British actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson will receive the 2018 CineMerit Award at Munich International Film festival. In Munich, Emma Thompson will not only present her latest film, “The Children Act“, but will also meet the audience up close at the Filmmakers Live discussion in the Black Box at the Gasteig cultural center. In further homage to Emma Thompson, Munich International Film festival will also be showing three fantastic films in which she has previously starred: “Howards End”, “Sense and Sensibility”, and “Nanny McPhee”.
Witty, charming, profound: Emma Thompson is multitalented. In some 80 films, adapting everything from the works of Shakespeare to Harry Potter, the British actress has portrayed a wide variety of characters alongside Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Rickman, Tom Hanks, and many others. Thompson has succeeded in doing what no one else had done before: she received an Academy Award for best actress for her leading role in “Howards End” as well as one for best writing for her screenplay adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”.
“In Emma Thompson, we welcome to the film festival a terrific actress who not only has an incredible sense of humor but who is also very modern and emancipated. The entire festival team is thrilled,” says festival director Diana Iljine. “Honoring Emma Thompson with the CineMerit Award makes an important statement at a time when the film industry is undergoing change. For many years, she has campaigned for equal rights as well as for prudent feminism. This makes her a wonderful example to young women.”
For the film festival, Emma Thompson is bringing her latest film, “The Children Act”, to Munich. In this film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel of the same title, Thompson plays Fiona Maye, a High Court judge specializing in family law. The case of a 17-year-old Jehovah’s Witness affects Fiona and her ailing marriage more than she could have imagined. In accordance with his religious beliefs, the teenage leukemia patient refuses a blood transfusion that could save his life. Is his young life more valuable than his religious devotion? Dealing with the boy causes Judge Fiona Maye to experience emotions that she has long suppressed.
Thompson’s acting career began with brief sketches as a member of the Cambridge Footlights, the university theatrical club that produced such comedy greats as Monty Python and Fry & Laurie. The London native soon stood out for her tragic roles, as with only the slightest of facial expressions, she is able to make her characters deeply human — something that few others have mastered. Time and again, her parts have included those of women who dissent with the norms and rules of society and their position in it. The three other films that Munich International Film festival is showing in homage to Emma Thompson have this in common:
In 1993, for “Howards End”, Emma Thompson received the Academy Award for best actress as well as Britain’s renowned BAFTA award. E. M. Foster’s novel was the basis for the story of two young women who find themselves in the world of an extremely affluent family. The estate Howards End comes to symbolize freedom and independence to the Victorian petty bourgeois. Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Thompson play two sisters caught up in a conflict between their youthful attempts at independence and the restraints that the customs of their time impose on them.
Emma Thompson’s love of literature and language is evident not only in the many film adaptations in which she’s acted, but also in her work as a screenwriter. In 1995, she adapted “Sense and Sensibility” for the screen, which earned her a second Academy Award. Munich International Film festival proudly presents this masterpiece by Ang Lee, starring Kate Winslet in one of her earliest roles.
In “Nanny McPhee”, however, the author is a little less benign. As the quirky, homely and strict governess of the title, she magically transforms Mr. Brown’s unruly children into well-behaved little angels. Here, too, Thompson demonstrated her literary talent as screenwriter and combined this with her precise acting.The Children Act
-
Actress Emma Thompson to Receive 2018 CineMerit Award at Munich Filmfest
British actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson will receive the 2018 CineMerit Award at Munich International Film festival. In Munich, Emma Thompson will not only present her latest film, “The Children Act“, but will also meet the audience up close at the Filmmakers Live discussion in the Black Box at the Gasteig cultural center. In further homage to Emma Thompson, Munich International Film festival will also be showing three fantastic films in which she has previously starred: “Howards End”, “Sense and Sensibility”, and “Nanny McPhee”.
Witty, charming, profound: Emma Thompson is multitalented. In some 80 films, adapting everything from the works of Shakespeare to Harry Potter, the British actress has portrayed a wide variety of characters alongside Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Rickman, Tom Hanks, and many others. Thompson has succeeded in doing what no one else had done before: she received an Academy Award for best actress for her leading role in “Howards End” as well as one for best writing for her screenplay adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”.
