Award-winning actor and artist, Common, has been selected as the 2016 celebrity ambassador of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). The ABFF will celebrate its 20th year with an exciting lineup of film screenings and an expanded schedule of networking opportunities and events, including “A Conversation with Common.” The highly anticipated festival is the nation’s largest gathering of Black film and television enthusiasts.
Along with his award-winning music career, Common has garnered accolades in film, including his 2015 Academy Award, 2015 Critic’s Choice Award and the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” from the film Selma, as well as the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Common has also appeared in American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Luv, Now You See Me and Run All Night. He is among Hollywood’s most sought after leading men, and can be seen in the upcoming films, Barbershop 3, John Wick 2 and Suicide Squad. Common initially gained wide public attention as one of hip-hop’s most poetic and respected lyricists. Over his illustrious music career, Common has recorded ten studio albums, which has earned him multiple Grammy Awards.
“I’m very grateful and honored to be the ambassador for the 20th anniversary of the ABFF. The ABFF celebrates and brings together the many different voices in Black film today and I’m proud to be a part of the conversation,”? says Common.
“There is no artist I respect and admire more than Common. He is immensely talented and has proven that an artist today can achieve the highest level of commercial success without compromising his conscience and responsibility to community. Our organization could not be more pleased to have him join us for the festival’s monumental year,” says ABFF Founder Jeff Friday.-
Actor/Artist Common is 2016 Celebrity Ambassador of American Black Film Festival
Award-winning actor and artist, Common, has been selected as the 2016 celebrity ambassador of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF). The ABFF will celebrate its 20th year with an exciting lineup of film screenings and an expanded schedule of networking opportunities and events, including “A Conversation with Common.” The highly anticipated festival is the nation’s largest gathering of Black film and television enthusiasts.
Along with his award-winning music career, Common has garnered accolades in film, including his 2015 Academy Award, 2015 Critic’s Choice Award and the 2015 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for “Glory” from the film Selma, as well as the 2015 NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. Common has also appeared in American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night, Just Wright, Luv, Now You See Me and Run All Night. He is among Hollywood’s most sought after leading men, and can be seen in the upcoming films, Barbershop 3, John Wick 2 and Suicide Squad. Common initially gained wide public attention as one of hip-hop’s most poetic and respected lyricists. Over his illustrious music career, Common has recorded ten studio albums, which has earned him multiple Grammy Awards.
“I’m very grateful and honored to be the ambassador for the 20th anniversary of the ABFF. The ABFF celebrates and brings together the many different voices in Black film today and I’m proud to be a part of the conversation,”? says Common.
“There is no artist I respect and admire more than Common. He is immensely talented and has proven that an artist today can achieve the highest level of commercial success without compromising his conscience and responsibility to community. Our organization could not be more pleased to have him join us for the festival’s monumental year,” says ABFF Founder Jeff Friday.
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Saoirse Ronan ‘BROOKLYN’ to Receive International Star Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Saoirse Ronan with the International Star Award at the upcoming Festival running January 1 to 11, 2016.
“From her unforgettable roles in Atonement, The Lovely Bones, Hanna and The Grand Budapest Hotel, we have seen Saoirse Ronan grow from a young girl to the accomplished actress she is today,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “In John Crowley’s new film Brooklyn, Ronan gives a mesmerizing performance as a young woman from Ireland who is offered the chance of a new life in New York. In this role, Ronan embodies the grace and depth of a classic Hollywood screen star. The Palm Springs International Film Festival is honored to present the 2016 International Star Award to Saoirse Ronan.”
Past International Star Award honorees include BAFTA and Academy Award winning actors Javier Bardem and Helen Mirren.
Brooklyn tells the profoundly moving story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through 1950s Brooklyn. Lured by the promise of America, Eilis departs Ireland and the comfort of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City. The initial shackles of homesickness quickly diminish as a fresh romance sweeps Eilis into the intoxicating charm of love. But soon, her new vivacity is disrupted by her past, and she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within. The film is directed by John Crowley from a screenplay by Nick Hornby based on the novel by Colm Tóibín and stars Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen, with Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ekxPFTZm1Y
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Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle to be Honored at 2015 Whistler Film Festival
Actors Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle will be honored at the upcoming 15th anniversary 2015 Whistler Film Festival taking place December 2 to 6, 2015.
