experience innovative and inspiring filmmaking from across the continent.
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Action Comandante[/caption]
Action Comandante (d: Nadine Angel Cloete, South Africa/Lesotho 2016, 90 min)
Aisha (d: Chande Omar c: Godliver Gordian, Adarusi Walii, Flora Nicholas, Juma Madenge, Tanzania 2015, 112 min)
As I Open My Eyes (d: Leyla Bouzid c: Baya Medhaffer, Ghalia Benali, Montassar Ayari, Aymen Omrani, Lassaad Jamoussi, Tunisia/France/ Belgium/ United Arab Emirates 2015, 102 min)
Atlantic Heart (d: Robbie McCallum c: Elton Medina, Aurizania Monteiro, Julio Brito, Christian Neves, José ‘Bana’ Delgado, Cape Verde/United Kingdom 2016, 87 min)
Checks and Balances (d: Malek Bensmaïl f: Omar Belhouchet, Hacène Ouali, Hassene Moali, Mustapha Benfodil, Ali Benyahia, Algeria/France 2015, 97 min)
Eye of the Storm (d: Sékou Traoré c: Maïmouna N’Diaye, Fargass Assandé, Abidine Dioari, Issaka Sawadogo, Burkina Faso/France 2015, 101 min)
Lamb (d: Yared Zeleke c: Redial Amare, Kidist Siyum, Welela Assefa, Rahel Teshome, Surafel Teka, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway/Qatar 2015, 94 min)
Much Loved (d: Nabil Ayouch c: Loubna Abidar, Asma Lazrak, Halima Karaouane, Sara Elmhamdi Elalaoui, Abdellah Didane, Morocco/France 2015, 103 min)
Nakom (d: Kelly Daniela Norris, TW Pittman c: Jacob Ayanaba, Grace Ayariga, Justina Kulidu, James Azudago, Felicia Atampuri, Ghana/USA 2016, 90 min
Naledi: A Baby Elephant’s Tale (d: Ben Bowie, Geoff Luck, USA/Botswana 2016, 90 min)
The Revolution Won’t Be Televised (d: Rama Thiaw, Senegal 2016, 110 min)
CHINA STARS
SIFF is proud to launch the China Stars Showcase series in Seattle during the 42nd annual Seattle International Film Festival, with support from WASA North America Group and Hainan Airlines. With the purpose of fostering cross-cultural exchange and artistic vision, SIFF has collaborated with WASA North America Group to select five wonderful feature films from mainland China to screen as part of the 2016 showcase series. These films will screen before audiences in Seattle, Renton, Shoreline, and on the Eastside at Bellevue’s Lincoln Square.
The Big Road (d: Sun Yu c: Chen Yanyan, Zheng Junli, Li Lili, Liu Qiong, Jin Yan, China 1935, 104 min)
Death by Design (d: Sue Williams f: Ted Smith, Ma Jun, Kyle Wiens, Luke Soules, Paul Maher, China/Ireland 2016, 73 min)
The Final Master (d: Xu Haofeng c: Liao Fan, Song Jia, Jiang Wenli, Jin Shijie, Song Yang, China 2015, 109 min)
Mountains May Depart (d: Jia Zhangke c: Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jin Dong, Dong Zijian, Sylvia Chang, China/Japan/France 2015, 131 min)
Paths of the Soul (d: Zhang Yang c: Yang Pei, Nyima Zadui, Tsewang Dolkar, Tsring Chodron, Seba Jiangcuo, China 2015, 115 min)
CULINARY CINEMA
Popcorn is no longer king as the phenomenon of food culture has exploded into cinema. We’ve selected 9 extraordinary films that explore different aspects of taste and the senses for the cinematically inclined.