“In Emma Thompson, we welcome to the film festival a terrific actress who not only has an incredible sense of humor but who is also very modern and emancipated. The entire festival team is thrilled,” says festival director Diana Iljine. “Honoring Emma Thompson with the CineMerit Award makes an important statement at a time when the film industry is undergoing change. For many years, she has campaigned for equal rights as well as for prudent feminism. This makes her a wonderful example to young women.”
For the film festival, Emma Thompson is bringing her latest film, “The Children Act”, to Munich. In this film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel of the same title, Thompson plays Fiona Maye, a High Court judge specializing in family law. The case of a 17-year-old Jehovah’s Witness affects Fiona and her ailing marriage more than she could have imagined. In accordance with his religious beliefs, the teenage leukemia patient refuses a blood transfusion that could save his life. Is his young life more valuable than his religious devotion? Dealing with the boy causes Judge Fiona Maye to experience emotions that she has long suppressed.
Thompson’s acting career began with brief sketches as a member of the Cambridge Footlights, the university theatrical club that produced such comedy greats as Monty Python and Fry & Laurie. The London native soon stood out for her tragic roles, as with only the slightest of facial expressions, she is able to make her characters deeply human — something that few others have mastered. Time and again, her parts have included those of women who dissent with the norms and rules of society and their position in it. The three other films that Munich International Film festival is showing in homage to Emma Thompson have this in common:
In 1993, for “Howards End”, Emma Thompson received the Academy Award for best actress as well as Britain’s renowned BAFTA award. E. M. Foster’s novel was the basis for the story of two young women who find themselves in the world of an extremely affluent family. The estate Howards End comes to symbolize freedom and independence to the Victorian petty bourgeois. Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Thompson play two sisters caught up in a conflict between their youthful attempts at independence and the restraints that the customs of their time impose on them.
Emma Thompson’s love of literature and language is evident not only in the many film adaptations in which she’s acted, but also in her work as a screenwriter. In 1995, she adapted “Sense and Sensibility” for the screen, which earned her a second Academy Award. Munich International Film festival proudly presents this masterpiece by Ang Lee, starring Kate Winslet in one of her earliest roles.
In “Nanny McPhee”, however, the author is a little less benign. As the quirky, homely and strict governess of the title, she magically transforms Mr. Brown’s unruly children into well-behaved little angels. Here, too, Thompson demonstrated her literary talent as screenwriter and combined this with her precise acting.
-
Provincetown International Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup, Closes with MAPPLETHORPE
[caption id="attachment_28780" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
MAPPLETHORPE[/caption]
The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) announced their complete lineup of narrative, documentary and short films for the 20th anniversary edition. The festival will kick off with the New England premiere of WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY, starring Molly Shannon. Written and directed by Madeleine Olnek, the film is a dramatic comedy about the secret life of Emily Dickinson. Ondi Timoner’s MAPPLETHORPE, starring Matt Smith, has been selected as the Closing Night film.
Additionally, acclaimed director Sean Baker will receive the “Filmmaker on the Edge” Award in conversation with John Waters, and actress Chloë Grace Moretz will be on hand to receive the festival’s Next Wave Award; Moretz’s latest film, THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST, is a Spotlight selection.
Said Artistic Director Lisa Viola, “For our 20th anniversary festival, we are absolutely thrilled to present a lineup featuring new work by a group of extraordinarily talented filmmakers, and we are especially proud that all five of our Spotlight films are directed by women!”
The Provincetown International Film Festival runs June 13 to 17, 2018 in Provincetown, MA.
