I AM NOT A WITCH[/caption]
The 20th Anniversary edition of the Sarasota Film Festival celebrated its Closing Night on Saturday with a screening of Rory Kennedy’s new film from Discovery, ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW, along with the presentation of this year’s jury and audience award winners. I AM NOT A WITCH directed by Rungano Nyoni took home this year’s Narrative Feature Jury prize, and MINDING THE GAP directed by Bing Liu was the Documentary Feature Jury Prize winner. During the Closing Night, actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award©-nominated actress Virginia Madsen received Career Achievement Awards.
The festival’s Independent Visions Jury Prize, which includes a distribution deal from FACTORY 25, went to MILFORD GRAVES: FULL MANTIS directed by Jake Meginsky and Neil Young.
The Terry Porter Visionary Award presented by The Huisking Foundation went to THE RIDER directed by Chloé Zhao for its spirit of independence and experimentation.
The jury awarded a special recognition award for Breakthough Performance to Helena Howard in MADELINE’S MADELINE; a special mention for Visionary Storytelling to NOTES ON AN APPEARANCE; and a Special Jury Prize for Social Commentary to THE SENTENCE.
This year’s Animated Shorts Jury Prize winner is THE BURDEN, directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr. The jury awarded LUNCH TIME, directed by Alireza Ghasemi, best Narrative Short and the Documentary Short award winner is SAND MEN, directed by Tal Amiran.
This year’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was HEARTS BEAT LOUD directed by Brett Haley.
The Audience Award for Best Documentary was presented to RBG, director Betsy West and Julie Cohen.
The Best In World Cinema Audience Award went to MAKTUB, directed by Oded Raz.
MR. CONNOLLY HAS ALS, directed by Dan Habib won the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
During the Closing Night, actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award-nominated actress Virginia Madsen received Career Achievement Awards.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the 20th Anniversary of the Sarasota Film Festival, which brought together groundbreaking films and important conversations for our audiences,” said President of the Sarasota Film Festival, Mark Famiglio. “Congratulations to this year’s winners, the esteemed Festival Jury and our audiences have thoroughly enjoyed your engaging and inspiring films, and we thank you for letting us showcase them here in Sarasota.”
Maktub
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I AM NOT A WITCH and MINDING THE GAP Win Top Awards at 20th Sarasota Film Festival [Complete List of Winners]
[caption id="attachment_25151" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] I AM NOT A WITCH[/caption]
The 20th Anniversary edition of the Sarasota Film Festival celebrated its Closing Night on Saturday with a screening of Rory Kennedy’s new film from Discovery, ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW, along with the presentation of this year’s jury and audience award winners. I AM NOT A WITCH directed by Rungano Nyoni took home this year’s Narrative Feature Jury prize, and MINDING THE GAP directed by Bing Liu was the Documentary Feature Jury Prize winner. During the Closing Night, actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award©-nominated actress Virginia Madsen received Career Achievement Awards.
The festival’s Independent Visions Jury Prize, which includes a distribution deal from FACTORY 25, went to MILFORD GRAVES: FULL MANTIS directed by Jake Meginsky and Neil Young.
The Terry Porter Visionary Award presented by The Huisking Foundation went to THE RIDER directed by Chloé Zhao for its spirit of independence and experimentation.
The jury awarded a special recognition award for Breakthough Performance to Helena Howard in MADELINE’S MADELINE; a special mention for Visionary Storytelling to NOTES ON AN APPEARANCE; and a Special Jury Prize for Social Commentary to THE SENTENCE.
This year’s Animated Shorts Jury Prize winner is THE BURDEN, directed by Niki Lindroth von Bahr. The jury awarded LUNCH TIME, directed by Alireza Ghasemi, best Narrative Short and the Documentary Short award winner is SAND MEN, directed by Tal Amiran.
This year’s Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was HEARTS BEAT LOUD directed by Brett Haley.
The Audience Award for Best Documentary was presented to RBG, director Betsy West and Julie Cohen.
The Best In World Cinema Audience Award went to MAKTUB, directed by Oded Raz.
MR. CONNOLLY HAS ALS, directed by Dan Habib won the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
During the Closing Night, actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award-nominated actress Virginia Madsen received Career Achievement Awards.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the 20th Anniversary of the Sarasota Film Festival, which brought together groundbreaking films and important conversations for our audiences,” said President of the Sarasota Film Festival, Mark Famiglio. “Congratulations to this year’s winners, the esteemed Festival Jury and our audiences have thoroughly enjoyed your engaging and inspiring films, and we thank you for letting us showcase them here in Sarasota.”