British-born Canadian actor, film producer, and film director Kiefer Sutherland will be honored with the WFF 2015 Trailblazer in Acting Award presented to an actor who “has carved a unique and inspiring path for themselves in film and who continues to engage audiences with meaningful and impactful work,” followed by the Western Canadian Premiere of his latest film FORSAKEN. Sutherland joins forces with ‘24’ director Jon Cassar on FORSAKEN starring opposite his father Donald Sutherland and Demi Moore, receiving its Western Canadian premiere at the fest and set to release in February 2016.
Scottish born Robert Carlyle will be honored with the WFF 2015 Maverick Award. WFF will celebrate the “exciting and versatile actor whose bold choices have led to the creation of some of the most dynamic, memorable, and beloved characters of our time.” The Whistler Film Festival will screen his feature film directorial debut THE LEGEND OF BARNEY THOMSON, which is receiving its North American premiere at the festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG1i5T1XU-Q
Other notable talent confirmed with films premiering at the fest include: actor Rossif Sutherland (RIVER), actors Bruce Greenwood and David Cubitt (REHEARSAL), actors Katharine Isabelle, Tommie-Amber Pirie and Ennis Esmer (HOW TO PLAN AN ORGY IN A SMALL TOWN), director/writer Sandy Wilson and producer Peter O’Brian (MY AMERICAN COUSIN), actors Aleks Paunovic, Stefanie von Pfetten, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Colin Cunningham (NUMB), actor Fred Ewanuick (PATTERSON’S WAGER), actor Sage Brocklebank (SUSPENSION), actors Gabrielle Rose and Camille Sullivan (THE BIRDWATCHER), actors Enrico Colantoni and Krista Bridges (THE COLOSSAL FAILURE OF THE MODERN RELATIONSHIP), actor Paul Savoie (THE DIARY OF AN OLD MAN), director and founder of the Toronto Film Critics Association Brian D. Johnson (AL PURDY WAS HERE), and award-winning directors Philippe Lesage (THE DEMONS) and Ricardo Trogi (THE MIRAGE).
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LAND AND SHADE, JAMES WHITE, MA, MUSTANG Among Winning Films at AFI FEST 2015
AFI FEST 2015 revealed the feature and short films receiving the Jury and Audience Awards. The New Auteurs Grand Jury Award was presented to LAND AND SHADE (pictured above), while DISORDER received a Special Jury Mention for Direction, and DESDE ALLÁ received a Special Jury Mention for Screenplay. This year’s Audience Award recipients in the New Auteurs, World Cinema and Breakthrough sections included MUSTANG, JAMES WHITE and MA.
The complete list of award winners of AFI FEST 2015
NEW AUTEURS AWARDS
New Auteurs Grand Jury Award: LAND AND SHADE (DIR César Augusto Acevedo)
Jury Statement: “For its visual eloquence, formal rigor and emotional power, the New Auteurs Grand Jury Award goes to LAND AND SHADE. Its observations of economic exploitation and environmental degradation are as incisive as its characters are fully realized. Writer/director César Augusto Acevedo’s debut feature is an indelible portrait of a family in rural Colombia, told with unwavering compassion and Bressonian grace.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG3citOqODI
Special Jury Mention for Direction: DISORDER (DIR Alice Winocour)
Jury Statement: “For the taut and muscular direction of her viscerally entertaining thriller DISORDER, the jury recognizes writer/director Alice Winocour with a Special Jury Mention. Through precise execution of her material, Winocour subverts expectations commonly associated with genre films to deliver a bracing experience that stuns and surprises.”
Special Jury Mention for Screenplay: DESDE ALLÁ (DIR/SCR Lorenzo Vigas)
Jury Statement: “A tense, sensitive and unpredictable exploration of an improbable but emotionally believable relationship, the screenplay for DESDE ALLÁ merits a Special Jury Mention for its heartbreaking characters and its keen insights into the prejudices, alienation, social divides and desperate need for control that allow love to both bloom and wither.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGxY3tu9mDg
GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT
Grand Jury winners in the Shorts categories are eligible for Academy Award® consideration.