2018 Provincetown International Film Festival Lineup
OPENING NIGHT
WILD NIGHTS WITH EMILY – directed by Madeleine Olnek (Wednesday, June 13)CLOSING NIGHT
MAPPLETHORPE – directed by Ondi Timoner (Sunday, June 17)SPOTLIGHT SELECTIONS
THE MISEDUCATION OF CAMERON POST – directed by Desiree Akhavan (Thursday, June 14) AND BREATHE NORMALLY – directed by Ísold Ugadóttir (Friday, June 15) LEAVE NO TRACE – directed by Debra Granik (Saturday, June 16)SPECIAL SCREENINGS/EVENTS
JOHN WATERS PRESENTS: I, OLGA – directed by Petr Kazda, Tomás Weinreb MODERN LOVE LIVE, presented by WBUR and The New York Times at the Provincetown Film Festival (Friday, June 15) FEMALE TROUBLE – directed by John Waters MIDNIGHT COWBOY – directed by John Schlesinger TANGERINE – directed by Sean BakerNARRATIVE FEATURES
1985 – directed by Yen Tan BLINDSPOTTING– directed by Carlos López Estrada THE CAKEMAKER – directed by Ofir Raul Graizer THE CHILDREN ACT – directed by Richard Eyre DON’T WORRY, HE WON’T GET FAR ON FOOT – directed by Gus Van Sant EIGHTH GRADE – directed by Bo Burnham THE GUILTY – directed by Gustav Möller HEARTS BEAT LOUD– directed by Brett Haley A KID LIKE JAKE – directed by Silas Howard LEMONADE – directed by Ioana Uricaru LOVELING – directed by Gustavo Pizzi MADELINE’S MADELINE – directed by Josephine Decker MARIO – directed by Marcel Gisler NIGHT COMES ON – directed by Jordana Spiro PUZZLE – directed by Marc Turtletaub WE THE ANIMALS – directed by Jeremiah ZagarDOCUMENTARY FEATURES
CHEF FLYNN – directed by Cameron Yates DAWNLAND – directed by Adam Mazo, Ben Pender-Cudlip EVERY ACT OF LIFE – directed by Jeff Kaufman A FINE LINE – directed by Joanna James GENERATION WEALTH – directed by Lauren Greenfield THE GOSPEL OF EUREKA – directed by Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri JOHN McENROE: IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION – directed by Julien Faraut LIFE IN THE DOGHOUSE – directed by Ron Davis McQUEEN – directed by Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui THE PRICE OF EVERYTHING – directed by Nathaniel Kahn ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MIND – directed by Marina Zenovich SCIENCE FAIR – directed by Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD – directed by Matt Tyrnauer THE SENTENCE – directed by Rudy Valdez STUDIO 54 – directed by Matt Tyrnauer THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS – directed by Tim Wardle TIME FOR ILHAN – directed by Norah Shapiro WESTWOOD: PUNK, ICON, ACTIVIST – directed by Lorna Tucker WYETH – directed by Glenn HolstenSHORTS
AFTER PROM – directed by Nona Schamus BABS – directed by Celine Held & Logan George BECAUSE YOU’RE HERE – directed by Mike Syers BRAINWORM BILLY – directed by Emily Hubley THE DARE PROJECT – directed by Adam Salky, written by David Brind EDWARD HOPPER & MARSHALL’S HOUSE – directed by Bob Burnett FEVAH – directed by Randall Dottin GIRL FRIEND – directed by Chloe Sarbib HEATHER HAS FOUR MOMS – directed by Jeanette L. Buck JUDITH LOVES MARTHA – directed by Anna Gaskell KEEPER – directed by Marnie Crawford Samuelson & Shane Hofeldt KHOL (OPEN) – directed by Faroukh Virani LANDLINE – directed by Matt Houghton THE LAYOVER – directed by Joe Stankus LONESOME WILLCOX – directed by Ryan Maxey & Zack Wright MARGUERITE – directed by Maria Gracia Turgeon MAUDE – directed by Anna Margaret Hollyman MEN DON’T WHISPER – directed by Jordan Firstman MOTHER MOTHER – directed by Robert Machoian & Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck NEGATIVE SPACE – directed by Ru Kuwahata & Max Porter NEUTRAL – directed by Nathan Barnatt PAID FOR BY – EPISODE 2 – DIANE BUSCH’S WOMEN’S ISSUE AD – directed by Dawn Smith SET ME AS A SEAL UPON THINE HEART – directed by Omer Tobi SHE IS JUICED: SLICE ONE – JO HAY – directed by Lois Norman SLEEPOVER – directed by Jimi Vall Peterson SUPER 8 DAZE – directed by Rob Hampton & John Morgan WOULD YOU LOOK AT HER – directed by Goran Stolevski WORLD OF TOMORROW EPISODE 2: THE BURDEN OF OTHER PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS –directed by Don Herzfeldt WREN BOYS – directed by Harry Lighton
-
2018 Nantucket Film Festival to Open with BOUNDARIES, Close with LOVE, GILDA
[caption id="attachment_28675" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Boundaries[/caption]
The 23rd Nantucket Film Festival taking place June 2 to 25, 2018, will open with “Boundaries,” written and directed by Shana Feste. The film tells the story of single mom Laura (Vera Farmiga) who is forced to drive her estranged, pot-dealing father Jack (Christopher Plummer) from Seattle to Los Angeles after he is kicked out of a retirement home. The comedy also stars Bobby Cannavale, Peter Fonda, Christopher Lloyd and Kristen Schaal.
