Maudie

  • 38th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Named Film of the Year

    [caption id="attachment_23572" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption] The UK’s leading film critics handed out their annual prizes on Sunday night at the 38th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards and Martin McDonagh’s drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was named Film of the Year, while McDonagh also collected Screenwriter of the Year and star Frances McDormand won Actress of the Year. Several winners were on-hand to collect their awards: Timothée Chalamet was named Actor of the Year for Call Me By Your Name, Hugh Grant won supporting actor for Paddington 2, Lesley Manville won supporting actress for Phantom Thread, Harris Dickinson won the young performer prize for his work in Beach Rats, and God’s Own Country writer-director Francis Lee took the Philip French Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker. The evening’s high point was the presentation of the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film to Kate Winslet, introduced by her friend and costar Jude Law. The critics voted for Paul Verhoeven’s Elle as Foreign-Language Film of the Year, Raoul Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro as Documentary of the Year and Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk as recipient of the Attenborough Award as British/Irish Film of the Year. Sally Hawkins and Daniel Kaluuya were named British/Irish actress and actor, respectively; Sean Baker won best director for The Florida Project; Dennis Gassner won the Technical Achievement Award for his production design on Blade Runner 2049, and We Love Moses was named British/Irish Short Film of the Year.

    Full list of winners:

    FILM OF THE YEAR Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR Elle DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR I Am Not Your Negro BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR: The Attenborough Award Dunkirk DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Sean Baker – The Florida Project SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ACTOR OF THE YEAR Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Lesley Manville – Phantom Thread SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR Hugh Grant – Paddington 2 BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water/Maudie/Paddington 2 BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR Harris Dickinson – Beach Rats BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: The Philip French Award Francis Lee – God’s Own Country BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR We Love Moses – Dionne Edwards TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Blade Runner 2049 – Dennis Gassner, production design EXCELLENCE IN FILM: The Dilys Powell Award Kate Winslet

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  • LADY BIRD Named Best Film of 2017 by National Society of Film Critics

    [caption id="attachment_26086" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]LADY BIRD LADY BIRD[/caption] Lady Bird is the big winner of the 2017 National Society of Film Critics awards, grabbing the top prize for Best Picture of 2017, in addition to Best Director and Best Screenplay for Greta Gerwig; and Best Supporting Actress for Laurie Metcalf. A Special Citation for a film awaiting U.S. distribution was awarded to Spoor (Pokot), by Agnieska Holland. This year’s National Society of Film Critics awards is dedicated to Richard Schickel, the legendary film critic and historian, author of 37 books and director of 37 documentaries, and a founding member of the Society.

    2017 National Society of Film Critics Awards

    BEST ACTRESS:

    *1. Sally Hawkins – 49 (The Shape of Water, Maudie)
    1. Saoirse Ronan – 44 (Lady Bird)
    2. Frances McDormand 24 (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
    3. Cynthia Nixon – 24 (A Quiet Passion) [tie]

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

    *1. Laurie Metcalf – 74 (Lady Bird)
    1. Lesley Manville – 36 (Phantom Thread)
    2. Allison Janney – 24 (I, Tonya)

    BEST ACTOR:

    *1. Daniel Kaluuya – 44 (Get Out)
    1. Daniel Day-Lewis – 34 (Phantom Thread)
    2. Timothée Chalamet — 24 (Call Me by Your Name)

    BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

    *1. Willem Dafoe – 62 (The Florida Project)
    1. Michael Stuhlbarg – 25 (Call Me by Your Name, The Shape of Water, The Post)
    2. Sam Rockwell – 23 (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)

    BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

    *1. Blade Runner 2049 – 40 (Roger Deakins)
    1. Dunkirk – 39 (Hoyte van Hoytema)
    2. The Florida Project – 36 (Alexis Zabe)

    BEST SCREENPLAY:

    *1. Lady Bird – 50 (Greta Gerwig)
    1. Get Out – 49 (Jordan Peele)
    2. Phantom Thread – 31 (Paul Thomas Anderson)

    BEST PICTURE:

    *1. Lady Bird – 41
    1. Get Out – 39
    2. Phantom Thread – 28

    BEST DIRECTOR:

    *1. Greta Gerwig – 37 (Lady Bird)
    1. Jordan Peele – 36 (Get Out)
    2. Paul Thomas Anderson – 36 (Phantom Thread)  [tie]

    BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

    *1. Graduation – 35 (Cristian Mungiu)
    1. Faces Places – 30 (Agnès Varda)
    2. BPM (Beats Per Minute) – 29 (Robin Campillo)

    BEST NON-FICTION FILM

    *1. Faces Places – 70 (Agnès Varda)
    1. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library – 34 (Frederick Wiseman)
    2. Dawson City: Frozen Time – 32 (Bill Morrison)

    BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM

    Good Luck, by Ben Russell

    FILM HERITAGE AWARD:

    “One Way or Another: Black Women’s Cinema, 1970-1991,” curated by the Brooklyn Academy of Music Cinématek. Special commendation to Dan Talbot for his pioneering work as an exhibitor and distributor, in bringing world-wide cinema to the United States. SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: Spoor (Pokot), by Agnieska Holland.  

