SADIE

  • IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, GREEN BOOK Among 2018 Award Finalists for Twin Cities Film Fest

    [caption id="attachment_31277" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]If Beale Street Could Talk If Beale Street Could Talk[/caption] More than 30 finalists will compete for the top awards at the 2018 Twin Cities Film Fest, including among the top contenders for Best Feature Film are the new Barry Jenkins drama “If Beale Street Could Talk,”  Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book,” which recently won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and two lauded Minnesota productions: Barry Andersson’s “The Lumber Baron” and David Buchanan’s “Black.” Other notable 2018 finalists include Joel Edgerton’s harrowing drama “Boy Erased” and Marielle Heller’s thriller “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, both nominated for this year’s Indie Vision Award for breakthrough performance, recognizing Lucas Hedges and Melissa McCarthy respectively. Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler’s documentary “United Skates,” selected as this year’s closing night film, received two nominations — for Best Documentary and Indie Vision Special Achievement, recognizing Tina Brown, Matthew Peterson and Dyana Winkler’s electrifying cinematography. Rounding out this year’s Best Feature Film nominees were Kendall Goldberg’s comedy “When Jeff Tried to Save the World,” which also received nods for director Kendall Goldberg and lead actor Jon Heder, and Ben Zuckert’s drama “Noah Wise,” which received a second nomination for musical score. Actor Bill Murray is serving as a special guest judge for this year’s Comedy Shorts Award. Murray will be choosing his favorite comedic short from the three finalists listed below. This year’s TCFF slate, which continues to screen in St. Louis Park through Saturday evening, is comprised of more than 130 short and feature films. In addition to staff and audience awards, this year’s Changemaker Award is being bestowed to Rachel Mairose, founder and executive director of the animal rescue nonprofit Secondhand Hounds.

    2018 Twin Cities Film Fest FINALISTS

    Best Feature Film: “If Beale Street Could Talk,” directed by Barry Jenkins; “Black,” directed by David Buchanan; “Green Book,” directed by Peter Farrelly; “The Lumber Baron,” directed by Barry Andersson; “Noah Wise,” directed by Ben Zuckert; “When Jeff Tried to Save the World,” directed by Kendall Goldberg. Best Documentary: “93Queen,” directed by Paula Eiselt; “Finding Hygge,” directed by Rocky Walls; “Fire on the Hill,” directed by Brett Fallentine; “Time for Ilhan,” directed by Norah Shapiro; “United Skates,” directed by Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler; “Who Will Write Our History?” directed by Roberta Grossman. Best Short Film: “The American Wake,” directed by Kevin Quinn; “12 Sips to Glory,” directed by Matt Hirst; “Claire Means Well,” directed by Aaron Gervich; “Lunch Ladies,” directed by J.M. Logan; “Two Black Coffees,” directed by Michael Discoll; “Sexpert Franzen,” directed by Kaitlyn Busbee. Indie Vision — Breakthrough Performance: Adam Christian Clark (“Newly Single”); Jon Heder (“When Jeff Tried to Save the World”); Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”); Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”); Toussaint Morrison (“Black”); Sophia Mitri Schloss (“Sadie”). Indie Vision — Debut Director: Erik Bloomquist (“Long Lost”); Kendall Goldberg (“When Jeff Tried to Save the World”); Jenna Laurenzo (“Lez Bomb”); James Ojala (“Strange Nature”); Mark Taylor (“Saving Flora”); Kulap Vilaysack (“Origin Story”). Indie Vision — Breakthrough Achievement: Sam Boyd (screenplay for “In a Relationship”); Tina Brown, Matthew Peterson and Dyana Winkler (cinematography for “United Skates”); Roxanne Paukner (art direction for “The Lumber Baron”); Vanessa Powers (animation for “Witch”); C.J. Renner (director of “American Tender”); Ben Zuckert (composer of “Noah Wise”). Comedic Shorts Award: “12 Sips to Glory;” “Deep Dish Apocalypse;” “Lunch Ladies.” 2018 TCFF Changemaker Award: Rachel Mairose, founder and executive director of Secondhand Hounds.

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  • Filmmaker Megan Griffiths to Independently Release Her Acclaimed Indie Drama SADIE [Trailer]

    sadie Filmmaker Megan Griffiths will independently release her acclaimed drama Sadie which premiered at SXSW in March and features a breakout turn by newcomer Sophia Mitri Schloss in the title role. Melanie Lynskey, John Gallagher Jr., Tony Hale, Danielle Books and Keith L. Williams co-star, and the film features a score by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. Working with creative distribution strategist Mia Bruno, the film which won the Gryphon Jury Award at the 2018 Giffoni Film Festival in Italy, will begin its roll-out in New York and Los Angeles on October 12th. Sadie is the powerful, unsettling and darkly funny story of a young girl (Sophia Mitri Schloss) who will stop at nothing to preserve her father’s place on the home front. Sadie is the daughter of a soldier and she models herself after his military example. When her mom, Rae (Melanie Lynskey), begins dating a new man, Cyrus (John Gallagher Jr.), Sadie vows to come between them, whatever it takes. Cyrus becomes the enemy, and if she’s learned anything from the world she inhabits, it’s that the enemy deserves no mercy. Sadie was written and directed by Griffiths, director of film festival hits Lucky Them (Toronto 2013, starring Toni Collette and Johnny Depp), Eden (winner of the 2012 SXSW Audience Award), and The Off Hours (Sundance 2011). Griffiths is also an established television director, helming episodes of Animal Kingdom, Graves, and Room 104 (for which she was nominated for a GLAAD Award). She is currently in development on a project with Philip Fleishman and Steven Soderbergh. Sadie was produced by Lacey Leavitt and Jennessa West, co-produced by Jonathan Caso and executive produced by Eliza Shelden. The project was supported by the Sundance Institute (Creative Producing Lab) and IFP (No Borders/IFP Week). Variety said in their review, “Equal parts coming-of-age story and slow-burn thriller, writer-director Megan Griffiths’ quietly absorbing and methodically disquieting drama is a genuine rarity.” Walking away from more traditional distribution deals, Griffiths and company chose to pursue their own creative distribution model to ensure that Sadie would be released with specificity and care and that no stone would be left unturned in efforts to connect with communities and reach an audience. They will build a theatrical and TVOD release to lead into their Amazon SVOD release, which they opted into as part of the Amazon Festival Stars program. In an attempt to benefit other filmmakers by de-mystifying independent film distribution, the filmmaking team plans to be fully transparent about their experiences, including an ongoing blog on the subject hosted on the film’s official site SadieFilm.com. “This film is incredibly meaningful to me, and it’s been so empowering to create a strategy that will allow us to connect more directly with our audience and engage on the film’s themes around youth and violence,” said Griffiths. “Sadie was made to start a conversation, and the larger the audience, the more powerful that conversation can be.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Kwn_GrQnQM

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  • LA Film Festival Announces Gala Sreenings of THE OATH, THE HAPPY PRINCE, FREE SOLO, ALL ABOUT NINA

