Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

‘Carol’ ‘Brooklyn’ ‘The Danish Girl’ ‘Spotlight’ Among 21st Critics’ Choice Awards Nominations

“Mad Max: Fury Road” leads the nominations for the 21st Critics’ Choice Awards with 13 nominations including Best Picture. “Carol,” impressed with nine nominations including Best Picture, and Best Director. “Spotlight” earned eight nominations, “Brooklyn,” “The Danish Girl,” each garnered five nominations and “Room” earned four. The winners will be revealed live at the Critics’ Choice Awards gala, which will be broadcast from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on A&E, Lifetime and LMN on Sunday, January 17 at 8PM ET/ 5PM PT. Actor and comedian T.J. Miller will serve as the show’s host. NOMINATIONS FOR THE 21st CRITICS’ CHOICE AWARDS BEST PICTURE The Big Short Bridge of Spies Brooklyn Carol Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant Room Sicario Spotlight BEST ACTOR Bryan Cranston – Trumbo Matt Damon – The Martian Johnny Depp – Black Mass Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant Michael Fassbender – Steve Jobs Eddie Redmayne – The Danish Girl BEST ACTRESS Cate Blanchett – Carol Brie Larson – Room Jennifer Lawrence – Joy Charlotte Rampling – 45 Years Saoirse Ronan – Brooklyn Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Paul Dano – Love & Mercy Tom Hardy – The Revenant Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies Michael Shannon – 99 Homes Sylvester Stallone – Creed BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Jennifer Jason Leigh – The Hateful Eight Rooney Mara – Carol Rachel McAdams – Spotlight Helen Mirren – Trumbo Alicia Vikander – The Danish Girl Kate Winslet – Steve Jobs BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS Abraham Attah – Beasts of No Nation RJ Cyler – Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Shameik Moore – Dope Milo Parker – Mr. Holmes Jacob Tremblay – Room BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE The Big Short The Hateful Eight Spotlight Straight Outta Compton Trumbo BEST DIRECTOR Todd Haynes – Carol Alejandro González Iñárritu – The Revenant Tom McCarthy – Spotlight George Miller – Mad Max: Fury Road Ridley Scott – The Martian Steven Spielberg – Bridge of Spies BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – Bridge of Spies Alex Garland – Ex Machina Quentin Tarantino – The Hateful Eight Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley – Inside Out Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy – Spotlight BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Charles Randolph and Adam McKay – The Big Short Nick Hornby – Brooklyn Drew Goddard – The Martian Emma Donoghue – Room Aaron Sorkin – Steve Jobs BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Carol – Ed Lachman The Hateful Eight – Robert Richardson Mad Max: Fury Road – John Seale The Martian – Dariusz Wolski The Revenant – Emmanuel Lubezki Sicario – Roger Deakins BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Bridge of Spies – Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo Brooklyn – François Séguin, Jennifer Oman and Louise Tremblay Carol – Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler The Danish Girl – Eve Stewart, Michael Standish Mad Max: Fury Road – Colin Gibson The Martian – Arthur Max, Celia Bobak BEST EDITING The Big Short – Hank Corwin Mad Max: Fury Road – Margaret Sixel The Martian – Pietro Scalia The Revenant – Stephen Mirrione Spotlight – Tom McArdle BEST COSTUME DESIGN Brooklyn – Odile Dicks-Mireaux Carol – Sandy Powell Cinderella – Sandy Powell The Danish Girl – Paco Delgado Mad Max: Fury Road – Jenny Beavan BEST HAIR & MAKEUP Black Mass Carol The Danish Girl The Hateful Eight Mad Max: Fury Road The Revenant BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Ex Machina Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian The Revenant The Walk BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Anomalisa The Good Dinosaur Inside Out The Peanuts Movie Shaun the Sheep Movie BEST ACTION MOVIE Furious 7 Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Sicario BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE Daniel Craig – Spectre Tom Cruise – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Tom Hardy – Mad Max: Fury Road Chris Pratt – Jurassic World Paul Rudd – Ant-Man BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE Emily Blunt – Sicario Rebecca Ferguson – Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Bryce Dallas Howard – Jurassic World Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 Charlize Theron – Mad Max: Fury Road BEST COMEDY The Big Short Inside Out Joy Sisters Spy Trainwreck BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY Christian Bale – The Big Short Steve Carell – The Big Short Robert De Niro – The Intern Bill Hader – Trainwreck Jason Statham – Spy BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY Tina Fey – Sisters Jennifer Lawrence – Joy Melissa McCarthy – Spy Amy Schumer – Trainwreck Lily Tomlin – Grandma BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE Ex Machina It Follows Jurassic World Mad Max: Fury Road The Martian BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM The Assassin Goodnight Mommy Mustang The Second Mother Son of Saul BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Amy Cartel Land Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief He Named Me Malala The Look of Silence Where to Invade Next BEST SONG Fifty Shades of Grey – Love Me Like You Do Furious 7 – See You Again The Hunting Ground – Til It Happens To You Love & Mercy – One Kind of Love Spectre – Writing’s on the Wall Youth – Simple Song #3 BEST SCORE Carol – Carter Burwell The Hateful Eight – Ennio Morricone The Revenant – Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto Sicario – Johann Johannsson Spotlight – Howard Shore
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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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Woody Allen’s new film, IRRATIONAL MAN + Major Titles to Have Spanish Premiere at 63rd San Sebastian Festival