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  • LADY BIRD Wins Big With Indiana Film Journalists Association, Named Best Film of 2017

    [caption id="attachment_24371" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Lady Bird by Greta Gerwig Lady Bird[/caption] “Lady Bird” scored with the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) awards, taking the top prize of best picture as well as best director and best original screenplay for Greta Gerwig, best Actress for Saoirse Ronan and Best Supporting Actress for Laurie Metcalf. Its five wins are the most for any film in IFJA awards history. “Faces Places” won the best foreign language film prize; and “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992” won best documentary film. The Original Vision Award, which goes to a film that is especially original or innovative, went to “Loving Vincent.” The Breakout of the Year went to Timothée Chalamet for his work in “Call Me by Your Name” and “Lady Bird.” The Hoosier Award, which recognizes a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with roots in Indiana, or a film that depicts Hoosier State locales and stories, went to “Columbus,” the debut feature film of director Kogonada, which was set and shot in the southern Indiana city noted for its Modernist architecture. IFJA members issued this statement for the Hoosier Award: “Writer and director Kogonada made the architectural haven of Columbus, Indiana, an integral part of his debut film. As a meditation on time, responsibility and the influence of art on everyday life, ‘Columbus’ shows the introspective side of Hoosiers that is often left out in stereotypical portrayals.”

    2017 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards

    Best Film

    Winner: “Lady Bird” Runner-up: “The Shape of Water” Other Finalists (listed alphabetically): “Blade Runner 2049” “Brigsby Bear” “Dunkirk” “The Florida Project” “Get Out” “The Post” “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

    Best Animated Feature

    Winner: “Coco” Runner-Up: “Loving Vincent”

    Best Foreign Language Film

    Winner: “Faces Places” Runner-Up: “BPM (Beats Per Minute)”

    Best Documentary

    Winner: “Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992” Runner-Up: “Liyana”

    Best Original Screenplay

    Winner: Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” Runner-up: Jordan Peele, “Get Out”

    Best Adapted Screenplay

    Winner: Scott Frank, James Mangold and Michael Green, “Logan” Runner-up: Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, “Blade Runner 2049”

    Best Director

    Winner: Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” Runner-up: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”

    Best Actress

    Winner: Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird” Runner-up: Sally Hawkins, “Maudie”

    Best Supporting Actress

    Winner: Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird” Runner-up: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”

    Best Actor

    Winner: Harry Dean Stanton, “Lucky” Runner-up: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”

    Best Supporting Actor

    Winner: Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project” Runner-up: Doug Jones, “The Shape of Water”

    Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance

    Winner: Andy Serkis, “War for the Planet of the Apes” Runner-up: Sean Gunn & Bradley Cooper, “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2”

    Best Ensemble Acting

    Winner: “The Florida Project” Runner-up: “The Post”

    Best Musical Score

    Winner: Alexandre Desplat, “The Shape of Water” Runner-up: Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch, “Blade Runner 2049”

    Breakout of the Year

    Winner: Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name” and “Lady Bird” Runner-up: Kogonada, “Columbus”

    Original Vision Award

    Winner: “Loving Vincent” Runner-up: “Brigsby Bear

    The Hoosier Award

    Winner: “Columbus” (As a special award, no runner-up is declared in this category.)

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  • 141 Scores in Contention for Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards

    [caption id="attachment_23776" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]Battle Of The Sexes BATTLE OF THE SEXES[/caption] 141 scores from eligible feature-length films released in 2017 have qualified to be nominated in the Original Score category for the 90th Academy Awards. To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs or any music not composed specifically for the film by the submitting composer, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible. Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018. The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title: “Alien: Covenant,” Jed Kurzel, composer “All I See Is You,” Marc Streitenfeld, composer “All the Money in the World,” Daniel Pemberton, composer “Annabelle: Creation,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer “Band Aid,” Lucius, composer “Battle of the Sexes,” Nicholas Britell, composer “Baywatch,” Christopher Lennertz, composer “Beauty and the Beast,” Alan Menken, composer “The Big Sick,” Michael Andrews, composer “Blade Runner 2049,” Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer, composers “The Book of Henry,” Michael Giacchino, composer “Born in China,” Barnaby Taylor, composer “The Boss Baby,” Hans Zimmer and Steve Mazzaro, composers “Boston,” Jeff Beal, composer “Brad’s Status,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer “Brawl in Cell Block 99,” Jeff Herriott and S. Craig Zahler, composers “The Breadwinner,” Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, composers “Breathe,” Nitin Sawhney, composer “Brigsby Bear,” David Wingo, composer “Brimstone & Glory,” Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin, composers “Captain Underpants The First Epic Movie,” Theodore Shapiro, composer “Cars 3,” Randy Newman, composer “The Circle,” Danny Elfman, composer “Coco,” Michael Giacchino, composer “Cries from Syria,” Martin Tillman, composer “A Cure for Wellness,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer “Darkest Hour,” Dario Marianelli, composer “Despicable Me 3,” Heitor Pereira, composer “The Disaster Artist,” Dave Porter, composer “A Dog’s Purpose,” Rachel Portman, composer “Downsizing,” Rolfe Kent, composer “Drawing Home,” Ben Holiday, composer “Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer, composer “Earth: One Amazing Day,” Alex Heffes, composer “A Fantastic Woman,” Matthew Herbert, composer “The Fate of the Furious,” Brian Tyler, composer “Father Figures,” Rob Simonsen, composer “Ferdinand,” John Powell, composer “Fifty Shades Darker,” Danny Elfman, composer “Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool,” J. Ralph, composer “First They Killed My Father,” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, composers “Get Out,” Michael Abels, composer “A Ghost Story,” Daniel Hart, composer “Gifted,” Rob Simonsen, composer “The Glass Castle,” Joel P. West, composer “Going in Style,” Rob Simonsen, composer “Good Time,” Daniel Lopatin, composer “Goodbye Christopher Robin,” Carter Burwell, composer “Gook,” Roger Suen, composer “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Tyler Bates, composer “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” Atli Ӧrvarsson, composer “Hostiles,” Max Richter, composer “Human Flow,” Karsten Fundal, composer “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power,” Jeff Beal, composer “It,” Benjamin Wallfisch, composer “Jane,” Philip Glass, composer “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” Henry Jackman, composer “Justice League,” Danny Elfman, composer “Kepler’s Dream,” Patrick Neil Doyle, composer “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” Daniel Pemberton, composer “Kingsman: The Golden Circle,” Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson, composers “Kong: Skull Island,” Henry Jackman, composer “LA 92,” Danny Bensi and Saunder Jurriaans, composers “LBJ,” Marc Shaiman, composer “Lady Bird,” Jon Brion, composer “Lake of Fire,” Qutub-E-Kripa, composer “Last Flag Flying,” Graham Reynolds, composer “The Lego Batman Movie,” Lorne Balfe, composer “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer “The Leisure Seeker,” Carlo Virzì, composer “Let It Fall,” Mark Isham, composer “Life,” Jon Ekstrand, composer “Logan,” Marco Beltrami, composer “The Lost City of Z,” Christopher Spelman, composer “Loveless,” Evgueni Galperine and Sacha Galperine, composers “Loving Vincent,” Clint Mansell, composer “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” Mychael Danna, composer “Mark Felt – The Man Who Brought Down the White House,” Daniel Pemberton, composer “Marshall,” Marcus Miller, composer “Mary and the Witch’s Flower,” Takatsugu Muramatsu, composer “Maudie,” Michael Timmins, composer “Molly’s Game,” Daniel Pemberton, composer “Moomins and the Winter Wonderland,” Łukasz Targosz, composer “The Mountain between Us,” Ramin Djawadi, composer “Mudbound,” Tamar-kali, composer “The Mummy,” Brian Tyler, composer “Murder on the Orient Express,” Patrick Doyle, composer “My Cousin Rachel,” Rael Jones, composer “Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer,” Jun Miyake, composer “Okja,” Jaeil Jung, composer “Oklahoma City,” David Cieri, composer “The Only Living Boy in New York,” Rob Simonsen, composer “Only the Brave,” Joseph Trapanese, composer “Our Souls at Night,” Elliot Goldenthal, composer “Paris Can Wait,” Laura Karpman, composer “Patti Cake$,” Geremy Jasper and Jason Binnick, composers “Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood, composer “The Pirates of Somalia,” Andrew Feltenstein and John Nau, composers “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” Geoff Zanelli, composer “The Post,” John Williams, composer “Professor Marston and the Wonder Women,” Tom Howe, composer “The Promise,” Gabriel Yared, composer “Pulimurugan,” Gopi Sundar, composer “Raw,” Jim Williams, composer “Roman J. Israel, Esq.,” James Newton Howard, composer “Saban’s Power Rangers,” Brian Tyler, composer “Same Kind of Different as Me,” John Paesano, composer “The Second Coming of Christ,” Navid Hejazi, Ramin Kousha and Silvia Leonetti, composers “Served Like a Girl,” Michael A. Levine, composer “The Shack,” Aaron Zigman, composer “The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat, composer “Slipaway,” Tao Liu, composer “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” Christopher Lennertz, composer “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Michael Giacchino, composer “Split,” West Dylan Thordson, composer “The Star,” John Paesano, composer “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams, composer “Step,” Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq, composers “Stronger,” Michael Brook, composer “Suburbicon,” Alexandre Desplat, composer “Swing Away,” Tao Zervas, composer “Thank You for Your Service,” Thomas Newman, composer “Their Finest,” Rachel Portman, composer “Thelma,” Ola Fløttum, composer “Thor: Ragnarok,” Mark Mothersbaugh, composer “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell, composer “Tickling Giants,” Paul Tyan, composer “Tommy’s Honour,” Christian Henson, composer “Trafficked,” David Das, composer “Transformers: The Last Knight,” Steve Jablonsky, composer “XXX: Return of Xander Cage,” Brian Tyler and Robert Lydecker, composers “Victoria & Abdul,” Thomas Newman, composer “Voice from the Stone,” Michael Wandmacher, composer “Wakefield,” Aaron Zigman, composer “War for the Planet of the Apes,” Michael Giacchino, composer “Wilson,” Jon Brion, composer “Wind River,” Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, composers “Wonder,” Marcelo Zarvos, composer “Wonder Woman,” Rupert Gregson-Williams, composer “Wonderstruck,” Carter Burwell, composer “Year by the Sea,” Alexander Janko, composer

