• THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED, New Docu Series Based on Popular Serial Podcast, to Debut on HBO

    THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED, is a four-hour documentary series directed by Academy Award(R) nominee Amy Berg (“Deliver Us from Evil,” “West of Memphis”), that will explore the 1999 disappearance and murder of 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student Hae Min Lee, and the subsequent conviction of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, a case brought to global attention by the hugely popular “Serial” podcast. The docu series will debut on HBO in the U.S. and on Sky Atlantic in Europe. THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED will offer a cinematic look at the life and 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee and conviction of Adnan Syed, from the genesis of their high school relationship, to the original police investigation and trial, through to the current day, when Syed faces a new trial after serving 18 years in jail. With exclusive access to Adnan Syed, his family and his lawyers, director Amy Berg has been closely following their efforts to obtain justice, with the outcome still to be determined – and possibly shaped by the investigation pursued within the series itself. In production since 2015, THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lee’s disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day, when Syed awaits a new trial. Presenting new discoveries, as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the state’s case, and featuring exclusive access to Syed, the defense team, the Syed family, friends and teachers of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed, and members of City of Baltimore law enforcement, the series traces how the rush to justice and Syed’s conviction in 2000 raised more questions than answers about what happened to Hae Min Lee, underscoring the instability of memory and conflicting eyewitnesses. In June 2016, Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch vacated Adnan Syed’s conviction and granted him a new trial after new evidence challenged the reliability of cell phone data linking Syed to the crime scene, and a long-awaited alibi witness finally had her day in court. The State of Maryland appealed the lower court judge’s ruling, but on March 29, 2018, the Court of Special Appeals also ruled to vacate Syed’s conviction and granted him the retrial he has been waiting for.

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  • Oak Cliff Film Festival Announces 2018 Feature Film Lineup, Opens with Joan Jett’s Documentary BAD REPUTATION

    [caption id="attachment_29262" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]BAD REPUTATION BAD REPUTATION[/caption] Oak Cliff Film Festival yesterday announced the Feature Program lineup for the 7th annual edition of the festival, taking place June 14-17, 2018 at the historic Texas Theatre, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Kessler Theater, and numerous other venues around Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood. The schedule is comprised of twenty-five feature-length films, with ten of the films having their Texas premiere at this year’s festival. The festival also includes 40 short films, as well as filmmaking workshops, live music and parties. Kicking off proceedings with this year’s opening night film are director Kevin Kerslake and writer/editor Joel Marcus in attendance to present the Texas Premiere of BAD REPUTATION, their hard-rocking documentary on legendary rock-n-roll icon Joan Jett. The screening will be followed by a karaoke party behind the screen! The festival closes with NEVER GOIN’ BACK, a raunchy party comedy filmed and set in DFW, from Dallas filmmaker Augustine Frizzell and produced by Sailor Bear. Additional festival highlights include: MEOW WOLF: ORIGIN STORY, a documentary on the Santa Fe based artist collective famous for their unique and immersive multimedia art installations; a screening of the newly restored 1928 silent film classic THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, featuring a live score accompaniment composed by indie electronic artist George Sarah and performed by Curtis Heath and his Orchestra; The Zellner Bros’ new comedy western DAMSEL with the film’s composers, Austin-based indietronica band The Octopus Project, playing a live concert at The Texas Theatre; and director Penelope Spheeris in attendance for a new digital theatrical presentation of her rescued-from-obscurity and newly-restored 1987 punk rock western DUDES.

    Oak Cliff Film Festival 2018 Feature Program Lineup.

    OPENING NIGHT SELECTION

    BAD REPUTATION (USA, 95 mins) Dir. Kevin Kerslake TEXAS PREMIERE – Director Kevin Kerslake and writer/editor Joel Marcus in attendance Joan Jett is so much more than “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.” It’s true, she became mega-famous from the number-one hit, and that fame intensified with its endless play on MTV. But that staple of popularity can’t properly define a musician. Jett put her hard work in long before the fame, ripping it up onstage as the backbone of the hard-rock legends The Runaways, influencing many musicians—both her cohort of punk rockers and generations of younger bands—with her no-nonsense style.

    CLOSING NIGHT SELECTION

    NEVER GOIN’ BACK (USA, 85 mins) Dir. Augustine Frizzell DFW PREMIERE – Producers Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, Liz Cardenas in attendance w/ a special Skype-in from director Augustine Frizzell BFFs Angela (Maia Mitchell) and Jessie (Cami Morrone) are high school dropouts working dead-end waitressing jobs in the same shitty diner. Their dream vacation to sunny Galveston, Texas, is only a few shifts away. But after a drug deal goes bad and their home is invaded—and they have to serve a short stint in juvenile detention—their beach trip is in serious jeopardy. They’ll have to use every bit of guile their perpetually buzzed teenage brains can muster as they try to get (relatively) rich quick while wandering suburban Dallas.

    NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION

    BIRDS WITHOUT FEATHERS (USA, 84 mins) Dir. Wendy McColm DFW PREMIERE – Director Wendy McColm in attendance Desperate for human interaction, six emotionally damaged individuals put self respect on the line, shedding their disillusionment in a last grasp for happiness. Birds Without Feathers is a cruel-world dark comedy populated by struggling Instagram stars, Russian cowboys, Self-help gurus and more, as their lives crash and collide in astounding and awkward ways. DON’T LEAVE HOME (USA, 86 mins) Dir. Michael Tully DFW PREMIERE – Director Michael Tully in attendance Melanie Thomas is an American artist whose latest show recounts the infamous Irish urban legend of Father Alistair Burke, who painted a portrait of 8-year-old Siobhan Callahan in 1986. Days later, Siobhan went missing on the very morning that her figure miraculously vanished from the painting as well. Though absolved of any wrongdoing, Burke abandoned the priesthood and went into self-exile. After receiving a bad review before her opening, Melanie is contacted by the reclusive Burke, who offers to fly her to Ireland to create a new sculpture that he will help her to sell while she’s there. Telling no one where she’s going, Melanie never stops to consider that some urban legends are real. I AM NOT A WITCH (UK, ZAMBIA, 93 mins) Dir. Rungano Nyoni TEXAS PREMIERE When eight-year-old Shula turns up alone and unannounced in a rural Zambian village, the locals are suspicious. A minor incident escalates to a full-blown witch trial, where she is found guilty and sentenced to life on a state-run witch camp. There, she is tethered to a long white ribbon and told that if she ever tries to run away, she will be transformed into a goat. As the days pass, Shula begins to settle into her new community, but a threat looms on the horizon. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom. TIGERS ARE NOT AFRAID (Mexico, 83 mins) Dir. Issa López DFW PREMIERE Estrella (Paola Lara), a ten-year-old girl living in Mexico, finds herself the owner of three wishes soon after her mother disappears. After her wish first – the bring her mother back wish – has some unexpectedly frightening repercussions, she finds herself on the streets. Before too long, Estrella partners up with a young boy, El Shine (Juan Ramón López), and his band of orphaned boys. The newly formed group find themselves at war with the local cartel, witnessing and enduring things that no child should ever have to. VIRUS TROPICAL (Colombia, 96 mins) Dir. Santiago Caicedo DFW PREMIERE Born in a not-so-conventional family, Paola grows up between Ecuador and Colombia and finds herself unable to fit in any mold. With a unique feminine vision of the world, she will have to fight against prejudice and struggle for her independence while her universe is struck by a series of crises. Based on the graphic novel by Powerpaola. WINTER BROTHERS (Denmark, Iceland, 94 mins) Dir. Hlynur Pálmason TEXAS PREMIERE We follow two brothers working in the harsh environment of a rural chalk-mining community during a cold winter. Younger brother Emil, who distills moonshine made from stolen chemicals from the factory, is an outsider, an oddball, who made a conscious choice for loneliness and is only accepted by the mining community due to his older brother Johan. When a fellow worker becomes sick, the moonshine and Emil are prime suspects. Gradually a violent feud erupts between him and the tightly-knit mining community. Revenge, loneliness, and lack of love pervade this modern brother odyssey.

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

    BLACK MOTHER (USA, 77 mins) Dir. Khalik Allah TEXAS PREMIERE Part film, part baptism, director Khalik Allah mixes film formats from Super 8mm to HD, while experimenting with voice over audio techniques that cast his view between the prostitutes and churches of Jamaica. Black Mother creates a visual prayer of indelible portraits and an intimate polyphonic symphony. GOSPEL OF EUREKA (USA, 79 mins) Dir. Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri DFW PREMIERE Love, faith and civil rights collide in a southern town as evangelical Christians and drag queens step into the spotlight to dismantle stereotypes. The film takes a personal, and often comical look at negotiating differences between religion and belief through performance, political action, and partnership. Gospel drag shows and passion plays set the stage for one hell of a show.3-4 sentence summary here. INGRID (USA, 52 mins) Dir. Morrisa Maltz TEXAS PREMIERE – Filmmaker Morrisa Maltz in attendance Ingrid tells the story of a prominent Dallas fashion designer in the 80s–who dropped her life and ran off to the woods in order to pursue a personal and creative one. She has since become a total hermit and spends her time, creating clay sculptures and art out of rocks from the nearby creek. Ingrid peels off the layers of this woman’s persona, questioning what would drive a successful Texas fashion designer to immerse herself in nature to create and become an entirely self sufficient woman of the woods. MAISON DU BONHEUR (Canada, 62 mins) Dir. Sofia Bohdanowicz TEXAS PREMIERE Maison du bonheur is a documentary that studies the day-to-day life of a Parisian astrologer, Juliane Sellam, who has been residing in the same Montmartre apartment for over 50 years. As we listen to her muse about her life as an astrologer, Sellam moves through her daily routine: making her morning coffee, watering plants, putting on makeup. Each segment is narrated by Sellam or the filmmaker herself, slowly constructing a dual portrait of two very different but equally charming women. MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS (USA, 91 mins) Dir. Jake Meginsky and Neil Young DFW PREMIERE – Filmmaker Jake Meginsky in attendance This is the first ever feature-length portrait of renowned percussionist Milford Graves, exploring his kaleidoscopic creativity and relentless curiosity.Graves tells stories of discovery, struggle and survival, ruminates on the essence of ‘swing,’ activates electronic stethoscopes in his basement lab to process the sound of his heart, and travels to Japan where he performs at a school for children with autism, igniting the student body into an ecstatic display of spontaneous collective energy. Oscillating from present to past and weaving intimate glimpses of the artist’s complex cosmology with blistering performances from around the globe, MILFORD GRAVES FULL MANTIS is cinema full of fluidity, polyrhythm and intensity, embodying the essence of Graves’ music itself. OPUNTIA (Mexico/USA, 60 mins) Dir. David Fenster DFW PREMIERE – Filmmaker David Fenster in attendance In 1528 Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca crossed the Gulf of Mexico on a raft made of melted armor and slaughtered horses. Over the next eight years, experiences with various Native American groups transformed him from conquistador to shamanic healer. When he returned to Spain he wrote La Relación, a chronicle of his experiences in the “New World”. Using these writings and with help from a psychic medium, David Fenster (director) attempts to communicate with Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca through a prickly pear cactus, also known as Opuntia, the plant that saved him from starvation.

    SPOTLIGHT FEATURES

    BISBEE ‘17 (USA, 112 mins) Dir. Robert Greene TEXAS PREMIERE An old mining town on the Arizona-Mexico border finally reckons with its darkest day: the deportation of 1200 immigrant miners exactly 100 years ago. Townspeople confront this violent, misunderstood past by staging dramatic recreations of these devastating events. Directed by the Townspeople themselves, these recreations show the personal history of the families affected by the deporations on the 100th anniversary of their occurence. DAMSEL (USA, 112 mins) Dir. David Zellner and Nathan Zellner DFW PREMIERE – Film producers and composers The Octopus Project in attendance It’s the age of The Wild West, circa 1870. An affluent pioneer, Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson) ventures deep into the American wilderness to reunite with and marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). For his journey he brings Butterscotch, a miniature horse intended as a wedding present for his bride, and enlists drunkard Parson Henry (David Zellner) to conduct the ceremony. As they traverse the lawless frontier their once simple journey grows treacherous, and the lines between hero, villain, and damsel are blurred. HAL (USA, 90 mins) Dir. Amy Scott TEXAS PREMIERE In the 1970’s Hal Ashby spent 9 years pushing Hollywood norms directing an unconventional, uncompromising string of remarkable films — including The Landlord (1970), Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973) and Being There (1979) — that influenced generations of filmmakers to follow. His everlasting legacy on cinema is evident by the group of talented interview subjects including David O. Russell, Judd Apatow, Allison Andres and Jeff and Beau Bridges. However he failed to sustain success fighting for the importance of art and socially consciousness stories against the looming weight of Hollywood’s profit driven machine. HAL is a celebration of his lifework. HALF THE PICTURE (USA, 94 mins) Dir. Amy Adrion DFWPREMIERE – Penelope Spheeris in attendance for Q/A with Seed & Spark Founder Emily Best HALF THE PICTURE consists of interviews with high profile women directors, including Ava DuVernay, Jill Soloway, Lena Dunham, Catherine Hardwicke, Miranda July, Penelope Spheeris and many more. These artists discuss how they made their first features, how they transitioned to studio films or television, how they balance a demanding directing career with family, and the challenges and joys along the way. In addition, experts on gender inequality in Hollywood, including the ACLU’s Melissa Goodman, Vanity Fair’s Rebecca Keegan, and USC’s Dr. Stacy Smith, weigh in on the magnitude of this issue as women are shut out, across the board, of an industry that systemically denies women’s expression and point of view. MEOW WOLF: ORIGIN STORY (USA, 100 mins) Dir. Jilann Spitzmiller and Morgan Capps DFW PREMIERE – Filmmakers Morgan Capps and Jilann Spitzmiller in attendance A group of artists in Santa Fe, NM become a DIY collective called Meow Wolf. Their immersive, large-scale exhibitions crack open a profitable niche in the arts industry, even as their social mission is challenged by the demands of rapid success. The group’s members navigate fracture and loss for years in pursuit of their idealistic vision. When they spark the interest of George R. R. Martin and receive his support to take over an old bowling alley, Meow Wolf builds a massive exhibition with over 140 artists working at a breakneck pace. With the wild success of the House of Eternal Return, Meow Wolf now faces its own internal turmoil as it begins to change the lives of creatives everywhere. PITY (Greece, 97 mins) Dir. Babis Makridis TEXAS PREMIERE A miserable middle aged man enjoys only one thing in life, the sorrow from others. After his wife re-emerges from a long coma he’s willing to do anything to continue to evoke this emotion from those around him. Addicted to misery, this man seeks to maintain the only feeling to give him pleasure, pity. RELAXER (USA, 91 mins) Dir. Joel Potrykus DFW PREMIERE – Director Joel Potrykus, Cinematographer Adam J. Minnick and actor Andre Hyland in attendance Doom and gloom are on the way. The Y2K apocalypse can’t be stopped. Abbie’s older brother issues him the ultimate challenge before it goes down: stay on the couch until he beats the infamous Billy Mitchell record on Pac-Man by getting past level 256. No getting up, no matter what. No quitting. Abbie must survive inside a rotten living room with no food or water, and numbnut friends and toxic gas getting in his face. Luckily, Abbie’s secret 3D glasses begin to give him new abilities, controlling the powers of his tiny universe. SKATE KITCHEN (USA, 100 mins) Dir. Crystal Moselle TEXAS PREMIERE – Members of the filmmaking team in attendance Introverted skateboarder Camille befriends “The Skate Kitchen,” an all-girl skateboarding crew in New York City. She finds the home she never had with her mother in Long Island as she becomes part of the in-crowd. They quickly accept her into this wild new world of trick-shot videos and their own mania filled, underground, New York subculture. However this new friendship becomes tricky to navigate when she falls for a boy skateboarder from a rival group.

    REPERTORY

    BEING THERE (USA, 1979, 130 mins) Dir. Hal Ashby In one of his most finely tuned performances, Peter Sellers plays the pure-hearted, childlike Chance, a gardener who is forced into the wilds of Washington, D.C., when his wealthy guardian dies. Shocked to discover that the real world doesn’t respond to the click of a remote, Chance stumbles into celebrity after being taken under the wing of a tycoon (Melvyn Douglas, in an Oscar-winning performance), who mistakes his protégé’s horticultural mumblings for sagacious pronouncements on life and politics, and whose wife (Shirley MacLaine) targets Chance as the object of her desire. Being There is both deeply melancholic and hilarious; a the culmination of Hal Ashby’s remarkable string of films in the 1970s, and a carefully modulated examination of the ideals, anxieties, and media-fueled delusions that shaped American culture during that decade and still ring true today in 2018. DUDES (USA, 1987, 90 mins) Dir. Penelope Spheeris New DCP with Director Penelope Spheeris in attendance Penelope Spheeris’s 5th feature film which came after her punk soap SUBURBIA and was “released” the year before her magnum opus DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART II; DUDES, was never given much of a proper release. Distributors and exhibitors were confused on how to market the punk rock western and it quickly excited theaters. The home video VHS was its last available version until this years HD remaster by SHOUT FACTORY. The film, which features early Cinematography from future three time Oscar winner Robert Richardson and a fantastic punk / metal soundtrack featuring The VANDALS, JANES ADDICTION and MEGADETH exists in a late 80’s ahead of its time capsule. THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC with Live Score Accompaniment (France, 1928, 81 mins) Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer New Restoration with live score accompaniment composed by indie electronic artist George Sarah, performed by Curtis Heath and his orchestra Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy are brought to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent achievements of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the final hours leading up to her execution, Danish master Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy, employing an array of techniques—including expressionistic lighting, interconnected sets, and painfully intimate close-ups— to immerse viewers in her subjective experience. Anchoring Dreyer’s audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom. Thought to have been lost to fire, the film’s original version was miraculously found in perfect condition in 1981 in a Norwegian mental institution, heightening the mythic status of this widely revered masterwork.

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  • Scottish Films, Filmmakers, and Talent Celebrated At 72nd Edinburgh International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_29258" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Anna and the Apocalypse Anna and the Apocalypse[/caption] In its 72nd year, Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) has unveiled a rich selection of Scottish films, filmmakers, acting talent and films shot in Scotland as part of its 2018 Festival program. Opening with a spellbinding performance by acclaimed Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald in the highly regarded drama PUZZLE, this year’s program is set to showcase some of the very best features, shorts, documentaries, animations, exclusive events and talent from across the country. EIFF Artistic Director Mark Adams said: “Edinburgh International Film Festival is renowned around the world for discovering and promoting the very best in international cinema and Scottish talent has always been at the heart of that. The Festival’s program always helps shine the light on to Scottish themes, performances and filmmakers, and I am thrilled that once again we can celebrate this high-level of craftsmanship in past and present Scottish work in our 72nd year.” The Festival program will showcase a host of features filmed and set in Scotland, such as much-anticipated cult comedic horror/musical ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE, which was largely shot in and around Glasgow. The thriller CALIBRE, set against the backdrop of Beecraigs Country Park acting as the beautiful Scottish Highlands, stars Scottish actor Jack Lowden (England is Mine, Dunkirk) and is director Matt Palmer’s debut feature. The film is also in the running for this year’s prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature Film. EIFF audiences can look forward to Scottish produced pop-art drama MAKE ME UP by Glasgow-based video artist Rachel Maclean, the much-anticipated documentary WHITNEY, directed by Kevin Macdonald and ALMOST FASHIONABLE: A FILM ABOUT TRAVIS, a documentary directed by the front man of Scottish band Travis, Fran Healy. Fran and the other band members will be in attendance for the film’s World Premiere. Scottish director and former Michael Powell Award winner Kenny Glenaan’s DIRT ROAD TO LAFAYETTE, written by James Kelman, which follows a father and son’s journey from Scotland to North Alabama to visit their American/Scots relatives will also receive its World Premiere at the Festival. Also in the program are a number of documentaries by Scottish filmmakers, including BECOMING ANIMAL (one of the latest features from the Scottish Documentary Institute). Ece Ger’s MEETING JIM about Jim Haynes, the man who co-founded the Traverse Theatre and was fundamental to the growth of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will also have its World Premiere in Edinburgh in June. Meanwhile, Edinburgh-based documentarian and EIFF Honorary Patron Mark Cousins, will be on hand to introduce two of his latest projects THE EYES OF ORSON WELLES and STORM IN MY HEART. Scottish talent Shauna Macdonald can be seen on screen in horror, thriller WHITE CHAMBER, directed by Paul Raschid. Meanwhile, the work of Scottish actors Tommy Flanagan and EIFF Honorary Patron James Cosmo will be showcased, with Flanagan appearing in crime drama PAPILLON, produced by Joey McFarland, David Koplan, Ram Bergman and Roger Corbi, and Cosmo in Anthony Byrne’s IN DARKNESS alongside Natalie Dormer and Emily Ratajkowski. Audiences can again look forward to a preview of the hit Gaelic TV show BANNAN, filmed on the beautiful island of Skye. The BBC Alba show follows a young woman returning to the island she had left when she was 18, and gently blends tones of soap opera, family drama and murder mystery. The Festival will allow audiences to catch the first three episodes of the fifth series, followed by a Q&A. Taking a step back in time, EIFF will screen LONG SHOT by Maurice Hatton, which was filmed during the 1977 edition of the Festival and special event Behind the Curtain: Women & EIFF will be hosted by former EIFF Director Lynda Myles, who was the first female director of a film festival anywhere in the world, and Rachel Hosker, Archives Manager and Deputy Head of Special Collections at the University of Edinburgh. A selection of Scottish-linked animations are confirmed for this year’s program including Dorte Bengtson’s family film VITELLO, written by Kim Fupz Aakeson and produced by Anders Berthelsen and former EIFF chair Bob Last, who also produced the 2010 Oscar-Nominated animation THE ILLUSIONIST, featuring Doon Mackichan in the role of Mother. A sneak preview of Red Kite’s animated feature PRINCESS EMMY, co-produced by the award-winning Scottish animation studio and voiced by a host of Scottish actors, including John Hannah, will also screen. Animator Elizabeth Hobbs will be in Edinburgh to present a screening of her short animations. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Hobbs has a long history with EIFF and will present Elizabeth Hobbs: A Retrospective of Animated Work. Local cycling legend David Millar will be on hand to present Finlay Pretsell’s, TIME TRIAL, followed by an extended Q&A with Millar and TV presenter Ned Boulting. Scottish director, Bill Forsyth will also introduce a screening of his classic film, LOCAL HERO, and participate in an extended Q&A with Royal Lyceum Theatre Artistic Director David Greig. There will also be numerous Scottish shorts for audience members to enjoy including BLUE CHRISTMAS by Scottish director Charlotte Wells, Tom Chick’s MONUMENT: PARTS ONE AND TWO, Anna Stoltzmann’s MY HEAD ON THE MOUNTAIN, Evi Tsiligaridou’s THESE ARE MY HANDS and Francesco Rufini’s DOGMA. The Scottish Documentary Institute’s short film program Bridging the Gap – Love will also screen. Furthermore, there are shorts from the Scottish Film Talent Network (SFTN), which is supported by National Lottery funding from Creative Scotland and BFI NETWORK. SFTN forms the Scottish element of the BFI NETWORK, designed to discover, nurture and advance new and emerging filmmaking talent and is a consortium made up of the Centre for the Moving Image (CMI), DigiCult and Hopscotch Films. The shorts this year include 12 POINT KILL, BUNNY, I WAS HERE, LIFT SHARE, MY LONELINESS IS KILLING ME, NONE OF THE ABOVE and TOMORROW MIGHT BE THE DAY. SFTN short animation WIDDERSHINS will also screen as part of The McLaren Award: New British Animation 1 alongside LAUNDROMAT, a graduate film from Edinburgh College of Art’s Bafta winning Animation course, directed by Madeleine Sayers.

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  • Jodie Foster And Dean Tavoularis To Receive AFI Conservatory Honorary Degrees

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    Jodie Foster And Dean Tavoularis To Receive AFI Conservatory Honorary Degrees The American Film Institute (AFI) will confer AFI Conservatory Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa upon Academy Award-winning actor/director Jodie Foster and Academy Award-winning production designer Dean Tavoularis. They will be recognized for their contributions to the art of the moving image during the AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony on June 11, 2018, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. Foster and Tavoularis join an esteemed group of distinguished past Honorary Degree recipients, including Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Saul Bass, Kathryn Bigelow, Mel Brooks, Carol Burnett, Anne V. Coates, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, Nora Ephron, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Kasdan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Angela Lansbury, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino, Robert Towne, Cicely Tyson, Haskell Wexler and John Williams. See the full list here.