Ants on a Shrimp (d: Maurice Dekkers f: René Redzepi, Lars Williams, Rosio Sanchez, Thomas Frebel, Dan Giusti, Netherlands 2016, 88 min)
Bugs (d: Andreas Johnsen f: Ben Reade, Josh Evans, Roberto Flore, Denmark 2016, 76 min)
Ceviche’s DNA (d: Orlando Arriagada f: José Antonio del Castillo, Victor Pimentel, Ulla Holmquist, Valentín Paso Purisaca, Santiago Uceda Castillo, Canada/Peru 2015, 85 min)
Deconstructing Dani García (d: Iñigo Ruiz, Alfonso Cortés-Cavanillas, Spain 2015, 72 min)
Hummus (d: Oren Rosenfeld f: Eliyahu Shmueli, Suheila Al Hindi, Jalil Dabit, Israel 2016, 70 min)
Insatiable: The Homaro Cantu Story (d: Brett A. Schwartz f: Homaro Cantu, Richie Farina, Angela Cantu-Reeder, Trevor Rose-Hamblin, Mark Caro, Scott Trotter, USA 2016, 98 min)
Sam Choy’s Poké to the Max screens with Harlem on My Plate (28 minutes) (d: Terrence Jeffrey Santos f: Sam Choy, Geo Quibuyen, Yuji Okumoto, Max Heigh, USA 2016, 40 min)
Sustainable (d: Matt Wechsler f: Marty Travis, Greg Wade, Rick Bayless, Mark Bittman, John Ikerd, USA 2016, 96 min)
Tsukiji Wonderland (d: Naotaro Endo f: Jiro Ono, Rene Redzepi, Theodore C. Bestor, Japan 2016, 110 min)
FACE THE MUSIC
Four out of five SIFF programmers agree that regular exposure to music and film are essential to your overall well-being. With that in mind, this year’s Face the Music program has been specifically designed to provide a holistic regimen for your audio-visual health. Taken together, these remedies are guaranteed to expand your visual and sonic parameters, as well as set you on the righteous path to living a more audio-visually conscious lifestyle, with optimal aural performance.
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BANG! The Bert Berns Story[/caption]
BANG! The Bert Berns Story (d: Brett Berns, Bob Sarles f: Paul McCartney, Van Morrison, Ronald Isley, Solomon Burke, Ben E. King, USA 2016, 94 min)
Concerto – A Beethoven Journey (d: Phil Grabsky f: Leif Ove Andsnes, Gustavo Dudamel, United Kingdom 2015, 92 min)
Contemporary Color (d: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross f: David Byrne, Lucius, Nico Muhly, Ira Glass, Nelly Furtado, St.Vincent, Devonte Hynes, How To Dress Well, Zola Jesus, AD-
Rock, Money Mark, tUnE-yArDs, USA 2016, 96 min)
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (d: Morgan Neville f: Yo-Yo Ma, Wu Man, Kinan Azmeh, Kayhan Kalhor, Cristina Pato, USA 2015, 96 min)
Presenting Princess Shaw (d: Ido Haar f: Kutiman, Samantha Montgomery, Israel 2015, 80 min)
The Prince Sing Along
Red Gringo (d: Miguel Ángel Vidaurre f: Dean Reed, José Roman, Gonzalo Planet, Chile 2016, 67 min)
A Song For You: The Austin City Limits Story (d: Keith Maitland f: Willie Nelson, Townes Van Zandt, Steve Ray Vaughan, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Cash, Bonnie Raitt, Beck, Ray Charles, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Guy, USA 2016, 91 min)
We Are X (d: Stephen Kijak f: Yoshiki, Toshi, Pata, Hiroshi, USA/Japan/United Kingdom 2016, 89 min)
NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS
Seattleites see more films per capita than the residents of any other American city, and a growing number of these selections have their roots in the fertile Pacific Northwest film community. Each year, SIFF honors the many ways in which the Puget Sound region contributes to the world of cinema, whether as an evocative location for outside filmmakers or as inspiration for local filmmakers ready to strut their stuff.
