Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
The Shape of Water along with Hitman’s Bodyguard lead the nominations for the 19th annual Golden Trailer Awards competition that has emerged as the most recognized event devoted to the artistry of film marketers and companies that create movie trailers, commercials and posters worldwide.
GTA 19 will take place on Thursday, May 31st at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by comedienne and actress Michelle Buteau (“The Tick,” “Broad City,” “Key & Peele”).
Thelma (2017)
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THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Nominations for 19th Golden Trailer Awards
[caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
The Shape of Water along with Hitman’s Bodyguard lead the nominations for the 19th annual Golden Trailer Awards competition that has emerged as the most recognized event devoted to the artistry of film marketers and companies that create movie trailers, commercials and posters worldwide.
GTA 19 will take place on Thursday, May 31st at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by comedienne and actress Michelle Buteau (“The Tick,” “Broad City,” “Key & Peele”).
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42nd Hong Kong International Film Festival Announces Lineup, Opens With Taiwanese Films “Omotenashi” and “Xiao Mei”
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Omotenashi[/caption]
The upcoming 42nd edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival announced their lineup. The festival will run for 18 days from March 19th until April 5th, 2018. The opening night on March 19th will feature two gorgeous films from two promising Taiwanese directors – Omotenashi, directed by Jay Chern and Xiao Mei, directed by Maren Hwang. Closing film will be the World Premiere of What a Wonderful family! 3: My Wife, My Life, the latest work from the acclaimed comedy series by the Japanese master Yamada Yoji.
Omotenashi is a co-production of Japan and Taiwan with up-and-coming Taiwanese director Jay Chern, which offers a heartwarming portrayal of the younger generation learning to appreciate the cultural differences and traditional values through love and respect; whereas Maren Hwang’s Xiao Mei brilliantly juggles elements of film noir and suspense in exploring the riddle of identity and truth through the mystic tale of a vanished girl. Directors and casts of both opening films will join HKIFF42 Grand Opening on 19 March. Veteran director Yamada Yoji continues his success inWhat a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life, the third installment of his amusing series that playfully exposes the changing values and behavior within contemporary Japanese society. The world premiere of this much anticipated film will bring a delightful conclusion to this year’s Festival.
The “Filmmaker in Focus” this year is Brigitte Lin Ching-Hsia, one of the most distinguished actresses in Chinese language cinema. To celebrate the 45th anniversary of her career since her screen debut, HKIFF42 will showcase 14 of her films including the new restoration of her first film Outside the Window. Lin will share her insights on film and life in the “Face to Face” seminar.
Werner Herzog, one of cinema’s most celebrated filmmakers, will attend HKIFF42 and conduct a Master Class. His first visit to the Festival will be honored by a retrospective of his films, giving local audiences a rare opportunity to watch his classics, including four of his greatest cinematic achievements and his latest documentary Into the Inferno, which reflect his frantic imagination and poetic stylization.
HKIFF will also present the Hong Kong premiere of HTC’s first virtual reality (VR) Chinese language film, The Deserted. This groundbreaking work is directed by Taiwanese master Tsai Ming-Liang, with the support of HTC VIVE, ZOTAC Computer, and the Hong Kong Baptist University’s Academy of Film. TSAI and Golden Horse Award winner Lee Kang-Sheng will lead the Hong Kong audience through an unparalleled eye-opening VR experience, and share their visions of this cinematic innovation in a Master Class.
In addition to the two masters, the Japanese documentarian Hara Kazuo, known for his highly original and controversial films, will bring his latest work Sennan Asbestos Disaster and meet the audience in a Master Class. Several world-renowned directors will also visit Hong Kong for screenings of their films. Acclaimed American independent filmmaker Sean Baker, with his celebrated new film The Florida Project, will share his filmmaking experience. Kagawa Kyoko, the legendary Japanese actress of the Mizoguchi Kenji masterpiece A Story from Chikamatsu, and Ozu Yasujiro’s classic Tokyo Story will share her collaborations with the giants of Japanese cinema following the screening of the newly restored classic. The late Filipino master, Ishmael Bernal, will be featured in the Restored Classics section, and his longtime screenwriter, Ricky Lee, will also meet the audience to share his insights.
Cinephiles can enjoy a number of internationally award-winning films firsthand at the HKIFF. These include In the Fade, winner of the Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes and Cannes Best Actress Award for Diane Kruger’s powerhouse performance; Joaquin Phoenix took home the Cannes Best Actor Award with You Were Never Really Here, which won the Cannes Best Screenplay Award alongside The Killing of a Sacred Deer; as well as Cannes Jury Prize winner and Oscar-nominated Loveless. Award winners from the Venice Film Festival include Grand Jury Prize winner Foxtrot, Special Jury Prize winner Sweet Country, Best Director award winner Custody, Best Actress Award for Charlotte Rampling in Hannah, and Best Actor Award for Kamel El Basha in The Insult. The Berlinale award winners include Grand Jury Prize for Mug, Outstanding Artistic Contribution Award for Dovlatov, winners of FIPRESCI Jury Prizes for River’s Edge andAn Elephant Sitting Still, the latter also won Special Mention for Best First Feature Award.
Multifaceted Argentine and Danish films open up new frontiers in the international scene. HKIFF42 will celebrate the achievement of Lucrecia Martel, a major auteur and forceful leading light of New Argentine Cinema, by showcasing four of her acclaimed works, including Zama, her latest and multiple award-winning film. In the New Danish Cinema section, six outstanding films will be showcased, including Thelma, a chilling psychological thriller from director Joachim Trier, the topical Borg/McEnroe, and Winter Brothers, winner of four major awards at the Locarno International Film Festival.
The Awards Gala Night will feature the international premiere of Transit, directed by acclaimed German auteur Christian Petzold. The French Night will feature Custody, helmed by the Venice Best Director winner Xavier Legrand, who will come to Hong Kong to greet the audience. HKIFF will also present the Canadian film Ava, a feature debut about women’s fight for independence by Sadaf Foroyghi, who will meet the audience at the screenings.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Polish independence, HKIFF42 will present a prelude program “70 years of Polish Animation: Live Animation x Music”. The program will feature celebrated Polish filmmaker-animator Mariusz Wilczyński with live hand-drawn animation while the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will present fabulous music under the baton of Polish conductor Sebastian Periowski.
