Director and cinematographer Jeremy Guy presents his feature documentary directorial debut with “Purdah” (“Veil”) – the inspiring story of a young Indian woman who trades her burka for dreams of playing on the Mumbai Senior Women’s Cricket Team and how the harsh realities for women in her country creates an unexpected outcome for her own family, ultimately shattering and fueling aspirations. The film is an Official Selection in competition at the internationally renowned Dances With Films festival, featuring its Los Angeles Premiere Screening at the world famous TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood on Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The film recently held its World Premiere at Cinequest Film Festival where it was called a “a real life Bend It Like Beckham” by KQED-FM (NPR).
Director Jeremy Guy says, “I was working on another film in India when I met Kaikasha Mirza. Her pursuit of a career in cricket as a woman, which is frowned upon by her Muslim community, was a fascinating story in itself. And then, as I began shooting, the story took a surprising turn, and an even bigger story began to unravel about the challenges that Kaikasha, her two sisters and their mother faced amidst societal oppression.”
The three independent-minded Mirza sisters have ambitious dreams for their lives and careers. Despite their earnestness, they face an uphill battle coming from a conservative Muslim family in Mumbai, India.
Kaikasha Mirza became enamored with cricket as a young woman, yet she was forbidden to play and forced to be a spectator in her burka, but she eventually persuades her father to allow her to remove her burka to become one of only a few Muslim women cricketers in all of Mumbai. She chases her dream of playing for the prestigious Mumbai Senior Women’s Cricket Team, but her parents give her the ultimatum that she will have two years to become a professional cricketer—or they will arrange her marriage.
Kaikasha’s eldest sister, Saba, has her own dreams for her career and yearns to become a model, and Heena, the youngest sister, wants to be a fashion designer or a singer, but poverty may impede their pursuits. All three girls and their mother must contend with the wishes of their father who does not believe women should work, but rather, stay home to cook, clean and raise a family.
As the women pursue their dreams, a series of shocking and tragic circumstances befall the Mirza family, and the film continues to follow each of them as they battle through family crises, poverty, and intense societal pressures.
This cinematic journey highlights how dreaming the impossible dream and having a passionate purpose can potentially save us. This story of perseverance lands on the message that even if things don’t turn out as we had hoped or planned, it’s about how we react to overcome life’s biggest challenges that makes all the difference.-
Jeremy Guy’s Directorial Debut PURDAH (VEIL) to LA Premiere at Dances With Films
Director and cinematographer Jeremy Guy presents his feature documentary directorial debut with “Purdah” (“Veil”) – the inspiring story of a young Indian woman who trades her burka for dreams of playing on the Mumbai Senior Women’s Cricket Team and how the harsh realities for women in her country creates an unexpected outcome for her own family, ultimately shattering and fueling aspirations. The film is an Official Selection in competition at the internationally renowned Dances With Films festival, featuring its Los Angeles Premiere Screening at the world famous TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood on Sunday, June 17, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. The film recently held its World Premiere at Cinequest Film Festival where it was called a “a real life Bend It Like Beckham” by KQED-FM (NPR).
Director Jeremy Guy says, “I was working on another film in India when I met Kaikasha Mirza. Her pursuit of a career in cricket as a woman, which is frowned upon by her Muslim community, was a fascinating story in itself. And then, as I began shooting, the story took a surprising turn, and an even bigger story began to unravel about the challenges that Kaikasha, her two sisters and their mother faced amidst societal oppression.”
The three independent-minded Mirza sisters have ambitious dreams for their lives and careers. Despite their earnestness, they face an uphill battle coming from a conservative Muslim family in Mumbai, India.
Kaikasha Mirza became enamored with cricket as a young woman, yet she was forbidden to play and forced to be a spectator in her burka, but she eventually persuades her father to allow her to remove her burka to become one of only a few Muslim women cricketers in all of Mumbai. She chases her dream of playing for the prestigious Mumbai Senior Women’s Cricket Team, but her parents give her the ultimatum that she will have two years to become a professional cricketer—or they will arrange her marriage.
Kaikasha’s eldest sister, Saba, has her own dreams for her career and yearns to become a model, and Heena, the youngest sister, wants to be a fashion designer or a singer, but poverty may impede their pursuits. All three girls and their mother must contend with the wishes of their father who does not believe women should work, but rather, stay home to cook, clean and raise a family.
As the women pursue their dreams, a series of shocking and tragic circumstances befall the Mirza family, and the film continues to follow each of them as they battle through family crises, poverty, and intense societal pressures.
This cinematic journey highlights how dreaming the impossible dream and having a passionate purpose can potentially save us. This story of perseverance lands on the message that even if things don’t turn out as we had hoped or planned, it’s about how we react to overcome life’s biggest challenges that makes all the difference.
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12th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival Reveals Premieres, Opens with Marios Piperides’ Comedy SMUGGLING HENDRIX
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Smuggling Hendrix[/caption]
The 12th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) running June 4-10 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood revealed its 2018 program selection. The Festival lineup includes 11 feature films, 15 documentaries, 27 shorts, as well as industry-lead roundtables, panels and masterclasses.
LAGFF celebrates the best new films from Greek filmmakers worldwide and promotes Greek cinema and cultural exchange while bridging the gap between the filmmakers and Hollywood. “Greek Cinema continues to impress and produce,” explains Artistic & Festival Director Aristotle Katopodis. “Greek filmmakers keep winning major awards at international film festivals and we are proud to host over 50 of the best and most innovative Greek films from around the world, for the 12th time. Greece is vigorously entering the incentives arena for international productions, and FILMING IN GREECE is one of our themes to explore this year.”
Themes for the 2018 Festival
• Music and how it informs Greek films.
• Greeks in the Academy, A tribute to the Greek artists who have received an Academy Award or Oscar Nomination since 1935.
• Filming in Greece, the new financing laws, incentives and rebates.
Opening Night (June 4 at 7pm) begins with a screening of the West Coast premiere of “1968” directed by Tassos Boulmetis at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater. 1968 is the story of how the well-known Greek basketball team A.E.K. founded in 1924 by refugees from Constantinople, beat SLAVIA of Prague to win the European Cup at Kallimarmaro Stadium, and changed Greek history forever. The evening launches the strategic collaboration of LAGFF and the newly established UCLA Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture. The screening will be followed by Q & A with Boulmetis (a Bruin alumnus) and a reception in his honor.