Grand Jury Award for Live Action Short: BOYS (DIR Isabella Carbonell)
Jury Statement: “This film tackles the abominable with courage, confidence and dignity. It shows us humanity in the places where we would least expect to find it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFhYCviwBw
Grand Jury Award for Animated Short: WORLD OF TOMORROW (DIR Don Hertzfeldt)
Jury Statement: “Funny. Scary. Heartbreaking. Original. And beautiful. This film hit us all hard.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdV1uFwtCpo
Live Action Short Special Mention for Innovative Storytelling: RATE ME (DIR Fyzal Boulifa)
Jury Statement: “This film pushes the boundaries not only of filmmaking technique but also social convention.”
Live Action Short Special Mention for Nonfiction Filmmaking: The Reagan Shorts — RONALD REAGAN LIGHTS THE LIGHTS, RONALD REAGAN PARDONS A TURKEY, MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION INTERVIEWS THE REAGANS (DIR Pacho Velez)
Jury Statement: “By selecting and editing these gems from years worth of archival footage, these shorts shine a light on the marriage of politics and performance.”
Animated Short Special Jury Mention for Screenwriting: TEETH (DIRS Tom Brown, Daniel Gray)
Jury Statement: “This film has many merits, but we were struck most by its sharp wit, character and spirit.”
Animated Short Special Jury Mention for Creative Vision: MANOMAN (DIR Simon Cartwright)
Jury Statement: “This film creates a world unlike any we’ve seen before. It was a privilege to have been invited in.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTcRhCejC-4
AUDIENCE AWARDS
World Cinema Audience Award: LANDFILL HARMONIC (DIRS Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley, Juliana Penaranda-Loftus)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCjbd21fYV8
New Auteurs Audience Award: MUSTANG (DIR Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk
American Independents Audience Award: JAMES WHITE (DIR Josh Mond)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1aVC6LJ3uc
Breakthrough Audience Award: MA (DIR Celia Rowlson-Hall)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl6DrZCxid4
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CENSORED VOICES Wins Inaugural Bob Simon Award at the Other Israel Film Festival
Censored Voices is the winner of the inaugural Bob Simon Award at the 9th Annual Other Israel Film Festival. The award honors the legendary journalist’s intrepid reporting on Israel and the Middle East, and presented to the film that best captures Simon’s courageous spirit.
Already a winner of the Ophir Award, Israel’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, for Best Documentary, Censored Voices presents, for the first time ever, the uncensored recordings of intimate conversations between Israeli soldiers and renowned author Amos Oz immediately following the 1967 Six Day War in which Israel captured Jerusalem, Gaza and the West Bank. The film will be released theatrically via Music Box Films on November 20.
Journalist Bob Simon was a long-time friend and supporter of the Festival. The award was created to honor his spirit and legacy of ethical reporting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oB8EFlf4-M
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SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY About Sax Player Frank Morgan Sets December Release Date | TRAILER
SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY, a feature documentary about gifted alto sax player and Charlie Parker’s protégé, Frank Morgan, will open in New York at The IFC Center on December 2nd, and in Los Angeles at Laemmle on December 18th.
Directed by N.C. Heikin, SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY is packed with music.
Morgan fell hard into heroin and got to be almost as good a conman and thief as he was a musician in order to feed his habit. The habit cost him 30 years of his life in and out of prison, most of it at San Quentin, where he performed in a big band with fellow junkie jazz musicians that grew famous in the Bay Area. To bring the past into present, director NC Heikin and writer Michael Connelly (THE LINCOLN LAWYER) brought an all-star band together into the “Q” for a concert. This hyper-emotional event forms the backbone of this riveting film.
Filmmaker NC Heikin began her career at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club in New York and went on to work on and off Broadway as an actress, singer and director. She has written screenplays for Disney and Paramount as well as French TV networks. In 2004, she made her directing debut with her prize-winning short, mañana. Her first documentary, Kimjongilia, about North Korean refugees, premiered at Sundance, won the One World Brussels Best Film 2010, and has been seen all over the world. Heikin’s stage play, LATE, is in casting for a premiere in Paris next season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRRITxoJtQk
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BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY, Documentary Exploring Origins of Sport, to NY Premiere at DOC NYC | TRAILER
BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY, a new feature documentary by filmmaker Jerome Thélia exploring the nature and origins of sport, will have its New York Premiere at DOC NYC on Monday at 7:30 pm.