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2018 Sarasota Film Festival Announces Lineup, ‘1985’ EIGHTH GRADE’ ‘THE RIDER’ and More…
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EIGHTH GRADE[/caption]
The 2018 Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) announced its full line-up, including its Centerpiece, Spotlight, Narrative Feature Competition, Independent Visions Competition, Documentary Feature Competition, Narrative, Documentary, and Short Films. The Festival also announced its five SFF Focus Panels – Sports in Cinema, Environment, Science, and Sustainability, Women’s Comedic Voices, Redefining Manhood, and Musings on Musicians.
“In honor of our 20th anniversary, we have programmed a lineup that celebrates the past, present, and future of the Sarasota Film Festival that is sure to delight our dedicated and passionate audiences,” said Mark Famiglio, Chairman and President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “The selection includes a diverse group of narratives and voices that will create engaging conversations about today’s most important topics.”
In the Festival’s Centerpiece section is 1985, about a closeted gay man, unable to come out to his friends and family during the beginning of the AIDS crisis, staring Academy Award®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, who will be attendance at the Festival. Also a Centerpiece selection is Bo Burnham’s feature film directorial debut, EIGHTH GRADE, a portrait of young teenagers discovering their identities online and in reality. Bo will be in attendance for a Q&A following the film’s screening during the Festival.
The Spotlight section will include narrative films Brett Haley’s HEARTS BEAT LOUD, Silas Howard’s A KID LIKE JAKE, Andrew Haigh’s LEAN ON PETE, Hannah Fidell’s THE LONG DUMB ROAD, Dominic Cooke’s ON CHESIL BEACH, Chloé Zhao’s THE RIDER, and Madeline Olnek’s WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, and documentary films Eugene Jarecki’s THE KING, Ali Weinstein’s MERMAIDS, Barbara Kopple’s A MURDER IN MANSFIELD, and Morgan Neville’s WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
Each year the Sarasota Film Festival focuses on social issues to highlight throughout its program. The Sports in Cinema Focus returns this year, welcoming Ben and Orson Cummings and their film KILLER BEES, produced by Shaquille O’Neill. Other films in this focus include the Closing Day Film, Jason Kohn’s LOVE MEANS ZERO and Dana Adam Shapiro’s DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS.
In consideration of sustainability of communities and the planet, films in the SFF Environment, Science, and Sustainability Focus include Susan Kucera’s LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST, Chad Freidrichs’ EXPERIMENTAL CITY, Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler, and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, and Rory Kennedy’s ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW.
In a groundbreaking year for women, the festival presents SFF Focus: Women’s Comedic Voices, a lineup featuring all female directors. Films in the category include Wendy McColm’s BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS, Bridey Elliott’s CLARA’S GHOST, Caroline Golum’s A FEAST OF MAN as well as LONG DUMB ROAD and WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY.
The films in the SFF Focus: Redefining Manhood, provide a glimpse at the questions regarding masculine identities, include Bing Liu’s MINDING THE GAP, as well as 1985, THE RIDER, and WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR?
The final SFF Focus: Musings on Musicians, presents an array of films exploring the relationships between music and film. Films in the category include Laura Parnes’ TOUR WITHOUT END, T.G. Herrington and Danny Clinch’s A TUBA TO CUBA, Derek Ahonen’s THE TRANSCENDENTS, Sophie Fiennes’ GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, Jake Meginsky and Neil Young’s MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS, Scott Smith’s CHASING THE BLUES, Stephen Loveridge’s MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A, as well as THE KING and HEARTS BEAT LOUD.
The Narrative Feature Competition will showcase DON’T LEAVE HOME directed by Michael Tully, I AM NOT A WITCH, directed by Rungano Nyoni, MADELINE’S MADELINE, directed by Josephine Decker, THE QUEEN OF FEAR directed by Valeria Bertuccelli and Fabiana Tiscornia, THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN directed by Kamila Andini, SUPPORT THE GIRLS directed by Andrew Bujalski as well as CLARA’S GHOST.
The Documentary Feature Competition will include GENERATION WEALTH directed by Lauren Greenfield, GENESIS 2.0 directed by Christian Frei and Maxim Arbugaev, HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING directed by RaMell Ross, OF FATHERS AND SONS directed by Talal Derki, THE SENTENCE directed by Rudy Valdez, as well as DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE DALLAS COWBOY CHEERLEADERS and MINDING THE GAP.
The Independent Visions Competition will feature BLACK MOTHER directed by Khalik Allah, LIFE AND NOTHING MORE directed by Antonio Méndez Esparza, MAISON DU BONHEUR directed by Sofia Bohdanowicz, NOTES ON APPEARANCE directed by Ricky D’Ambrose, as well as BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS, A FEAST OF MAN, MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS, and TOUR WITHOUT END.
