Gunpowder & Sky has dropped the official trailer for the award-winning comedy Room for Rent directed by Matthew Atkinson, which will be available November 2nd on all major VOD platforms including Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Movies & TV, PlayStation, Redbox on Demand and VUDU. The film won Best Feature at both the L.A Comedy Film Festival and the Chicago Comedy Film Festival, as well as the Special Jury Award for feature film at the Canadian Film Fest.
Starring Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”, Lemon, “Stranger Things”, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas and HBO’s upcoming series “Camping”) as Carl Lemay and Mark Little (“Space Riders: Division Earth,” VRV’s “Gary and his Demons”) as Mitch Baldwin, Room For Rent follows broke, 32-year-old ex-lottery winner Baldwin in his quest to convince his parents to rent out their spare room to save the family from downsizing. What he gets is mysterious, creepy border Carl Lemay, who clearly has a hidden agenda about his presence in Baldwin’s life. As Carl upsets Mitch’s way of life, a battle of wits turns into all-out war involving deception, humiliation, spying and revenge. Mark McKinney (“Superstore,” “SNL,” “The Kids in the Hall”), Carla Gallo (“Neighbors,” “Bones”), Stephnie Weir (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Mad TV”), and Patrick J. Adams (“Suits”) round out the cast.
Room for Rent
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Award-Winning Comedy ROOM FOR RENT Drops Official Trailer + Sets Release Date
Gunpowder & Sky has dropped the official trailer for the award-winning comedy Room for Rent directed by Matthew Atkinson, which will be available November 2nd on all major VOD platforms including Amazon Video, FandangoNOW, Google Play, iTunes, Microsoft Movies & TV, PlayStation, Redbox on Demand and VUDU. The film won Best Feature at both the L.A Comedy Film Festival and the Chicago Comedy Film Festival, as well as the Special Jury Award for feature film at the Canadian Film Fest.
Starring Brett Gelman (“Fleabag”, Lemon, “Stranger Things”, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas and HBO’s upcoming series “Camping”) as Carl Lemay and Mark Little (“Space Riders: Division Earth,” VRV’s “Gary and his Demons”) as Mitch Baldwin, Room For Rent follows broke, 32-year-old ex-lottery winner Baldwin in his quest to convince his parents to rent out their spare room to save the family from downsizing. What he gets is mysterious, creepy border Carl Lemay, who clearly has a hidden agenda about his presence in Baldwin’s life. As Carl upsets Mitch’s way of life, a battle of wits turns into all-out war involving deception, humiliation, spying and revenge. Mark McKinney (“Superstore,” “SNL,” “The Kids in the Hall”), Carla Gallo (“Neighbors,” “Bones”), Stephnie Weir (“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “Mad TV”), and Patrick J. Adams (“Suits”) round out the cast.
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Brooklyn Film Festival Announces Lineup of Over 100 Films for 2018 Edition: THRESHOLD
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Birds Without Feathers[/caption]
The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) today announced the film lineup for its 21st edition: THRESHOLD which kicks off on Friday, June 1st at returning venue: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg. This year’s festival is comprised of approximately 125 features and shorts from 30 countries spread over all continents, except Antarctica. The lineup includes 19 world premieres, 21 USA bows, 37 east coast debuts and 30 first-time screenings in NYC. In addition to the feature narratives and documentary films highlighted in this release, the festival will present 36 short narrative films, 16 short documentary films, 25 animated films and 20 experimental films.
