Sundance Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s joint Science-In-Film Initiative awarded Love Me, from filmmaker duo Sam and Andy Zuchero, with this year’s juried Feature Film Prize at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo de La Serpiente) (2015)
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‘Love Me’ Starring Kristen Stewart, Steven Yeun Wins Science-In-Film Prize + 3 Filmmakers Awarded Sloan Grants at Sundance
Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun in Love Me by Sam Zuchero and Andy Zuchero. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. Photo by Justine Yeung.
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TONI ERDMANN, ELLE, MOONLIGHT Win International Cinephile Society Awards
Toni Erdmann directed by Maren Ade Maren Ade’s dark comedy, Toni Erdmann was the big winner at the 14th International Cinephile Society Awards (ICS), taking top honors for Best picture, director, non-English language film and original screenplay.
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Louisiana International Film Festival Announces Official 2016 Lineup
[caption id="attachment_9382" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
BORN TO BE BLUE[/caption]
The 2016 Louisiana International Film Festival (LIFF) announce its lineup of feature films, including Ethan Hawke as troubled jazz legend Chet Baker in BORN TO BE BLUE.
The 2016 Louisiana International Film Festival slate of international and USA-made films includes the world premiere of earthquake relief documentary SEVEN DAYS IN NEPAL from executive producer D.A. Pennebaker (the legendary filmmaker of Don’t Look Back, Monterrey Pop and The War Room fame), Ethan Hawke as troubled jazz legend Chet Baker in BORN TO BE BLUE, and THE WRONG LIGHT about a filmmakers’ journey to document a non-profit in Thailand dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking among others.
In addition, this year’s festival boasts a brand new category: Southern Perspectives.
Southern Perspectives is a regionally-focused slate that will include nearly a dozen movies telling a wide range a narratives from the American South—from the erosion of small town culture with BOGALUSA CHARM, to AFTER THE SPILL, a documentary exposing the details of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
LIFF 2016 also is proud to showcase an impressive Women and Film category that includes 17 titles about women or directed by women, including Anne Fonteyne’s post-war Warsaw doctor drama THE INNOCENTS and Barbara Kopple’s MISS SHARON JONES!—the rousing music documentary following soul singer Sharon Jones’ battle with cancer and preparations for a world tour.
A complete schedule of screenings will be released soon.
Confirmed feature titles are listed in alphabetical order as follows.
FEATURE FILMS – LIFF 2016
The Adderall Diaries (USA) 105 min. James Franco heads a cast that includes Ed Harris, Christian Slater and Amber Heard in this heady thriller based on the bestselling memoir by Stephen Elliott. Burdened with writer’s block and an escalating drug problem, Elliott becomes obsessed with a high-profile murder case that unleashes childhood memories of his cruel and distant father. When Daddy suddenly appears with his own story to tell, fact and fiction merge in an amphetamine-induced haze. After The Spill (USA) 62 min. Five years after Katrina devastated the coast of Louisiana, the BP operated Deepwater Horizon exploded and spilling 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Melissa Leo narrates this in-depth look at the worst ecological disaster in North American history, the effect of the spill and Big Oil’s production operations on the Louisiana coast. L’Attesa (Italy|France) 100 min. Juliette Binoche is simply magnificent as a Sicilian woman so grief-stricken by the sudden death of her son that she tells his new girlfriend (Lou de Laâge) – who has travelled from Paris to meet him – that he is delayed on business. And so ‘the wait’ (l’attesa) begins, and the lie becomes a ticking bomb. Marked by striking images and painterly lighting, L’Attesa is an intense psychological drama. Baskin (Turkey) 97 min. A backup squad of Turkish police called to a desolate mansion stumble upon a squalid and blood-soaked den of satanic ritual. Winner of the ‘Best Director’ award at Fantastic Fest, Baskin was hailed as “a meticulously crafted baroque puzzle box… a film to dread, a film that slips deep into the psyche and uncovers the topography of hidden nightmares.” Bogalusa Charm (USA) 83 min. WORLD PREMIERE. ‘Charming’ is not a word easily applied to Bogalusa, Louisiana with its smelly paper mill, closed up shops and aging population. However, one business is still going strong: a charm school that transforms local girls into ladies. Native son Steve Richardson portrays this dot on the map with affection, insight, and sadness while addressing a bigger American malaise: the erosion of small town life. Born to Be Blue (USA|Canada|UK) 97 min. Ethan Hawke turns in a soulful, sexy, and often funny performance – for which he learned to play the trumpet – as Jazz legend Chet Baker whose battle with addiction was as famous as his music. Set in 60s California with flashbacks to 50s New York, the film focuses on Baker’s search for redemption while juggling a new girlfriend, a movie offer and plans for a comeback at jazz mecca Birdland. Boy and the World (Brazil) 80 min. No dialogue is required to tell the beguiling story of a small boy who follows his father from their idyllic farm to an overpopulated city where he discovers an alien industrial and automated world. A soundscape of pan-flute, samba, and Brazilian hip-hop mixes with whirling carnival colors and exploding fireworks in this dazzling and completely original Oscar-nominated animated feature. Chevalier (Greece) 99 min. A female director casts a witty, sardonic eye on men and their competitive drive in this highly original film. Six men on a luxury yacht invent a series of surreal games complete with oblique rules and a point system. As the stakes heighten, comparisons are made, measurements taken, songs butchered, blood tested. Friends will become rivals and rivals will do anything to win. Community (UK) 78 min. Do packs of feral working class teenagers, high on super addictive weed, really roam the Drayman Housing Estate in Essex? The cops stay clear, but when 2 filmmakers arrive to debunk the myth, they soon find themselves on the menu! Bloody and brutal, Jason Ford’s shocker is a bold example of the new wave of hoodie-horror films to come out of the UK. [caption id="attachment_9801" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Dheepan[/caption]
Dheepan (France) 115 min.
Winner of the 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or, this gritty film tells the story of Dheepan, a refugee from Sri Lanka and a former Tamil Tiger, who concocts a fake family to gain passage to France. But his violent past still haunts him. Slow-burning tension punctuated by explosions of violence mark Jacques Audiard’s timely, passionate film about a driven man caught in a unique moral dilemma.
El Clan (Argentina) 110 min.
Alejandro, a teen rugby star manipulated into helping his family profit from a series of meticulously planned abductions, discovers that the father he reveres is a cold-blooded killer. Produced by Pedro Amoldovar and based on the real-life exploits of the notorious Puccios, El Clan uses upbeat 80s pop as an ironic comment on the cynicism and immorality of the waning Argentinian dictatorship.
Embrace of the Serpent (Columbia) 125 min.
This Oscar nominee from Columbia, set in the Amazon jungle and inspired by the journals of two German explorers, follows a shaman and his unlikely travel companions in search of a rare psychedelic, medicinal herb. First-time director Ciro Guerra employs stunning black and white widescreen cinematography to take us deep into the heart of darkness… merging two parallel stories, 40 years apart, into a hallucinatory finale.
The Fits (USA) 72 min.
Director Anna Rose Holmer celebrates the physicality and fluidity of adolescence in her infectious character study of Toni, an African American tomboy who boxes at the same gym where a dance drill team practices. Toni yearns to join the tight-knit tribe of older girls but when mysterious fits of shaking and fainting strike the troupe, her desire for acceptance becomes complicated.
Giving Birth in America (US) 46 min.
Maternal health nonprofit Every Mother Counts presents a new three-part, short documentary series, “Giving Birth in America,” to examine some of the key reasons that the U.S. is falling so far behind in maternal healthcare. Each short film follows pregnant women and their healthcare providers in Florida, Montana and New York in the days leading up to delivery. Together, they navigate challenges of race, poverty, chronic illness, overuse of medical interventions and other inequalities that impact maternal health outcomes in America. Special Guest Christy Turlington Burns in attendance for Q&A.
Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words (Sweden) 114 min.
Three-time Oscar-winner Ingrid Bergman was a creative woman and loving mother who forged a career that few actresses do: from Swedish ingénue to Hollywood star, from exile in Italy with director Roberto Rossellini to cherished international stage and screen legend. Bergman’s own home movies, newsreels, and recollections by daughters Isabella and Pia combine to paint a nuanced portrait of a gifted, intelligent and sometimes conflicted individual.
The Innocents (France|Poland) 115 min.
In this dramatic, nuanced film set in post-war Warsaw, a Red Cross doctor who is summoned to a convent to deliver a baby in the middle of the night, discovers a pious, cloistered community brutalized by Soviet soldiers. Rising star Lou de Laâge (L’Attesa) gives a great performance as an idealistic young woman who puts herself in danger to guard a shameful secret.
Is That a Gun in Your Pocket? (USA) 97 min.
Small town Texas is rocked by an epic battle of the sexes when the local women band together to withhold sex until their men rid the town of guns. With a cast that includes Andrea Anders, Cloris Leachman and John Heard, this raunchy comedy/satire that won the audience award at the recent Sedona Film Festival tackles one of the hot-button issues of modern society.
Ixcanul (Guatemala) 93 min.
Eking out an existence on the remote slopes of a volcano (Ixcanul), a teenager admits to her loving mother that she is pregnant by the local dreamboat who has departed for America. Impoverished and unable to speak Spanish, the family embarks on a perilous journey to the big city to save the life of the child. A debut feature and winner of 13 international festival prizes, Ixcanul is a universal human tale.
Lit Lo And Behold, Reveries of the Connected World (USA) 98 min.
The droll, tech-phobic Werner Herzog – who has travelled to Antarctica and up the Amazon to document mankind’s dreams and fears – now explores the Internet’s unknown impact on human interaction, pro and con. Tracking its origins from a classroom at UCLA, thru its present day ‘dark side’, into a future world of robot cars and intergalactic tourism, the film is both scary and thrilling in its implications.
Lost & Found (USA) 90 min.
