SNAPSHOTS[/caption]
The SOHO International Film Festival #SOHO9 returns to NYC today Thursday, June 14th through Thursday, June 21st at Village East Cinemas (189 2nd Avenue on 12th Street).
Some of the highlights at this year’s SIFFNYC include the NY Premiere of “Snapshots” from director Melanie Mayron, an LGBTQ Drama about a grandmother’s secret past colliding with her granddaughter’s secret future and her daughter’s angry present, starring Piper Laurie (“Carrie”) and Brooke Adams (“Monk”); “Diminuendo” from Director Adrian Stewart starring Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) about filmmaker Haskell Edwards, who becomes obsessed with the lifelike robot created to mimic his actress girlfriend who committed suicide while directing her biopic; Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from award-winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker Keely Brosnan (“Entertainment Tonight”) & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered SEED corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines; “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”) in which Clifton Collins Jr. (“Star Trek”) plays John, an ordinary American guy who receives word that his estranged mother has passed away in her home country of Cuba and discovers that she was mixed up with a motley crew of criminals, and Documentary “Oh, Rick!” about award-winning actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, composer and teacher Rick Crom. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, what better way to celebrate than taking Dad to the movies?! The festival will be screening Short Films all day long with the NY Filmmaker Series, Broome Street Series, and Spring Street Series and so much more throughout the week!
Films showing include the dramatic thriller “Block Island” (U.S. Premiere) from Director Tony Glazer staring Jeff Kober (“The Walking Dead”) and Matty Cardarople (“Stranger Things”) about a group of college kids who miss the ferry to their graduation party on Block Island, then fall prey to a local fishing boat captain and his sadistic first mate; “The Visit” from Writer/Director Romina Schwedler staring Academy Award Nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”); “Artemis & The Astronaut” from Writer/Director Alice L. Lee staring Lynn Cohen (“The Hunger Games”) ; “Sam Did It” Written/Directed by and Starring Dominic Burgess as Sam, who loves his job working in a morgue almost as much as he loves his celebrity idol – Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man”) and the Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from filmmaker Keely Brosnan & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) which follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines.
The foreign films category includes actors Tomasz Kot (“Teatr Telewizji”) and Lech Mackiewicz (“Na Dobre i Na Złe”) in “Bikini Blue”, Northeast Premiere from Poland from Writer/Director Jarek Marszewski; “Just A Fling”, a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from France starring Fanny Valette (“Spiral”) and Amaury de Crayencour (“Le Bureau des Légends”) from Writer/Director Gorune Aprikian; “Never Saw It Coming” a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from Canada from Director Gail Harvey starring Katie Boland (“Reign”), Emily Hampshire (“Mother!”), and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”), and “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”).Diminuendo
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SOHO International Film Festival Opens Today in NYC, See Full 2018 Schedule
[caption id="attachment_30164" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] SNAPSHOTS[/caption]
The SOHO International Film Festival #SOHO9 returns to NYC today Thursday, June 14th through Thursday, June 21st at Village East Cinemas (189 2nd Avenue on 12th Street).
Some of the highlights at this year’s SIFFNYC include the NY Premiere of “Snapshots” from director Melanie Mayron, an LGBTQ Drama about a grandmother’s secret past colliding with her granddaughter’s secret future and her daughter’s angry present, starring Piper Laurie (“Carrie”) and Brooke Adams (“Monk”); “Diminuendo” from Director Adrian Stewart starring Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) about filmmaker Haskell Edwards, who becomes obsessed with the lifelike robot created to mimic his actress girlfriend who committed suicide while directing her biopic; Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from award-winning broadcast journalist turned documentary filmmaker Keely Brosnan (“Entertainment Tonight”) & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered SEED corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines; “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”) in which Clifton Collins Jr. (“Star Trek”) plays John, an ordinary American guy who receives word that his estranged mother has passed away in her home country of Cuba and discovers that she was mixed up with a motley crew of criminals, and Documentary “Oh, Rick!” about award-winning actor, singer, comedian, lyricist, composer and teacher Rick Crom. On Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17th, what better way to celebrate than taking Dad to the movies?! The festival will be screening Short Films all day long with the NY Filmmaker Series, Broome Street Series, and Spring Street Series and so much more throughout the week!