The Architect (d: Jonathan Parker c: Parker Posey, Eric McCormack, James Frain, John Carroll Lynch, USA 2016, 95 min)
Big Sonia (d: Leah Warshawski, Todd Soliday f: Sonia Warshawski, USA 2016, 90 min)
Finding Kim (d: Aaron Bear f: Kim B, Dan Savage, Buck Angel, Carmen Carrera, Calpernia Addams, Jamison Green, Dr. Tony Mangubat, USA 2016, 82 min)
Finding October (d: Nick Terry c: Michael Ward, Karin Terry, Nick Terry, Delaney Berreth, Ryan Woodyard, USA 2016, 77 min)
Full Court: The Spencer Haywood Story (d: Martin Spirit f: Spencer Haywood, Charles Barkley, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, Chuck D, USA 2016, 90 min)
Gold Balls (d: Kate Dandel f: John Powless, Ron Tonidandel, Bob Sherman, George McCabe, Marcus Freeman, Steve Tignor, USA 2016, 85 min)
The IF Project (d: Kathlyn Horan f: Kim Bogucki, Renata Abramson, Tiffany Doll, Angela Vargas, LaKeisha “”KeWee”” Hamilton, USA 2016, 88 min)
If There’s a Hell Below (d: Nathan Williams c: Carol Roscoe, Conner Marx, Mark Carr, Paul Budraitis, USA 2016, 94 min)
The Memory of Fish (d: Jennifer Galvin, Sachi Cunningham Narrated by Lili Taylor, USA 2016, 54 min)
A New High (d: Samuel Miron, Stephen Scott Scarpulla USA 2015, 100 min)
Paralytic (d: Joey Johnson c: David S. Hogan, Darlene Sellers, Angela DiMarco, D’Angelo Midili, Richard Carmen, USA 2016, 87 min)
Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell (d: Martin Bell f: Erin Blackwell, Mary Ellen Mark, USA 2016, 86 min)
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Film Review: Weed, Religion & Trouble in DOUGH
Weed, religion & trouble make up the ingredients for the award winning film Dough directed by John Goldschmidt.
Dough stars Jonathan Pryce and Jerome Holder, and is the winner of the Audience Award at Hartford Jewish Film Festival 2016, Green Mountain Film Festival 2016, and New Hampshire Jewish Film Festival 2016.
The film is set in London and tells the story of a Jewish bakery owner (Nat) played by Jonathan Pryce who is in need of a boost to his bakery so he hires a new apprentice Ayyash played by Jerome Holder. While working one day in the bakery Ayyash drops his weed in the bread dough and Nat business started to get a major boost in sales but in the end the shop was turned upside and unlikely friendship was created.
Dough puts off highly realistic vibes and all the actors worked really well together. I loved the fact “Dough” tackled religion and still had the ability to add comedy and weed in the same film. My only dislike about the film is that at times it got a little too predictable, however, over all I would recommend this film.
So with that said Dough will be opening this weekend in city near you, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, and right here in New York City at Village East Cinema so if you have a chance to view this film you should just do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPAcqo7ZzlU
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Comedian VICKIE SHAW and Premiere of CLAMBAKE to Kick Off QCinema’s Lesbian Film Festival
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CLAMBAKE[/caption]
Award winning filmmaker ANDREA MEYERSON and renowned standup comedian VICKIE SHAW will join 2016 QCinema’s Lesbian Film Festival opening night for the Southwest Premier of CLAMBAKE.
QCinema’s 5th Lesbian Film Festival will feature two southwest premiers – CLAMBAKE and ToY; and one North Texas premier – Vickie Shaw: I’m Not Your Role Model.
Clambake
Southwest Premier
Vickie Shaw and Andrea Meyerson in attendance.
Dir. Andrea Meyerson | 2015 | USA | 95 min
CLAMBAKE is an exciting new documentary from award-winning filmmaker Andrea Meyerson, charting the growth of Women’s Week in Provincetown, from its inception to the thriving, exciting lesbian mecca it is today. The film will take viewers on a 30-year journey through archival footage and photos, interviews with celebrities and organizers, current event coverage and performances, offering a historical and hysterical look at what a few innovative women can accomplish.
https://vimeo.com/101198858
Vickie Shaw: I’m Not Your Role Model
North Texas Premiere
Vickie Shaw in attendance.