Two brothers forced to spend the summer on an island in Canada embark on a treasure hunt when they discover a map left behind by their eccentric wealthy grandfather who has mysteriously vanished. Pitting their wits against a ruthless land developer and two thugs, the boys uncover more than treasure and learn that the bonds of family are the most valuable riches of all.
Marguerite (France) 127 min.
Catherine Frot, Best Actress winner at this year’s Césars, is divine as a woman who dreams the impossible dream and possesses the innocence, madness and wealth to pursue it. Marguerite’s passion is opera and her delusion – fueled by the sycophants who swill champagne in her castle outside Paris – is that she sings beautifully. Ironically, this delightful comedy about sour notes is awash in gorgeous music, and features sumptuous 1920s clothes and décor.
The Mayor: Life of Riley (USA) 66 min.
The massacre of nine African Americans by a white supremacist on June 17, 2015 in Charleston, S. C. was a “worst nightmare” for Joseph P. Riley Jr, an Irish Catholic Democrat and the city’s mayor for an incredible 40 years. From the Civil Rights era forward, Riley was a visionary, fighting for inclusion in the face of divisiveness and for the restoration of once shabby Charleston to its former architectural glory.
[caption id="attachment_9499" align="aligncenter" width="1500"]
MISS SHARON JONES![/caption]
Miss Sharon Jones! (USA) 93 min.
A cinema verité portrait of soul singer Sharon Jones as she battles cancer, develops a new album, and readies for a world tour. The film, bursting with funk and soul music, features toe-tapping excerpts of Jones’s performances with the Dap-Kings. Whether she is breaking barriers in the music business or beating disease, Jones is a fighter and a survivor, and Kopple’s rousing tribute celebrates the singer as an effusive life force
5 Missing People (USA) 76 min.
Missing People is a nonfiction mystery about Martina Batan, a prominent New York art dealer, who investigates her brother’s long unsolved murder while obsessively collecting and researching the violent work and life of an outsider artist from New Orleans. As Martina struggles to process her discoveries, the inevitable collision of these parallel narratives leads to a chain of dramatic events.
My Father, Die (USA) 102 min.
Deaf and mute since having his hearing knocked out at the age of 12, Asher – played by action star Joe Anderson (Hercules, The Grey) – has been training to avenge himself on Ivan, the man that killed his older brother 21 years earlier. And now that his nemesis is out of prison, he gets his chance. But Asher’s target also happens to be his father.
No Greater Love (USA) 92 min.
The place is mountainous Kunar Province, Afghanistan, infamous for jihad, guerrilla warfare, and suicide bombers; and the soldier armed with the camera, not a gun, is Chaplain Justin Roberts. In this heartstopping and heart-wrenching documentary, distinguished by extraordinary combat footage, Roberts follows his comrades in the legendary ‘No Slack’ battalion from battlefield to home front where many veterans face other enemies: PTSD, depression and loneliness.
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (USA) 91 min.
A warm portrait of the father of hit shows like All in the Family, Maud and The Jeffersons. Now a spry 92, Lear reflects on his role as the first television producer to use the genre of American sitcom to address serious subjects – racism, feminism, and homosexuality. In the words of Robert Redford he “brought humanity, edge, humor and vulnerability into the mainstream.”
The Ones Below (UK) 87 min.
Affluent professionals Kate and Justin are expecting their first baby, as are sexy Teresa and domineering Jon, the mysterious new couple in the downstairs flat. Suppressing her fears about motherhood, Kate bonds with her extroverted neighbor until an awkward dinner party turns tragic and a burgeoning friendship implodes. A dash of Polanski and Haneke season this eerie, stylish debut feature by acclaimed UK theater director David Farr.
Presenting Princess Shaw (Israel) 80 min.
Samantha Montgomery, 38, lives alone in one of New Orleans’ toughest neighborhoods working as a caregiver for the elderly. But at night she transforms into Princess Shaw, belting out original songs at local clubs and posting homemade a cappella clips on YouTube. Completely unaware that a secret admirer – an Israeli musician living on a kibbutz outside Tel Aviv – will change her life forever.
Raiders! (USA) 106 min.
The 35th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark would not be complete without this true story of two 11- year-old Mississippi kids who in 1982 remade the Hollywood blockbuster scene by scene with a Super 8mm camera. After 7 turbulent years that tested their resolve and strained their friendship, there was one scene left un-filmed. Thirty-three years later, the ‘boys’ reunite to realize their childhood dream.
Rams (Iceland) 93 min.
Brothers Gummi and Kiddi have been estranged for years, living separate lives on neighboring sheep farms in rural Iceland. When a fatal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’s herd, he schemes to save the breed while this isolated community comes to grips with its own economic extinction. A wry, charmingly deadpan and poignant comedy, Rams is the recipient of 17 international festival awards.
Search Engines (USA) 98 min.
This imaginative satire focuses on man’s relationship to his cell phone and suggests that technology can lead us astray from meaning, purpose and love. It’s Thanksgiving, and family and friends have just gathered to celebrate togetherness. But when cell phone reception mysteriously goes dead throughout the house, 6 each character is thrown into crisis: marriages are tested, values questioned, and futures hang in the balance.
Seven Days in Nepal (USA) 62 min.
WORLD PREMIERE. On April 2015, just before noon in Nepal, an earthquake took everything the Bajagain family possessed: house, farm, cattle, happiness. This cinema verité documentary takes us into the devastation with New Orleans contractor Michael Fanasci, a Katrina survivor, and Minoj Ghimire, a Nepali student from Missouri, who bring much-needed building materials – and hope – to a devastated family.
Sidemen: Long Road to Glory (USA) 78 min.
An intimate look at the lives and legacies of piano player Pinetop Perkins, drummer Willie Smith, and guitarist Hubert Sumlin, all of whom were Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf sidemen. This rousing film depicts these artists’ thru their last interviews and their final live performances together and features additional music and personal insights from blues and rock stars inspired by these legendary sidemen.
Songs My Brothers Taught Me (USA) 98 min.
Two siblings coping with the loss of their father forms the heart of Chloé Zhao’s stunning directorial debut set among the Lakota people of South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. In her directorial debut, Zhao sketches a complex, sensitive portrait of a community connected not only thru a rich cultural heritage but also by deep inner conflicts that manifest themselves in destructive ways.
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Sunset Song[/caption]
Sunset Song (UK) 135 min.
Master director Terence Davies brings an epic sweep and grandeur to this saga of a young woman who comes of age in rugged north Scotland and sees her family beset by tragedy and the ravages of WWI.Though burdened with a stern father and an alcoholic husband, Chris endures. A woman with a passion for life, she draws strength from the ancient land and looks to the future.
Tickled (New Zealand) 92 min.
After stumbling upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to Jane O’Brien Media… only to be threatened with extreme legal action. Not one to be bullied, he digs deeper, uncovering a vast empire of secret identities and criminal activity. “Tense and increasingly weird… painful and funny and deeply sad.” – Screen Daily
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt (Israel) 125 min.
This no-holds documentary provides a rare insight into the philosopher, author and outspoken intellectual Hannah Arendt who incited anger, praise, devotion, and scorn up to and beyond her death in 1975. A German Jew who fled Europe for New York in 1941, Arendt coined the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe how someone as seemingly insignificant as Eichmann could be responsible for the Holocaust.
The Wrong Light (USA) 77 min.
Setting out to document a non-profit in Thailand dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking, two idealistic filmmakers uncover a shocking truth: none of the ‘saved’ girls were victims of the sex trade; and Mickey, its charismatic leader, is perpetrating a scam to extort money from wealthy Westerners. This just completed film is an illuminating expose of an insidious industry dubbed ‘poverty porn.’
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Santa Barbara International Film Festival Lineup, Fest to Open With US Premiere of THE LITTLE PRINCE
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Complete List with TRAILERS of 9 Foreign Films Still in Race for Oscar
Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Eighty films had originally been considered in the category.
The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” (pictured above) Jaco Van Dormael, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_FFNL_jPHE
Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA
Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qil14JEoPzU
Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMAkhyC6bY
France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg
Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70
Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7YvgRU15M8
Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director;
Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnEd_WSGtWQ
Foreign Language Film nominations for 2015 are being determined in two phases.
The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 14. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.
The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and London. They will spend Friday, January 8, through Sunday, January 10, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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2016 Sundance Film Festival Completes Lineup with Premieres, Documentary Premieres, Spotlight, Sundance Kids and Special Events
The 2016 Sundance Film Festival completed its feature film lineup with the highly anticipated narratives, documentaries, episodic work and events in the Premieres, Documentary Premieres, Spotlight, Sundance Kids and Special Events sections. The Festival takes place January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Sundance and Ogden, Utah.
Sophie and the Rising Sun directed by Maggie Greenwald has been selected as the Salt Lake City Gala Film, and the festival will close with the World Premiere of The Fundamentals of Caring directed by Rob Burnett and starring Selena Gomez (pictured above).
Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival, said, “Many of our selections this year reveal that what resides at the core of captivating stories are fascinating, and at times heroic, characters. In shining light on these people, independent filmmakers are doing what they’ve always done best: connecting the dots of human existence with a deeply charged emotional current.”
PREMIERES
A showcase of world premieres of some of the most highly anticipated narrative films of the coming year.