    [caption id="attachment_31520" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]THE OATH THE OATH[/caption] The LA Film Festival today announced Gala Screenings at the 2018 Festival including Ike Barinholtz’s directorial debut The Oath starring Ike Barinholtz, Tiffany Haddish, John Cho, Carrie Brownstein, Billy Magnussen, Nora Dunn, Chris Ellis, Jon Barinholtz, Meredith Hagner; Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s documentary Free Solo featuring Alex Honnold; Rupert Everett’s The Happy Prince, starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas and Emily Watson; Eva Vives’ All About Nina, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common, Chace Crawford, Clea DuVall, Kate del Castillo, Beau Bridges and Camryn Manheim. There will also be a Special Screening of Tom Volf’s documentary Maria by Callas; a Series program that includes; the first episode of the Into the Dark series, “The Body” staring Tom Bateman and Rebecca Rittenhouse, directed by Paul Davis; and America to Me a multipart unscripted documentary series from filmmaker Steve James. In addition 12 films in the Buzz Section and 3 podcasts in the Podcast Section have been unveiled. The LA Film Festival runs September 20-28. “My aim with LA Film Festival is to celebrate and acknowledge storytelling in all its myriad of forms,” said LA Film Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “Bringing forth part of our Series programming, launching our Podcast section, and shining a spotlight on this year’s Galas is all in effort to honor these creative teams, processes and stories.”

    Galas

    All About Nina, dir. Eva Vives, West Coast Premiere Just as Nina Geld’s brilliant and angry stand-up kicks her career into high gear, her romantic life gets complicated, forcing her to reckon with what it means to be creative, authentic, and a woman in today’s culture. All About Nina is distributed by The Orchard and will be in theatres on September 28th. The Happy Prince, dir. Rupert Everett, United Kingdom, Los Angeles Premiere The last days of Oscar Wilde — and the ghosts that haunted them — are vividly evoked in Rupert Everett’s directorial debut. As the film travels through Wilde’s final act and journeys through England, France and Italy, desire and loyalty face off, the transience of lust is laid bare, and the true riches of love are revealed. The Happy Prince is being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and will open in LA & NY October 10th. The Oath, dir. Ike Barinholtz, USA, World Premiere A controversial White House policy turns family member against family member in The Oath, a savagely funny dark comedy about surviving life and Thanksgiving in the age of political tribalism. The Oath is Ike Barinholtz’s directorial debut and is being distributed by Topic Studios and Roadside Attractions, opening on October 12th. Free Solo, dirs. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, USA, Los Angeles Premiere Free Solo is a stunning, intimate and unflinching portrait of free soloist climber Alex Honnold, as he prepares to achieve his lifelong dream: climbing the face of the world’s most famous rock…the 3,200ft El Capitan in Yosemite National Park…without a rope. Free Solo is being distributed by National Geographic Documentary Films.

    Special Screening

    Maria By Callas, dir. Tom Volf, France, Los Angeles Special Screening From first time director Tom Volf, Maria By Callas is the definitive documentary on the life and work of the Greek-American opera singer. Volf has spent nearly five years working on the film, which features never before seen or heard footage and performances of Callas. Maria By Callas is being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and will open in LA & NY November 2nd.

    Podcasts

    Don’t @ Me with Justin Simien – USA (CREATOR/HOST Justin Simien PRODUCER Gina Delvac) Beyond the knee-jerk reactions and Twitter hot takes, Justin Simien and his guests get real about a variety of topics. Don’t like what you hear? Don’t @ Me. Hollywood & Crime – USA (CREATOR/HOST Tracy Pattin HOST Larry Brand) A look inside the most infamous murders in Hollywood history. Welcome to L.A. – USA (CREATOR/HOST David Weinberg) – David Weinberg explores a few of the many L.A.s that exist between the Pacific and the Mojave, introducing us to a lot of fascinating characters along the way.

    Series

    Into the Dark, “The Body”, dir. Paul Davis, USA, World Premiere The first episode of the Into the Dark series – “The Body” – is a story about a sophisticated hitman with a cynical view on modern society who finds his work made more difficult when he has to transport a body on Halloween night, but everyone is enamored by what they think is his killer costume. “The Body” stars Tom Bateman and Rebecca Rittenhouse, written by Paul Fischer and Paul Davis and is directed by Paul Davis. Into The Dark is a first of its kind year-round horror event series from prolific, award-winning producer, Jason Blum’s independent TV studio Blumhouse Television. The Hulu Original Series includes 12 self-contained episodes, with a new episode premiering each month. The Body premieres exclusively on Hulu, October 5th, 2018. America To Me, “I Don’t Have to Think About Being White”, dir. Steve James, USA Poignant and funny, epic and intimate, America to Me spends an academic year at Chicagoland’s elite Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRF), allowing its students, families, faculty and administration to tell stories of the pressures and challenges teens face today in their own words. The fifth episode of the epic 10-part docu-series from Starz and Kartemquin looks closely at decades-long racial and educational inequities – in addition to the challenges that today’s teenagers face. America To Me will premiere on Starz this Sunday, August 26 at 10pm PT/ET.

    Buzz Section

    Non-competitive showcase of curated favorites from other film festivals. Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable – dir. Aaron Lieber, USA, West Coast Premiere Galveston – dir. Mélanie Laurent, USA, West Coast Premiere The Great Buster: A Celebration – dir. Peter Bogdanovich, USA, North American Premiere Jonathan – dir. Bill Oliver, USA, West Coast Premiere Little Woods – dir. Nia DaCosta, USA, West Coast Premiere Mr. Soul! – dirs. Melissa Haizlip, Samuel Pollard, USA, West Coast Premiere Museo – dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios, Mexico, North American Premiere The New Romantic – dir. Carly Stone, USA, West Coast Premiere Sadie – dir. Megan Griffiths, USA, California Premiere Song of Back and Neck – dir. Paul Lieberstein, USA, West Coast Premiere Unlovable – dir. Suzi Yoonessi, USA, West Coast Premiere You Can Choose Your Family – dir. Miranda Bailey, USA, West Coast Premiere

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  • ‘Eighth Grade’ ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Among Winners at 2018 Seattle International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27753" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]EIGHTH GRADE EIGHTH GRADE[/caption] The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) today announced the winners of the 2018 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. Eighth Grade received the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film and a Best Actress Award for Elise Fisher. Won’t You Be My Neighbor won Best Documentary and Grand Jury prizes went to The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Dead Pigs, Rust, Inventing Tomorrow, and Thunder Road. Artistic Director Beth Barrett said, “Executive Director Sarah Wilke and I were thrilled to present Ethan Hawke with the Festival’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Cinema before a screening of Blaze, his latest directing effort, as well as welcoming Melanie Lynskey back to the Festival for a special screening of Seattle based local film, Sadie. We also had an incredible lineup of local films, and our documentary film selection continues to be among the best in the country. Back for the second year was SIFF’s New Works-in-Progress Forum, where we screened two narrative and two documentary features in the midst of their creative process to the Seattle audience of industry and festival attendees, as well as continuing our exploration of the intersections between cinema and Virtual Reality at our first Pop-up event, SIFF VR Zone at Pacific Place.”