[caption id="attachment_26877" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Love, Gilda[/caption]
“Love, Gilda,” directed by Lisa D’Apolito, will close the festival. The documentary reveals the personal side of iconic comedian Gilda Radner through rare personal recordings and journal entries.
Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?″ will screen as the festival’s centerpiece film. The documentary depicts the life and legacy of the late Fred Rogers, host of the popular children’s television series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and a longtime Nantucket summer resident.
For the ninth year in a row, the festival will screen a Disney‒Pixar film on opening day. This year the studio will showcase the animated feature “Incredibles 2,” with Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Samuel L. Jackson, John Ratzenberger and director Brad Bird reprising their characters from the first film.
The festival will also continue its relationship with the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra in screening a classic silent film accompanied by a new orchestral score. This year, Berklee students will perform their original score for the new restoration of “The Man Who Laughs”(1928), based on the Victor Hugo novel and starring Mary Philbin and Conrad Veidt. Veidt’s character is widely acknowledged to have been the genesis of the iconic Batman villain, the Joker.
Nearly 50 feature selections have been announced, including two world premieres: Galt Niederhoffer’s “10 Things We Should Do Before We Break Up,” starring Christina Ricci and Hamish Linklater as strangers who decide to try to be a couple when a one-night stand results in pregnancy; and Donal Lardner Ward’s “We Only Know So Much,” a multigenerational family drama featuring Jeanne Tripplehorn and “Stranger Things’ ” Noah Schnapp.
The festival will also present four Sundance Audience Award winners: Andrew Heckler’s KKK drama “Burden,” starring Garrett Hedlund, Forest Whitaker and Andrea Riseborough; Aneesh Chaganty’s “Searching,” a thriller starring John Cho and Debra Messing which takes place entirely on a laptop screen; Rudy Valdez’s personal documentary about his incarcerated sister, “The Sentence;” and Alexandra Shiva’s “This Is Home,” a documentary about Syrian refugees adjusting to life in Baltimore.
Notable among this year’s narrative titles are several which highlight strong female leads, including Susanna White’s “Woman Walks Ahead,” starring Jessica Chastain; Isabel Coixet’s “The Bookshop,” starring Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson; Marianna Palka’s “Egg,” starring Christina Hendricks and Alysia Reiner; Marc Turtletaub’s “Puzzle,” starring Kelly Macdonald; Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade,” starring newcomer Elsie Fisher; Björn Runge’s “The Wife,” starring Glenn Close; and Richard Eyre’s “The Children Act,” starring Emma Thompson.
Other highlights include new films by acclaimed documentary filmmakers, including Marina Zenovich’s “Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind,” Lauren Greenfield’s “Generation Wealth,” Susan Lacy’s “Jane Fonda In Five Acts,” Rory Kennedy’s “Above And Beyond: NASA’s Journey To Tomorrow,” Barbara Kopple’s “A Murder In Mansfield,” Eugene Jarecki’s “The King” and Dana Adam Shapiro’s “Daughters Of The Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story Of The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.”
“We always aim to bring a mix of programming that is equally entertaining, eye-opening and engaging to the festival each year, and this year’s lineup continues that tradition,” festival film-program director Basil Tsiokos said. “And, of course, foremost in our minds is to share with our audience really great stories, artfully told, and these films won’t disappoint.”
Oscar-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach will receive the 2018 Screenwriters Tribute Saturday, June 23. Neville, also an Oscar winner, will receive the Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling Award and Andrew Heckler the New Voices in Screenwriting Award. Ben Stiller will present and participate in The All-Star Comedy Roundtable, “The Improv Takeover,” an evening of spontaneous storytelling and improvisational comedy, featuring actors and comedians Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”) and Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”) on Friday, June 22. In addition, the festival will present a live taping of NPR’s “Ask Me Another” with host Ophira Eisenberg Thursday, June 21.