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  • Melbourne International Film Festival Unveils 2017 Lineup, Closes with Paul Williams’ GURRUMUL ELCHO DREAMING

    [caption id="attachment_23090" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]GURRUMUL ELCHO DREAMING GURRUMUL ELCHO DREAMING[/caption] The 2017 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) unveiled its full program line-up of more than 358 films representing 68 countries, including 251 features, 88 shorts, 17 Virtual Reality experiences, 12 MIFF Talks events, 31 world premieres and 135 Australian premieres. It all happens over 18 days, spanning 13 venues across Melbourne, from August 3 to 20, 2017. “What a pleasure it is to launch this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival,” said Artistic Director Michelle Carey. “This year’s program offers audiences an amazing opportunity to explore new worlds through film – from our Pioneering Women and Sally Potter retrospectives to the return of our Virtual Reality program as well as a particularly strong line-up of special events, we can’t wait to open the doors to MIFF 2017.” The festival will kick off with the Opening Night Gala screening of Greg McLean’s MIFF Premiere Fund-supported JUNGLE, and will wind up with the world premiere Closing Night screening of Paul Williams’ GURRUMUL ELCHO DREAMING. A profound exploration of the life and music of revered Australian artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, the film uses the tools of the artist’s music – chord, melody, song – and the sounds of the land to craft an audio-first cinematic experience, offering a rare insight into a reclusive master. Joining the MIFF guest line-up are Australia’s Melissa George, starring in the MIFF Premiere Fund-supported THE BUTTERFLY TREE; Italian director Luca Guadagnino with his acclaimed new film CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, a sensuous story of first love and the end of adolescence; and newcomer Jennifer Brea making her way to MIFF with UNREST, a feature documentary capturing her darkest moments as she is derailed by Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Further international guests include Peter Mackie Burns, the debut feature director of DAPHNE, a refreshing portrait of contemporary womanhood; Francis Lee, with his depiction of British rural life in GOD’S OWN COUNTRY; Slavko Martinov, the force behind the entertaining flockumentary PECKING ORDER; Gabe Klinger on behalf of PORTO, a film presented in Super 8, 16mm and breathtaking 35mm; director Sami Saif and cinematographer Anders Löfstedt with their music documentary THE ALLINS; Thai filmmaker Anocha Suwichakornpong, winner of the Top Prize at the 2016 Thai National Film Association Awards for her feature BY THE TIME IT GETS DARK; and Annie Goldson, director of KIM DOTCOM: CAUGHT IN THE WEB, a documentary about the court case surrounding the internet’s most wanted criminal. MIFF guests also include Daniel Borgman, director of LOVING PIA, a winsome tale blurring documentary and fiction; and Florian Habicht, director of SPOOKERS, a film focusing on a former psychiatric hospital that is now a haunted attraction. Following last year’s success, VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) returns to MIFF in 2017. Leading the charge is the world premiere of Lucas Taylor’s INSIDE MANUS, taking the audience behind the razor wire to meet the asylum seekers on the Manus Island detention centre. Other VR world premieres include Lester Francois’ RONE, a distinctive portrait of the Melbourne street artist; Khoa Do and Piers Mussared’s THE EXTRACTION, a work imagining a perilous journey through the post apocalypse; and Christopher Bailey’s ACROSS, set in a world where two beings live in opposite cliffs – where one side is a paradise and the other a wasteland. The VR program continues with Jeff Goldblum making a cameo appearance in MIYUBI, a feature length film about a family’s relationship with its Japanese toy robot, from co-directors Félix Lajeunesse and Paul Raphaël; George Gittoes expands upon his MIFF 2015 feature Snow Monkey, taking audiences on a VR tour to Afghanistan in the world premiere of FUN FAIR JALALABAD; and Ben Smith’s THE HUNT FOR THE YIDAKI, the companion piece to the MIFF 2017 Premiere Fund-supported feature WESTWIND: DJALU’S LEGACY, will also receive its world premiere. Meanwhile UNREST VR, a film about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – made by Amaury La Burthe and other key collaborators on Notes on Blindness: Into Darkness (MIFF 2016) – screens as an expansion piece to Jennifer Brea’s feature documentary, also showing at MIFF 2017. In addition to UNREST, MIFF’s much-loved DOCUMENTARIES program delivers an array of gripping real-life character studies. Catch WINNIE, Pascale Lamche’s Sundance Directing Award-winning portrait of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, variously viewed as the wife of South Africa’s most revered leader, the mother and/or enemy of her nation and a revolutionary force in her own right; Andres Veiel’s BEUYS: ART AS A WEAPON, an extensive look at the felt-clad, hat-wearing German performance artist Joseph Beuys; and DINA, the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winner from Dan Sickles and Antonio Santini that offers a heartfelt and heart-melting portrait of love in all its strangeness and wonder. The Documentaries program also takes audiences behind the closed doors of wildly diverse environments. In the remarkable debut film THE WORK, America’s most hardened criminals share their demons with the everyday public during the world’s most intense group therapy session in Jairus McLeary and Gethin Aldous’ SXSW Grand Jury Prize-winner; Jean-Stéphane Bron’s THE PARIS OPERA is a film candidly charting the day-to-day drama during a season of upheaval for the revered company; and ROLLER DREAMS finds Australian director Kate