    2018 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD WINNERS

    The 2018 Golden Space Needle Awards are created by Seattle Artist, Piper O’Neill. GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM Eighth Grade, directed by Bo Burnham (USA 2018) First runner-up: The Last Suit, directed by Pablo Solarz (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) Second runner-up: Champions, directed by Javier Fesser (Spain 2018) Third runner-up: C’est la vie!, directed by Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano (France/Canada/Belgium 2017) Fourth runner-up: Supa Modo, directed by Likarion Wainaina (Kenya/Germany 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, directed by Morgan Neville (USA 2018) First runner-up: Pick of the Litter, directed by Don Hardy Jr., Dana Nachman (USA 2017) Second runner-up: Return to Mount Kennedy, directed by Eric Becker (USA 2018) Third runner-up: The Most Dangerous Year, directed by Vlada Knowlton (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: The Russian Five, directed by Joshua Riehl (USA 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR Gustav Möller, The Guilty (Denmark 2018) First runner-up: Pablo Solarz, The Last Suit (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) Second runner-up: Megan Griffiths, Sadie (USA 2018) Third runner-up: Debra Granik, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Albert Dupontel, See You Up There (France 2017) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR Miguel Ángel Solá, The Last Suit (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) First runner-up: Jakob Cedergren, The Guilty (Denmark 2018) Second runner-up: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed (USA 2017) Third runner-up: Jim Cummings, Thunder Road (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Ben Foster, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade (USA 2018) First runner-up: Rhaechyl Walker, My Name is Myeisha (USA 2018) Second runner-up: Sophia Mitri Schloss, Sadie (USA 2018) Third runner-up: Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Ana Brun, The Heiresses (Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM Emergency, directed by Carey Williams (USA 2017) First runner-up: About the Birds and the Bees, directed by J.J. Vanhanen (Finland 2017) Second runner-up: Wishing Box, directed by Wenli Zhang, Nan Li (USA 2017) Third runner-up: Cats Cradle, directed by Jonathan Napolitano (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Wave, directed by Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton (Ireland 2017) LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION Presented by Women in Film – Seattle Dana Nachman, Pick of the Litter (USA 2017) 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 2018 COMPETITION AWARDS

    SIFF 2018 OFFICIAL COMPETITION WINNER

    GRAND JURY PRIZE The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018) JURY STATEMENT: The Official Competition Jury Award goes to a work that through its complex and multi-dimensional characters tells a familiar story of infidelity in an original and wholly disarming way. We were struck by the unexpected journey taken by the two female leads towards empowerment, particularly given the political and social climate of a modern day divided Jerusalem. The Official Competition Jury Award goes to The Reports on Sarah and Seleem. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018) JURY STATEMENT: We would like acknowledge The Heiresses, a remarkable first feature from Paraguay by Marcelo Martinessi. 2018 Entries: The Devil’s Doorway (d: Aislinn Clarke, United Kingdom 2018, World Premiere) Garbage (d: Qaushiq Mukherjee, India 2018, North American Premiere) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Leave No Trace (d: Debra Granik, USA 2018) Luna (d: Elsa Diringer, France 2017) Pig (d: Mani Haghighi, Iran 2018, North American Premiere) Team Hurricane (d: Annika Berg, Denmark 2017) The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018, North American Premiere) Something Useful (d: Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2017, North American Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For highlighting a very important social issue, through an inventive structure and phenomenal performances, we present the Ibero-American Competition Jury Award to Aly Muritiba’s Rust. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) JURY STATEMENT: The Jury wants to also recognize a wonderful discovery, told with a subtle, unique point of view. For her examination of suffering and humanity inside of an increasingly automotive environment, the Ibero-American Competition Jury awards a special mention to Luciana Kaplan’s Rush Hour. 2018 Entries: Champions (d: Javier Fesser, Spain 2018) Giant (d: John Garaño, Aitor Arregi, Spain 2017) Gold Seekers (d: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay 2017) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Killing Jesus (d: Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia/Argentina 2017) Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (d: Gustavo Salmerón, Spain 2017) Marilyn (d: Martin Rodriguez, Argentina/Chile 2018, North American Premiere) Retablo (d: Peru/Germany/Norway 2017, North American Premiere) Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) Virus Tropical (d: Santiago Calcedo, Colombia/Ecuador 2017)

    SIFF 2018 NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For building an epic world, grounded in humanity, purposefully depicting the intricacies of the characters who exemplify the changes of a modernizing China, the New Directors Competition Jury award goes to Cathy Yan for Dead Pigs. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: Using striking and haunting visuals, this filmmaker confidently creates intimate and empathetic characters while depicting the struggle for artistic expression in a society that does not allow the full breadth of it. The jury would like to recognize Ana Urushadze with a special mention for her filmScary Mother. 2018 Entries: After the War (d: Annarita Zambrano, Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017) Amateurs (d: Gabriela Pichler, Sweden 2018) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, Algeria/France/Belgium/Qatar 2017) The Charmer (d: Milad Alami, Denmark/Sweden 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Sashinka (d: Kristina Wagenbauer, Canada (Québec) 2017, US Premiere) Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) Shuttle Life (d: Tan Seng Klat, Malaysia 2017, US Premiere) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018) Retablo (d: Alvaro L. Delgado-Aparicio, Peru/Germany/Norway 2017, North American Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 NEW AMERICAN CINEMA COMPETITION

    Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For the bold and unpredictable lead performance and commitment to telling a hilarious and ultimately heartbreaking story of shifting family relations in the face of personal adversity and tragedy, the New American Cinema Competition Jury award goes to Thunder Road by Jim Cummings. 2018 Entries: Jinn (d: Nijla Mu’min, USA 2018) My Name is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) Noble Earth (d: Ursula Grisham, USA 2017, US Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018) Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) Tyrel (d: Sebastián Silva, USA 2018) Wild Nights with Emily (d: Madeleine Olnek, USA 2018)

    SIFF 2018 DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For it’s compelling cast of young visionaries from around the globe who are engaged and looking for solutions to the world’s environmental problems, Inventing Tomorrow offers us a sense of optimism and the certainty that science matters. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For portraying a side of Afghanistan that we don’t usually see and the self confidence and bravery of the young women, we would like to acknowledge Afghan Cycles with a Documentary Competition Special Jury Mention. 2018 Entries: Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (d: Stephen Loveridge, United Kingdom/USA 2018) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) Queerama (d: Daisy Asquith, United Kingdom 2017) The Return (d: Malene Choi, Denmark 2018, US Premiere) Unarmed Verses (d: Charles Officer, Canada 2017, US Premiere) Warrior Women (d: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King, USA 2018, US Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 YOUTH JURY FEATURES & FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AWARDS

    YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE Zoo (d: Colin McIvor, Ireland 2017) JURY STATEMENT: For its well-developed, heartwarming plot, spectacular scenery, and believable acting. YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE My Name is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For its creative and non-linear storytelling that incorporates multiple art forms, including poetry, rap, beat-boxing, and dance, and its holistic portrayal of victims of police brutality. In addition, SIFF presents FutureWave Shorts during ShortsFest Weekend. These inspiring original short films represent some of the best short filmmaking from around the world. WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE) iRony (d: Radheya Jegatheva, Australia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: We found that the animation was excellent, smart, and gorgeous. This film was paired with emotional and poignant prose about technology in this new world, sustaining our curiosity and interest throughout. PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIP The winner will be awarded a $1000 partial scholarship to the Prodigy Camp. Roommate (d: Jinho Rhee, USA 2017) FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD iRony (d: Radheya Jegatheva, Australia 2017)

    SIFF 2018 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

    LIVE ACTION GRAND JURY PRIZE Caroline (d: Celine Held, Logan George, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: “Perfect” and “flawless” were two words our team used multiple times to describe this intense drama. A searing portrait of motherhood, it sent our blood pressure through the roof and arrested our attention until the very last second with its clever and powerful ending. The winner of the 2018 Live Action Short Jury Award goes to Caroline by Celine Held and Logan George. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Creme de Menthe (d: Jean-Marc E. Roy & Philippe David Gagné, Canada 2017) JURY STATEMENT: Unlike the liqueur for which it is titled, this film is bittersweet and complex, a poignant reminder of every grown child’s desire for parental validation, even posthumously. What the captivating lead finds instead are small victories amidst her “rush” to judgement and the rubble of her father’s later life. Our special mention award goes to the understated and masterful Creme de Menthe by Jean-Marc E. Roy and Philippe David Gagné. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Victory of Charity (d: Albert Meisl, Austria 2017) JURY STATEMENT: This Austrian farce manages to create comedic gold with a mismatched pair of music professors: turning an act of charity–however maliciously motivated–into a hilarious treasure hunt around Vienna. For its endlessly humorous crafting of two endearingly ridiculous characters, on an earnest and equally ridiculous quest, we award a Special Mention to the short that left us in stitches, The Victory of Charity by Albert Meisl. DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE Juck [Thrust] (d: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira, Sweden 2018) JURY STATEMENT: An unapologetic, empowering, and affecting call to action that demands attention. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Driver is Red (d: Randall Christopher, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: An invigorating revelation of an important, lesser known part of history, full of inventive visuals and tension-filled storytelling ANIMATION GRAND JURY PRIZE Between the Lines (d: Maria Koneva, Russia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: A delightful and whimsical story from a skilled, emerging new voice in animation. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Driver is Red (d: Randall Christopher, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: An invigorating revelation of an important, lesser known part of history, full of inventive visuals and tension-filled storytelling.

    SIFF 2018 CHINA STARS AWARDS

    CHINA STARS BEST FILM AWARD The Taste of Betel Nut (d: Jia Hu, p: Wei Sun, China 2017) CHINA STARS BEST FIRST FILM Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) CHINA STARS BEST NEW TALENT Girls Always Happy (d: Mingming Yang, China 2018)

    SIFF 2018 DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT PROGRAM

    The 2018 Clark Family Legacy Film Grant in the amount of $50,000 was awarded to Jordan Schiele for his film The Silk and the Flame and the Áegis Living Film Grant in the amount of $25,000 was awarded to Sarah Menzies for her film Afghan Cycles. These grants are given to documentary filmmakers who are working with excellence and integrity to bring important human stories to life. Both films were screened at this year’s Festival.

    SIFF 2018 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

    GRAND PRIZE WINNER Youth Decay by Brandon Hall FINALISTS Anh Sang by Barry Brennessel Kibou by Cassie Hayasaka and Keith Hayasaka Plan B by Paige Gresty SEMI-FINALISTS Amelia Was Here! by Millie West Kelley’s Coffin by Jon Hartz Pale Souls by Michael Lavine The Rodeo King of Brooklyn by Paul Longo Seattle ‘94 by Charles Freeman Strange Trails by Jordan Short

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  • John McEnroe Documentary Among First Confirmed Films + Events for 2018 Las Vegas Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27742" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection[/caption] The 11th Annual Las Vegas Film Festival, partnered with CineVegas, announced this morning the initial programming lineup for the 2018 Festival, to be held at Brenden Theatres and Palms Casino Resort June 6 to 10.The lineup includes a mix of feature films and documentaries that have been favorites on the international festival circuit, as well as new additions to this year’s Festival – live discussions and live comedy. 2018 also marks the first year with seasoned film festival programming veteran Mike Plante serving as the Festival’s Captain of Strategy.

    FEATURE FILMS

    Clara’s Ghost / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Bridey Elliott; Producer: Sarah Winshall) — Ted Reynolds, an aging comedian, lives a quiet life in rural Connecticut with his wife Clara. When they invite their two daughters home to celebrate the family dog’s birthday, the vodka-loving clan devolves into a drunken mess, and Clara finds herself face-to-face with a supernatural spirit only she can see. Cast: Paula Niedert Elliott, Chris Elliott, Abby Elliott, Bridey Elliott, Haley Joel Osment Damsel / U.S.A. (Directors and Screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner; Producers: Nathan Zellner, Chris Ohlson, David Zellner) — Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson), an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American Frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). As Samuel traverses the Wild West with a drunkard named Parson Henry (David Zellner) and a miniature horse called Butterscotch, their once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska I Am Not a Witch / United Kingdom – (Director and Screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni; Producers: Juliette Grandmont and Emily Morgan) When eight-year-old Shula turns up alone and unannounced in a rural Zambian village, the locals are suspicious. A minor incident escalates to a full-blown witch trial, where she is found guilty and sentenced to life on a state-run witch camp. There, she is tethered to a long white ribbon and told that if she ever tries to run away, she will be transformed into a goat. As the days pass, Shula begins to settle into her new community, but a threat looms on the horizon. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom. Cast: Maggie Mulubwa, Henry B.J. Phiri, Nancy Mulilio Nancy / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Christina Choe; Producers: Amy Lo, Michelle Cameron, Andrea Riseborough) – NANCY is a provocative psychological thriller about love, intimacy, and trust – and what happens when lies become truth. Craving connection with others, Nancy creates elaborate identities and hoaxes under pseudonyms on the internet. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing thirty years ago, fact and fiction begin to blur in Nancy’s mind, and she becomes increasingly convinced these strangers are her real parents. As their bond deepens, reasonable doubts give way to willful belief – and the power of emotion threatens to overcome all rationality. Cast: Andrea Riseborough, J. Smith-Cameron, Steve Buscemi, Ann Dowd, John Leguizamo Sadie / U.S.A. (Director: Megan Griffiths; Producers: Lacey Leavitt and Jennessa West; Executive Producer: Eliza Shelden) – While her father is away serving in the military, Sadie (Sophia Mitri Schloss) battles to preserve his place on the home front when her mother, Rae (Melanie Lynskey,) takes an interest in a new man, Cyrus (John Gallagher, Jr.) When Sadie sees the relationship developing, she pledges to come between them, whatever it takes. Cyrus becomes the enemy, and if she’s learned nothing else from the world she inhabits, it’s that the enemy deserves no mercy. Cast: Sophia Mitri Schloss, Melanie Lynskey, John Gallagher, Jr., Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale The Unicorn / U.S.A. (Director: Robert Schwartzman; Screenwriters: Will Elliott & Kirk C. Johnson & Nicholas Rutherford; Producer: Russell Wayne Groves) – When an engaged couple, Caleb and Malory are forced to go to Palm Springs for a weekend to celebrate Malory’s parents’ 25th wedding vow renewal, they discover the secret to their happy marriage—threesomes. Horrified but intrigued, and determined to properly celebrate their own ‘re-engagement,’ they set out on a wild night in search of a threesome of their own. Cast: Lauren Lapkus, Nick Rutherford, Lucy Hale, Beck Bennett, Dree Hemingway When She Runs / U.S.A. (Directors: Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck; Producer: Laura Heberton) – A young mother of limited means puts everything on the line to pursue her dream of becoming a competitive runner. Her marriage failing, exhausted and broke, Kirstin has left her husband, Ivan, and their very young son, Jonah, seeking refuge across town. When She Runs follows Kirstin through the last day before the trial that could change her life forever. Cast: Kirstin Anderson, Ivan Gehring, Jonah Graham