Over the past 22 years the festival has mixed highly-anticipated awards contenders with the films of emerging and established filmmakers, and brought together the film industry’s most recognized screenwriters and storytellers, including Oliver Stone, Steve Martin, Judd Apatow, Tom McCarthy, Beau Willimon, Kathryn Bigelow, Sarah Silverman, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell, Diane Keaton, Robert Towne, Glenn Close and Aaron Sorkin.
It has also produced the All-Star Comedy Roundtable Presented by Ben Stiller, and the conversation series “In Their Shoes With . . .,” which has included Robin Wright and Beau Willimon with Chris Matthews, Tom McCarthy with Bobby Cannavale, Molly Shannon with Michael Ian Black and Bradley Whitford with Matthews.
-
Films by Angelina Jolie, George Clooney Among Gala + Special Presentation Films for Toronto Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_23266" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
First They Killed My Father – Angelina Jolie[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival today unveiled the first round of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programs of the 42nd edition of the festival, taking place from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Of the 14 Galas and 33 Special Presentations, this first announcement includes 25 World Premieres, eight International Premieres, six North American Premieres and eight Canadian Premieres.
“Festival-goers from around the world can anticipate a remarkable lineup of extraordinary stories, voices and cinematic visions from emerging talent and some of our favorite masters,” said Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF. “Today’s announcement offers audiences a glimpse at this year’s rich and robust selection of films, including works from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, India, Chile, Egypt and Cambodia.”
“Every year we set the stage for film lovers of all ages and cultural backgrounds to come together and embrace the universal power of cinema,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “As the Festival enters its fifth decade, we’ve challenged ourselves to adapt and build on our strengths, and we look forward to championing a new selection of films that will captivate and inspire global film audiences.”
GALAS 2017
Breathe Andy Serkis, United Kingdom World Premiere The Catcher Was A Spy Ben Lewin, USA World Premiere *Closing Night Film* C’est la vie! Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, France World Premiere Darkest Hour Joe Wright, United Kingdom Canadian Premiere Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Paul McGuigan, United Kingdom Canadian Premiere Kings Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France/Belgium World Premiere Long Time Running Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Canada World Premiere Mary Shelley Haifaa Al Mansour, Ireland/United Kingdom/Luxembourg/USA World Premiere The Mountain Between Us Hany Abu-Assad, USA World Premiere Mudbound Dee Rees, USA International Premiere Stronger David Gordon Green, USA World Premiere Untitled Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart Film Neil Burger, USA World Premiere The Wife Björn Runge, United Kingdom/Sweden World Premiere Woman Walks Ahead Susanna White, USA World PremiereSPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2017
Battle of the Sexes Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, USA International Premiere BPM (Beats Per Minute) Robin Campillo, France North American Premiere The Brawler Anurag Kashyap, India World Premiere The Breadwinner Nora Twomey, Canada/Ireland/Luxembourg World Premiere Call Me By Your Name Luca Guadagnino, Italy/France Canadian Premiere Catch the Wind Gaël Morel, France International Premiere The Children Act Richard Eyre, United Kingdom World Premiere The Current War Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA World Premiere Disobedience Sebastián Lelio, United Kingdom World Premiere Downsizing Alexander Payne, USA Canadian Premiere A Fantastic Woman Sebastián Lelio, Chile Canadian Premiere First They Killed My Father Angelina Jolie, Cambodia Canadian Premiere The Guardians Xavier Beauvois, France World Premiere Hostiles Scott Cooper, USA International Premiere The Hungry Bornila Chatterjee, India World Premiere I, Tonya Craig Gillespie, USA World Premiere *Special Presentations Opening Film* Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA International Premiere mother! Darren Aronofsky, USA North American Premiere Novitiate Maggie Betts, USA International Premiere Omerta Hansal Mehta, India World Premiere Plonger Mélanie Laurent, France World Premiere The Price of Success Teddy Lussi-Modeste, France International Premiere Professor Marston & the Wonder Women Angela Robinson, USA World Premiere The Rider Chloé Zhao, USA Canadian Premiere A Season in France Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France World Premiere The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro, USA Canadian Premiere *Special Presentations Closing Film* Sheikh Jackson Amr Salama, Egypt World Premiere The Square Ruben Östlund, Sweden North American Premiere Submergence Wim Wenders, France/Germany/Spain World Premiere Suburbicon George Clooney, USA North American Premiere Thelma Joachim Trier, Norway/Sweden/France/Denmark International Premiere Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh, USA North American Premiere Victoria and Abdul Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere