• ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT, MY NAME IS MYEISHA and More Among Lineup for Inaugural Toronto True Crime Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_29103" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT[/caption] The Toronto True Crime Film Festival will have its first annual edition this June 8th to 9th, 2018 at The Royal Cinema and Monarch Tavern in Toronto. The inaugural lineup includes five film screenings and three symposium events, with 15% of all pass and ticket sales being donated to charity.

    FILMS

    ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT Dir. Skye Borgman / USA / 2017 / 91 min / International Premiere ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT is a stranger-than-fiction documentary about the Brobergs; a naïve, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor who would stop at nothing to be with their twelve-year-old daughter. You will not believe how bizarre this true tale of obsession gets! Screens with short film MAYBE IF IT WERE A NICE ROOM (Dir. Alicia K. Harris, Canada, 2016). MY NAME IS MYEISHA Dir. Gus Krieger / USA / 2018 / 82 min / Canadian Premiere The award-winning Slamdance hit MY NAME IS MYEISHA is a hip-hop musical inspired by the 1998 police shooting of California teen Tyisha Miller (as well as countless other acts of police brutality against African American citizens) and adapted from the internationally acclaimed play, Dreamscape. Screens with Oscar-nominated short film TRAFFIC STOP (Dir. Kate Davis, USA, 2017). THE STRANGER Dir. Nicole Nielsen Horanyi / Denmark / 2017 / 100 min / Canadian Premiere ​After meeting the man of her dreams on Facebook, Amanda finds herself being swept off her feet by Casper, the dedicated father and charming heir to a family fortune. There’s only one problem—everything that Casper has told her is a lie. This documentary-narrative hybrid is made all the more fascinating with reenactments played out almost entirely by the actual characters of this twisted story of an imposter. Fans of the investigative podcast Dirty John will find themselves being drawn in by the similar themes of love, lies, and con artistry in THE STRANGER and won’t want to miss this DOC NYC Grand Jury Prize-winning film. Screens with short-film 42 COUNTS (Dir. Jill Gevargizian, USA, 2018). HOSTAGES Dir. Rezo Gigineishvili / Georgia | Russia | Poland / 2017 / 103 min / Canadian Premiere ​HOSTAGES is a tension-filled drama based on the true story of a 1983 airplane hijacking by a group of Georgian youth trying to escape the Soviet Union. Screens with short film DON’T BE A HERO (Dir. Pete Lee, USA, 2018). MONSTER Dir. Patty Jenkins / USA / 2003 / 109 min The film programming is rounded out by a 15th-anniversary screening of Patty Jenkin’s Academy Award-winning biopic MONSTER, which tells the tale of one of the world’s most infamous female serial killers, Aileen Wuornos. Screens with short film THE SANDMAN (Dir. Lauren Knapp, USA, 2017). The symposium section will feature three daytime events through which audiences can get up close and personal with true crime professionals and media practitioners whose work centers on the world of true crime. First up is the panel “Why Do Women Love True Crime?” presented by Investigation Discovery, America’s top-rated women’s network. Featuring ID’s own Keila Woodard, as well as filmmaker Catherine Legge (Met While Incarcerated) and more to be announced, this panel will look at womens’ historical engagement with true crime fandom, from the Victorian era to today. Next, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies presents visiting filmmaker and writer Rémy Bennett, who will present “L.A. Despair: Chasing Death with John Gilmore,” a multimedia presentation exploring the life and work of the late Noir and true crime writer John Gilmore that is a meditation on the relationship between pop-cultural crime landmarks of the past century and celebrity iconography viewed amidst the landscape of the tragedies he chronicled. And finally the symposium will close with the star-studded panel “The Rise of the Armchair Detective,” moderated by author Naben Ruthnum (who writes crime stories under the pen name Nathan Ripley), which looks at non-law enforcement professionals who have taken it upon themselves to investigate – and sometimes solve! – ongoing and cold cases, including journalists Christine Pelisek (who broke L.A’s Grim Sleeper case) and Kevin Flynn (who broke the Sheila LaBarre case), filmmaker Joshua Zeman (A&E’s The Killing Season, Cropsey), Bek and Tyler Allen of The Minds of Madness podcast and more to be confirmed.

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  • THE SHAPE OF WATER Leads Nominations for 19th Golden Trailer Awards

    [caption id="attachment_25167" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Shape Of Water Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER.[/caption] The Shape of Water along with Hitman’s Bodyguard lead the nominations for the 19th annual Golden Trailer Awards competition that has emerged as the most recognized event devoted to the artistry of film marketers and companies that create movie trailers, commercials and posters worldwide. GTA 19 will take place on Thursday, May 31st at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles hosted by comedienne and actress Michelle Buteau (“The Tick,” “Broad City,” “Key & Peele”).

    19th Golden Trailer Awards Nominations

    Best Independent Trailer

    The Florida Project, “Trailer,” A24, Mark Woollen & Associates I, Tonya, “Haters,” Neon, Zealot Thoroughbreds, “Red Band Trailer,” Focus Features, Motive The Shape of Water, “Connection,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Under the Silver Lake, “Trailer 1,” A24, Motive

    Best Documentary

    The China Hustle, “Trailer,” Magnolia, Zealot City of Ghosts, “Promise,” Amazon Studios, MOCEAN Icarus, “Distance,” Netflix, GrandSon Won’t You Be My Neighbor, “Trailer,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates Three Identical Strangers, “Reunited,” Neon, Zealot

    Best Drama

    All The Money In The World, “Power,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Darkest Hour, “Trailer,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates The Shape of Water, “Escape,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Megan Leavey, “Mission,” Bleecker Street, Open Road Chappaquiddick, “Conspiracy,” Entertainment Studios, MOCEAN

    Best Comedy

    Game Night, “Welcome,” New Line Cinema, MOCEAN Uncle Drew, “Uncle Drew,” Lionsgate, Seismic Productions Sorry to Bother You, “Voice,” Annapurna Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc. Lady Bird, “Domestic Trailer #1,” A24 Films, Giaronomo Productions Gringo, “Friendly,” Amazon, GrandSon

    Best Horror

    A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Place | Teaser – Listen,” Paramount, Ignition Insidious: The Last Key, “Family,” Universal Pictures, Buddha Jones Mother!, “Puzzle,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Place,” Paramount, AV Squad Hereditary, “Hereditary,” A24, AV Squad

    Best Action

    Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Team,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group Black Panther, “Crown,” Walt Disney Studios, Create Advertising Group Tomb Raider, “SURVIVOR,” Warner Bros., Ant Farm Avengers: Infinity War, “Millions,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN Rampage, “Battle,” Warner Bros., Aspect

    Best Animation / Family

    The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, “Clara,” Walt Disney Pictures, TRANSIT Peter Rabbit, “Home,” Sony Pictures, Create Advertising Group Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck It Ralph 2, “Wired Refresh,” Disney/Pixar, MOCEAN Isle Of Dogs, “Domestic Trailer #1,” Fox Searchlight, Giaronomo Productions Despicable Me 3, “Mojo,” Universal Pictures, Workshop Creative

    Best Fantasy Adventure

    Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, “New World,” Sony, TRANSIT Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, “Expelliarmus,” Warner Bros., Jax Thor: Ragnarok, “New Journey,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “Rebellion Reborn DCM Trailer,” Walt Disney Studios / Lucasfilm, Tiny Hero Solo: A Star Wars Story, “Something,” Disney, Disney In-house

    Best Music

    The Greatest Showman, “Imagination,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card All The Money In The World, “True Story,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Ocean’s 8, “7 People,” Warner Bros. Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc. Pacific Rim: Uprising, “Untouchable,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job

    Best Summer Blockbuster Trailer

    Ocean’s 8, “7 People,” Warner Bros., Trailer Park, Inc. Mission: Impossible – Fallout, “CHOICE,” Paramount Pictures, Ant Farm The Incredibles 2, “Illegal,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Deadpool 2, “Comeback,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Kingdom,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job

    Best Teaser

    Murder on the Orient Express, “Suspect,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Red Sparrow, “Program,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Deadpool 2, “Cable Red,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN Mortal Engines, “London,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Avengers: Infinity War, “Balance,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN

    Best Thriller

    Annihilation, “Mission,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Unsane, “Believe,” Bleecker Street, Buddha Jones The Commuter, “The Commuter,” Lionsgate, AV Squad It Comes At Night, “It Comes at Night,” A24, AV Squad Sicario Day of the Soldado, “Win,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, MOCEAN

    Best Video Game Trailer

    Assassin’s Creed Origins, “Order of The Ancients,” Ubisoft, Sunny Side Up Creative Assassin’s Creed: Origins, “Legend,” Ubisoft, Buddha Jones Far Cry 5, “Story Trailer,” Ubisoft, Buddha Jones Call of Duty: WWII, “Call of Duty:WWII – Reveal Trailer,” Activision, gnet Outlast Series Switch Trailer, “Outlast Series Trailer for the Nintendo Switch,” Red Barrels, Altar Creative

    Golden Fleece

    Proud Mary, “Rolling, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Flatliners, “Relax,” Sony Pictures & Columbia Pictures, Buddha Jones Death Wish, “Reaper,” MGM, Create Advertising Group The Meg, “Carnage,” Warner Bros., Trailer Park, Inc. Snowman, “Domestic Trailer #1,” Universal Studios, Giaronomo Productions

    Most Original Trailer

    Thoroughbreds, “Red Band Trailer,” Focus Features, Motive Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Deadpool 2, “Paintings – Bob Ross Trailer,” 20th Century Fox, MOCEAN/Big Picture Hereditary, “Hereditary,” A24, AV Squad Patti Cake$, “PATTI CAKE$ Lyric Video,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Studio Cadre & Ruff Mercy

    Best Independent Trailer (for film budget shot under a million US)

    Still/Born, “Still/Born Trailer,” Vertical Entertainment, Jay Gartland Ghost House, “Ghost House Trailer,” Vertical Entertainment, Jay Gartland Gemini, “Trailer,” Neon, Mark Woollen & Associates MEAT, “COMPLEX,” M.P.I, Dhruv Kumar The Endless, “The Endless “Cult” Official Trailer,” Well Go USA Entertainment, Sequence Creative

    Best Motion/Title Graphics

    Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Ready Player One, “Hall H,” Warner Bros. , Buddha Jones THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, “Bond”,” Lionsgate, Seismic Productions Thoroughbreds, “Twisted,” Focus Features, GrandSon Slice, “Line Rider,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Original Score

    Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Ignite,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Avengers: Infinity War, “Millions,” Disney/Marvel, MOCEAN The Incredibles 2, “Illegal,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Good Time, “Feelin It,” A24, GrandSon The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Make New Friends,” Lionsgate, In House

    Best Romance

    Our Souls at Night, “Sunday Love Teaser,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Love, Simon, “Courage,” 20th Century Fox, TRANSIT Call Me By Your Name, “Call Me By Your Name,Theatrical Trailer,” Sony Pictures Classics, The Grossmyth Company Mamma Mia 2, “Memories,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Adrift, “Bon Voyage,” STX Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc.

    Best Sound Editing

    Baby Driver, “Heist,” Sony, Wild Card Baby Driver, “Tekillyah,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Trailer Park, Inc. Mother!, “Puzzle,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Pacific Rim Uprising, “Pacific Rim Uprising,” Universal, AV Squad Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “Rebellion Reborn” DCM Trailer, Walt Disney Studios / Lucasfilm, Tiny Hero

    The Don LaFontane Award for Best Voice Over

    Micro Machines World Series Trailer, “Micro Machines World Series,” Deep Silver/Codemasters, YellowPike Media Mudbound, “Trailer,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Ninja Theory Mother!, “FEAR,” Paramount Pictures, Ant Farm The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Bonus Sh*t!,” Lionsgate, Tiny Hero

    Trashiest Trailer

    Father Figures, “Every Dad,” Warner Bros., Create Advertising Group The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Bonus Sh*t!,” Lionsgate,Tiny Hero The Little Hours, “The Little Hours,” Gunpowder & Sky, Jump Cut Creative Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Make New Friends”, Lionsgate, In House Sharknado 5: Global Swarming, “Stronger,” SyFy, AV Squad

    Best Foreign Action Trailer

    Salut – 7, “Salyut -7,” Eugeny Makharashvili, Butterfly Effect Beyond the edge, “Beyond the edge TRL,” KINODANZ, On/Off Production The Outsider, “Never Go Back,” Netflix, Jax Rubicon, “Trailer,” RFG, Most, Chechen Film, Alexandr Serzhantov The Villainess, “The Villainess, Official US Trailer,” Well Go USA Entertainment, Red Circle, Inc.

    Best Foreign Animation Family Trailer

    In This Corner Of The World, “International Trailer,” Manga, Editpool Bilal, “Unite,” Vertical, Zealot Monster Hunt 2, “Adventure,” EDKO Films Ltd., Trailer Park, Inc. Here Comes the Grump, “Here Comes The Grump Trailer,” GFM Films, Zealot UK Kikoriki. Dejavu, “Kikoriki. Dejavu,” The Riki Group, Stanislav Ivanov

    Best Foreign Comedy Trailer

    The Death Of Stalin, “US Trailer,” IFC, Intermission Film The Square, “Trailer,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates THE PARTY, “Trailer 1,” Roadside Attractions, Big Science Film Swinging Safari, “Swinging Safari Trailer,” Becker Film Group, Zealot UK Blockbuster, “Blockbuster Trailer,” NETFLIX, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Documentary Trailer

    Faces Places, “Trailer,” Cohen Media Group, Mark Woollen & Associates Charcoal Burner Nights, Zeitraum Film, Trailerhaus GmbH McLaren, “McLaren Trailer,” Gunpowder & Sky, Zealot UK Devil’s Freedom, “JUNKY SKULL,” ANIMAL DE LUZ, ART Kingdom Yellow is Forbidden, “Couture,” Madman/NZ Film Commission, AV Squad

    Best Foreign Drama Trailer

    One Percent, “Trailer,” See Pictures, Zealot The Eternal Feminine, “The Eternal Feminine,” Luxbox , Good Hands Peace Breaker first trailer, “Peace Breaker first trailer,” Nurostar Rubicon, “Trailer,” RFG, Most, Chechen Film, Alexandr Serzhantov A Fantastic Woman, “A Fantastic Woman Trailer,” Curzon Artificial Eye, Intermission Film

    Best Foreign Horror Trailer

    From A House On Willow Street, “From A House On Willow Street.” Fat Cigar, The First Order Ghost Stories, “Trailer,” Lionsgate UK, Intermission Film Killing Ground, “Trailer,” IFC, Zealot The Secret Of Marrowbone, eOne, SILK FACTORY Slumber, “Slumber Trailer,” Goldcrest Films, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Independent Trailer

    BPM, “Trailer,” The Orchard, Mark Woollen & Associates Moka, “Driven,” Film Movement, PK Creative Edie, “Trailer,” Arrow Films, Editpool Double Lover, “Lust,” Cohen Media Group, AV Squad IN THE AISLES, Zorro Film GmbH, Requination/Niemiproduktion

    Best Foreign Music Trailer

    MY GENERATION, “My Generation – UK Trailer,” Lionsgate, SILK FACTORY Youth, “Youth,” Nurostar Witnesses, “Silent” Trailer,” RFG, ARK PICTURES, Alexandr Serzhantov Foundling, “Foundling “Trailer,” Amedia Production, 1tv, Andrei Solodovnikov Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, Universal Pictures International, Muniq Creative Agency

    Best Foreign Romance Trailer

    About Love. Adults Only, Stanislav Ivanov From the Land of the Moon, IFC, Zealot A Fantastic Woman, Sony Pictures Classic, The Grossmyth Company Submergence, Embankment Films, Zealot UK Breathe, Bleecker Street, Zealot UK

    Best Foreign Teaser

    Coach, Kinoslovo/DK Entertainment, Vadzim Khudabets The Whiskey Bandit Viszkis Film, Film Force Team, Peter Varsics Yardie, Studiocanal, Intermission Film Viy 2: The Mystery of the Dragon’s Seal, “Visit”, RFG, Alexandr Serzhantov Wings of the Empire, 3xmedia, 1tv, Andrei Solodovnikov

    Best Foreign Thriller Trailer

    Killing Ground, IFC, Zealot THE GIRL IN THE FOG, Studio Canal, Silk Factory Luna, Universum Film, Trailerhaus GmbH Beast, Altitude, Intermission Film Double Lover, “Lust” Cohen Media Group, AV Squad

    Most Original Foreign Trailer

    The Square, Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Frontier, Studio “KIT,” Stanislav Ivanov Youth, Nurostar Ichi The Killer, Well Go USA Entertainment, Sequence Creative Jeannette, Luxbox, Good Hands

    Best Action TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Poppy Dance,” 20th Century Fox, Trailer Park, Inc. Wonder Woman, “Together :60,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Black Panther, “Entourage :60,” Walt Disney Pictures, AV Squad Deadpool 2, “Save Me / Tea,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Tomb Raider, “:30 “Brilliant,” Warner Bros., Mob Scene Creative & Productions

    Best Animation / Family TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Greatest Showman, “World,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group Ferdinand, “Week Before Xmas,” 20th Century Fox Animation, MOCEAN Wonder, “TV60 “You Are A Wonder,” Lionsgate, Markus Wernig – Offramp Creative Inc. Isle Of Dogs, “:30TV “Sic Em,” Fox Searchlight, Giaronomo Productions Despicable Me 3, “Evil Mastermind,” Universal Pictures , Workshop Creative

    Best Comedy TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Mofo Count” :30,” Lionsgate, Outpost Media Thoroughbreds, “Society Story,”Focus Features, Buddha Jones The Disaster Artist, “Make Movie,” A24, GrandSon Daddy’s Home 2, “Let’s Hold Hands,” Paramount Ocean’s 8, “7 People Cutdown,” Warner Bros. Pictures, Trailer Park, Inc.

    Best Documentary TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Jim and Andy: The Great Beyond, “Andy,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates I Am Not Your Negro, “PBS Independent Lens – I Am Not Your Negro,” ITVS RBG, “Truth,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Faces Places, “Cutdown 30,” Cohen Media Group, Mark Woollen & Associates Icarus, “RIVETING,” Netflix, Ant Farm

    Best Drama TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The 15:17 to Paris, “Departure,” Warner Bros., Wild Card Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, “Pointy,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Motive The Shape of Water, “Tale of Love,” Fox Searchlight, Mark Woollen & Associates War for the Planet of the Apes, “Fear :30,” Fox, AV Squad Mudbound, “Beautiful,” Netflix, GrandSon

    Best Fantasy Adventure TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Thor: Ragnarok, “Thor: Ragnarok, “Mjolnir” Digital,” Disney, Aspect Ready Player One, “Fantasy,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, “OogaChaka,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero Ready Player One, “Come With Me 60,” Warner Bros., Statement Advertising Jumanji, “Worlds Apart :60,” Sony Pictures, Big Picture

    Best Foreign TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Selfie, “Selfie TV Spot “Double,” Stanislav Ivanov The Square, “Museum,” Magnolia Pictures, Mark Woollen & Associates Okja, “Ready Action,” Netflix, Bond Youth, “Youth and Fire,” Nurostar Black Water, “Koch Media Film,” Muniq Creative Agency

    Best Graphics in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    War for the Planet of the Apes, “War / Letters,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Notes From The Field, “Graphic Tease,” HBO, Buddha Jones Get Out, “Poetic Review,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job THE SPY WHO DUMPED ME, “TSR BOND,” LIONSGATE, Seismic Productions Thoroughbreds, “Princess,” Focus Features, GrandSon

    Best Horror TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Alien: Covenant, “Born Neo,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card IT, “:30TV “Friends,” Warner Bros., Aspect Mother!, “Experience,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones A Quiet Place, “Survive,” Paramount Pictures, Project X/AV Insidious: The Last Key, “Invite :30,” Sony Pictures, AV Squad

    Best Independent TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Thoroughbreds, “Shall We,” Focus Features, Motive Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, “Just About Right,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Motive Mudbound, “Land Cutdown,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates The Killing of a Sacred Deer, “Me,” A24, GrandSon Lady Bird, “Playgirl,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Music TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Bright, “Heroes/Danger MGK” Trailer,” Netflix, AV Squad Life Itself, “Love,” Amazon Studios, Trailer Park, Inc. Tomb Raider, “Lara,” Warner Brothers, Cole Barager/ Deva Studios Ocean’s 8, “7 People Cutdown,” Warner Bros.,Trailer Park, Inc. Black Panther, “Women of Wakanda,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Original Score TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Phantom Thread, “Taste,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones Phantom Thread, “Dying to Wear,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones Phantom Thread, “Triumph Review :60,” Focus Features, Buddha Jones The Greatest Showman, “Different,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group

    Best Romance TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Phantom Thread, “Dream,” Focus Features, Mark Woollen & Associates Fifty Shades Freed, “BROUGHT TO LIFE,” Universal Pictures, Ant Farm Life Itself, “Love,” Amazon Studios, Trailer Park, Inc. Love, Simon, “Digital “Heart,” 20th Century Fox, Aspect The Shape of Water, “Princess Without a Voice,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing

    Best Sound Editing in a TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Atomic Blonde, “Begin,” Universal, Wild Card Baby Driver, “Hip-Hop,” Sony Pictures, Project X|AV Star Wars: The Last Jedi, “It’s Time,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. The Killing of a Sacred Deer, “Me,” A24, GrandSon Black Panther, “Team,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Summer Blockbuster TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Solo: A Star Wars Story, “So Low Super Bowl,” Disney, Disney In-house Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, “Miracle,” Universal Pictures, Inside Job Solo: A Star Wars Story, “45TV “Crew,” Disney, Aspect Deadpool 2, “Save Me / Tea,” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card Deadpool 2, “Selfless.” 20th Century Fox, Wild Card

    Best Thriller TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Dunkirk, “Dunkirk | TV 60 – Never Surrender,” Warner Bros, Ignition Annihilation, “Evolution :60,” Paramount Pictures, Buddha Jones Suburbicon, “Doors :60,” Paramount, AV Squad The Shape of Water, “Ticking Thriller,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, MOCEAN Unsane, “Never Safe,” Bleecker Street, Open Road

    Best Video Game TV Spot

    Overwatch, “Dare,” Blizzard Entertainment, Mark Woollen & Associates Call of Duty WW2, “Heroes,” Activision, Aspect Gran Turismo Sport, “GT Sport – Go Get It,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Call of Duty: WWII, “Call of Duty: WWII Story Trailer,” Activision, gnet PUBG, “PUBG – Unknown Air,” PUBG Corp., gnet

    Best Voice Over TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    Atomic Blonde, “Modern Woman,” Universal, Wild Card Coco, “Coco – “You Know” – Christian Lanz,” Disney – Pixar, Create Advertising Insidious: The Last Key, “Welcome To New Mexico,” Sony, BOND Guardians Of The Galaxy 2, “Get it!,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “#1 Movie!,” Lionsgate, Tiny Hero

    Golden Fleece TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Mummy, “Thrill Kids,” Universal Pictures, Rogue Planet Fifty Shades Freed, “Happy Ending,” Universal Pictures,Trailer Park, Inc. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, “Reviewing Evil with Chris Hardwick,” Screen Gems, Viacom Velocity Flatliners, “Relax :30,” Sony Pictures & Columbia Pictures, Buddha Jones The Dark Tower, “Battle,” Sony Pictures, Create Advertising Group

    Most Original TV Spot (for a Feature Film)

    The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “Mofo Count” :30,” Lionsgate, Outpost Media I, Tonya, “Mirror,” Neon, Zealot Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Poppy Dance,” 20th Century Fox, Trailer Park, Inc. Insidious: The Last Key, “Welcome To New Mexico,” Sony, Bond The House, “Frank’s Place,” New Line Cinema, MOCEAN

    Best Action (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Narcos: S3, “Succession,” Netflix, TRANSIT Jessica Jones S2, “Official Trailer “Control,” Netflix, Aspect Jack Ryan, “Brave – Super Bowl,” Amazon, Jax The Punisher, “The Punisher – Reflections,” Netflix, gnet Altered Carbon,”Altered Carbon – Last Night I Died Again,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Animation / Family (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Big Mouth S1, “Official Trailer “Life,” Netflix, Aspect Bojack Horseman S4, “Official Trailer “Missing,” Netflix, Aspect Trollhunters, “Trailer,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Spirit Riding Free, Dreamworks Animation Television, Jamestown Productions Trollhunters Tales of Arcadia – Season 3, Dreamworks Animation Television, Outpost Media

    Best Comedy (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    American Vandal, “Conspiracy,” Netflix, Zealot Future Man, “Future Man | Trailer – Time Travel,” Hulu, Ignition Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT GLOW, “Become,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Hidden America: Season 2, “Travel,” Seeso, AV Squad

    Best Documentary/Reality (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    National Geographic, “One Strange Rock Trailer,” 2C Creative Wormwood, “Disappeared,” Netflix, Wild Card Rock and a Hard Place “Redemption” Trailer”, HBO, AV Squad Flint Town, “System,” Netflix, GrandSon Bobby Kennedy for President, “Change,” Netflix, Mob Scene Creative & Productions

    Best Drama (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, “Last Resort – Trailer,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates The Alienist, “Game,” TNT, Zealot Mr. Robot, “Democracy,” USA Network, Buddha Jones Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Westworld Season 2, “Locked Inside,” HBO, Jax

    Best Fantasy Adventure (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Game of Thrones, “Legendary,” HBO, Editpool Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. Legion – season 2, “Everything,” FX, Create Advertising Group The Tick, “Team,” Amazon Studios, Create Advertising Group Game of Thrones Season 7, “Survive,” HBO, Jax

    Best Foreign (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    The Pack (Wataha) “Season 2 Heartbeat Teaser,” HBO Europe Dark: S1, “Tick Tock,” Netflix, TRANSIT Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones O Mecanismo, “Greed,” Netflix, BOND YOU ARE WANTED S2 FOR AMAZON PRIME VIDEO, Amazon Prime Video, Pantaleon Films GmbH, Warner Bros. Entertainment GmbH, BDA Creative GmbH

    Best Graphics (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT Real Time with Bill Maher, “Open Our Eyes,” HBO, Buddha Jones Rotten The Future, “Netflix,” Buddha Jones Lady Dynamite, “Fancy Guest,” Netflix, GrandSon The Punisher, “The Punisher – Reflections,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Horror / Thriller (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ash vs. Evil Dead (Season 3), “Supernatural,” Starz, Zealot Westworld, “New Chaos,” HBO, Motive Rellik, “What You Deserve,” Cinemax, Buddha Jones The Walking Dead Season 8B, “Nightmare,” AMC Network, Giaronomo Productions The Alienist, “Monster,” TNT, Trailer Park

    Best Music (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. The Defenders, “Quartet,” Netflix, MOCEAN Impulse, “Impulse Teaser,” YouTube, Trailer Park The Crown, “For You,” Netflix, GrandSon

    Best Opening Title Sequence or Closing Credit Sequence for a feature film

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman Main-On-End Titles,” Warner Bros, Greenhaus GFX Insidious – The Last Key, “The Last Key – Main-On-End Titles,” Blum House, Greenhaus GFX DC, “DC Logo,” Warner Bros., Buddha Jones Proud Mary, “Opening Title GFX,” Screen Gems, Seismic Productions Game Night, “Game Night,” New Line Cinema, Aspect