    DOCUMENTARY FILMS

    John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Julien Faraut; Producers: William Jehannin and Raphaelle Delauche) – Written and directed by Faraut and narrated by Mathieu Amalric, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection revisits the rich bounty of 16-mm-shot footage of the left-handed tennis star John McEnroe, at the time the world’s top-ranked player, as he competes in the French Open at Paris’s Roland Garros Stadium. Close-ups and slow motion sequences of McEnroe competing, as well as instances of his notorious temper tantrums, highlight a “man who played on the edge of his senses.” Far from a traditional documentary, Faraut probes the archival film to unpack both McEnroe’s attention to the sport and the footage itself, creating a lively and immersive look at a driven athlete, a study on the sport of tennis and the human body and movement, and finally how these all intersect with cinema itself. Minding the Gap / U.S.A. (Director and producer: Bing Liu, Producers: Diane Quon and Joshua Altman) – First-time filmmaker Bing Liu’s documentary Minding the Gap is a coming-of-age saga of three skateboarding friends in their Rust Belt hometown hit hard by decades of recession. In his quest to understand why he and his friends all ran away from home when they were younger, Bing follows 23-year-old Zack as he becomes a father and 17-year-old Keire as he gets his first job. As the film unfolds, Bing is thrust into the middle of Zack’s tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend and Keire’s inner struggles with racial identity and his deceased father. While navigating a complex relationship between his camera and his friends, Bing explores the gap between fathers and sons, between discipline and domestic abuse, and ultimately that precarious chasm between childhood and becoming an adult. Cast: Zack Mulligan, Keire Johnson, Bing Liu, Nina Bowgren, Kent Abernathy Narcissister Organ Player / U.S.A. (Director: Narcissister) — American performance artist Narcissister takes a smart, sassy, spectacle-rich approach to exploring the kinds of sexual fetishism that notoriously fix racial and gender stereotypes. She combines unabashed eroticism, humor, and poignancy to stretch viewers’ sensibilities and achieve surprising psychic effects. Narcissister Organ Player is originally a Bessie Awards–nominated performance that takes place in a metaphorical restaurant where Narcissister, unsated by a few spinach leaves, tries to eat the restaurant furniture and ends up “consuming herself” by entering and traveling through her own body, represented by an enormous onstage puppet. As the performance plays out on stage, in real life, her mother’s long-term illness brings on a decline that ends in death. The artist’s loss provokes an exploration of how her own complex, interracial family history has compelled her to create the masked, erotic performance character Narcissister. Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me / U.S.A. (Director: Sam Pollard; Screenwriter and Co-Producer: Laurence Maslon; Executive Producer and Producer: Michael Kantor; Producer: Sally Rosenthal) – Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me is the first major film documentary to examine Davis’ vast talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress during 20th-century America. Featuring new interviews with such luminaries as Billy Crystal, Norman Lear, Jerry Lewis, Whoopi Goldberg and Kim Novak, with never-before-seen photographs from Davis’ vast personal collection and excerpts from his electric performances in television, film and concert, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me explores the life and art of a uniquely gifted entertainer whose trajectory blazed across the major flashpoints of American society from the Depression through the 1980s.

    LIVE EVENTS

    Bobcat Goldthwait and Friends Live – Veteran film director Bobcat Goldthwait first came to CineVegas with Windy City Heat in 2004 and brought his first film Shakes the Clown to the Las Vegas Film Festival two years ago. Now he returns to the stage in Vegas for some much-needed comedy. Christine Vachon in Conversation with Mary Ann Marino – The Black Mountain Institute will sponsor a live discussion with acclaimed producer Christine Vachon, who co-founded Killer Films with Pamela Koffler in 1995. Since then, they have produced over 100 films including: Carol (nominated for six Academy Awards), Far From Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Still Alice (Academy Award winner), Boys Don’t Cry (Academy Award winner), and I’m Not There (Academy Award nominated). Killer also produced Z: The Beginning of Everything for Amazon Studios, as well as Todd Haynes’ latest film, Wonderstruck. Mary Ann Marino is a longtime producer and current head of physical production for Amazon Studios. An Evening With Don Hertzfeldt / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Don Hertzfeldt) — The highly anticipated follow-up to Don Hertzfeldt’s “World of Tomorrow” finds Emily Prime swept inside the brain of an incomplete back-up clone of her future self, who’s on a mission to reboot her broken mind. Continuing the tradition of the first film, “World of Tomorrow Episode Two” was written entirely around candid audio recordings of Hertzfeldt’s five-year-old niece. Cast: Julia Pott and Winona Mae The Rudy Casoni Boozebag Revue – The Rudy Casoni Boozebag Revue returns to Las Vegas. Sinatra’s Singing Bastard brings his drunken and dangerous lounge act to Fremont Street. See him croon the standards and selected punk covers with his swing band as his show of comedians and low rent, dumdum, variety acts, careens off the rails and slams headfirst into a rat pack nightmare. Cast: Toby Huss, Mark Fite, Billy the Mime, Pat Healy, and the Dago5 Band and featuring mostly nude dancers who are mostly women.

