The Lost City of Z

  • THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Leads 38th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards Nominations

    [caption id="attachment_23572" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption] Martin McDonagh’s drama Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri lead the nominations for the 38th annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards with seven nominations, including Film, Director, Screenwriter, Actress for Frances McDormand, and Supporting Actor for both Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson. In addition, as a British production the film is nominated for British/Irish Film of the Year. Following close behind with six nominations each are William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread. Four films earned five nominations each: Luca Guagadino’s Call Me By Your Name, Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, Paul King’s Paddington 2, and Francis Lee’s God’s Own Country. The 10 films contending for Film of the Year are Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, The Florida Project, Get Out, God’s Own Country, Lady Bird, Loveless, Phantom Thread, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony on Sunday, January 28th at The May Fair Hotel, at which Kate Winslet will receive the critics’ highest honor, The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film. Full List of Nominations: FILM OF THE YEAR Call Me By Your Name Dunkirk The Florida Project Get Out God’s Own Country Lady Bird Loveless Phantom Thread The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR Aquarius Elle The Handmaiden Loveless Raw DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR 78/52 Human Flow I Am Not Your Negro Jane The Work BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR: The Attenborough Award Dunkirk God’s Own Country Lady Macbeth Paddington 2 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR Sean Baker – The Florida Project Guillermo Del Toro – The Shape of Water Luca Guadagnino – Call Me By Your Name Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR Paul Thomas Anderson – Phantom Thread Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird James Ivory – Call Me By Your Name Martin McDonagh – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Jordan Peele – Get Out ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Annette Bening – Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water Isabelle Huppert – Elle Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Florence Pugh – Lady Macbeth ACTOR OF THE YEAR Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread James Franco – The Disaster Artist Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Lily Gladstone – Certain Women Holly Hunter – The Big Sick Allison Janney – I, Tonya Lesley Manville – Phantom Thread Laurie Metcalf – Lady Bird SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR Willem Dafoe – The Florida Project Hugh Grant – Paddington 2 Woody Harrelson – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Michael Stuhlbarg – Call Me By Your Name BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR Emily Beecham – Daphne Judi Dench – Victoria & Abdul/Murder on the Orient Express Sally Hawkins – The Shape of Water/Maudie/Paddington 2 Florence Pugh – Lady Macbeth Saoirse Ronan – Lady Bird/Loving Vincent BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR Daniel Day-Lewis – Phantom Thread Colin Farrell – The Killing of a Sacred Deer/The Beguiled Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out Josh O’Connor – God’s Own Country Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour/The Space Between Us YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR Harris Dickinson – Beach Rats Tom Holland – The Lost City of Z/Spider-Man: Homecoming Noah Jupe – Suburbicon/Wonder/The Man With the Iron Heart Dafne Keen – Logan Fionn Whitehead – Dunkirk BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER: The Philip French Award Alice Birch – Lady Macbeth Simon Farnaby – Paddington 2/Mindhorn Francis Lee – God’s Own Country Rungano Nyoni – I Am Not a Witch William Oldroyd – Lady Macbeth BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR The Cloud of Unknowing – Mike Hannon The Dog and the Elephant – Mike Sharpe Tuesday – Charlotte Wells We Love Moses – Dionne Edwards Your Mother and I – Anna Maguire TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Baby Driver – Darrin Prescott, stunts Blade Runner 2049 – Dennis Gassner, production design Dunkirk – Hans Zimmer, music God’s Own Country – Joshua James Richards, cinematography Lady Macbeth – Holly Waddington, costumes The Lost City of Z – Darius Khondji, cinematography The Love Witch – Emma Willis, hair & makeup Paddington 2 – Pablo Grillo, visual effects Phantom Thread – Mark Bridges, costumes Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Ben Morris, visual effects EXCELLENCE IN FILM: The Dilys Powell Award Kate Winslet  

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  • GOOD TIME Tops Film Comment Magazine’s 2017 Best-of-Year LISTS

    [caption id="attachment_22877" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Good Time Good Time[/caption] Josh and Benny Safdie’s Good Time took the top spot among films released in 2017 on Film Comment magazine’s annual end-of-year list. Other top ranking films include Terence Davies’s A Quiet Passion, and Olivier Assayas’s Personal Shopper. Of the films that screened at festivals worldwide but have not announced stateside distribution, Pedro Pinho’s The Nothing Factory, Sergei Loznitsa’s A Gentle Creature, and Heinz Emigholz’s Streetscapes [Dialogue] received the top rankings. Published since 1962, Film Comment magazine features in-depth reviews, critical analysis, and feature coverage of mainstream, art-house, and avant-garde filmmaking from around the world.