    Jodie Foster

    Actor, director, producer and icon Jodie Foster has more than 100 screen credits to her name, including an Academy Award® nomination at age 14 for her role in Martin Scorcese’s TAXI DRIVER (1976), and two Academy Award® wins — for her performance as a sexual assault survivor seeking justice in THE ACCUSED (1988), and for her career-defining role as FBI Agent Clarice Starling in Jonathan Demme’s THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991). She also received an Oscar® nomination for NELL (1994), which she co-produced. As an actress, her work includes films as vast and varied as TOM SAWYER (1973), ALICE DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANYMORE (1974), BUGSY MALONE (1976), FREAKY FRIDAY (1976), FOXES (1980), MAVERICK (1994), CONTACT (1997), PANIC ROOM (2002), A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (2004), FLIGHTPLAN (2005), INSIDE MAN (2006), THE BRAVE ONE (2007), CARNAGE (2011) and ELYSIUM (2013), among others. She next stars in HOTEL ARTEMIS (2018). Her work as a director and producer — which has earned multiple Primetime Emmy® and Directors Guild of America Award nominations — includes LITTLE MAN TATE (1991), HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1995), THE BEAVER (2011) and MONEY MONSTER (2016), as well as standout episodes of prestige TV series such as BLACK MIRROR, HOUSE OF CARDS and ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK.

    Dean Tavoularis

    Dean Tavoularis has collaborated with legendary filmmakers Michelangelo Antonioni, Arthur Penn, Warren Beatty and Roman Polanski to create the iconic and disparate worlds of ZABRISKIE POINT (1970), BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967), BULWORTH (1998) and THE NINTH GATE (1999), respectively — but it is his work with legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola that truly defines his exemplary career as a production designer. His prolific partnership with Coppola began with THE GODFATHER (1972), followed by THE CONVERSATION (1974) and THE GODFATHER PART II (1974), which earned him the Academy Award® for Best Art Direction. His work continued with Coppola on APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), TUCKER: THE MAN AND HIS DREAM (1988) and THE GODFATHER PART III (1990) — all of which earned Tavoularis Oscar® nominations — as well as ONE FROM THE HEART (1981), THE OUTSIDERS (1983), RUMBLE FISH (1983) and PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED (1986). Tavoularis also received an Oscar® nomination for William Friedkin’s THE BRINK’S JOB (1978). Additional credits include THE ESCAPE ARTIST (1982), THE PARENT TRAP (1998) and CARNAGE (2011). He received the prestigious Art Directors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

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  • Watch First Trailer For Highly Anticipated Feature Film Adaptation Of REGIONRAT

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    Regionrat A new trailer for the forthcoming Regionrat, the highly anticipated film adaptation of Richard Laskowski’s coming-of-age novel, has been released. Starring Connor Williams, of the upcoming Valley Girl, the film tells the story of a young man who returns to his depressed hometown to finish his final year of school. Prolific Pictures are representing the film at Cannes. Regionrat is a darkly comedic coming-of-age drama about Ray, academic misfit and slacker extraordinaire, who tries to keep his head down to finish his last year of high school, but can’t catch a break. Ray lives in the Region, an industrial wasteland in Northwestern Indiana. The residents there are known as “regionrats,” because they’ll eat anything and are hard to kill. Ray is hard to kill, but the Region will try. He’s Ferris Bueller on a losing streak, learning lessons he didn’t need to learn, the hard way. In the end, Ray finds his way out, but he’ll go through hell to get there. Javier Reyna directs Regionrat, also starring Natassia Halabi and Nova Gaver, which is due for release later this year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mduHIdVVnCU&feature=youtu.be

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  • VIANEY, Documentary on Hip Hop Artist Vianey Otero/So Icey Trap, to Premiere at Mammoth Lakes Film Festival [Trailer]

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    So Icey Trap, Vianey Otero Documentary “Vianey” is an intensely personal documentary portrait about the life and hardships of the New Jersey and Bronx based underground hip hop artist Vianey Otero, also known by the stage name So Icey Trap. The U.S. West Coast Premiere of the film will be held at the Mammoth Lakes Film Festival in Mammoth Lakes, CA, on Fri May 25th. The film reveals the raw reality behind growing up on the streets, the lure of escorting, everyday life in jail, and being a female artist in the music industry. Visually, the film takes the viewer on a meditative journey through the important locations of Vianey’s life. So Icey Trap, Vianey Otero Documentary “Vianey” is an unlfiltered coming-of-age story, and also a story about the struggles of the low-income working class in modern day America. When rent is due, the body becomes a commodity. Marko Vuorinen, the director of “Vianey”, is a Helsinki-based and internationally awarded documentarian, artist and writer. Vuorinen works in the borderland between film and visual arts. He approaches filmmaking as a form of contemporary art. Mammoth Lakes Film Festival showcases the work of emerging, innovative filmmakers. Our past juries have included Andrew Lazar (Producer of AMERICAN SNIPER), Allison Amon (Producer of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES), and John Feidler (Producer of SERIAL MOM and PECKER). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPnecaZq5ws

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  • Horror Anthology Series from Guillermo del Toro Coming Soon To Netflix

    [caption id="attachment_29217" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro[/caption] Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is coming to Netflix with a new genre-defining anthology series titled Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight. Del Toro will present a collection of personally curated stories, that are both equally sophisticated and horrific. With this first live-action series, del Toro and Netflix extend their collaboration, which began with the award-winning animated series Trollhunters. On Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight, creator and executive producer del Toro will bring his own visionary style as both a writer and director to certain episodes. In addition, he will hand pick a team of the genre’s best writers and exciting new filmmakers to bring his selection of stories to life. Del Toro reteams with The Shape of Water producer J. Miles Dale, who serves as executive producer, along with Gary Ungar (Exile Entertainment). Guillermo del Toro Presents 10 After Midnight is a Netflix production, and its first original horror anthology series. Guillermo del Toro is the writer and director of the Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water, which earned four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score and Best Production Design. Del Toro is the creator of the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning DreamWorks Trollhunters on Netflix, which will return for a third season later this year. His previous films alternate between Spanish-language dark fantasy pieces, such as The Devil’s Backbone (2001), and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), winner of three Academy Awards; and American studio movies, such as the vampire superhero action film Blade II (2002), the supernatural adventures Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008); and the science fiction monsters-versus-robots film Pacific Rim (2013).

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  • Actor Chadwick Boseman Inspires Graduates at Howard University’s 2018 Commencement Ceremony [Video]

    [caption id="attachment_29211" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Chadwick Boseman delivers the 2018 commencement address at Howard University. Chadwick Boseman delivers the 2018 commencement address at Howard University.[/caption] Award-winning actor and alumnus Chadwick Boseman delivered the Howard University 2018 commencement address. “I stand here today knowing that my Howard University education prepared me to play Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall and T’Challa,” said Boseman. “But what do you do when the principles and standards that were instilled in you at Howard close the doors in front of you? Sometimes you need to get knocked down before you can really figure out what your fight is and how you need to fight it.” Boseman described career obstacles that, although difficult, eventually led him to his true calling. “When you are deciding on next jobs, next steps, further education…you would rather find purpose than a job,” said Boseman. “Purpose crosses disciplines. It is the reason that you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill. Whatever you choose for a career path, remember the struggles along the way are only meant to shape you for your purpose.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIHZypMyQ2s

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  • 49th Nashville Film Festival Kicks off With Steven Tyler’s Documentary + Announces Winners of Short Film Competition

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    [caption id="attachment_29208" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The President’s Visit, The President’s Visit,[/caption] The 49th Annual Nashville Film Festival opened with the Steven Tyler’s documentary Steven Tyler: Out on a Limb, along with a bonus performance by Steven Tyler and The Loving Mary Band, and the first awards for short films competition winners, that include Academy Award eligibility. Winners of the 2018 Nashville Film Festival jury prizes were announced at a ceremony last night where The President’s Visit, Weekends and ’63 Boycott became eligible for submission for the 2019 Academy Awards, as long as they otherwise meet all other eligibility requirements. Awards were announced by Festival’s Artistic Director, Brian Owens. The winning films take home cash and prizes valued at over $35,000. Past winning films have included Academy Award-winner Bear Story and Academy Award-nominated Borrowed Time. The Grand Jury Prize in the Narrative Shorts Competition was awarded to The President’s Visit, directed by Cyril Aris. The Prize for Best U.S. Narrative Short was given to Debris, directed by Julio O. Ramos, and the Prize for Best International Short was awarded to Icarus, directed by Nicolas Boucart. Honorable Mention for Best U.S. Short was given to Emergency, directed by Carey Williams. Honorable Mention for Best International Short went to Miss Wamba, directed by Estefania Cortés. Tom Doran was given a Special Jury Prize for his performance in Time Traveler and Shaquita Lopez was given a Special Jury Prize for her performance in Audition. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short was awarded to the almost impressionistic, Weekends, directed by Trevor Jiminez. The animation jury presented Honorable Mention to Hybrids, directed by Florian Brauch, Kim Tailhades, Matthieu Pujol, Romain Thirion and Yohan Thireau. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary Short was given to ’63 Boycott, directed by Gordon Quinn. Tightly Wound, directed by Shelby Hadden, and While I Yet Live, directed by Maris Curran, were given Honorable Mentions. The Grand Jury Prize for Best Experimental Short went to director Douwe Dijkstra, for Green Screen Gringo. Honorable Mention was given to Strangers, directed by Eve Duhame and Julian Vallée. The Grand Jury Prize for Best College Student Short went to Schoolyard Blues, directed by Maria Eriksson-Hecht. Lunch Time, directed by Alireza Ghasemi, was named Honorable Mention, while Luca Caruso-Moro was given a Special Jury Prize for Cinematography for Every Grain of Rice. The Best Graveyard Shift Short Grand Jury Prize went to Socks on Fire: Uncle John and the Copper Headed Water Rattlers, directed by Bo MaGuire. Paralys, directed by John Boisen and Björn Fävremark, took home the Honorable Mention while a Special Jury Prize Unique and Important Storytelling was awarded to The Devil is in the Details, directed by Fabien Gorgeart. In the Tennessee First category for films made in Tennessee and/or by Tennessee residents, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Narrative Short was awarded to Hillary Bell’s Hunter. Clarksville, 1937, directed by Karen Bullis and Kathy Lee Heuston, was named Best Tennessee Documentary Short, and Pilots, directed by Jason Luckett, won Best Tennessee Student Short. The Order, directed by Chad Cunningham, was given an Honorable Mention, Best Tennessee Narrative Short and QWERTY, directed by John McAmis, took home the Special Jury Prize for Best Tennessee Animated Short. The Young Filmmakers Grand Jury Prize was awarded to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Suburbia, directed by Alex Alford and Zak Denley. That prize comes with an offer of a $20,000 scholarship to Watkins College of Art, Design and Film.

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  • 16 African Feature Films and Documentaries Projects Selected for 9th Durban FilmMart

    [caption id="attachment_29193" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]9th Durban FilmMart : Zinder, The Seeds of Violence, (Niger) - Director: Aicha Macky. Producer: Clara Vuillermoz, Ousmane Samassekou, 9th Durban FilmMart : Zinder, The Seeds of Violence, (Niger) – Director: Aicha Macky. Producer: Clara Vuillermoz, Ousmane Samassekou,[/caption] A total of 16 fiction feature films and documentaries projects from Africa have been selected to pitch at this year’s Durban FilmMart (DFM), which takes place from July 20 to 23, 2018 during the 39th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) (July 19 to 29 ). A joint programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s film industry development unit, the Durban Film Office (DFO) and the DIFF, the Durban FilmMart aims to showcase and increase awareness of African cinema through stimulating film production on the continent by encouraging collaborations amongst African filmmakers. “We are thrilled to announce the 2018 DFM Official Project selection,” says Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office. “These sixteen projects were carefully picked from over 130 applications and will join the DFM team in Durban to partake in a two-day preparatory workshop, followed by two days of public pitching, round tables, and individual meetings, where they will face industry professionals (Broadcasters, funds, festivals and distribution and production company representatives) to negotiate support for their projects.” The eight documentaries and eight feature fictions this year have been selected from Egypt, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Libya, Niger and South Africa representing a dynamic range of work-in-progress and collaborations between the various countries and nationalities. “This year’s selection profiles an eclectic mix of stories from across Africa, bringing some new talents to the Durban FilmMart that we are excited to present to attending industry professionals,” says Monty. “We would like to congratulate all the selected projects on their success and thank all directors and producers who took the time to apply with their projects.” 9th Durban FilmMart 9th Durban FilmMart 9th Durban FilmMart

    Durban FilmMart 2018 Official Project Selection

    Fiction

    Blood & Honey, (Egypt) – Producer: Mohamed Siam, Guillaume de Seille, Director: Mohamed Siam Insila kashaka, (South Africa) – Producer: Sibongile Nene, Director: Brian Khawula, Sibongile Nene, Country Nyanga / The Horn, (Zimbabwe) – Producer: Sue-Ellen Chitunya, Brett Michael Innes, Director: Brett Michael Innes Snake, (South Africa) – Producer: Paul Egan, Stanford Gibson and Mustapha Hendricks, Director: Meg Rickards Streams, (Tunisia) – Producer: Moufida Fedhila, Director: Mehdi Hmili Of Virtue, (South Africa) – Producer: David Horler, Director: Imran Hamdulay Plunderer, The, (Nigeria) Producer: Ikechukwu Omenaihe Director: Didi Cheeka Porta-Retrato, (Mozambique) – Producer: Aldino Languana, Osvaldo Lupini Bambamba, Director: Orlando Mabasso Jr.

    Documentaries

    At Dawn, (Nigeria) – Producer / Director: Adeyemi Michael Cheese Girl, (South Africa) – Producer: Batana Vundla, Marion Isaacs, Director: Milisuthando Bongela Fitrah: To Be as God Created You, (South Africa) – Producer: Kelly Scott, Director: Richard Finn Gregory How to Steal a Country (And win it back.), (South Africa) – Producer: Zivia Desai, Rehad Desai, Director: Mark Kaplan, Rehad Desai Master’s Plan, The, (Cape Verde) – Producer: Hanne Phlypo, Director: Yuri Ceuninck Mother City, (South Africa) – Producer: Pearlie Joubert, Miki Redelinguys, Director: Pearlie Joubert, Miki Redelinguys Searching for Kikhia, (Libya) – Producer: Desert Power / Christina Carvalho, Director: Jihan Kikhia Zinder, The Seeds of Violence, (Niger) – Producer: Clara Vuillermoz, Ousmane Samassekou, Director: Aicha Macky

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  • Las Vegas Film Festival Reveals 2018 Shorts, Labs and College Shorts Showcases Lineup

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    2018 Las Vegas Film Festival Poster The Las Vegas Film Festival  followed up its impressive initial programming lineup with even more programming for the upcoming 11th edition of the festival – including shorts, labs and college shorts showcases.  The 2018 Festival will take place June 6 to 10 at Brenden Theatres and Palms Casino Resort.

    SHORTS

    [O] (Director: Mario Radev) – A film that imitates nature in its manner of operation, depicting animated cycles in a world entirely based on sound frequency and vibration. After Her (Director: Laura Heberton) – A wayward teenage girl goes missing and her friend is haunted by her disappearance. An atmospheric sci-fi about first love and the lost girl. Counterfeit Kunko – In a city that houses millions, Smita discovers a strange prerequisite to renting a house in middle-class Mumbai. She would make an ideal tenant, except for one glaring flaw—she is an Indian woman without a husband. Emergency (Director: Joenique C. Rose) – Faced with an emergency situation, a group of young Black and Latino friends carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police. Footprint (Director: Laura Heberton) – FOOTPRINT is a purely observational meditation on how different people engage with the World Trade Center Memorial, exploring the ways we choose to commemorate tragedy in the age of technology, social media, and changing attitudes toward patriotism. Grandma’s House (Director: Savanah Joeckel) – Carol returns to a familiar position. Milk and Cookies (Director: Andrew Ramsay) – Grace is five. She wants milk and cookies. Everyday. Real bad. Nevada (Director: Emily Hoffman) – A young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth-control mishap in this stop-motion animated comedy. Painting with Joan (Director: Jack Robbins) – Are you curious about Minnesota’s #3 public-access painting show? Satellite Strangers (Director: James Bascara) – A strange cacophony. Symphony of a Sad Sea (Director: Carlos Morales) – Hugo, a Mexican child and victim of violence, flees his hometown with one single dream: crossing to the United States to meet his father and leave his past behind. The Blazing World (Director: Andrew Carlberg) – Margaret has been plagued with dreams of a strange world since she was a little girl. After a mysterious man with a map visits her one night, she decides to give in to the incessant calls of The Blazing World. THE PASSAGE (Director: Kitao Sakurai) – Phil, wide-eyed and mute, is on the run after escaping captivity. Three Course (Director: Noah Pitifer) – A server struggles with a three course meal. Thrifters (Director: Jake Pepito) – In the fiercely competitive world of second-hand chic, a loyal “thrifting duo” faces drama and challenges. We Summoned A Demon (Director: Chris McInroy) – They just wanted to be cool. Instead, they got a demon. Yule Tidings (Director: Charles Cantrell) – Trying to land their places in Hollywood royalty, two dudes prepare for their Christmas party. But when danger presents itself next door, they quickly get lured into a rabbit hole full of black magic and bunnies.

    COLLEGE SHORTS SHOWCASES

    The Festival’s three college showcases feature a collection of short films produced by students from UNLV, CSN and NSC. The College Shorts Showcases will be held Wednesday, June 6 and will feature the following: UNLV Showcase: Programmed by Francisco Menendez, UNLV Professor and Artistic Director CSN Showcase: Programmed by John C. Aliano, CSN Program Director and Instructor NSC Showcase: Programmed by Adam Davis, NSC Assistant Professor and Interim Department Chair

    FESTIVAL LABS

    Returning this year, for the fifth time, is a program that has become a community favorite, the Music Video Lab. Local filmmakers are given a $400 grant to produce a music video for a local band that premieres at the Festival. Participating bands this year include Paige Overton (Directors: Danny Chandia and Rachel Johnson), OLAN (Director: Engie Herrera), The American Weather (Director: Tony Clifford), Sonia Barcelona (Director: Savanah Joeckel), Cameron Calloway (Director: Brett Levner) and Indigo Kidd (Director: Zachary VanTilborg). The Music Video Lab screening will take place Sunday, June 10. Another favorite local program, the Young Cinema Lab, returns for a fourth year. Children are taught how to write a screenplay with the assistance of UNLV film students, who each receive a $300 grant. The Las Vegas Film Festival then helps the UNLV filmmakers bring the screenplay to life with a special screening event at the Festival, to be held Saturday, June 9. This year’s films include: Cat Ear Trio (Director: Patrick Gonzales; Screenwriter: Hayden Balino, age 9) Rise of the Carrots (Director: Diana Sheik Yosef; Screenwriter: Ava Trundle, age 10) The Doge (Director: Sam Rodriguez; Screenwriter: Constantine Holmes, age 7) The Four Square King (Director: Aaron Lockheart; Screenwriter: Aces Umlauf, age 9) The Game (Director: Blake Gilmore; Screenwriter: Kane Trundle, age 11) The Power Dangers (Director: Brandon Mowles: Screenwriter: Raffi, age 6) Trouble over Time (Director: Rose Nordberg; Screenwriter: Paige, age 10) Weird Things (Director: Shane Gallo; Screenwriters: Olivia Runco, age 7 and Xander Peachey, age 9)

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  • Sheffield Doc/Fest Alternate Realities Exhibition 2018 to Feature 27 Interactive and Immersive Projects

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    [caption id="attachment_29185" align="aligncenter" width="899"]Vestige Vestige[/caption] The 2018 Sheffield Doc/Fest Alternate Realities Exhibition, supported by Arts Council England, features 27 interactive and immersive projects; including 1 game, 1 augmented reality, 3 interactive documentaries, 3 installations, 9 virtual reality installations and 10 mobile VR projects; plus special events, talks and industry sessions. 2018 audiences will be treated to 9 World, 5 International, 6 European and 6 UK premieres, as well as 1 festival premiere. Spread over two floors at Trafalgar Warehouse, the exhibition comprises a lower ground space entitled The World Unknown to You which will feature virtual and augmented reality, video games and digital installations that take the audience into the lives of others. The floor above entitled Better Known Truths, supported by the DDD60 project, is a communal space in which synchronous virtual reality shows will bring audiences together to experience 360º documentaries from around the world. Doc/Fest 2018 also features four Alternate Realities Special Live events: The Dark Room, The Incredible Playable Show, Reeps One: We Speak Live Music and DOUBLETHINK. All Alternate Realities projects, except Special Live events, are competing across three award categories: the Virtual Reality award, Alternate Realities Interactive award and Audience Award. All award winners will be announced at the Sheffield Doc/Fest Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 12 June. In addition to the Alternative Realities exhibition, The Alternate Realities Summit (supported by Arts Council England) is taking place on Sunday 10 June. The morning session will explore the theme of Portrayals, whilst the afternoon will focus on the topic of Union. Three keynote speakers taking part in the summit are: William Uricchio who leads the MiT open Doc lab, Ruthie Doyle from the Sundance Institute and Zahra Rasool, the lead of Al Jazeera’s Contrast VR team (based in Doha/Washington/NYC). Artists featured in Better Known Truths in the Alternate Realities Exhibition will examine how we reflect the culture, identity and history of a diverse selection of contributors within 360º documentary; while those in The World Unknown to You will debate how different types of interactive and immersive artists use different interfaces/media to bring us together to celebrate our collective humanity. Compared by Sharna Jackson (Arts & Digital Consultant) and Emma Cooper (Creative Digital Consultant). The festival opens on Thursday June 7, the Alternate Realities exhibition will be open to audiences for the duration of the festival. Alternate Realities Special Live events will take place on the following dates: June 8th: Reeps One: We Speak Live Music, June 9th: The Dark Room, June 11th: The Incredible Playable Show and June 8th/9th/10th/11th/12th: DOUBLETHINK.

    ALTERNATE REALITIES SPECIAL EVENTS

    Reeps One: We Speak Music Live (World premiere, UK, 2018, 75 mins, prod. Live Cinema UK / Get Involved) World class beatboxer and vocal artist Reeps One presents the world premiere of his new live show We Speak Music Live, which blends the latest technology, stunning visuals, and unbelievable vocal performances to explore the human voice and self-expression. Reeps One will take part in a Q&A after the screening to talk about the crossover between music, science and mental health with a neuroscientist. The Dark Room (UK, 2018, 60 mins, dir. John Robertson, prod. Charlotte Austin) Comedian John Robertson’s smash-hit live-action adventure game is coming to Sheffield for a one-off Doc/Fest special at Trafalgar Warehouse. Look out for bespoke documentary and Sheffield references, as you awake to find yourself in a Dark Room. Stuck inside with your fellow audience members you must work together to escape. You, the audience, must choose-your-own adventure and select an option. Will you: A) Find the light switch? B) Go North? C) Cry for help? The Incredible Playable Show (UK, 2018, 60 mins, dir. Alistair Aitcheson) An award-winning live video game show where you, the audience, take to the stage. Become human buttons, zap each other with barcode scanners, and play Pac-Man using inflatable toys. Or sit back, and watch your friends literally become cogs in a hilarious machine. Interactive ringmaster Alistair Aitcheson brings the madcap hilarity of his theatrical gaming mashup to Sheffield for a special performance at Doc/Fest. Referencing iconic Sheffield landmarks, themes from the Alternate Realities programme like memory and data and lampooning the documentary world in its own unique idiom. The Sheffield chapter of Incredible Playable can only be experienced as part of Doc/Fest’s Alternate Realities programme in Trafalgar Warehouse DOUBLETHINK (World premiere, UK, 2018, 15 mins, creators. Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard, prod. Phantoscopic) Experience DOUBLETHINK and be faced with a binary decision: enter the container marked HATE or the one marked HOPE. But choose wisely, because you can’t experience both… DOUBLETHINK is an immersive video installation by renowned artists and filmmakers Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard (20,000 Days on Earth), written by Stuart Evers and performed by George MacKay (Pride, Sunshine on the Leith). Created specifically for Sheffield Doc/Fest with support from Wellcome and in consultation with mental health researchers.