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  • Seattle International Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup of Over 400 Films

    [caption id="attachment_28016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption] This year’s 44th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival revealed today the complete lineup of 433 films, plus guests and events for the 25-day Festival that runs May 17 to June 10, 2018.   Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 17 with The Bookshop from acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive, Elegy), distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. The film is set in a seaside village in England where a grieving widow (Emily Mortimer) pursues her lifelong dream of opening a bookshop. She introduces the townsfolk to the world’s best literature and stirs a cultural awakening, but her efforts are ruthlessly opposed by a powerful local (Patricia Clarkson) causing a reclusive resident (Bill Nighy) to join the fight to keep the bookshop open. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. The annual Centerpiece Gala, Sorry to Bother You, pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace. This new film ushers in an utterly original and wildly creative new voice on the film scene from debut director and musician Boots Riley. Director Boots Riley is scheduled to attend the Seattle premiere to take place Saturday, June 2, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. The Seattle premiere of Ethan Hawke’s Blaze will also screen at the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian as SIFF honors Mr. Hawke’s work with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation and screening, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview at the Friday, June 8 event. Also scheduled is An Afternoon with Melanie Lynskey, where the Festival pays tribute to this celebrated actress. The iconic scene-stealing actress makes her way to SIFF on Sunday, May 27 for the Seattle premiere of Northwest Filmmaker Megan Griffiths’ film Sadie with an onstage discussion following the film. Seattle favorite, Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, closes SIFF 2018 with a bang! Starring Joaquin Phoenix in a transformative performance as Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. “Sifting through over 4,000 film submissions each year, finding just 240 features is somewhat of a treasure hunt,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “We’re looking for dynamic, diverse stories. This year, we’re overjoyed to share that over 43-percent of the feature films are female directed. We’re thrilled to jump into the 44th Festival and share these voices from around the globe with over 150,000 film enthusiasts in Seattle over the course of 25 days.”

    GALAS

    Opening Night Gala The Bookshop Spanish director Isabel Coixet heads to the English coast circa 1959, where a headstrong widow (Emily Mortimer) opens a bookstore in a sleepy village and encounters both pride and prejudice from the provincial locals. Winner of Best Film, Director, and Screenplay at Spain’s Goya Awards. (d: Isabel Coixet c: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Julie Christie, Hunter Tremayne, United Kingdom 2017, 110 min) Centerpiece Gala Sorry to Bother You Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer star in the exhilarating directorial debut of musician Boots Riley, a biting and bonkers satire that follows a black telemarketer who discovers an unknown skill which gives him magical selling powers that shoot him up the corporate ladder. (d: Boots Riley c: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer, Omari Hardwick, David Cross, Danny Glover, USA 2018, 112 min) Closing Night Gala Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Joaquin Phoenix gives a transformative performance in Gus Van Sant’s sensitive and caustically funny portrait of Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. The outstanding supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and musician Beth Ditto in her impressive film debut. (d: Gus Van Sant c: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Beth Ditto, USA 2018, 113 min)

    SPECIAL GUESTS

    AN AFTERNOON WITH Melanie Lynskey FILM: Sadie Since making her debut at age 16 opposite a young Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, the New Zealand-born Melanie Lynskey has become one of American cinema’s most reliable character actors. From Ever After: A Cinderella Story to Shattered Glass, The Informant! to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hello I Must Be Going to I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and TV work ranging from HBO’s “Togetherness” and “Animals” and Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall” to 12 years on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” her passionate dedication to her craft has created a class of charismatic characters defined by their grace, sensitivity, quirkiness, and kindness. This afternoon, SIFF will welcome her to the stage for an interview featuring film clips from her career, followed by a screening of one of Lynskey’s latest films, Sadie, directed by Seattle-based Megan Griffiths (The Night Stalker, Lucky Them, Eden), with music by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. There will also be an opportunity for audience questions following the screening.

    OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA

    A Tribute to Ethan Hawke FILM: Blaze A modern day renaissance artist, Ethan Hawke’s creative talent continues to flourish in several realms of expression. An actor, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker, his body of work is broad as it is deep in a career that now spans three decades. From portraying a rock-steady police sergeant and cowboy, to a sensitive teenage poet and young heartthrob, his versatility as an actor is renowned, cementing him as one of the great performers of this generation. SIFF will present Ethan Hawke with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. A Q&A with Hawke will follow the screening of his new film, Blaze. Past honorees of the SIFF Outstanding Achievement Awards include Anjelica Huston, Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Viggo Mortensen, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kevin Bacon, Edward Norton, Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen, Spike Lee, among others.

    FILMS WITH PARTIES

    Saturday Film and Party The Cake General, North American Premiere SATURDAY, MAY 19, 5:30 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: MAJESTIC BAY PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM Based on a true story, the directorial debut of popular Swedish personalities Filip and Fredrik is an outrageous, unconventional comedy set in the 1980s about an eccentric resident of “the most boring town in Sweden” who decides to put his sleepy hamlet on the map by assembling the world’s longest layer cake. (d: Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson c: Mikael Perssbrandt, Helena Bergström, Agnes Lindström Bolmgren, Tomas von Brömssen, Sweden 2018, 101 min) Saturday Film and Party Won’t You Be My Neighbor? SATURDAY, MAY 26, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS Oscar®-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) presents the heartwarming life of Fred Rogers, whose cherished PBS series, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” used cardigans, puppets, and the Land of Make-Believe to imaginatively and compassionately inspire children, while not shying away from complicated issues. (d: Morgan Neville f: Fred Rogers, USA 2018, 93 min) Kirkland Opening Night The Drummer and the Keeper THURSDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 PM – Party to precede screening PARTY AND FILM: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER When a drummer for an up-and-coming Dublin rock band is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he is forced to join a weekend mixed-ability soccer team and makes fast friends with a 17-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome in this poignant and charming bro-com between two odd and lonely souls. (d: Nick Kelly c: Dermot Murphy, Jacob McCarthy, Peter Coonan, Ireland/USA 2017, 93 min)

    SPECIAL PRESENTATION

    L’INFERNO WITH LIVE SCORE BY MY GOODNESS Thursday, May 31 | 7:00 PM | The Triple Door Seattle rock band My Goodness bring their expansive blues-inspired sound to The Triple Door for a live accompaniment to the 1911 Italian silent film, a macabre tour de force inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” featuring ground-breaking special effects and a cast of thousands.

    SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS

    HIGHLANDER WITH LIVE SOUNDTRACK BY DJ NICFIT Wednesday, May 23 | 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian When originally released in 1986, this franchise-inspiring fantasy adventure about an immortal Scottish swordsman featured a handful of new songs from rock icons Queen. Now, Seattle’s own DJ NicFit reimagines the cult classic with a decades-spanning all-Queen playlist performed live on two turntables. FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: CHERISHED GEMS Wednesday, June 6 | 9:15 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Ranging from industrial training videos to forsaken home movies, comedians Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher’s vast VHS library features the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous, and profoundly stupid videos, the best (and worst) of which they have carefully curated and present along with live comedy commentary. EIGHTH GRADE Saturday June, 9, 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Sunday, June 10, 12:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Uptown Newcomer Elsie Fisher, in a star-making performance, perfectly captures the everyday humiliations and triumphs of a modern-day thirteen-year-old making her way through the last week of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year in the auspicious filmmaking debut of comedian Bo Burnham.