Inspired by the book, The Ball: Discovering the Object of the Game by John Fox
From Brazilian favelas to dusty Congolese villages, from neolithic Scottish isles to modern soccer pitches, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY explores the little-known origins of our favorite sports. The film crosses time, languages and continents to discover how the ball has staked its claim on our lives and fueled our passion to compete. Equal parts science, history and cultural essay, BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY removes us from the scandals and commercialism of today’s sports world to uncover the true reasons we play ball, helping us reclaim our universal connection to the games we love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8UyRUrb6KM
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SXSW Hit NIGHT OWLS Starring Adam Pally to Be Released December 4
The South By Southwest hit NIGHT OWLS will be released theatrically in select markets on December 4, 2015 by FilmBuff and Orion Releasing. The Charles Hood directed romantic comedy stars Adam Pally (Happy Endings, The Mindy Project, Iron Man 3) and Rosa Salazar (Parenthood, The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials) with additional performances by Tony Hale (Arrested Development, Veep), Rob Huebel (Transparent, The Descendants) and Peter Krause (Six Feet Under, Parenthood).
NIGHT OWLS centers around workaholic Kevin (Adam Pally) who goes home with the beautiful train-wreck Madeline (Rosa Salazar) for a drunken one night stand, and is then horrified to discover she’s actually his boss’ jilted ex-mistress. After Madeline takes a bottle of sleeping pills, Kevin is forced to keep her awake all night. As Madeline and Kevin banter through the night, they begin to fall for each other.
“I am so proud of this film and excited to have the opportunity to share it with a larger audience”, said director Charles Hood. “We feel that Orion and FilmBuff are the perfect fit for releasing NIGHT OWLS and we’re looking forward to the road ahead.”
NIGHT OWLS is written by Seth Goldsmith and Charles Hood and produced by Toby Louie. Jordana Mollick, Brendan Bragg, Jesse Hara, Mauricio Betancur and Kevin Mann of Haven Entertainment serve as Executive producers on the project. NIGHT OWLS will open in select theaters on December 4, 2015, and will be available on all major On Demand platforms the day after, including Amazon Instant Video, Comcast’s Xfinity TV, Google Play, iTunes, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, Vudu, and Xbox.
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Almost There, Documentary on Artist Peter Anton, To Open In Theaters in December | TRAILER
If you love art, you’ll love “Almost There.” Almost There documents the story of 83-year-old Peter Anton, an artist living in isolated and crippling conditions whose world changes when two filmmakers discover his work and storied past. The film which world premiered at DOC NYC 2014, will open theatrically on December 4 in NYC and December 11 in LA, via Factory 25.
For many, Peter Anton’s house embodies an end-of-life nightmare: the utility companies long ago shut off the heat and electricity, the floorboards are rotting, and the detritus of a chaotic life is precariously stacked to the ceiling. But for the filmmakers Dan Rybicky and Aaron Wickenden, Anton’s home is a treasure trove, a startling collection of unseen and fascinating paintings, drawings, and notebooks, not to mention Anton himself, a character worthy of his own reality TV show. Though aging, infirm, cranky, and solitary, Anton also is funny and utterly resilient. Rybicky and Wickenden’s remarkable journey follows a gifted artist through startling twists and turns. By its quietly satisfying ending, Almost There has provided enough human drama for a season of soap operas, plus insights into mental illness, aging in America, and the redemptive power of art.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxbsBo9X_YI
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Comedy-Thriller “Ghost Team” Starring Jon Heder, Justin Long, Amy Sedaris Headed to Theaters Late 2016
The Oliver Irving-directed comedy-thriller Ghost Team starring Jon Heder, David Krumholtz, Melonie Diaz, Paul W. Downs with Justin Long and Amy Sedaris (pictured above) is slated for release at the end of 2016, via The Orchard. Ghost Team was written by Peter Warren, and produced by Julie Christeas and Schuyler Weiss of Tandem Pictures, Alex Sagalchik of Mott Street Pictures, Clem McIntosh and director Oliver Irving, with Kevin Iwashina of Preferred Content serving as Executive Producer.