    Best Original Score (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Blood Drive, “Master Collection,” SyFy, Buddha Jones Fox League X Briggs- “HERE,” Fox Sports Creative Westworld Season 2, “Locked Inside,” HBO, Jax Westworld Season 2, “Beautiful World – Super Bowl,” HBO, Jax

    Best Promo for a OTO or Special (i.e. Oscars, CMAs or Super Bowl)

    NBC Sports: Championship Season, Agency: 2C Creative ESPN: Curry/Lonzo Game Promo, 2C Creative Jonestown: The Women Behind the Massacre, “Deadliest,” A&E, The Shop The OSCARS, “The Oscars 2018 Jimmy Returns,” ABC Entertainment Marketing + Black Label Content

    Best Promo for a TV Network

    2017 PBS Previews Campaign, “2017 PBS Previews Campaign: Drama,” PBS Stan Lee, “Stan the Man,” Disney/Marvel & Netflix, MOCEAN HBO Documentary, “Trailer,” HBO, Create Advertising Group HBO “Game of Thrones” Image, HBO, Trailer Park truTV, “truTV onair refresh,” truTV, TruTV

    Best Sound Editing (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    The Pack (Wataha) “Season 2 Heartbeat Teaser,” HBO Europe Stranger Things Season 2, “Darkness,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. Dark, “Machine,” Netflix, Buddha Jones The Punisher, “Family Man,” Netflix, MOCEAN Westworld S2, “30TV “Revenge,” HBO, Aspect

    Best Voice Over (in a TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    Ozark, “Last Resort Cutdown,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Ozark, “Money,” Netflix, Mark Woollen & Associates Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT GRAND PRIX DRIVER, “Series Trailer,” Amazon Studios, Tiny Hero

    Most Original (TV Spot / Trailer / Teaser for a series)

    American Vandal, “Conspiracy,” Netflix, Zealot Comrade Detective, “Comrades,” Amazon Studios, TRANSIT The Innocents, “Changes Everything,” Netflix, Trailer Park, Inc. The Crown 2, “The Crown Trailer,” Netflix, Intermission Film Altered Carbon, “Live Forever” Date Announce,” Netflix, gnet

    Best Action Poster

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman, One-Sheet,” Warner Bros., BOND Thor: Ragnarok, “Thor: Ragnarok, One-Sheet,” Walt Disney Studios, BOND Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman One Sheet,” Warner Bros., P+A Tomb Raider, “Tomb Raider Ice Pick,” Warner Bros., WORKS ADV

    Best Animation / Family Movie Poster

    Peter Rabbit, “Peter Rabbit One Sheet,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, WORKS ADV

    Best Billboard

    Wonder Woman, “Wonder Woman,” Warner Bros., “Concept Arts” Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Billboard,” Sony, BOND Love, Simon, “Love, Simon LA Billboard 20th Century Fox,” WORKS ADV Black Panther, “Arclight Motion Billboard,” Walt Disney Motion Pictures, The M Factor

    Best Comedy Poster

    Game Over, Man! Digital Finish, Netflix, Ignition Life of the Party, Warner Bros. Pictures, Cold Open A Futile and Stupid Gesture,Netflix, Leroy & Rose Super Troopers 2, “Payoff Poster 2,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil

    Best Comedy Poster for a TV Show / TV Series

    Baskets S3 One-Sheet, FX Networks, Ignition Vice Principals One-Sheet, “Vice Principals One-Sheet,” HBO, Ignition Hap & Leonard: Mucho Mojo, SundanceTV, The Refinery The Mick, “Season 2,” Fox, Leroy & Rose

    Best Documentary / Reality Poster for a TV Show or TV Series

    Wormwood One-Sheet, Netflix, Ignition Mind Field – Season 2, YouTube Red, Cold Open Daughters of Destiny, Netflix, Concept Arts Adam Ruins Everything, “Adam Ruins the Rest Room,” truTV, TruTV

    Best Documentary Poster

    DOLORES, PBS, POV Studio 54, AE Films, Concept Arts Lenny, HBO, Cold Open Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, Netflix, BOND

    Best Drama / Action TV Series Poster

    Ozark, Netflix, The Refinery Handmaids Tale, Hulu, Leroy & Rose The Americans: Season 6, FX, P+A American Gods, Starz, BOND

    Best Drama Poster

    Mudbound, Netflix, The Refinery Realive, Syfy Films, The Refinery Dunkirk, “Bus Shelter,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Fox Searchlight, BOND

    Best Fantasy / Adventure Poster

    Blade Runner 2049, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV Ready Player One, “Payoff,” Warner Brothers, BOND Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Walt Disney Studios, BOND The Shape of Water, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil, Digital Finishing by Daniel Clark Creative

    Best Foreign Poster

    Das Schweigende Klassenzimmer, “Silence speaks volumes,” The Dream Factory The Death of Stalin, AllCity Media Euphoria, Great Point Media, Coffee & Cigarettes Birthmarked, Aqute Media, Champ & Pepper

    Best Horror / Thriller TV Series Poster

    The Strain Digital Finish, FX Networks, Ignition Dark, Netflix, The Refinery American Horror Story: Cult, FX, BOND Fight of the Living Dead: Paradise Calls, YouTube Red, Cold Open

    Best Horror Poster

    The Cured, IFC Films, InSync PLUS Insidious: The Last Key, “Scream,” Universal Pictures, Concept Arts Winchester, CBS Films, Cold Open Slender Man, “Teaser,” Screen Gems, P+A

    Best Independent Poster

    Okja, Netflix, BOND Thelma, The Orchard, P+A The Little Hours, GUNPOWDER & SKY, Jump Cut Creative The Endless, Well Go USA Entertainment, Jump Cut Creative

    Best International Poster

    Downsizing One-Sheet, Paramount, Ignition Winchester – International Poster (Spain), CBS Films, Cold Open Wonder Woman, “Walking,” Warner Bros., WORKS ADV A Wrinkle in Time, “International (Germany),” Walt Disney Pictures, Cold Open

    Best Motion Poster

    Peter Rabbit, Sony Pictures Entertainment, WORKS ADV Dunkirk, “Destroyer,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Isle Of Dogs, “Wild Post,”Fox Searchlight Pictures, BLT Communications, LLC Isle Of Dogs, “Sneezing,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, BLT Communications, LLC

    Best pre-show Theatrical Advertising for a Brand

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, “The Sprint Disruption,” Screenvision Media, 40 Foot Solutions Cinemark XD, “Magic,” Cinemark, MOCEAN A Quiet Theater, “A Quiet Theater,” Paramount Pictures, M3 Creative SHUDDER, “EVOKE,” SHUDDER, HEART SLEEVE CREATIVE Gogol, ‘Gogol asks to turn off phones in cinemas,” TV-3

    Best Radio / Audio Spot

    The Cloverfield Paradox, “Stop,” Netflix, Buddha Jones Kingsman: The Golden Circle, “Summer,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Group The Hitman’s Bodyguard, “RADIO :30 SAM VS RYAN,” NEW LINE, Seismic Productions The Shape of Water, “Score Radio,” Fox Searchlight, Mark Woollen & Associates Black Panther, “Just Getting Started,” Walt Disney Studios / Marvel, Tiny Hero

    Best Summer Blockbuster Poster

    Rampage, New Line Cinema, Concept Arts Skyscraper, Universal Pictures, Concept Arts Wonder Woman, Warner Brothers, BOND Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Walt Disney Studios, BOND

    Best Teaser Poster

    Ocean’s 8, Warner Bros., WORKS ADV Game Night, Warner Brothers, Leroy & Rose All The Money In the World, Sony Pictures, P+A Super Troopers 2, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil

    Best Thriller Poster

    The New Mutants, 20th Century Fox, Ignition Flatliners, Sony, Concept Arts Annabelle: Creation, “Tea Party,” New Line Cinema, Concept Arts You Were Never Really Here, Amazon Studios, P+A

    Best Trailer for Book or Novel

    The Bad Seed, HarperCollins Publishers Everless, HarperCollins Publishers Tattoo, The 8 Percent The Butchering Art, Light Arcade The Sheriff’s Catch (Part 1 of The Sassana Stone Pentalogy), “Unbound,” James Vella-Bardon

    Best TrailerByte for a Feature Film

    Flatliners, “What Could Go Wrong,” Sony, BOND Thoroughbreds, “Alibi,” Focus Features, GrandSon The Greatest Showman, “Singalong Social Campaign,” 20th Century Fox, Create Advertising Super Troopers 2, “Super Troopers 2, Cologne Commercial,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing Peter Rabbit, “Bring The Fight,” Sony Pictures Entertainment, Workshop Creative

    Best TrailerByte for a TV Series/Streaming Series

    Ballers: Season 3, HBO, AV Squad GAME OF THRONES, “Season 7 Social Carousel,” HBO, Silk Factory Westworld S2, “Digital “Out There,” HBO, Aspect The Long Road Home, National Geographic, InSync PLUS Truth or Dare, “:10 Do or Die,” Universal Pictures Intl, The Picture Production Company

