• “Pardon the Intrusion” “Keep in Touch” “Omo Child: The River and the Bush” Among Winners of 2015 Charleston International Film Festival

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    Omo Child: The River and the Bush Pardon the Intrusion took home the award for Best Film at the 2015 Charleston International Film Festival. Keep in Touch took home the Jury Award for Best Feature, while The Parker Tribe and Omo Child: The River and the Bush (pictured above) won Jury Awards for Best Short and Best Documentary, respectively.  Jeff Affrunti was awarded Best Screenplay for Survival of the Fittest. The festival attendees echoed the jury’s choice for best documentary and recognized Girl on the Edge for Best Feature, If I Could Talk for Best Short, El Alpinista for Best Foreign Film, and Claire & The Keys for Best Animation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KUQqSWh_Nc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWGeOaHbr4w The special honors of Best Actress and Best Actor went to Sterling Jerins for her role in Before the Bomb and Ben Condron for his performance in Hunter’s Fall. Charleston IFF also presented a new award this year. The “Outstanding Supporter of the Arts” award—which will live on in perpetuity—was awarded to Mayor Joseph P. Riley for his incredible contributions to establishing and growing the arts scene in Charleston, ongoing support of the Film Festival, and service to the Charleston-area community as a whole. Mayor Riley’s son, Joe Riley III, accepted the award on his behalf. Summer Peacher, Charleston IFF Co-Founder and Executive Director said, “We’re thrilled with how much the Festival has grown over the past eight years—from the highly competitive film selection process to the continued increase in event attendance. We’re so grateful to everyone who had a role in making this year an incredible success.”

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  • “I Promise You Anarchy,” “Room,” Ewan McGregor Among Award Winners of 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival

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    Julio Hernández Cordón, I Promise You Anarchy The 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival presented its award prizes to the winning films of the two Official Selection competitions –México Primero and Competencia Los Cabos– and the ones participating in the Industry platforms –Cabos in Progress and Cabos Discovery. In addition, The Protagonist Award: Excellence in Acting was given to Ewan McGregor. PARALLEL PRIZES The Cabos Discovery CTT EXP & Rentals Award was presented to Paulina del Paso for her film A flor de piel (Skin Deep). The Cabos in Progress Chemistry Award was presented by Chemistry Director Andrés Martínez to Sebastián Hiriart for Carroña (Carrion) The Cabos in Progress FOX+ Award was presented to the film La habitación (The bedroom) directed by Carlos Carrera, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Carlos Bolado, Ernesto Contreras, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, Alejandro Valle, Iván Ávila Dueñas and Natalia Beristáin. In addition, the Producers Network Badge Award was given to Mayra Espinosa, producer of the film Calla (Keep Quiet), presented in the Cabos Discovery platform. Among the parallel prizes awarded to the Official Selection competing films, the México Primero Art Kingdom Award was presented to Jack Zagha for his film Almacenados (Warehoused). The México Primero FOX+ Award was given to Alejandra Márquez’ Semana Santa. INDUSTRY AWARDS Jessica Sanders’ Picking Cotton received the Cabos Discovery Award. Ricardo Silva’s El Fracaso received the Cabos in Progress Award. OFFICIAL SELECTION AWARDS The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) presented its Best Mexican Film Award to Te prometo anarquía (I Promise You Anarchy), directed by Julio Hernández Cordón. (pictured above) México Primero – Cinemex Award for the Best Film was presented to Julio Hernández Cordón for Te prometo anarquía (I Promise You Anarchy). And the Competencia Los Cabos Cinemex Award winner was Lenny Abrahamson’s Room. The Cinemex Audience Award was also given to Room, by Lenny Abrahamson. THE 2015 PROTAGONIST AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN ACTING The 2015 Protagonist Award for Excellence in Acting was given to Ewan McGregor.