The 63rd San Sebastian Festival will offer, as part of its Pearls section, the Spanish premiere of some of the most important films presented during the year at different international festivals. Among the films selected are the Golden Bear-winner at the Berlin Festival, Taxi Teheran by Jafar Pahani; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Alfonso Gómez-Rejón, Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival; Nie yinniang / The Assassin, by Hou Hsiao-Hsien, the Jury Grand Prix-winner and Best Director Award at the Cannes Festival, Saul Fia / Son of Saul, by László Nemes. The section will similarly include works by directors such as Arnaud Desplechin, Jia Zhang-ke, Charlie Kaufman, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Nanni Moretti, Pablo Trapero and Denis Villeneuve. Woody Allen’s new film, Irrational Man (pictured above), will also be screened out of competition in the section. The remaining Pearls will compete for the Audience Award, decided according to the votes cast by attendees of the first public screening of each film in the section. The Audience Award comes with two prizes: a First Prize for the Best Film, with €50,000, and a Second Prize for the Best European Film, with €20,000. The Audience Award goes to the distributor of the film in Spain. ANOMALISA CHARLIE KAUFMAN, DUKE JOHNSON (USA) Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson tell the tale of a man who struggles with his inability to connect with other people. Spanish premiere following its screening at the Venice Festival. BLACK MASS SCOTT COOPER (USA) Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch star in this film presented out of competition at the Venice Festival. FBI Agent John Connolly persuades Irish mobster Jimmy Bulger to collaborate with the FBI and eliminate a common enemy: the Italian mob. This unholy alliance spirals out of control. EL CLAN (THE CLAN) PABLO TRAPERO (ARGENTINA – SPAIN) Pablo Trapero’s new movie is a competitor at the Venice Festival. Argentina, in the early 80s. Behind the facade of a typical family from the upmarket San Isidro neighbourhood lurks a sinister clan that kidnaps and murders for a living. HITCHCOCK / TRUFFAUT KENT JONES (FRANCE – USA) Fifty years after the publication of François Truffaut’s book “Cinema According to Hitchcock” filmmaker Kent Jones invites some of the best directors of our time (Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Richard Linklater, Wes Anderson, James Gray, Olivier Assayas…) to share their thoughts on the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL ALFONSO GÓMEZ-REJÓN (USA) The amusing and moving tale of Greg, a student in his last year of high school who navigates the minefield of adolescent social life by steering away from all close relations. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. MIA MADRE NANNI MORETTI (ITALY – FRANCE – GERMANY) Nanni Moretti competed at the Cannes Festival with this film about Margherita, a director shooting a film with a famous American actor, who is quite a character on set. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together while feeling powerless when facing her mother’s illness and her daughter’s adolescence. NIE YINNIANG / THE ASSASSIN HOU HSIAO-HSIEN (TAIWAN) Hou Hsiao-Hsien won Best Director at the Cannes Festival with his latest work. China, 9th century. Nie Yinniang comes home after years in exile, now a trained vigilante. When her mistress orders her to kill her cousin, she will have to choose between the man she loves and her loyalty to the “order of the Assassins”. SAUL FIA / SON OF SAUL LÁSZLÓ NEMES (HUNGARY) Winner of the Jury Grand Prix at the Cannes Festival, this debut by Hungarian moviemaker László Nemes is set in Auschwitz, 1944. Saul Auslander is a Hungarian prisoner assigned to one of the Auschwitz crematorium ovens. He tries to save the body of a young boy he believes to be his son from the flames. SHAN HE GU REN / MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART JIA ZHANG-KE (CHINA – FRANCE – JAPAN) Spanish premiere of Jia Zhang-ke’s latest movie following its screening in the official competition at the Cannes Festival. China, 1999, two childhood friends court a young girl from Fenyang. One has his future mapped out for him, but not the other. The young girl’s heart is divided between the two, but she must take a decision that will mark her life, and that of her son. SICARIO DENIS VILLENEUVE (USA) In the border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an FBI agent is enlisted by an elite North American government task force official to aid in the escalating war against drugs. The new film by Denis Villeneuve competed in the Cannes Official Selection 2015. TAXI TÉHÉRAN JAFAR PANAHI (IRAN) Golden Bear-winner at the last Berlin Festival. A yellow taxi drives through the hustling, bustling streets of Teheran. The taxi picks up all sorts of passengers, each one more colourful than the last. All talk frankly to the driver. What they don’t realise is that the person interviewing them is none other than the director Jafar Pahani, one of the biggest names in today’s Iranian cinema. TROIS SOUVENIRS DE MA JEUNESSE / MY GOLDEN DAYS ARNAUD DESPLECHIN (FRANCE) Arnaud Desplechin revisits the rich emotional landscape of Comment je me suis disputé… (My Sex Life…) and Un conte de Noël (A Christmas Tale) with this film presented at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Paul remembers his youth and his first, and only, true love… UMIMACHI DIARY / OUR LITTLE SISTER HIROKAZU KORE-EDA (JAPAN) A film by Japanese moviemaker Hirokazu Kore-eda which competed in the Cannes Official Selection. Three sisters share a house in the city. They haven’t seen their father for 15 years. When he dies, the three travel to the countryside for his funeral. There they meet their shy teenage half-sister. It won’t be long before they grow fond of the girl. Not in competition IRRATIONAL MAN WOODY ALLEN (USA) Not in competition Woody Allen’s new film, presented at the last Cannes Festival, is about a tormented philosophy professor who finds a will to live when he commits an existential act.
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ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL and HARRY & SNOWMAN Win Awards at 20th Nantucket Film Festival