    Best Video Game Poster

    Civilization VI, 2K Games, Inc., Ignition Uncharted, “10th Anniversary Poster,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Horizon Zero Dawn The Frozen Wilds, Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative Shadow of the Colossus, “Hero,” Sony Interactive Entertainment, PlayStation Creative

    Best Viral Campaign

    Bright, “Digital Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Impractical Jokers, “Surprise and Delight,” truTV, Fooji Gogol.Origins, “The first audience talks about the film Gogol. Origins,” TV-3, TV-3 Good Time, “Social Campaign,” A24, GrandSon The Disaster Artist, “The Tommy Award,” A24, GrandSon

    Best Wildposts (Teaser Campaign)

    Justice League, “Justice League,” Warner Bros., The Refinery Blade Runner 2049, “Blade Runner 2049 11up,” Warner Bros., Concept Arts Love, Simon, “Love Letter Wildposts,” 20th Century Fox, WORKS ADV Black Panther, “Character Series,” Marvel Studios, Art Machine

    Most Innovative Advertising (for a TV Series / Streaming Series)

    Altered Carbon, “Psychasec Campaign,” Netflix, gnet Westworld 2, “Loops,” HBO, HBO (Internal) The Long Road Home, “National Geographic,” InSync PLUS F Is For Family (Season 2), “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS Impractical Jokers, “Block Party,” truTV, Brand Connections

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Brand / Product

    Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, “Sprint Disruption,” Screenvision Studios, 40 Foot Solutions Citizen Graduation Gift, Screenvision Studios, 40 Foot Solutions Coco, “Celebration Family Digital,” Disney, Trailer Park, Inc. Oculus “Step into Rift” Brand Anthem, Oculus, space.camp

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Feature Film

    Bright, “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS The Babysitter, “Social Campaign,” Netflix, InSync PLUS A Quiet Place, “A Quiet Theater,” Paramount Pictures, M3 Creative A Ghost Story, “A Ghost Pie,” A24, GrandSon Coco, Walt Disney Motion Pictures, The M Factor

    Most Innovative Advertising for a Video Game

    Space Pirate Trainer, I-Illusions, kertgartner.com Call of Duty: WW2, “Brotherhood,” Activision, Aspect Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, “Accolades Trailer,” Ninja Theory Oculus “Step into Rift” Brand Anthem, Oculus, space.camp Clash Royale, “Flash Royale,” Supercell, gnet

    Most Original Poster

    The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, “Reflections,” PBS Okja, Netflix, BOND Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Walt Disney Studios, BOND The Shape of Water, “Embrace Art,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Midnight Oil, Digital Finishing by Daniel Clark Creative

    Best Film Festival Trailer

    Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Society, Stampede Studios Online Film Festival 2017, PBS Kamloops Film Festival 2018, Josh Sunderman BOFA Film Festival, Rhino Post Production BFI Bergman Season, BFI, The Picture Production Company

    Best Film Festival Poster

    Online Film Festival 2017, PBS Battle of the Sexes, “Telluride Poster,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing Battle of the Sexes, “Toronto Film Festival Poster,” Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox Searchlight Marketing

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  • Dances With Films Turns 21 Years With A Bigger, Badder And Bolder Lineup, Opens with William Dickerson’s NO ALTERNATIVE

    [caption id="attachment_29094" align="aligncenter" width="1223"]NO ALTERNATIVE NO ALTERNATIVE[/caption] The fiercely independent film festival Dances With Films (DWF) returns for its 21st edition from June 7 to 17 at TCL Chinese Theaters with a lineup of more than 100 world premieres and nearly 40 west coast premieres. Opening the festival on June 7 is the DWF alumni driven drama directed by William Dickerson, NO ALTERNATIVE, in its World Premiere starring Kathryn Erbe, Michaela Cavazos, Conor Proft, Chloe Levine and Harry Hamlin. THE BEST PEOPLE, a comedy written and produced by Selina Ringel and directed by Dan Levy Dagerman, closes the festival with its DWF premiere on June 17. “We consider ourselves a true festival of discovery,” said festival co-founders Leslee Scallon and Michael Trent. “We have always been progressive and have always looked to the future for our inspiration. Turning 21 is a milestone to us. In every other culture there is a ‘rites of passage’, but in the U.S., it’s turning 21. We have thrived, transitioned and evolved along the way. DWF is unique in the fact that we are not a celebrity-driven festival. Everyone in the festival has to bring their A-game.” The final lineup will feature more than 200 titles, chosen from a record 2,200 submissions from all over the globe. The juried narrative competition section includes 16 features and more than three-dozen shorts. DWF also has a category for groundbreaking short and feature documentaries, provocative genre fare in the Midnight section, and the most exciting music videos and dance-themed films from the indie scene in the Downbeats section. The Fusion section brings together a multitude of additional features and shorts. Notable Dances With Films alumni who first gained notice at the festival include: Gina Rodriguez, Bryan Cranston, Will Scheffer, Mark V. Olsen, Jesse Eisenberg, Mike Flanagan, and John Hawkes, among many others.

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  • The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival Announces 2018 Winners

    [caption id="attachment_29091" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music[/caption] The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival, took place May 2 to 6, 2018, at The Shedd Institute in Eugene, Oregon, and featured many of the world’s best films on archaeology and cultural heritage, as well as in-person presentations by Dr. Fredrik Hiebert of the National Geographic Society and three days of conference presentations on cultural heritage media from a worldwide array of speakers. The conference notably included a full day symposium summarizing the latest research on the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart as well as a panel discussion debating the three chief hypotheses offered to account for it. Producers and distributors submitted a record 800 film entries to the Festival, of which 176 films from 45 countries worldwide were considered and reviewed for the competition. At the end of the review process, 29 films from 15 countries were screened in front of audiences at The Shedd. Awards listed below are in nine categories: Best Film (by jury), Best Narration (by jury), Best Animation & Effects (by jury), Best Public Education Value (by jury), Best Script (by jury), Best Cinematography (by jury), Best Music (by jury), Most Inspirational (by jury), and Audience Favorite, as well as three Special Mention Awards designated by the Festival jury. The Festival is one of approximately eight competitive festivals featuring archaeology-related films worldwide and one of only two in the Western Hemisphere. The top jury award (Best Film by Jury) went to Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced and distributed by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; USA), about the discovery of a very well preserved Cherokee village in northeastern Tennessee and its connection to the long-forgotten history of early Spanish contact and the original territory of the Cherokee Nation. During the Festival, Buck Kahler described the movie-making process for this film and conducted Q&A for the audience after the screening. The Festival jury awarded four Special Mention awards. Still Turning (Produced and distributed by Shirley Gu; directed by Jesse Pickett; China) won special mention for promoting awareness of national heritage. United By Water (Produced and distributed by Sherman Alexie; directed by Derrick LaMere; USA) was noted for its presentation of heritage values. Cervantes: The Search (Produced and directed by Javier Balaquer Blasco; distributed by Troto Int. S.L.; Spain) impressed the jury with its innovative storytelling. Vikings: Warriors of the North, Giants of the Sea (Produced and directed by Gustavo Vilchez; distributed by Fundacion de la C.V. MARQ; Spain); gained jury recognition as the best short subject. The Festival audience picked On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia) as its favorite film. This film tells the story of mid-twentieth-century Iraqi popular music, much of it the product of Iraqi Jews, along with Christians and Muslims, who were purged from Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein but still perform their art.

    The Archaeology Channel International Film Festival 2018 awards:

    Best Film (by Jury)

    Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA)

    Honorable Mention for Best Film Category (in order):

    Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain) Just Like Us (Produced and directed by Hans Dirven and Merel ten Elsen; distributed by Loveland Film and Photography; Netherlands) On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia) Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA)

    Best Narration (by Jury)

    Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA)

    Honorable Mention for Narration (in order):

    On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing, Ronin Films; Australia) Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain) Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA) Cervantes: The Search (Produced and directed by Javier Balaquer Blasco; distributed by Troto Int. S.L.; Spain)

    Best Animation & Effects (by Jury)

    Vikings: Warriors of the North, Giants of the Sea (Produced and directed by Gustavo Vilchez; distributed by Fundacion de la C.V. MARQ; Spain)

    Honorable Mention for Animation & Special Effects (in order):

    Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA) Chinese Chariots Revealed (Produced by Giulia Clark, Bill Locke, and Lion Television for WGBH NOVA; directed by Giulia Clark) Manohar Ambanagari (Produced, directed and distributed by Rahul Narwani; India) Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA)

    Best Public Education Value (by Jury)

    Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA)

    Honorable Mention for Public Education Value (in order):

    Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA) Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain) On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia) The Enigma of the Celtic Tomb (Produced by Edmée Millot – Eleazar; directed by Alexis de Favitski; distributed by Terra Noa; France)

    Best Script (by Jury)

    Just Like Us (Produced and directed by Hans Dirven and Merel ten Elsen; distributed by Loveland Film and Photography; Netherlands)

    Honorable Mention for Script (in order):

    Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA) Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain) Cervantes: The Search (Produced and directed by Javier Balaquer Blasco; distributed by Troto Int. S.L.; Spain) Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA)

    Best Cinematography (by Jury)

    Chinese Chariots Revealed (Produced by Giulia Clark, Bill Locke, and Lion Television for WGBH NOVA; directed by Giulia Clark)

    Honorable Mention for Cinematography (in order):

