The 2015 Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced its Jury and Hiscox Audience and Courage Award Winners in Film, as well as the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition winners. The jury awarded The Exile, by Arturo Ruiz Serrano (pictured above) as Best Narrative Feature and Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase as Best Documentary Feature. The Audience voted Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino as winner of the Hiscox Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Mully directed by Scott Haze as winner of Hiscox Audience Award for Best Documentary.
The following Jury award winners were selected by category:
Narrative Feature: The Exile, written by Arturo Ruiz Serrano
Documentary Feature: Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby, written by Brian Klugman
Dark Matters Feature: Sunny Side Up, written by Willem Bosch
Dark Matters Feature Honorable Mention: The Lion’s Path, written by Sophie-Anne Beaudry
Narrative Short: Vainilla, written by Susana López Rubio
Narrative Student Short: Kimi Kabuki, written by Yoko Okumura
Documentary Short: Chau, Beyond the Lines, directed by Courtney Marsh
Animated Short: The Meek, written by Joe Brumm
Scripted Digital Series: School Nurse, created by Tom Beach, Laura Boersma, and John Stewart Muller
After each Festival screening, audiences voted for the Hiscox Audience Awards, recognizing film favorites among the 2015 slate.
The following Hiscox Audience Award winners were selected by category:
Narrative Feature: Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino
Documentary Feature: Mully directed by Scott Haze
Documentary Feature Honorable Mention: Of Dogs and Men directed by Michael Ozias
Dark Matters Feature: Reparation written by Kyle Ham and Steve Timm
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby written by Brian Klugman
Narrative Short: Best Wishes from Millwood written by Max Baker
Documentary Short: The Trials of Constance Baker Motley directed by Rick Rodgers
Animated Short: The Present written by Fabio Cavalcanti and Jacob Frey
Narrative Student Short: Amateur Dictator written by Zach Carver
Scripted Digital Series: Master Class created by Justin Wright Neufeld
Heart of Film: A Single Frame directed by Brandon Dickerson
Stories From Abroad: El Jeremías written by Ana Sofía Clerici
Texas Independent: Jack’s Apocalypse written by Will Moore
Marquee Feature: Until 20 directed by Jamila Paksima and written by Geraldine Moriba
One film was selected to receive the inaugural Hiscox Courage Award. Voted on by the audience, the Hiscox Courage Award is presented to the film that best embodies the virtue of courage and to the filmmaker who best embraced the risk to share the story. The first ever Courage Award went to Jamila Paksima’s and Geraldine Moriba’s Until 20, the story of Texan James Ragan’s quest to live a full and meaningful life despite his terminal battle with osteosarcoma.
“Hiscox was honored to support Austin Film Festival and all of the inspirational films, filmmakers and subjects that made the week so special,” said Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox USA. “We’re grateful to give the first Hiscox Courage Award to Until 20 and hope more people will be able to share the courageous life and story of James Ragan depicted in this film.”
In continuation of AFF’s mission to find and support independent filmmakers, three films were already picked up for distribution at this year’s Festival including Comedy Vanguard 3rd Street Blackout, The Teller and the Truth picked up by FilmBuff, and James Franco’s Memoria which was acquired by Monterey Media.
“Austin Film Festival is an exceptional source for a true audience reaction for independent films,” said Jere Rae-Mansfield, CFO & Managing Partner of Monterey Media. “We are so pleased to join them in our acquisition news.”