    Film Comment’s Top 10 Films Released in 2017:

    1. Good Time Josh and Benny Safdie, USA 2. A Quiet Passion Terence Davies, U.K./Belgium 3. Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, France 4. Get Out Jordan Peele, USA 5. Nocturama Bertrand Bonello, France 6. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA 7. The Death of Louis XIV Albert Serra, France/Portugal/Spain 8. Faces Places Agnès Varda and JR, France 9. The Lost City of Z James Gray, USA 10. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA Film Comment’s survey also ranks films that have screened and made notable appearances at festivals throughout the year, but remain without U.S. distribution at press time.

    Film Comment’s Top 10 Unreleased Films of 2017:

    1. The Nothing Factory Pedro Pinho, Portugal 2. A Gentle Creature Sergei Loznitsa, France/Germany/Lithuania/The Netherlands 3. Streetscapes [Dialogue] Heinz Emigholz, Germany 4. Milla Valérie Massadian, France 5. Tonsler Park Kevin Jerome Everson, USA 6. Mrs. Fang Wang Bing, France/China/Germany 7. Spoor Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic 8. Le Fort des fous Narimane Mari, France/Algeria/Greece/Germany/Qatar 9. 3/4 Ilian Metev, Bulgaria 10. The Venerable W. Barbet Schroeder, France/Switzerland “Out of the hundreds of movies released in 2017, our esteemed contributors have distilled the year into an energized and energizing lineup of essential films,” said Editor-in-Chief Nicolas Rapold. “This selection reflects Film Comment’s love for the art and craft of cinema in its many forms, ranging from first-time filmmakers to 43rd-timers. Not to mention film’s many seasons: the top five all opened before the traditional fall frenzy of releases. Read all about it in Film Comment.”

    THE FILM COMMENT BEST OF 2017: THE COMPLETE LIST OF TOP 20 TITLES

    RELEASED IN 2017

    1. Good Time Josh and Benny Safdie, USA 2. A Quiet Passion Terence Davies, U.K./Belgium 3. Personal Shopper Olivier Assayas, France 4. Get Out Jordan Peele, USA 5. Nocturama Bertrand Bonello, France 6. Ex Libris: The New York Public Library Frederick Wiseman, USA 7. The Death of Louis XIV Albert Serra, France/Portugal/Spain 8. Faces Places Agnès Varda and JR, France 9. The Lost City of Z James Gray, USA 10. Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA Rankings #11-20 11. The Human Surge Eduardo Williams, Argentina 12. The Other Side of Hope Aki Kaurismäki, Finland 13. The Florida Project Sean Baker, USA 14. Dawson City: Frozen Time Bill Morrison, USA 15. Phantom Thread Paul Thomas Anderson, USA 16. On the Beach at Night Alone Hong Sangsoo, South Korea 17. Wonderstruck Todd Haynes, USA 18. Mudbound Dee Rees, USA 19. BPM: Beats Per Minute Robin Campillo, France 20. The Square Ruben Östlund, Sweden

    FILMS WITHOUT DISTRIBUTION IN 2017

    1. The Nothing Factory Pedro Pinho, Portugal 2. A Gentle Creature Sergei Loznitsa, France/Germany/Lithuania/The Netherlands 3. Streetscapes [Dialogue] Heinz Emigholz, Germany 4. Milla Valérie Massadian, France 5. Tonsler Park Kevin Jerome Everson, USA 6. Mrs. Fang Wang Bing, France/China/Germany 7. Spoor Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Poland/Germany/Czech Republic 8. Le Fort des fous Narimane Mari, France/Algeria/Greece/Germany/Qatar 9. 3/4 Ilian Metev, Bulgaria 10. The Venerable W. Barbet Schroeder, France/Switzerland Rankings #11-20 11. Golden Exits Alex Ross Perry, USA 12. Mrs. Hyde Serge Bozon, France 13. The Wandering Soap Opera Raúl Ruiz & Valeria Sarmiento, Chile 14. Life and Nothing More Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain/USA 15. Until the Birds Return Karim Moussaoui, France/Algeria/Germany 16. Good Luck Ben Russell, France/Germany 17. Distant Constellation Shevaun Mizrahi, Turkey/USA 18. The Quartet (Elohim, Abaton, Coda, Ode) Nathaniel Dorsky, USA 19. Drift Helena Wittmann, Germany 20. Untitled Matthew Glawogger & Monika Willi, Austria

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  • Melbourne International Film Festival Reveals First Glance Selection, PATTI CAKE$, STEP, POP AYE and More