    THE INTERACTIVE AWARD & AUDIENCE AWARD – PROJECTS IN COMPETITION:

    Belongings (UK premiere; USA, 2018, 20 mins, creator. John-Paul Marin, Matt Smith, Tea Uglow, Kirstin Sillitoe, prod. Megan Gibbon, Jonathan Richards, Installation) Experience an intimate interaction with displaced people and their stories of identity, resilience and hope. Cosmic Top Secret (UK premiere; Denmark / Australia, 2018, 60 mins, creator. Trine Laier, prod. Lise Saxtrup, Interactive Documentary) An autobiographical adventure game about a girl called T who wants to find out what her Dad did for the Danish Intelligence Service during the Cold War. Homo Machina (European premiere; France / Germany, 2018, 90 mins, creator. Marc Lustigman, Noam Roubah, Olivier Bonhomme , prod. Laura Fournier, Claire Léger, Interactive Documentary) Dive into a fantastic universe where the human body becomes a gigantic mechanised factory, inspired by Fritz Kahn’s medical illustrations. The Loss Levels (Festival premiere; UK, 2018, 4 mins, creator. Dan Hett, prod. Dan Hett, Game) A deeply personal yet playful story of loss based on the artist’s personal experience during the 2017 terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena. Sensible Data / Mixed Emotions (World premiere; Switzerland, 2018, 5 mins, creator. Martin Hertig, prod. Martin Hertig, Installation) Discover how the machine sees you and decide whether that re-informs how you see yourself. Terminal 3 (European premiere; USA / Pakistan, 2018, 12 mins, creator. Asad J. Malik, prod. Jill Klekas, Jake Sally, Nigel Tierney, Zeda Stone, Augmented Reality) Explore contemporary Muslim identities in the US through the lens of an airport interrogation. The Voice of the Unicorn (World premiere; Japan / UK, 2018, loop, creator. Richard Butchins, prod. Richard Butchins, Patrick Knill, Installation) A provocative exploration of the art of the non-verbal that challenges how we see and understand language, disability, art and alienation. Where is Home (UK premiere; Nigeria / Canada, 2017, 30 mins, creator. Ifeatu Nnaobi, prod. Ifeatu Nnaobi, Interactive Documentary) A journey through West Africa that asks the simple question What is home?, but reveals a complex range of thought provoking answers.

    THE VIRTUAL REALITY AWARD & AUDIENCE AWARD – PROJECTS IN COMPETITION:

    The Day The World Changed (International premiere; USA / Japan, 10 mins, 2018, creator. Gabo Arora, Saschka Unseld, prod. Jennifer Tiexiera, Virtual Reality Installation) An intimate history and commemoration of the victims and survivors of atomic bombings and nuclear arms testing through first-hand testimonies. Face To Face (World premiere; USA, 2018, 45 mins, creator. Michelle Gabel, Michaela Holland, prod. Ivana Jiron, Virtual Reality Installation) (Festival Commission) A compelling installation based on the life of Michelle Fox, who wears a facial prosthetic due to a near fatal gun injury. A Sheffield Doc/Fest commission, supported by Arts Council England. Hold The World with David Attenborough (European premiere; UK, 2017, 90 mins, creator. Dan Smith, prod. John Cassy, Virtual Reality Installation) A unique one on one encounter with a digitally realised Sir David Attenborough, in which he teaches you how to examine remarkable specimens from the Natural History Museum’s collection. Is Anna OK? (UK premiere; UK, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Camila Ruz, prod. Tom Burton, Ben Curtis, Virtual Reality Installation) A true story of twins thrown apart by one night. Step into their shoes and a beautifully illustrated world, explore memories through objects, and uncover what happened from both perspectives. Inside a Mind at War (UK premiere; USA, 2017, 22 mins, creator. Sutu, prod. Jake Sally, Amy Rosner, Michelle Zauzig, Jackie Westfall, Virtual Reality Installation) Explore PTSD and the banal horrors of war through hand-drawn 3D illustrations of Scott England’s memories. Life in VR – California Coast (World premiere; UK, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Charlotte Jones, Tom Burton, Phil Stuart, prod. Kevin Jorge, David Bradshaw, Virtual Reality Installation) Experience life in the ocean from the microscopic to the truly gigantic and prepare to encounter the unexpected in an underwater world bursting with life. Manic VR (World premiere; Canada, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Kalina Bertin, Sandra Rodriguez, Fred Casia, prod. Sandra Rodriguez, Bob Moore, Nicolas S. Roy, Virtual Reality Installation) Uncover an extraordinary exploration into the exuberant, frightening, chaotic – but also beautiful – worlds of a bipolar imagination. Porton Down (World premiere; UK, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Don Webb, Callum Cooper, Sam Von Ehren, Anna Meller, prod. Constance Nuttall, Virtual Reality Installation) Relive the experiences of an ex-serviceman who unwittingly found himself in a bizarre, mind-altering military trial that changed the course of his life. Vestige (European premiere; UK / France / USA, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Aaron Bradbury, Paul Mowbray, prod. Paul Mowbray, Antoine Cayrol, Jill Klekas Basmajian, Virtual Reality Installation) Journey into the mind of Lisa as she remembers her lost love, Erik through a series of fragmented memories. Authentically Us: We’re Still Here (European premiere; USA, 2017, 3 mins, creator. Jesse Ayala, prod. Amy Seidenwurm, Anna Therese Day, Lauren Burmaster, Paula Cuneo, Mobile VR) Step into the life of Aiden ShortCould a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggling to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time. Berlin Paris Terror (UK premiere; Germany, 2017, 20 mins, creator. Jürgen Brügger, Jörg Haaßengier, Astrid Schult, Ricarda Saleh, prod. Dorothee Pitz, Maik Bialk, Sophie Schulenburg, Mobile VR) Experience the memories of the first responders and surviving hostages of the major terrorist incidents in Germany and Paris. Every King Tide (International premiere; Australia, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Aaron Fa’Aoso, Craig Deeker, Greer Simpkin, prod. Greer Simpkin, Tanith Glynn-Maloney, Mobile VR) Poruma island in the Torres Strait of Australia is slowly being swallowed by the sea, hear a first-person perspective of a community’s spirit & passion for the island they call home. Grenfell: Our Home (World premiere; UK, 2018, 20 mins, creator. Jonathan Rudd, prod. Nicki Chandris, Alessandra Bonomolo, Mobile VR) An experience that combines powerful interviews with beautiful animation to visualise the memories of home still held by the survivors of the Grenfell fire of 14 June 2017. Life After Hate: Meeting a Monster (International premiere; USA, 2017, 10 mins, creator. Gabriela Arp, prod. Gabriela Arp, Mobile VR) Witness Angela King relive the memories and motivations of the eight years she spent inside the white power movement and the path she took to get out. Sanctuaries of Silence (European premiere; USA, 2017, 8 mins, creator. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Adam Loften, prod. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Adam Loften, Mobile VR) A mindful and thought-provoking film that highlights the impact of noise pollution on a journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America. The Journey (World premiere; USA, Germany, Hong Kong, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Charlotte Windle Mikkelborg, prod. Toby Fricker, Tanya Turkovich, Mobile VR) Journey through childhood in three of the toughest environments on Earth. The Real Thing (International premiere; France, 2018, 16 mins, creator. Benoit Felici, Mathais Chelebourg, prod. Benjamin Landsberger, Mobile VR) Step into a copy of our world, exploring real-life stories inside China’s replicas of Paris, Venice and London. This Is Climate Change: Feast & Famine (International premiere; USA, Somalia, Brazil, Greenland, 2018, 18 mins, creator. Danfung Dennis, Eric Strauss, prod. Diana El-Osta, Catherine Yrisarri, Mobile VR) Confront our new reality of catastrophic weather events that are displacing communities and transforming landscapes with alarming speed. [caption id="attachment_29184" align="aligncenter" width="1350"]Yemen's Skies of Terror Yemen’s Skies of Terror[/caption] Yemen’s Skies of Terror (World premiere; Yemen, 2018, 6 mins, creator. Viktorija Mickute, Joi Lee, Zahra Rasool, prod. Viktorija Mickute, Joi Lee, Zahra Rasool, Zahra Rasool, Mobile VR) Witness a rare glimpse of life inside Yemen and learn about the reality of childhood in a country that has suffered three years of devastating air raids falling from the skies.