Agnus Dei / France, Poland (Director: Anne Fontaine, Screenwriters: Sabrina N. Karine, Alice Vial, Pascal Bonitzer) — 1945 Poland: Mathilde, a young French doctor, is on a mission to help World War II survivors. When a nun seeks her assistance in helping several pregnant nuns in hiding, who are unable to reconcile their faith with their pregnancies, Mathilde becomes their only hope. Cast: Lou de Laâge, Agata Kulesza, Agata Buzek, Vincent Macaigne, Joanna Kulig, Katarzyna Dabrowska. World Premiere
Ali & Nino / United Kingdom (Director: Asif Kapadia, Screenwriter: Christopher Hampton) — Muslim prince Ali and Georgian aristocrat Nino have grown up in the Russian province of Azerbaijan. Their tragic love story sees the outbreak of the First World War and the world’s struggle for Baku’s oil. Ultimately they must choose to fight for their country’s independence or for each other. Cast: Adam Bakri, Maria Valverde, Mandy Patinkin, Connie Nielsen, Riccardo Scamarcio, Homayoun Ershadi. World Premiere
Captain Fantastic / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ross) — Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, a father devoted to raising his six kids with a rigorous physical and intellectual education is forced to leave his paradise and re-enter society, beginning a journey that challenges his idea of what it means to be a parent. Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Frank Langella, George MacKay, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Zahn, Ann Dowd. World Premiere
Certain Women / U.S.A. (Director: Kelly Reichardt, Screenwriter: Kelly Reichardt based on stories by Maile Meloy) — The lives of three woman intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail. Cast: Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, James Le Gros, Jared Harris, Lily Gladstone. World Premiere
Complete Unknown / U.S.A. (Director: Joshua Marston, Screenwriters: Joshua Marston, Julian Sheppard) — When Tom and his wife host a dinner party to celebrate his birthday, one of their friends brings a date named Alice. Tom is convinced he knows her, but she’s going by a different name and a different biography—and she’s not acknowledging that she knows him. Cast: Rachel Weisz, Michael Shannon, Kathy Bates, Danny Glover. World Premiere
Frank & Lola / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matthew Ross) — A psychosexual noir love story—set in Las Vegas and Paris—about love, obsession, sex, betrayal, revenge and, ultimately, the search for redemption. Cast: Michael Shannon, Imogen Poots, Michael Nyqvist, Justin Long, Emmanuelle Devos, Rosanna Arquette. World Premiere
The Fundamentals of Caring / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rob Burnett) — Having suffered a tragedy, Ben becomes a caregiver to earn money. His first client, Trevor, is a hilarious 18-year-old with muscular dystrophy. One paralyzed emotionally, one paralyzed physically, Ben and Trevor hit the road, finding hope, friendship, and Dot in this funny and touching inspirational tale. Cast: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Jennifer Ehle, Megan Ferguson, Frederick Weller. World Premiere. CLOSING NIGHT FILM
The Hollars / U.S.A. (Director: John Krasinski, Screenwriter: Jim Strouse) — Aspiring New York City artist John Hollar returns to his Middle America hometown on the eve of his mother’s brain surgery. Joined by his girlfriend, eight months pregnant with their first child, John is forced to navigate the crazy world he left behind. Cast: John Krasinski, Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley, Charlie Day. World Premiere
Hunt for the Wilderpeople / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Taika Waititi) — Ricky is a defiant young city kid who finds himself on the run with his cantankerous foster uncle in the wild New Zealand bush. A national manhunt ensues, and the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together to survive in this heartwarming adventure comedy. Cast: Julian Dennison, Sam Neill, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Oscar Kightley. World Premiere
Indignation / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James Schamus) — It’s 1951, and among the new arrivals at Winesburg College in Ohio are the son of a kosher butcher from New Jersey and the beautiful, brilliant daughter of a prominent alum. For a brief moment, their lives converge in this emotionally soaring film based on the novel by Philip Roth. Cast: Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, Tracy Letts, Linda Emond, Danny Burstein, Ben Rosenfield. World Premiere
Little Men / U.S.A. (Director: Ira Sachs, Screenwriter: Mauricio Zacharias) — When 13-year-old Jake’s grandfather dies, his family moves back into their old Brooklyn home. There, Jake befriends Tony, whose single Chilean mother runs the shop downstairs. As their friendship deepens, however, their families are driven apart by a battle over rent, and the boys respond with a vow of silence. Cast: Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina Garcia, Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri. World Premiere
Love & Friendship / Ireland, France, Netherlands (Director and screenwriter: Whit Stillman) — From Jane Austen’s novella, the beautiful and cunning Lady Susan Vernon visits the estate of her in-laws to wait out colorful rumors of her dalliances and to find husbands for herself and her daughter. Two young men, handsome Reginald DeCourcy and wealthy Sir James Martin, severely complicate her plans. Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Chloë Sevigny, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell, Tom Bennett, Stephen Fry. World Premiere
Manchester by the Sea / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenneth Lonergan) — After his older brother passes away, Lee Chandler is forced to return home to care for his 16-year-old nephew. There he is compelled to deal with a tragic past that separated him from his family and the community where he was born and raised. Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler. World Premiere
Mr. Pig / Mexico (Director: Diego Luna, Screenwriters: Augusto Mendoza, Diego Luna) — On a mission to sell his last remaining prize hog and reunite with old friends, an aging farmer abandons his foreclosed farm and journeys to Mexico. After smuggling in the hog, his estranged daughter shows up, forcing them to face their past and embark on an adventurous road trip together. Cast: Danny Glover, Maya Rudolph, José María Yazpik, Joel Murray, Angélica Aragón, Gabriela Araujo. World Premiere
Sing Street / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: John Carney) — A boy growing up in Dublin during the ’80s escapes his strained family life and tough new school by starting a band to win the heart of a beautiful and mysterious girl. Cast: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor, Aidan Gillen, Mark McKenna. World Premiere
Sophie and the Rising Sun / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Maggie Greenwald) — In a small Southern town in the autumn of 1941, Sophie’s lonely life is transformed when an Asian man arrives under mysterious circumstances. Their love affair becomes the lightning rod for long-buried conflicts that erupt in bigotry and violence with the outbreak of World War ll. Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Margo Martindale, Lorraine Toussaint, Takashi Yamaguchi, Diane Ladd, Joel Murray. World Premiere. SALT LAKE CITY GALA FILM
Wiener-Dog / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Todd Solondz) — This film tells several stories featuring people who find their life inspired or changed by one particular dachshund, who seems to be spreading comfort and joy. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Kieran Culkin, Danny DeVito, Ellen Burstyn, Julie Delpy, Zosia Mamet. World Premiere
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES
Renowned filmmakers and films about far-reaching subjects comprise this section highlighting our ongoing commitment to documentaries.
Eat That Question—Frank Zappa in His Own Words / France, Germany (Director: Thorsten Schütte) — This entertaining encounter with the premier of sonic avant-garde is acidic, fun-poking, and full of rich and rare archival footage. This documentary bashes favorite Zappa targets and dashes a few myths about the man himself. World Premiere
Film Hawk / U.S.A. (Directors: JJ Garvine, Tai Parquet) — Trace Bob Hawk’s early years as the young gay child of a Methodist minister to his current career as a consultant on some of the most influential independent films of our time. World Premiere
LO AND BEHOLD, Reveries of the Connected World / U.S.A. (Director: Werner Herzog) — Does the internet dream of itself? Explore the horizons of the connected world. World Premiere
Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures / U.S.A. (Directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato) — This examination of Robert Mapplethorpe’s outrageous life is led by the artist himself, speaking with brutal honesty in a series of rediscovered interviews about his passions. Intimate revelations from friends, family, and lovers shed new light on this scandalous artist who ignited a culture war that still rages on. World Premiere
Maya Angelou And Still I Rise / U.S.A. (Directors: Bob Hercules, Rita Coburn Whack) — The remarkable story of Maya Angelou — iconic writer, poet, actress and activist whose life has intersected some of the most profound moments in recent American history. World Premiere
Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall / U.S.A. (Director: Spike Lee) — Catapulted by the success of his first major solo project, Off the Wall, Michael Jackson went from child star to King of Pop. This film explores the seminal album, with rare archival footage and interviews from those who were there and those whose lives its success and legacy impacted. World Premiere
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You / U.S.A. (Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady) — How did a poor Jewish kid from Connecticut bring us Archie Bunker and become one of the most successful television producers ever? Norman Lear brought provocative subjects like war, poverty, and prejudice into 120 million homes every week. He proved that social change was possible through an unlikely prism: laughter. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM
Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper / U.S.A. (Director: Liz Garbus) — Gloria Vanderbilt and her son Anderson Cooper each tell the story of their past and present, their loves and losses, and reveal how some family stories have the tendency to repeat themselves in the most unexpected ways. World Premiere
Resilience / U.S.A. (Director: James Redford) — This film chronicles the birth of a new movement among pediatricians, therapists, educators, and communities using cutting-edge brain science to disrupt cycles of violence, addiction, and disease. These professionals help break the cycles of adversity by daring to talk about the effects of divorce, abuse, and neglect. World Premiere
Richard Linklater—dream is destiny / U.S.A. (Directors: Louis Black, Karen Bernstein) — This is an unconventional look at a fiercely independent style of filmmaking that arose in the 1990s from Austin, Texas, outside the studio system. The film blends rare archival footage with journals, exclusive interviews with Linklater on and off set, and clips from Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Boyhood, and more. World Premiere
Under the Gun / U.S.A. (Director: Stephanie Soechtig) — The Sandy Hook massacre was considered a watershed moment in the national debate on gun control, but the body count at the hands of gun violence has only increased. Through the lens of the victims’ families, as well as pro-gun advocates, we examine why our politicians have failed to act. World Premiere
Unlocking the Cage / U.S.A. (Directors: Chris Hegedus, Donn Alan Pennebaker) — Follow animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. By filing the first lawsuit of its kind, Wise seeks to transform a chimpanzee from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with basic legal protection. World Premiere
SPOTLIGHT
Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.
Cemetery of Splendor / Thailand (Director and screenwriter: Apichatpong Weerasethakull) — A lonesome middle-aged housewife tends to a soldier with sleeping sickness and falls into a hallucination that triggers strange dreams, phantoms, and romance. Cast: Jenjira Pongpas, Banlop Lomnoi, Jarinpattra Rueangram.