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature, and Ron Davis’ HARRY & SNOWMAN won for Best Documentary Feature at the 20th Nantucket Film Festival (NFF). Eric Rockey’s PINK BOY won the Audience Award for Best Short. The Audience Award Best Film runner up was animated comedy SHAUN THE SHEEP THE MOVIE, written & directed by Richard Starzak & Mark Burton. Kristen Dávila’s COUNTERINTELLIGENCE received the top prize as the winner of the Feature Screenplay Competition. The Television Pilot nods went to Estella Gabriel for ICE and to Jonathan Schwartz for SOLD. Kristen Dávila’s COUNTERINTELLIGENCE, a political satire set in Pakistan involving the CIA, a budding jihadist group, and an indebted gambler who plays the two off one another in an attempt to save his own neck. Dávila receives $5000 cash prize and one of only four coveted spots to participate in partner organization the Screenwriters Colony month-long writing retreat in October. NFF recognizes the remarkable renaissance on the small screen through two Television Pilot Competitions, one for Hour-Long Pilots and the other for Half-Hour Pilots. Both winners receive a $1000 cash prize, as well as a consultation with a Showtime executive. The Half-Hour Television Pilot winner is SOLD by Jonathan Schwartz, which is set in a fine-arts auction house. The Hour-Long Television Pilot winner is ICE by Estella Gabriel, which details the conflicts and violence faced by a border patrol agent. The Short Screenplay Competition winner is MORE COW BELL by Andy Nellis, a dark portrait of a farm family. Nellis receives a $500 cash prize. The winner of the Best Screenwriting in a Short Film Award, given to an exceptional short film featured in this year’s festival, went to writer/director Shaka King and writer Kristan Sprague for MULIGNANS. The Festival’s Teen View Jury Award, selected by a group of Nantucket junior high school students, went to BIRTHDAY, written & directed by Chris King. Earlier this weekend, the winner of the ninth annual Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award was announced, which bestows a cash prize to a female filmmaker in honor of the late director. The award went to director Crystal Moselle for her acclaimed debut documentary, THE WOLFPACK.
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THE DARK HORSE, ROMEO IS BLEEDING Win Top Awards at 2015 Seattle International Film Festival