In response to what the festival describes as “overwhelming response” HKIFF has decided to continue with the “Audience Choice Award”, which was first launched last year.
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BATTLE OF THE SEXES to Open and THE POST to Close 2018 Athena Film Festival
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BATTLE OF THE SEXES[/caption]
Athena Film Festival (AFF) will open their 2018 edition on Thursday, February 22nd with BATTLE OF THE SEXES, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. Emma Stone and Steve Carell star in this dramatic retelling of the legendary 1973 tennis match in which tennis star Billie Jean King faced off against 55-year-old former Wimbledon champion, Bobby Riggs who boasted that he could beat any woman player. Billie Jean King will participate in a post-screening conversation.
Prior to opening night, the festival will host a special presentation premiering the first episode of Season three of Lifetime’s critically-acclaimed series UnREAL.
The Centerpiece film, documentary MANKILLER, directed by Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, will screen on Saturday, February 24th. The documentary tells the tale of a true American legend, Wilma Mankiller (1945-2010), a community organizer who became Chief of the Cherokee Nation and defied all odds to make a difference for her people. The film will be followed by a conversation with director Valerie Red-Horse Mohl, executive producer Gale Anne Hurd, and journalist and activist Gloria Steinem. Ann Hornaday from the Washington Post will moderate.
The festival will close on Sunday, February 25th with the Academy Award®-nominated THE POST, directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks. In this thrilling drama, the Washington Post’s Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper (Meryl Streep) and Post editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) race to catch up with The New York Times’ publication of the Pentagon Papers, which expose a massive cover-up of government secrets about the Vietnam war.
Additional films announced include 9 TO 5, directed by Colin Higgins and starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin; PATTI CAKE$, directed by Geremy Jasper and starring Athena’s 2018 Inaugural Breakthrough Award honoree Bridget Everett and Danielle Macdonald ; THELMA, directed and co-written by Joachim Trier and co-written by Eskil Vogt; NORTH COUNTRY, directed by Niki Caro and starring Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek; and the classic documentary MISS SHARON JONES!, directed by two-time Oscar® winner and 2018 Athena Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree, Barbara Kopple.
Additional panels include Master Class: Alexa Junge ’85 and Spotlight on Women and STEM, sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which will follow the screening of Bombshell, the Hedy Lamarr Story. This panel of illustrious filmmakers will focus on the stories of powerful women in STEM fields and discuss the challenges of bringing these rich, and sometimes complicated scientific stories to life on the big screen.
The festival will feature a program of narrative, documentary and short films, including: WONDER WOMAN, directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot; LADY BIRD, the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig ’06 and AFF ’11 Honoree and starring Saoirse Ronan; MEGAN LEAVEY, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite and starring Kate Mara; WAITING FOR HASSANA, directed by Ifunanya Maduka; BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY, directed and written by Alexandra Dean; I AM EVIDENCE, directed by Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir and produced by Mariska Hargitay; the New York City premiere of IT’S CRIMINAL, directed by Signe Taylor ’87; and the international premiere of MY YEAR WITH HELEN, directed by Gaylene Preston; FRONTIER, directed by Jillian Banner; and the New York premieres of AL IMAM, directed by Omar Al Dakheel; BEADS, directed by Rachel Byrd; CON MADRE, directed by Clancy McCarty; THE FAN directed by Mohammad Ghanefard and Ali Delkari, among others.
The 2018 Athena Film Festival Awardees include two-time Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple who will receive the Laura Ziskin Lifetime Achievement Award; BAFTA-winning writer and director Amma Asante who will receive the Athena Award; world-renowned cabaret artist and actress Bridget Everett who will receive the inaugural Breakthrough Award; and director, producer and screenwriter J.J. Abrams who will receive the Athena Leading Man Award. Awards will be presented at the Athena Film Festival Awards Ceremony on Friday, February 23rd.
The Athena Film Festival showcases films and TV series about strong, bold women leaders in real life and the fictional world; it is a weekend dedicated to elevating female voices and stories that inspire and empower a new generation of filmmakers and individuals. The eighth annual festival, co-founded by Barnard College’s Athena Center for Leadership Studies and Women and Hollywood, will take place February 22 to 25, 2018, at Barnard College in New York City.
FULL INFORMATION ON NEWLY ANNOUNCED FILMS AND PROGRAMS:
FEATURES
9 to 5
Director: Colin Higgins
Writer: Colin Higgins, Patricia Resnick
This office satire about three female secretaries—Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin—who decide to get revenge on their tyrannical, sexist boss was an instant classic. Featuring a depiction of women agitators well ahead of their time and a score that doubled as anthem, 9 to 5’s impact has resonated for the thirty-plus years since its release and remains iconic in 2017’s #MeToo era.
North Country
Director: Niki Caro
Writer: Michael Seitzman
This classic feature, based on a true story, centers on Josey Aimes who takes a job at a local iron mine in Minnesota in 1975. She and other female miners endure unyielding harassment from male co-workers, ranging from verbal taunts to pornographic graffiti and physical abuse. Ignoring advice from family and friends, Josey files a ground-breaking lawsuit and wins a landmark decision that is still protecting women today. Directed by Niki Caro, North Country’s all-star cast includes Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson and Sissy Spacek.
Battle of the Sexes – OPENING NIGHT FILM
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writer: Simon Beaufoy
Emma Stone and Steve Carell star in this dramatic retelling of the legendary 1973 tennis match in which women’s tennis star Billie Jean King faced off against 55-year-old former Wimbledon champion, Bobby Riggs who boasted that he could beat any woman player. Riggs hyped the contest with a slew of misogynistic comments, including that “the best way to handle women is to keep them pregnant and barefoot.” In the period leading up to the match, King, a champion athlete and social justice pioneer, found herself beset with both personal and professional challenges as she sought to face her sexuality and fight for pay equity in tennis.
Patti Cake$ – Awardee Spotlight Film
Director and writer: Geremy Jasper
First-time writer/director Geremy Jasper showcases his music chops in this brash and bombastic story of unlikely rapper Patti “Killa P” Dombrowski. Breakout talent Danielle Macdonald plays Patti with the magnetism and stage presence of a seasoned musician, and is matched by the talents of the 2018 Athena Award winner Bridget Everett as Patti’s disillusioned mother, who missed her chance at stardom.