    Chartres: Light Reborn (Produced by Kanari Films; directed and distributed by Anne Savalli; France) A Walk Through Time (Produced by Brian Brazeal, Leslie Steidl, Greg White, Dino Beltran, John Parker, Darin Beltran, and Drake Beltran; directed by Daniel Bruns; distributed by Advanced Laboratory for Visual Anthropology at CSU, Chico; USA) Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain) The Enigma of the Celtic Tomb (Produced by Edmée Millot – Eleazar; directed by Alexis de Favitski; distributed by Terra Noa; France)

    Best Music (by Jury)

    Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA)

    Honorable Mention for Music (in order):

    On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia) Vikings: Warriors of the North, Giants of the Sea (Produced and directed by Gustavo Vilchez; distributed by Fundacion de la C.V. MARQ; Spain) Of Love and Artistry (Produced and distributed by Jane Himmeth Singh; directed by Suruchi Sharma; India) Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA)

    Most Inspirational (by Jury)

    On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia)

    Honorable Mention for Inspiration (in order):

    Good Earth: Awakening the Silent City (Produced by Fourth Wall Films; directed and distributed by Kelly Rundle; USA) Just Like Us (Produced and directed by Hans Dirven and Merel ten Elsen; distributed by Loveland Film and Photography; Netherlands) Secrets of the Nolichucky River (Produced by Debra Dylan; directed by Buck Kahler; distributed by Debra Dylan; USA) Searching for the Lost Future (Produced, directed, and distributed by Alfonso Par and Luis Quevedo; Spain)

    Audience Favorite Competition (by Festival audience)

    On the Banks of the Tigris: The Hidden Story of Iraqi Music (Produced and directed by Marsha Emerman; distributed by 7th Art Releasing and Ronin Films; Australia)

    Honorable Mention in Audience Favorite Competition (in order):

    Shepherds in the Cave (Produced, directed, and distributed by Anthony Grieco; Canada) Chinese Chariots Revealed (Produced by Giulia Clark, Bill Locke, and Lion Television for WGBH NOVA; directed by Giulia Clark) United By Water (Produced and distributed by Sherman Alexie; directed by Derrick LaMere; USA) Chartres: Light Reborn (Produced by Kanari Films; directed and distributed by Anne Savalli; France)

    Special Mention (by Jury)

    Still Turning (Produced and distributed by Shirley Gu; directed by Jesse Pickett; China); for Awareness of National Heritage United By Water (Produced and distributed by Sherman Alexie; directed by Derrick LaMere; USA); for Presentation of Heritage Values Cervantes: The Search (Produced and directed by Javier Balaquer Blasco; distributed by Troto Int. S.L.; Spain); for Innovative Storytelling Vikings: Warriors of the North, Giants of the Sea (Produced and directed by Gustavo Vilchez; distributed by Fundacion de la C.V. MARQ; Spain); for Best Short Subject

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  • 2018 New Zealand International Film Festival Reveals First 9 Films + Artwork

    [caption id="attachment_29088" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]2018 New Zealand International Film Festival Artwork 2018 New Zealand International Film Festival Artwork[/caption] The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) revealed the first nine films selected for 2018 program plus the official artwork. The films include Disobedience starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, Harry Dean Stanton’s final film Lucky, Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here starring Joaquin Phoenix, period piece Zama from Argentinian auteur Lucrecia Martel, and a documentary feature on the pioneering women’s rights activist and US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG). “When we receive multiple requests we take notice and if we can’t deliver, that’s usually because somebody else will. We’ve been hearing requests for Lynne Ramsey’s film since its debut in Cannes a year ago – and the requests for RBG have been thick and fast since the US reviews came out only last week,” says NZIFF director Bill Gosden. Buckets of splendor, exotic and native, and a typically discriminating NZIFF patron are celebrated in the artwork for 2018. Illustrator Ken Samonte, inspired by New Yorker covers and the work of Hayao Miyazaki, also references the previous NZIFF illustration style of artist Tom Simpson. Disobedience Rachel Weisz stars as a black sheep drawn back to her London Orthodox Jewish home, rekindling sparks with a childhood friend (Rachel McAdams) in the English-language debut of the director of Gloria and A Fantastic Woman. Lucky After an idiosyncratic career of iconic roles for everyone from Wim Wenders to David Lynch, the late Harry Dean Stanton hangs up his hat with this wryly funny, affecting character study. RBG US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has developed a breathtaking legal legacy while becoming an unexpected pop culture icon. RBG is a revelatory documentary exploring her exceptional life and career. You Were Never Really Here Lynne Ramsay, director of Ratcatcher and We Need to Talk About Kevin, teams with Joaquin Phoenix for a startling, nerve-shredding thriller about a brutal hitman contracted to save an abducted teen. Zama The brilliant Argentinian auteur Lucrecia Martel returns with a feverish, formally sophisticated period piece about a Spanish officer’s personal hell in colonial South America. Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story Alexandra Dean’s debut documentary is a revelatory and entertaining portrait of an adventurous woman and talented inventor better known to the world as the embodiment of Hollywood sex and glamour. Leave No Trace New Zealand actress Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie is mesmerising as 13-year-old Tom living off the grid with her war vet father (Ben Foster) in this haunting new film from the director of Winter’s Bone. Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. From refugee daughter of a Tamil revolutionary and aspiring filmmaker to pop stardom and controversy magnet: this stimulating documentary about Sri Lankan musician M.I.A. dances to its own idiosyncratic beat. Yellow Is Forbidden Kiwi director Pietra Brettkelly takes us into the opulent world of show-stopping Chinese designer Guo Pei as she prepares to make her Paris debut and seeks admission into the exclusive club of haute couture.

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  • Pedro Solis Garcia’s CUERDAS and Joshua Tate’s GUEST ROOM Win Awards at 2018 Red Wasp Film Festival

    2018 Red Wasp Film Festival More than 130 visitors were the first to experience the newly renovated Historic Queen Theatre in Downtown Bryan, Texas, as they attended the Red Wasp Film Festival for a special viewing of ten independent short narrative films. This year’s showings included films by Spanish and Iranian filmmakers, as well as a submission from students at Texas A&M University. One of the selected films, No Control created by Texas A&M students, was created after the student filmmakers were inspired by their attendance at Red Wasp Film Festival a couple years ago. The films shown included animated and short narrative films with themes of inclusion, friendship, lost love, breaking stereotypes, responsibility, and much more. The festival concluded with an awards ceremony highlighting winners for Best of Festival, One to Watch, and Audience Favorite, and featuring a trophy created by local metal artist John McGee. This year’s 2018 Red Wasp Film Festival winners are:   AUDIENCE FAVORITE Cuerdas by Pedro Solis Garcia of Spain [caption id="attachment_29083" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Guest Room by Joshua Tate of California, 2018 Red Wasp Film Festival Awards Winner ONE TO WATCH: Guest Room by Joshua Tate of California[/caption] ONE TO WATCH Guest Room by Joshua Tate of California 2018 Red Wasp Film Festival winners BEST OF FESTIVAL Cuerdas by Pedro Solis Garcia of Spain

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  • ‘FOR IZZY,’ ‘CALL HER GANDA,’ ‘PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE’ ‘WARU’ Take Top Awards at 34th LA Asian Pacific Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_29067" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]FOR IZZY FOR IZZY[/caption] The 34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) announced their filmmaker awards, and “FOR IZZY,” written and directed by Alex Chu, was awarded the LAAPFF Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Narrative Feature, while the Best Director honor for North American Narrative went to Joanne Park for her film “FISH BONES.” Actress Adelina Amosco was selected for a Special Jury prize for Breakout Performance for her work in “THE FEVER AND THE FRET.” A Special Jury prize for Best Cinematography was awarded to Eunsoo Cho for lensing “AUGUST AT AKIKO’S.” In the non-fiction feature section, “CALL HER GANDA” directed by PJ Raval took home the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding North American Documentary Feature, and Best Director was given to Bing Liu for his personal film “MINDING THE GAP.” The jury gave a Special Jury Mention to “ANOTE’S ARK” from director Matthieu Rytz and honored Nathan Fitch for Best Cinematography for his work on “ISLAND SOLDIER.” The jury awarded the Best Editing Award to Alejandro Valdes-Rochin and Tom Maroney for their outstanding work on “SCIENCE FAIR.” This year, LAAPFF also recognized outstanding international films. In the International Narrative Competition, the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Narrative Feature went to “WARU” co-directed by a group of all female directors – Chelsea Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner, Casey Kaa, Renae Maihi, Awanui Simich-Pene, Briar Grace- Semith, Paula Whetu and Katie Wolfe. The Best Director Award went to Caylee So and Visal Sok for “IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC,” and a Special Jury Mention was awarded to “KISS & SPELL,” directed by the late Stephane Gauger. The Best Acting Award in this competition was given to Timothy Castillo for his performance in “NEOMANILA.” In the International Documentary Feature competition, the jury awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Outstanding International Documentary Feature to “PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE,” directed by Hao Wu. The Special Jury Prize for Best Director was bestowed on Jin Jeon and Moon Chang-Yang for their film “BECOMING WHO I WAS.” That same film and those filmmakers were also given the Best Cinematography Award, and the award for Best Editing was given to Hyewon Jee and Wongjung Bae for “SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD.” This year, the jury created and gave a Special Jury Mention for Most Urgent and Cautionary Film to “THE CLEANERS,” directed by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck. LAAPFF is proud to be an Academy Award® qualifying Festival for the Short Film Awards. Recipient(s) of the Film Festival’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live-Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®. The film that won this year’s Golden Reel Award and is now eligible to qualify in the Animated Short Film/Live-Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards® is “SILENCE (MAUN),” directed by Priyanka Singh. The jury also gave out a Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Directing to Paris Zarcilla for “POMMEL.” The Golden Reel for Outstanding Documentary Short Film went to “THREE BOYS MANZANAR,” directed by Preeti Deb. The annual Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award went to director Georgia Fu for her film “MISS WORLD,” presented for demonstrating an innovative and creative use of cinematic language. “Our artists and their films were amazing this year,” said Francis Cullado, Executive Director of Visual Communications. “Their stories and their craftsmanship raised the bar. The dialogue, conversations, and resource-sharing that took place during our panels and presentations were on point and timely. This Festival is once again a great signifier of what is coming and our artists are ready and at the forefront of this sea of change with their films and projects. I’m grateful to them for making cultural connections with all of our communities.” The 34th LAAPFF continues on Friday, May 11 with a free outdoor screening of the Disney® classic animated film “MULAN” in the Park Center at Griffith Park. It will culminate with the Visual Communications Gala PAST//FORWARD: COMING HOME on Saturday, May 12, 2018 to celebrate the organization’s upcoming 50th anniversary in 2020, honoring Doug Aihara, Renee Tajima-Peña, and Comcast NBCUniversal.