    [caption id="attachment_19920" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Patti Cake$ Patti Cake$[/caption] For its 66th edition, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has revealed its First Glance selection of 30 films that will screen at this year’s festival from August 3 to 20, 2017, including the Australian premiere of Jane Campion’s much anticipated new television series Top of the Lake: China Girl. Artistic Director Michelle Carey says, “We’re hoping that this sneak peek of the 2017 program gives you a taste of what’s to come.  The calibre of films on offer this year is very impressive, from Australian stalwart Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake: China Girl to breakout hit Patti Cake$, MIFF brings you the story of the world through curated and unforgettable screen experiences.” Straight from a standing ovation in Cannes, this special Australian premiere of the entire second season, directed by Jane Campion and MIFF Accelerator alumnus Ariel Kleiman from a script by Campion and Gerard Lee (My Mistress, MIFF 14), will show all six episodes in three concurrent two-hour sessions – a unique opportunity to see the series before its television premiere on BBC First on Foxtel.  Top of the Lake: China Girl (Australia) is a crime mystery story that finds Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin discovers ‘China Girl’ didn’t die alone. Also starring Nicole Kidman, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ewen Leslie (The Daughter) and Accelerator alumnus Alice Englert (The Boyfriend Game, MIFF 16). Also hotting up the screen will be Australian premieres Golden Exits (USA), the latest film from Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Phillip MIFF 14; Queen of Earth, MIFF 15), an unnerving ensemble drama shot on 16mm that boasts a star-studded cast led by Emily Browning, Chloë Sevigny, Jason Schwartzman with Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz and a moody score by Keegan De Witt; and The Lost City of Z (USA), James Gray’s (The Immigrant MIFF 14) sumptuous and poignant Amazon adventure based on real life explorer Percy Fawcett’s quest to find the fabled city of El Dorado, starring Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson and featuring lush 35mm cinematography by Darius Khondji. Leading Australian director Kriv Stenders (The Principal, MIFF 15; Red Dog MIFF 11) returns to MIFF with two productions: The Go-Betweens – Right Here (Australia), a documentary charting the four-decade long story of beloved indie rock band The Go-Betweens, in their own words and with never-before-seen archival footage; and Australia Day (Australia), an excoriating, illuminating take on our country’s most fraught debate, set over a pulse-racing 12 hours on 26 January with a powerhouse ensemble cast including Bryan Brown, Matthew Le Nevez, Sean Keenan, Shari Sebbens and Jenny Wu (who also features in Top of the Lake: China Girl). Local comedies include Ali’s Wedding, based on the real-life experience of lead actor Osamah Sami’s ill-fated arranged marriage the absurd and poignant tale about family in multicultural Australia stars Don Hany with direction by Jeffrey Walker (Jack Irish: Bad Debts, MIFF 12), and That’s Not Me (Australia). Ali’s Wedding is a fast-paced comedy of very Muslim manners that shines with wit, humanity and crowd-pleasing charisma; while That’s Not Me is Gregory Erdstein’s (Two Devils, MIFF 14) charming feature debut about a young woman and aspiring actor who takes advantage of her identical twin sister’s success and fame, featuring an impressive performance by writer/star Alice Foulcher in dual roles. In Mountain (Australia), Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, MIFF 15) returns to the mountains that so captivate her in a unique cinematic and musical collaboration. Working with high-altitude cinematographer Renan Ozturk, bestselling author Robert Macfarlane (Mountains of the Mind) and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Richard Tognetti, Peedom has created a breathtaking cine-sonic journey through awe-inspiring vistas narrated by Willem Dafoe. One of Australia’s most innovative filmmakers and MIFF regular Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Hail MIFF 11; Ruin, MIFF 13) captures two legends – free jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor and modern dance artist Min Tanaka – in an intimate performance piece like no other in The Silent Eye (Australia). Shot over three days in 2016 at Taylor’s New York home, the film captures these two masters riffing, offering the audience a glimpse of the creative process at its most sublime. Master international filmmakers bring their works to the big screen at MIFF with Terrence Malick’s Song to Song (USA), a beautifully lensed love story set against the backdrop of the Austin music scene, with a luminous cast including Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett; and Sally Potter’s (Ginger and Rosa, MIFF 12) caustic comic satire of a broken, post-Brexit England, The Party (UK), offering a masterclass of acting from a stellar ensemble headed by Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson and Timothy Spall, and filmed entirely in stunning black and white. The director of A Bigger Splash, Luca Guadagnino, presents his most accomplished film yet: a passionate Italian summer romance headed by Armie Hammer and star on the rise Timothée Chalamet. Adapted from André Acimen’s novel with a script co-written by James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name (Italy) is a sensuous story of first love and the end of adolescence. Turning galvanizing portraits of marginalized women into his own niche, Sebastián Lelio (Gloria, MIFF 13) returns with another beguiling character study, delivering a nuanced and moving account of a vital fight for love, acceptance, and respect that won both Best Screenplay and Best LGBT Film at Berlin. But A Fantastic Woman (Chile) belongs to its determined, defiant titular character and the stunning performance by transgender actress Daniela Vega, making one of the most memorable and formidable movie debuts in recent history. Peter Mackie Burns’ nuanced debut feature Daphne (UK) is a character study about a dissatisfied young woman in present-day London – featuring a superb performance from Emily Beecham in title role – that balances complex comedy and disarming drama and offers a refreshing portrait of