Embrace of the Serpent / Colombia (Director: Ciro Guerra, Screenwriters: Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal) — This blistering, poetic story is inspired by the original journals of scientists Theodor Koch-Grünberg and Richard Evans Schultes, who meet lone survivor Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman. Over 40 years, they develop a friendship while traveling through the Colombian Amazon in search of the sacred, psychedelic yakruna plant. Cast: Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Antonio Bolivar, Nilbio Torres, Miguel Dionisio Ramos.
Green Room / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeremy Saulnier) — This wickedly fun horror-thriller tells a story about the owner of a neo-Nazi club who squares off against an unsuspecting but resilient young punk band after they witness a horrific act of violence. Cast: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole, Callum Turner, Patrick Stewart.
Land of Mine / Denmark (Director and screenwriter: Martin Zandvliet) — At the end of World War II, a group of young German POWs captured by the Danish army are forced to defuse and clear landmines from the Danish coastline with no training. Inspired by real events, the film exposes the untold story of one tragic moment in Denmark’s history. Cast: Roland Møller, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Emil Belton, Oskar Belton. U.S. Premiere
The Lobster / Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece, France (Director: Yorgos Lanthimos, Screenwriters: Yorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou) — In a dystopian near future, single people are obliged to find a mate in 45 days or else be transformed into an animal of their choice and be released into the woods. Cast: Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Ben Whishaw, Léa Seydoux, John C. Reilly, Olivia Colman.
Maggie’s Plan / U.S.A. (Director: Rebecca Miller, Screenwriters: Rebecca Miller, based on a story by Karen Rinaldi) — A young woman’s determination to have a child catapults her into a nervy love triangle with a heart-throb academic and his eccentric critical-theorist wife. Cast: Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Travis Fimmel.
Miles Ahead / U.S.A. (Director: Don Cheadle, Screenwriters: Don Cheadle, Steven Baigelman) — Inspired by events in Miles Davis’s life, this is a wildly entertaining, impressionistic, no-holds-barred portrait of one of twentieth-century music’s creative geniuses. Cast: Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregor, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Lakeith Lee Stanfield, Michael Stuhlbarg.
Rams / Iceland (Director and screenwriter: Grímur Hákonarson) — In a remote Icelandic farming valley, two brothers who haven’t spoken in 40 years have to come together to save what’s dearest to them—their sheep. Cast: Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson.
Viva / Ireland (Director: Paddy Breathnach, Screenwriter: Mark O’Halloran) — In contemporary Cuba, a father and son struggle to escape from each other’s expectations, duty, and the burden of past sins. Cast: Héctor Medina, Jorge Perugorría, Luis Alberto García.
SUNDANCE KIDS
This section of the Festival is especially for our youngest independent film fans. Programmed in cooperation with Utah Film Center which presents the annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival, Utah’s premiere film festival for children and youth.
The Eagle Huntress / U.S.A. (Director: Otto Bell) — Step aside, Daenerys and Katniss—Aisholpan is a real-life role model on an epic journey in a faraway world. Follow this 13-year-old nomadic Mongolian girl as she battles to become the first female to hunt with a golden eagle in 2,000 years of male-dominated history. World Premiere
Little Gangster / Netherlands (Director: Arne Toonen, Screenwriter: Lotte Tabbers) — Rik Boskamp wants a life where he’s not constantly bullied. When he and his family move, the people in their new town think his father is a Mafia boss, and everybody treats them with respect—until a bully from Rikkie’s past turns up. How long can he keep up his lie? Cast: Thor Braun, Henry Van Loon, Rene Van ‘T Hof, Meral Polat, Fedja Van Huêt, Maas Bronkhuyzen. North American Premiere
Snowtime! / Canada (Directors: Jean-François Pouliot, François Brisson, Screenwriters: Normand Canac-Marquis, Paul Risacher) — To amuse themselves during their winter break from school, the kids in a small village have a massive snowball fight. But what starts out as pure youthful fun and enthusiasm deteriorates into a more serious conflict as the children learn the role that love and friendship play in their lives. Cast: Sandra Oh, Ross Lynch, Angela Gallupo, Lucinda Davis, Don Shepherd, Sonja Ball. North American Premiere
SPECIAL EVENTS
One-of-a-kind moments highlighting new independent works that add to the unique Festival experience. An evolving section, this year includes episodic work, short films and live post-screening discussions.
11.22.63 / U.S.A. (Director: Kevin Macdonald, Screenwriter: Bridget Carpenter, Executive Producers: J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Kevin Macdonald, Bridget Carpenter, Bryan Burk) — On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy was killed, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Take a journey to find out in this genre-busting, epic new nine-hour event series. The Festival will debut the two-hour premiere of the series, followed by an extended Q&A. Cast: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, Daniel Webber, George MacKay, Josh Duhamel, Chris Cooper. World Premiere
Behind the Scenes of Anomalisa / U.S.A. (Directors: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson, Screenwriter: Charlie Kaufman) — Michael Stone—husband, father and respected author—is crippled by the mundanity of his life. On a business trip, he checks into the Fregoli Hotel. He’s amazed to discover a possible escape from his desperation in an unassuming woman, who may or may not be the love of his life. The Festival will present a screening of the film followed by a Q&A with the creators. Separately, they will speak on a Festival panel explaining their creative process and how they brought their extraordinary film to life. Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan, David Thewlis.
Chelsea Does / U.S.A. (Director: Eddie Schmidt) — This four-part documentary series features Chelsea Handler as she explores topics of personal and universal fascination: marriage, racism, Silicon Valley, and drugs. The Festival will premiere one installment of the series with clips from the other three installments, followed by an extended Q&A with Chelsea Handler, Director Eddie Schmidt, and Executive Producer Morgan Neville. World Premiere
The Girlfriend Experience / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Lodge Kerrigan, Amy Seimetz, Executive Producers: Steven Soderbergh, Philip Fleishman, Lodge Kerrigan, Amy Seimetz, Gary Marcus, Jeff Cuban) — Law student Christine Reade is introduced to the world of transactional relationships in this original anthology series. Providing “The Girlfriend Experience” (an emotional and sexual relationship offered at a high price) gives Christine a rush of control and intimacy, but she soon finds herself juggling two very different lives. The Festival will premiere four episodes of the series, followed by an extended Q&A. Cast: Riley Keough, Paul Sparks, Mary Lynn Rajskub, James Gilbert, Kate Lyn Sheil. World Premiere
The New Yorker Presents / U.S.A. (Executive Producers: Alex Gibney, Kahane Cooperman, Showrunner: Kahane Cooperman) — A groundbreaking new series that brings America’s most award-winning magazine, The New Yorker, to the screen with documentaries, short narrative films, comedy, poetry, animation, and cartoons from the hands of acclaimed filmmakers and artists. The Festival will premiere the first two episodes of the series, followed by an extended Q&A. World Premiere
O.J.: Made in America / U.S.A. (Director: Ezra Edelman) — This is the story of O.J. Simpson, one of the most polarizing people of the twentieth century, and the city in which he lived for much of his life, Los Angeles. The film explores Simpson’s rise and fall, centered around two of America’s greatest fixations—race and celebrity. The Festival will premiere the full 7.5-hour documentary, followed by an extended Q&A. World Premiere
The Skinny / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jessie Kahnweiler) — Follow feminist and wannabe YouTube star Jessie as she struggles to live, love, and get over her bulimia. The Festival will premiere six 10-minute episodes, followed by an extended Q&A with Kahnweiler. Cast: Jessie Kahnweiler, Illeana Douglas, Spencer Hill, Ryan Pinkston, Megan Ferguson, Sadie Calvano.World Premiere
United Shades of America / U.S.A. (Executive Producers: Jimmy Fox, W. Kamau Bell, Star Price) — Political comedian W. Kamau Bell explores the racial subcultures of America. In this original series premiere, he uses humor to challenge Klansmen looking to rebrand their message. The screening will include an extended Q&A. World Premiere
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40 Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film to Compete for FIPRESCI Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), scheduled January 1-11, 2016, announced the films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award in the Awards Buzz section. The Festival will screen 40 of the 80 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. Additional film programs will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
The Awards Buzz section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor and Best Actress in this category. The following 40 films are selected to screen (in alphabetical order by country):
Bota (Albania), Directors: Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci
https://vimeo.com/122133505
The Clan (Argentina), Director: Pablo Trapero
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14
The Brand New Testament (Belgium), Director: Jaco Van Dormael
Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Director: Ines Tanovic
The Second Mother (Brazil), Director: Anna Muylaert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOrbWcObwR4
The Judgment (Bulgaria), Director: Stephan Komandarev
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s
Felix and Meira (Canada), Director: Maxime Giroux
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8CeBCNrwvU
The Club (Chile), Director: Pablo Larraín
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia), Director: Ciro Guerra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA
The High Sun (Croatia), Director: Dalibor Matanic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqrRvNMcU8
Home Care (Czech Republic), Director: Slávek Horák
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI
A War (Denmark), Director: Tobias Lindholm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0
1944 (Estonia), Director: Elmo Nüganen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6A4nLqOW6s
Lamb (Ethiopia), Director: Yared Zeleke
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w
The Fencer (Finland), Director: Klaus Härö
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMAkhyC6bY
Mustang (France), Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg
Labyrinth of Lies (Germany), Director: Giulio Ricciarelli
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70
Ixcanul (Guatemala), Director: Jayro Bustamante
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU
Son of Saul (Hungary), Director: László Nemes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHDtPZmYj8
Rams (Iceland), Director: Grimur Hákonarson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw
Viva (Ireland), Director: Paddy Breathnach
Baba Joon (Israel), Director: Yuval Delshad
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs
100 Yen Love (Japan), Director: Masaharu Take
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc
Theeb (Jordan), Director: Naji Abu Nowar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60
Babai (Kosovo), Director: Visar Morina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY
Heavenly Nomadic (Kyrgyzstan), Director: Mirlan Abdykalykov
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5lJD36SBvo
600 Miles (Mexico), Director: Gabriel Ripstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs
The Paradise Suite (Netherlands), Director: Joost van Ginkel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezLXi_1Xpg
The Wave (Norway), Director: Roar Uthaug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIj4v8TfnyU
Moor (Pakistan), Director: Jami Mahmood
11 Minutes (Poland), Director: Jerzy Skolimowski
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk
Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One (Portugal), Director: Miguel Gomes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM
Aferim! (Romania), Director: Radu Jude
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
Enclave (Serbia), Director: Goran Radovanovic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M
Flowers (Spain), Directors: Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson (pictured in main image above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk
Iraqi Odyssey (Switzerland), Director: Samir
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY
The Assassin (Taiwan), Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw
How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) (Thailand), Director: Josh Kim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA
Sivas (Turkey), Director: Kaan Müjdeci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M
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CAROL Leads Nominations for 2016 Spirit Awards
Carol directed by Todd Haynes lead nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards with 6 nods including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead for both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, Best Sreenplay and Best Cinematography. The other nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Spotlight and Tangerine.
Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.
“Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.”
Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 27, 2016.
2016 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS
BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Anomalisa
Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran
Beasts of No Nation
Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker
Carol
Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley
Spotlight
Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar
Tangerine
Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou
BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Director: Marielle Heller
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit
James White
Director: Josh Mond
Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz
Manos Sucias
Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka
Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes
Mediterranea
Director: Jonas Carpignano
Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao
Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker
JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Advantageous
Writer/Director/Producer: Jennifer Phang
Writer/Producer: Jacqueline Kim
Producers: Robert Chang, Ken Jeong, Moon Molson, Theresa Navarro
Christmas, Again
Writer/Director/Producer: Charles Poekel
Heaven Knows What
Directors: Benny Safdie and Josh Safdie
Writers: Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie
Producers: Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear McClard
Krisha
Writer/Director/Producer: Trey Edward Shults
Producers: Justin R. Chan, Chase Joliet, Wilson Smith
Out of My Hand
Writer/Director: Takeshi Fukunaga
Writer/Producer: Donari Braxton
Producer: Mike Fox
BEST DIRECTOR
Sean Baker; Tangerine
Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation
Todd Haynes; Carol
Duke Johnson & Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa; Tom McCarthy
Spotlight; David Robert Mitchell
It Follows
BEST SCREENPLAY
Charlie Kaufman; Anomalisa
Donald Margulies; The End of the Tour
Tom McCarthy & Josh Singer; Spotlight
Phyllis Nagy; Carol
S. Craig Zahler; Bone Tomahawk
BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Jesse Andrews; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jonas Carpignano; Mediterranea
Emma Donoghue; Room
Marielle Heller; The Diary of a Teenage Girl
John Magary, Story by Russell Harbaugh and Myna Joseph; The Mend
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cary Joji Fukunaga; Beasts of No Nation
Michael Gioulakis; It Follows
Ed Lachman; Carol
Reed Morano; Meadowland
Joshua James Richards; Songs My Brothers Taught Me
BEST EDITING
Ronald Bronstein and Benny Safdie; Heaven Knows What
Tom McArdle; Spotlight
Nathan Nugent; Room
Julio C. Perez IV; It Follows
Kristan Sprague; Manos Sucias
BEST FEMALE LEAD
Cate Blanchett; Carol
Brie Larson; Room
Rooney Mara; Carol
Bel Powley; The Diary of a Teenage Girl
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez; Tangerine
BEST MALE LEAD
Christopher Abbott; James White
Abraham Attah; Beasts of No Nation
Ben Mendelsohn; Mississippi Grind
Jason Segel; The End of the Tour
Koudous Seihon; Mediterranea
BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Robin Bartlett; H.
Marin Ireland; Glass Chin
Jennifer Jason Leigh; Anomalisa
Cynthia Nixon; James White
Mya Taylor; Tangerine
BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Kevin Corrigan; Results
Paul Dano; Love & Mercy
Idris Elba; Beasts of No Nation
Richard Jenkins; Bone Tomahawk
Michael Shannon; 99 Homes
ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast.
Spotlight
Director: Tom McCarthy
Casting Directors:Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee
Ensemble Cast: Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Neal Huff, Brian d’Arcy James, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Jamey Sheridan, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci
BEST DOCUMENTARY – Award given to the director and producer.
(T)ERROR
Directors/Producers: Lyric R. Cabral & David Felix Sutcliffe
Producer: Christopher St. John
Best of Enemies
Directors/Producers: Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville
Heart of a Dog
Director/Producer: Laurie Anderson
Producer: Dan Janvey
The Look of Silence
Director:Joshua Oppenheimer
Producer: Signe Byrge Sørensen
Meru
Directors/Producers: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Producer: Shannon Ethridge
The Russian Woodpecker
Director/Producer: Chad Gracia
Producers: Ram Devineni, Mike Lerner
BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM – Award given to the director.
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia); Director: Ciro Guerra
Girlhood (France); Director: Céline Sciamma
Mustang (France, Turkey); Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden); Director: Roy Andersson
Son of Saul (Hungary); Director: László Nemes
19th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 19th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Darren Dean
Mel Eslyn
Rebecca Green and Laura D. Smith
22nd ANNUAL KIEHL’S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 22nd annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl’s Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl’s Since 1851.
God Bless the Child; Directors: Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck
King Jack; Director: Felix Thompson
Songs My Brothers Taught Me; Director: Chloé Zhao
21st TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 21st annual Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant.
Among the Believers; Directors: Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi
Incorruptible; Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
A Woman Like Me; Directors: Elizabeth Giamatti and Alex Sichel
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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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AFI FEST 2015 Reveals the Last Batch of Films – Films in World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs
AFI FEST 2015 announced the films that will screen in the World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema’s Legacy programs. AFI FEST will take place November 5–12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood.
World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films eligible for Audience Awards. Shorts selections are eligible for the Grand Jury Prize, which qualifies the winner for Academy Award® consideration.
WORLD CINEMA SELECTIONS (29 Titles)
The World Cinema section showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year.
AFERIM! – This Romanian Western is an odyssey through the landscape of feudal Eastern Europe, following a father and son on a mission to find a gypsy. DIR Radu Jude. SCR Radu Jude, Florin Lazarescu. CAST Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Cuzin Toma, Alexandru Dabija, Alexandru Bindea, Luminița Gheorghiu, Victor Rebengiuc, Alberto Dinache, Mihaela Sîrbu. Romania/Bulgaria/Czech Republic
BLOOD OF MY BLOOD (SANGUE DEL MIO SANGUE) – In this dual narrative, lust plays out in a 17th-century convent and a modern-day count lives a bizarre life within those same walls. DIR Marco Bellocchio. SCR Marco Bellocchio. CAST Roberto Herlitzka, Pier Giorgio Bellocchio, Lidiya Liberman, Fausto Russo Alesi, Alba Rohrwacher, Federica Fracassi, Alberto Cracco, Bruno Cariello, Toni Bertorelli, Filippo Timi, Elena Bellocchio, Ivan Franek, Patrizia Bettini, Sebastiano Filocamo, Alberto Bellocchio. Italy/France/Switzerland. U.S. Premiere
CHEVALIER – In this wonderfully absurdist farce, six men at sea play a strange game that measures every aspect of who they are. DIR Athina Rachel Tsangari. SCR Athina Rachel Tsangari, Efthimis Filippou. CAST Yorgos Kentros, Panos Koronis, Vangelis Mourikis, Makis Papadimitriou, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Sakis Rouvas, Yiannis Drakopoulos, Nikos Orfanos, Kostas Philippoglou. Greece
CHRONIC – Tim Roth stars as an end-of-life caregiver who struggles with the intense relationships he develops with his patients. DIR Michel Franco. SCR Michel Franco. CAST Tim Roth, Robin Bartlett, Michael Cristofer, Sarah Sutherland, Nailea Norvind, Rachel Pickup, David Dastmalchian, Bitsie Tulloch. Mexico/France
THE CLAN (EL CLAN) – Argentina’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® follows the vicious crime saga of the notorious Puccio family. DIR Pablo Trapero. SCR Pablo Trapero. CAST Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani, Lili Popovich, Gastón Cocchiarale, Giselle Motta, Franco Masini, Antonia Bengoechea, Stefania Koessl. Argentina/Spain
THE CLUB (EL CLUB) – At a bucolic seaside home for aging priests, the arrival of a new member unearths long-buried secrets about the Catholic Church. DIR Pablo Larraín. SCR Guillermo Calderón, Daniel Villalobos, Pablo Larraín. CAST Alfredo Castro, Roberto Farías, Antonia Zegers, Jaime Vadell, Alejandro Goic. Chile