Desperate to escape the monotony of his daily life, paranormal-obsessed Louis (Jon Heder) puts together a dysfunctional team — his depressed best friend, misfit nephew, a cable access “medium” and an overeager security guard—to mount his own investigation into the beyond. What results isn’t just a hilariously terrifying brush with the entities haunting an abandoned farm, but also an exploration of friendship, adventure and the things we all believe in to keep going. Everyone’s hunting for something.
“Ghost Team is very much a passion project for me and my collaborators,” says Ghost Team director Oliver Irving. “It’s clear the team at The Orchard is just as excited about the film, and it’s wonderful to know we have such an enthusiastic and supportive partner when bringing the film to comedy and horror fans alike.”
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Horror Crime Thriller THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, Produced by Wes Craven, to Get a Spring 2016 Release
Nick Simon’s horror crime thriller THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS which had its world premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival will be released in the US via Vertical Entertainment. THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS stars Kal Penn, Claudia Lee, Kenny Wormald, Toby Hemingway, Luke Baines, Miranda Rae Mayo, Katharine Isabelle, and Mitch Pileggi, and was executive produced by Nawaf Alghanim and horror legend Wes Craven as his last credit before he passed this summer.
Vertical plans on a Spring 2016 theatrical release.
In THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, big-city glamour clashes with small-town values when a celebrity photographer and his entourage descend upon a sleepy community to investigate the bloody doings of a serial killer.
“This film drew inspiration from my deep love of horror films in my childhood, and I wanted to make a horror film that I would want to see as a fan of the genre. We got down to one of the most important elements of a classic horror film: the thrill of being scared and not knowing what is around the corner or, worse yet, knowing exactly what is around the corner,” said filmmaker Nick Simon. “I am excited to work with Vertical Entertainment on the release campaign, and I am beyond grateful to everyone who had a hand in getting this film made, especially my mentor, Wes Craven. This film is dedicated to his memory; it was an absolute dream come true to have collaborated with Wes and also renowned cinematographer Dean Cundey. I have been humbled by their kindness and passion for telling this story with me.”
And in a 2014 statement from Wes Craven attributed to him during the development stage for the film: “Sometimes you read a script and you just know. From first draft to final cut, Nick has told a unique story that will leave you wondering: Is it always good to be noticed? It has been a pleasure to work with Nick from his days in my WGA mentor group to picture lock. You’ll be hearing from him again.”
THE GIRL IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS was directed by Nick Simon; written by Osgood Perkins, Robert Morast, and Nick Simon; executive produced by Wes Craven and Nawaf Alghanim; and produced by Thomas Mahoney and Andrea Chung, with cinematography by Dean Cundey, editing by Michael Griffin, production design by Eric Fraser, and music by Nima Fakhrara. The film was made by Alghanim Entertainment.
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BROOKLYN Voted Winner of Audience Award for Best Film at Leeds International Film Festival
Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley and starring Saoirse Ronan, has been voted the winner of the Audience Award for Best Film at 2015 Leeds International Film Festival in Leeds, UK. Brooklyn, which was the opening night film of the festival, is described as a wonderful romantic drama adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín’s best-selling novel. Eilis is a young Irish woman who leaves her home for New York in the 1950s. Desperately homesick at first, Eilis soon finds romance in Brooklyn, but when a family emergency forces her back to Ireland, she finds herself torn between her personal freedom and her family responsibilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IM1XhTxPAE
The top 20 films as voted by audience at 2015 Leeds International Film Festival
1. Brooklyn
2. Victoria
3. Chuck Norris vs Communism
4. Son of Saul
5. Home Care
6. Alice Cares
7. Urban and the Shed Crew
8. The Case of Hana and Alice
9. All About Them
10. Doing Nothing All Day
11. Taxi Tehran
12. Heart of a Dog
13. Nina Forever
14. Tangerine
15. The Postman’s White Nights
16. Another Country
17. Abandoned Goods + Exquisite Corpus
18. Shrew’s Nest
19. Aferim!
20. Lovemilla