contemporary womanhood. Music video director Geremy Jasper’s fabulous feature debut Patti Cake$ (USA), about an aspiring rapper, is a triumphant tale of how music can give a nobody a voice, which wowed critics and audiences alike at Sundance and Cannes. But the film belongs to Australian acting discovery Danielle McDonald, who was dubbed the breakout star of Sundance for her sensational performance as the New Jersey battler and hailed as the “Next Big Thing” by The Hollywood Reporter. [caption id="attachment_19636" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Pop Aye – Kirsten Tan Pop Aye – Kirsten Tan[/caption] Another acclaimed feature debut is Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye (Thailand), the warm and ever-so-strange tale of a Bangkok architect, his elephant and 300 miles of mid-life crisis, which won the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at Sundance and the Big Screen Award at Rotterdam. God’s Own Country (UK) was also a favorite at Berlin (Teddy Jury Award winner) and Sundance, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Best Director Award and comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. Francis Lee’s emotionally rich feature debut captures the quiet yearning of forbidden romance with heated sex scenes and a documentary-like depiction of British rural life that subverts the familiar path taken by queer love stories. The makers of Spring (MIFF 15) return with The Endless (USA), an engrossing high-concept horror centred on two brothers following their escape from a cult. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead write, direct and star in a film of creeping dead that is part horror, part science fiction, which skirts the supernatural and keeps the audience guessing until the very end. With over 62,000 oil paintings and a cast including Chris O’Dowd and Saoirse Ronan, Oscar-winning filmmaker Hugh Welchman (Peter and the Wolf) and Polish painter Dorota Kobiela bring the story of Vincent Van Gogh’s last days to the screen in the world’s first feature-length painted animation, Loving Vincent (UK). Inspired by Van Gogh’s own words – “we cannot speak other than by our paintings” – and using an army of painters from across Europe, every single frame of the film is an oil painting (12 per second) and the result is a truly astonishing visual feast that demands to be seen on the biggest of screens. [caption id="attachment_19944" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Step A still from STEP by Amanda Lipitz,.[/caption] Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Inspirational Filmmaking, STEP (USA) charts the senior year of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women step-dance team as they chase dual dreams – to be state champions and to be the first in their families to go to college – against the backdrop of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Fun and empowering, the film optimistically explores community, sisterhood and the realities of being black and female in contemporary America. Another timely examination of race relations in America is Haitian auteur Raoul Peck’s (Fatal Assistance, MIFF 13) Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro (USA): a stirring portrait of the writer, civil rights activist and queer icon James Baldwin and his lifelong fight against racial and sexual injustice, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson. Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heinemann’s (Cartel Land, MIFF 15) new film focuses on the anonymous activists of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently in the heartland of ISIS’s self-declared caliphate. City of Ghosts (USA) is an urgent, deeply personal real-world thriller about the world’s most crucial fight against misinformation. In 2012, Iraq veteran David Crowley posted a YouTube trailer for his planned libertarian opus, Gray State, warning of America’s looming Second Civil War. Three years on, the rising alt-right filmmaker, his Muslim wife and their daughter were found slaughtered, “Allahu Akbar” smeared on the walls in blood. A conspiracy or something even more horrific? Executive produced by Werner Herzog, Erik Nelson’s A Gray State (USA) is a riveting murder mystery, a political thriller and an unparalleled psychological profile of a mind descending into paranoia. Jumping over to New Zealand, the program will feature Pecking Order (New Zealand), which follows the members of the 148-year-old Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club as they prepare for the National Show. Their president has brought them championship glory over the years, but is now facing off against the next generation of poultry fanciers who seem determined to knock down this award-winning cock of the walk. This entertaining flockumentary uncovers a cutthroat world of passion, obsession, power struggles, and competition. It’s like a Kiwi Best in Show, only real … and with chooks! Also from NZ, MIFF regular and Accelerator alumnus Florian Habicht (Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets MIFF 14; Love Story MIFF 12) welcomes you to Spookers (NZ), a former psychiatric hospital outside Auckland, where visitors gather to be petrified by killer clowns and zombies at the Southern Hemisphere’s largest ‘scream park’. Habicht reveals the personalities beneath the costumes, wigs and greasepaint with characteristic affection and humor in this funny, compelling documentary. And the MIFF shorts program will deliver a string of highlights and award winners from the festival circuit including A Gentle Night (China), the Short Film Palme d’Or winner from the 2017 Cannes Film Festival by MIFF Accelerator alumnus Qiu Yang (The World, MIFF 14; Under the Sun, MIFF 2015); Small Town (Portugal), the dark, mysterious and beautiful coming-of-age story that took out the Golden Bear for Best Short at the 2017 Berlinale; DeKalb Elementary (USA), a tense drama, by filmmaker Reed Van Dyk (Nasty HardcoreXXX Amateur Couple, MIFF 14) based on the real 911-call during an incident at a school in Atlanta, Georgia that was the winner of the International Competition Grand Prix prize at the 2017 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival; and The Hedonists (Hong Kong), the new comedy from 2013 festival guest Jia Zhang-ke (A Touch of Sin, MIFF 13) about a trio of unemployed laborers who find work in the most unlikely of places – a bizarre theme park.