Dir. Andrea Meyerson | 2014 | USA | 89 min
A Hysterical romp into the world of comedian Vickie Shaw, both on and off stage. A rare and revealing look into Vickie’s private life and what it takes to gear up for her sold-out show in Hollywood, California.
Welcome to League City, Texas where you’re invited to spend a few days with Vickie and her family! Come on in, grab a drink and make yourself at home while hanging out with Vickie, her partner Sgt. Patch, her kids, grand babies and of course, the dogs!
ToY
Southwest Premiere
Dir. Patrick Chapman | 2015 | USA | 94 min
ToY is the story of a young, wealthy, talented but naive artist named Chloe (Briana Evigan). She inherited not only her late mother’s wealth, but also the thing that took her mother’s life and which she’s desperate to keep secret.
Chloe’s newest work leads her to Kat (Kerry Norton), a beautiful but aging call girl. As Kat’s career options grow more desperate, and as Chloe fights her own demons, the two women grasp on to each other, offering each other second chances while trying to escape their inevitable decline.
https://vimeo.com/152361547
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Seattle International Film Festival Unveils African Pictures Program Lineup
Senegalese documentary The Revolution Won’t Be Televised The Seattle International Film Festival will continue its African Pictures program at the upcoming festival, thanks to a $25,000 FilmWatch grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
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MR. PIG, THE PEARL Win Top Awards at Dallas International Film Festival
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MR. PIG[/caption]
Diego Luna’s MR. PIG and Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s THE PEARL took home the top prizes at the 2016 Dallas International Film Festival awards ceremony.
MR. PIG starring Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph took home the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize and Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s THE PEARL was awarded the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize at the festival.
The Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation Audience Awards were presented to: Greg Kwedar’s TRANSPECOS for Best Narrative Feature, Jenna Jackson and Anthony Jackson’s UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT for Best Documentary Feature, and Duke Merriman’s SO GOOD TO SEE YOU for Best Short Film.
In addition to the presentation of the filmmaking awards, the evening also featured the presentation of the Dallas Star Award to two-time Academy Award nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman, and the inaugural presentation of the L.M. Kit Carson Maverick Filmmaker Award to filmmaking legend Monte Hellman.
Keith Maitland‘s TOWER won the Texas Competition Grand Jury Prize and Berndt Mader’s BOOGER RED received a Texas Competition Special Jury Prize. Nanfu Wang’s HOOLIGAN SPARROW won the Silver Heart Award and the $10,000 cash prize bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity.
2016 Dallas International Film Festival Awards – Jury Awards
NARRATIVE FEATURE GRAND JURY PRIZE: MR. PIG
DIR: Diego Luna
Eubanks (Danny Glover), an old-school pig farmer from Georgia on the brink of losing his family farm, sets off on a road trip with Howard, his beloved and very large pig.
As they make their way across the border to Mexico to find “Howie” a new home, Eubanks’s drinking and deteriorating health begin to take a toll, derailing their plans. His estranged daughter, Eunice (Maya Rudolph), is forced to join them on their adventure. Driven by strong convictions and stubbornness in his old ways, Eubanks attempts to make peace through his devotion to Howie and desire to mend his broken relationships.
NARRATIVE FEATURE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (PERFORMANCE): ARIANNA
DIR: Carlo Lavagna
CAST: Ondina Quadri
Carlo Lavagna’s debut feature, ARIANNA, unfolds like a classic film mystery set in the the gorgeous Italian countryside.
Arianna is nineteen years old and still hasn’t had her first period. She’s starting to notice that she hasn’t physically matured like other girls. Her parents are feeding her hormones prescribed by a gynecologist. Now her breasts have become slightly enlarged and this is causing her some discomfort. The hormones aren’t helping with her maturation.
Her parents decide to take her back to the lake house in Bolsena where they used to vacation. While staying in the house, old memories start to come back to Arianna like pieces of a puzzle slowly begin to fall into place. When her parents tell her it’s time to return to the city for a few days, Arianna wants to stay behind to study for her exams. Her father accepts despite her mother’s objections, as Arianna becomes more suspicious of her condition and her parents.