    34th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival Award Winners

    NORTH AMERICAN NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION AWARDS

    Grand Jury Award: FOR IZZY, Directed by Alex Chu Best Director: Joanne Park, FISHBONES Breakout Performance: Adelina Amosco, THE FEVER & THE FRET Best Cinematography: Eunsoo Cho, AUGUST AT AKIKO’S

    NORTH AMERICAN DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION AWARDS

    [caption id="attachment_29069" align="aligncenter" width="975"]CALL HER GANDA CALL HER GANDA[/caption] Grand Jury Award: CALL HER GANDA, Directed by PJ Raval Best Director: Bing Liu, MINDING THE GAP Special Mention: ANOTE’S ARK, Directed by Matthieu Rytz Best Editing: Alejandro Valdes-Rochin & Tom Maroney, SCIENCE FAIR Best Cinematography: Nathan Fitch, ISLAND SOLDIER

    INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION AWARDS

    Grand Jury Award: PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE, Directed by Hao Wu Best Director: Jin Jeon & Moon Chang-Yong, BECOMING WHO I WAS Best Editing: Hyewon Jee & Wonjung Bae, SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD Best Cinematography: Jeon Jin & Moon Chang-yong, BECOMING WHO I WAS Special Jury Mention – Most Urgent and Cautionary Film: THE CLEANERS, Directed by Hans Block & Moritz Riesewieck

    INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE COMPETITION AWARDS

    Grand Jury Award WARU, Directed by Chelsea Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner, Casey Kaa, Renae Maihi, Awanui Simich-Pene, Briar Grace-Smith, Paula Whetu & Katie Wolfe Best Director: Caylee So & Visal Sok, IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC Best Actor: Timothy Castillo, NEOMANILA Special Mention: KISS & SPELL, Directed by Stephane Gauger

    SHORTS NARRATIVE COMPETITION AWARDS

    Golden Reel Award (Excellence in Narrative/Animated Short Film): SILENCE (MAUN), Directed by Priyanka Singh Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Directing: Paris Zarcilla, POMMEL

    SHORTS DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION AWARDS

    Golden Reel Award (Excellence in Documentary Short Film): THREE BOYS MANZANAR, Directed by Preeti Deb

    LINDA MABALOT NEW DIRECTORS/NEW VISIONS AWARD

    Linda Mabalot New Directors/New Visions Award (Innovative Use of Cinematic Language): MISS WORLD, Directed by Georgia Fu

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  • 4 Films Selected for Seattle International Film Festival’s 2018 New Works-in-Progress Forum

    [caption id="attachment_29056" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Dive The Dive[/caption] The Seattle International Film Festival announced the 2018 filmmakers chosen for their New Works-in-Progress Forum. Four feature projects, two documentaries and two narratives from three countries, were confirmed for inclusion. “SIFF 2018 is focused on meeting filmmakers and audiences where they are, and the New Works-in-Progress Forum does exactly that – curating audiences to meet filmmakers, and having that relationship help to create the art” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. Now in its second year, the New Works-in-Progress Forum was designed by SIFF as an initiative to nurture emerging voices in world cinema. Unique in its inclusion of the audience in the forum, the event brings all partners in cinema together in concert. Included in the 2018 New Works-in-Progress Forum are Bijon Imtiaz and Arifur Rahman’s Paradise (Bangladesh, Documentary); Sarah Brennan Kolb, Good Ol Girl (USA, Documentary); Yona Rozenkier, The Dive (Israel, Narrative) and Limor Shmila, Hanging (Israel, Narrative). “The 2018 edition of the New Works-in-Progress Forum at SIFF shines the spotlight on four unique visual storytellers whose projects reflect today’s global zeitgeist from four extremely different perspectives, and exemplify the Forum’s directive to bring audience and filmmaker together at critical moments in the creative journey,” said the New Works-in-Progress Forum Curator Kathleen McInnis. “From Bangladesh, Israel, and the US, each film team is looking to the famed SIFF cinephiles to discover if their stories speak to a global audience.” Industry Mentors are specifically chosen from across industry disciplines. 2018 Documentary Industry Mentors include Publicist David Magdael, Film Journalist Amy Nicholson (Variety, MTV, “Film Week”), and Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival Senior International Programmer Myrocia Watamaniuk. Narrative Industry Mentors include IFC Executive Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions Arianna Bocco, Anonymous Content Manager Luke Rivett, and Filmmaker Carlos Marques-Marcet (10,000 KM; Anchor and Hope). The inaugural SIFF New Works-in-Progress Forum Projects from 2017 are now award-winning films having successfully premiered at major festivals around the world. Each film will screen as part of the official program at SIFF 2018. The 2017 WIP Projects: Retablo from Director Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio premiered at Berlinale 2018 in Generations14+, winning the L’Oreal Teddy Newcomer Award and Special Jury Mention; A Good Week for Democracy from Director Cecilia Björk premiered at 2018 Göteborg International Film Festival and CPH:DOX where it was nominated for a Nordic: Dox Award; The Silk and the Flame from Director Jordan Schiele premiered at Berlinale 2018 in Panorama, and Julia Blue from Director Roxy Toporowych premiered at 2018 Cleveland International Film Festival.

    2018 Seattle International Film Festival New Works-in-Progress Forum Projects

    Bijon Imtiaz, Paradise Bijon Imtiaz world premiered his award-winning narrative feature film debut, Kingdom of Clay Subjects at SIFF 2016. Whilst researching for his second narrative feature, Imtiaz sensed a connection between the unfolding Rohingya crisis, his Bangladesh homeland and the religious extremism and growing tension between Hindus and Muslims. He immediately started to explore the individual and intimate stories in front of him for a feature-length documentary, Paradise. “The SIFF audiences understood every nuance when Kingdom of Clay Subjects premiered, “ said Imtiaz. “I was blown away by how educated their love of cinema is; it was so inspiring. We are looking for collaborators for the marathon that is documentary filmmaking, and I hope we find them among the WIP audience and mentors. We want to know if it connects on an emotional level and there is no better place to find that out than with SIFF audiences.” Arifur Rahman, Paradise First Bangladeshi Asian Film Academy Producing Fellow Arifur Rahman’s debut produced feature film Kingdom of Clay Subjects has World Premiered at 42nd Seattle International Film Festival, won the Best Film Award at 7th Chicago South Asian Film Festival and played as part of Competition at Cinequest Film Fest, Silk Road International Film Festival along with many other festivals around the world. The film has released theatrically in Bangladesh, North America, And Australia. His second produced feature film Live from Dhaka has had its World Premiere at Singapore International Film Festival, the film winning Best Director and Actor award in the process. It has also played at International Film Festival of Rotterdam, and currently having its festival journey, and has recently been picked up by French Sales company Stray Dogs. He has produced documentary shows in collaboration with BBC, Scottish Documentary Institute, Bangladesh Documentary Council, and NHK TV. His documentaries have played at the prestigious Sheffield Doc/Fest and International Human Rights Liberation Film Festival. Arifur’s documentary Beyond the Waves won the Colors of Asia competition at Tokyo Docs.