The following Screenplay Competition winners were selected by category:
Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Detroit by Robert Rue
Comedy Screenplay Award: Maxwell 2.0 by Paul Sanford
Enderby Entertainment Award: The Great Debate by David Hoffman
Darkwoods Productions Sci-Fi Award: The Innkeeper by Michael Catinari
Horror Award: 77 Minutes by Shani Grewal
AMC One-Hour Teleplay Pilot Award: Friend of the Devil by Michael Ouellette
Sitcom Teleplay Pilot Award: Newsperson by Michael Drake
Short Screenplay Award: The New World by Brian Rawlins
Scripted Digital Series Award: Creepypasta by Will Zech & Alex Cope
One-Hour Teleplay Spec Award: The Americans: Custody by Larry Caldwell
Sitcom Teleplay Spec Award: Workaholics: Bring Your Kid To Work Day by Greg Brainos-
THE EXILE, MONSTERMAN, KEEP IN TOUCH, MULLY Win Top Awards at 2015 Austin Film Festival
The 2015 Austin Film Festival (AFF) announced its Jury and Hiscox Audience and Courage Award Winners in Film, as well as the Screenplay & Teleplay Competition winners. The jury awarded The Exile, by Arturo Ruiz Serrano (pictured above) as Best Narrative Feature and Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase as Best Documentary Feature. The Audience voted Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino as winner of the Hiscox Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Mully directed by Scott Haze as winner of Hiscox Audience Award for Best Documentary.
The following Jury award winners were selected by category:
Narrative Feature: The Exile, written by Arturo Ruiz Serrano
Documentary Feature: Monsterman, directed by Antti Haase
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby, written by Brian Klugman
Dark Matters Feature: Sunny Side Up, written by Willem Bosch
Dark Matters Feature Honorable Mention: The Lion’s Path, written by Sophie-Anne Beaudry
Narrative Short: Vainilla, written by Susana López Rubio
Narrative Student Short: Kimi Kabuki, written by Yoko Okumura
Documentary Short: Chau, Beyond the Lines, directed by Courtney Marsh
Animated Short: The Meek, written by Joe Brumm
Scripted Digital Series: School Nurse, created by Tom Beach, Laura Boersma, and John Stewart Muller
After each Festival screening, audiences voted for the Hiscox Audience Awards, recognizing film favorites among the 2015 slate.
The following Hiscox Audience Award winners were selected by category:
Narrative Feature: Keep In Touch, written by Sam Kretchmar and Michael Covino
Documentary Feature: Mully directed by Scott Haze
Documentary Feature Honorable Mention: Of Dogs and Men directed by Michael Ozias
Dark Matters Feature: Reparation written by Kyle Ham and Steve Timm
Comedy Vanguard Feature: Baby, Baby, Baby written by Brian Klugman
Narrative Short: Best Wishes from Millwood written by Max Baker
Documentary Short: The Trials of Constance Baker Motley directed by Rick Rodgers
Animated Short: The Present written by Fabio Cavalcanti and Jacob Frey
Narrative Student Short: Amateur Dictator written by Zach Carver
Scripted Digital Series: Master Class created by Justin Wright Neufeld
Heart of Film: A Single Frame directed by Brandon Dickerson
Stories From Abroad: El Jeremías written by Ana Sofía Clerici
Texas Independent: Jack’s Apocalypse written by Will Moore
Marquee Feature: Until 20 directed by Jamila Paksima and written by Geraldine Moriba
One film was selected to receive the inaugural Hiscox Courage Award. Voted on by the audience, the Hiscox Courage Award is presented to the film that best embodies the virtue of courage and to the filmmaker who best embraced the risk to share the story. The first ever Courage Award went to Jamila Paksima’s and Geraldine Moriba’s Until 20, the story of Texan James Ragan’s quest to live a full and meaningful life despite his terminal battle with osteosarcoma.
“Hiscox was honored to support Austin Film Festival and all of the inspirational films, filmmakers and subjects that made the week so special,” said Ben Walter, CEO of Hiscox USA. “We’re grateful to give the first Hiscox Courage Award to Until 20 and hope more people will be able to share the courageous life and story of James Ragan depicted in this film.”
In continuation of AFF’s mission to find and support independent filmmakers, three films were already picked up for distribution at this year’s Festival including Comedy Vanguard 3rd Street Blackout, The Teller and the Truth picked up by FilmBuff, and James Franco’s Memoria which was acquired by Monterey Media.
“Austin Film Festival is an exceptional source for a true audience reaction for independent films,” said Jere Rae-Mansfield, CFO & Managing Partner of Monterey Media. “We are so pleased to join them in our acquisition news.”