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  • Gasparilla International Film Festival Announces 2017 Lineup, and World Premiere of ALL NIGHTER Starring J.K. Simmons

    [caption id="attachment_21069" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]All Nighter All Nighter[/caption] The 2017 Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) taking place March 2 to March 9, at the Tampa Theater and AMC Centro Ybor in Tampa, Florida, announced its official selection. The festival will open with Burn Your Maps and close with Unleashed. The festival will also host the world premiere for All Nighter starring Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons and directed by Gavin Wiesen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0pNVrNLasI There will be 35 films and over 70 shorts, in which it will host international and regional premieres of narrative features, documentaries and short films around the world.

    2017 Gasparilla International Film Festival Film Line up:

    OPENING NIGHT FILM:

    Burn Your Maps: A nine-year-old boy, grieving with his parents over the recent loss of his baby sister, becomes obsessed with the idea that he’s a Mongolian goat herder who belongs back home in his small village in Mongolia. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Jacob Tremblay, Virginia Madsen, Suraj Sharma. Directed by Jordan Roberts

    CLOSING NIGHT FILM:

    Unleashed: When a cosmic event turns Emma’s dog and cat into two perfect guys, Emma reconsiders her outlook on dating, hilariously works out her trust issues, and ultimately learns to love herself. Cast: Justin Chatwin, Steve Howe, Sean Astin, Kate Micucci. Directed by Finn Taylor

    SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS:

    Breakable You:  The film follows the Wellers, a dynamic New York City family as they come to terms with themselves and each other.  Cast:  Holly Hunter, Tony Shalhoub, Alfred Molina, Cristin Milloti.  Directed by Andrew Wagner Danger Close: (Documentary) Female war reporter Alex Quade’s daring missions to tell soldiers’ stories during a series of unprecedented embeds with Conventional Forces and US Special Ops Forces at the height of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Directed by Christian Tureaud and David Salzberg The Last Word: Retired businesswoman Harriet, controlling to the end, writes her own obituary, but the newspaper writer tasked with the piece insists on learning the truth about Harriet’s life and the two become reluctant partners and friends. Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, Tom Everett Scott, Anne Heche, Philip Baker Hall.  Directed by Mark Pellington The Lost City of Z: Based on author David Grann’s nonfiction bestseller, The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett.  Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson.  Directed by James Gray

    LATE NIGHT FUN & THRILLS:

    First Round Down: Tim Tucker, a former hockey prodigy, returns home to take care of his younger brother having spent the last ten years as a hit man for the mob. Tim now lives on the straight and narrow, but his checkered past catches up to him faster than he can deliver pizza.  Cast: Dylan Bruce, Rachel Wilson, John Kapelos. Directed by Brett Butler and Jason Butler Veras Mantel:  A successful writer, Veras Martel, is prevented from leaving her house by agoraphobia. Sinister threats from a fan eventually lead her uncovering the secret of her illness. Cast: Lea Fassbender, Nico Zitek, Charlotte Ulrich. Directed by Ronald Unterberger Women Who Kill:  Commitment phobic Morgan and her ex-girlfriend Jean, hosts of a female serial killer-centric podcast, still show all the signs of being a couple. But everything changes when Morgan falls hard and fast for the mysterious Simone, who may or may not be a killer. Cast: Ingrid Jungermann, Ann Carr, Sheila Vand, Annette O’toole.  Directed by Ingrid Jungermann.