The 2015 Seattle International Film Festival announced the winners of the 2015 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson is the big winner, taking the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film, and Best Actor for Cliff Curtis. In The Dark Horse – winner of six New Zealand Film Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Actor – Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider) gives a stunning and inspirational performance as New Zealand legend Genesis Potini, a bipolar speed chess champion who helps turn around the lives of some 15,000 Maori children by teaching them the intricacies the game. Other winners include Alfonso Gomez-Rejon of “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” wins Best Director, “Romeo is Bleeding” wins Best Documentary; Nina Hoss (“Phoenix”) wins Best Actress, “Liza, The Fox-Fairy,” “The Great Alone,” and “Chatty Catties” Win Grand Jury Prize Awards for Best New Director, Documentary and New American Film Carl Spence, SIFF’s Artistic Director, says, “Our 41st Festival was another fantastic celebration of storytelling in all its forms. We presented everything from the storied cinematic past (archival screenings celebrating Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation and live read of the late Stewart Stern’s Rebel Without a Cause), to the iconic (Kevin Bacon!), to the independent (Jason Schwartzman and his new comedy 7 Chinese Brothers). With a record 92 countries represented this year and sold-out shows every night, this year’s Festival was bigger than ever, but it also fittingly included a proper send-off of an iconic movie house, the Harvard Exit. It also highlighted Seattle’s great continuing movie houses including our own SIFF Cinema Egyptian and SIFF Cinema Uptown. And I love that we bookended the Festival this year with two stellar comedies, kicking off with our Opening Night film Spy (the number one movie in America this weekend) and finishing with our hilarious Closing Night indie The Overnight. Starting and ending with laughter while traveling the world in between is a great way to mark another whirlwind 25-day celebration of cinema.” SIFF 2015 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AUDIENCE AWARDS SIFF celebrates its films and filmmakers with the Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. Selected by Festival audiences, awards are given in five categories: Best Film, Best Documentary, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Short Film. This year, nearly 90,000 ballots were submitted. GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM The Dark Horse, directed by James Napier Robertson (New Zealand 2014) First runner-up: Inside Out, directed by Pete Docter (USA 2015) Second runner-up: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (USA 2015) Third runner-up: Shaun the Sheep, directed by Richard Starzak, Mark Burton (UK 2015) Fourth runner-up: Good Ol’ Boy, directed by Frank Lotito (USA 2015) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY Romeo is Bleeding, directed by Jason Zeldes (USA 2015) First runner-up: Paper Tigers, directed by James Redford (USA 2015) Second runner-up: The Glamour & The Squalor, directed by Marq Evans (USA 2015) Third runner-up: The Great Alone, directed by Greg Kohs (USA 2015) Fourth runner-up: Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (USA 2015) First runner-up: George Ovashvili, Corn Island (Georgia 2014) Second runner-up: Peter Greenaway, Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands 2015) Third runner-up: Susanne Bier, ASecond Chance (Denmark 2014) Fourth runner-up: Ross Partridge, Lamb (USA 2015) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR Cliff Curtis, The Dark Horse (New Zealand 2014) First runner-up: Ian McKellen, Mr. Holmes (UK 2015) Second runner-up: Jason Segel, End of the Tour (USA 2014) Third runner-up: Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon, Henri Henri (Canada (Québec) 2014) Fourth runner-up: Jacir Eid, Theeb (Jordan 2014) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS Nina Hoss, Phoenix (Germany 2014) First runner-up: Kalki Koechlin, Margarita, with a Straw (India 2014) Second runner-up: Rebecka Josephson, My Skinny Sister (Sweden 2015) Third runner-up: Regina Case, The Second Mother (Brazil 2015) Fourth runner-up: Ghita Nørby, Key House Mirror (Denmark 2015) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM Even the Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydáni (USA 2015) First runner-up: Submarine Sandwich, directed by PES (USA 2014) Second runner-up: Stealth, directed by Bennett Lasseter (USA 2014) Third runner-up: Personal Development, directed by Tom Sullivan (Ireland 2015) Fourth runner-up: Bihttoš, directed by Elie-Máijá Tailfeathers (Canada 2014) LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION Frame by Frame, directed by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach (Afghanistan 2014) This award is given to the female director’s film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle’s Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film Seattle to bestow it. SIFF 2015 COMPETITION AWARDS SIFF announced three Competition Awards for Best New Director, Best Documentary, and Best New American Film (FIPRESCI). Winners in each juried competition received $2,500 in cash, while the New American Cinema competition winner was also awarded the FIPRESCI prize. SIFF 2015 BEST NEW DIRECTOR GRAND JURY PRIZE Liza, the Fox-Fairy (Hungary 2015), directed by Károly Ujj-Mészáros JURY STATEMENT: For its lively, inventive visual wit and offbeat look at romantic delusion involving a haunted Hungarian nurse, a long-suffering police sergeant, and the ghost of a ’50s Japanese pop singer, we have given this year’s New Directors Prize to Károly Ujj-Mészáros. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Corrections Class (Russia/Germany 2014), directed by Ivan I. Tverdovsky JURY STATEMENT: For the director’s brave and unflinching handling of a young ensemble. Festival programmers select 12 films remarkable for their original concept, striking style, and overall excellence. To be eligible, films must be a director’s first or second feature and without U.S. distribution at the time of their selection. The New Directors Jury is comprised of Brandon Harris (Filmmaker Magazine), Amy Nicholson (L.A. Weekly), and Alison Willmore (Buzzfeed). 2015 Entries: A Blast (d: Syllas Tzoumerkas, Greece/Germany/Netherlands 2014, North American Premiere) Bonifacio (d: Enzo Williams, Philippines 2014, North American Premiere) Corrections Class (d: Ivan I. Tverdovsky, Russia/Germany 2014, North American Premiere) Liza, the Fox-Fairy (d: Károly Ujj-Mészáros, Hungary 2015, North American Premiere) Love, Theft and Other Entanglements (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine 2015, North American Premiere) A Matter of Interpretation (d: Kwang-kuk Lee, South Korea 2014, North American Premiere) Morbayassa (d: Cheick Fantamady Camara, Guinea 2015, North American Premiere) My Skinny Sister (d: Sanna Lenken, Sweden/Germany 2015, North American Premiere) Short Skin (d: Duccio Chiarini, Italy 2014, North American Premiere) Under Construction (d: Rubaiyat Hossain, Bangladesh 2015, World Premiere) Vincent (d: Thomas Salvador, France 2014) Waterline (d: Michal Otlowski, Poland 2014, North American Premiere) SIFF 2015 BEST DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE The Great Alone (USA 2015), directed by Greg Kohs JURY STATEMENT: Our Grand Jury Prize goes to a film that stopped all of us in our tracks. One of the joys of the film festival experience is discovering a film that works so well on every level. This is an inspiring film about one man’s story that is both intimate and epic – we were knocked out by the filmmaker’s achievement in crafting a visually stunning, completely engrossing narrative about one extraordinary human being. SPECIAL JURY PRIZES Romeo is Bleeding (USA 2015), directed by Jason Zeldes JURY STATEMENT: For its strength in demonstrating the power of art to change lives. Sergio Herman: F**king Perfect (Netherlands 2015), directed by Willemiek Kluijfhout JURY STATEMENT: Which we found to be an exquisitely made film about a FUCKING PERFECT artist. Unscripted and uncut, the world is a resource of unexpected, informative, and altogether exciting storytelling. Documentary filmmakers have, for years, brought these untold stories to life and introduced us to a vast number of fascinating topics we may have never known existed-let alone known were so fascinating. The Documentary Jury is comprised of Jannat Gargi (Vulcan Productions), Janet Pierson (SXSW), and Anne Rosellini (producer, Stray Dog, Winter’s Bone). 2015 Entries: Cooking Up a Tribute (d: Luis González & Andrea Gómez, Spain 2015, North American Premiere) Dreams Rewired (d: Martin Reinhart, Thomas Tode, & Manu Luksch, Austria 2015, North American Premiere) The Glamour & The Squalor (d: Marq Evans, USA 2015, World Premiere) The Great Alone (d: Greg Kohs, USA 2015, World Premiere) In Utero (d: Kathleen Gyllenhaal, USA 2015, World Premiere) License to Operate (d: James Lipetzky, USA 2015, World Premiere) Mountain Spirits (d: Singing Chen & Kuo-Liang Chiang, Taiwan 2014, US Premiere) Paper Tigers (d: James Redford, USA 2015, World Premiere) Romeo Is Bleeding (d: Jason Zeldes, USA 2015) Sergio Herman, F**KING PERFECT (d: Willemiek Kluijfhout, Netherlands 2015, North American Premiere) War of Lies (d: Matthias Bittner, Germany 2014, US Premiere) SIFF 2015 BEST NEW AMERICAN CINEMA GRAND JURY PRIZE Chatty Catties (USA 2015), directed by Pablo Valencia JURY STATEMENT: The FIPRESCI jury at the 41st edition of the Seattle International Film Festival bestows its International Critics’ Prize to a film that – with an enormous amount of risk-taking – innovatively expands stylistic and narrative boundaries. With a fresh view on intimate relationships, director Pablo Valencia creates an unexpected and utterly original emotional landscape in Chatty Catties. Festival programmers select 9 films without U.S. distribution that are sure to delight audiences looking to explore the exciting vanguard of New American Cinema and compete for the FIPRESCI Award for Best New American Film. The New American Cinema Jury is comprised of members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI): Pamela Cohn, André Roy, and Dennis West. 2015 Entries: Chatty Catties (d: Pablo Valencia, USA 2015, World Premiere) Circle (d: Aaron Hann & Mario Miscione, USA 2015, World Premiere) Fourth Man Out (d: Andrew Nackman, USA 2015, World Premiere) Front Cover (d: Ray Yeung, USA 2015, World Premiere) Good Ol’ Boy (d: Frank Lotito, USA 2015, World Premiere) Happy 40th (d: Madoka Raine, USA 2015, World Premiere) Me Him Her (d: Max Landis, USA 2015, World Premiere) A Rising Tide (d: Ben Hickernell, USA 2015, World Premiere) Those People (d: Joey Kuhn, USA 2015, World Premiere) SIFF 2015 FUTUREWAVE AND YOUTH JURY AWARDS YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE Seoul Searching (USA/South Korea 2015), directed by Benson Lee JURY STATEMENT: For its diverse and relatable characters, quality mix of emotion and comedy, and accurate and respectful representation of teens, the 2015 FutureWave Youth Jury Prize goes to Seoul Searching. YOUTH JURY AWARD FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE When Marnie Was There (Japan 2014), directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi JURY STATEMENT: For its beautiful and detailed animation, realistic sound design, and original, bittersweet tale of mystery the Films4Families Jury awards When Marnie Was There. WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE) In recognition of superior artistic and technical achievement. Audio Input(USA), directed by Sho Schrock-Manabe JURY STATEMENT: For its insightful and engaging portrait of podcasting, an audio art form, through a collage of interviews and images. FUTUREWAVE AUDIENCE AWARD Minimum Max (USA), directed by Josh Ovalle PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIPS Each winner will be awarded a $1000 scholarship to the Prodigy Camp. I’m Not Here (South Africa), directed by Jack Markovitz Minimum Max (USA), directed by Josh Ovalle SIFF 2015 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS All short films shown at the Festival are eligible for both the Golden Space Needle Audience Award and Jury Award. Jurors will choose winners in the Narrative, Animation, and Documentary categories. Each jury winner will receive $1,000 and winners in any of the three categories may also qualify to enter their respective films in the Short Film category of the Academy Awards®. LIVE ACTION GRAND JURY PRIZE The Chicken (Croatia, Germany), directed by Una Gunjak JURY STATEMENT: An expertly crafted narrative that explores life and death through the eyes of a young girl. With a film full of authentic performances, Iman Alibalic is extraordinary as the six-year-old protagonist who receives a live chicken from her father for her birthday, and soon realizes it’s meant for dinner. This is an emotional film with a production quality that continues to move the story along and underscore the realities of life in a war zone. SPECIAL JURY PRIZE Hole (Canada), directed by Martin Edralin JURY STATEMENT: Hole is a brave exploration of human sexuality and yearning for intimacy through the eyes of a lonely, forgotten, disabled man in the heart of Toronto. Ken Harrower delivers a captivating performance that transcends any labels or limitations and speaks to the need for human connection. DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE Bihttos (Canada), directed by Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers JURY STATEMENT: For its ambitious approaches to visual storytelling and imaginative recounting of an exceptional family history. ANIMATION GRAND JURY PRIZE The Mill at Calder’s End (USA), directed by Kevin McTurk JURY STATEMENT: There exists a tendency to laud the new-new stories, new techniques, new talent. With the animation award, the jury is pleased to celebrate a film that is decidedly old-school, breathing life into a bygone style, iterating in a story tradition that is centuries old. For this fusion of the modern and classic, we are happy to award Kevin McTurk for The Mill at Calder’s End. Short Film Juries 2015: Live Action: Stefanie Malone (NFFTY), Bobby McHugh (World Famous), and Tracy Rector (Longhouse Media). Documentary and Animation: Courtney Sheehan (Northwest Film Forum), Jason Sondhi (Vimeo curator), Alex Stonehill (Seattle Globalist).
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2015 Montclair Film Festival Announces Opening, Closing, Centerpiece Films