The following Screenplay Competition winners were selected by category:
Drama Screenplay Award presented by the Writers Guild of America, East: Detroit by Robert Rue
Comedy Screenplay Award: Maxwell 2.0 by Paul Sanford
Enderby Entertainment Award: The Great Debate by David Hoffman
Darkwoods Productions Sci-Fi Award: The Innkeeper by Michael Catinari
Horror Award: 77 Minutes by Shani Grewal
AMC One-Hour Teleplay Pilot Award: Friend of the Devil by Michael Ouellette
Sitcom Teleplay Pilot Award: Newsperson by Michael Drake
Short Screenplay Award: The New World by Brian Rawlins
Scripted Digital Series Award: Creepypasta by Will Zech & Alex Cope
One-Hour Teleplay Spec Award: The Americans: Custody by Larry Caldwell
Sitcom Teleplay Spec Award: Workaholics: Bring Your Kid To Work Day by Greg Brainos
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CITY OF TREES Documents DC Community’s Fight for Jobs and Safe Parks | TRAILER
CITY OF TREES which documents one community’s fight for equal access to good jobs and safe parks in our nation’s capital, have its midwest premiere as an official selection in the 24th annual St. Louis International Film Festival. City of Trees had its world premiere at the 13th annual American Conservation Film Festival on October 25 in Shepherdstown, WV.
Directed by Brandon Kramer, City of Trees documents a period in the lives of Charles, Michael, James and Steve when their lives intersect with stimulus resources designed to make change in DC.
City of Trees follows the lifecycle and aftermath of a $2.7 million stimulus grant awarded to DC-based nonprofit Washington Parks & People. With the grant, Parks & People launches the ‘Green Corps’ as an introduction in urban forestry to DC residents in communities hardest hit by the recession. For Charles, the paycheck offers him a chance to give his newborn daughter the life he never had and escape the cycle of violence that already impacted his younger brother. For Michael, the job training is a first step forward after a drug conviction permanently marred his employment record. For James, a Ward 8 native in his late 50s, the position offers a chance to prove that his experience and wisdom is an asset. For Steve, the president of Washington Parks & People, the grant offers the opportunity to elevate the impact of his organization’s work — and the challenge of finding the resources to continue the program after the short-term stimulus dollars run out.
A film about normal people fighting to provide for themselves, their families and environment, City of Trees offers a critical new perspective on the challenges of retraining our workforce and rebuilding the natural environments in our cities for the 21st century. What sounds like a simple goal — putting people back to work by planting trees in a blighted neighborhood — opens up a complex web of personal and community challenges. In the age of recession and rebuilding, City of Trees documents a story representative of the hopes and struggles of countless Americans impacted by the recession.
https://vimeo.com/117641253
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CHRISTMAS, AGAIN About Heartbroken Christmas Tree Salesman in NYC, Arrives Early December | VIDEO
CHRISTMAS, AGAIN, about a heartbroken Christmas tree salesman in NYC, will open in New York at the MoMA on Thursday, December 3rd, and Los Angeles on Friday, December 11th. CHRISTMAS, AGAIN is written, produced and directed by Charles Poekel and stars Kentucker Audley and Hannah Gross.