Hickey tracking down the original stars of the Venice Beach 80s roller dancing movement to build a funky portrait of the rise and fall of the craze. MIFF’s toe-tapping MUSIC ON FILM program dances to its own beat with THE ALLINS where award-winning Danish documentarian Sami Saif turn his lens on the most outrageous musician to ever live – GG Allin – revealing the man behind the maniac behind the music; and in Kyoko Miyake’s TOKYO IDOLS, teenage girl pop stars grapple with finding fame and the creeping fixation of their male fan bases in an eye-opening look at Japanese idol culture. Musical influencers take centre stage in the Sundance Special Jury Prize-winning RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD, where Catherine Bainbridge sets out to reinstate Native American trailblazers to their rightful place in the pop music pantheon; and Lucy Walker, director of the MIFF 2013 Best Documentary Audience Award-winner The Crash Reel, returns with BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB: ADIOS, a touching farewell to the beloved son cubano musicians as they complete their final tour. A stellar line-up of homegrown talent will be showcased in AUSTRALIAN FILMS. Marking the halfway point of the festival will be the CENTREPIECE GALA world premiere screening of THREE SUMMERS, the first Australian film from comedian Ben Elton. Romantic leads Robert Sheehan and Rebecca Breeds are joined by a glittering ensemble featuring Michael Caton, Magda Szubanski, Deborah Mailman, Jacqueline McKenzie and John Waters for an of-the-moment, multi-story comedy set over three years at a fictional folk-music festival. Continuing the Australian Films showcase, David Wenham makes his feature directorial debut with a Before Sunrise-style romance set to the distinctive sounds of Megan Washington with ELLIPSIS, starring Emily Barclay and Benedict Samuel; MIFF offers an exclusive preview of the second series of GLITCH, a Matchbox Pictures production commissioned by ABC TV and co-produced by Netflix, set in a fictional Victorian town where deceased former residents have crawled out of their graves in the local cemetery; and in a special screening presented by the National Film and Sound Archive’s digital restoration program – NFSA RESTORES, MIFF will also present the classic rip-roaring homegrown action flick, SHAME, where an award-winning Deborra-Lee Furness – also a guest of MIFF 2017 – turns the tables on a country town’s entrenched male violence. Celebrating its 10th birthday in 2017, the MIFF PREMIERE FUND stages six world premieres (each with its director in attendance) comprising: Greg McLean’s MIFF Opening Night Film JUNGLE, starring Daniel Radcliffe; Luke Shanahan’s uniquely stylish psychological thriller RABBIT, featuring The Great Gatsby’s Adelaide Clemens playing identical twins linked by more than just DNA; MIFF guests Melissa George and Ed Oxenbould starring alongside Ewen Leslie and Sophie Lowe in Priscilla Cameron’s THE BUTTERFLY TREE, a coming-of-age tale of love and loss tinged with magical realism; Eddie Martin’s HAVE YOU SEEN THE LISTERS?, an intimate account of the cost of success of Australia’s most renowned street artist, Anthony Lister (also a guest of the festival); Naina Sen’s THE SONG KEEPERS, telling the incredible story of a hidden musical legacy of ancient Aboriginal languages and German baroque songs that are being preserved by the Central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir (who will also attend the festival); and Ben Strunin’s WESTWIND: DJALU’s LEGACY, portraying the quest of Yolngu elder Djalu Gurruwiwi (who will attend the festival) to preserve his songlines with a little help from global pop star Gotye. Marking the MIFF Premiere Fund’s 10-year milestone, the festival will also screen three retrospective highlights from the Fund’s early years: the 2009 MIFF Opening Night film BALIBO, written and directed by Robert Connolly and starring Oscar Isaac, Anthony LaPaglia and MIFF Ambassador Gyton Grantley; Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s BASTARDY, a poetic and impressionistic portrait of the life of indigenous arts personality Jack Charles; and Ana Kokkinos’ all-star ensemble BLESSED, which features Frances O’Connor in an AFI Award-winning performance. PIONEERING WOMEN, a program of 80s and early 90s Australian films directed by women, will pay tribute to some of the country’s finest cinematic trailblazers, including director Ann Turner with the world premiere of her digitally restored horror meets coming-of-age drama CELIA; Gillian Armstrong with a digital restoration screening of STARSTRUCK, the iconic and colourful musical comedy about two Sydney teenagers who try to break into the music biz to save the family pub (which also features an appearance by MIFF Ambassador Geoffrey Rush). Both films are proudly presented by the National Film and Sound Archive’s restoration program – NFSA RESTORES. Don’t miss this opportunity to revisit other classics such as BEDEVIL (directed by Tracey Moffatt), THE BIG STEAL (directed by Nadia Tass) and FLOATING LIFE (directed by Clara Law), with guest Q&As and a Conversation panel in store among other events. MIFF’s ever popular NIGHT SHIFT program returns with innovative horror and genre films including A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN, in which French provocateur Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire (Johnny Mad Dog, MIFF 2008) returns to the brutal underworlds of masculine violence, in an adaptation of Billy Moore’s memoir of his time in Bangkok’s notorious Klong Prem prison; MY FRIEND DAHMER, Marc Meyers’ disturbing vision of America’s most notorious serial killer during his adolescence, featuring a breathtaking performance by Disney star Ross Lynch; and BLOODLANDS, a brutal mix of family blood feud and supernatural horror marking the first ever co-production between Australia and Albania, directed by Steven