[caption id="attachment_7612" align="alignnone" width="750"] Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field and Max Greenfield[/caption] The Montclair Film Festival (MFF) announced the Opening, Closing and Centerpiece selections for the 2015 festival, taking place May 1-10, 2015 in Montclair, NJ. The 4th annual festival will open on May 1st at the historic Wellmont Theater with the East Coast Premiere of Michael Showalter’s award winning Hello, My Name Is Doris, starring Sally Field and Max Greenfield. On May 8th, the festival will screen Jessica Edwards’ Mavis! as its Documentary Centerpiece film. Ms. Edwards will attend to present her portrait of the legendary gospel and R&B singer, Mavis Staples. Ms. Staples will attend the screening and participate in a post-screening Q&A with Stephen Colbert. May 9th, the festival presents Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s award-winning Me And Earl And The Dying Girl as its Narrative Centerpiece film. The film was Executive Produced by Montclair’s own Nora Skinner. On May 10th, the festival presents a special Mother’s Day screening of Kris Swanberg’s acclaimed feature Unexpectedas the festival’s Closing Night Film. OPENING NIGHT FILM HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS Director: Michael Showalter Producers: Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker, Daniel Crown, Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Kevin Mann Cast: Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Stephen Root, Jack Antonoff, Natasha Lyonne, Tyne Daly USA/ 95 Min In Michael Showalter’s HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS, Sally Field makes a triumphant return with her leading performance as Doris Miller, an unassuming office worker living in her childhood home despite the recent death of her mother. But when Doris finds inspiration in the ideas of a self-help guru, the arrival of a handsome new co-worker named John (Max Greenfield) heralds a new obsession. Can Doris catch John’s eye, find happiness and move forward? Or are her dreams destined to remain just beyond her reach? HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS is the rarest of comedies, effortlessly moving between laughs and real feeling to paint a touching portrait of a dreamer. The Montclair Film Festival is proud to present Michael Showalter’s HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS as the 2015 Opening Night Film. DOCUMENTARY CENTERPIECE MAVIS! Director: Jessica Edwards Producers: Jessica Edwards, Rachel Mills Featuring: Mavis Staples USA/ 85 Min Directed by Jessica Edwards, MAVIS! is the first feature-length documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, the Staple Singers. From the delta-inflected gospel sound she helped pioneer in the 1950s, to the “message songs” of the civil rights era marching beside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to massive hits such as “I’ll Take You There” in the soul-filled Stax era, and her recent Grammy-winning work with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis Staples is one of the most influential and enduring vocalists of our time and a true American icon. MAVIS! follows her unrivaled career through dynamic live performances, archival footage, captivating storytelling and interviews with friends and collaborators. She occupies a singular place in American music: a soldier of love and peace whose fight continues; her message of equality is needed now more than ever. NARRATIVE CENTERPIECE ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Executive Producer: Nora Skinner Producers: Jeremy Dawson, Dan Fogelman, Steven M. Rales Cast: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Molly Shannon, Connie Britton, Nick Offerman USA/ 104 Min Greg Gaines (Thomas Mann) is an awkward, self-deprecating high school student determined to coast through his senior year as anonymously as possible. He spends most of his time remaking bizarre, spirited versions of classic movies with his only friend Earl (RJ Cyler) – and avoiding social interactions like the plague. But Greg’s plans are foiled when his well-meaning mother forces him to befriend Rachel (Olivia Cooke), a classmate who’s been diagnosed with leukemia. Bristling with wit from a clever screenplay by Jesse Andrews, director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s second feature is a poignant coming-of-age film with a heart of cinematic gold. A Fox Searchlight Release CLOSING NIGHT FILM UNEXPECTED Director: Kris Swanberg Producer: Andrea Roa Starring: Cobie Smulders, Gail Bean, Anders Holm, Elizabeth McGovern USA/ 85 Min With the Chicago public high school where she teaches scheduled to close, Samantha (Cobie Smulders) decides it’s time to plan for the future. But when Sam discovers she is pregnant, everything changes, including her relationships with John (Anders Holm), who wants to build a family with Sam, and Jasmine (Gail Bean), one of her brightest students. Despite her personal and professional struggles, Sam remains determined to have a baby on her own terms while supporting Jasmine in her quest to attend college. Kris Swanberg’sUNEXPECTED is a luminous ode to modern maternity, a beautifully crafted story of friendship and motherhood that depicts the experience of pregnancy with a delicate, sophisticated grace. A Film Arcade Release
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“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” Win Top Awards at Sundance