For a fifth consecutive December, a heartbroken Noel returns to New York City to work the night shift at a sidewalk Christmas tree lot. Devoid of any holiday spirit, he struggles to stay awake during the long, chilly nights in his trailer, while the daytime traffic keeps him from getting any real rest. As he slowly spirals into despair, he comes to the aid of a mysterious young woman in the park. Her warming presence, matched with some colorful customers, help rescue him from self-destruction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQDkwOp3X0g
In Theaters
December 1, 2015 (Sneak Preview)
MICA
Baltimore, MD
December 3 – 9th, 2015
MoMa
New York, NY
December 9th, 2015
The Public Cinema
Knoxville, TN
December 11 -17th, 2015
Leammle Theaters, NoHo
Los Angeles, CA
December 11 -17th, 2015
Dragonfly Cinema
Port Oarchard, WA
December 18th – 23rd, 2015
Gene Siskel Film Center
Chicago, IL
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Ewan McGregor to Receive Award at Los Cabos International Film Festival and Screen “Last Days in the Desert”
Actor and director Ewan McGregor will attend the upcoming Los Cabos International Film Festival where he will be presented with the Protagonist Award for Excellence in Acting. The award statuette was designed by acclaimed Mexican artist Gabriel Macotela. McGregor will also present the special screening of his film, Last Days in the Desert, accompanied by its director –and festival special guest– Rodrigo García. The film, widely praised by the critics when premiered at Sundance Film Festival this year, is an imaginative version of Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert.
Ewan McGregor is mesmerizing as he takes on two of history’s most complicated and misunderstood characters: Jesus Christ and the Devil.
Director Rodrigo Garcia reimagines Christ’s last days of fasting in the desert as he walks back to civilization. In the midst of the harsh landscape, fatigued and hallucinating, Christ is met by the Devil, who is eager to test and tempt the weary traveler. Their profound ruminations on faith and truth demonstrate Garcia’s power as a screenwriter and McGregor’s determination to portray Jesus in a different light. By focusing on Christ’s fallibility and innocence, new dimensions of the prophet and the man create a fascinating character study. But Christ’s real test comes when he befriends a family on his travels and is caught up in a dispute that forces a powerful confrontation with his own fate.
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Watch the Full COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE Short Featuring ICE AGE’s Scrat | VIDEO
COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE short featuring ICE AGE’s Scrat screened in 2D and 3D exclusively with The Peanuts Movie in theaters on November 6, and now Blue Sky Studios and 20th Century Fox have released the full version online. Scrat journeys where no ICE AGE character has gone before in COSMIC SCRAT-TASTROPHE. The consequences of Scrat’s antics are always momentous, and this time he’s creating his own version of the Big Bang.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgSNlmkJCpg
Scrat’s epic pursuit of the elusive acorn catapults him into the universe where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the Ice Age World. To save themselves, Sid, Manny, Diego, and the rest of the herd must leave their home and embark on a quest full of comedy and adventure, traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters. ICE AGE: COLLISION COURSE, opening in theaters everywhere July 22, 2016, stars returning cast members Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Josh Peck, Simon Pegg, Keke Palmer, Wanda Sykes, and Jennifer Lopez. Joining the herd are Stephanie Beatriz, Adam DeVine, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Max Greenfield, Jessie J, Nick Offerman, Melissa Rauch, Michael Strahan and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
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Award-winning Israeli Documentary, CENSORED VOICES, Gets November Release Date | TRAILER
Mor Loushy’s award-winning provocative Israeli 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. Winner of the Ophir (Israeli Oscar) winner for Best Documentary, CENSORED VOICES was selected as the Opening Night film of the Other Israel Film Festival in New York, and will open in New York at Lincoln Plaza Cinema on November 20th, and in Los Angeles at Laemmle’s Royal and Town Center on Friday, November 27. A national release will follow.
The 1967 ‘Six-Day’ war ended with Israel’s decisive victory; it is portrayed to this day, as a righteous undertaking – a radiant emblem of Jewish pride. Yet, behind the euphoria and a proud new national narrative of invincibility are other voices with something different to say. Future renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. Originally censored by the Israeli army, the recordings provide an unfiltered lens into the Israeli zeitgeist as the country turned from David to Goliath. The recordings resulted in a best-selling book which form the basis of CENSORED VOICES.
The soldiers’ harrowing confessions, combined with rare archival footage and evocative sound design, create a sense of stunning immediacy. As they wrestle with the systemic excision of Palestinians, the dehumanizing nature of war, and echoes of the Holocaust, we watch as these men, now almost 50 years older, hear the recordings for the first time, and the past erupts, presciently, into the present.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oB8EFlf4-M
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YOUTH, THE LOBSTER Leads Nominations for 28th European Film Awards
Youth directed by Paolo Sorrentino, lead the nominations for the 28th European Film Awards with 6 nominations, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Paolo Sorrentino , European Actress for Rachel Weisz, European Actor for Michael Caine, European Screenwriter for Paolo Sorrentino.
Starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine as Fred and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel as Mick, Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena (Academy Award Winner Rachel Weisz), Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda). And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy (Paul Dano), an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance? Set against a sprawling landscape of unforgettable sights and intoxicating music, YOUTH asks if our most important and life-changing experiences can come at any time – even late — in life. Fox Searchlight will release the film on December 4, 2015.
Other films with multiple nominations, include The Lobster directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, with 4 nods, including Best European Film 2015, European Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, European Actor for Colin Farrell and European Screenwriter for Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou.
In the very near future, society demands that we live as couples. Single people are rounded up and sent to a seaside compound—part resort and part minimum-security prison—where they are given a finite number of days to find a match. If they don’t succeed, they will be “altered” and turned into an animal. The recently divorced David (Colin Farrell) arrives at The Hotel with his brother, now a dog; in the event of failure, David has chosen to become a lobster… because they live so long. When David falls in love, he’s up against a new set of rules established by another, rebellious order: for romantics, there’s nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Welcome to the latest dark, dark comedy from Yorgos Lanthimos (Dogtooth), creator of absurdist societies not so very different from our own. With Léa Seydoux as the leader of the Loners, Rachel Weisz as David’s true love, John C. Reilly, and Ben Whishaw. An Alchemy release.
EUROPEAN FILM 2015
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson
PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk
MUSTANG
France, Germany, Turkey, 100 min.
DIRECTED BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
WRITTEN BY: Deniz Gamze Ergüven & Alice Winocour
PRODUCED BY: Charles Gillibert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk
RAMS
HRÚTAR
Iceland, Denmark, 93 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Grímur Hákonarson
PRODUCED BY: Grímar Jónsson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw
THE LOBSTER
UK, Ireland, Greece, France, Netherlands, 118 min.
DIRECTED BY: Yorgos Lanthimos
WRITTEN BY: Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou
PRODUCED BY: Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey & Yorgos Lanthimos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z069ldsumxA
VICTORIA
Germany, 138 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Sebastian Schipper
PRODUCED BY: Jan Dressler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp8wcV3GjW0
YOUTH
YOUTH – LA GIOVINEZZA
Italy, France, UK, Switzerland, 118 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Paolo Sorrentino
PRODUCED BY: Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima & Carlotta Calori
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJNxQ8Wzr2I
EUROPEAN COMEDY 2015
A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
EN DUVA SATT PÅ EN GREN OCH FUNDERADE PÅ TILLVARON
Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, 96 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Roy Andersson
PRODUCED BY: Pernilla Sandström
THE BÉLIER FAMILY
LA FAMILLE BELIER
France, 106 min.
DIRECTED BY: Eric Lartigau
WRITTEN BY: Eric Lartigau, Victoria Bedos, Stanislas Carre de Malberg & Thomas Bidegain
PRODUCED BY: Eric Jehelmann, Philippe Rousselet & Stéphane Celerier
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9p0qnj4OC4
THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT
LE TOUT NOUVEAU TESTAMENT
Belgium, France, Luxembourg, 114 min.
DIRECTED BY: Jaco Van Dormael
WRITTEN BY: Jaco Van Dormael & Thomas Gunzig
PRODUCED BY: Jaco Van Dormael, Olivier Rausin & Daniel Marquet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2015
A SYRIAN LOVE STORY
UK, 76 min.
DIRECTED BY: Sean McAllister
PRODUCED BY: Elhum Shakerifar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30JqnWtLvlU
AMY
UK, 127 min.