Thelma
Director: Joachim Trier
Writers: Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt
Writer/director Joachim Trier crafts a haunting tale of Thelma (Eili Harboe) a shy college student who has just left her religious family in a small town Norway and finds herself intensely drawn to her classmate Anja (Kaya Wilkins). But in a surprising twist to this coming of age tale, first love and self-discovery arrive with uncontrollable seizures and supernatural powers, that forces her to confront the terrifying implications of her powers.
The Post – CLOSING NIGHT FILM
In this thrilling drama directed by Steven Spielberg, the Washington Post’s Katharine Graham, the first female publisher of a major American newspaper (Meryl Streep) and Post editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) race to catch up with The New York Times’ publication of the Pentagon Papers, which expose a massive cover-up of government secrets about the Vietnam war that spans three decades and four U.S. presidents. This movie shows the importance of the free press to the life of a democracy, but it’s also a very personal story about a woman who was trained to be a wife who becomes the main character in her own story. The Post is a movie about a woman who finds her voice and saves democracy in the process.
DOCUMENTARIES
MANKILLER – CENTERPIECE FILM
Director: Valerie Red-Horse Mohl
Executive Producer: Gale Anne Hurd
MANKILLER examines the legacy of the formidable Wilma Mankiller, who defied all odds to become one of the most influential leaders in the United States. Mankiller overcame rampant sexism and personal challenges to emerge as the Cherokee Nation’s first woman Principal Chief in 1985. Through rare archival footage and intimate interviews with activists including Gloria Steinem, as well as with Wilma herself, MANKILLER gives us insight into how this remarkable woman successfully navigated through the minefield of bipartisan politics.
Miss Sharon Jones! – Awardee Spotlight Film
Director: Barbara Kopple
This documentary, directed by the two-time Oscar winner and 2018 Athena Honoree, Barbara Kopple, tells the stirring story of Sharon Jones, a true soul survivor who’s been called “the female James Brown”. The film follows Sharon Jones on an emotional journey as she battles cancer, struggles to keep her band together and mount a comeback show at New York’s Beacon Theater.
TELEVISION
Lifetime’s UnReal
Join us for the premiere of the first episode of UnREAL, season 3, Lifetime’s critically-acclaimed series from A+E Studios. UnREAL takes place behind the scenes of the fictional dating competition show Everlasting, as the show’s producers manipulate the contestants to get the footage they need. Caitlin FitzGerald (“Masters of Sex,” “Rectify”) takes the reins in Season 3 as Everlasting’s female “suit
PANELS AND SPECIAL EVENTS
Master Class on Producing and Writing for Television: Alexa Junge – Sponsored by Stephens College
Come learn from Alexa Junge, a 1985 Barnard alumna, and accomplished showrunner, screenwriter, T.V. writer and producer whose credits include Friends, The West Wing, and Grace & Frankie.
Spotlight on Women and Stem – Sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Following the screening of Bombshell, the Hedy Lamarr Story, a panel of illustrious filmmakers will focus on the stories of powerful women in STEM fields, and discuss the challenges of bringing these rich, and sometimes complicated scientific stories to life on the big screen.
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“Call Me by Your Name,” “Lady Bird,” “A Fantastic Woman” Among Nominees for 29th GLAAD Media Awards
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Call Me By Your Name[/caption]
Actress Trace Lysette and actor Wilson Cruz announced the nominees for the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards live on GLAAD’s Facebook page from Park City, Utah during the Sundance Film Festival. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on April 12, 2018 at The Beverly Hilton, and in New York on May 5 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Among the nominees: Golden Globe winner Lady Bird; Golden Globe nominees Call Me By Your Name, The Shape of Water, and A Fantastic Woman. GLAAD announced a Special Recognition Award for Jay-Z’s song and music video “Smile” featuring his mother Gloria Carter who used the song to come out as a lesbian. A Special Recognition Award was also given to the animated short film In A Heartbeat.
“What people see in the media has a powerful impact on how they treat others and the GLAAD Media Awards raise the bar for media to tell LGBTQ stories that accelerate acceptance,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “At a time when anti-LGBTQ policies and harassment are on the rise, it is imperative that Hollywood and news media tell more LGBTQ stories that reflect the community’s rich diversity – and build understanding that brings all communities closer together. This year’s nominees showcase stories that span races, genres, ages, and geographies, challenge misconceptions, and broaden understanding and acceptance of LGBTQ people across the globe.”
29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Nominations
Outstanding Film – Wide Release Battle of the Sexes Fox Searchlight Call Me by Your Name Sony Pictures Classics Lady Bird A24 Professor Marston and the Wonder Women Annapurna Pictures The Shape of Water Fox Searchlight Outstanding Film – Limited Release BPM The Orchard A Fantastic Woman Sony Pictures Classics God’s Own Country Samuel Goldwyn Films/Orion Pictures Thelma The Orchard The Wound Kino Lorber Outstanding Comedy Series The Bold Type Freeform Brooklyn Nine-Nine FOX Crazy Ex-Girlfriend The CW Modern Family ABC One Day at a Time Netflix One Mississippi Amazon Superstore NBC Survivor’s Remorse Starz Transparent Amazon Will & Grace NBC Outstanding Drama Series Billions Showtime Doubt CBS The Handmaid’s Tale Hulu Nashville CMT Sense8 Netflix Shadowhunters Freeform Star FOX Star Trek: Discovery CBS All Access This Is Us NBC Wynonna Earp Syfy Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBTQ character) “Chapter 8” Legion FX “Grace” Pure Genius CBS “Lady Cha Cha” Easy Netflix “The Missionaries” Room 104 HBO “Thanksgiving” Master of None Netflix Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series American Horror Story: Cult FX Feud: Bette and Joan FX Godless Netflix Queers BBC America When We Rise ABC Outstanding Kids & Family Programming Andi Mack Disney Channel “Chosen Family” Danger & Eggs Amazon “The Emergency Plan” Doc McStuffins Disney Channel Steven Universe Cartoon Network The Loud House Nickelodeon Outstanding Scripted Television Series (Spanish Language) Las chicas del cable Netflix La doble vida de Estela Carrillo Univision Ingobernable Netflix Outstanding Documentary Chavela Music Box Films Gender Revolution: A Journey with Katie Couric National Geographic Kiki Sundance Selects “Real Boy” Independent Lens PBS This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous YouTube Red Outstanding Reality Program Gaycation with Ellen Page Viceland I Am Jazz TLC RuPaul’s Drag Race VH1 Survivor: Game Changers CBS The Voice NBC Outstanding Music Artist Miley Cyrus, Younger Now RCA Records Halsey, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom Astralwerks Records Honey Dijon, The Best of Both Worlds Classic Music Company Kehlani, SweetSexySavage TSNMI/Atlantic Records Kelela, Take