    COMPETITIONS

    Official Competition

    The Devil’s Doorway (d: Aislinn Clarke, United Kingdom 2018, World Premiere) Garbage (d: Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee), India 2018, North American Premiere) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Leave No Trace (d: Debra Granik, USA 2018) Luna (d: Elsa Diringer, France 2017) Pig (d: Mani Haghighi, Iran 2018, North American Premiere) The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018, North American Premiere) Something Useful (d: Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2017, North American Premiere) Team Hurricane (d. Annika Berg, Denmark 2017)

    New Directors Competition

    After the War (d: Annarita Zambrano, France/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017) Amateurs (d: Gabriela Pichler, Sweden 2018) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) The Charmer (d: Milad Alami, Denmark/Sweden 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Retablo (d: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio L., Peru/Germany/Norway 2018, North American Premiere) Sashinka (d: Kristina Wagenbauer, Canada (Québec) 2017, US Premiere) Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) Shuttle Life (d: Tan Seng Kiat, Malaysia 2017, US Premiere) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    Ibero-American Competition

    Champions (d: Javier Fesser, Spain 2018, North American Premiere) Giant (d: Jon GaranÞo, Aitor Arregi, Spain 2017) Gold Seekers (d: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay 2017) Killing Jesus (d: Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia/Argentina 2017) Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (d: Gustavo Salmerón, Spain 2017) Marilyn (d: Martiìn Rodriguez, Argentina/Chile 2018, North American Premiere) Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) Virus Tropical (d: Santiago Caicedo, Colombia/Ecuador 2017)

    New American Cinema Competition

    Jinn (d: Nijla Mu’min, USA 2018) My Name Is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) Noble Earth (d: Ursula Grisham, USA 2017, US Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018) Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) Tyrel (d: Sebastián Silva, USA 2018) Wild Nights With Emily (d: Madeleine Olnek, USA 2018)

    Documentary Competition

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) Queerama (d: Daisy Asquith, United Kingdom 2017) The Return (d: Malene Choi, Denmark 2018) Unarmed Verses (d: Charles Officer, Canada 2017, US Premiere) Warrior Women (d: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King, USA 2018, US Premiere)

    AFRICAN PICTURES

    The African Storm (d: Sylvestre Amoussou, Benin/France 2017) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) Cook Off (d: Tomas L. Brickhill, Zimbabwe 2017, North American Premiere) Ellen (d: Daryne Joshua, South Africa 2017, North American Premiere) I Am Not a Witch (d: Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/France/United Kingdom 2017) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Maki’la (d: Machérie Ekwa Bahango, Democratic Republic of Congo/France 2018, North American Premiere) Razzia (d: Nabil Ayouch, France/Morocco/Belgium 2017) Silas (d: Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar, Canada/South Africa/Kenya 2017) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    CHINA STARS

    Awards will be presented to: Best New Talent Award: Mingming Yang for Girls Always Happy Best First Film Award: Dead Pigs by Cathy Yan Best Film Award: The Taste of Betel Nut – Angels Wear White (d: Vivian Qu, China/France 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Girls Always Happy (d: Mingming Yang, China 2018, North American Premiere) Love Education (d: Sylvia Chang, Mainland China/Taiwan 2017) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) The Silk and the Flame (d: Jordan Schiele, USA/China 2018, US Premiere) Susu (d: Yixi Sun, China/United Kingdom 2017, US Premiere) The Taste of Betel Nut (d: Jia Hu, Mainland China/Hong Kong 2017, North American Premiere) The Widowed Witch (d: Chenglie Cai, China 2018, North American Premiere) Wrath of Silence (d: Yukun Xin, China 2017, North American Premiere)

    CULINARY CINEMA

    Brewmaster (d: Douglas Tirola, USA/Czech Republic 2018) Constructing Albert (d: Laura Collado, Jim Loomis, Spain 2017) Cuban Food Stories (d: Asori Soto, Cuba/USA 2018) Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen (d: Rasmus Dinesen, Denmark 2017) Schumann’s Bar Talks (d: Marieke Schroeder, Germany 2017) Scotch – A Golden Dream (d: Andrew Peat, Taiwan 2017) Soufra (d: Thomas Morgan, USA 2017)

    FACE THE MUSIC

    Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (d: Steve Sullivan, United Kingdom 2018) Blaze (d: Ethan Hawke, USA 2018) Industrial Accident – The Story of Wax Trax! Records (d: Julia Nash, USA/Belgium/Canada/Germany 2018) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Making the Grade (d: Ken Wardrop, Ireland 2017) MATANGI / Maya / M.I.A (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) Nico, 1988 (d: Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy/USA 2017) Rubén Blades Is Not My Name ( d: Abner Benaim, Panama/Argentina/Colombia 2018) Ryuichi Sakamoto:Coda (d: Stephen Nomura, Japan/USA 2017)

    NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Automata (d: Van Alan, USA 2017) The Faces of Zandra Rhodes (d: David Wiesehan, USA 2018, World Premiere) The Most Dangerous Year (d: Vlada Knowlton, USA 2018, World Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Return to Mount Kennedy (d: Eric Becker, USA 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018)