DIRECTED BY: Asif Kapadia
PRODUCED BY: James Gay-Rees
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2yCIwmNuLE
DANCING WITH MARIA
Italy, Argentina, Slovenia, 75 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Ivan Gergolet
PRODUCED BY: Igor Princic, David Rubio & Miha Cernec
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHW5kOLRVP4
THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Denmark, Norway, Indonesia, 99 min.
DIRECTED BY: Joshua Oppenheimer
PRODUCED BY: Signe Byrge Sørensen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp1xT302VcY
TOTO AND HIS SISTERS
TOTO SI SURORILE LUI
Romania, Hungary, 93 min.
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Alexander Nanau
PRODUCED BY: Valeriu Nicolae, Hanka Kastelicova, Alexander Nanau, Catalin Mitulescu & Marcian Lazar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtjJbB1Oh4
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Yorgos Lanthimos for THE LOBSTER
Nanni Moretti for MY MOTHER
Sebastian Schipper for VICTORIA
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
Małgorzata Szumowska for BODY
EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2015
Margherita Buy in MY MOTHER
Laia Costa in VICTORIA
Charlotte Rampling in 45 YEARS
Alicia Vikander in EX MACHINA
Rachel Weisz in YOUTH
EUROPEAN ACTOR 2015
Michael Caine in YOUTH
Tom Courtenay in 45 YEARS
Colin Farrell in THE LOBSTER
Christian Friedel in 13 MINUTES
Vincent Lindon in THE MEASURE OF A MAN
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2015
Roy Andersson for A PIGEON SAT ON A BRANCH REFLECTING ON EXISTENCE
Alex Garland for EX MACHINA
Andrew Haigh for 45 YEARS
Radu Jude & Florin Lazarescu for AFERIM!
Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for THE LOBSTER
Paolo Sorrentino for YOUTH
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Cate Blanchett to be Honored at Palm Springs International Film Festival
Two-time Academy Award Winning Actress Cate Blanchett will receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress at the upcoming 27th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival for her amazing performances in “Carol” and “Truth”. The festival runs January 1 to 11, 2016.
Carol, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, follows two women from very different backgrounds, unhappily married Carol (Blanchett) and department store clerk Therese (Rooney Mara), who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.
Directed by Todd Haynes from a script by Phyllis Nagy, Carol also stars Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith. The film is distributed by the Weinstein Company.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk
Truth examines the facts and the fallout surrounding a CBS investigative report on the military service record of then-President George W. Bush, aired on Sept. 8, 2004 just prior to the Bush/Kerry presidential election. As the subsequent story turned from the facts themselves to the reporting, however, CBS News producer Mary Mapes (played by Blanchett) and CBS News anchor Dan Rather (Robert Redford) would both soon lose their jobs and reputations.
Written and directed by James Venderb based on the memoir Truth and Duty by Mary Mapes, Truth also stars Topher Grace, Elizabeth Moss and Dennis Quaid. The film is distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqOz8-Sto1g
Past actress recipients of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, include Julianne Moore, Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Halle Berry, Marion Cotillard, Anne Hathaway, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts and Michelle Williams. Last year’s honoree, Julianne Moore, went on to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress. Blanchett was previously honored at the festival with the Career Achievement Award and Ensemble Performance Award for Babel.
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Brent Green and Thyra Heder Win SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant for “Over the Eaves”
Brent Green and Thyra Heder have been selected to receive this year’s $15,000 2015 San Francisco Film Society / Hearst Screenwriting Grant for development of their script Over the Eaves.
“Man, it takes a long time to write a screenplay! Way longer than you’d think,” said Green. “Or at least longer than I’d have thought. I’m so very grateful to the San Francisco Film Society and William Hearst III for their generosity, which will allow Thyra and I to set aside the necessary time to finish up writing what we hope to be a stellar movie.”
Working in the hills of rural Pennsylvania, Brent Green is a self-taught filmmaker, storyteller and visual artist whose films have screened at the Rotterdam Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Society, MoMA, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Walker Art Center and the Hammer Museum. He serves on the board of Rooftop Films, is a 2005 Creative Capital grantee, and the recipient of 2014 MAPfund grant. Green’s work is in permanent collections including the Progressive Collection, the Hammer Museum and MoMA. Green is an alum of the January 2015 Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the 2015 Sundance Directors Lab.