Me Apart Warp Records Perfume Genius, No Shape Matador Records Sam Smith, The Thrill of It All Capitol Records St. Vincent, MASSEDUCTION Loma Vista Recordings Wrabel, We Could Be Beautiful Epic/Sony Records Kesha, Rainbow Kemosabe/RCA Records Outstanding Comic Book America, by Gabby Rivera, Joe Quinones, Ming Doyle, Stacey Lee, Ramon Villalobos, Walden Wong, Jen Bartel, Annie Wu, Aud Koch, Flaviano, Joe Rivera, Paolo Rivera, José Villarrubia, Jordan Gibson, Tamra Bonvillain, Brittany Peer, Rachelle Rosenberg, Travis Lanham (Marvel Comics) The Backstagers, by James Tynion IV, Rian Sygh, Walter Baiamonte, Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios) Batwoman, by Marguerite Bennett, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Jeromy N. Cox, Stephanie Hans, Renato Arlem, Adriano Honorato Lucas, Fernando Blanco, John Rauch, Deron Bennett (DC Comics) Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Yona Harvey, Rembert Browne, Alitha E. Martinez, Manny Mederos, Joe Bennett, Afua Richardson, Roberto Poggi, Tamra Bonvillain, Rachelle Rosenberg, Virtual Calligraphy, Joe Sabino (Marvel Comics) Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, by Sarah Vaughn, Lan Medina, Phillip Hester, José Villarrubia, Janice Chiang (DC Comics) Goldie Vance, by Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams, Noah Hayes, Sarah Stern, Jim Campbell (BOOM! Studios) Iceman, by Sina Grace, Alessandro Vitti, Ibraim Roberson, Edgar Salazar, Edgar E. Tadeo, Robert Gill, Rachelle Rosenberg, Joe Sabino (Marvel Comics) Lumberjanes, by Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Carolyn Nowak, Ayme Sotuyo, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aiese (BOOM! Studios) Quantum Teens are Go, by Magdalene Visaggio, Eryk Donovan, Claudia Aguirre, Zakk Saam (Black Mask Comics) The Woods, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Ed Dukeshire (BOOM! Studios) Outstanding Daily Drama The Bold and The Beautiful CBS Days of Our Lives NBC The Young & the Restless CBS Outstanding Talk Show Episode “Australia Marriage Equality” Last Week Tonight with John Oliver HBO “Danica Roem” The Opposition with Jordan Klepper Comedy Central “Laila and Logan Ireland, Transgender Military Couple” The Ellen DeGeneres Show syndicated “Laverne Cox and Gavin Grimm” The View ABC “Trans Veterans React to Ban” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Comedy Central Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine “A Boy Named Lucas” 20/20 ABC “China Queer” The Naked Truth Fusion “Gay Purge?” Nightline ABC “The Pulse of Orlando: Terror at the Nightclub” Anderson Cooper 360 CNN “Trans Youth” VICE on HBO HBO Outstanding TV Journalism Segment “The Abolitionists Face the Love Army” KAPP-KVEW Local News KAPP-35/KVEW-42 [Tri Cities/Yakima, Wash.] “DJ Zeke Thomas Goes Public” Good Morning America ABC “Murders Raise Alarm for Transgender Community” NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt NBC “Transgender Murders in Louisiana Part of Disturbing Trend” CBS Evening News CBS “Transgender Rights under Fire in Trump Era” AM Joy MSNBC Outstanding Newspaper Article “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made: The Journey of a Transgender Man” by Lauren McGaughy The Dallas Morning News “Lesbian College Coaches Still Face Difficult Atmosphere to Come Out” by Shannon Ryan Chicago Tribune “Pulse Victims’ Families in Puerto Rico: ‘We Have to Cry Alone'” by Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio Orlando Sentinel “Revised Guidance on HIV Proves Life-Transforming” by Lenny Bernstein The Washington Post “The Silent Epidemic: Black Gay Men and HIV” [series] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Outstanding Magazine Article “America’s Hidden H.I.V. Epidemic” by Linda Villarosa The New York Times Magazine “Beyond ‘He’ or ‘She’: The Changing Meaning of Gender and Sexuality” by Katy Steinmetz Time “Forbidden Lives: The Gay Men Who Fled Chechnya’s Purge” by Masha Gessen The New Yorker “Free Radical” by Nathan Heller Vogue “Trans, Teen, and Homeless” by Laura Rena Murray Rolling Stone Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage The Advocate Billboard People Teen Vogue Time Outstanding Digital Journalism Article “The Ballad of Bobby Brooks, the First Gay Student-Body President of Texas A&M” by Lauren Larson GQ.com “For Those We Lost and Those Who Survived: The Pulse Massacre One Year Later” by James Michael Nichols HuffPost Queer Voices “‘I Am a Girl Now,’ Sage Smith Wrote. Then She Went Missing.” by Emma Eisenberg Splinter “Meet the Transgender Student Who Fought Discrimination at His Maryland High School (and Won)” by Nico Lang INTO “Why Bisexual Men Are Still Fighting to Convince Us They Exist” by Samantha Allen Splinter Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia “Former Patriots and Chiefs Tackle Ryan O’Callaghan Comes Out as Gay” Outsports/SB Nation “Made to Model: Trans Beauty in Fashion” LogoTV.com “‘This Is How We Win’: Inside Danica Roem’s Historic Victory” by Diana Tourjée Broadly.Vice.com “Transgender Day of Remembrance” by Saeed Jones AM to DM, BuzzFeed News “US Travel Ban Leaves LGBT Refugees in Limbo” by Nina dos Santos CNN.com Outstanding Blog Autostraddle Gays With Kids My Fabulous Disease Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents Transgriot Special Recognition In a Heartbeat written & directed by Esteban Bravo and Beth David “Smile” by Jay-Z featuring Gloria Carter, 4:44 Roc Nation/Universal Music Group Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine (Spanish Language) “Así viven los estudiantes transgénero después de que Trump anulara la ley de baños de Obama para escuela públicas” Primer Impacto Univision “Pulse, huellas de la masacre” Docufilms CNN en Español “Ser transgénero en Latinoamérica: sus experiencias y crecimiento” Vive la Salud CNN en Español Outstanding TV Journalism Segment (Spanish Language) “Comunidad LGBTQ vulnerable bajo nuevo gobierno” Perspectiva Nacional Entravision “Entrevista con Daniela Vega” Showbiz CNN en Español “Joven transgénero tiene un mensaje para las familias: ‘Acepten a sus hijos'” Al Punto Univision “El triunfo de una diseñadora mexicana transgénero en Nueva York” Noticias Telemundo Telemundo “Unidos contra la discriminación y el acoso contra la comunidad LGBT” Despierta América Univision Outstanding Digital Journalism (Spanish Language) “La compleja realidad de ser gay en América Latina” cnnespanol.cnn.com “‘No aprobar el Dream Act significaría una sentencia de muerte’, jóvenes LGBT y DACA” by Araceli Martínez Ortega laopinion.com “Padres de familia de Dallas luchan por los derechos de su hija transgénero” by Karina Ramírez aldiadallas.com “Primera senadora trans aspira a impulsar medidas para sectores discriminados” efe.com “Tres hermanitos para dos papás” by Jacqueline García laopinion.com
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“Lady Bird” “The Shape of Water” “A Ghost Story” Among Winners at Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards
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A Ghost Story[/caption]
Greta Gerwig’s Lady Bird was a hit with the Houston Film Critics Society winning three awards at the group’s 11th Annual Movie Awards, including best picture of 2017, along with Best Director and Best Screenplay for Greta Gerwig. Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water also won three awards including Best Actress for Sally Hawkins, Best Score, and Best Poster.