Arianna’s investigation into her past includes seeing a new gynecologist without her parents’ knowledge, and a new exploration of her body and her sexuality. All of this leads up to surprise conclusion that will shock audiences as much as it shocks Arianna herself.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE PEARL
DIR: Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca’s
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THE PEARL[/caption]
Far from the celebrity and magazine covers of Laverne Cox and Caitlin Jenner, THE PEARL witnesses the loss and extraordinary risk of four middle-aged and senior war vets, steel foremen, and fathers and grandfathers coming out for the first time as transgender women in the hyper-masculine culture of the Pacific Northwest.
Each year, their lives intersect at the annual Esprit Conference for T-girls, a weeklong event enlivening a community broken by closeted isolation and loss due to suicide. Filmmakers Jessica Dimmock and Christopher LaMarca create a language for the film that is built on their subject’s honesty; an honesty that therapeutically hides nothing from the camera.
Over the course of the film, these four transgender women emerge with beauty, conviction, strength, and a newfound personal integrity.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: IN PURSUIT OF SILENCE
DIR: Patrick Shen
In this beautiful, meditative documentary, filmmaker Patrick Shen crafts exquisite footage with a delicate soundtrack, creating a comprehensive and thought-provoking discussion of how noise impacts our daily life. From the early religious aspects of solitude to John Cage’s seminal silent composition 4’33”, silence has always fascinated society and played an important role in our humanity. As our lives become modernized with technology, noise has taken a larger toll on our wellness and behavior.
TEXAS COMPETITION GRAND JURY PRIZE (PRESENTED BY PANAVSION): TOWER
DIR: Keith Maitland
On August 1st, 1966, a sniper rode the elevator to the top floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire, holding the campus hostage for 96 minutes. When the gunshots were finally silenced, the toll included 16 dead, three dozen wounded, and a shaken nation left trying to understand.
Combining archival footage with rotoscopic animation in a dynamic, never-before-seen way, TOWER reveals the action-packed untold stories of the witnesses, heroes and survivors of America’s first mass school shooting, when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
TEXAS COMPETITION SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: BOOGER RED
DIR: Berndt Mader
Booger Red is a hybrid narrative/documentary film where fictional journalist, Onur Tukel, investigates the true case of the ‘Mineola Swingers Club’ trials. In 2006, seven people were sentenced to life for purportedly running the largest child sex ring in Texas history–inside of a swingers club in Mineola, Tx. Onur, portraying a veteran reporter, interviews the actual defendants and lawyers involved in the trials. On his journey through the seedy underbelly of east Texas, Onur is forced to confront his own history with abuse while he discovers that the allegations at the root of his investigation might have never happened.
SILVER HEART AWARD (PRESENTED BY THE EMBREY FAMILY FOUNDATION): HOOLIGAN SPARROW
DIR: Nanfu Wang
The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal.
Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media.
Filmmaker Wang becomes a target along with Sparrow, as she faces destroyed cameras and intimidation. Yet she bravely and tenaciously keeps shooting, guerrilla-style, with secret recording devices and hidden-camera glasses, and in the process, she exposes a startling number of undercover security agents on the streets.
Eventually, through smuggling footage out of the country, Wang is able tell the story of her journey with the extraordinary revolutionary Sparrow, her fellow activists, and their seemingly impossible battle for human rights.
SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE: THE BLACK BELT
DIR: Margaret Brown
SHORT FILM SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: MINOR SETBACK
DIR: Augustine Frizzell
STUDENT SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE: FATA MORGANA
DIR: Amelie Wen
STUDENT SHORT SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: THE MINK CATCHER
DIR: Samantha Buck
ANIMATED SHORT FILM GRAND JURY PRIZE (PRESENTED BY REEL FX): SNOWFALL
DIR: Conor Whelan
2016 Dallas International Film Festival Awards – Audience Awards (PRESENTED BY THE ARTHUR E. BENJAMIN FOUNDATION)
NARRATIVE FEATURE: TRANSPECOS
DIR: Greg Kwedar
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TRANSPECOS[/caption]
On a remote desert highway a makeshift Border Patrol checkpoint is manned by three agents: Flores (Gabriel Luna): with an uncanny ability to track; Davis (Johnny Simmons): joined the Border Patrol with dreams of romancing señoritas and riding on horseback; Hobbs (Clifton Collins, Jr.): one of the old guards who believes a college degree can’t stop a bullet.