The jury for the competition films will consist of the following individuals: producer Autumn Bailey-Ford, Emmy®-nominated writer and producer Mark Bailey, documentary filmmaker Orson Cummings, New York Magazine film critic David Edelstein, Factory 25 film distributor Matt Grady, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Director – New York Programs and Membership Patrick Harrison, film professor Del Jacobs, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Penny Lane, actress Penelope Ann Miller, The Hollywood Reporter film writer Tatiana Siegel, founder and publisher of Women and Hollywood Melissa Silverstein, and Sarasota County Circuit court judge and filmmaker Charles Williams.
Narrative films include: ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA directed by Ian Lagarde, AMERICAN ANIMALS directed by Bart Layton, AUGUST IN BERLIN directed by Becky Smith, BIKINI MOON directed by Milcho Manchevski, BLACK KITE directed by Tarique Qayumi, CAN HITLER HAPPEN HERE? directed by Saskia Rifkin, COLD SKIN directed by Xavier Gens, COME SUNDAY directed by Joshua Marston, DELENDA directed by Ralph Moffettone, DIMINUENDO directed by Adrian Stewart, EN EL SÉPTIMO DÍA directed by Jim McKay, FIRST REFORMED directed by Paul Schrader, A FRENCHMAN IN FLORIDA directed by Dante Rhev, HOLIDAY directed by Isabella Eklof, LET THE SUNSHINE IN directed by Claire Denis, MAKTUB directed by Oded Raz, SANTA INOCENCIA directed by Maritxell Campos Olivé, SHELTER directed by Eran Riklis, TATTERDEMALION directed by Ramaa Mosley, TINKER directed by Sonny Mahrler, VIRGINIA, MINNESOTA directed by Daniel Stine, VIRUS TROPICAL directed by Santiago Caicedo, WE THE ANIMALS directed by Jeremiah Zagar, WHITE RABBIT directed by Daryl Wein, ZAMA directed by Lucrecia Martel, as well as CHASING THE BLUES and THE TRANSCENDENTS.
Documentary films include: 306 HOLLYWOOD directed by Elan Bogarin and Jonathan Bogarin, ANTONIO LOPEZ 1970: SEX FASHION & DISCO directed by James Crump, ASK THE SEXPERT directed by Vaishali Sinha, BISBEE ’17 directed by Robert Greene, CHEF FLYNN directed by Cameron Yates, CRACKING ACES: A WOMAN’S PLACE AT THE TABLE directed by H. James Gilmore, CRIME + PUNISHMENT directed by Stephen Maing, DISTANT CONSTELLATION directed by Shevaun Mizrahi, FATHER’S KINGDOM directed by Lenny Feinberg, FREEDOM FOR THE WOLF directed by Rupert Russell, THE GREAT FLIP-OFF directed by Dafna Yachin, HALF THE PICTURE directed by Amy Adrion, LA FLOR DE LA VIDA directed by Adriana Leoff and Claudia Abend, LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE directed by Gustavo Salmerón, MAYNARD directed by Sam Pollard, OLD DOG directed by Sally Rowe, ON HER SHOULDERS directed by Alexandria Bombach, THE PAIN OF OTHERS directed by Penny Lane, RBG directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, SISTERS directed by Justyna Tafel, THAT SUMMER directed by Göran Hugo Olsson, THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS directed by Tim Wardle as well as THE EXPERIMENTAL CITY, GRACE JONES: BLOODLIGHT AND BAMI, KILLER BEES, LIVING IN THE FUTURE’S PAST, MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A., RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, and A TUBA TO CUBA.
As previously announced Golden Globe®-nominated and Independent Spirit Award®-nominated Eric Stoltz’s coming-of-age comedy CLASS RANK will be the Festival’s Opening Night film and Academy Award®-nominated and Emmy®-winning Rory Kennedy’s ABOVE AND BEYOND: NASA’S JOURNEY TO TOMORROW will serve as Closing Night film. The Festival will also be honoring renowned actor Steve Guttenberg and Academy Award®-nominated actress Virginia Madsen with Career Achievement Awards during the closing weekend.
