Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite leads the nominees for the Austin Film Critics Association 2018 film awards with a total of nine nominations including for Best Film. Other nominees for Best Film include Blindspotting, If Beale Street Could Talk, Roma and Suspiria.
We the Animals[/caption]
We the Animals leads the nominations for the 2019 Film Independent Spirit Awards with 5 nods including Best First Feature, but missed out on a nomination for Best Feature. Nominees for Best Feature are Eighth Grade, First Reformed, If Beale Street Could Talk, Leave No Trace and You Were Never Really Here.
Suspiria was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.
Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant and Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 5, 2019.
Green Book[/caption]
The Napa Valley Film Festival returns this fall with its five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films from November 7 to 11 in Napa, California. The eighth edition of the Festival will kick off with the Sneak Preview Night on Tuesday, November 6 with a special presentation of The Front Runner, directed by Jason Reitman and starring Hugh Jackman, Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina. The film is the story of American Senator Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1988 as it is derailed when he is caught in a scandalous love affair.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAOYDcnVx6E
The festival’s official Opening Night film on Wednesday, November 7 is Green Book, directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini. In the film, Tony Lip (Mortensen), a bouncer from an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, is hired to drive Dr. Don Shirley (Ali), a world-class Black pianist, on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South, they must rely on “The Green Book” to guide them to the few establishments that were then safe for African-Americans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkZxoko_HC0&t=3s
Closing the festival on Sunday, November 11 is HBO Films’ Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind. Directed by Marina Zenovich, the documentary gives an intimate look into the life and work of the revered master comedian and actor, Robin Williams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=caIFNg_JRL4
Grant Fuhr in Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story[/caption]
The world premiere of Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story, directed by Don Metz, will screen on September 29, as the Closing Gala film 0f the Calgary International Film Festival. Called the greatest goaltender in hockey history by Wayne Gretzky, Fuhr also struggled with cocaine and had well-known conflicts with the League. Making Coco is the story of his life, both on and off the ice.
The Calgary International Film Festival also announced 11 more films today, all gripping stories of hurdles overcome. This selection includes features, shorts and documentaries from countries including Lebanon, Germany, England and Canada.
“Films give us the opportunity to see into people’s lives that are totally different from our own, to understand and to empathize,” said Stephen Schroeder, Executive Director of the Calgary International Film Festival. “These films all depict a life lived on the edge: stories of obstacles, loss, and pain, but also triumph, hope, and strength when we need it the most.”
ALIVE directed by Rob Grant
A severely injured man (Thomas Cocquerel) and woman (Camille Stopps) awake in an abandoned hospital to discover they are being held hostage by a sadistic caretaker (Angus Macfadyen, BRAVEHART, SAW 3 & 4). As the two decide to find a way out, they realize their caretaker is the only one with answers to their real identity. Vancouver Director Rob Grant (FAKE BLOOD, Calgary Film 2017), produced and shot this film in the Calgary area, using a mostly local crew.
ALL ABOUT NINA directed Eva Vives
Nina Geld (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is a blisteringly provocative stand-up comedian whose career is taking off, but whose personal life is a near-complete disaster. In this narrative feature, Nina flees to Los Angeles where she meets Rafe (Common), who challenges almost every preconception she has – including those around her own troubled past.
ANTHROPOCENE directed by Jennifer Baichwal
Four years in the making, this documentary feature is a stunning and sobering reflection on the human capacity for transforming the planet for our purposes, chronicling the work of an international team of scientists who have spent a decade researching the profound geological change caused by human endeavour.
CAPERNAUM directed by Nadine Labaki
Winner of the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes, this narrative feature from Lebanon tells the story of an extraordinary trial: 12-year old Zain is suing his parents for giving him life, and launches his lawsuit against his parents while serving a prison sentence. The film takes us on an emotionally charged journey through the streets of Beirut and shows us the gritty life that Zain and his siblings had to face while uncovering the decisions made by his parents.
LETTER FROM MASANJIA directed by Leon Lee
When a woman from Oregon finds an SOS note written by a Chinese prisoner stashed in a box of Halloween decorations from Kmart, she never imagined it would eventually lead to the closure of all of China’s labour camps. This nail-biting documentary shows the actions of a few good citizens can truly thwart those of a totalitarian regime.
MAKING COCO: THE GRANT FUHR STORY directed by Don Metz
At 19, Grant ‘Coco’ Fuhr became starting goalie for the Oilers. In his mid-30’s, he played 79 games in an 82-game season to set a league record, then played 73 the following season on a completely rebuilt knee. He backstopped five Stanley Cup champions and two Canada Cup winners. He also got himself demoted to the minors for calling the hometown fans jerks, announced his retirement at the age of 26 in an attempt to renegotiate a long-term contract and was suspended for an entire NHL season for cocaine use, only to return and redeem himself as one of the game’s true greats. Fuhr was the first black superstar in hockey, winning 403 regular season NHL games. He’s a member of the 2003 class of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
MAN RUNNING directed by Gary Burns
In this Alberta feature, a young doctor runs in a grueling 24-hour, 200-kilometer ultra-marathon over rugged mountain terrain as he avoids a police investigation into a recent incident involving his medical practice. Veteran Calgary-based director, Gary Burns (WAYDOWNTOWN, PROBLEM WITH FEAR, RADIANT CITY), once again crafts an innovative story that pushes boundaries and challenges audiences.
PRINCE’S TALE directed by Jamie Miller
This Canadian short portrays the life of Prince Amponsah, a young actor who survived a near-fatal fire in 2012, and the journey of mental recovery that brought him back on stage.
THE GREAT DARKENED DAYS directed by Maxime Giroux
In this Canadian narrative feature, Philippe, a draft-dodger from Quebec, takes refuge from a world war in the American West, surviving by competing in Charlie Chaplin impersonation contests. As Philippe makes his long journey home, he encounters various characters under the sway of a destructive madness. His voyage, both violent and fascinating, is a hallucinatory initiation to the darker side of the American dream.
THE HEAT: A KITCHEN (R)EVOLUTION directed by Maya Gallus
In restaurant kitchens, tight quarters, high pressure and hot tempers combine to create toxic conditions that make it difficult for anyone to survive, let alone climb the ladder to head chef. For women, the situation is even worse. From New York City’s star chefs Anita Lo and Amanda Cohen to the queen of French cuisine Anne-Sophie Pic, seven chefs share their struggles and inspirations in this Canadian documentary feature.
THUNDER ROAD directed by Jim Cummings
A jaw-dropping performance filled with bursts of offbeat humor and unexpected pathos as a small-town police officer struggling to process the death of his mother, an impending divorce, and his own unrecognized cluelessness. This is a Canadian premiere for this independent American feature.
TWO PUDDLES directed by Timothy Keeling
Embarking on a woodland retreat to ease straining family relations, a mother, father and their teenage daughter encounter two connected puddles forcing them to decide whether to sacrifice themselves for another, or risk waiting for help to arrive in time. A short from the UK.
EIGHTH GRADE[/caption]
The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) today announced the winners of the 2018 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. Eighth Grade received the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film and a Best Actress Award for Elise Fisher. Won’t You Be My Neighbor won Best Documentary and Grand Jury prizes went to The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Dead Pigs, Rust, Inventing Tomorrow, and Thunder Road.
Artistic Director Beth Barrett said, “Executive Director Sarah Wilke and I were thrilled to present Ethan Hawke with the Festival’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Cinema before a screening of Blaze, his latest directing effort, as well as welcoming Melanie Lynskey back to the Festival for a special screening of Seattle based local film, Sadie. We also had an incredible lineup of local films, and our documentary film selection continues to be among the best in the country. Back for the second year was SIFF’s New Works-in-Progress Forum, where we screened two narrative and two documentary features in the midst of their creative process to the Seattle audience of industry and festival attendees, as well as continuing our exploration of the intersections between cinema and Virtual Reality at our first Pop-up event, SIFF VR Zone at Pacific Place.”
Prison Logic[/caption]
The 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival concluded its 10-day festival on Friday with the highly-anticipated announcement of the 2018 Award Winners. The top feature film awards went to Prison Logic directed by Romany Malco, winning the Narrative Competition Grand Jury Prize, and Minding the Gap directed by Bing Liu taking the Documentary Competition Grand Jury Prize.
Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption]
This year’s 44th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival revealed today the complete lineup of 433 films, plus guests and events for the 25-day Festival that runs May 17 to June 10, 2018. Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 17 with The Bookshop from acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive, Elegy), distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. The film is set in a seaside village in England where a grieving widow (Emily Mortimer) pursues her lifelong dream of opening a bookshop. She introduces the townsfolk to the world’s best literature and stirs a cultural awakening, but her efforts are ruthlessly opposed by a powerful local (Patricia Clarkson) causing a reclusive resident (Bill Nighy) to join the fight to keep the bookshop open. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Penelope Fitzgerald.
The annual Centerpiece Gala, Sorry to Bother You, pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace. This new film ushers in an utterly original and wildly creative new voice on the film scene from debut director and musician Boots Riley. Director Boots Riley is scheduled to attend the Seattle premiere to take place Saturday, June 2, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian.
The Seattle premiere of Ethan Hawke’s Blaze will also screen at the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian as SIFF honors Mr. Hawke’s work with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation and screening, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview at the Friday, June 8 event.
Also scheduled is An Afternoon with Melanie Lynskey, where the Festival pays tribute to this celebrated actress. The iconic scene-stealing actress makes her way to SIFF on Sunday, May 27 for the Seattle premiere of Northwest Filmmaker Megan Griffiths’ film Sadie with an onstage discussion following the film.
Seattle favorite, Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, closes SIFF 2018 with a bang! Starring Joaquin Phoenix in a transformative performance as Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction.
“Sifting through over 4,000 film submissions each year, finding just 240 features is somewhat of a treasure hunt,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “We’re looking for dynamic, diverse stories. This year, we’re overjoyed to share that over 43-percent of the feature films are female directed. We’re thrilled to jump into the 44th Festival and share these voices from around the globe with over 150,000 film enthusiasts in Seattle over the course of 25 days.”
All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records[/caption]
The 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival is two weeks ago and has added five more films to the lineup. The films include the documentaries All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records, Charm City and Inventing Tomorrow; plus the Tennessee Premiere of Past Life and the Southeast US Premiere of Thunder Road.
Thunder Road – Jim Cummings[/caption]
Thunder Road (Southeast US Premiere) — Officer Arnaud loved his mom. Director: Jim Cummings, Producers: Natalie Metzger, Zack Parker, Benjamin Wiessner (USA) Winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize. Thunder Road – Jim Cummings[/caption]
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival last night announced the 2018 Jury and Special Award winners of the SXSW Film Festival Awards at the awards ceremony hosted by actor and comedian Jim Gaffigan. Thunder Road directed by Jim Cummings won the award for Best Narrative Feature Film, and People’s Republic of Desire directed by Hao Wu won the award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
SXSW continues showing films through Saturday, March 17.
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals announced the features lineup and opening night film for the 25th edition of the Film Festival, running March 9 to 18, 2018 in Austin, Texas. During the nine days of SXSW 132 features will be shown.