    US NARRATIVE FEATURES:

    American Wrestler: The Wizard: In 1980, a teenage boy escapes the unrest in Iran only to face more hostility in America, due to the hostage crisis. Determined to fit in, he joins the school’s floundering wrestling team.  Cast: Jon Voight, William Fichter, Ali Afshar.  Directed by Alex Ranarivelo The Architect: When a couple sets out to build their dream house, they enlist the services of an uncompromising modernist architect, who proceeds to build HIS dream house instead of theirs. Cast: Parker Posey, James Frain, Eric McCormack. Directed by Jonathan Parker AWOL: A young woman Joey is in search of direction in her small town. A visit to an army recruiting office appears to provide a path, but when she meets and falls in love with Rayna that path diverges in ways that neither woman anticipates. Cast: Lola Kirke, Breeda Wool, Dale Soules, Ted Welch. Directed by Deb Shoval Carrie Pilby: Carrie is person of high intelligence who graduated from Harvard at 19, and struggles to make sense of the world as it relates to morality, relationships, sex and leaving her apartment. Cast: Bel Powley, Nathan Lane, Gabriel Byrne, Jason Ritter.  Directed by Susan Johnson Dean: An illustrator falls hard for an LA woman while trying to prevent his father from selling the family home in the wake of his mother’s death. Cast: Demetri Martin, Asif Ali, Jesaiah Baer, Katherine Barnes. Directed by Demetri Martin Future 38: A 1938 screwball comedy set in the far future year of 2018. Cast: Betty Gilpin, Robert John Burke, Sean Young. Directed by Jamie Greenberg So B. It: A 12-year-old girl decides to take a cross-country trip by herself, leaving the safety of her home with her mentally-challenged mother and agoraphobic neighbor. Cast: Alfre Woodard, Dash Mihok, Jacin Barrett, John Heard, Cloris Leachman.  Directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal

    INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURES:

    About Us: Diego, a hopeless romantic desperately trying to salvage his relationship with long- time girlfriend Sofía, plans a beach getaway to propose and clear the air. A ‘chance’ encounter with Sofía’s old friend Malena will cast doubts on his relationship and skewed understanding of love, quickly turning a perfect weekend in paradise into Diego’s worst nightmare. Cast: Hernan Jimenez, Noelia Castano, Marina Glezer. Directed by Hernan Jimenez Frantz: In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious Frenchman who visits the fiancé’s grave to lay flowers. Cast: Paula Beer, Pierre Niney, Ernst Stotnzer. Directed by Francois Ozon Handsome Devil: Two opposites, a loner and the top athlete at a rugby-obsessed boarding school, become friends until the authorities test their friendship. Cast: Fionn O’Shea, Nicholas Galitzine, Andrew Scott. Directed by John Butler Past Life: In the 1970s, two sisters try to solve a wartime mystery that has cast a shadow over their lives. Cast: Nelly Tagar, Joy Rieger, Doron Tavory. Directed by Avi Nesher Queen of the Desert: A chronicle of Gertrude Bell’s life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century. Cast: Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis, Robert Pattinson. Directed by Werner Herzog The Sense of an Ending: A reclusive older man must face the flawed recollections of his younger self and his long buried secrets. Cast: Jim Broadbent, Michelle Dockery, Emily Mortimer.  Directed by Ritesha Batra

    DOCUMENTARIES:

    Disturbing the Peace: The film explores people born into conflict, sworn to be enemies, who challenged their fate by taking extraordinary actions by standing for what they believe in. It challenges us all to decide what role we will play in creating a more humane world, starting with our willingness to disturb the peace. Directed by Stephen Apkon and Marcina Hale Finding Oscar: Feature length documentary about the search for justice in the devastating case of the Dos Erres massacre in Guatemala. That search leads to the trail of two little boys who were plucked from a nightmare and offer the only living evidence that ties the Guatemalan government to the massacre. Directed by Ryan Suffern, Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg Good Fortune: Homeless, Gang member, Billionaire, Philanthropist; this film reflects “conscious capitalism.”  Interviewees include Robert Kennedy Jr., Cheech Marin, Dan Akroyd, Arianna Huffington and Danny Trejo. Directed by Josh Tickell and Rebecca Harrell Tickell Lea and Mira: The film tells the story of two elderly women living in Argentina. As children, they were taken to the Auschwitz concentration camp. The movie depicts the thoughts of these women who, in the twilight of their lives, transmit their wisdom, their resilience, and their way of looking at life after trauma.  Directed by Poli Martinez Kaplun Score: This documentary brings Hollywood’s premier composers together to give viewers a privileged look inside the musical challenges and creative secrecy of one the world’s most widely known music genre: the film score. Interviewees include Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, John Williams, James Cameron and Quincy Jones. Directed by Matt Schrader

    FLORIDA FOCUS:  