Opening Night (June 6 at 7pm) – The West Coast premiere of Marios Piperides’ comedy “Smuggling Hendrix” will open LAGFF at the Egyptian on June 6. The award winning film recently garnered “Best International Narrative Feature” at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. Filmmakers will be in attendance, and the red carpet evening includes the screening, a catered reception in the Egyptian’s iconic courtyard and a special performance by popular singer Ariana Savalas. In “Smuggling Hendrix,” Yiannis, a fading musician, is planning to leave crisis-ridden Cyprus for a better life abroad. His plans are put on hold when his dog Jimi runs away and crosses the UN buffer zone to the occupied side of the island. Through the simple story of a man who searches for his dog, Smuggling Hendrix gives a vivid demonstration of how the fences we build, both real and imagined, between ourselves and others, can be broken down once we recognize the familiarity in the face of the unknown.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYRMWhLoAEA
Closing Night (June 10) – The West Coast premiere of Thodoris Atheridis’ “Perfect Strangers” will close LAGFF at the Egyptian, followed by the star-studded Orpheus Awards Ceremony, a catered Greek reception and live entertainment (TBA) under the stars in the courtyard. This delightful comedic film involves seven friends who meet for dinner on a Friday night. An idea emerges. Every text and call they receive through the night must be shared with the whole group. When the game forces complete transparency, secrets are revealed and relationships are deeply threatened.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t72lwuge9wI
The Orpheus Awards are given to the outstanding new films in the dramatic, documentary and short film category. The theme of this year’ ceremony is “The Academy of Greeks”, paying tribute to Greek artists who have received an Academy Award or Oscar Nomination since 1935. The Best Supporting Actor of “West Side Story”, George Chakiris, will be one of the honorees this year with actress Rita Moreno presenting his Award.
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SingularDTV to Release Eddie Alcazar’s Sci-Fi Thriller PERFECT
The sci-fi thriller Perfect, Eddie Alcazar’s feature directorial debut that had its world premiere in the Vision section at the recent SXSW Film Festival has been acquired by the blockchain entertainment studio SingularDTV. SingularDTV will release the film theatrically in the US later this year, with worldwide event-driven screenings to follow. Perfect will become available on SingularDTV’s global digital platform in early 2019.
Alcazar was one of Filmmaker magazine’s 25 New Faces, when he shot and created the short FUCKKKYOUUU, which was selected for Sundance in 2016. Multi-hyphenate Flying Lotus is executive producer on Perfect and composed the score for the film. This marks the second feature collaboration for Alcazar and Flying Lotus from their Brainfeeder Films banner. Flying Lotus’ directorial debut KUSO premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in the Midnight section.
Alcazar brings his trademark atmospheric intensity to Perfect, with Steven Soderbergh on board as executive producer. In Perfect, a young man with a violent past enters a mysterious clinic where the patients transform themselves using genetic engineering. The film stars Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, and Abbie Cornish.
Other executive producers include Marco Vicini, Phil Hoelting, Matthias Koenigwieser, Rooter Wareing, Nikki Pederson, and Adam Silvestri. XYZ Films and CAA Media Finance negotiated the deal on behalf of filmmakers.
“SingularDTV’s approach to distribution is as bold as the film itself–I feel I’m getting a front-row view of the future,” said Soderbergh.
As SingularDTV’s President of Entertainment Kim Jackson comments, “This is exactly the kind of bold filmmaking that SingularDTV stands for. By bringing blockchain technology into the film industry, we are forging ahead with creating an environment where forward-thinking artists and filmmakers can thrive.”
“Not only is this an innovative, boundary-breaking film we are thrilled to be working with, but it also provides SingularDTV with an opportunity to innovate in our approach to sharing Perfect and its universe of thought-provoking stories with the global audience,” says Jason Tyrrell, SingularDTV’s VP of Content.
Tyrell continued, “Eddie and his team have created something we feel will stand the test of time, and we look forward to collaborating with Brainfeeder Films on a special release that’s in line with the audacity of this project, and our goal to create a more sustainable industry for the independent arts.”
SingularDTV helps filmmakers fundraise, develop and distribute using blockchain technology. The company acquires and creates original content. Alex Winter’s feature-length doc TRUST MACHINE: THE STORY OF BLOCKCHAIN is currently in post-production. THE HAPPY WORKER by director Duwayne Dunham (HOMEWARD BOUND: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY, LITTLE GIANTS) and executive-produced by David Lynch, is in pre-production. Follow us on @SingularDTV.
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Rooftop Films Presents the NY Premiere of ‘WRESTLE’ – FREE in Downtown Brooklyn
On Friday, June 8th, Rooftop Films will present the New York Premiere of Wrestle outdoors in MetroTech Commons in Downtown Brooklyn. The screening is free with an RSVP and will include a live musical performance. Director Suzannah Herbert and co-director Lauren Belfer will attend and participate in a post-screening Q&A.
Wrestle is an intimate and nuanced documentary that follows the wrestling team at JO Johnson High School in Huntsville, which has been on Alabama’s failing schools list for many years. As they fight their way towards the State Championship and the doors they hope it will open, wrestlers Jailen, Jamario, Teague, and Jaquan each face injustices and challenges on and off the mat. Together they grapple with obstacles that jeopardize their success, and their coach – coming to terms with his own past conflicts – pushes them forward while unwittingly wading into the complexities of class and race in the South. Through it all, the young heroes of Wrestle – with humor and grit – strive towards their goals, making Wrestle an inspiring coming of age journey and an impassioned depiction of growing up disadvantaged in America today.
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Julia Roberts to Present George Clooney with AFI Life Achievement Award
Julia Roberts will present the AFI Life Achievement Award – the nation’s highest honor for a career in film, to her longtime friend and colleague George Clooney at the 46th AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute honoring the actor, director, writer and producer. This historic event will take place Thursday, June 7, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, CA.
TNT will premiere the hour-and-a-half special, THE 46TH AFI LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: A TRIBUTE TO GEORGE CLOONEY on Thursday, June 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, followed by an encore at 11:30 p.m. ET/PT. Sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will also air the special in September 2018 during a night of programming dedicated to Clooney’s work. This marks the sixth year the Emmy®-winning AFI special will air on Turner networks.
Roberts has frequently collaborated with George Clooney, sharing the screen with him on the films OCEAN’S ELEVEN (2001), OCEAN’S TWELVE (2004) and MONEY MONSTER (2016). Additionally, she starred in his directorial debut, CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND (2002) and in AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (2013) which Clooney produced.
George Clooney is one of Hollywood’s most dynamic multi-hyphenates, a presence bigger even than his movies. With an instantly recognizable charm, he has captivated audiences in front of the camera, and defined a cinematic voice all his own behind it — all while using his global voice to shine light on issues of human rights, climate change and more. Throughout a career spanning screens big and small, his work has earned him eight Academy Award® nominations and two wins — with nominations in the most categories ever. He won an Oscar® for Best Supporting Actor for SYRIANA (2005), and went on to earn Best Actor nominations for MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007), UP IN THE AIR (2009) and THE DESCENDANTS (2011) — all films grounded by his signature charm, and his universal relatability. Clooney is as accomplished a filmmaker as he is a performer, from his directorial debut CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND to his multiple-Oscar®-nominated GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. (2005) and THE IDES OF MARCH (2011). He earned a Best Picture Academy Award® for producing ARGO (2012). On screen, he continues to deliver performances that are moving, humorous and human, with additional acting credits including: OUT OF SIGHT (1998), THREE KINGS (1999), O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? (2000), the OCEAN’S trilogy (2001, 2004, 2007), SOLARIS (2002), BURN AFTER READING (2008), FANTASTIC MR. FOX (2009), GRAVITY (2013) and HAIL, CAESAR! (2016). His next project is a Hulu miniseries adaptation of CATCH-22, which he will direct, produce and star in opposite Hugh Laurie and Kyle Chandler.
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The Orchard to Release Jazz-Inspired Drama THE SONG OF SWAY LAKE [Trailer]
The jazz-inspired drama The Song of Sway Lake, directed by Ari Gold (Adventures of Power), who co-wrote the film with Elizabeth Bull; and starring Rory Culkin (Signs), Robert Sheehan (Geostorm) and Mary Beth Peil (Tony nominee for Anastasia) has been acquired by The Orchard. The Song of Sway Lake will be released in theaters on September 21st and on VOD and Digital HD on September 25th.
Featuring both original and classic songs, The Song of Sway Lake tells the story of a young man (Culkin) who plots to steal a valuable, long-lost jazz record from his grandmother’s lake house. His plan is derailed when his accomplice (Sheehan) falls for the matriarch.
The Song of Sway Lake was produced by Grack Films’ Ari Gold, Michael Bederman (Spotlight), Allison Rose Carter (American Honey) and Social Construct’s Zak Kilberg. The film was executive produced by Garrett P. Fennelly (The Tested) and Anne Bernstein (Otis N’ Dwayne).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WuRTxBOji4
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SUPERFLY to Open American Black Film Festival [Trailer]
The 2018 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) will open with the festival’s premiere screening of Sony Pictures’ Superfly at the Fillmore Theater in Miami Beach, Florida, on June 13, the same night as the nationwide release date of Superfly. Directed by the acclaimed Director X, director of legendary music videos for such artists as Drake and Rihanna, and starring Trevor Jackson (“Grown-ish”), the film’s original soundtrack has been curated and produced by Future, who also produces the film with Joel Silver (The Matrix trilogy, Die Hard).
The film also stars Jason Mitchell (Mudbound, Straight Outta Compton), Michael Kenneth Williams (“The Wire,” “Boardwalk Empire”), Lex Scott Davis (“Training Day,” the upcoming The First Purge), Jennifer Morrison (“Once Upon a Time,” “House”), and Andrea Londo (“Narcos”). The film also features cameo appearances by Rick Ross and Antwan “Big Boi” Patton. The screenplay is by Alex Tse.
“We are thrilled Superfly will be the opening night film at the 2018 ABFF. For many, the title resonates as a cultural touchstone, not only for the look and style of the film itself, but also for Curtis Mayfield’s legendary soundtrack, and for its place in history – Superfly is one of the few films of its era that featured African-American characters with agency and power. In bringing Superfly to a new generation, Director X has transitioned a TIMELESS classic into a modern day, entertaining film that will be enjoyed by all,” said Jeff Friday, CEO of ABFF VENTURES.
Director X added, “I am excited for ABFF’s premiere of Superfly in Miami. The original Super Fly from 1972 is a classic and we all felt a responsibility to that legacy. I directed a film that builds on the special elements of the original and evolves them for 2018. The story, fashion, cars, hair and music all have added relevance for today with an extra twist of style. It’s all Superfly. Thank you Jeff Friday for welcoming my movie to the 2018 fest.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNvRdg1lR7c
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WILDLIFE Starring Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal to Open 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival
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Wildlife[/caption]
The first films of the 2018 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) were revealed today along with big announcement that the 67th edition will open with the Australian premiere gala screening of Paul Dano’s directorial debut Wildlife – starring Carey Mulligan, Jake Gyllenhaal and Australia’s Ed Oxenbould. The First Glance selection of 32 films demonstrating MIFF’s expansive reach was also uncovered.
Based on the 1990 Richard Ford novel of the same name, Dano’s debut directorial outing (co-written by Zoe Kazan, seen alongside Dano at MIFF’s 2012 Ruby Sparks) tells a tender and empathetic story about a teen dealing with his family falling apart in 1960s Montana.
A hit at Sundance and Cannes, Wildlife is a bittersweet and elegant debut that represents a major coming-of-age – both off screen and on – for Oxenbould, an actor who broke out in MIFF 2014’s Paper Planes and last year’s MIFF Premiere Fund-supported The Butterfly Tree. Buoyed by exquisite cinematography from Diego Garcia (Neon Bull, MIFF 2016; Cemetery of Splendour, MIFF 2015) the film’s fine-tuned attention to period detail underscores its exceptional performances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gSi0Qvki3o
“We are thrilled to announce Wildlife for this year’s Opening Night Gala. Paul Dano’s debut as a director provides a glimpse into a successful shift in his career from on screen to off, and the cast including Australia’s very own Ed Oxenbould (a special name here at MIFF) is an impressive way to kick off proceedings,” said MIFF’s Artistic Director Michelle Carrey.
“This in addition to the sneak peek of the rest of the program is an exciting time. Finally we can start talking about the most important thing…the films!”
This year’s MIFF program will feature more than 500+ screenings, including:
Ethan Hawke features with both on and off-screen contributions: he portrays a troubled priest experiencing a ‘crisis of faith’ in cinematic legend Paul Schrader’s latest feast of brooding menace, First Reformed; in Blaze, Hawke directs a daringly unconventional biopic of an unsung country music legend, featuring newcomer Benjamin Dickey in the title role (which won him a Sundance acting award) and Alia Shawkat.
Chloë Grace Moretz turns in a career-best performance in Desiree Akhavan’s sophomore feature The Miseducation of Cameron Post, winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize (US Dramatic); Cannes 2017 best actor winner Joaquin Phoenix features in Lynne Ramsay’s vengeance feature You Were Never Really Here, playing a war vet and ex-FBI agent whose new job includes rescuing children from paedophile rings; meanwhile, Bodied is the result of an unlikely pairing between Grammy-winning director Joseph Kahn and rapper turned producer Eminem who present their satirical story about an accidental battle-rap star.
In a variety of filmmaking firsts, acclaimed TV director Michael Pearce makes his feature debut in the sly, unsettling Beast – an impressive British crime drama love story wrapped in an intriguing psychosexual thriller; veteran slow-cinema auteur Tsai Ming-liang makes his debut foray into virtual reality with The Deserted, a 55-minute experience with a wordless, near-feature length tale of ghosts, grief and fish; and a little closer to home, Nash Edgerton’s TV series directorial debut Mr Inbetween brings The Magician’s charismatic killer-for-hire Ray Shoesmith back to our screens. MIFF will screen all six episodes before its television premiere on Foxtel’s Showcase channel.