“Division, bigotry, the wall, Trump. WTF? But luckily, some great things usually come from bad times,” said Brooklyn Film Festival Executive Director Marco Ursino. “The Spanish Civil War gave us the Guernica; the NYC defaults in the 70’s gave us the best graffiti in the world. Even the Great Depression gave us swing dancing. It doesn’t matter how bad it looks, art always wins. In the middle of this undeniably appalling time in American history, Brooklyn Film Festival aims to amplify the voices of its films and filmmakers by shedding light, spreading love and celebrating diversity.”
https://vimeo.com/268424122
The festival will run from June 1 through June 10 at two main venues: Wythe Hotel in Williamsburg and Windmill Studios in Greenpoint. Additional programming will be presented on June 5 at Syndicated in Bushwick and on June 8 at UnionDocs in Williamsburg. On June 6 and 9, BFF will present a total of five shows at Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Dumbo, where it will also present the 14th annual kidsfilmfest on June 2.
https://vimeo.com/268439683
On June 4, BFF welcomes CUNY’s Graduate School of Journalism with a block of short documentaries at the Alamo Theater in downtown Brooklyn. The evening starts at 6pm with a special presentation and mixer on the Alamo’s rooftop deck for filmmakers and audience members interested in learning more about the documentary program at CUNY. Showtime starts at 8:30 pm with a special screening of student work from CUNY followed by the block of short documentaries curated by BFF Short Doc Programmer Brandon Harrison. Stick around after the screening for the presentation of the inaugural CUNY Best Short Doc Award.
On June 9, the 7th annual BFF Exchange (BFFX) program will be hosted at Kickstarter in Greenpoint. Join us for an afternoon of informative and interesting panels of, by and for filmmakers. This year, the festival will host two discussion panels, Women Working “Below the Line” and Film Finance in the US and Latin America. BFF will continue the “Lunching with Lawyers” session and the ever-popular BFFX documentary pitch session. And in an effort to bridge the city of Brooklyn with Mexico, BFFX will feature as special guest Mexico City’s film commissioner Mauricio Aguinaco. All BFFX events are free of charge, but require an RSVP.
Below is a partial line-up of films from the Narrative and Documentary Features sections. To view the full film line up.
NARRATIVE FEATURES:
“Are You Glad I’m Here” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir. Noor Gharzeddine, Lebanon, 85 min. A millennial American girl befriends a Lebanese housewife and disrupts her ordered life; one night they become accidental partners-in crime. “Birds Without Feathers” – NEW YORK PREMIERE 2018 Slamdance Film Festival, Spirit Award Winner Dir. Wendy McColm, USA, 92 min. Unable to make a human connection, six broken individuals will give everything away in an attempt to receive love. “Brothers” – USA PREMIERE Dir. Bram Schouw, The Netherlands, 106 min. When Alexander suddenly leaves on a road trip to France, Lukas decides to join him as he’s been trailing his charismatic brother for his entire life. But during this journey he discovers that he finally has to go his own way, not knowing this decision would be so all-encompassing. “Can Hitler Happen Here?” Dir. Saskia Rifkin, USA, 74 min. Meddling neighbors, ambitious social-workers and real-estate vultures conspire to torment an eccentric old lady. Or maybe they’re just trying to help. “Golnesa” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir. Sattar Chamani Gol, Iran, 94 min. Golmammad and Golnesa, a young Afghan couple, are illegal immigrants who are working in a traditional brick making kiln in Iran. Following the events happening to them, their lives undergo changes. “Ice Cream” – WORLD PREMIERE Dir. Saba Riazi, Iran, 63 min. Maryam, a 30-year-old woman in Tehran, having lost her job and apartment, is forced to move in with her grandmother. She is trying hard to make things work and in doing so, she faces herself, eating ice-cream. This funny, semi-autobiographical film seamlessly combines animation and live action into a poetic meditation about identity and belonging. “Life is Fare” – WORLD PREMIERE Dir. Sephora Woldu, USA, 61 min. An experimental Tigrinya/English musical movie exploring three wildly different perspectives on the East African nation of Eritrea. “My Country” – EAST COAST PREMIERE 2017 Route 66 Film Festival Audience Award Winner Dir. Giancarlo Iannotta, USA/Italy, 78 min. Two brothers – one American, one Italian who’ve never met – take a road trip from Rome to the unknown picturesque region of Molise on a journey to spread the ashes of their late father in the small town where he was born. “Nosotros” Dir. Felipe Vara de Rey, Spain, 93 min. “Nosotros” follows a group of five friends during the weekend of the Spanish presidential election held in December 2015, probably the most important one in Spain’s recent history due to the deep political and financial crisis in Southern Europe. “One Bedroom” Dir. Darien Sills-Evans, USA, 83 min. Writer-director Darien Sills-Evans combines humor and drama to create a portrait of a relationship at the end of its journey. Set in a gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood, and told through vivid flashbacks, the audience is taken through the whirlwind tale of Melissa and Nate’s courtship. Melissa and Nate have been through a lot together, but sometimes Black Love gets broken. “Prison Logic” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir. Romany Malco, USA, 91 min. Released from prison and placed on probation, Tijuana Jackson sets out to fulfill his dream of becoming a world renowned motivational speaker but fails to comply with strict orders from his no-nonsense probation officer. “Room For Rent” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Chicago Comedy Film Festival, Best Feature Winner Dir. Matt Atkinson, Canada, 89 min. When a broke thirty-two year old ex-lottery winner (Mark Little, “Space Riders: Division Earth”) convinces his parents to rent their spare room to save from downsizing, a creepy stranger (Brett Gelman, “Lemon,” “Stranger Things”) with a hidden agenda moves in. Co-stars Mark McKinney (“Superstore”) and Stephnie Weir (“My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”). “Tommy Battles the Silver Sea Dragon” – EAST COAST PREMIERE 2018 Toronto International Spring of Horror and Fantasy Film Festival, Best Feature & Performance Winner Dir. Luke Shirock, USA, 110 min. When a man finds himself on trial in a courtroom haunted by his own demons, he must reckon with the guilt of his mother’s death before it destroys him and the one he loves. A musical film directed by and starring Luke Shirock.DOCUMENTARY FEATURES:
“Active Measures” – USA PREMIERE Fresh off its World Premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Dir. Jack Bryan, USA, 100 min. Relying on expert testimony and existing footage, “Active Measures” documents the surprisingly interconnected rise of two men, Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin. Features unprecedented access with interviews including Hillary Clinton, John McCain, James Woolsey, Michael McFaul and more. “Afghan Cycles” – EAST COAST PREMIERE Dir. Sarah Menzies, USA, 90 min. Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, “Afghan Cycles” uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights – human rights – and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. “My Name is Pedro” Dir. Lillian LaSalle, USA, 96 min. This film explores what public education meant to South Bronx Latino maverick educator, Pedro Santana, and what he, in turn, meant to public education. Infectious in his optimism, Santana becomes one of the most influential public school teachers and then administrators in the New York public school system after turning his troubled Bronx middle school, MS 391, around. “Nos Llaman Guerreras”/“They Call Us Warriors” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dirs. Jennifer Socorro, Edwin Corona Ramos & David Alonso, Venezuela, 81 min. After becoming undefeated champions of the South American Women Under-17 Championship and overcoming one of the worst social and economic environments for sports practicing, the Venezuelan team takes a chance to win the first World Cup for their country, having the chance to give a voice to women football in their country and perhaps in all of South America. “Street Fighting Men” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir. Andrew James, USA, 104 min. Facing dwindling public services, growing inequality and escalating violence, three Detroit men must fight to build something lasting for themselves and future generations. “The New Man” – INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE Dir. Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum, United Kingdom, 96 min. A creative documentary about becoming a parent…and how to reconceive yourself. Fiction director Josh Appignanesi turns the camera on himself and his wife as they undergo the ordeal of becoming parents in the era of man-children and assisted reproduction. “Working in Protest” – NEW YORK PREMIERE Dir. Michael Galinsky & Suki Hawley, USA, 74 min. BFF alums Michael Hawley and Suki Galinsky (“Battle for Brooklyn”) have documented protests for over 30 years as observers rather than journalists or activists. Starting in North Carolina in 1987 and ending in DC in 2017, the film captures the discourse of modern political protest.
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2017 San Diego International Film Festival Unveils Lineup + Sir Patrick Stewart to Receive Award
Actor Sir Patrick Stewart will be the recipient of the Gregory Peck Award for Excellence in Cinema at the 2017 San Diego International Film Festival (SDiFF). The awards will be presented October 5th at The VARIETY Night of the Stars Tribute.
“Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences for years with spectacular performances, from Star Trek to his career defining performance in Logan earlier this year, as well as his Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated performance as Captain Ahab in Moby Dick, a role which Mr. Peck made famous more than 40 years earlier. We couldn’t be more excited to honor him this year with the Gregory Peck Award,” said Tonya Mantooth, Executive and Artistic Director of the San Diego International Film Festival.
Created in honor of famed actor and San Diego area native Gregory Peck, with the support of his family, this award is given to an individual whose work has made a profound impact on the art of cinema. Launched in 2014, the first recipient of the award was Alan Arkin, with Annette Bening receiving the award last year.
The festival, now in its 16th year, will run from October 4th through October 8th in San Diego, California, and feature a lineup of 117 films total, 10 Narrative Spotlight Competition films, 18 Narrative Competition films, 12 Documentary Competition films, 5 Documentary Spotlight Competition films, and 72 Short films.
2017 San Diego International Film Festival Line-up
Narrative Spotlight Films
The Ballad of Lefty Brown, Dir. Jared Moshe, USA, West Coast Premiere Breathe, Dir. Andy Serkis, USA, West Coast Premiere Thelma, Dir. Joachim Trier, Norway, United States Premiere Dismissed, Dir. Benjamin Arfmann, USA, World Premiere Dog Years, Dir. Adam Rifkin, USA, West Coast Premiere The Divine Order, Dir. Petra Volpe, Switzerland, Southern California Premiere Juvenile, Dir. Bradley Buecker, USA, West Coast Premiere The Bachelors, Dir. Kurt Voelker, USA, San Diego Premiere Thumper, Dir. Jordan Ross, USA, California Premiere My Friend Dahmer, Dir. Marc Meyers, USA, San Diego PremiereNarrative Competition
Selling Isobel, Dir. Rudolf Buitendach, Sweden/USA, World Premiere Butterfly Caught, Dir. Manny Rodriguez Jr., USA, World Premiere The Lonely Italian, Dir. Lee Farber, USA, World Premiere Juggernaut, Dir. Daniel DiMarco, Canada, North American Premiere Otherlife, Dir. Ben C. Lucas, Australia, North American Premiere Storm Letters of Fire, Dir. Dennis Bots, Netherlands, North American Premiere Room for Rent, Dir. Matt Atkinson, Canada, United States Premiere Under the Rose, Dir. Josue Ramos, Spain, United States Premiere A Prominent Patient, Dir. Julius Sevcik, Czech Republic, Slovakia, United States Premiere Life Hack, Dir. Sloan Copeland, USA, West Coast Premiere Heart, Baby!, Dir. Angela Shelton, USA, San Diego Premiere Hard Surfaces, Dir. Zach Brown, USA, San Diego Premiere The Price, Dir. Anthony Onah, USA, West Coast Premiere Scent of Rain and Lightening, Dir. Blake Robbins, USA, California Premiere GUN, Dir. Sam Upton, USA, Southern California Premiere Entanglement, Dir. Jason James, Canada, San Diego Premiere And Then There Was Eve, Dir. Savannah Bloch, USA, San Diego Premiere 20 Weeks, Dir. Leena Pendharkar, USA, San Diego PremiereSpotlight Documentary Films
The Last Animals, Dir. Kate Brooks, UK/USA, California Premiere Apache Warrior, Dir. David Salzberg & Christian Tureaud, USA, World Premiere WASTED! Story of Food Waste, Dir. Anna Chia & Nari Kye, USA, San Diego Premiere Behind the Curtain: Todrick Hall, Dir. Katherine Fairfax Wright, USA, Southern California Premiere Resistance is Life, Dir. Apo W. Bazidi, USA/Turkey, San Diego PremiereDocumentary Competition
Becoming Who I Was, Dir. Moon Chang-Yong & Jeon Jin, South Korea, California Premiere 42 Grams, Dir. Jack C. Newell, USA, California Premiere Herd, Dir. Stefan Morel, Canada, California Premiere Blind Spot; Moments Unseen, Dir. Stefan Morel, Canada, California Premiere Down the Fence, Dir. MJ Isakson, USA, Southern California Premiere Spirit of Discovery, Dir. Eliana Alvarez Martinez, USA, World Premiere RiverBlue: Can Fashion Save the Planet?, Dir. David McIlvride & Roger Williams, Canada, San Diego Premiere Poisoning Paradise, Dir. Keely Shaye Brosnan & Teresa Tico, USA, San Diego Premiere Legion of Brothers, Dir. Greg Barker, USA, California Premiere Mankiller, Dir. Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, USA, San Diego Premiere The Lavender Scare, Dir. Josh Howard, USA, Southern California Premiere Hell on Earth: The Fall of Syria and Rise of Isis, Dir. Sebastian Junger & Nick Quested, USA, San Diego PremiereShorts Competition
Shorts in front of feature films: Lucky Me, Dir. Thomas Morgan, USA, World Premiere The Horse Whisperer, Dir. Richard Mullane, UK, United States Premiere The Velvet Abstract, Dir. James Hughes, UK, San Diego Premiere Shorts: American Indian Stories: Waabooz, Dir. Molly Katagiri, USA, San Diego Premiere Five Dollars, Dir. Ty Coughenour, USA, San Diego Premiere In the Beginning was Water and Sky, Dir. Ryan Ward, USA, San Diego Premiere Lost Face, Dir. Sean Meehan, Australia/Canada, San Diego Premiere Neemkomok’, Dir. Douglas Cushnie, USA, San Diego Premiere The Gift, Joel Edgerton, USA/Australia, California Premiere Shorts: For Shorts & Giggles: The Bouquet, Dir. Julien Segard & Romain Carciofo, France, San Diego Premiere Ostoja Will Move Your Piano, Dir. Sandra Mitrovic, Serbia, West Coast Premiere Annie Waits, Dir. Marnie Paxton-Harris, UK, San Diego Premiere A Ghost Named George, Dir. Harrison Macks, USA, World Premiere Dollar King, Dir. Drew Pollins, USA, Southern California Premiere The Heist, Dir. Luke Harris, USA, Southern California Premiere Love me Madly, Dir. Emre Okten, USA, World Premiere Shorts: A Stranger in Stranger Land: Picture Wheel, Dir. David O’Donnell, USA/Australia, San Diego Premiere Wyrm, Dir. Christopher Winterbauer, USA, North American Premiere Albedo Absolute, Dir. Vlad Marsavin, USA, Southern California Premiere Time Flies When I am Having Fun, Dir. Johan Tappert, Sweden, West Coast Premiere Cautionary Tales, Dir.Christopher Barrett & Luke Taylor, UK, North American Premiere See You Yesterday, Dir. Stefon Bristol, USA, Southern California Premiere Fairy Tales Anonymous, Dir. Jacob Lundgaard Andersen, USA, San Diego Premier Shorts: Illusion: Gridlock, Dir. Ian Hunt Duffy, Ireland, Southern California Premiere Cul-de-sac, Dir. Damon Russell, USA, San Diego Premiere The Obituary, Dir. Jonathan Thompson, USA, Southern California Premiere Standby, Dir. Daumoun Khakpour & Travis Pulchinski, Canada, United States Premiere The Peculiar Abilities of Mr. Mahler, Dir. Paul Philipp, Germany, California Premiere Frederick, Dir. Ty Coughenour, USA, San Diego Premiere Shorts: Independent Animation: The Wall, Dir.Nick Baker & Tristan Klein, Australia, West Coast Premiere Green Light, Dir. Seongmin Kim, South Korea, Southern California Premiere Tanguito Argentino, Dir. Joaquin Braga, Argentina,Southern California Premiere Wishing Box, Dir. Wenli Zhang & Nan Li, USA, San Diego Premiere Hope, Dir. Michael Scherrer, Switzerland, Southern California Premiere First Bloom, Dir. Tingting Liu, China, San Diego Premiere Revelation: City of Haze, Dir. Mao Qichao, China, San Diego Premiere Karma, Dir. Zhaoyu Zhou, USA, World Premiere Shorts: Heart of a Soldier: Orion, Dir. Spencer Currie, USA, San Diego Premiere Corpsman, Dir. Amanda Larsh, USA, World Premiere One Halloween, Dir. Rebecca Murga, USA, World Premiere Tango on the Balcony, Dir. Minos Papas, USA/Cyprus, Southern California Premiere Wandering Soul, Dir. Josh Tanner, Australia, San Diego Premiere Shorts: Twisted Humor: The Dog with the Woman, Dir. Phoebe Arnstein & Stephen Ledger-Lomas, UK, World Premiere A Done Deal, Dir. Pierre-Marc Drouin and Simon Lamarre-Ledoux, Canada, West Coast Premiere Eat and Drink, Dir. Jaime Figueroa, Spain, North American Premiere Nicole’s Cage, Dir. Josef Brandl, Germany, Southern California Premiere Unleaved Bread, Dir. Wilfried Méance, France, Southern California Premiere Shorts: On Pins and Needles: Will Wilson, Dir. David C. Herman, USA, San Diego Premiere Morning Has Broken, Dir. Olga Chajdas, Poland, United States Premiere Icarus, Dir. Tom Teller, USA, Southern California Premiere Warm Springs, Dir. Sean Wang, USA, San Diego Premiere Game, Dir. Joy Webster, Canada, United States Premiere Standby, Dir. Daumoun Khakpour & Travis Pulchinski, Canada, United States Premiere Shorts: When Worlds Collide: Lost Dogs, Dir. Cullan Bruce, USA, San Diego Premiere The Foster Portfolio, Dir. Danielle Katvan, USA, San Diego Premiere The Transfer, Dir. Michael Grudsky, Germany/Israel, San Diego Premiere Pickle, Dir. Grant Moore, USA, San Diego Premiere Brainstorm, Dir. Christophe Clin, Belgium, San Diego Premiere Temporary, Dir. Milena Govich, USA, San Diego Premiere Shorts: Global Consciousness: Shine, Dir. Barrett Lewis, Daniel Andreani & Austin Bousley, USA, World Premiere Witnesses, Dir. David Koch, France, California Premiere All of Us, Dir. Katja Benrath, Germany/ Kenya, United States Premiere Ravage, Dir. Leon Lee, Canada, West Coast Premiere Citizen, Dir. Robert Bracker, USA, West Coast Premiere The Fare, Dir. Santiago Paladines, Equador/USA, San Diego Premiere Shorts: Student Track: I Have to Kill my Professor, Dir. Jonathan Pickett, USA, World Premiere Dated, Dir. Daniel Lachman, USA, California Premiere Uncle Tommy, Dir. Tan Shi Ying, Singapore, World Premiere Hurt People, Dir. Gabriel Gaurano, Jayden Gillespie & Navin Bose, USA, World Premiere Dibashram, Dir. Weilee Yap, Singapore, World Premiere Head Above Water, Dir. Eric Shahinian, USA, West Coast Premiere Chicken Beauty Pageant, Dir. Nurul Amirah, Singapore, World Premiere