    World premiere of independent films made in Florida Joey’s Show Will Go On: Tampa drag queen legend Joey Brooks, the ‘First Lady Of Ybor City’, talks about her decades-long female-impersonator career and judges a whacky contest to choose a new diva for her Christmas show. Cast: Joey Brooks.  Directed by Marcus Kempton King Charles:  A shady DEA agent does everything in his power within and outside the law to catch a cocaine kingpin. During a city’s crime investigation the DEA’s partner is gunned down. TC will now stop at nothing to catch his man and what he’s about to do next is pure justice. Cast: Rod Grant, Nicholas Naylor and Buddy Winsett. Directed by Nicholas Taylor The Lost Digit: After accidentally cutting off his finger, a man can’t escape the dire feeling that something important in his life is missing. As a dangerous obsession takes hold his career, marriage and grasp on reality suffer. The best part of his life gone, he ends up in a nursing home devoid of love and utterly alone. Cast: Christopher Rutherford, George Cassermey, Hillary Pyles, Jim Wicker.  Directed by Garrett Brown Turtle Tale:  TURTLE TALE is inspired by events that took place at the George C. McGough Nature Park in Largo, Florida – the story of JR the OWL as witnessed and told by the nature park’s first inhabitants, ‘THE TURTLES’. The turtles, HANK, RAFI and GOLIATH, and their community live in a beautiful pond with nice clean water, lots of food and are witnesses to all the events of the park as they get ready for another busy summer camp season, never suspecting what is about to happen at the park and to themselves. Cast: Mary Rachel Dudley, Noah Schnacky, Lily Cardone, Isiah McCaffrey. Directed by Luc Campeau There will also be Industry Panels featuring Meet The Press, Casting Directors, Special Effects, The Pitch and the Performance Actor’s panel.  

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  • TONI ERDMANN, ELLE, MOONLIGHT Win International Cinephile Society Awards

    Toni Erdmann directed by Maren Ade
    Toni Erdmann directed by Maren Ade

    Maren Ade’s dark comedy, Toni Erdmann was the big winner at the 14th International Cinephile Society Awards (ICS), taking top honors for Best picture, director, non-English language film and original screenplay.  