The 2018 program delves deep into three iconic names spanning fashion, sport and Hollywood, starting with McQueen, a flamboyant portrait of one of the world’s most revered designers, Alexander McQueen – a man who once said “My shows are about sex, drugs and rock’n’roll. It’s for the excitement and the goosebumps. I want heart attacks. I want ambulances.” This biographical documentary by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui represents nothing less.
Julien Faraut’s John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection serves up a fascinating combination of instructional clips and exquisite 16mm footage of tennis bad boy John McEnroe at the height of his career at the 1984 French Open; and looking into the life of another legend, Tommy Avallone’s Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man follows the trail of the star’s alleged appearances musing on the interconnection of pop culture and ordinary life.
An Elephant Sitting Still takes us on a four-hour journey as Hu Bo paints a compelling, empathetic portrait of contemporary China in this FIPRESCI Prize-winning debut; and winner of SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize for documentary, People’s Republic of Desire is Hao Wu’s unsettling and fascinating look into the online world of live-streaming, social media and virtual relationships.
Turning impending loss into a poignant, poetic dreamscape, The Seen and Unseen is the second feature from Indonesia’s Kamila Andini and winner of best youth film at the 2017 Asia Pacific Screen Awards; Tigers Are Not Afraid is a stunning contemporary fairytale that does for Mexico’s drug war what Guillermo del Toro did for the Spanish Civil War. Praised by Stephen King, the film saw Issa López become the first woman to win Fantastic Fest’s Best Horror Director award.
Denmark’s Gustav Möller makes his directorial debut with the Sundance and Rotterdam award-winning The Guilty, an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller told entirely in real time.
The UK’s Daniel Kokotajlo makes a devastating debut with Apostasy, a daring study of an all-female Jehovah’s Witness family riven by religious conflict starring Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey and Happy Valley); Babis Makridis proves he is coming into his own as a star with a second feature, Pity. A follow up to L (MIFF 2012), the quintessentially bleak and absurdist Greek New Wave comedy from the co-writer of The Lobster and Dogtooth was co-written with Yorgos Lanthimos’ key collaborator Efthymis Filippou (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, MIFF 2017).
Irreverent Iranian director Mani Haghighi (A Dragon Arrives! MIFF 2016) presents his latest meta-comedy magic, Pig – a riotous Iranian film industry satire about a serial killer; and Vivian Qu continues to interrogate crime, corruption and control in modern-day China in Angels Wear White, which won her the Best Director award at the Golden Horse Film Festival.
Based on Anna Seghers’ WWll novel of the same name, Transit is the slow-burn thriller from revered auteur Christian Petzold – a discomfiting fable of trans-European displacement that channels both Hitchcock and Casablanca; and one of contemporary cinema’s most esteemed directors Lucrecia Martel makes her long-awaited return with the historical fiction Zama, centred on an 18th-century Spanish magistrate marooned in a far-flung South American outpost where he’s losing touch with civilization and sanity.
Spaghetti Western, ’70s Euro-pulp and delirious psychedelia collide in Let the Corpses Tan – a glorious homage to cinema’s seedier retro fringes from genre connoisseurs Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani; audiences will step back in time to the French fashion scene with legendary fashion photographer William Klein’s award-winning black and white mockumentary that is now a groovy cult classic, Who are you, Polly Maggoo? and nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2018 Academy Awards, The Insult is the multi-award winning new work from Lebanese visionary Ziad Doueiri (The Attack, MIFF 2012).
Delving into the complex emotions of passionate pop-music appreciation, emerging local director Jessica Leski presents I Used to be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story – an empathetic documentary exploring why we hold pop music so dear to our hearts.
The NSFA-restored The Cheaters offers viewers a rare big-screen treat of a pioneering silent-era classic. A major landmark of Australian cinema, this is not just one of our earliest feature films – it’s one of the first by women filmmakers, the McDonagh sisters. The remaining fragments of the sisters’ popular first feature Those Who Love will screen alongside.
An exhilarating debut feature from Australian director Jason Raftopoulos, the Venice-premiering West of Sunshine stars Pawno’s Damian Hill alongside his real-life step-son Ty Perham and Offspring’s Kat Stewart (Sucker, MIFF 2015). Shot in Melbourne, it explores fatherhood, trauma and second chances.
Director Jeremy Sim’s (Last Cab to Darwin, Beneath Hill 60) Wayne is a must-see for moto-GP fans. Here, Sims explores a defining piece of Australian sporting history that saw Wayne Gardner conquer the world of motorcycle racing and return home a hero; while Island of the Hungry Ghosts takes audiences on a unique and moving cinematic journey through the intersection of Christmas Island’s migrating land crabs, lost souls caught in limbo and political detainees.
Sundance award-winner, Stephen Loveridge digs deep into the life of his good friend Mathangi ‘Maya’ Arulpragasm in MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A, demonstrating her pull-no-punches personality and focus on political activism, and how this caused her career to suffer; and rounding up the First Glance lineup, directors Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown dive wholeheartedly into the African-American roller rink scene, circling around racial profiling, the roots of rap and communities in crisis with Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award winner, United Skates.
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World Premiere of Joachim A. Lang’s “Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm” to Open Munich Film Festival
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Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm[/caption]
Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm will have its world premiere as the opening film of the 36th Munich International Film Festival on Thursday, June 28, 2018. Director Joachim A. Lang is expected to grace the red carpet along with Lars Eidinger, Tobias Moretti, Hannah Herzsprung, Joachim Król, Claudia Michelsen, Britta Hammelstein, Robert Stadlober, Peri Baumeister, and Godehard Giese.
Owing to the international success of his stage play “The Threepenny Opera” (1928) and Kurt Weill’s “Ballad of Mack the Knife”, which has become a hit around the world, film producers are lining up with offers for author and playwright Bertolt Brecht. It goes without saying that the production companies are more interested in their proceeds from the box office than in the author’s artistic vision.
Always the idealist, Brecht refuses to play by the rules of the film industry. He wants to create a completely new kind of film — radical, uncompromising, political — and deliberately seeks to make his dispute with the film industry public. He sues the production company in an unheard-of “threepenny court case” in which he fights for his creative autonomy. This dialectic of creative idealism and economic constraints sets the perfect stage for a cinematic feat of strength. Or as Brecht himself put it: “In the contradiction lies the hope.”
Joachim A. Lang’s lavish film debut “Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm” fundamentally reinterprets Brecht’s classic work. The film uses numerous allusions in order to blur the line between reality and fiction; it switches fluidly and playfully between Brecht’s legal dispute and his film project, which — unfortunately — never really existed. An additional trick lends authenticity, however: everything that Brecht says in the film is based on real quotes from his life and his complete works.
“Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm” offers a cast of the highest caliber: Lars Eidinger in the role of Bertolt Brecht, Tobias Moretti as Macheath, Hannah Herzsprung as Carola Neher and Polly, Joachim Król as Peachum, Claudia Michelsen as Mrs. Peachum, Robert Stadlober as Kurt Weill, Peri Baumeister as Elisabeth Hauptmann, Britta Hammelstein as Lotte Lenja and Seeräuber-Jenny, Meike Droste as Helene Weigel, Christian Redl as Tiger Brown, and Max Raabe as the street singer.
“Mackie Messer – Brechts Dreigroschenfilm” is a co-production of Zeitsprung Pictures, the SWR, and Velvet Films with the collaboration of ARTE. The film will also be shown in the New German Cinema section of Munich International Film Festival before coming to movie theaters across Germany on September 13, 2018 (distributor: Wild Bunch Germany).
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Asghar Farhadi Named Jury President of the 24th Sarajevo Film Festival Competition Program
Iranian writer-director and two times Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi, will preside over the Jury of the Competition Program – Feature Film of 24th Sarajevo Film Festival which will be held from August 10 to 17, 2018.
Sarajevo Film Festival’s audience will also have a chance to see Farhadi’s latest film Everybody Knows which premiered in the Competition program of the Cannes Film Festival and opened this year’s Festival. The film starring Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem will be screened in the Open Air program of the 24th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972. In 2002, he wrote and directed his first feature film, Dancing In The Dust, which won the Best Actor award and the Russian Society of Film Critics’ Best Film award at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival, as well as the Best Director and the Best Screenplay awards at the 48th Asian Pacific Film Festival. A year later, Farhadi wrote and directed Beautiful City (2003). Farhadi subsequently directed Fireworks Wednesday (2005), followed by About Elly (2007) which simultaneously premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and Fajr Film Festival in Teheran winning the Silver Bear for Best Director and the Crystal Simorgh for Best Directing respectively.
Farhadi then started to write A Separation, which he shot in 2010. It premiered at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival where it picked up the Golden Bear for best film, as well as two Silver Bears, one each for its ensemble of actresses and actors. After it premiered at Berlinale, the film won more than 70 prizes across the globe, including the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, the Cesar for Best Foreign Film and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A Separation was an international success unprecedented by any Iranian film. The film was released in the United States in December 2011, becoming one of the highest grossing foreign language films in the difficult US marketplace. The same year, Farhadi was named on of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world.
While A Separation was being screened in different festivals and countries, Farhadi and his family moved to Paris so he could start work on the screenplay of The Past, his first film on a foreign language. The Past was released during the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, won the Best Actress Award (Bérénice Bejo) at the Cannes and was nominated for the Golden Globes and the César.
Farhadi returned to Iran in 2015 to shoot The Salesman, which was screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival where Farhadi won the Best Screenplay award, while the lead actor Shahab Hosseini picked up the Best Actor award. For this film, Farhadi won his second Oscar for Best Film in a Foreign Language.
Several months later, Farhadi started shooting his latest film, Everybody Knows, in Spanish language, for which Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem were reunited on screen. The film opened the 71st Cannes Film Festival and was in competition for the festival’s top prize.
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2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest to Showcase 333 Short Films
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All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil[/caption]
The 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest will showcase 333 films including 42 World Premieres, 32 International Premieres, 42 North American Premieres and 13 U.S. Premieres with films coming from 62 countries around the world. There are 55 curated programs, which will screen June 19-25, at the Palm Springs Cultural Center in Palm Springs. More than 5,300 of the festival submissions will be available in the Film Market for industry attendees to view.
“We’re thrilled to be sharing this year’s lineup,” said ShortFest Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “With an increase in submission numbers, we knew we’d have our work cut out for us, but the programming team has narrowed down the selection to a wonderful collection that includes some of this year’s festival favorites as well as amazing new discoveries. We were so impressed by the quality of these stories and we can’t wait to pack into theatres and share them with our audience this summer.”
This year’s list of films include the following:
WOLRD PREMIERES
Are You Still Singing? (USA), Directed by: Gillian Barnes August Sun (UK), Directed by: Franco Volpi Babygirl (Australia), Directed by: Lara Gissing Bertie (UK), Directed by: Garry Crystal Broken Bunny (Canada), Directed by: Meredith Hama-Brown The Christmas Fish (Czech Republic), Directed by: Cole Stamm Cornflower (USA), Directed by: Sam Evoy Dead to the World (UK), Directed by: Freddie Hall Delivery (USA), Directed by: Joe Boothe Dima (UK), Directed by: Remi Itani Dulce (Colombia), Directed by: Guille Isa, Angello Faccini Fence (Kosovo), Directed by: Lendita Zeqiraj The Fish & the Sea (Canada), Directed by: Phillip Thomas Freaks of Nurture (Canada), Directed by: Alexandra Lemay Good People (USA), Directed by: Gregory Kohn How to Swim (Israel), Directed by: Noa Gusakov The Invader’s Song (UK), Directed by: Emma Swinton It’s a Match (USA), Directed by: Ron Najor Keep Coming Back! (Canada), Directed by: Brendan Brady Last Requests (USA), Directed by: Courtenay Johnson Library of God (Norway), Directed by: Stian Hafstad Mammoth (USA), Directed by: Ariel Heller The Master of York (UK), Directed by: Kieron Quirke The Mute (Vietnam), Directed by: An Pham My Ex-Girlfriend Is a Shovel (USA), Directed by: Dezi Gallegos Nettles (USA), Directed by: Raven Jackson Open Wide (UK), Directed by: Behnam Taheri, Gideon Beresford Perisher (Australia), Directed by: Gabriel Hutchings Pink Lemonade (USA), Directed by: Christian Sprenger A Place to Stay (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger Prey (USA), Directed by: Bill Whirity Provence (Belgium), Directed by: Kato De Boeck Punta Cana (USA), Directed by: Andree Ljutica Release (China), Directed by: Henry Liu Shooter (Australia), Directed by: Andrew Carbone Talent Night at Auschwitz: Bunk Five (USA), Directed by: Max Rifkind-Barron Tomorrow the Sun (Switzerland), Directed by: Quentin Tomshire Two Puddles (UK), Directed by: Timothy Keeling The Villa (France), Directed by: Emmanuel Poulain-Arnaud Wait for Laugh (USA), Directed by: Patrick Franklin Yellow Line (France), Directed by: Simon RoubyINTERNATIONAL PREMIERES