    THE FULL ALTERNATE REALITIES EXHIBITION LINE-UP – BY STRAND:

    THE WORLD UNKNOWN TO YOU

    Belongings (UK premiere; USA, 2018, 20 mins, creator. John-Paul Marin, Matt Smith, Tea Uglow, Kirstin Sillitoe, prod. Megan Gibbon, Jonathan Richards, Installation) Experience an intimate interaction with displaced people and their stories of identity, resilience and hope. Cosmic Top Secret (UK premiere; Denmark / Australia, 2018, 60 mins, creator. Trine Laier, prod. Lise Saxtrup, Interactive Documentary) An autobiographical adventure game about a girl called T who wants to find out what her Dad did for the Danish Intelligence during the Cold War. Face To Face (World premiere; USA, 2018, 45 mins, creator. Michelle Gabel, Michaela Holland, prod. Ivana Jiron, Virtual Reality Installation) (Festival Commission) A compelling installation based on the life of Michelle Fox, who wears a facial prosthetic due to a near fatal gun injury. A Sheffield Doc/Fest commission, supported by Arts Council England. Hold The World with David Attenborough (European premiere; UK, 2017, 90 mins, creator. Dan Smith, prod. John Cassy, Virtual Reality Installation) A unique one on one encounter with a digitally realised Sir David Attenborough, in which he teaches you how to examine remarkable specimens from the Natural History Museum’s collection. Homo Machina (European premiere; France / Germany, 2018, 90 mins, creator. Marc Lustigman, Noam Roubah, Olivier Bonhomme , prod. Laura Fournier, Claire Léger, Interactive Documentary) Dive into a fantastic universe where the human body becomes a gigantic mechanised factory, inspired by Fritz Kahn‚ Äôs medical illustrations. The Day The World Changed (International premiere; USA / Japan, 10 mins, 2018, creator. Gabo Arora, Saschka Unseld, prod. Jennifer Tiexiera, Virtual Reality Installation) An intimate history and commemoration of the victims and survivors of atomic bombings and nuclear arms testing through first-hand testimonies. Is Anna OK? (UK premiere; UK, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Camila Ruz, prod. Tom Burton, Ben Curtis, Virtual Reality Installation) A true story of twins thrown apart by one night. Step into their shoes and a beautifully illustrated world, explore memories through objects, and uncover what happened from both perspectives. Inside a Mind at War (UK premiere; USA, 2017, 22 mins, creator. Sutu, prod. Jake Sally, Amy Rosner, Michelle Zauzig, Jackie Westfall, Virtual Reality Installation) Explore PTSD and the banal horrors of war through hand-drawn 3D illustrations of Scott England’s memories. Life in VR – California Coast (World premiere; UK, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Charlotte Jones, Tom Burton, Phil Stuart, prod. Kevin Jorge, David Bradshaw, Virtual Reality Installation) Experience life in the ocean from the microscopic to the truly gigantic and prepare to encounter the unexpected in an underwater world bursting with life. The Loss Levels (Festival premiere; UK, 2018, 4 mins, creator. Dan Hett, prod. Dan Hett, Game) A deeply personal yet playful story of loss based on the artist’s personal experience during the 2017 terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena. Manic VR (World premiere; Canada, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Kalina Bertin, Sandra Rodriguez, Fred Casia, prod. Sandra Rodriguez, Bob Moore, Nicolas S. Roy, Virtual Reality Installation) Uncover an extraordinary exploration into the exuberant, frightening, chaotic – but also beautiful – worlds of a bipolar imagination. Porton Down (World premiere; UK, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Don Webb, Callum Cooper, Sam Von Ehren, Anna Meller, prod. Constance Nuttall, Virtual Reality Installation) Encounter the experiences of an ex-serviceman who unwittingly found himself in a bizarre, mind-altering military trial that changed the course of his life. Sensible Data / Mixed Emotions (World premiere; Switzerland, 2018, 5 mins, creator. Martin Hertig, prod. Martin Hertig, Installation) Discover how the machine sees you and decide whether that re-informs how you see yourself. Terminal 3 (European premiere; USA / Pakistan, 2018, 12 mins, creator. Asad J. Malik, prod. Jill Klekas, Jake Sally, Nigel Tierney, Zeda Stone, Augmented Reality) Explore contemporary Muslim identities in the US through the lens of an airport interrogation. Vestige (European premiere; UK / France / USA, 2018, 15 mins, creator. Aaron Bradbury, Paul Mowbray, prod. Paul Mowbray, Antoine Cayrol, Jill Klekas Basmajian, Virtual Reality Installation) Journey into the mind of Lisa as she remembers her lost love, Erik through a series of fragmented memories. The Voice of the Unicorn (World premiere; Japan / UK, 2018, loop, creator. Richard Butchins, prod. Richard Butchins, Patrick Knill, Installation) A provocative exploration of the art of the non-verbal that challenges how we see and understand language, disability, art and alienation. Where is Home (UK premiere; Nigeria / Canada, 2017, 30 mins, creator. Ifeatu Nnaobi, prod. Ifeatu Nnaobi, Interactive Documentary) A journey through West Africa that asks the simple question What is home?, but reveals a complex range of thought provoking answers.

    BETTER KNOWN TRUTHS

    Authentically Us: We’re Still Here (European premiere; USA, 2017, 3 mins, creator. Jesse Ayala, prod. Amy Seidenwurm, Anna Therese Day, Lauren Burmaster, Paula Cuneo, Mobile VR) Step into the life of Aiden ShortCould a Two-Spirit artist and historian in Boise, Idaho, struggling to preserve and revive his heritage in a race against time. Berlin Paris Terror (UK premiere; Germany, 2017, 20 mins, creator. Jürgen Brügger, Jörg Haaßengier, Astrid Schult, Ricarda Saleh, prod. Dorothee Pitz, Maik Bialk, Sophie Schulenburg, Mobile VR) Experience the memories of the first responders and surviving hostages of the major terrorist incidents in Germany and Paris. Every King Tide (International premiere; Australia, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Aaron Fa’Aoso, Craig Deeker, Greer Simpkin, prod. Greer Simpkin, Tanith Glynn-Maloney, Mobile VR) Poruma island in the Torres Strait of Australia is slowly being swallowed by the sea, hear a first-person perspective of a community’s spirit & passion for the island they call home. Grenfell: Our Home (World premiere; UK, 2018, 20 mins, creator. Jonathan Rudd, prod. Nicki Chandris, Alessandra Bonomolo, Mobile VR) An experience that combines powerful interviews with beautiful animation to visualise the memories of home still held by the survivors of the Grenfell fire of 14 June 2017. Life After Hate: Meeting a Monster (International premiere; USA, 2017, 10 mins, creator. Gabriela Arp, prod. Gabriela Arp, Mobile VR) Witness Angela King relive the memories and motivations of the eight years she spent inside the white power movement and the path she took to get out. Sanctuaries of Silence (European premiere; USA, 2017, 8 mins, creator. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Adam Loften, prod. Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Adam Loften, Mobile VR) A mindful and thought-provoking film that highlights the impact of noise pollution on a journey into Olympic National Park, one of the quietest places in North America. The Journey (World premiere; USA, Germany, Hong Kong, 2018, 10 mins, creator. Charlotte Windle Mikkelborg, prod. Toby Fricker, Tanya Turkovich, Mobile VR) Journey through childhood in three of the toughest environments on Earth. The Real Thing (International premiere; France, 2018, 16 mins, creator. Benoit Felici, Mathais Chelebourg, prod. Benjamin Landsberger, Mobile VR) Step into a copy of our world, exploring real-life stories inside China’s replicas of Paris, Venice and London. This Is Climate Change: Feast & Famine (International premiere; USA, Somalia, Brazil, Greenland, 2018, 18 mins, creator. Danfung Dennis, Eric Strauss, prod. Diana El-Osta, Catherine Yrisarri, Mobile VR) Confront our new reality of catastrophic weather events that are displacing communities and transforming landscapes with alarming speed. Yemen’s Skies of Terror (World premiere; Yemen, 2018, 6 mins, creator. Viktorija Mickute, Joi Lee, Zahra Rasool, prod. Viktorija Mickute, Joi Lee, Zahra Rasool, Zahra Rasool, Mobile VR) Witness a rare glimpse of life inside Yemen and learn about the reality of childhood in a country that has suffered three years of devastating air raids falling from the skies

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