It starts out like most boring days, but soon the contents of one car will change everything. What follows is a journey to uncover the surreal, frightening secrets hidden behind the facade of this lonely outpost. The end of the path may cost them their lives along a border where the line between right and wrong shifts like the desert itself.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT
DIR: Jenna Jackson and Anthony Jackson
UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT is every parent’s worst nightmare come to life.
In 2006, Corpus Christi homemaker Hannah Overton and her husband were in the process of adopting 4-year-old Andrew Burd. In October of that year, Andrew died. His death was determined to be the result of deliberate salt poisoning, and Hannah was charged with capital murder and sentenced to life in prison. Maintaining her innocence the entire time, Hannah spent almost eight years incarcerated before a hard-won battle resulted in her conviction being overturned. All of the inconsistencies, flawed arguments and erroneous conclusions from her original trial—along with her being ruthlessly portrayed in the media as a cold-hearted killer—were finally brought to light.
Directors Jenna and Anthony Jackson have extensively detailed Hannah’s story to show how it took a team of lawyers that fervently believed in justice to finally gain her freedom.
SHORT FILM: SO GOOD TO SEE YOU
DIR: Duke Merriman
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THE GOD CELLS Documentary Tackling Stem Cell Issue to Open In Theaters in June | TRAILER
THE GOD CELLS, a film directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Eric Merola will open at Cinema Village in New York on June 3rd and at Laemmle Music Hall in Los Angeles on June 10.
A national release will follow.
THE GOD CELLS explores one of the most controversial and polarizing subjects facing mankind today: the harvesting of stem cells from aborted fetuses to be used for therapeutic use. Currently, the clinical practice fetal stem cell therapy is illegal in the United States, but research toward seeking FDA-approval has been underway for more than a decade.
Stem Cell research and therapy have been growing at a rapid rate over the past 15 years. Scientific advances coupled with consumer demand has proven that stem cell therapy is the wave of the future, and is poised to change the face of medicine. THE GOD CELLS takes the audience on a journey by following those who are seeking fetal stem cell therapy abroad—while avoiding these seemingly insurmountable roadblocks at home.
Originally harvested by abortions, Fetal Stem Cells are arguably the most contested and controversial form of stem cell therapy to date. Not only does this technology face enormous religious opposition, but commercial and regulatory agencies wish to slow down the approval process for fetal stem cells due to profit and market reasons— creating an atmosphere for a seemingly insurmountable dilemma. The documentary follows patients from all walks of life who sought fetal stem cells for a variety of reasons: including Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Lupus and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Also included are interviews with some of the patients’ doctors, who were once highly skeptical, but now stand baffled by the full remissions their patients have achieved due to fetal stem cells.
Eric Merola’s previous films within the same genre of THE GOD CELLS have garnered wide audiences, starting with his debut documentary series Burzynski (2010-2013), which has been viewed by millions, and sparking an international movement. Merola’s third documentary Second Opinion received rave reviews by the mainstream press with the New York Daily News saying: “Though a documentary, it’s dramatic enough to be reminiscent of ‘The Insider,’ the whistleblowing thriller about Big Tobacco.”
The God Cells far exceeds the scope of anything else Merola has produced or that mainstream audiences have experienced. It has it all: religious conflict, scientific controversy, and a message that could bring down the pharmaceutical industry itself: because any patient with any ailment can seek this therapy; and any group with the proper resources can provide it. In a sentence, “this movie will piss off more people for more reasons than we can count—while also giving hope to countless others who once thought their declining health situation was hopeless.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08H0ih490RY