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  • First 11 Films Revealed for 2017 Dallas International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_20108" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Strad Style Strad Style[/caption] The Dallas International Film Festival revealed the first eleven official selections for the upcoming 11th edition of the festival. Led by Stefon Avalos’s Slamdance Film Festival award-winner, STRAD STYLE, the list of titles include François Ozon’s FRANTZ , Sarah Adina Smith’s BUSTER’S MAL HEART, and James Gray’s THE LOST CITY OF Z (NYFF). This year’s Texas Competition, which promotes the state’s impressive home-grown filmmaking talent by focusing on films produced and shot in Texas, includes the world premiere of Jameson Brooks’s drama BOMB CITY, about a controversial hate-crime that took place in a small, conservative Texas town. Also competing in the category is Jason Headley’s comedy A BAD IDEA GONE WRONG about two would-be thieves that bungle their way into a hostage situation during a poorly-planned break-in. The second announced world premiere selection, Micah Barber’s INTO THE WHO KNOWS! about a boy and his best friend, Felix the Fox, that escape summer camp to embark on a big mystical adventure, will make its debut as part of DIFF’s Family Friendly section. Also screening will be Tony Shaff’s documentary 44 PAGES, which tells the surprising story of Highlights Magazine, and screens at DIFF immediately following its debut at SXSWedu in March. DIFF’s Premiere Series will include; Smith’s mind-bender BUSTER’S MAL HEART, which stars Mr. Robot’s Rami Malek as a mountain man drifter who had a life-changing run-in with a stranger obsessed with a conspiracy theory; Ozon’s drama FRANTZ, about a woman coming to terms with the death of her fiancé in World War I; and Gray’s true-life epic THE LOST CITY OF Z, which follows the tale of British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared in the Amazon in the 1920s. Avalos’s STRAD STYLE, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the recently concluded Slamdance Film Festival, and Matt Schrader’s SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY, are the first two selections announced from DIFF’s beloved Deep Ellum Sounds section. The music-themed documentary section hails back to the film festival’s roots in the colorful music-infused neighborhood with the Deep Ellum Film Festival, which was the precursor to the Dallas International Film Festival. STRAD STYLE follows the efforts of a man in Ohio, who decides he can build a classic Stradivarius violin, and SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY, looks at the art of film scoring via interviews with nearly every prominent film composer on the scene today. Rounding out the first selections revealed to the public are Steve James’s ABACUS: TOO SMALL TO JAIL, about the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and Alejandro Molina’s THE PRESENT ONES (Los Presentes), about an actress having identity issues after returning to play a character that gets under her skin just as she faces a relationship crisis. ABACUS: TOO SMALL TO JAIL will screen as part of DIFF’s Documentary Showcase, and marks the fourth of James’s films to be a part of the festival. THE PRESENT ONES is part of DIFF’s Latino Cinema Showcase. The film festival will present the Studio Movie Grill Silver Heart Award to the film that best addresses Human Rights issues. A $5,000 cash prize will be presented by the Schultz Family during the Dallas Film Society Honors event presented by the Arthur E. Benjamin Foundation on Friday, April 7, as DIFF continues its decade-long tradition of looking beyond the artistic value of film to the impact on the community, either via environmental, or in this case, human rights issues, as well. The Silver Heart Award is bestowed on an individual or film for their dedication to fighting injustices and/or creating social change for the improvement of humanity. The eleven official selections include: ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL Director: Steve James Country: USA, Running Time: 88min ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL tells the incredible saga of the Chinese immigrant Sung family, owners of Abacus Federal Savings of Chinatown, New York. Accused of mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., Abacus becomes the only U.S. bank to face criminal charges in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The indictment and subsequent trial forces the Sung family to defend themselves – and their bank’s legacy in the Chinatown community – over the course of a five-year legal battle. A BAD IDEA GONE WRONG Director: Jason Headley Country: USA, Running Time: 85min A BAD IDEA GONE WRONG is a comedy about two would-be thieves who accidentally arm the alarm system and have to break out of the house they just broke into. When they discover an unexpected house sitter, they suddenly have to deal with a hostage situation, double crosses, sexual tensions, and discoveries that make their difficult escape even more dubious. BOMB CITY Director: Jameson Brooks Country: USA, Running Time: 93min BOMB CITY is a gritty-drama, about the hatred and oppression of a group of punk revolutionaries in a conservative Texas town. Their ongoing battle with a rival clique leads to one of the most controversial hate crimes the U.S. has ever seen. Based on the true story of Brian Deneke. BUSTER’S MAL HEART Director: Sarah Adina Smith Country: USA, Running Time: 96min In this bold thriller spiked with dark humor, Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) is Buster, a family man whose chance encounter with a conspiracy-obsessed drifter leaves him on the run from the police and an impending event known as The Inversion. 44 PAGES Director: Tony Shaff Country: USA, Running Time: 97min 44 PAGES is a portrait of Highlights Magazine following the creation of the cultural phenomenon’s 70th Anniversary issue, from the first editorial meeting to its arrival in homes, and introducing the quirky people who passionately produce the monthly publication for “the world’s most important people,”…children. Along the way, a rich and tragic history is revealed, the state of childhood, technology, and education is explored, and the future of print media is questioned. FRANTZ Director: François Ozon Country: France/Germany, Running Time: 113min A haunting tale of love and reconciliation begins in a small town in Germany in the immediate aftermath of World War I when a young woman mourning the death of her fiancé encounters a mysterious Frenchman laying flowers on her beloved’s grave. INTO THE WHO KNOWS! Director: Micah Barber Country: USA, Running Time: 72min Ten-year old Thomas has a best friend: Felix the Fox. But his parents want him to make “real friends”, so they send him to summer camp. However, he hates it, so he and Felix make a midnight escape. Deep in the forest of the Who Knows they pursue a mythical being called the Totem, and decide to catch it. THE LOST CITY OF Z Director: James Gray Country: USA, Running Time: 141min A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s. THE PRESENT ONES (LOS PRESENTES) Director: Alejandro Molina Country: Mexico, Running Time: 90min Ana, a former actress, gets the chance to reunite herself with Ophelia, a character she played years ago on the stage, when she met and fell for the man who is her husband now. However, at this point in her life, her marriage is facing a difficult time, tenuously kept together is their 6-year old son. By playing the character, and “becoming” Ophelia once again, and under stressful circumstances, Ana suffers a personality split which leads her to an extreme and life changing juncture, something she has never faced before. SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY Director: Matt Schrader Country: USA, Running Time: 93min SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY brings Hollywood’s premiere composers together to give viewers a privileged look inside the musical challenges and creative secrecy of the world’s most widely known music genre: the film score. STRAD STYLE Director: Stefan Avalos Country: USA, Running Time: 104min STRAD STYLE follows a backwoods dreamer from Ohio with an obsession for ‘Stradivari’ and all things violin, who, through the magic of social-media, convinces a famous European concert violinist that he can make a copy of the most famous and valuable violin in the world. Fighting time, poverty, and most of all – himself – Danny Houck puts everything on the line for one shot at glory.

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