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  • Impressive Slate of 96 Feature Film Selections on Lineup for 4th Bentonville Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27971" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Mary Goes Round Mary Goes Round[/caption] The inclusive lineup for this year’s 2018 Bentonville Film Festival includes 42 Competition Films, 13 episodic content presentations, notable showcase screenings of top festival films, critical favorites, anniversary screenings of classics, a presentation of family focused and animated greats, and every film to date from the Marvel Cinema Universe in a special free-to-the-public presentation for BFF’s film fans. “This year’s edition of the Bentonville Film Festival truly exemplifies our mission,” said BFF co-Founder Geena Davis. We are thrilled to honor industry pioneers, while at the same time recognizing current trendsetters and changemakers, and showcasing a new class of inclusive storytellers. To be able to bring them all together in one place to enact change – that is what BFF is all about.” Films in the dramatic feature competition this year include: Marisol Gomez-Mouakad’s ANJELICA; Sanghoon Lee’s BANANA SEASON; Kevin Arbouet’s BENJI THE DOVE; Marinanna Palka’s EGG; Tom Huang’s FIND ME; Sean Olson’s F.R.E.D.I.; Anne-Marie Hess’s GOOD AFTER BAD; Jenna Laurenzo’s LEZ BOMB; Molly McGlynn’s MARY GOES ROUND; Autumn McAlpin’s MISS ARIZONA; Vashhti Anderson’s MOKO JUMBIE; Santiago Rizzo’s QUEST; Alex Ranarivelo’s RIDE; Jenn McGowan’s RUST CREEK; Megan Griffith’s SADIE; Anthony Nardolillo’s SHINE; Ramaa Mosley’s TATTERDEMALION; Mark Dennis and Ben Foster’s TIME TRAP; Teddy Smith’s URBAN COUNTRY; Nadine Truong’s I CAN I WILL I DID; Suzi Yoonessi’s UNLOVABLE; and Kendall Goldberg’s WHEN JEFF TRIED TO SAVE THE WORLD. Documentary features in competition include: Marvin Blunte’s 6 WEEKS TO MOTHER’S DAY; Joanna James’s A FINE LINE; Skye Borgman’s ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT; Robin Hauser’s BIAS; Stacey Reiss’s DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION; Luis Prieto’s THE DISUNITED STATES OF AMERICA; Brian Ivie’s EMANUEL; Dan Habib’s INTELLIGENT LIVES; Susan Kucera’s LIVING IN FUTURE’S PAST; Trish Russo and Craig E. Shapiro’s LOVE ALWAYS, MOM; T Cooper’s MAN MADE; Sebastien Paquet’s MIND OVER MATTER; Rob Herring and Ryan Wirick’s THE NEED TO GROW; Kulap Vilaysack’s ORIGIN STORY; Kate Hickey’s ROLLER DREAMS; Mark Hayes’s SKID ROW MARATHON; Robin Berghaus’s STUMPED; Jillian Moul and Matthew Moul’s SURVIVING HOME; Maya Washington’s THROUGH THE BANKS OF THE RED CEDARS; P.J. Marcellino, and Hermon Farahi’s WHEN THEY AWAKE and Sally Colón-Petree’s WOMEN LIKE US. The Episodic Projects vying for prizes are: Ben Strang’s Beast; Morgan Beck’s Brooke; Keith Miller’s Brooklynification; Jennifer Morrison’s Fabled; Raj Trivedi’s From Jappan; Corrie Chen and Tori Garrett’s Mustangs FC; Kholi Hicks’s Reaver Vs. Specter; Max Rissman’s Root for the Villain; Will Seefried’s Sink Sank Sunk; Andrew Olsen’s SusaneLand; Jeremy Redleaf’s Threads; Milena Govich’s Unspeakable; and Allison Vanore’s Whatta Lark (Ep 1). BFF previously announced that Elissa Downs’s THE HONOR LIST would make its world premiere as the Opening Night selection, with Lea Thompson’s THE YEAR OF SPECTACULAR MEN screening as this year’s Centerpiece selection. Special Spotlight selections include; Carlos Lopez Estrada’s drama BLINDSPOTTING, about the intersection of race and class, set against the backdrop of a rapidly gentrifying Oakland; Sara Driver’s documentary BOOM FOR REAL, about legendary New York City-centric artist Jean-Michel Basquiat; Brett Haley’s crowd-pleaser HEARTS BEAT LOUD, starring Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons as a father and daughter, who form an unlikely songwriting duo; Julie Cohen and Betsy West documentary RBG, about the inestimable Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Andrew Bujalski’s latest, SUPPORT THE GIRLS, about a restaurant manager attempting to outmaneuver the owner as she tries to help one of her employees; and Jennifer Fox’s Sundance hit, THE TALE, which stars Laura Dern, Ellen Burstyn, and Common, in a devastating film which dramatizes Fox’s reconciling her memories of her first sexual relationship with the reality of what actually transpired. The Sony/ConAgra Outdoor Theatre @ Lawrence Plaza will offer a number of family-friendly and animated hits including; the recent Academy Award winner, Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina’s COCO, Ang Lee’s classic, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000); Otto Bell’s adventure film, THE EAGLE HUNTRESS (2016); both Joe Johnston’s JUMANJI (1995) and Jake Kasdan’s recent blockbuster hit, JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, and Tony Bancroft and Barry Cook’s animated classic, MULAN (1998), celebrating its 20th Anniversary. Additional highlights and events within the film festival are; the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Finalists screening on Wednesday, May 3, followed by a Q&A with founder Nic Novicki; the special Project Zero screening and event on, Sunday, May 5, to raise awareness for the Arkansas-based organization’s mission to diligently and passionately promote adoption through the foster care system; the Helen R. Walton Children’s Enrichment Center, Ready Nation, Moms in Film and Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families presentation of Raising America on Friday, May 4, followed by a panel discussion with Kyle Peterson, Alysia Reiner and others; the Samsung Create Event, on Thursday, May 23, presenting student filmmakers challenged to make a short film based on the mission of BFF by utilizing a Samsung Galaxy phone and tablet; and Marvel Experience, Wednesday May 2 – Friday May 4, at Skylight Cinema which will offer the ultimate Marvel Experience for film fans, with free film screenings, themed concessions and galactic experiences. For the 4th consecutive year, BFF will remain the only film festival in the world to offer guaranteed distribution to its narrative feature film winner. BFF’ s distribution partners include AMC Theatres, Lifetime, Starz, ACI-Inspires and others. In 2018, BFF will add new prizes for its other juried categories. Through a partnership with MarVista Entertainment, the winner of the Short Film Competition will be awarded a directing role on one of MarVista’s future feature films, providing an opportunity for diverse ideas, opinions and stories to be heard. The winner of the Documentary Film Competition will receive a mentorship prize package sponsored by ITVS, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization that has, for over 25 years, funded and partnered with a diverse range of documentary filmmakers to produce and distribute untold stories. The Episodic Competition winner will receive a prize package sponsored by SeriesFest, an award winning festival dedicated to showcasing the best and boldest in episodic storytelling from around the world, that includes a screening at the SeriesFest Season 4 in Denver, a consultation with an industry professional, and a VIP Badge.

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  • SXSW 2018: Watch New Teaser Trailer for Megan Griffiths’ SADIE Starring OITNB Danielle Brooks

    sadie Here is the new teaser trailer for Megan Griffiths’ SADIE which will premiere at the 2018 SXSW.  The film, which is in the festival’s Narrative Feature Competition, also features Arrested Development‘s Tony Hale taking a dramatic turn, Orange is the New Black favorite Danielle Brooks as well as young actor Keith Williams who has appeared in The Last Man on Earth. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready composed the film’s score. SADIE also stars Sophia Mitri Schloss, Melanie Lynskey, and John Gallagher Jr. SADIE is the story of a 13-year-old girl (Sophia Mitri Schloss) who lives at home with her mother (Melanie Lynskey) while her father serves repeated tours in the military. Sadie is extremely attached to her father despite his prolonged absence, and when her mother begins dating a new man (John Gallagher Jr.), Sadie takes extreme measures to end the relationship and safeguard her family through the only tactics she knows – those of war. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk1lgi7fjwc

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  • SXSW 2018: See New Artsy Poster for Megan Griffiths’ SADIE

    Megan Griffith SADIE Poster The new artsy poster debuted this week for Sadie, written and directed by Megan Griffiths, which will screen at the upcoming 2018 SXSW Film Festival. Sadie stars Sophia Mitri Schloss, Melanie Lynskey, John Gallagher Jr., Tony Hale, Keith Williams, and Danielle Brooks. Sadie is the story of a 13-year-old girl (Sophia Mitri Schloss) who lives at home with her mother (Melanie Lynskey) while her father serves repeated tours in the military. Sadie is extremely attached to her father despite his prolonged absence, and when her mother begins dating a new man (John Gallagher Jr.), Sadie takes extreme measures to end the relationship and safeguard her family through the only tactics she knows – those of war.

    Sadie SXSW Festival Screenings

    World Premiere: Saturday, March 10th at 4:15pm (Stateside) Screening #2: Sunday, March 11th at 12:15pm (Alamo Lamar B) Screening #3: Wednesday, March 14th at 4:30pm (Alamo Lamar E)

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  • SXSW Film Festival Announces 2018 Features Film Lineup, Opens with John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place”

    A Quiet Place by John Krasinski
    A Quiet Place (Credit: Paramount Pictures © 2017 Paramount Pictures. All rights reserved.)

    The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals announced the features lineup and opening night film for the 25th edition of the Film Festival, running March 9 to 18, 2018 in Austin, Texas. During the nine days of SXSW 132 features will be shown.

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