The Artist Has a Baby (Sweden), Directed by: Sanna Lenken Bailaora (Spain), Directed by: Rubin Stein Black Lips (Australia), Directed by: Adrian Chiarella Denmark (France), Directed by: Max Mauroux Dieter Not Unhappy (Germany), Directed by: Christian Schäfer Eloise (Sweden), Directed by: Johan Rosell Emma and the Fury (Germany), Directed by: Elisa Mishto Falling (France), Directed by: Benjamin Vu Fitting (Australia), Directed by: Emily Avila Flightmode (Norway), Directed by: Liv Mari Mortensen In the Arms of the Sea (Russian Federation), Directed by: Dmitry Moiseev Kevlar (Sweden), Directed by: Tuna Özer Let’s See How Fast This Baby Will Go (Australia), Directed by: Julietta Boscolo Mamartuile (Mexico), Directed by: Alejandro Saevich Melodi (Singapore), Directed by: Michael Kam Mobile (Norway), Directed by: Truls Krane Meby Mother & Baby (Ireland), Directed by: Mia Mullarkey Mwah (Australia), Directed by: Nina Buxton Once Upon a Time My Prince Will Come (France), Directed by: Lola Naymark Prince’s Tale (Canada), Directed by: Jamie Miller Pure Bodies (Belgium), Directed by: Bérangère Mc Neese, Guillaume de Ginestel Raymonde or The Vertical Escape (France), Directed by: Sarah Van Den Boom Red Ink (Australia), Directed by: Alex Ryan Satán (Switzerland), Directed by: Carlos Tapia González The School Nurse (Sweden), Directed by: Anna Brodin, Frida Sandberg Suck It Up (France), Directed by: Jan Sitta Sump (UK), Directed by: Mike Wozniak Trois Pages (Canada), Directed by: Roger Gariépy Verde (Colombia), Directed by: Victoria Rivera Waiting Room (Netherlands), Directed by: Simone van Dusseldorp Well Done (Israel), Directed by: Aryeh Hasfari, Omer Ben Simon A Worthy Man (Denmark), Directed by: Kristian HåskjoldNORTH AMERICAN PREMIERES
An Act of Love (Australia), Directed by: Lucy Knox Adam & Esra (Austria), Directed by: Achmed Abdel-Salam After/Life (USA), Directed by: Puck Lo Benidorm (France), Directed by: Raphaëlle Tinland Bilby (USA), Directed by: Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans Bogdan and Rose (Poland), Directed by: Milena Dutkowska Bog Hole (Norway), Directed by: Torfinn Iversen Bordalo II: A Life of Waste (Ireland), Directed by: Trevor Whelan, Rua Meegan Chuchotage (Hungary), Directed by: Barnabás Tóth From Above (Austria), Directed by: Felix Krisai Graduation`97 (Ukraine), Directed by: Pavlo Ostrikov Happy Today (France), Directed by: Giulio Tonincelli Hash Key (France), Directed by: Erwan Alépée The Hitchhiker (France), Directed by: Julien Decoin The Hooligan Soul (Brazil), Directed by: Marco Antonio Pereira Imfura (Switzerland), Directed by: Samuel Ishimwe Imperial Valley (cultivated run-off) (Austria), Directed by: Lukas Marxt Kiem Holijanda (Netherlands), Directed by: Sarah Veltmeyer Lobster Dinner (Italy), Directed by: Gregorio Franchetti Manicure (Iran, Islamic Republic of), Directed by: Arman Fayaz Molt (Sweden), Directed by: Nathalie Álvarez Mesén The Moonshiners (Finland), Directed by: Juho Kuosmanen My Best Friend’s Shoes (India), Directed by: Ajitpal Singh Dhaliwal A Mythology of Pleasure (Germany), Directed by: Lara Rodríguez Cruz, Jule Katinka Cramer Nose Nose Nose Eyes! (South Korea), Directed by: Jiwon Moon Obon (Germany), Directed by: Andre Hörmann, Samo Paper Crane (Australia), Directed by: Takumi Kawakami Primo (Italy), Directed by: Federica Gianni Rå (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Bösch Roujoula (France), Directed by: Ilias El Faris Seascape (Belgium), Directed by: Leni Huyghe Spacedogs (Germany), Directed by: Sophia Schönborn Stopover (Switzerland), Directed by: Cosima Frei A Sweet Story (Germany), Directed by: Moritz Biene Thick Skin (Iceland), Directed by: Erlendur Sveinsson Three Room (South Korea), Directed by: Na-yeon Lee The Ties that Bind (France), Directed by: Yann Chemin Virgencita (USA), Directed by: Giselle Bonilla Wildebeast (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Keppens, Matthias Phlips Wild Game (Estonia), Directed by: Jerónimo Sarmiento Yaman (India), Directed by: Raghuvir Joshi The Young Patissier (Germany), Directed by: Ksenia CiuvasevaUS PREMIERES
After Dawn (Belgium), Directed by: Nicolas Graux The Handover (Germany), Directed by: Leonhard Hofmann Haunted (Denmark), Directed by: Christian Einshøj The Last Refugees (USA), Directed by: Tanaz Eshaghian Last Summer (Japan), Directed by: Asuka Sylvie Lira’s Forest (Canada), Directed by: Connor Jessup Midnight Confession (USA), Directed by: Maxwell McCabe-Lokos (OO) (Korea, Republic of), Directed by: Oh Seo-ro Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Directed by: Justin Stoneham Rien Ne Va Plus! (Germany), Directed by: Sophie Linnenbaum Room (Poland), Directed by: Michał Socha Tungrus (India), Directed by: Rishi Chandna Waiting (New Zealand), Directed by: Amberley Jo AumuaREST OF PROGRAM
#barewithme (Finland), Directed by: Ulla Heikkilä Abnie Oberfork: A Tale of Self-Preservation (USA), Directed by: Shannon Fleming Achoo (France), Directed by: Lucas Boutrot, Elise Carret, Maoris Creantor, Pierre Hubert, Camille Lacroix, Charlotte Perroux Acide (France), Directed by: Just Philippot Allen Anders – Live At The Comedy Castle (Circa 1987) (USA), Directed by: Laura Moss All that Remains (Belgium), Directed by: Anne-Lise Morin All that We Carry (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil And Still We Will Walk On (France), Directed by: Jonathan Millet AniMal (Iran), Directed by: Bahram Ark, Bahman Ark Asian Girls (Australia), Directed by: Hyun Lee Atelier (Denmark), Directed by: Elsa María Jakobsdóttir Australia (Spain), Directed by: Lino Escalera Ayesha (India), Directed by: Yanyu Dong The Beaning (USA), Directed by: Sean McCoy Beneath the Ink (USA), Directed by: Cy Dodson The Big Day (UK), Directed by: Dawn Shadforth Bird Karma (USA), Directed by: Willian Salazar Birth Control Your Own Adventure (USA), Directed by: Sindha Agha Black 14 (USA), Directed by: Darius Clark Monroe Blackjack (Switzerland), Directed by: Lora Mure-Ravaud Black Line (Switzerland), Directed by: Mark Olexa , Francesca Scalisi Blind Mice (USA), Directed by: Nicholas D’Agostino Bonboné (Palestine), Directed by: Rakan Mayasi Bonobo (Switzerland), Directed by: Zoel Aeschbacher Botanica (Netherlands), Directed by: Noël Loozen Boundaries (USA), Directed by: Rhys Marc Jones The Box (Slovenia), Directed by: Dušan Kastelic Career Day (USA), Directed by: Ashley Deckman Careful How You Go (USA), Directed by: Emerald Fennell The Caregiver (Israel), Directed by: Ruthy Pribar Caroline (USA), Directed by: Logan George, Celine Held Catastrophe (Netherlands), Directed by: Jamille van Wijngaarden Cat Days (Germany), Directed by: Jon Frickey The Climb (USA), Directed by: Michael Covino Counterfeit Kunkoo (India), Directed by: Reema Sengupta Coyote (Switzerland), Directed by: Lorenz Wunderle A Craftsman (USA), Directed by: Sanford Jenkins Crisanto Street (USA), Directed by: Paloma Martinez Cross My Heart (USA), Directed by: Sontenish Myers Dancing Girls (Turkey), Directed by: Zeynep Köprülü Dario (Germany), Directed by: Manuel Kinzer, Jorge A. Trujillo Gil The Day That (USA), Directed by: Dorian Tocker Death Metal Grandma (USA), Directed by: Leah Galant Death of the Sound Man (Thailand), Directed by: Sorayos Prapapan The Disinherited (Spain), Directed by: Laura Ferrés The Door (Finland), Directed by: Jenni Toivoniemi Down Escalation (Japan), Directed by: Shunsaku Hayashi Dressed for Pleasure (Switzerland), Directed by: Marie De Maricourt The Driver Is Red (USA), Directed by: Randall Christopher Earthly People (Hungary), Directed by: Ádám Freund Emergency (USA), Directed by: Carey Williams End of the Line (USA), Directed by: Jessica Sanders Été (UK), Directed by: Gregory Oke Evaporated (Mexico), Directed by: Jimena Muhlia Eve (USA), Directed by: Susan Bay Nimoy Everlasting Mom (Israel), Directed by: Elinor Nechemya Every Ghost Has an Orchestra (USA), Directed by: Shayna Connelly Excuse Me, I’m Looking for The Ping-Pong Room and My Girlfriend (Austria), Directed by: Bernhard Wenger Eye Contact (Australia), Directed by: Stuart Mannion A Farewell (China), Directed by: Yifei He Fauve (Canada), Directed by: Jérémy Comte Feedback (France), Directed by: Margot Gallimard Femme (USA), Directed by: Alden Peters The Fix (USA), Directed by: Edward Jack Fran this Summer (USA), Directed by: Mary Evangelista Fundamental (Taiwan), Directed by: Shih-chieh Chiu Funny Fish (France), Directed by: Krishna Chandran A. Nair Garage at Night (Canada), Directed by: Daniel Daigle Gaze (Iran), Directed by: Farnoosh Samadi A Gentle Night (China), Directed by: Qiu Yang Go Tell Your Fathers (USA), Directed by: Chloe Sarbib, Amy Taylor Rosenblum Gustav (Ireland), Directed by: Ken Williams, Denis Fitzpatrick Hair Wolf (USA), Directed by: Mariama Diallo The Heights (USA), Directed by: Ryan Booth Homegrown (UK), Directed by: Quentin Haberham How Tommy Lemenchick Became a Grade 7 Legend (Canada), Directed by: Bastien Alexandre Hula Girl (USA), Directed by: Amy Hill, Chris Riess Hunter (USA), Directed by: Hilary Bell I Have a Message for You (Italy), Directed by: Matan Rochlitz I Have Something to Tell You (USA), Directed by: Ben Joyner, Dumaine Babcock I’m Cold Meat (France), Directed by: Romain Laguna Intercourse (Sweden), Directed by: Jonatan Etzler Islands (France), Directed by: Yann Gonzalez I Will Not Write Unless I Am Swaddled in Furs (New Zealand), Directed by: Wade Shotter JEOM (South Korea), Directed by: Kangmin Kim Jiejie (USA), Directed by: Feng-I Fiona Roan JUCK [THRUST] (Sweden), Directed by: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira Kapitalistis (France), Directed by: Pablo Munoz Gomez Kerloster (France), Directed by: Ombeline de la Gournerie Khol (Open) (USA), Directed by: Faroukh Virani Kimchi (USA), Directed by: Jackson Segars Kira Burning (USA), Directed by: Laurel Parmet Kleptomami (Germany), Directed by: Pola Beck Krista (USA), Directed by: Danny Madden Layam (Israel), Directed by: Assaf Machnes Let Me Dance (France), Directed by: Valérie Leroy The Life of Esteban (Belgium), Directed by: Inès Eshun Liquor Store Babies (USA), Directed by: So Yun Um Little Fiel (USA), Directed by: Irina Patkanian Lonesome Willcox (USA), Directed by: Ryan Maxey, Zack Wright Long Distance Relationship (Brazil), Directed by: Carolina Markowicz Lost Property Office (Australia), Directed by: Daniel Agdag The Love Letter (Israel), Directed by: Atara Frish Lunch Ladies (USA), Directed by: J.M. Logan Ma (USA), Directed by: Millicent Cho Magic Alps (Italy), Directed by: Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi March Fool (Canada), Directed by: Pierre-Marc Drouin, Simon Lamarre-Ledoux Margaret and the Moon (USA), Directed by: Trevor Morgan Mariela (Argentina), Directed by: Victoria Romero Matria (Spain), Directed by: Álvaro Gago Maude (USA), Directed by: Anna Margaret Hollyman Maybe It’s Me (UK), Directed by: Dimitris Simou Men Don’t Whisper (USA), Directed by: Jordan Firstman Merry-Go-Round (Russia), Directed by: Ruslan Bratov Milk (Canada), Directed by: Heather Young Milk and Cookies (USA), Directed by: Patrick Mulvey, Andrew Ramsay Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy), Directed by: Adriano Valerio The Motion of Stars (Austria), Directed by: Jan Prazak The Mud (USA), Directed by: Brandon Lake The Music Lesson (USA), Directed by: Adam R. Brown, Kyle I. Kelley My Paintbrush Bites (USA), Directed by: Joel Pincosy, Joe Egender Negative Space (France), Directed by: Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata Nevada (USA), Directed by: Emily Ann Hoffman No Jail Time: The Movie (USA), Directed by: Lance Oppenheim Nothing Important (UK), Directed by: Tara FitzGerald Nursery Rhymes (Australia), Directed by: Tom Noakes Observatory Blues (USA), Directed by: Eric Paschal Johnson, Conor Dooley Offstage (Romania), Directed by: Andrei Huțuleac One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure (USA), Directed by: A.M. Lukas One Small Step (USA), Directed by: Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Open Your Eyes (Israel), Directed by: Ilay Mevorah The Overcoat (UK), Directed by: Patrick Myles Palenque (Colombia), Directed by: Sebastián Pinzón Silva Pan (Germany), Directed by: Anna Roller The Passage (USA), Directed by: Kitao Sakurai Perfect Town (Switzerland), Directed by: Anaïs Voirol Pet Friendly (USA), Directed by: Catherine Licata Phototaxis (USA), Directed by: Melissa Ferrari Pink Trailer (USA), Directed by: Mary Neely Plastic Girls (South Korea), Directed by: Nils Clauss Premonition (Chile), Directed by: Leticia Akel Escarate The President’s Visit (Lebanon), Directed by: Cyril Aris Propagation (USA), Directed by: Will Joines, Karrie Crouse Quiet Hours (USA), Directed by: Paul Szynol Rae (Canada), Directed by: Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs Rebuilding in Miniature (Tukey), Directed by: Veena Rao Roadside Attraction (USA), Directed by: Patrick Bresnan, Ivete Lucas Room 140 (USA), Directed by: Priscilla Gonzalez Sainz Rupture (Canada), Directed by: Yassmina Karajah Saltwater Baptism (USA), Directed by: Jared Callahan, Russell Sheaffer Salvation (Iceland), Directed by: Thora Hilmarsdottir Sam Did It (USA), Directed by: Dominic Burgess Sauna (USA), Directed by: Charlie Polinger Scaffold (Canada), Directed by: Kazik Radwanski The Sermon (UK), Directed by: Dean Puckett Serving Joy (Australia), Directed by: Martin Sharpe Set Me as a Seal Upon Thine Heart (Israel), Directed by: Omer Tobi Shadow Animals (Sweden), Directed by: Jerry Carlsson Sherbert Rozencrantz, You’re Beautiful (Australia), Directed by: Natalie van den Dungen The Shift (USA), Directed by: Elivia Shaw, Paloma Martinez The Shuttle (USA), Directed by: Lu Han Signature (Japan), Directed by: Kei Chikaura Silence Please (Spain), Directed by: Carlos Villafaina Silica (Australia), Directed by: Pia Borg Sin Cielo (USA), Directed by: Jianna Maarten Sleepover (Sweden), Directed by: Jimi Vall Peterson Souls of Totality (USA), Directed by: Richard Raymond Spacesavers (USA), Directed by: Sarah Ginsburg Still Water Runs Deep (USA), Directed by: Abbesi Akhamie Stray (USA), Directed by: Andrew Boylan Subterra (USA), Directed by: Joel Villegas Suitable (USA), Directed by: Thembi Banks Tammy’s Tiny Tea Time: Episode 1 (USA), Directed by: Peter Gulsvig Tangles and Knots (Australia), Directed by: Renée Marie Petropoulos Teddy (UK), Directed by: Christopher Sweeney The Tesla World Light (Canada), Directed by: Matthew Rankin Three August Days (Estonia), Directed by: Madli Lääne Three Boys Manzanar (USA), Directed by: Preeti Mankar Deb Trapeze, U.S.A. (USA), Directed by: Mark Anthony Green Troll (USA), Directed by: Anu Valia Tweener (Sweden), Directed by: Julia Thelin Two Medusas (USA), Directed by: Scott Hamilton Kennedy Under Mom’s Skirt (France), Directed by: Sarah Heitz de Chabaneix Undiscovered (USA), Directed by: Sara Litzenberger Unearthed (USA), Directed by: Erin Semine Kökdil, Zulfiya Hamzaki Unfinished, 2017 (Mixed media) (USA), Directed by: Rafael Salazar Moreno Unravel (Canada), Directed by: Evan Luchkow Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Directed by: Nicholas Colia Ur Dead To Me (New Zealand), Directed by: Yonoko Li The Velvet Underground Played at My High School (USA), Directed by: Anthony Jannelli, Robert Pietri A View from the Window (USA), Directed by: Azar Kafaei, Chris Filippone Wave (Ireland), Directed by: Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton We Are the Freak Show (Canada), Directed by: Marie-Hélène Viens, Philippe Lupien Weekends (USA), Directed by: Trevor Jimenez We Forgot to Break Up (Canada), Directed by: Chandler Levack Welcome Home (Norway), Directed by: Armita Keyani Wendy’s Shabbat (USA), Directed by: Rachel Myers We Summoned a Demon (USA), Directed by: Chris McInroy While I Yet Live (USA), Directed by: Maris Curran Wicked Girl (Turkey), Directed by: Ayçe Kartal Wild Beasts (Norway), Directed by: Sverre Kvamme With Thelma (Belgium), Directed by: Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni Would You Look at Her (Macedonia), Directed by: Goran Stolevski Wyrm (USA), Directed by: Christopher Winterbauer Zion (USA), Directed by: Floyd Russ ShortFest jurors include Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo). Over $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards, will be given out in 21 categories to this year’s short films in competition. First place winners in five categories will automatically become eligible for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS®) for a possible Academy Award® nomination. Over the course of 23 years, the Festival has presented 101 films that have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations. Winners will be announced at a brunch on Sunday, June 24. In addition to ShortFest’s award-winning short films, each year the Festival also welcomes a long guest list of filmmakers and industry attendees for the ShortFest Forums of panels and roundtables.
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Musical Drama SAINTS REST to Kick Off Summer at First Tuesdays at Midwest Independent Film Festival [Trailer]
The Midwest Premiere of Saints Rest, from director Noga Ashkenazi (The Grey Area: Feminism Behind Bars) will kick off summer at First Tuesdays at the Midwest Independent Film Festival.
An intimate family drama shot on location in Grinnel, Iowa, Saints Rest tells the story of two estranged sisters, who over the course of one summer, form a connection through their shared love of music as they grieve the recent death of their mother. Interweaving striking original music with an authentic and affectionate portrayal of a rural Midwest town, the film sweetly captures the tension between individual dreams and family obligations. Alternately funny and emotionally raw, Saints Rest serves as “musical comfort-food” for those who miss home, their childhood and their families, regardless of how imperfect it all may seem from a distance.
Saints Rest recently won the Audience Award at RiverRun International Film Festival, where it screened to 3 sold-out shows.
Co-written by Noga Ashkenazi and Chicagoan Tyson Stock, the film was co-executive produced by Rebecca Green (one of Variety’s 10 Producers to Watch and producer for two of the top-grossing and critically acclaimed independent films of 2015, It Follows (Cannes 2014) and I’ll See You in My Dreams (Sundance 2015). The director will be attending the screening along with select cast and crew.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjU_WVgDFfg
First Tuesdays: Saints Rest at the Midwest Independent Film Festival
Date: Jun. 05, 2018
Time: 6:00pm – 9:30pm
@Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema, 2828 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois