The 2015 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival (WillFilm) celebrating its 6th year, will run Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, November 22, 2015. For the second year in a row, the Festival will be screening at the Cinema at the Wythe Hotel.
The opening night spotlight film of WillFilm 6 is THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES, written and directed by indie filmmaker Phil Allocco starring Fran Kranz (THE CABIN IN THE WOODS), Oddette Annable (THE ASTRONAUTS’ WIVES CLUB) Mary Elizabeth Ellis (IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA), and Colleen Camp (AMERICAN HUSTLE).
The festival will world premiere the film AMOK, directed by Rick Rodgers. The film is about a husband and father, Josh Hamilton (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, MADAME SECRETARY), who is haunted by events from his childhood. AMOK also stars ACADEMY AWARD Nominated actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (THE COLOR OF MONEY, GRIMM) and TONY AWARD winner Kate Burton (127 HOURS, SCANDAL). The cast and crew will attend the opening night party and a talkback following the screening.
The US premiere of THE TRAIN, written and directed by Asher Grodman will be another special screening. Inspired by a true story, it is the final screen role of ACADEMY AWARD Winner Eli Wallach. Steven Spielberg is on record calling it ‘a fitting exit for a grand master of the performing arts.’ THE TRAIN tells the story of a preoccupied young man, who reluctantly agrees to meet his girlfriend’s grandfather and learns that life can change in a moment. The festival will also screen the feature debut of Timothy Busfield’s (THIRTY-SOMETHING, FIELD OF DREAMS, SLEEPY HOLLOW) ONE SMART FELLOW. It stars and was co-written by Busfield, Melissa Gilbert and Laura Innes. The festival also includes a short, RAISE THE TOYGIGANTIC, by returning producer/director, Gail Lerner (WILL & GRACE, HAPPY ENDINGS, BLACK-ISH). The director debuted her short, GIRLS SEASONS 38, at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival in 2013.
Lynn Shelton will present her short MINIMUM WAGE, starring Sara Ramos (PARENTHOOD). Shelton, originally from the UK, regularly directs on television (THE MINDY PROJECT, THE NEW GIRL), and her film YOUR SISTER’S SISTER screened at The Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festivals.
The full schedule of festival screenings and events will be announced in early November. Participants include actors Melissa Gilbert (LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, SECRETS AND LIES), Ray Wise (TWIN PEAKS, MAD MEN, FRESH OFF THE BOAT), Fran Kranz (CABIN IN THE WOODS), Randy Harrison (QUEER AS FOLK, Mr. ROBOT), Josh Hamilton*, Timothy Busfield*, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio*, Aaron Lazar (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) and Treat Williams (HAIR, PRINCE OF THE CITY, 1941).
The east coast premiere of INDIGO GREY; THE PASSAGE. produced and shot in Brooklyn, features an original score by Evanescence’s Amy Lee, Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer.
Past honorees and guests include Frank Walley, Cathy Moriarty, Dakota Fanning, Skeet Ulrich, Keir Gilchrist, Chloe Dahl, Gail Lerner, Rene Balcer, Michael Urie, Illeana Douglas, and Julia Ormand.-
THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES, World Premiere of AMOK, Among Lineup for 2015 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival
The 2015 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival (WillFilm) celebrating its 6th year, will run Thursday, November 19 to Sunday, November 22, 2015. For the second year in a row, the Festival will be screening at the Cinema at the Wythe Hotel.
The opening night spotlight film of WillFilm 6 is THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES, written and directed by indie filmmaker Phil Allocco starring Fran Kranz (THE CABIN IN THE WOODS), Oddette Annable (THE ASTRONAUTS’ WIVES CLUB) Mary Elizabeth Ellis (IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA), and Colleen Camp (AMERICAN HUSTLE).
The festival will world premiere the film AMOK, directed by Rick Rodgers. The film is about a husband and father, Josh Hamilton (THE BOURNE IDENTITY, MADAME SECRETARY), who is haunted by events from his childhood. AMOK also stars ACADEMY AWARD Nominated actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (THE COLOR OF MONEY, GRIMM) and TONY AWARD winner Kate Burton (127 HOURS, SCANDAL). The cast and crew will attend the opening night party and a talkback following the screening.
The US premiere of THE TRAIN, written and directed by Asher Grodman will be another special screening. Inspired by a true story, it is the final screen role of ACADEMY AWARD Winner Eli Wallach. Steven Spielberg is on record calling it ‘a fitting exit for a grand master of the performing arts.’ THE TRAIN tells the story of a preoccupied young man, who reluctantly agrees to meet his girlfriend’s grandfather and learns that life can change in a moment. The festival will also screen the feature debut of Timothy Busfield’s (THIRTY-SOMETHING, FIELD OF DREAMS, SLEEPY HOLLOW) ONE SMART FELLOW. It stars and was co-written by Busfield, Melissa Gilbert and Laura Innes. The festival also includes a short, RAISE THE TOYGIGANTIC, by returning producer/director, Gail Lerner (WILL & GRACE, HAPPY ENDINGS, BLACK-ISH). The director debuted her short, GIRLS SEASONS 38, at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival in 2013.
Lynn Shelton will present her short MINIMUM WAGE, starring Sara Ramos (PARENTHOOD). Shelton, originally from the UK, regularly directs on television (THE MINDY PROJECT, THE NEW GIRL), and her film YOUR SISTER’S SISTER screened at The Sundance Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festivals.
The full schedule of festival screenings and events will be announced in early November. Participants include actors Melissa Gilbert (LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, SECRETS AND LIES), Ray Wise (TWIN PEAKS, MAD MEN, FRESH OFF THE BOAT), Fran Kranz (CABIN IN THE WOODS), Randy Harrison (QUEER AS FOLK, Mr. ROBOT), Josh Hamilton*, Timothy Busfield*, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio*, Aaron Lazar (THE WOLF OF WALL STREET) and Treat Williams (HAIR, PRINCE OF THE CITY, 1941).
The east coast premiere of INDIGO GREY; THE PASSAGE. produced and shot in Brooklyn, features an original score by Evanescence’s Amy Lee, Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer.
Past honorees and guests include Frank Walley, Cathy Moriarty, Dakota Fanning, Skeet Ulrich, Keir Gilchrist, Chloe Dahl, Gail Lerner, Rene Balcer, Michael Urie, Illeana Douglas, and Julia Ormand.
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THE WANNABE Starring Patricia Arquette to Open 2015 Charleston International Film Festival
The 8th annual Charleston International Film Festival (Charleston IFF) will showcase 86 films from the U.S. and around the world, and kicks off next Wednesday evening with an Opening Night Reception on John Street, followed by a special screening event at Charleston Music Hall of The Wannabe. Written and directed by the incredible Nick Sandow with executive producers Martin Scorsese and Dean Delvin, The Wannabe is a gripping crime drama starring Vincent Piazza, Patricia Arquette, and Michael Imperioli.
Charleston IFF Co-Founder and President, Summer Peacher said, “Screening The Wannabe as our opening night feature film is just one of the many things we’re pumped about for this year’s Festival. Whether you’re a member of the local film community or just love going to the movies, you don’t want to miss a moment of the drama.”
The eighth annual Festival will take place November 4–8, 2015 at Charleston Music Hall.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n3UYrpyv8Q
The Wannabe
Drama (91 mins.)
Director/Writer: Nick Sandow
Producers: Lizzie Nastro, Vincent Piazza, Michael Gasparro
Executive Producers: Academy Award® Winner Martin Scorsese and Dean Devlin
Cast: Vincent Piazza, Patricia Arquette, Michael Imperioli, Nick Sandow
Synopsis: Obsessed with mob culture, and desperate to fit in, Thomas sets out to fix the 1992 trial of John Gotti. He believes if the plan is executed, it will put him at the center of all that he idolizes. The plot is foiled setting off events worthy of mob lore. The Wannabe intertwines real people and true events, past and present, with fantasy.
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‘Dheepan’ ‘Youth’ ‘The Assassin’ Among Films on 2015 Dubai International Film Festival Cinema of The World Program
The Cinema of The World program at the upcoming 2015 Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), scheduled to take place between the December 9th and 16th, 2015 will welcome forty five of the world’s latest films to its screens.
The first in a series of announcements includes, ‘Dheepan’ (pictured above) a powerful drama by director Jacques Audiard that follows a former Tamil Tiger soldier’s struggle as he fights to begin life anew away from the hardships of war. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, ‘Dheepan’ delves deep into the lives of migrants fleeing conflict zones to lead new lives in Europe but, in the case of the Tamil family, conflict is never far behind.
Heart-warming feature ‘Youth’, directed by Academy Award-winner Paolo Sorrentino, depicts the lives of two old friends and the relationship they build whilst on vacation in the Swiss Alps. Starring internationally renowned actors Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, as Fred and Mick, the lives of two aging artists are portrayed with a blend of humour and wisdom as they reflect on the ways of the world with a deep serenity in a picturesque Alpine landscape.
Contemporary filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien marks his return to cinema after an eight-year absence to present his martial-arts epic ‘The Assassin’. The film follows the enigmatic assassin Yinniang, played by the actress Shu Qi, in a dark tale of emotional turmoil that pushes the film’s central character to breaking point when she is sent on a mission that compromises her primordial instincts.
Inspirational biopic ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’ directed by Matt Brown follows the life-changing journey of a young Indian mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, played by Dev Patel, as he ascends from his humble roots in Madras to attend Cambridge University. It is here that he attempts to pursue his dreams under the mentoring of English mathematician G.H. Hardy, portrayed by Jeremy Irons.
Exquisite and captivating period drama ‘Brooklyn’, directed by John Crowley and based on the acclaimed novel by Colm Toibin, features a stellar cast including Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters. It tells the tale of a young immigrant in a strange new land as she discovers young love and the promise of a brighter future. ‘Brooklyn’ delves deep into the life of its central character, Eilis, in this tale about family, memory and making a new home.
Multi award-winning visionary feature ‘Embrace of The Serpent’, directed by Columbian filmmaker Ciro Guerra, is a visually mesmerizing adventure epic. Inspired by the diaries of two explorers, the film tracks two parallel odysseys travelling through the Amazon three decades apart. It features knockout cinematography, a total of nine different languages and an array of breathtaking locations offering a heart-rending depiction of the effects of colonialism on the indigenous culture.
Ferocious and adrenaline charged crime thriller, ‘Beeba Boys’, directed by Deepa Mehta, depicts a clash of culture and crime in an all-or-nothing Vancouver gang war. Following in the footsteps of gang leader Jeet Johar and his loyal crew, ‘the Beeba Boys’, the film engrosses audiences in a tug-of-war as Jeet and his gang take on an old-fashioned Indo crime syndicate in the battle for control of the drug and arms scene. Blood will be spilled, hearts will be broken and bonds will be shattered as the ‘Beeba Boys’ will do anything to be seen and heard in a white world.
Turkish actress turned director Deniz Gamze Ergüven is set to sweep audiences off their feet at DIFF with her very first feature, ‘Mustang’, which won the Europa Cinemas Label Award at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. The film follows five young sisters living in a coastal Turkish village placed under a tyrannical regime that suppresses their natural development in this poignant portrayal of physical and emotional imprisonment.
Award-winning Australian director, Jennifer Peedom, takes audiences on the adventure of a lifetime in her latest film, ‘Sherpa’, in which she tackles the daunting Mount Everest in an attempt to explore the on-going feud between angered Sherpa people and fearless climbers hopeful of conquering the mountain.
Former winner of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for his film ‘Uncle Boonmee’ Apichatpong Weerasethakul graces the big screen at DIFF with his mystical new film, ‘Cemetery of Splendour’, which follows a young medium and a hospital volunteer as they investigate a sinister case of mass sleeping sickness affecting a temporary hospital for soldiers. The filmmaker uses the epidemic as a metaphor for personal and Thai societal issues in this enigmatic feature.
‘Trap’, the most recent movie from Filipino filmmaker Brillante Mendoza, represents the lives of three families after the devastating Typhoon Yolanda. The director uses powerful imagery and stories based on the real-life experiences of those that have survived the natural disaster to drive home awareness of climate change and the debilitating effects it has on those that succumb to its wrath.
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3 Filmmakers Nominated For 2015 IWC Filmmaker Award at 12th Dubai International Film Festival
Three talented directors have made the shortlist for the prestigious IWC Filmmaker Award at the 12th Dubai International Film Festival taking place from December 9 to 16, 2015, with the winner receiving a cash prize of USD 100,000. The IWC Filmmaker Award supports filmmakers from the Gulf in taking their project from script to the big screen.
The nominees for the highly-coveted 2015 IWC Filmmaker Award are: Qatari director Khalifa Al Muraikhi, for his project “Sahaab”; Saudi director Shahad Ameen, for her feature “Scales”; and Emirati director Layla Kaylif for “The Letter Writer”. The winner of the IWC Filmmaker Award will be announced at an IWC gala event held during the festival on 10 December 2015.
During the 11th DIFF last year, Golden Globe winner and IWC Schaffhausen brand ambassador Emily Blunt presented the IWC Filmmaker Award to Abdullah Boushahri for his film “The Water”. At the same event, Emirati filmmaker Waleed Al Shehhi – who received the IWC Filmmaker Award in 2013 from the Head of the IWC Filmmakers Jury and IWC brand ambassador Cate Blanchett – premiered his feature film “Dolphins” to a sold-out audience.
THE NOMINEES AND THEIR PROJECTS:
KHALIFA AL MURAIKHI: “SAHAAB”
Renowned Qatari director Khalifa Al Muraikhi comes to the festival having already made a name for himself in the industry, winning awards at the Cairo International Film Festival 2000 and the Oman International Documentary Festival 2003 for “The Blind Girl” and “Threads Beneath Sands”, respectively. The director’s latest project, “Sahaab”, is another profound work which tells the tale of aspiring falconers preparing to take part in a race. When one of them loses his falcon, Sahaab, in the desert, the trio must face a variety of obstacles on their journey to find the lost bird in time for the contest.
SHAHAD AMEEN: “SCALES”
Shahad Ameen returns to DIFF this year, having premiered her short film “Eye & Mermaid” at the festival in 2013. The Saudi director has previously been nominated for Best Short Film at the Stockholm Film Festival but will be looking to go one better at DIFF 2015 with “Scales”, a fantasy feature that follows the story of Hayat, a pre-adolescent teen faced with fulfilling her destiny as a hunted, yet free, mermaid. Designed to capture audiences’ imaginations, the feature sees two worlds collide and sets out to explore the contradictions between belonging and freedom, and traditions and revolution, in an attempt to find reconciliation.
LAYLA KAYLIF: “THE LETTER WRITER”
Aspiring Emirati director Layla Kaylif is the founder of the Dubai-based film production company Canopus Films, and the two have joined forces to develop the director’s latest feature, “The Letter Writer”. The film is a romantic drama which tells a story of deception and lies as a young boy, Khalifa, uses his skills as a professional letter writer for personal gain at the expense of his trusting customers. One such customer is Mr Mohamed, the owner of a drapery shop, whom Khalifa befriends and assists in corresponding with his secret love, Elli. However, when Khalifa catches a glimpse of Elli for the first time, he is instantly smitten and begins a secret and forbidden pursuit of Elli’s affections behind Mr Mohamed’s back.
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Human Rights Documentary “The Man Who Mends Women” Opens ADIFF 2015 | TRAILER
Human Rights documentary The Man Who Mends Women will have its US Premiere on November 27 at the Opening Night of the 23rd Annual African Diaspora International Film Festival.
Presented by US distributor ArtMattan Films, THE MAN WHO MENDS WOMEN is the portrait of the impressive life and work of internationally renowned gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received the 2014 prestigious Sacharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, for his struggle against sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege medically assisted over 40,000 sexually abused women in sixteen years of professional practice.
Sexual violence against women has been used as a weapon of war for years in the violence-ridden and poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to provide medical, psychological and emotional aid to the victims, Dr. Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu in 1999. Besides his work as a physician Dr. Mukwege also defends human rights and seeks to raise global awareness on the issue of sexual violence in his country. He condemns the political reluctance to tackle the problem and is not afraid to hit the nail on the head.
His work is not without danger, as Dr. Mukwege experienced in 2012, when armed men entered his home and started shooting. Dr. Mukwege and his family survived the attack, but his guard was killed. The doctor now lives cloistered in his hospital in Bukavu under the protection of the United Nation peacekeepers. The women, whose physical and emotional integrity and dignity have been restored, stand beside him, true activists for peace, and hungry for justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU62X6iV1ZI
The 23rd African Diaspora Film Festival is to be held in Manhattan, New York City from November 27 to December 13 at MIST Harlem, Bow Tie Chelsea Cinemas and Teachers College, Columbia University with the presentation of more than 50 films, including 26 US and NY Premieres.
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Kelly Ripa Produced “American Cheerleader” Documentary In U.S. Theaters Nov. 5 & 8
The documentary, “American Cheerleader,” will screen in more than 400 movie theaters across the U.S. on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12:55 p.m.
“American Cheerleader” screened at several national film festivals last year, including the Louisville Film Festival where it won the Audience Favorite Award. The film offers unprecedented access and follows the journey of two high school cheerleading teams vying for the National High School Cheerleading Championship title. After months of hard work and preparation, cheerleaders from Southwestern High School in Somerset, Kentucky, and Burlington Township High School in Burlington, New Jersey, advance through regionals and earn a place in the Championship Finals to compete for the coveted white jacket – the prestigious symbol of tireless dedication in high school competitive cheerleading.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvZIyfyf7qg
“American Cheerleader” is directed by filmmakers James Pellerito and David Barba of Retribution Media, and produced by Milojo Productions, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos’ production company. The film is being released by Varsity Spirit, in partnership with Fathom Events.
Now in its 35th year, the National High School Cheerleading Championship is a two-day event held at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Orlando. The event hosts more than 600 teams from 38 states that are judged on crowd-leading abilities, stunting and tumbling skills, and overall performance. The competition also hosts more than 50,000 spectators each year and is televised worldwide on ESPN and ESPN2 to more than 100 million homes in 32 countries.
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CAGED NO MORE Starring Loretta Devine, Kevin Sorbo, Wins Best Feature At La Femme Film Festival
CAGED NO MORE took top honors at the La Femme Film Festival in Los Angeles winning the award for “Best Feature” out of 100 other entries. The La Femme Film Festival exists to promote the work of female producers, writers and directors.
“This was an amazing put together film that not only entertains but educates the audience on an issue that is very time-sensitive. Creative, pertinent, and well done!” said Leslie LaPage, founder and director of the La Femme Film Festival.
“We’ve achieved making a film that is not only thrilling and compelling, but calls audiences to be champions in the fight against human trafficking,” said Lisa Arnold, director, co-writer and producer of CAGED NO MORE. “We are grateful for the support of amazing film festivals like La Femme who recognize that movies can reach beyond the screen and inspire greatness!”
CAGED NO MORE is a drama meant to engage and educate audiences on the realities of human trafficking. The film releases January 15, 2016 nationwide. The film was also the top award winner at the Kingdomwood film festival in October 2015.
The award-winning film CAGED NO MORE is based on Molly Venzke’s novel by the same title, which was adapted for screen by co-producer Lisa Arnold and Venzke. Starring Emmy award-winner Loretta Devine (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Kevin Sorbo (GOD’S NOT DEAD, “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys”), Alan Powell (THE SONG), Christian singer-songwriter Anthony Evans, and Cassidy Gifford (GOD’S NOT DEAD), the film features appearances by Gov. Bobby Jindal, pastor Chad Veach, Grammy Award-nominated Christian recording artist Natalie Grant, Gretchen Carlson and Kathie Lee Gifford.
Inspired by real events, CAGED NO MORE is the story of Aggie Prejean (Devine), a grandmother on a desperate search to find her two granddaughters, Skye (Gifford) and Elle, who have been kidnapped by their sinister father (Sorbo). As the details behind the girls’ disappearance begin to unravel, it’s discovered that they have been taken overseas to be sold into the sex trade. Aggie enlists the help of the girls’ uncle, a well-respected local philanthropist, Richard DuLonde (also played by Sorbo), and his son, Wil (Powell), who is former Special Forces. A global hunt ensues, and the team will stop at nothing to see the girls safely returned home.
CAGED NO MORE is produced by Check the Gate Productions’ Lisa Arnold (GOD’S NOT DEAD) and Red Entertainment Group’s Jarred Coates (GOD’S NOT DEAD) in association with GND Media Group and Film Incito. CAGED NO MORE was filmed on location in Baton Rouge, La., and Athens, Greece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRo_pHxuLhE
The winners of the 2015 La Femme Film Festival.
Best Feature Writer
“Come Simi”
Jenica Bergere & Doc Pedrolie
2015
Best Documentary
“Love Between The Covers”
Laurie Kahn
2015
Best Screenplay
“Delivery Girl”
Jude Roth
2015
Best Music Video
“Monster”
Kate Freund
2015
Best Short
“Bound”
Lexi St. John
2015
Best Feature Director
“Reign”
Corey Misquita
2015
Best Feature Producer
“The Morning After”
Shanra J. Kehl
2015
Best Feature
“Caged No More”
Lisa Arnold
2015
Best Foreign Film
“Interruption”
Malou Reymann
2015
Best Animated Short
“Misiek and Eve From Outer Space”
Marianna Mankowska
2015
Best Foreign Documentary
“Out Of A Jam”
Shalini Harshwal
2015
Best Special Focused Documentary
“Angel Azul”
Marcelina Cravat
2015
Best Webisode
“Manic Pixie Dream Wife”
M. Elizabeth Eller
2015
Best TV Pilot Script
“Vigilante Theorem”
Meghan Fitzmartin
2015
Best Commercial
“ 7UP: Feels Good To Be You “
Alle Hsu
2015
Best Student Short
“ Leaves In Fall “
Laura Torenbeek
2015
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Wildlife Documentary HUNTWATCH to World Premiere at 2015 DOC NYC | TRAILER
Actor Ryan Reynolds has lent his voice to the wildlife documentary Huntwatch, that follows the 50 year battle for baby seals on the ice floes of Canada, and making its world premiere at 2015 DOC NYC.
The sound of newborn seals on pristine white ice is shattered by helicopter blades thumping overhead, gunshots, cameras snapping and the smell of boat diesel. The stakes are high for both the hunters and the watchers – get the shot and get out. One leaves with fur pelts, the other evocative images. This is Huntwatch.
“The Canadian seal hunt is a very intense and complicated issue,” said Huntwatch director Brant Backlund. “From the get-go, my goal was to tell an honest story bringing both sides of this conflict to life. We were really excited to have Ryan Reynolds on board because as a Canadian he brings an authentic voice to the film.”
Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Mississippi Grind) calls Huntwatch “incredible, thoughtful and moving” in a behind the scenes video scheduled to be released soon.
The movie is a window into the ongoing saga that unfolds each year. Using the power of cinematography, Huntwatch exposes the cruelty of the ongoing hunt while bringing the audience close to the seals in their natural environment.
https://vimeo.com/136225719
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2015 Bahamas International Film Festival Reveals Lineup; Incl. THE SLEEPING TREE, SPEED SISTERS
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 12th anniversary and taking place December 1 to 12, revealed the lineup of films screening in the festival’s competition and sidebar sections.
This year, the Festival will showcase more than 130 films from 40 different countries including nine international premieres, 28 Caribbean premieres, and all are Bahamian premieres.
The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Visions; and Short Film. Additional categories out of competition are World Cinema Narrative and World Cinema Documentary; Caribbean Spotlight Narrative and Caribbean Spotlight Documentary; Comedy; and non-Jury Short Films.
There will be special screenings throughout the Festival of Brian Klugman’s “Baby Baby Baby”, Ben Bowman’s “Knucklehead”, Daryl Wein’s “Consumed”, Julien Leclercq’s “The Crew”, Samuel Benchetrit’s “Asphalte” (Macadam Stories)” and Jean Michel Costeau’s “The Secret Ocean”.