Kastrissios (The Horseman, MIFF 2008). For the first time in its history MIFF will also present a SCI-FI program, showcasing a selection of the genre’s best films including IKARIE XB-1, Jindřich Polák’s little-known pioneering masterpiece that influenced everything from Star Trek to 2001: A Space Odyssey… and beyond; INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION, from inventive animator Karel Zeman, the first steampunk film, bringing the stories and visuals of Jules Verne to life; LE DERNIER COMBAT, a work taking audiences back to where it all began for renowned sci-fi director Luc Besson, with his striking 1983 film starring Jean Reno in his feature debut; and STRANGE DAYS, featuring Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett and Juliette Lewis, Kathryn Bigelow’s 20-year-old, James Cameron-scripted, VR tech-noir. And for the night owls, running all night at the Astor Theatre is MIFF’s inaugural SCI-FI MARATHON, presenting a collection of the genre’s most venerated, controversial and enduring or under-appreciated fan favourites. For full details visit miff.com.au/marathon. The TRUE CRIME program returns in 2017 with some of the most intriguing and sinister stories of our time. Oscar-nominated documentarian David France (How to Survive a Plague, MIFF 2012) delivers a piercing survey of the origins of transgender activism and a search for justice in THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARTHA P JOHNSON; Erik Nelson’s A GRAY STATE is a riveting murder mystery, political thriller and unparalleled psychological profile about rising alt-right filmmaker and Iraq veteran David Crowley and his family; and Pete Nicks’ THE FORCE is an award-winning look at the day-to-day operations of the Oakland Police Department as it grapples with endemic corruption, sexism and racial violence. ANIMAL DOCUMENTARIES, a new program strand for 2017, puts the spotlight on some of the world’s most intriguing creatures. TROPHY sees Shaul Schwarz (Narco Cultura, MIFF 2013) and Christina Clusiau take on a charged debate in a controversial film that will upend everything audiences thought they knew about animal conservation; PECKING ORDER, the year’s best feel-good flockumentary from Slavko Martinov, introduces us to people taking the world of chicken fancying as seriously as life and death; and A RIVER BELOW, Mark Grieco’s provocative and murky morality tale about a TV conservationist’s battle to save the Amazon’s disappearing pink river dolphin, will leave audiences shocked and awed. MIFF’s HEADLINERS program will bring audiences the most-buzzed about films from the festival circuit. Highlights include Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or-winning THE SQUARE, a film marking the director as modern cinema’s most savage and inventive satirist; Claire Denis’ Cannes Director’s Fortnight award-winning romantic comedy LET THE SUNSHINE IN, starring Juliette Binoche; Geremy Jasper’s fabulous Sundance triumph PATTI CAKE$, featuring Australian acting discovery Danielle Macdonald in the role of a New Jersey battler and aspiring rapper; SONG TO SONG, a love story from Terrence Malick set against the backdrop of the Austin music scene, featuring Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman; and THE PARTY, Sally Potter’s caustic comic satire of a broken England, with a stellar ensemble headed by Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson and Timothy Spall. Showcasing MIFF’s admiration for the inimitable British director, this year the festival also proudly presents a SALLY POTTER RETROSPECTIVE. Screening the complete oeuvre of Potter’s feature films, along with a selection of her early shorts from 1969 to 1986, the retrospective includes: THE TANGO LESSON, where Potter plays opposite Argentine tango performer Pablo Verón for a seductive dance of reality and fiction; ORLANDO, the director’s stunning second film featuring a triumphant lead performance by Tilda Swinton as the androgynous titular character living across four centuries; THE GOLD DIGGERS, Potter’s seminal work that came to influence and define feminist cinema of the 1980s; and GINGER AND ROSA, starring Alice Englert and Elle Fanning as two friends threatened by a belief-shattering betrayal. The festival’s INTERNATIONAL program is packed with innovative cinema from countries near and afar. MIFF Patron Geoffrey Rush shines as Alberto Giacometti in Stanley Tucci’s FINAL PORTRAIT, a snapshot of several weeks the artist spent trying to paint author James Lord; Fatih Akin (Head-On, MIFF 2004) delivers the morally charged thriller IN THE FADE, featuring Diane Kruger in the performance that won her Best Actress at Cannes; and from Aisling Walsh comes MAUDIE, starring Oscar nominees Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke exploring the sensitive but rousing true tale of Maud Lewis, one of Canada’s most inspiring folk artists. Some 14 of Australia and New Zealand’s hottest emerging directors will have their short films premiere in the festival’s ACCELERATOR program and also participate in Accelerator Lab, MIFF’s prestigious development workshop assisting directors to transition to feature filmmaking. They are W.A.M (Bill) Bleakley; Nina Buxton; Kate Lefoe; Frank Magree; Zoe McIntosh; Victoria McIntyre; Greta Nash; Tin Pang; Simon Portus; Nikki Richardson; Rachel Ross; John Sheedy; Nick Waterman; and Dave Whitehead. The MIFF SHORTS program will screen local and international films spanning animation, documentary, experimental works and more, with highlights including the riveting INDONESIAN SHORTS, a program screening works from some of Australia’s closest neighbours, and Cannes Short Film Palme d’Or winner A GENTLE NIGHT, from MIFF Accelerator alumnus Qiu Yang, while other Accelerator alumni directors returning with new short films are Alice Englert, Audrey Lam, Nora Niasari, Julietta Boscolo, Billie Pleffer, Dylan River and Alena Lodkina.  

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  • INGRID GOES WEST Starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, to Close LA Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_19910" align="aligncenter" width="1371"]Ingrid Goes West Ingrid Goes West[/caption] Matt Spicer’s Ingrid Goes West starring Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen and Pom Klementieff will close the 2017 LA Film Festival on Thursday, June 22. And, on June 17 there will be a World Premiere Gala Screening of Ric Roman Waugh’s Shot Caller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Omari Hardwick, Lake Bell, Jon Bernthal, Emory Cohen, Jeffrey Donovan and Benjamin Bratt. The festival also revealed the films selected to screen in  the Premiere and Buzz categories, as well as the Film Independent Member Screening of Jeff Baena’s The Little Hours starring Alison Brie, Dave Franco, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon. USA Network will also screen the West Coast Premiere of series The Sinner starring Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman and Christopher Abbott at the LA Film Festival.   The LA Film Festival takes place June 14 to 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood, ArcLight Santa Monica and more. Closing Night Film Ingrid Goes West, dir. Matt Spicer, USA, Los Angeles Premiere Ingrid Thorburn is an unhinged social media stalker who moves to LA to befriend her latest obsession, the boho chic social media influencer, Taylor Sloane. NEON will release Ingrid Goes West on August 11. Gala Screening of Shot Caller Shot Caller, dir. Ric Roman Waugh, USA, World Premiere A newly released prison gangster is forced by the leaders of his gang to orchestrate a major crime on the streets of Southern California. Buzz Non-competitive showcase of curated favorites from other film festivals. The Big Sick, dir. Michael Showalter, USA, LA Premiere Bill Nye: Science Guy, dir. David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg, USA, LA Premiere Lady Macbeth, dir. William Oldroyd, UK, LA Premiere Maudie, dir. Aisling Walsh, Ireland/Canada, LA Premiere My Friend Dahmer, dir. Marc Meyers, USA, LA Premiere Patti Cake$, dir. Geremy Jasper, USA, LA Premiere Keep the Change, dir. Rachel Israel, USA, LA Premiere Whitney: Can I Be Me, dir. Nick Broomfield, Rudi Dolezal, USA, LA Premiere Premieres World premieres of fiction and documentary films featuring noteworthy talent. The Bachelors, dir. Kurt Voelker, USA, World Premiere CounterPunch, dir. Jay Bulger, USA, World Premiere A Crooked Somebody, dir. Trevor White, USA, World Premiere The Female Brain, dir. Whitney Cummings, USA, World Premiere Humor Me, dir. Sam Hoffman, USA, World Premiere The Keeping Hours, dir. Karen Moncrieff, USA, World Premiere Living on Soul, dir. Cory Bailey, Jeff Broadway, USA, World Premiere The Song of Sway Lake, dir. Ari Gold, USA, World Premiere Submission, dir. Richard Levine, USA, World Premiere Sun Dogs, dir. Jennifer Morrison, USA, World Premiere Film Independent Members Screening The Little Hours, dir. Jeff Baena, USA, LA Premiere A young servant fleeing from his master takes refuge at a dysfunctional convent in medieval Tuscany. Additional Festival Event The Sinner, West Coast Premiere The Sinner follows a young mother who commits a startling act of violence, which launches an inverted and utterly surprising crime thriller whose driving force is not the “who” or the “what” — but the “why.” The show premieres August 2 on USA Network.