David Lowery’s A Ghost Story starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara which was filmed in the Dallas area, won the Texas Independent Film Award (TIFA).
2017 Houston Film Critics Society Movie Awards Winners
Picture Lady Bird Director Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird Actor James Franco, The Disaster Artist Actress Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water Supporting Actor Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Supporting Actress Allison Janney, I, Tonya Screenplay Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird Cinematography Roger Deakins, Blade Runner 2049 Animated Film Coco Original Score Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water Best Original Song Remember Me, Coco Foreign Language Film Thelma Documentary Feature Jane Visual Effects Blade Runner 2049 Poster The Shape of Water Texas Independent Film Award A Ghost Story
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THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE SQUARE, THE FLORIDA PROJECT Among Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Best Films of 2017
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The Square[/caption]
The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association voted the fantasy romance THE SHAPE OF WATER as the best film of 2017, according to the results of its 24th annual critics’ poll released today. Guillermo del Toro was voted Best Director for THE SHAPE OF WATER
The association voted THE SQUARE as the best foreign-language film of the year, and CITY OF GHOSTS won for Best Documentary
THE FLORIDA PROJECT was selected as the winner of the Russell Smith Award, named for the late Dallas Morning News film critic. The honor is given annually to the best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association consists of 34 broadcast, print and online journalists from North Texas.
2017 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association AWARD WINNERS
(Choices listed in order of votes received) BEST PICTURE Winner: THE SHAPE OF WATER Runners-up: THE POST; LADY BIRD; CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; GET OUT; DUNKIRK; THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI; I, TONYA; THE FLORIDA PROJECT; DARKEST HOUR BEST ACTOR Winner: Gary Oldman, DARKEST HOUR Runners-up: James Franco, THE DISASTER ARTIST; Daniel Day-Lewis, PHANTOM THREAD; Timothee Chalamet, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; Tom Hanks, THE POST BEST ACTRESS Winner: Sally Hawkins, THE SHAPE OF WATER Runners-up: Frances McDormand, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI; Margot Robbie, I, TONYA; Saoirse Ronan, LADY BIRD; Meryl Streep, THE POST BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Winner: Sam Rockwell, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Runners-up: Willem Dafoe, THE FLORIDA PROJECT; Richard Jenkins, THE SHAPE OF WATER; Armie Hammer, CALL ME BY YOUR NAME; Woody Harrelson, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Winner: Allison Janney, I, TONYA Runners-up: Laurie Metcalf, LADY BIRD; Mary J. Blige, MUDBOUND; Holly Hunter, THE BIG SICK; Octavia Spencer, THE SHAPE OF WATER BEST DIRECTOR Winner: Guillermo del Toro, THE SHAPE OF WATER Runners-up: Greta Gerwig, LADY BIRD; Christopher Nolan, DUNKIRK; Steven Spielberg, THE POST; Jordan Peele, GET OUT BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM Winner: THE SQUARE Runners-up: THELMA; BPM; FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER; IN THE FADE BEST DOCUMENTARY Winner: CITY OF GHOSTS Runners-up: JANE; AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL; EX LIBRIS: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY; LAST MEN IN ALEPPO BEST ANIMATED FILM Winner: COCO Runners-up: LOVING VINCENT BEST SCREENPLAY Winner: Greta Gerwig, LADY BIRD Runner-up: Guillermo del Toro and Vanessa Taylor, THE SHAPE OF WATER BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Winner: Dan Laustsen, THE SHAPE OF WATER Runner-up: Roger Deakins, BLADE RUNNER 2049 BEST MUSICAL SCORE Winner: Alexandre Desplat, THE SHAPE OF WATER Runner-up: Hans Zimmer, DUNKIRK RUSSELL SMITH AWARD (best low-budget or cutting-edge independent film) Winner: THE FLORIDA PROJECT
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THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Nominations for 2017 Houston Film Critics Society Awards
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Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption]
Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water, leads the nominations for the 2017 Houston Film Critics Society Awards with 11 nominations, including best picture and best director for Guillermo del Toro. Winners will be announced at the award ceremony on January 6, 2018.