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  • 2015 Cork Film Festival Award Winners; TANGERINE Wins Best Film

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    TANGERINE Sean Baker Tangerine won the prize for best feature film, Gradam Spiorad na Féile / Spirit of the Festival Award at the 60th edition of the Cork Film Festival. Sean Baker’s feature is a twisted, high-energy Christmas tale, which casts an unflinching and comical eye on LA’s sex industry and trans community. The Russian Woodpecker UK / Ukranian documentary The Russian Woodpecker was selected as the winner of the inaugural Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise / Award for Cinematic Documentary. Described as an original and terrifying look at the legacy of the Soviet Union, it was directed by Chad Gracia. This new award, which carries a €1,000 prize, was chosen by a jury chaired by Claire Aguilar, Sheffield DocFest’s Director of Programming and Industry Engagement. Irish short film Love is a Sting is in with a chance of Oscars® glory, after being selected as the Grand Prix Irish short film winner. Vincent Gallagher’s film will go forward to the Academy Awards® longlist in the Live Action Short Film / Animated Short Film category. The Cork Film Festival achieved the status of Academy Award® Qualifying Festival last year. The film follows struggling writer Harold Finch, played by Séan T. Ó Meallaigh, who has an unexpected house guest in the form of Anabel – a hyper-intelligent mosquito who has literally been the fly on the wall throughout history. She is determined to communicate to Harold even if it kills her. The Finland/Denmark-made short film Listen, was chosen as the winner of the Grand Prix International and will also go forward to the Oscars ®longlist. Listen takes place in a Copenhagen police station where a woman wearing a burqa is filing a complaint for domestic violence but her translator is unwilling to report her story. Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano Jonas Carpignano’s acclaimed Mediterranea – a gripping and humanizing film about the refugee crisis – was chosen as the Cork nomination to the European Parliament’s LUX Film Prize. Radu Jude, AFERIM! Romanian feature film Aferim! – Radu Jude’s Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear winner – won the Youth Jury Award. Naomi Kawase’s drama An – about a 75 year old Japanese woman who starts work as an assistant in a pastry kiosk – was selected as the winner of the Audience Award. Complete list of 2015 Cork Film Festival Award Winners Grand Prix Irish Love is a Sting (Ireland) Grand Prix International Listen (Finland/Denmark) Cork Short Award The Great Wide Open (Cork) Gradam Spiorad na Féile/Spirit of the Festival Award Tangerine (US) Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise/Award for Cinematic Documentary The Russian Woodpecker (UK/Ukraine) European Parliament LUX Film Prize Mediterranea (US) Youth Jury Award Aferim! ( Romania) Cork Film Festival Nomination for the 2016 European Film Academy 90 Degrees North (Germany) Audience Award An – Red Bean Paste (Japan/France/Germany) Irish Music Video Award Bob Gallagher for Girl Band’s Paul International Music Video Award Eric Teidt for Simon Fagan’s Lost to the Deep

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  • Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams “SPOTLIGHT” To Receive 2016 American Riviera Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

    Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams will be honored with the 2016 American Riviera Award at the 31st edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival , which runs from February 3 to February 13, 2016. This is the first time the award will be given to three honorees, who will be fêted with a Tribute celebrating their careers, culminating with their powerhouse collaboration in Tom McCarthy’s blisteringly true drama “Spotlight.” The film recently opened to critical acclaim. The Tribute will take place during the festival’s run at the historic Arlington Theatre. The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American Cinema. Keaton, Ruffalo and McAdams will join a prestigious group of past recipients, including last year’s honorees Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (2015), Robert Redford (2014), Quentin Tarantino (2013) and Martin Scorsese (2012), Annette Bening (2011), Sandra Bullock (2010), Mickey Rourke (2009), Tommy Lee Jones (2008), Forrest Whitaker (2007), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2006), Kevin Bacon (2005) and Diane Lane (2004). “Michael, Mark and Rachel are three of the finest actors in the business.” stated Festival Director Roger Durling, “They are artists in the truest sense of the word who continue to surprise and inspire audiences with their talent,” adding, “their recent turn in Spotlight demonstrates their skills both harmoniously as an ensemble and individually, it is an honor to celebrate their work with the American Riviera Award.” Spotlight tells the astonishing story of the Boston Globe’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Spotlight” team of investigative journalists, who in 2002 shocked the city and the world by exposing the Catholic Church’s systematic cover-up of widespread pedophilia perpetrated by more than 70 local priests. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgnrwwiIDlI

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  • Actor/Artist Common is 2016 Celebrity Ambassador of American Black Film Festival

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    Common 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

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    Saoirse Ronan 'BROOKLYN' 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

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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. Forsaken, Kiefer Sutherland 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

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    LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA / LAND AND SHADE CÉSAR AUGUSTO ACEVEDO 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

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    CENSORED VOICES, Mor Loushy 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

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    SOUND OF REDEMPTION: THE FRANK MORGAN STORY, 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

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    BOUNCE: HOW THE BALL TAUGHT THE WORLD TO PLAY 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

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    NIGHT OWLS 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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