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  • Ethan Hawke will be Honored with Special Tribute at San Francisco International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_21622" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Ethan Hawke Ethan Hawke[/caption] Ethan Hawke will be honored during the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival with a special tribute on Saturday, April 8, and a screening of his new film, Aisling Walsh’s Maudie. “Ethan Hawke is worthy of celebration on so many levels,” said Rachel Rosen, SF Film Society Director of Programming. “It’s been a pleasure to experience his work as a director of both fiction and documentary alongside his countless indelible performances. He effortlessly communicates his artistic vision across his various creative pursuits, and we’re thrilled to be able to honor him for the full scope of his work in film.” In a career spanning 30 years and four Academy Award nominations, Ethan Hawke has solidified his reputation as a truly multifaceted artist, challenging himself as a screenwriter, director, novelist, and actor of the stage and screen. In 2016, Hawke portrayed the late Chet Baker in Born to Be Blue, for which he received great critical acclaim, and was also seen in The Phenom, Maggie’s Plan, The Magnificent Seven, and In a Valley of Violence. Additional notable acting credits include: Dead Poets Society (1989), Reality Bites (1994), Alive (1993), the Before trilogy, Hamlet (Festival 2000), Gattaca (1997), The Purge (2013), Boyhood (Festival 2014), and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007). He recently finished production on Blaze, a drama he co-wrote and directed about the life of country western musician Blaze Foley. In Maudie, Maud played by Sally Hawkins, stricken with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, faces rejection from her own family in 1930s Nova Scotia. But she finds acceptance in the home of another outsider, curmudgeonly fishmonger Everett Lewis (Festival tributee Ethan Hawke), who hires her to be his housekeeper. In his home, she blossoms as an artist—the decorative touches she adds to everyday surfaces like cookie sheets and wallboard eventually garnering her a reputation as one of Canada’s best-known folk artists. Aisling Walsh’s drama spans 35 years, depicting the growth of her unexpected career and her relationship with a difficult husband. Despite her disability and her relationship struggles, Maud’s spirit remains indomitable. Hawkins is unforgettable as an irrepressible woman who can find an upside in the most trying circumstances. Hawke imbues his difficult character with gruff charm. The difference between this odd couple is night and day. Nevertheless, they somehow fit. As Maud says, “We’re like a pair of old socks.”

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