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is the Winner of the U. S. Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic and the Audience Award – U.S. Dramatic at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Accepting the award, Alfonso Gomez-Rejon said “I want to thank entire cast and crew actors, Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke, RJ Cyler, Connie Britton, Nick Offerman and Molly Shannon. This movie was about processing the loss and celebrate the life of a beautiful man, my father. So thanks again for this opportunity.”

The winners and awards of 2015 Sundance Film Festival

Winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Documentary:
Cartel Land, directed by Matthew Heinema

Winner of the Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic:
The Witch, directed by Robert Eggers

Winner of the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary:
The Wolfpack, directed by Crystal Moselle

Winner of the U. S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact:
3 ½ Minutes, directed by Marc Silver

Winner for U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Collaborate Vision:
Advantageous, directd by Jennifer Phang

Winner for U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Excellence in Editing:
Dope, edited by Lee Haugen

Winner of the Cinematography Award: U.S. Dramatic:
The Diary of a Teenage Girl, cinematography by Brandon Trost

Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic:
The Stanford Prison Experiment, screenplay by Tim Talbott

Winner of Audience Award: U.S. Documentary:
Meru, directed by Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasarhelyi

Winner of the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic:
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

Winner of the Cinematography Award: U.S. Documentary:
Cartel Land, by Matthew Heineman

Winner of the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature:
(T)error, directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe

Winner for U. S. Documentary Special Jury award for Verité Filmmaking:
Western, directed by Bill Ross and Turner Ross

Winner of the Audience Award: Best Of Next
James White, directed by Josh Mond

Winner of the Audience Award for World Cinema Dramatic:
Umrika, directed by Prashant Nair

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting:
The Second Mother, Regina Casé and Camila Márdila

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting:
Glassland, Jack Reynor

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography:
Partisan, Germain McMicking

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award:
The Summer of Sangaile, directed by Alanté Kavaïté

Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize:
Slow West, directed by John Maclean

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Editing Award:
How to Change the World, edited by Jim Scott

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Impact:
Pervert Park, directed by Frida Barkfors and Lasse Barkfors

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Unparalleled Access:
The Chinese Mayor, directed by Hao Zhou

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Directing Award:
Dreamcatcher, directed by Kim Longinotto

Winner of the World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize:
Russian Woodpecker, directed by Chad Gracia

Winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize:
The Stanford Prison Experiment, directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez

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Sundance’s ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL To Get A Release

Fox Searchlight Pictures has partnered with Indian Paintbrush for worldwide distribution on the poignant coming of age story ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, which received a standing ovation following its Sundance Film Festival debut.

The film is directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon from the Black List screenplay by Jesse Andrews, adapted from his eponymous novel. The film stars Thomas Mann, Olivia Cook, R.J. Cyler with Nick Offerman, Molly Shannon, Jon Bernthal and Connie Britton. The film is produced by Steven Rales, Dan Fogelman and Jeremy Dawson with Nora Skinner as executive producer. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be released in 2015.

“We are so thrilled to be a part of this film – the movie completely floored us and stole our hearts. The response at the festival has been extraordinary. The performances are honest and relatable and the film is smart, funny and original,” said Gilula and Utley.

“On behalf of the filmmaking team, we are thrilled to be partnering with Fox Searchlight. Steve, Nancy and the team have such a great emotional connection to our movie and we are confident our film is in the best hands moving forward,” said producers Rales, Fogelman and Dawson.

“For a film that was such a personal labor of love, I am delighted to find partners who have embraced the film which such enthusiasm,” said director Gomez-Rejon.

In ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL, Thomas Mann plays Greg Gaines, an awkward high school senior whose mom forces him to spend time with Rachel – a girl in his class (Olivia Cooke) whom he hasn’t spoken to since kindergarten – who was just diagnosed with cancer.
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