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2018 Seattle Jewish Film Festival Salutes Israel’s 70th Birthday, Announces Lineup. Opens with Mob Caper MAKTUB
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Maktub[/caption]
Under the theme “isREEL Life,” this year’s 2018 Seattle Jewish Film Festival is particularly special, as the Festival salutes Israel’s 70th birthday. The 23rd edition of the Seattle Jewish Film Festival will run from March 8 to March 18 at venues around Seattle and on Mercer Island with a special Eastside Expansion on April 14 to April 15 at Regal’s Cinebarre Issaquah 8, showcasing four additional films. This festival is an important part of Seattle’s cultural mosaic, offering a diverse spectrum of films that celebrate Jewish and Israeli life, culture, history, and cinema.
Oded Raz, Isreaeli director, will feature the funny and touching mob caper Maktub on Seattle’s Opening Night, and SJFF’s new Eastside Opening Night kicks off with the illuminating and entertaining documentary Shalom Bollywood, about Indian-Jewish screen legends. The final Eastside film will be Across the Waters: a gripping story of survival and rescue.
SJFF 2018 SCREENINGS AND PROGRAMS
Opening Night Film Maktub | Director: Oded Raz | Comedy/Drama | Israel Two Jerusalem mob enforcers turn into unlikely secret angels after surviving a bombing at a resaurant they were shaking down. They fulfill writers’ wishes in purloined notes from the Western Wall while evading their suspicious boss in this funny and touching caper. Land of Milk and Funny | Director: Avi Liberman | Documentary | USA/Israel LA funnyman Avi Liberman takes fellow stand-up comedians on tours of Israel, capturing their keen and comical insights onstage and off. Guest (and stand-up performer): Comedian Dwight Slade. Trezoros: The Jews of Kastoria | Directors: Lawrence Russo & Larry Confino | Documentary | Greece A coastal city renowned for its idyllic beauty, Kastoria was once home to a harmonious and vibrant population of Greek Jews and Christians. Never-before-seen archival footage and interviews stitch together a compelling portrait of this unique and dynamic Jewish community. Guests: Director Lawrence Russo and Professor Devin Naar, UW Sephardic Studies. Keep the Change | Director: Rachel Israel | Romantic Comedy | USA Winner of Best Narrative Feature at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, this romantic comedy about people with autism navigating the difficulties of a relationship is charming, authentic and is “as funny as it is sweet” (Variety). Preceded by short film: The Gravedigger’s Daughter. Recommended for ages 15+; $5 tickets for TeenTix Members. Itzhak | Director: Alison Chernick | Documentary | USA Widely considered one of the world’s greatest living violinists, Itzhak Perlman’s mastery of the violin catapulted a child with polio from Tel Aviv and the son of Polish survivors onto the world’s most prominent stages. The Cakemaker | Director: Ophir Raul Graizer | Drama | Gemany/Israel Devastated by the sudden death of his Israeli boyfriend, shy Berlin baker Thomas journeys to Jerusalem, where he secretly infiltrates the lives of his lover’s widow and son, and helps revive her fledgling café with his tantalizing German confections. How long can he keep this secret as the pair becomes deeply enmeshed? Guest: Sara Michelle Fetters, Lead Film Critic for Seattle Gay News. Mandala Beats | Director: Rebekah Reiko | Documentary | Canada/India/Israel Known as the Jimi Hendrix of Israeli, musician Yossi Fine has collaborated with artists across the globe including Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Madonna. The son of a European Jew and a black Parisian mom, he learns that his grandfather was Indian, and departs on an “instrumental” journey of rediscovery. Guest: Director Rebekah Reiko. Longing | Director: Savi Gabizon | Drama | Israel Director Savi Gabizon (Nina’s Tragedies, SJFF 2005) muses on aging and second chances in this tale of a father haunted by a son he never knew existed. Preceded by short film: Holes. Praise the Lard | Director: Chen Shelach | Documentary | Israel The untold story of the pork industry in Israel, from Zionist movement and kibbutz pig farms to current identity struggles, freedoms, and new immigrant penchants, in spite of fierce resistance from religious Jews. Preceded by short film: Our Brothers. An Act of Defiance | Director: Jean van de Velde | Drama | South Africa Ten men in Nelson Mandela’s inner circle—some black, some Jewish—are arrested for conspiring to commit sabotage against the South African apartheid state. Their courageous lawyer risks career and freedom to defend them and conceal his own sedition in this nail-biting political thriller and spectacular courtroom drama. 1945 | Director: Ferenc Török | Drama | Hungary In the immediate aftermath of WWII, the arrival of an elderly Orthodox Jew and his son in a small Hungarian town triggers the townsfolk’s collective fear and guilt. Shelter | Director: Eran Riklis | Drama/Thriller | Germany/Israel/France In this suspenseful, neo-noir drama and psychological thriller, Mossad agent Naomi is sent to protect Mona, a Lebanese collaborator, in a German safe house. Their uneasy relationship develops into an unexpected bond, while threat levels outside rise. Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me | Director: Sam Pollard | Documentary | USA A toe-tapping, star-studded homage to the immensely-talented Black-Jewish entertainer and Rat Pack legend who navigated the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress in mid-20th century America. The Testament | Director: Amichai Greenberg | Drama/Thriller | Austria/Israel Yoel, a meticulous historian leading a significant debate against Holocaust deniers, discovers that his mother carries a false identity. Is he willing to risk everything to discover the truth? Guest: Actor Ori Pfeffer. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story | Director: Alexandra Dean | Documentary | USA Alert, hipsters: Hedy Lamarr is the new Nikolai Tesla. Watch this film about her stranger-than-fiction life and amazing inventions so you can be into her before everyone else catches on. $5 tickets for Seniors 65+. Refreshments will be served at this screening. The History of Love | Director: Radu Mihaileanu | Drama | France/Belgium/Canada/Romania Two lives intersect in New York City in this masterful adaptation of Nicole Krauss’s bestselling novel starring Elliot Gould and Sir Derek Jacobi. An Israeli Love Story | Director: Dan Wolman | Drama | Israel Aspiring young actress Margalit falls for dashing fighter Eli in pre-independence Palestine, setting the stage for a true love story that mixes idealism, romance, sacrifice, and tragedy during a turbulent and momentous period. A cash bar at The J Cafe accompanies this screening. Vitch | Director: Sigal Bujman | Documentary | USA/Australia/France/Germany/Israel/Poland This documentary illuminates the moral conundrum of Eddie Vitch, a Polish Jewish caricaturist, mime and comedian, who stayed alive by entertaining Nazi elite and Gestapo officers. The film traces his daughter’s efforts to uncover the truth about his activities and motives. Guests: Director Sigal Bujman and Director of Photography Marc Pingry; Producers Yaffa and Paul Maritz. A special Event in the J Café accompanies this film, featuring a Brown Derby Eddie Vitch caricature exhibit and cake reception Cuba’s Forgotten Jewels | Directors: Robin Truesdale and Judy Kreith | Documentary | USA For a few short years in the 1940s, Jewish refugees from war-torn Europe turned the tropical island of Cuba into a global diamond center. This little-known, colorful, and uplifting story is set to an original soundtrack of Jewish melodies and pulsating Cuban music, featuring Seattle’s own Clave Gringa who will perform after the screening. Guests: Directors Robin Truesdale and Judy Kreith; Ann Reynolds, and Clave Gringa Latin jazz band. There will also be a a performance by Seattle’s Clave Gringa, who is featured on the film’s soundtrack. Closing Night Centerpiece Tiffany Shlain’s “Spoken Cinema” | Director Tiffany Shlain | Documentary Shorts Program | USA This year’s SJFF REEL Difference Award recipient is Emmy-nominated filmmaker, author, public speaker, and internet pioneer, Tiffany Shlain, whose Let it Ripple film studio makes impactful films and creates global social initiatives (Character Day, 50/50 Day) that explore the intersection of technology, (Jewish) identity, and connection that shape our lives. She will take us on an exhilarating tour of her acclaimed films and present a new, interactive, documentary art form she calls “Spoken Cinema”—a live narration of her film as the soundtrack plays in the background. Guest: Filmmaker and SJFF 2018 REEL Difference Award recipient Tiffany Shlain. Eastside Opening Night Shalom Bollywood | Director: Danny Ben-Moshe | Documentary | Australia Who knew that Jews—specifically Jewish women—dominated Bollywood for the first half of its 100-year history? This entertaining documentary, featuring rich and rare archival clips, profiles six legends of the Indian silver screen who made Bollywood what it is today: the largest and one of the most progressive, cutting-edge film industries in the world. This screening will include free popcorn and a beverage for ticket holders. Ben-Gurion, Epilogue | Director: Yariv Mozer | Documentary | Israel Two filmmakers scoured the globe for the last David Ben-Gurion interview, before finding it in the Israeli desert—a rivetingly intimate documentary that captures both the vision and humility of Israel’s founding father. Your Honor | Director: Roni Ninio | TV Drama/Thriller (4 episodes) | Israel Binge watch Israel’s new, award-winning Breaking Bad-esque television drama, Your Honor, about a rising-star judge and his well-meaning family who become ensnared in Israel’s underworld. (Four episodes shown, with the rest of season one coming at a later date.) Across the Waters | Director: Nicolo Donato | Drama | Denmark Unsure of whom they can trust, a Jewish musician and his family make a frantic escape from Nazi-occupied Denmark. A gripping story of survival and rescue.