IFC Films released the trailer for the Harlem-set indie coming-of-age drama Premature, the second feature film by Rashaad Ernesto Green (2011’s Gun Hill Road), that premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Headlined by a brave, breakout lead performance from actress Zora Howard, who co-wrote the screenplay with Green, Premature also stars Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson, Alexis Marie Wint, Imani Lewis, and Tashiana Washington.
Film Independent announced the winners of its four filmmaker grants at the annual Spirit Awards Nominee Brunch hosted by director and Project Involve Fellow Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians) and actor and Spirit Award nominee Alfre Woodard (Clemency). Winners for the remaining categories will be revealed at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 8. The awards ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 5:00 pm ET / 2:00 pm PT.
Cinema Tropical, the non-profit media arts organization leading presenter of Latin American cinema in the United States, announced its Third Annual Shortlist, comprising 25 Latin American films from eight different countries plus six U.S. Latinx productions that the New York–based organization has selected as the best of the year.
The Lighthouse and Uncut Gems lead the nominations for the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards with 5 nominations each. The Lighthouse is nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Editing, Best Male Lead, and Best Supporting Male; and Uncut Gems is nominated for Best Director, Best Editing, Best Feature, Best Male Lead, and Best Screenplay. Other nominees for Best Feature included A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell, and Marriage Story. This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Santa Monica beach-adjacent award show.
Noah Baumbach’s critically-acclaimed relationship drama Marriage Story starring Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson, was named the Best Feature Film of 2019 at the Twin Cities Film Fest.
The 28th Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) will screen 389 films representing 63 countries, from November 7 to 17. The festival will kick off on Thursday, November 7, with the local premiere of the much-lauded “Marriage Story,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver, and directed by Noah Baumbach.
Some of the top awards contenders from the festival circuit will be showcased at the 2019 Twin Cities Film Fest (TCFF) set to take place October 16-26 at the Kerasotes ShowPlace ICON Theatres at The Shops at West End. TCFF 2019 marks the organization’s 10th anniversary and arrives with a special focus on both female filmmakers and films that advance this year’s social justice cause: environmental sustainability.
Academy Award®-nominated actor Edward James Olmos unveiled the program that will be featured at the 2019 Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival (LALIFF) which runs Wednesday, July 31 through Sunday, August 4 at the TCL Chinese Theatres. This year’s program includes 15 features, 17 shorts, five episodics, two special events and two Latinx podcasts live from the festival.
Rooftop Films announced the feature films selected for 23rd Summer Series to run from May 17th to August 23rd. Films include Brittany Runs a Marathon, celebrated playwright Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Sundance smash that took home the fest’s U.S. Dramatic Audience Award; Tali Shalom-Ezer’s My Days of Mercy, starring Ellen Page, Kate Mara and Amy Seimetz; Mickey and the Bear, Annabelle Attanasio’s Montana-set drama starring Camila Morrone; Alex Thompson’s SXSW Audience Award winner, Saint Frances; Michael Tyburski’s strikingly unique Rooftop Filmmakers Fund grantee, The Sound of Silence, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones; Tom Cullen’s devastating directorial debut, Pink Wall, starring Tatiana Maslany and Jay Duplass; Premature, Rashaad Ernesto Green’s fresh portrait of New York love; Samantha Buck & Marie Schlingmann’s playfully irreverent Sister Aimee; and Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe’s suburban black comedy, Greener Grass.
The Seattle International Film Festival announced today the complete lineup and as part of this year’s celebration of women in comedy, the Festival will celebrate the work of Regina Hall by presenting her with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview on Sunday, June 2 at 2:00 PM at SIFF Cinema Egyptian. Following Ms. Hall’s tribute, she will introduce Support the Girls, Andrew Bujalski’s film which won her the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress.
The 8th annual Montclair Film Festival (MFF) taking place May 3 to 12, 2019, in Montclair, NJ will feature over 150 films, events, discussions, and parties. The festival will open on Friday, May 3, with Tom Harper’s WILD ROSE, and on Saturday, May 11, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM will screen as the festival’s Closing Film.
The Maryland Film Festival has announced the first 10 narrative films selected for the 21st edition taking place from Wednesday, May 8 through Sunday, May 12 in Baltimore’s Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Also included in these 10: John Waters’ annual pick.