Thyra Heder is an author, illustrator and artist who got her start studying film. She graduated from Brown University with a BA in Art Semiotics and put it to use storyboarding for television, feature films and advertising campaigns. Over the last decade her clients have expanded to include major restaurant groups, design companies and hotels, and her work has been regularly featured in Vogue. Her debut picture book, Fraidyzoo, garnered numerous starred reviews and was one of the ALSC Notable Children’s Books of 2014. Her second book, The Bear Report, will be released this fall. She is an alum of the June 2015 Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
In the stop-motion animated film, OVER THE EAVES, a young boy begins inventing strange, hand-made machines to ease his mother’s hard labor and bring joy to her monotonous life. When his most daring invention backfires and changes life on Earth forever, his neighbors struggle to understand whether he has done them harm or shown them what they have been missing.
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Award-Winning Horror/Romance NINA FOREVER Will Open in Theaters on Valentine’s Day Weekend | TRAILER
The horror/romance film NINA FOREVER will be released on February 12, 2016, Valentine’s Day weekend via Epic Pictures Group. NINA FOREVER world premiered at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim and generated strong word-of-mouth buzz from audiences.
Written and directed by Ben and Chris Blaine, NINA FOREVER was honored with multiple British Independent Film Awards nominations this week, including Best Debut Director for The Blaine Brothers and Most Promising Newcomer for lead actress Abigail Hardingham. The film was previously recognized with the Best Feature award at FrightFest 2015.
A darkly comedic romantic horror story exploring love and grief, NINA FOREVER follows Holly (Abigail Hardingham), as she begins a relationship with her co-worker Rob (Cian Barry), who is grieving over the recent death of his girlfriend Nina (Fiona O’Shaughnessy) from a motorcycle accident. Holly has fallen for Rob and is determined to help him though his grief. Yet every time they make love, Nina appears; tangled, bloody and still fixated on Rob. Holly doesn’t freak out and run – she can deal with the dead girl sharing their bed, their lives, their minds. If it’s what Rob needs, it’s what she’ll do, regardless of the consequences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IokJt_05co
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HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY to US Premiere at DOC NYC 2015 | TRAILER
HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, which will have its US PREMIERE at the upcoming DOC NYC 2015. HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY is directed by Academy Award Nominee Daniel Raim, Executive Produced by Danny DeVito and features many familiar faces including Harold Michelson, Lillian Michelson, Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, Mel Brooks, Anahid Nazarian, Rick Carter, Tom Walsh, Jim Bissell, Marc Wanamaker, Bill Krohn, Norman Newberry, and Gene Allen.
Academy Award®-nominated director Daniel Raim and Executive Producer Danny DeVito (Pulp Fiction, Man on the Moon) present HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, a fascinating and deeply moving account of the romantic and creative partnership of storyboard artist Harold Michelson and his wife, film researcher Lillian Michelson—a talented couple once considered “the heart of Hollywood.”
Harold and Lillian worked on hundreds of iconic films during Hollywood’s golden age including The Ten Commandments, The Apartment, The Birds, Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby, Fiddler On The Roof, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Scarface, Full Metal Jacket and more.
Although the couple was responsible for some of Hollywood’s most iconic examples of visual storytelling, their contributions remain largely uncredited. Through an engaging mix of love letters, film clips and candid conversations with Harold and Lillian, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Coppola and others, this heartfelt documentary chronicles their remarkable relationship and two extraordinary careers spanning six decades of movie-making history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RuCqsZhkLE
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Dates Revealed for 2016 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum
The 2016 Camden International Film Festival and Points North Documentary Forum will be held in Camden, Rockport and Rockland from September 15 to 18, 2016.
Filmmakers may submit their completed documentaries (features and shorts) to CIFF or their works-in-progress to the Points North Fellowship starting in January 2016.