DHEEPAN – In this 2015 Cannes Palme d’Or winner, a refugee concocts a fake family to gain passage to France — but his violent past still haunts him. DIR Jacques Audiard. SCR Noé Debré, Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard. CAST Jesuthasan Antonythasan, Kalieaswari Srinivasan, Claudine Vinasithamby, Vincent Rottiers, Marc Zinga. France
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (EL ABRAZO DE LA SERPIENTE) – This hypnotic epic follows the journey of a shaman and a German explorer in the Colombian Amazon. DIR Ciro Guerra. SCR Ciro Guerra, Jacques Toulemonde Vidal. CAST Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Yauenkü Miguee. Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina
FREE IN DEED – When a young mother brings her special-needs son to a local storefront church for healing, a Pentecostal minister is forced to confront his own demons. DIR Jake Mahaffy. SCR Jake Mahaffy. CAST David Harewood, Edwina Findley, RaJay Chandler, Preston Shannon, Prophetess Libra, Helen Bowman, Zoe Lewis, Kathy Smith. USA/New Zealand. North American Premiere
IN THE SHADOW OF WOMEN (L’OMBRE DES FEMMES) – Master French filmmaker Philippe Garrel returns with this gentle, profound tale of a Parisian couple dealing with mutual infidelity. DIR Philippe Garrel. SCR Jean-Claude Carrière, Caroline Deruas, Arlette Langmann, Philippe Garrel. CAST Clotilde Courau, Stanislas Merhar, Lena Paugam, Vimala Pons, Antoinette Moya, Jean Pommier, Thérèse Quentin, Mounir Margoum, Louis Garrel. France/Switzerland
THE LADY IN THE VAN – Maggie Smith stars as a cantankerous yet eloquent homeless woman who sets up residence on the curb outside the home of a single writer. DIR Nicholas Hytner. SCR Alan Bennett. CAST Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Frances De La Tour, Roger Allam. UK
LANDFILL HARMONIC – In a landfill community in Paraguay, inhabitants turn trash into unique instruments for a world-touring orchestra of young musicians. DIR Brad Allgood, Graham Townsley. USA
A MONSTER WITH A THOUSAND HEADS – (pictured in main image above)A Mexican woman with a cancer-stricken husband embarks on a series of increasingly violent confrontations with uncaring insurance stakeholders and bureaucrats. DIR Rodrigo Plá. SCR Laura Santullo. CAST Jana Raluy, Sebastián Aguirre Boëda, Hugo Albores, Nora Huerta, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Emilio Echeverria, Ilya Cazés, Noé Hernández, Verónica Falcón. Mexico. North American Premiere
MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART – Jia Zhang-ke’s tender, melancholic epic follows a capitalist Chinese family over a quarter-century of intense change. DIR Jia Zhang-ke. SCR Jia Zhang-ke. CAST Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jin Dong, Dong Zijian, Sylvia Chang, Han Sanming. China/France/Japan
EL MOVIMIENTO – In this stark black-and-white vision of anarchy, groups of armed men belonging to “The Movement” cause havoc on a war-scarred landscape. DIR Benjamín Naishtat. SCR Benjamin Naishtat. CAST Pablo Cedrón, Marcelo Pompei, Francisco Lumerman, Céline Latil, Alberto Suarez, Agustin Rittano. Argentina. U.S. Premiere
MY GOLDEN DAYS – Upon a man’s arrival home after years away abroad, he reflects on his youth, spent with little parental guidance, and ultimately a turbulent love affair. DIR Arnaud Desplechin. SCR Arnaud Desplechin, Julie Peyr. CAST Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, Mathieu Amalric, Dinara Drukarova. France
NAHID – A poor Iranian mother enters a “temporary marriage” with a well-off hotelier — with devastating results. DIR Ida Panahandeh. SCR Ida Panahandeh, Arsalan Amiri. CAST Sareh Bayat, Pejman Bazeghi, Navid Mohammad Zadeh, Milad Hossein Pour, Pouria Rahimi, Nasrin Babaei. Iran
NEON BULL (BOI NEON) – A young cowboy working the Brazilian rodeo circuit dreams of becoming a famous fashion designer. DIR Gabriel Mascaro. SCR Gabriel Mascaro. CAST Juliano Cazarré, Aline Santana, Carlos Pessoa, Maeve Jinkings. Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands
NO HOME MOVIE – The late Chantal Akerman’s sweet, melancholic ode to her mother, an Auschwitz survivor, is about home and the wild places beyond it. DIR Chantal Akerman. SCR Chantal Akerman. Belgium
OUR LITTLE SISTER (UMIMACHI DIARY) – At a family patriarch’s funeral, three sisters make the impulsive decision to invite their much younger half-sister to live with them in the city. DIR Hirokazu Kore-eda. SCR Hirokazu Kore-eda. CAST Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose. Japan
PARADISE – In this powerful film, shot guerrilla-style on the streets of Tehran, a violent act throws the life of a 25-year-old woman into turmoil. DIR Sina Ataeian Dena. SCR Sina Ataeian Dena. CAST Dorna Dibaj, Fateme Naghavi, Fariba Kamran, Nahid Moslemi, Roya Afshar. Iran/Germany
RAMS (HRUTAR) – Two estranged brothers in rural Iceland must come together when a fatal outbreak strikes their sheep herds. DIR Grímur Hákonarson. SCR Grímur Hákonarson. CAST Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving. Iceland
RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (JIGEUMEUN MATGO GEUTTAENEUN TEULLIDA)– In Hong Sang-soo’s latest, a director spends 24 hours with an attractive artist. This story then repeats itself midway through the film, but with important variations. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Jung Jae-young, Kim Min-hee. South Korea
SON OF SAUL (SAUL FIA) – This sparse yet resonant film, set in Auschwitz near the end of World War II, follows an internee on a mission to give a young boy a proper burial. DIR László Nemes. SCR László Nemes, Clara Royer. CAST Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsotér, Marcin Czarnik, Jerzy Walczak, Uwe Lauer, Christian Harting, Kamil Dobrowlski, Amitai Kedar, István Pion, Juli Jakab, Levente Orbán. Hungary
SWEET BEAN (AN) – In this heartwarming yet subtle tale, an aging Japanese woman brings surprise success to a small bakery with her special homemade recipe. DIR Naomi Kawase. SCR Naomi Kawase. CAST Nagase Masatoshi, Kiki Kirin, Uchida Kyara. Japan
TALE OF TALES (IL RACCONTO DEI RACCONTI) – From the director of GOMORRAH, this collection of three ancient fairy tales features a star-studded cast set against the backdrop of Italy’s greatest wonders. DIR Matteo Garrone. SCR Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso. CAST Salma Hayek, Vincent Cassel, Toby Jones, Shirley Henderson, Hayley Carmichael, Bebe Cave, Stacy Martin, Christian Lees, Jonah Lees, Guillaume Delaunay, Alba Rohrwacher, Massimo Ceccherini, John C. Reilly. Italy
THE TREASURE (COMOARA) – A financially struggling family man enters into a crackpot plan to find buried treasure in this masterfully deadpan comedy. DIR Corneliu Porumboiu. SCR Corneliu Porumboiu. CAST Cuzin Toma, Adrian Purcarescu, Corneliu Cozmei, Cristina Toma, Nicodim Toma. France/Romania
A WAR – When a routine mission in Afghanistan turns ugly, a company commander must make an impossible decision to save his men. DIR Tobias Lindholm. SCR Tobias Lindholm. CAST Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny, Dar Salim, Søren Malling, Charlotte Munck, Dulfi Al-Jabouri. Denmark. U.S. Premiere
THE WHITE KNIGHTS (LES CHEVALIERS BLANCS) – This drama from Joachim Lafosse centers on the 2007 Zoé’s Ark scandal, when a French NGO illegally trafficked orphans out of war-torn Africa. DIR Joachim Lafosse. SCR Joachim Lafosse, Bulle Decarpentries, Thomas Van Zuylen. CAST Vincent Lindon, Valérie Donzelli, Reda Kateb, Louise Bourgoin, Rougalta Bintou Saleh. France/Belgium
MIDNIGHT SELECTIONS (3 Titles)
These dark and macabre films from around the world will grip audiences with terror.
BASKIN – A squad of Turkish policemen become entrapped in the basement of a cult of Devil-worshipping amputees. DIR Can Evrenol. SCR Can Evrenol, Cem Ozuduru, Ogulcan Eren Akay, Ercin Sadikoglu. CAST Gorkem Kasal, Ergun Kuyucu, Muharrem Bayrak, Mehmet Fatih Dokgoz, Sabahattin Yakut, Mehmet Cerrahoglu. Turkey
DER NACHTMAHR – A teenage girl who experiences severe nightmares makes a meaningful connection with a strange creature that has been haunting her. DIR AKIZ. SCR AKIZ. CAST Carolyn Genzkow, Kim Gordon, Julika Jenkins, Arnd Klawitter, Wilson Gonzalez Ochsenknecht, Alexander Scheer, Sina Tkotsch. Germany
SOUTHBOUND – In this refreshing take on the horror anthology, a series of characters encounter sinister forces on an isolated desert road. DIR Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner, Patrick Horvath, Radio Silence. SCR Roxanne Benjamin, Susan Burke, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Dallas Hallam, Patrick Horvath. CAST Chad Villella, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Kristina Pesic, Fabianne Therese, Nathalie Love, Hannah Marks, Dana Gould, Susan Burke, Davey Johnson, Anessa Ramsey, Mather Zickel, Fabianne Therese Karla Droege, Zoe Cooper, Roxanne Benjamin, Justin Welborn, David Yow, Tipper Newton, Matt Peters, Maria Olsen, Tyler Tuione, Kate Beahan, Gerald Downey, Hassie Harrison, Larry Fessenden. USA
BREAKTHROUGH SELECTIONS (5 Titles)
The Breakthrough section is dedicated to the true discoveries of the programming process. It exists as a platform for artists at a crucial stage in their career to share their innovative work with enthusiastic audiences.