Films showing include the dramatic thriller “Block Island” (U.S. Premiere) from Director Tony Glazer staring Jeff Kober (“The Walking Dead”) and Matty Cardarople (“Stranger Things”) about a group of college kids who miss the ferry to their graduation party on Block Island, then fall prey to a local fishing boat captain and his sadistic first mate; “The Visit” from Writer/Director Romina Schwedler staring Academy Award Nominee June Squibb (“Nebraska”); “Artemis & The Astronaut” from Writer/Director Alice L. Lee staring Lynn Cohen (“The Hunger Games”) ; “Sam Did It” Written/Directed by and Starring Dominic Burgess as Sam, who loves his job working in a morgue almost as much as he loves his celebrity idol – Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man”) and the Documentary “Poisoning Paradise” from filmmaker Keely Brosnan & Executive Produced by Pierce Brosnan (“James Bond”) which follows the seemingly idyllic world of Native Hawaiians, whose communities are surrounded by experimental test sites for genetically engineered seed corn and pesticides sprayed upwind of their homes, schools, hospitals, and shorelines.
The foreign films category includes actors Tomasz Kot (“Teatr Telewizji”) and Lech Mackiewicz (“Na Dobre i Na Złe”) in “Bikini Blue”, Northeast Premiere from Poland from Writer/Director Jarek Marszewski; “Just A Fling”, a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from France starring Fanny Valette (“Spiral”) and Amaury de Crayencour (“Le Bureau des Légends”) from Writer/Director Gorune Aprikian; “Never Saw It Coming” a World Feature and U.S. Premiere from Canada from Director Gail Harvey starring Katie Boland (“Reign”), Emily Hampshire (“Mother!”), and Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”), and “Cabeza Madre (Mothers Head)”, a World Feature and Northeast Premiere from France & Cuba Directed by Edouard Salier and starring Clifton Collins Jr. (“Westworld”).
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2018 Sarasota Film Festival Announces Lineup, ‘1985’ EIGHTH GRADE’ ‘THE RIDER’ and More…
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EIGHTH GRADE[/caption]
The 2018 Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) announced its full line-up, including its Centerpiece, Spotlight, Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative, Documentary, and Short Films. The Festival also announced its five SFF Focus Panels – Sports in Cinema, Environment, Science, and Sustainability, Women’s Comedic Voices, Redefining Manhood, and Musings on Musicians.
“In honor of our 20th anniversary, we have programmed a lineup that celebrates the past, present, and future of the Sarasota Film Festival that is sure to delight our dedicated and passionate audiences,” said Mark Famiglio, Chairman and President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “The selection includes a diverse group of narratives and voices that will create engaging conversations about today’s most important topics.”
In the Festival’s Centerpiece section is 1985, about a closeted gay man, unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, staring Academy Award®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, who will be attendance at the Festival. Also a Centerpiece selection is Bo Burnham’s feature film directorial debut, EIGHTH GRADE, a portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality. Bo will be in attendance for a Q&A following the film’s screening during the Festival.
The Spotlight section will include narrative films Brett Haley’s HEARTS BEAT LOUD, Silas Howard’s A KID LIKE JAKE, Andrew Haigh’s LEAN ON PETE, Hannah Fidell’s THE LONG DUMB ROAD, Dominic Cooke’s ON CHESIL BEACH, Chloé Zhao’s THE RIDER, and Madeline Olnek’s WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, and documentary films Eugene Jarecki’s THE KING, Ali Weinstein’s MERMAIDS, Barbara Kopple’s A MURDER IN MANSFIELD, and Morgan Neville’s WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
Each year the Sarasota Film Festival focuses on social issues to highlight throughout its program. The Sports in Cinema Focus returns this year, welcoming Ben and Orson Cummings and their film KILLER BEES, produced by Shaquille O’Neill. Other films in this focus include the Closing Day Film, Jason Kohn’s LOVE MEANS ZERO and Dana Adam Shapiro’s DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS.
In consideration of sustainability of communities and the planet, films in the SFF Environment, Science, and Sustainability Focus include Susan Kucera’s LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST, Chad Freidrichs’ EXPERIMENTAL CITY, Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, and Rory Kennedy’s ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW.
In a groundbreaking year for women, the festival presents SFF Focus: Women’s Comedic Voices, a lineup featuring all female directors. Films in the category include Wendy McColm’s BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS, Bridey Elliott’s CLARA’S GHOST, Caroline Golum’s A FEAST OF MAN as well as LONG DUMB ROAD and WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY.
The films in the SFF Focus: Redefining Manhood, provide a glimpse at the questions regarding masculine identities, include Bing Liu’s MINDING THE GAP, as well as 1985, THE RIDER, and WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
The final SFF Focus: Musings on Musicians, presents an array of films exploring the relationships between music and film. Films in the category include Laura Parnes’ TOUR WITHOUT END, T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch’s A TUBA TO CUBA, Derek Ahonen’s THE TRANSCENDENTS, Sophie Fiennes’ GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, Jake Meginsky and Neil Young’s MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS, Scott Smith’s CHASING THE BLUES, Stephen Loveridge’s MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A, as well as THE KING and HEARTS BEAT LOUD.
The Narrative Feature Competition will showcase DON’T LEAVE HOME directed by Michael Tully, I AM NOT A WITCH, directed by Rungano Nyoni, MADELINE’S MADELINE, directed by Josephine Decker, THE QUEEN OF FEAR directed by Valeria Bertuccelli and Fabiana Tiscornia, THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN directed by Kamila Andini, SUPPORT THE GIRLS directed by Andrew Bujalski as well as CLARA’S GHOST.
The Documentary Feature Competition will include GENERATION WEALTH directed by Lauren Greenfield, GENESIS 2.0 directed by Christian Frei and Maxim Arbugaev, HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING directed by RaMell Ross, OF FATHERS AND SONS directed by Talal Derki, THE SENTENCE directed by Rudy Valdez, as well as DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS and MINDING THE GAP.
The Independent Visions Competition will feature BLACK MOTHER directed by Khalik Allah, LIFE AND NOTHING MORE directed by Antonio Méndez Esparza, MAISON DU BONHEUR directed by Sofia Bohdanowicz, NOTES ON APPEARANCE directed by Ricky D’Ambrose, as well as BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS, A FEAST OF MAN, MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS, and TOUR WITHOUT END.
The jury for the competition films will consist of the following individuals: producer Autumn Bailey-Ford, Emmy®-nominated writer and producer Mark Bailey, documentary filmmaker Orson Cummings, New York Magazine film critic David Edelstein, Factory 25 film distributor Matt Grady, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Director – New York Programs and Membership Patrick Harrison, film professor Del Jacobs, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Penny Lane, actress Penelope Ann Miller, The Hollywood Reporter film writer Tatiana Siegel, founder and publisher of Women and Hollywood Melissa Silverstein, and Sarasota County Circuit court judge and filmmaker Charles Williams.
Narrative films include: ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA directed by Ian Lagarde, AMERICAN ANIMALS directed by Bart Layton, AUGUST IN BERLIN directed by Becky Smith, BIKINI MOON directed by Milcho Manchevski, BLACK KITE directed by Tarique Qayumi, CAN HITLER HAPPEN HERE? directed by Saskia Rifkin, COLD SKIN directed by Xavier Gens, COME SUNDAY directed by Joshua Marston, DELENDA directed by Ralph Moffettone, DIMINUENDO directed by Adrian Stewart, EN EL SÉPTIMO DÍA directed by Jim McKay, FIRST REFORMED directed by Paul Schrader, A FRENCHMAN IN FLORIDA directed by Dante Rhev, HOLIDAY directed by Isabella Eklof, LET THE SUNSHINE IN directed by Claire Denis, MAKTUB directed by Oded Raz, SANTA INOCENCIA directed by Maritxell Campos Olivé, SHELTER directed by Eran Riklis, TATTERDEMALION directed by Ramaa Mosley, TINKER directed by Sonny Mahrler, VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA directed by Daniel Stine, VIRUS TROPICAL directed by Santiago Caicedo, WE THE ANIMALS directed by Jeremiah Zagar, WHITE RABBIT directed by Daryl Wein, ZAMA directed by Lucrecia Martel, as well as CHASING THE BLUES and THE TRANSCENDENTS.
Documentary films include: 306 HOLLYWOOD directed by Elan Bogarin and Jonathan Bogarin, ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970: SEX FASHION & DISCO directed by James Crump, ASK THE SEXPERT directed by Vaishali Sinha, BISBEE ’17 directed by Robert Greene, CHEF FLYNN directed by Cameron Yates, CRACKING ACES: A WOMAN’S PLACE AT THE TABLE directed by H. James Gilmore, CRIME + PUNISHMENT directed by Stephen Maing, DISTANT CONSTELLATION directed by Shevaun Mizrahi, FATHER’S KINGDOM directed by Lenny Feinberg, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF directed by Rupert Russell, THE GREAT FLIP-OFF directed by Dafna Yachin, HALF THE PICTURE directed by Amy Adrion, LA FLOR DE LA VIDA directed by Adriana Leoff and Claudia Abend, LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE directed by Gustavo Salmerón, MAYNARD directed by Sam Pollard, OLD DOG directed by Sally Rowe, ON HER SHOULDERS directed by Alexandria Bombach, THE PAIN OF OTHERS directed by Penny Lane, RBG directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, SISTERS directed by Justyna Tafel, THAT SUMMER directed by Göran Hugo Olsson, THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS directed by Tim Wardle as well as THE EXPERIMENTAL CITY, GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, KILLER BEES, LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST, MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A., RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, and A TUBA TO CUBA.
As previously announced Golden Globe®-nominated and Independent Spirit Award®-nominated Eric Stoltz’s coming-of-age comedy CLASS RANK will be the Festival’s Opening Night film and Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy®-winning Rory Kennedy’s ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW will serve as Closing Night film. The Festival will also be honoring renowned actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen with Career Achievement Awards during the closing weekend.
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2018 Richmond International Film & Music Festival Unveils Lineup of Over 150 Films + Music + Panels
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ABOVE THE DROWNING SEA,[/caption]
The 2018 Richmond International Film & Music Festival brings a seven-day fest of more than 150 cutting edge award-winning films, plus up to 50 bands, panels, and daily events at various venues across Richmond, Virginia.
The seventh edition of the festival kicks off Monday, April 23rd with the Opening Night film, NONA. and concludes Sunday, April 29th with the annual Red Carpet Awards where prizes selected by the Grand Jury and audience will be awarded in various categories for all film, music, and writing categories.
NONA is a compelling narrative feature film written and directed by Michael Polish, which stars Kate Bosworth (also the Producer/Executive Producer), Sulem Calderon, and Jesy McKinney. NONA follows the harrowing path of a young Honduran girl from her home in San Pedro Sula, across four countries, into a living hell of servitude in a world of modern day sex slavery. Kate Bosworth and Michael Polish will be in attendance, and Bosworth will receive this year’s esteemed Founder’s Award for her work as a producer on the film. The Founder’s Award is given to the film and filmmaker that captures the heart and spirit of the festival – stories that reveal truths that are often untold or overlooked, and to those artists on the frontlines of creating necessary yet artful dialogue in their work.
Also in the spotlight are BUCKOUT ROAD, a horror thriller directed by Matthew Currie Holmes starring Danny Glover, Henry Czerny, Evan Ross, and Dominque Provost-Chalkey. The feature is a story of how a college class project on the creation and destruction of modern myth turns terrifying when a trio of young people come to realize the many evil urban legends surrounding New York State’s famed Buckout Road may, in fact be real.
ABOVE THE DROWNING SEA, a documentary feature about the dramatic escape of tens of thousands of Jewish refugees’ escape to Shanghai featuring Julianna Margulies, Tony Goldwyn, and Nick Mancuso. The film is directed by Rene Balcer who is also writer, executive producer, and co-creator of Law & Order. Balcer will present the film alongside co-executive producer Carolyn Balcer with an extensive Q&A discussion to follow.
DOUBLE TAKE directed by Jay Gard and a short crime mystery in the vein of HEAT, MEMENTO, and TRUE DETECTIVE. With a swiss-clock style plot, DOUBLE TAKE threads together two diamond heists with multiple twists and an intense interrogation between old enemies. The film stars Adrian Pasdar and David James Elliott.
THE BLACK GHIANDOLA, a narrative short starring J.K. Simmons, Johnny Depp, David Lynch, and Laura Dern. The film is produced by Tamika Lamison and the Make a Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants children suffering with cancer their final wish to make a film. The film and foundation will receive a special honor at the 2018 festival.
DADDY, a documentary short that tells the story of youth basketball coach and drug trafficker, Curtis Malone. In 1993 Curtis founded the DC Assault, an AAU basketball team whose mission was to keep inner city boys off the streets by helping them earn college scholarships, and it included a hundred Division I student athletes and several NBA players. But on August 9th 2013, Curtis’ double life caught up with him. In addition to Curtis, the film includes interviews with the NBA players he raised, the DEA agents who investigated him, and the U.S. Attorney who prosecuted him.
DIMINUENDO, a sci-fi romance starring James Deen, Richard Hatch, Chloe Dykstra, Leah Cairns, Walter Koenig, Bryn Pryor, and more. When asked to direct the biopic of Cello Shea about his actress girlfriend who killed herself a decade ago, the has-been filmmaker Haskell Edwards becomes obsessed with the lifelike robot created to mimic her.
Also in the lineup is PERFECT BID: THE CONTESTANT WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, a feature documentary starring Ted Slauson, Bob Barker, Kevin Pollak, Drew Carey, and Holly Hallstrom. The film details Ted Slauson, a math teacher from Texas who spent the majority of his life memorizing the prize amounts on The Price Is Right. The documentary explores how Ted went from bidding to banned, and was involved in a Perfect Bid scandal that was covered in Esquire, Time Magazine & others. This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Ted’s most famous appearance on the show.
AYLA THE DAUGHTER OF WAR, this Turkish feature film set in 1950, is a story about the ravages of the Korean War as Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight. Frantic, scared and on the verge of death, this little girl captures the heart of Süleyman, who risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his Army base and out of harms way. Ayla, almost effortlessly, brings an uncanny joy to the Turkish brigade in the grip of war.
THE RIBBON ON THE KITE, a narrative short by filmmaker Gianlorenzo Albertini that features a compelling look at PTSD through the eyes of Daerik, an army veteran who returns to his hometown after being discharged from the military. Now homeless and suffering from severe PTSD, he tries to drown out the painful memories of a mission in Afghanistan where his men were killed. In the meantime, Rebecca, a very young girl, attempts to find her brother who suddenly disappears after the war later finding that the homeless man living on the river bank nearby is her lost brother.
Music Performances
Bands to receive early acceptances to perform at the 2018 festival range from every major music genre and include: Marcaux (Brooklyn, NY), Sparky Quano (Japan), Giant Squids (Washington, D.C.), Zaxai (Brooklyn, NY), Ezra Vancil (Dallas, TX), Mariana Bell (Charlottesville, VA), The Fury MCs (Woodbridge, VA), Gabriel Mayers (Brooklyn, NY), The Jacks (Newport Beach, CA), Friendly Mosquito (Tbilisi), Justin Gambino (Angleton, TX), Tahj Ace (Brooklyn, NY), Lucille Fris (Chicago, IL), Kendra Black (New York, NY). More acts and the full programming schedule to be announced mid-March. Music showcases take place nightly at various venues across Richmond.Additional Festival Honors
In 2018, RIFF celebrates the theme, “RISE.” In conjunction with the theme, the festival will honor some of the film and music industry’s rising female and African American talent through special spotlights and tributes during festival week.