2017 Houston Film Critics Society Awards Nominations
Best Picture:
The Big Sick Call Me By Your Name Dunkirk The Florida Project Get Out Lady Bird Logan The Post The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriBest Director:
Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water” Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird” Christopher Nolan, “Dunkirk” Jordan Peele, “Get Out” Steven Spielberg, “The Post”Best Actor:
Timothee Chalamet, “Call Me By Your Name” James Franco, “The Disaster Artist” Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out” Robert Pattinson, “Good Time” Andy Serkis, “War for the Planet of the Apes”Best Actress:
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water” Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Brooklyn Prince, “The Florida Project” Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya” Saiorse Ronan, “Lady Bird”Best Supporting Actor:
Willem Defoe, “The Florida Project” Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water” Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Patrick Stewart, “Logan” Michael Stuhlbarg, “Call Me By Your Name”Best Supporting Actress:
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick” Allison Janney, “I, Tonya” Dafne Keen, “Logan” Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird” Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”Best Screenplay:
“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani “Get Out,” Jordan Peele “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig “The Post,” Elizabeth Hanna and Josh Singer “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonaghBest Cinematography:
“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins “Call Me By Your Name,” Sayombhu Mukdeeprom “Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema “The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen “Wonder Wheel,” Vittoria StoraroBest Animated Film:
“The Breadwinner” “Coco” “Despicable Me 3” “The Lego Batman Movie” “Loving Vincent”Best Original Score:
“Blade Runner 2049,” Ben Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer “Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer “The Post,” John Williams “The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat “War for the Planet of the Apes,” Michael GiacchinoBest Original Song:
“Evermore” (“Beauty and the Beast”) “I Get Overwhelmed” (“A Ghost Story”) “Never Forget” (“Murder on the Orient Express”) “Remember Me” (“Coco”) “Visions of Gideon” (“Call Me By Your Name”)Best Foreign Language Film:
“BPM” “Blade of the Immortal” “First They Killed My Father” “The Square” “Thelma”Best Documentary Feature:
“Faces Places” “Jane” “Kedi” “Step” “The Work”Best Visual Effects:
“Blade Runner 2049” “The Shape of Water” “War for the Planet of the Apes”Best Poster:
“Baby Driver” “It” “Logan Lucky” “Mother” “The Shape of Water”Best Texas Independent Film Award:
“A Ghost Story” “Mr. Roosevelt” “Mustang Island” “The Secret Life of Lance Letscher” “Song to Song”
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THREE BILLBOARD OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Wins Audience Award at Stockholm International Film Festival
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption]
The 28th edition of Stockholm International Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, and presented the festival’s Audience Award 2017 to Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, directed by Martin McDonagh. The film was also one of the most seen ones throughout the festival.
Each year, the Stockholm International Film Festival invites the festivalgoers to select the winner of one of the most important awards of the festival – the Audience Award. The audience nominates their favourite film by voting.
This year’s Award goes to Martin McDonagh for the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Runner up is God’s Own Country by Francis Lee followed by Insyriated av Philippe Van Leeuw.
The very first Audience Award was handed out in 2009 to Louie Psihoyos documentary The Cove. Other winners include Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave and Xavier Dolan’s Mommy.
Below are the ten most popular films selected by the audience:
Insyriated
God’s Own Country
Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Searing Summer
The Party
Shape of Water
Thelma
A Fantastic Woman
Call Me by Your Name
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59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck Award Winners – THE CHARMER Wins NDR Film Prize

The Charmer (Charmøren), the feature debut of director Milad Alami from Denmark is the winner of the NDR Film Prize at the 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck.
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AFI FEST 2017 Announces World Cinema, Midnight and Youth and Family Lineup
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APRIL’S DAUGHTER (LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL)[/caption]
The American Film Institute announced today the films that will be featured in the World Cinema, Midnight and Youth and Family sections at AFI FEST 2017 presented by Audi.
The World Cinema section showcases the most celebrated international films of the year and features 30 films from 39 countries. The section includes 13 official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® entries: A CIAMBRA (DIR Jonas Carpignano), A FANTASTIC WOMAN (UNA MUJER FANTASTICA) (DIR Sebastián Lelio), FOXTROT (DIR Samuel Maoz), HAPPY END (DIR Michael Haneke), HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS (DIR François Girard), IN THE FADE (AUS DEM NICHTS) (DIR Fatih Akin), THE INSULT (L’INSULTE) (DIR Ziad Doueiri), LOVELESS (NELYUBOV) (DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev), NEWTON (DIR Amit V Masurkar), ON BODY AND SOUL (TESTRŐL ÉS LÉLEKRŐL) (DIR Ildikó Enyedi), SPOOR (POKOT) (DIR Agnieszka Holland), THELMA (DIR Joachim Trier) and WAJIB (DIR Annemarie Jacir).
The festival’s Midnight section will enthrall and petrify audiences with three international, genre-bending films: GOOD MANNERS (DIR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra), LET THE CORPSES TAN (DIR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani) and V.I.P. (DIR Park Hoon-Jung).
AFI FEST will offer Youth and Family Programming for the next generation of storytellers and moviegoers, with the films THE BREADWINNER (DIR Nora Twomey) and MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER (DIR Hiromasa Yonebayashi). At these screenings, AFI FEST will host students from several public middle and high schools across Los Angeles County for educational experiences. MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER will also screen for the festival’s public audience.
WORLD CINEMA
APRIL’S DAUGHTER (LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL) – In AFI FEST alum Michel Franco’s latest feature, a domineering mother suddenly arrives to assist with her teenage daughter’s pregnancy. But her true motives will soon emerge. DIR Michel Franco. SCR Michel Franco. CAST Emma Suárez, Ana Valeria Becerril, Enrique Arrizon, Joanna Larequi, Hernán Mendoza. Mexico BEAUTY AND THE DOGS – Following a sexual assault, a young Tunisian woman must descend into a bureaucratic hell to report the incident and find justice. DIR Kaouther Ben Hania. SCR Kaouther Ben Hania. CAST Mariam Al Ferjani, Ghanem Zrelli, Noomane Hamda, Mohamed Akkari, Chedly Arfaoui, Anissa Daoud, Mourad Gharsalli. Tunisia, France, Sweden, Norway, Lebanon, Qatar, Switzerland BRIGHT SUNSHINE IN (UN BEAU SOLEIL INTÉRIEUR) – Juliette Binoche shines in the latest work from auteur Claire Denis, centering on a middle-aged woman hungry to find and hold onto love. DIR Claire Denis. SCR Claire Denis, Christine Angot. CAST Juliette Binoche, Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine, Josiane Balasko, Sandrine Dumas, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Alex Descas, Laurent Grévill. France A CIAMBRA – Jonas Carpignano’s sophomore feature follows Pio, a streetwise teen in Calabria who must step up when his older brother lands in trouble with the police. DIR Jonas Carpignano. SCR Jonas Carpignano. CAST Pio Amato, Koudous Seihon, Iolanda Amato, Damiano Amato, Francesco Pio Amato, Patrizia Amato, Rocco Amato, Susanna Amato. Italy, USA, France, Sweden CLAIRE’S CAMERA (KEUL-LE-EO-UI-KA-ME-LA) – This charming entry from Hong Sang-soo centers on the friendship between a Korean woman (Kim Min-hee) who’s recently lost her job and a wise Parisian teacher (Isabelle Huppert). DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Kim Min-hee, Chang Mi-hee, Jung Jin-young. South Korea THE DAY AFTER (GEU-HU) – Infused with director Hong Sang-soo’s signature realism and humor, this film follows an aspiring writer who gets caught up in the spectacular drama of her boss’ personal life. DIR Hong Sang-soo. SCR Hong Sang-soo. CAST Kwon Haehyo, Kim Min-hee, Kim Sae-byuk, Cho Yun-hee, Ki Ju-bong, Park Yea-ju, Kang Taeu. South Korea A FANTASTIC WOMAN (UNA MUJER FANTASTICA) – In Sebastián Lelio’s follow-up to GLORIA, trans actress Daniela Vega gives an astonishing debut performance as a woman who must navigate a hostile society after the death of her lover. DIR Sebastián Lelio. SCR Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza. CAST Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Kuppenheim, Nicolás Saavedra, Amparo Noguera, Néstor Cantillana, Alejandro Goic, Antonia Zegers, Sergio Hernández. Chile, USA, Germany, Spain FOXTROT – An Israeli couple mourns the death of their soldier son in this audacious depiction of war and loss. DIR Samuel Maoz. SCR Samuel Maoz. CAST Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonatan Shiray, Gefen Barkai, Dekel Adin, Shaul Amir, Itay Exlroad. Israel, Germany, France, Switzerland A GENTLE CREATURE (KROTKAYA) – An unnamed woman, trying to reach her imprisoned husband, descends into the bureaucratic hell of the Russian penal system in this masterful epic. DIR Sergei Loznitsa. SCR Sergei Loznitsa. CAST Vasilina Makovtseva, Marina Kleshcheva, Lia Akhedzhakova, Valeriu Andriuta, Boris Kamorzin, Sergei Kolesov. France, Germany, Lithuania, The Netherlands HAPPY END – Austrian auteur Michael Haneke returns with another chilling masterwork starring Isabelle Huppert and Jean-Louis Trintignant, focusing on a dysfunctional wealthy family. DIR Michael Haneke. SCR Michael Haneke. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin, Franz Rogowski, Laura Verlinden, Aurelia Petit, Toby Jones. France, Austria, Germany HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS (HOCHELAGA, TERRE DES ÂMES) – The history of Montreal is told with a poetic, episodic structure in this time-jumping drama, arriving in the year of Canada’s 150th anniversary. DIR François Girard. SCR François Girard. CAST Samian, Vincent Perez, Raoul Trujillo, Wahiakeron Gilbert, Emmanuel Schwartz, Tanaya Beatty, David La Haye, Sébastien Ricard, Siân Phillips, Linus Roache, Gilles Renaud, Naïade Aoun, Tony Nardi. Canada IN THE FADE (AUS DEM NICHTS) – Diane Kruger gives a career-topping performance in Fatih Akin’s complex thriller that follows a woman’s search for justice after an act of terrorism shatters her life. DIR Fatih Akin. SCR Fatih Akin, Hark Bohm. CAST Diane Kruger, Denis Moschitto, Johannes Krisch, Samia Chancrin, Numan Acar, Ulrich Tukur, Rafael Santana, Hanna Hilsdorf. Germany, France THE INSULT (L’INSULTE) – When a Palestinian refugee and a Christian nationalist have a fateful crossing of paths, long-simmering tensions in modern-day Lebanon rise to the surface — and spiral out of control. DIR Ziad Doueiri. SCR Ziad Doueiri, Joëlle Touma. CAST Adel Karam, Kamel El Basha, Camille Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud, Rita Hayek, Talal El Jurdi, Christine Choueiri, Julia Kassar, Rifaat Torbey, Carlos Chahine. Lebanon, France LOVELESS (NELYUBOV) – Russian auteur Andrey Zvyagintsev returns to AFI FEST with a gut-wrenching drama about a divorcing couple who just want to offload their young son — that is, until he disappears. DIR Andrey Zvyagintsev. SCR Oleg Negin, Andrey Zvyagintsev. CAST Maryana Spivak, Alexey Rozin, Matvey Novikov, Marina Vasilyeva, Andris Keishs, Alexey Fateev. Russia, France, Belgium, Germany A MAN OF INTEGRITY – When an Iranian farmer refuses to play ball with corrupt local thugs, he soon learns the steep price for holding onto his principles. DIR Mohammad Rasoulof. SCR Mohammad Rasoulof. CAST Reza Akhlaghirad, Soudabeh Beizaee, Nasim Adabi, Missagh Zareh, Zeinab Shabani, Zhila Shahi, Majib Potki. Iran MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS (MARLINA SI PEMBUNUH DALAM EMPAT BABAK) – A humble Indonesian woman becomes a stealthy master of revenge in this modern feminist Western. DIR Mouly Surya. SCR Mouly Surya, Rama Adi. CAST Marsha Timothy, Dea Panendra, Yoga Pratama, Egi Fedly. Indonesia, France, Malaysia, Thailand MR. LONG – In this deft, soulful work of genre filmmaking, a notorious hitman trying to allude gangsters finds refuge in a dilapidated part of Tokyo, where he befriends a troubled mother and her child. DIR SABU. SCR SABU. CAST Chang Chen, Sho Aoyagi, Yiti Yao, Runyin Bai. Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Germany MRS HYDE (MADAME HYDE) – Isabelle Huppert is sublime as MADAME HYDE, a meek chemistry teacher who experiences a fantastic awakening following a lab accident. DIR Serge Bozon. SCR Axelle Ropert, Serge Bozon. CAST Isabelle Huppert, Romain Duris, José Garcia, Adda Senani, Guillaume Verdier, Patricia Barzyk, Pierre Léon, Jamal Barbouche. France, Belgium NEWTON – An idealistic election monitor is determined to make the voices of 76 villagers heard in this humorous and humanistic portrait of Indian democracy. DIR Amit V Masurkar. SCR Mayank Tewari, Amit V Masurkar. CAST Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav. India ON BODY AND SOUL (TESTRŐL ÉS LÉLEKRŐL) – In this Berlinale Golden Bear winner, two very different employees at a slaughterhouse discover they share the same dreams at night. DIR Ildikó Enyedi. SCR Ildikó Enyedi. CAST Alexandra Borbély, Géza Morcsányi, Réka Tenki, Zoltán Schneider, Ervin Nagy, Pál Mácsai, Itala Békés, Tamás Jordán, Éva Bata. Hungary THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN) – Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki turns his sights on a Syrian refugee in Helsinki in this moving, hopeful and hilariously deadpan masterwork. DIR Aki Kaurismäki. SCR Aki Kaurismäki. CAST Sherwan Haji, Sakari Kuosmanen, Ilkka Koivula, Janne Hyytiäinen, Nuppu Koivu, Kaija Pakarinen, Niroz Haji, Simon Hussein Al-Bazoon. Finland, Germany A SEASON IN FRANCE (UNE SAISON EN FRANCE) – A migrant from the Central African Republic struggles to gain asylum in France and raise his two children in this urgently empathetic new work from Chadian auteur Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. DIR Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. SCR Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. CAST Eriq Ebouaney, Sandrine Bonnaire, Aalayna Lys, Ibrahim Burama Darboe, Bibi Tanga, Léonie Simaga, Régine Conas, Khampha Thammavongsa. France A SKIN SO SOFT (TA PEAU SI LISSE) – Denis Côté returns to AFI FEST with this hybrid documentary examining hyper-masculinity within a group of Québécois bodybuilders. DIR Denis Côté. SCR Denis Côté. CAST Alexis Légaré, Benoit Lapierre, Cédric Doyon, Jean-François Bouchard, Ronald Yang, Maxim Lemire. Canada SPOOR (POKOT) – Polish master Agnieszka Holland delivers an animal rights murder mystery for the ages in this genre-bending, gloriously twisted thriller. DIR Agnieszka Holland. SCR Olga Tokarczuk, Agnieszka Holland. CAST Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Miroslav Krobot, Jakub Gierszał, Patricia Volny, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc, Andrzej Grabowski. Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovak Republic SWEET COUNTRY – An Aboriginal man and his wife are forced to go on the run into the Outback in this brilliant, heart-rending revisionist Western set in 1929 Australia. DIR Warwick Thornton. SCR David Tranter, Steven McGregor. CAST Sam Neill, Bryan Brown, Ewen Leslie, Hamilton Morris, Thomas M. Wright, Matt Day, Natassia Gorey-Furber. Australia THELMA – A young Norwegian woman from a devoutly Christian background begins experiencing fantastic powers in the latest work from Joachim Trier. DIR Joachim Trier. SCR Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier. CAST Eili Harboe, Kaya Wilkins, Henrik Rafaelsen, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Grethe Eltervåg, Marte Magnusdotter Solem, Anders Mossling, Vanessa Borgli, Steinar Klouman Hallert, Ingrid Giæver, Oskar Pask, Gorm Grømer, Camilla Belsvik, Martha Kjørven. Norway, Sweden, France, Denmark WAJIB – A Palestinian father and son deal with ideological differences as they drive around Nazareth delivering wedding invitations in this moving, subtle drama. DIR Annemarie Jacir. SCR Annemarie Jacir. CAST Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri, Maria Zreik, Rana Alamuddin. Palestine, France, Germany, Colombia, Norway, Qatar, United Arab Emirates WALKING PAST THE FUTURE (LU GUO WEI LAI) – A young woman and her family deal with the fallout of widespread factory layoffs in this elegant portrait of the socioeconomic realities of contemporary China. DIR Li Ruijun. SCR Li Ruijun. CAST Yang Zishan, Yin Fang. China WESTERN – Masculine hostility and violence simmer to the surface in this slow-burn masterstroke from new German auteur Valeska Grisebach. DIR Valeska Grisebach. SCR Valeska Grisebach. CAST Meinhard Neumann, Reinhardt Wetrek, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Veneta Frangova, Vyara Borisova, Kevin Bashev. Germany, Bulgaria, Austria THE WORKSHOP (L’ATELIER) – Facing a dangerous threat, a Parisian teacher must teach her students how to stand up for what’s right in the latest film from Laurent Cantet (Palme d’Or winner THE CLASS). DIR Laurent Cantet. SCR Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet. CAST Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci, Warda Rammach, Issam Talbi, Florian Beaujean, Mamadou Doumbia, Julien Souve, Mélissa Guilbert, Olivier Thouret, Lény Sellam. FranceMIDNIGHT
GOOD MANNERS (AS BOAS MANEIRAS) – Clara gets a nanny job for a high-class woman with an intensifying hunger for meat in this genre-bending tale of love, sacrifice and compassion. DIR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra. SCR Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra. CAST Isabél Zuaa, Marjorie Estiano, Miguel Lobo. Brazil, France LET THE CORPSES TAN (LAISSEZ BRONZER LES CADAVRES) – A sun-soaked adventure fueled by machine-gunfire and leather, LET THE CORPSES TAN is an audacious heist film with style to burn. DIR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. SCR Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani. CAST Elina Löwensohn, Stéphane Ferrara, Hervé Sogne, Bernie Bonvoisin, Pierre Nisse, Marc Barbé, Michelangelo Marchese. Belgium, France V.I.P. – A buttoned-up federal agent, a world-weary cop and a mysterious lone wolf join forces to take down a serial killer in this tense Korean thriller. DIR Park Hoon-Jung. SCR Park Hoon-Jung. CAST Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, Lee Jong-suk. South KoreaYOUTH AND FAMILY
THE BREADWINNER – This timely, inspiring and beautifully animated tale follows an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy to support her family. DIR Nora Twomey. SCR Anita Doron. CAST Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Kawa Ada, Noorin Gulamgaus. Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg MARY AND THE WITCH’S FLOWER (MEARI TO MAJO NO HANA) – Based on Mary Stewart’s 1971 children’s book “The Little Broomstick,” this film tells the story of a young girl who discovers a flower that grants magical powers, but only for one night. DIR Hiromasa Yonebayashi. SCR Riko Sakaguchi, Hiromasa Yonebayashi. CAST Ruby Barnhill, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent, Ewen Bremner, Lynda Baron. Japan AFI FEST takes place November 9 to 16, 2017, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre, Dolby Cinema at the Vine, the Mark Goodson Screening Room at the American Film Institute and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