THE LIAR – In this tightly wound thriller, beautiful, immaculately dressed Ah-young attempts to fool everyone into believing that she has it all. She doesn’t. DIR Kim Dong-myung. SCR Kim Dong-myung. CAST Kim Kkobbi, Chun Sin-hwan, Lee Sun-hee, Le Da-hae, Jang Seo-ee, Shin Yeon-suk, Kwon Nam-hee, Han Jin-hee. Korea
MA – Director Celia Rowlson-Hall uses her background as a choreographer to create MA, a modern-day retelling of Mother Mary’s pilgrimage. DIR Celia Rowlson-Hall. SCR Celia Rowlson-Hall. CAST Celia Rowlson-Hall, Andrew Pastides, Amy Seimetz, Matt Lauria, Peter Vack. USA. U.S. Premiere
THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF PÉROLA (A MISTERIOSA MORTE DE PÉROLA) – A young student, living alone in an old apartment, begins to lose herself in loneliness until reality merges with dreams. DIR Guto Parente. SCR Guto Parente. CAST Ticiana Augusto Lima, Guto Parente. Brazil/France. North American Premiere
NECKTIE YOUTH – Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, this bristling debut looks at a group of millennials, all peripherally related to a wealthy white teen who commits suicide. DIR Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. SCR Sibs Shongwe-La Mer. CAST Bonko Khoza, Sibs Shongwe-La Mer, Colleen Balchin, Kamogelo Moloi, Emma Tollman, Jonathan Young, Kelly Bates, Ricci-Lee Kalish, Giovanna Winetzki. Netherlands/South Africa
THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING – This poetic experimental documentary captures with raw force the modern migrant experience in Europe, as seen through the eyes of a deceased shipwreck victim. DIR Morgan Knibbe. SCR Morgan Knibbe. Netherlands
CINEMA’S LEGACY SELECTIONS (5 Titles)
Now in its third year, Cinema’s Legacy is AFI FEST’s celebration of motion picture history, and a special opportunity to screen both classic films and films about the history of cinema.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO (1933) – Dolores Del Río, the glamorous face of AFI FEST 2015, stars in this pre-Code musical with Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and fabulous song-and-dance routines. DIR Thornton Freeland. SCR Cyril Hume, H.W. Hanemann, Erwin Gelsey. CAST Dolores Del Rio, Gene Raymond, Raul Roulien, Ginger Rogers, Fred Astaire, Blanche Frederici, Franklin Pangborn, Eric Blore. USA
THE FORBIDDEN ROOM – Winnipeg filmmakers Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson search the human subconscious in this cinematic head-trip. DIR Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson. SCR Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Robert Kotyk. CAST Roy Dupuis, Clara Furey, Louis Negin, Mathieu Amalric, Geraldine Chaplin, Amira Casar, Charlotte Rampling, Karine Vanasse, Jacques Nolot, Udo Kier. Canada
HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT – For one week in 1962, French New Wave auteur François Truffaut interviewed the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. DIR Kent Jones. SCR Kent Jones, Serge Toubiana. CAST Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Arnaud Desplechin, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Richard Linklater, Olivier Assayas, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Peter Bogdanovich, Paul Schrader. France/USA
SAFETY LAST! (1923) – In Harold Lloyd’s brilliant and most famous film, the great silent comedian plays a small-town bumpkin in the big city who plans a breathless publicity stunt to attract attention for the department store where he works. DIR Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor. SCR Hal Roach, Sam Taylor, Tim Whelan. CAST Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother, Noah Young, Wescott Clarke. USA
SEMBENE! – In this intimate documentary, the work of Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène is spotlighted, showing why he came to be known as the Father of African Cinema. DIR Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman. Senegal/USA
SHORTS SELECTIONS (53 Titles)
BAD AT DANCING – A perpetual third wheel and awkward outsider inserts herself into her roommate’s relationship. DIR Joanna Arnow. SCR Joanna Arnow. CAST Eleanore Pienta, Keith Poulson, Joanna Arnow. USA
BLOOD BELOW THE SKIN – Three teenage girls from different social circles form unexpected bonds when they discover the secrets that lie below the skin. DIR Jennifer Reeder. SCR Jennifer Reeder. CAST Jennifer Estlin, Kelsey Ashby-Middleton, Morgan Reesh, Tj Jagodowsky, Marissa Castillo. USA
BOYS (POJKARNA) – At a home for wayward boys, Markus prepares for a very important appointment. DIR Isabella Carbonell. SCR Isabella Carbonell, Babak Najafi. CAST Sebastian Hiort af Ornäs, Marcus Lindgren, Rainer Gerdes. Sweden
BUS NUT – The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott is articulated as an educational video on school bus safety. DIR Akosua Adoma Owusu. CAST MaameYaa Boafo. USA
COLOR NEUTRAL – A color explosion sparkles, bubbles and fractures in this handcrafted 16mm short from film artist Jennifer Reeves. DIR Jennifer Reeves. USA
DRAGSTRIP – A moment or two before the race. DIR Daniel Claridge, Pacho Velez. USA
E.T.E.R.N.I.T – A Tunisian immigrant working in asbestos removal must make a radical choice in the name of his family. DIR Giovanni Aloi. SCR Nicolo Galbiati. CAST Ali Salhi, Serena Grandi, Alessandro Castiglloni, Mohamed Omar Abd Rabou, Youssef Tarek, Stefano Piumi, Alessandro Palumbo, Andrea Pompa, Roberta Madeo. France
EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY (ALLES WIRD GUT) – A divorced father picks up his eight-year-old daughter. It seems like every second weekend, but something isn’t right. DIR Patrick Vollrath. SCR Patrick Vollrath. CAST Simon Schwarz, Julia Pointner. Germany/Austria
THE EXQUISITE CORPUS – Based on various erotic films and advertising rushes, myriad fragments are melted into a single sensuous, humorous, gruesome and ecstatic dream. DIR Peter Tscherkassky. Austria
FRANKENSTEIN’S BRIDE (LA NOVIA DE FRANKENSTEIN) – At her summer job, Ivana learns it’s easy to create a circle of lies, fiction and love when you’re bored. DIR Francisco Lezama, Agostina Gálvez. SCR Francisco Lezama, Agostina Gálvez. CAST Miel Bargman, Renzo Cozza, Claudia Cantero, Mariel Fernández, Jair Jesús Toledo. Argentina
FUCKKKYOUUU – A lonely girl finds love and rejection with her past self in this alluring collaboration with Flying Lotus. DIR Eddie Alcazar. SCR Eddie Alcazar. CAST Jesse Sullivan, Charles Baker. USA
GRAND FINALE – The end of a Fourth of July evening in Detroit. DIR Kevin Jerome Everson. USA
GROUP B – A rally car driver mounts a comeback after a long and troubled absence. DIR Nick Rowland. SCR Joe Murtagh. CAST Richard Madden, Michael Smiley, Dominic Wolf, Andrei Alen, Matthew Jure, Stephen Bent, Alexander Cambell. UK
HALF WET – A man with large pores tries to escape the realization that he’s slowly evaporating. DIR Sophie Koko Gate. UK
I REMEMBER NOTHING – An epileptic seizure told in five phases. DIR Zia Anger. SCR Zia Anger. CAST Audrey Turner, Eve Alpert, India Menuez, Adinah Dancyger, Lola Kirke. USA
LANCASTER, CA – A portrait of love in the California desert. DIR Mike Ott. SCR Cory Zacharia. CAST Cory Zacharia, John Brotherton. USA
THE LITTLE DEPUTY – Trevor tries to have his photo taken with his father. DIR Trevor Anderson. SCR Trevor Anderson. CAST Trevor Anderson, Luke Oswald, Rob Chaulk, Trevor Schmidt, Lynn Anderson. Canada
MAMAN(S) – Eight-year-old Aida and her family are thrown into chaos when her father returns from Senegal with a new wife. DIR Maïmouna Doucouré. SCR Maïmouna Doucouré. CAST Sokhna Diallo, Maimouna Gueye, Azize Diabate, Mareme N’dlaye, Eriq Ebouaney, Maissa Toumoutou, Aida Diallo, Khemissa Zarouel. France
MANOMAN – Beware what lies within. DIR Simon Cartwright. SCR Simon Cartwright. CAST Gordon Pearson. UK
MARYLAND PUBLIC TELEVISION INTERVIEWS THE REAGANS – The President nails an interview. Featuring: The First Lady and surprise guest. DIR Pacho Velez. USA
MYNARSKI DEATH PLUMMET (MYNARSKI CHUTE MORTELLE) – A handmade historical micro-epic and psychedelic photochemical war picture about self-sacrifice, immortality and jellyfish. DIR Matthew Rankin. SCR Matthew Rankin. CAST Alek Rzeszowski, Robert Vilar, Annie St-Pierre, Louis Negin. Canada
OBJECT – A hypnotic underwater search from the point of view of the rescue team, the diver and the people waiting on shore. DIR Paulina Skibińska. SCR Paulina Skibińska. Poland
OF THE UNKNOWN – In Hong Kong, millionaires and the working poor live side by side. DIR Eva Weber. UK/Hong Kong
PALM ROT – An old Florida fumigator comes face to face with a mysterious threat. DIR Ryan Gillis. SCR Ryan Gillis. CAST Greg Tonner. USA
PATTERN FOR SURVIVAL – A key ingredient in any survival situation is the mental attitude of the individuals involved. DIR Kelly Sears. USA
THE PETER CASSIDY PROJECT – In 1972, a reporter and his team attempt to discover the truth behind an infamous director and the controversial advertisements he directed in the late ’60s. DIR Noah Lee. SCR Noah Lee. CAST Peter Falls, Lewis Pullman, Eden Brolin. USA
PINK GRAPEFRUIT – A young married couple, two single friends and a long weekend in Palm Springs. DIR Michael Mohan. SCR Chris Levitus, Michael Mohan. CAST Wendy McColm, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Nora Kirkpatrick, Matt Peters. USA
POSTINDUSTRIAL – Eleven floors of thoughts held tight by iron brackets. DIR Boris Pramatarov. Bulgaria
PYROMANCE – A lonely pyrotechnician finds an unlikely spark on the eve of the 4th of July fireworks show. DIR John de Menil. SCR John de Menil. CAST Paul McCarthy Boyington, Anna Khaja, Brantley Black, Karen Strassman. USA
RATE ME – A portrait of a teen escort comes to life via online user reviews. DIR Fyzal Boulifa. SCR Fyzal Boulifa. CAST Zehra Zorba. UK
THE RETURN OF ERKIN – A man just released from a long-term prison discovers that his former life has vanished, never to return. DIR Maria Guskova. SCR Maria Guskova. CAST Kahramonjon Mamasaliyev. Russia
REVIEW – A young woman recounts a story to a group of friends who listen with rapt attention, but the tale sounds very familiar. DIR Dustin Guy Defa. USA
RONALD REAGAN LIGHTS THE LIGHTS – The President conducts a delicate task. DIR Pacho Velez. USA