The official BIFF feature lineup is comprised of the following films:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
EADWEARD (Canada) / Director: Kyle Rideout
SHOWING ROOTS (USA) / Director: Michael Wilson
SIN AND ILLY (Germany) / Director: Maria Hengge
THE SLEEPING TREE (Bahrain) / Director: Mohammed Rashed BuAli (pictured above)
unINDIAN (Australia) Director: Anupam SHarma
WILDLIKE (USA) / Director: Frank Hall Green
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOCUMENTARY)
ALL EYES ALL EARS (China, USA) / Director: Vanessa Hope
GAZELLE – THE LOVE ISSUE (Brazil) / Director: Cesar Terranova
I AM THALENTE (South Africa) / Director: Natalie Johns
INDIA’S DAUGHTER (India) Director: Leslee Udwin
MY LIFE IN CHINA (USA) Director: Kenneth Eng
QUEEN MIMI (USA) Director: Yaniv Rokah
SPEED SISTERS (Iran) Director: Amber Fares
MADINA’S DREAM (Sudan) Director: Andrew Berends
CROCODILE GENNADIY (Ukraine) Director: Steve Hoover
NEW VISIONS (Sponsored by JetBlue Airways)
A BEAUTIFUL NOW (USA) / Director: Daniela Amavia
AFTER THE WEDDING (USA) / Director: Claudia Cifuentes
BAD MOON RISING (Japan) / Director: Hiritaka Asano
EMPIRICA (USA) / Director: Patrick Shanahan
GOLDEN KINGDOM ( Myanmar ) / Director: Brian Perkins
JACKRABBIT (USA) / Director: Carleton Ranney
JOHNNY WALKER (USA) / Director: Kris De Meester
THE PREPPIE CONNECTION (USA) / Director: Joseph Castelo
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE (USA) / Director: Lanre Olabisi
THE AMBASSADOR TO BERN (Hungary) / Director” Attila Szasz
THE CENTER (USA) / Director” Charlie Graik
SINGAPORE SLING (Brazil,USA) / Director: Marcus Sigrist
LA EXTRANA (Dominican Republic) / Director: César Rodríguez
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE (Sponsored by CornèrTrader)
ANTI SOCIAL (UK) / Director: Reg Traviss
OMBRE (Bulgaria) / Director: Zachary Iliev Paunov
JASMINE (Hong Kong, USA), / Director: Dax Phelan
MEET PURSUIT DELANGE (UK) / Director: Howard Webster
NORTH VS. SOUTH (UK) / Director: Steven Nesbit
REMITTANCE (Singapore, USA) / Director: Joel Fendelman
WEEPAH WAY FOR NOW SOUND (USA) / Director: Stephen Ringer
WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE THE OCEAN (USA) / Director: Kevin Baggott
LET’S DANCE TO THE RHYTHM (India) / Director: Bardroy Barretto
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY (Sponsored by CornèrTrader)
GORED (USA, Spain) / Director: Ido Mizrahy
HYDRO (USA) / Directors: Rafa G. Sánchez, Xavi Tello
NEW CAMBODIAN (Cambodia) / Director: Isabella Astengo
WHEN VOICES MEET (South Africa) / Director: Nancy Sutton Smith
EVERY CHILD COUNTS (Canada) / Director: Wendy Loten
CARIBBEAN SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE
BATTLE DREAMS CHRONICLES (Martinique) / Director: Alain Bidard
BAZODEE (Trinidad & Tobago) / Director: Todd Kessler
STONE SHACKS (Bahamas) / Director: Tyrone Burrows
TRAFFICKED (Trinidad & Tobago) / Director: Sean Hodgkinson
CARIBBEAN SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY
CONGO BEATS THE DRUM (Israel, Jamaica) / Director: Ariel Tagar
DREADLOCKS STORY (Jamaica) / Director: Linda Aïnouche
EXUMA (Bahamas) / Director: Colin Ruggiero
VANISHING SAIL (The Grenadines) / Director: Alexis Andrews
COMEDY
ART ACHE (USA) / Director: Berty Cadilhac
DEPENDENT’S DAY (USA) / Director: Michael David Lynch
DRIVING WHILE BLACK (USA) / Director: Paul Sapiano
IT HAD TO BE YOU (USA) / Director: Sasha Gordon
THE FUNERAL GUEST (USA) / Director: Matthew Kohnen
THE RIGHT JUICE (UK, Portugal) / Director: Kristjan Knigge
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Kim Beamish “Tentmakers of Cairo” and Iiris Harma “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” Win 2015 Margaret Meade Filmmaker Award
For the first time in the festival’s history, two filmmakers Kim Beamish for “Tentmakers of Cairo” and Iiris Harma for “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” are winners of the 2015 Margaret Meade Filmmaker Award. The award honors documentary filmmakers who have made films that present a new perspective on a foreign nation or culture.
A documentary filmed over three years, “Tentmakers of Cairo” tells the story of Egypt’s struggle with democracy through the lives of a community of artisans whose craft has remained largely unchanged since Pharaonic times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ve_L_0JYHvE
In “Leaving Africa: A Story of Friendship and Empowerment” Riitta from Finland and Kata from Uganda, aged 66 and 63 respectively, run sexual health and gender equality education in Uganda. The pair find themselves in a difficult situation however, when an anonymous letter, addressed to the Ugandan parliament, accuses them of organizing workshops that are promoting and recruiting children to homosexuality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2aqqXcZkBk
The festival also presented a Special Mention Award to Aldona Watts for her film “Land of Songs.” In a region of Lithuania known as the “Land of Songs,” five charming grandmothers are the bearers of their village’s ancient folk singing tradition. Singing has nourished their lifelong friendships, and helped them to cope with decades of war and occupation. As the village’s youth move away, the grandmothers struggle to keep their songs alive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqFzzfYJDMc
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Documentary IRAQI ODYSSEY, Switzerland’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Language Film, Sets Fall Release Date | TRAILER
The documentary Iraqi Odyssey, Switzerland’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film will be released in New York and Los Angeles on November 27 before expanding nationwide in 2016. Typecast Films will release the English-language version of the film in US theaters, but the version that has qualified as the Swiss Oscar entry is in German.
While there are no precise statistics, it is estimated that four to five million Iraqis live outside Iraq today. Award-winning filmmaker Samir was born in Baghdad and has lived in Switzerland since he was child, while the members of his extended family are scattered all over the world — Abu Dhabi, Auckland, Sydney, Los Angeles, Buffalo, London, Paris, Zurich, and Moscow — with only a handful remaining in Iraq. Recounting his family’s stories of departures and uprootings, in Iraqi Odyssey Samir also chronicles how Iraqis’ dreams of building a modern and just society after their nation achieved independence in the 1950s were brutally dashed over the course of half a century.
Loosely organized in three acts, the film begins with Samir’s grandfather and his role in the struggle against British colonialism. The second act traces the successive waves of emigration as his relatives sought safe havens around the globe to escape from the series of coups and counter-coups in the 1960s and 1970s that resulted in the establishment of Saddam Hussein’s three-decade dictatorship over the country. Saddam’s deposition by the 2003 US invasion, and the iconic image of his statue being toppled in Firdos Square, signals the film’s final act, and the last tale of departure.
Weaving together the ironic, wistful, and witty testimonies of Samir’s relatives with rare documents from private and state archives, Ottoman film footage and 3D technology, Iraqi Odyssey is a riveting epic that creates a genuine people’s history of Iraq, at once humble and majestic.
Shedding a new light on a grossly misrepresented country, Iraqi Odyssey is the veteran director’s most personal, ambitious, and accomplished feature to date.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY
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VIVA, Ireland’s Oscar Entry for Best Foreign Film, to Get 2016 Release
Viva, directed by Irish filmmaker Paddy Breathnach, and Ireland’s Oscar entry for Best Foreign Film, will be released in theaters in 2016 via Magnolia Pictures.
The film, which received a positive response when it premiered at the 2015 Telluride Film Festival in September, stars Hector Medina, Luis Alberto Garcia and Jorge Perugorria.
“Viva stars Héctor Medina as Jesus, a young hairdresser working at a Havana nightclub that showcases drag performers, who dreams of being a performer himself. Encouraged by his mentor, Mama (Luis Alberto García), Jesus finally gets his chance to take the stage. But when his estranged father Angel (Jorge Perugorría) abruptly reenters his life, his world is quickly turned upside down. As father and son clash over their opposing expectations of each other, ‘Viva’ becomes a love story as the men struggle to understand one another and reconcile as a family.”