RONALD REAGAN PARDONS A TURKEY – The President makes a tough call. DIR Pacho Velez. USA
SEA CHILD – A young girl on the verge of womanhood is consumed by nightmares. DIR Minha Kim. SCR Islay Bell-Webb. CAST Rachel Park. UK
SERENITY – Everyone remembers their first time. Everyone has regrets. DIR Jack Dunphy. SCR Jack Dunphy. CAST Jack Dunphy. USA
SHARE – The victim of an unspeakable act gone viral returns to high school. DIR Pippa Bianco. SCR Pippa Bianco. CAST Taissa Farmiga, Keir Gilchrist, Madisen Beaty, Andre Royo. USA
THE SUN LIKE A BIG DARK ANIMAL (EL SOL COMO UN GRAN ANIMAL OSCURO) – Even computers need love. DIR Ronnie Rivera, Christina Felisgrau. SCR Bernardo Britto, Ronnie Rivera. CAST Agustina Woodgate. USA
SWIMMING IN YOUR SKIN AGAIN – A film about motherhood, banality, Miami, the water, the divine feminine and how to sing in church in a way that calls forth your own adulthood. DIR Terence Nance. SCR Terence Nance. CAST Norvis, Jr., Hadassah Amani, Genoa O’Brien, Vickie Lynn Washington-Nance. USA
TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY – When a young woman living abroad receives a letter from home, it’s what she needs to fuse her transient self with the person she’s always known herself to be. DIR Matthew Porterfield. SCR Matthew Porterfield. CAST Hannah Gross, Jean-Christophe Folly, Angela Schanelec, Gob Squad. USA
TEETH – That which is neglected, is lost. DIR Tom Brown, Daniel Gray. SCR Tom Brown, Daniel Gray. CAST Richard E. Grant. UK/Hungary/USA
THE FACE OF UKRAINE: CASTING OKSANA BAIUL – Adorned in pink sequins, little girls from war-torn Ukraine audition to play the role of Olympic champion figure skater Oksana Baiul. DIR Kitty Green. SCR Kitty Green. Ukraine/Australia
TRACKS – An amateur skateboarder is left to care for his girlfriend’s young daughter on the day of a championship tournament. DIR Logan Sandler. SCR Logan Sandler, Carly Stone. CAST Keith Stanfield, Lana Schwartz, Dominique Razon. USA
TUESDAY (SALI) – An ordinary school day for a teenage girl in Istanbul. DIR Ziya Demirel. SCR Ziya Demirel, Buket Coşkuner. CAST Melis Balaban. Turkey/France
TWELVE TALES TOLD – The dream factory folds in on itself. DIR Lurf Johann. Austria
TWO FILMS ABOUT LONELINESS – A split screen separates two distinct worlds that are closer than they appear. DIR William Bishop-Stephens, Christopher Eales. SCR William Bishop-Stephens, Christopher Eales. CAST Tim Key, Detlef Bierstedt. UK
UNDER THE SUN (RI GUANG ZHI XIA) – An attempted act of kindness sets two families on an irrevocable collision course from which there is no return. DIR Qiu Yang. SCR Qiu Yang. CAST Zhu Ping, Sun Zhongwei, Bai Lihong, Gong Weiming. Australia/China
VICTOR XX – In a small seaside town, a young person makes a personal discovery when they experiment with their gender. DIR Ian Garrido. SCR Ian Garrido. CAST Alba Martínez, Shei Benzidour, Yolanda Cruz. Spain
VOLTA (BOATA) – Nina is told she is just going for a walk. DIR Stella Kyriakopoulos. SCR Stella Kyriakopoulos. CAST Marissa Triandafyllidou, Katerina Douka, Giorgos Valais. Greece
WAVES ’98 – Omar is lured into the depths of segregated Beirut. Isolated from reality, he struggles to keep his sense of home. DIR Ely Dagher. SCR Ely Dagher. CAST Elie Bassila. Lebanon/Qatar
WORLD OF TOMORROW – A little girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of the distant future in the latest opus from Don Hertzfeldt. DIR Don Hertzfeldt. SCR Don Hertzfeldt. CAST Julia Pott, Winona Mae. USA
YELLOW FIEBER – Athens was covered in a strange yellow dust. No one expected what was about to happen. DIR Konstantina Kotzamani. SCR Konstantina Kotzamani. CAST Mamadou Diallo, Eytuchia Stefanidou. Greece
YOLO – Filmed in the remains of Soweto’s historic Sans Souci Cinema (1948-1998), YOLO is a makeshift structuralist mash-up created in collaboration with the Eat My Dust youth collective. DIR Ben Russell. USA/South Africa
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20 New Films Added to Lineup for 2015 Virginia Film Festival incl. ‘PARADISE, FL,’ ‘KRISHA’
The 2015 Virginia Film Festival have added more than 20 new films to the lineup. The Festival, presented by the University of Virginia and the Office of the Provost and Vice Provost for the Arts, will take place from November 5-8 at venues throughout Charlottesville. The Festival also revealed that Alex Neustaedter, the young star of Ithaca, will join in a post-screening discussion that will include director Meg Ryan, actor Lois Robbins, and producer Janet Brenner. The 16-year-old Neustaedter portrays the lead role of Homer in this coming-of-age story about a small-town telegraph bicycle who delivers messages of love, hope, pain, and even death, to the good people of Ithaca, only to have one of those messages change his life forever.
Brooklyn – The profoundly moving story of Ellis Lacey (Saorise Ronan), a young Irish immigrant woman torn between two countries as she leaves behind the comforts of her mother’s home for the shores of New York City, where the intoxication of new love is challenged by the realities of her past.
Youth – Fred (Michael Caine), a retired orchestra conductor, is on holiday at a resort spa with his daughter and his film-director best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), who is shooting what may be his final film there. As the two men face, and discuss, the twilight of their careers and lives, Fred receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip’s birthday.
Krisha – Following a prolonged battle with addiction and self-destruction, Krisha returns to the family she abandoned for a holiday celebration, only to see old wounds reopened. Writer/director Trey Edward Shults recreates painful incidents from his past, and casts family members to give the film, expanded from an award-winning 2014 short film of the same name, to achieve a uniquely authentic feel.
Paradise, FL – When his friend’s wife ends up in the hospital, a struggling gulf coast oyster fisherman moves in to care for the couple’s young kids, and finds himself fighting for a family he didn’t know he needed. (pictured above)
Heart of a Dog – Selected for competition in this year’s Venice International Film Festival after its September premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson’s meditation on love and death is playful, lucid, and heartbreaking. Sparked by the death of her beloved terrier Lolabelle, Anderson draws on her childhood experiences and political beliefs, using her own compositions, 8 millimeter films from her family archive, and animation to help guide the journey of Lolabelle’s spirit.
Lucifer – An angel falling from heaven to hell unexpectedly lands in a Mexican village where his presence affects the villagers in surprising ways. Lucifer is a mesmerizing, moving, and unique experiment in form, presented in director t Gust Van Den Berghe’s original format, Tondoscope, which features a lens he created for the film that allows it to be projected in a circular format.
Embrace of the Serpent – This epic story, inspired by the journals of the first explorers of the Colombian Amazon, Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes, encompasses the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal, and, in the end, life-changing friendship between an Amazonian shaman who is the last survivor of his people and two scientists who spend 40 years in the Amazon in search of a sacred plant to heal them.
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2015 Hamptons International Film Festival Awards, RAMS, and MISSING PEOPLE Win Top Awards
The 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival announced their award winners, and RAMS, directed by Grimur Hákonarson won The HIFF Award for Best Narrative Feature. RAMS is Iceland’s official selection for the Academy Awards. MISSING PEOPLE, directed by David Shapiro, received the HIFF Award for Best Documentary Feature. OVER, directed by Jörn Threlfall, and LAST DAY OF FREEDOM, directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman, received the HIFF Awards for Best Narrative Short Film and for Best Documentary Short Film, respectively.
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT, directed by Ciro Guerra, received the Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature and PATRIOT, directed by Eva Riley, received Honorable Mention for Narrative Short Film. CHUCK NORRIS VS. COMMUNISM, directed by Ilinca Calugareanu, received the Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature.
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015 WINNERS:
HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by The Wall Street Journal
Rams, directed by Grimur Hákonarson
Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature
Embrace of the Serpent, directed by Ciro Guerra
HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films
Missing People, directed by David Shapiro
Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
Chuck Norris Vs. Communism, directed by Ilinca Calugareanu
HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film sponsored by The Wall Street Journal
Over, directed by Jörn Threlfall
Honorable Mention for Narrative Short Film
Patriot, directed by Eva Riley
HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film sponsored by ID Films
Last Day of Freedom, directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman
Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice
The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel
Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award
Suffragette, directed by Sarah Gavron
Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant
When I Live My Life Over Again, directed by Robert Edwards
The 2015 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution
The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel
The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer
in Silence
The Champions, directed by Darcy Dennett
2015 VARIETY 10 ACTORS T0 WATCH
Christopher Abbott, James White
Emory Cohen, Brooklyn
Thomas Mann, The Preppie Connection
Bel Powley, A Royal Night Out
Rebecca Ferguson, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
Maika Monroe, It Follows
Keith Stanfield, Straight Outta Compton
Tessa Thompson, Selma
Jessie T. Usher, Independence Day: Resurgence