    Paradise

    Filmmaker Bijon Imtiaz travels to a small island off the coast of Bangladesh to explore the ethics of displacement in a landscape where religion is race and personhood is defined by the ownership of land. Telling three unique stories, Imtiaz studies the consequences and causes of forced displacement, oppression and religion in our contemporary world. A middle-aged barber — the last and only Hindu on an island of Muslims, a 16-year-old Muslim Rohingya girl facing violent ethnic cleansing, and a 12-year-old boy immersed in religious doctrine frame an emotional microcosm of modern Bangladesh as well as our current global society. Sarah Brennan Kolb, Good Ol Girl A New York commercial producer by day, Sarah Brennan Kolb returned to her native Texas for a working hiatus as a ranch hand on a cow-calf operation. It was there she begin to explore the “modern” West – one in which the “male cowboy mythology” was quickly disappearing and being replaced by a new gritty, honest and some would say subversive, female story. The jarring transitions between generations as the men disappeared and the women stayed standing in this hyper-masculine and desolate place inspired Kolb to dig deeper into the crushing weight of legacy and tradition. “Rural Texas is as much a character as these three women who are redefining the patriarchal power dynamic, not by choice but by necessity,” said Kolb. “This fiery, bloody, dirty and yes, violent part of the female story is rooted in the natural world in Texas. Telling this story now, I hope, puts a face to the survivors and lays rest the vanishing patriarchal bogeyman.”

    Good Ol Girl

    [caption id="attachment_29058" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Good Ol Girl Good Ol Girl[/caption] Not all of the women of the mythological West slip easily into the princess fantasy of Pocahontas or the unnamed martyr “Pioneer Woman” labels so often prescribed them. In Filmmaker Sarah Brennan Kolb’s genre busting documentary, three women of the “New West” reshape the Western Canon with their stories. Crosscutting cinéma vérité techniques with archival material from 1930‘s and ‘40’s B-movie Westerns as well as academic commentary from famed-author Joyce Gibson Roach, Kolb questions “Who has the authority to claim the (often) oppressive traditions when only those who have been oppressed are left to carry them on?” Yona Rozenkier, The Dive Filmmaker Yona Rozenkier brings extraordinary authority to his debut narrative feature film, The Dive. As the son of a Christian kibbutz volunteer from Switzerland and a French Holocaust survivor, Rozenkier worked as a farmer on his kibbutz until he was 27, before starting film school. Awaiting recruitment into the Second Lebanon War, three of the Rozenkier brothers spent one last memorable weekend on their quiet kibbutz, celebrating their lives before going off to yet another war. It was this weekend that would inspire Yona Rozenkier to make his first film and two of his brothers would be recruited once again, this time to each play a version of himself on screen along with Yona in a story about brothers, love and the constant, daily training for war. “We have a lot of “sacred cows” in Israel,” said Rozenkier. “We may believe we are pacifists, but when we are called up for the next war and the next war and the next, we grab our guns and go. Our people become a tool in the hands of our leadership in Israel, the same way our masculinity can become toxic because of the military. I believe sometimes you have to put family before country, but that is a radical concept for some here. And I wonder if my uniquely Israeli experience translates outside of Israel?”

    The Dive

    Two brothers struggle between love and duty as their little brother tries to prepare for his first military call to duty. Middle brother Yoav, an ex-officer who has retreated back to his kibbutz, mentally exhausted under the weight of PTSD, is at odds with his still-serving older brother, Itay, who is the reincarnation of their late father and evokes a strong sense of duty and obligation to country. When war breaks out, as it inevitably does in Israel, and little brother Avishay reveals he is conflicted about being called up, the two older brothers deep disconnect explodes: Yoav wants Avishay to understand he can refuse to go, but Itay insists Avishay needs to “man-up” and do what’s right. Almost immediately, Avishay becomes the battlefield on which Yoav and Italy fight out their own emotional war. As Yoav tries desperately to save his brothers, he faces the harsh reality where violence becomes his only option to ending violence, but will he become that which he decries? Limor Shmila, Hanging One of Israel’s leading casting directors (Sand Storm, Elite Zexer; Big Bad Wolves, Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado; Esau, Pavel Lungin), Limor Shmila debuted her first feature film as director, Montana, at the Toronto Int’l Film Festival (TIFF) 2017 to rave reviews. Her second feature, Hanging, is a dramatic continuation of Shmila’s cinematic exploration of identity, intimacy, and the power dynamic. “I’m really curious as to how people internationally will react to this couple as parents, as well as how they will emotionally connect and if it speaks to them as couples themselves.” said Shmila. “I’m always searching for stories that speak to the relationships in which we bind ourselves – in my very religious upbringing, there was always a conflict between the man and the woman. I saw that men always wanted to put women under them; be powerful over them. It’s why it was so important to me that this is Tamara’s story, that she is on top.”

    Hanging

    [caption id="attachment_29059" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Hanging Hanging[/caption] Tamara is a successful young power broker and a brand new mother to her daughter, Dana. Living an all-consuming lifestyle, Tamara has nearly forgotten she is also a wife, and by definition a lover, to Uri, a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force. When Uri forces the issue and tries to re-conquer his wife, Tamara’s instinctual release of physical force excites them both. Soon they are have turned their extra room into their “game room” and slap by slap build a safe space for sexual escapism that both excites and releases their inner demons. But Tamara has other demands on her body, trying to hold onto breastfeeding Dana as long as possible while also putting in impossible hours at work. The pressure is overwhelming and quickly Tamara’s tenuous façade begins shattering with grave repercussions.

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  • Toronto International Film Festival Selects 3 Filmmakers for 2018 Platform Program Jury

    [caption id="attachment_29053" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Margarethe von Trotta, Béla Tarr, and Lee Chang-dong Margarethe von Trotta, Béla Tarr, and Lee Chang-dong[/caption] New German Cinema legend Margarethe von Trotta, Hungarian long-take, existential master Béla Tarr, and South Korean director and novelist Lee Chang-dong, together will make up the 2018 jury for the Toronto International Film Festival’s Platform program. Now in its fourth year, Platform champions up to 12 works with high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong directorial vision. The three-person jury will select the winner of the Toronto Platform Prize, an award of $25,000 CAD presented to the Best Film in the program. “We are privileged to have a Platform jury that so perfectly embodies the program’s essence,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “Our 2018 jurors’ bold and daringly uncompromising artistic visions have not only influenced, but helped mold the next generation of filmmakers. The wealth of experience, passion, and knowledge that they will bring to this year’s edition will be priceless, and exciting to watch this September.” The 43rd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 6 to 16, 2018. The lineup for this year’s Platform program will be announced on August 7.

     Toronto International Film Festival 2018 Platform Program Jury

    Margarethe von Trotta Margarethe von Trotta is considered one of the leaders of the New German Cinema movement. After studying Germanic and Romance languages in Munich and Paris (where she encountered the Nouvelle Vague and the films of Ingmar Bergman), von Trotta pursued a career in acting, working closely with both Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Volker Schlöndorff. Starting with her first independent directorial effort, The Second Awakening of Christa Klages (1978), von Trotta’s filmography includes numerous critically acclaimed titles such as Marianne & Juliane (1981), which won the Golden Lion in Venice and became her first feature to ever screen at TIFF; Rosa Luxemburg (1986) and Love and Fear (1988), both of which were nominated for the Palme d’Or in Cannes; Rosenstraße (2003), which earned actor Katja Riemann the Coppa Volpi Award in Venice; and Hannah Arendt (2012), which won the German Film Award. Her first feature documentary, Searching for Ingmar Bergman (2018), is set to premiere at Cannes. Margarethe von Trotta first attended TIFF (then the Festival of Festivals) in 1985, when three of her films were part of the 10 to Watch program, which also included Andrei Tarkovsky, Chantal Akerman and Lino Brocka in its lineup. Béla Tarr Béla Tarr grew up in Budapest, Hungary. He began making amateur documentaries at the age of 16 and shot his feature debut, Family Nest (1977), at the age of 22. His work made a dramatic shift with his 1982 video adaptation of Macbeth which is comprised of only two shots, and in subsequent films, Tarr developed a durational aesthetic revolving around extended shot lengths, most famously in Sátántangó, which screened at the Festival in 1994. Through his entire body of work, Tarr has established himself as one of the defining filmmakers and greatest innovators in contemporary cinema. Béla Tarr first attended TIFF (then the Festival of Festivals) in 1988, when his feature Damnation screened at the Festival. He has since returned several times, including a visit for a spotlight on his work in 1995. Lee Chang-dong Lee Chang-dong was born in Daegu, South Korea, and studied Korean literature at Kyungbuk University. Already established as a novelist, he made his directorial debut with Green Fish (1996), which was followed by the critically acclaimed Peppermint Candy (1999) and Oasis (2002), the latter of which won Best Director and Best New Actress awards at Venice, and became his first film to ever screen at TIFF. After serving as South Korea’s Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2002 to 2004, he directed his fourth film, Secret Sunshine (2007) which won the Best Actress award at Cannes, while his fifth, Poetry (2010), won Best Screenplay three years later. His latest film, Burning (2018), is set to premiere at Cannes. Lee Chang-dong first attended TIFF in 2007, when Secret Sunshine screened at the Festival.

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  • Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Nadine Labaki’s CAPERNAUM for December Awards Release

    ,
    Capernaum by Nadine Labaki Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum which is set to premiere next Thursday at Cannes Film Festival in competition, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for release in North America and Latin America. Capernaum marks a return to Cannes for the Lebanese filmmaker, whose two previous films, CARAMEL and Where Do We Go Now? (winner of the Audience Award at the Toronto Film Festival) premiered at the festival, and reunites Labaki with Sony Pictures Classics, which distributed Where Do We Go Now?. Written by Labaki (Where Do We Go Now?), who also appears in the film, Capernaum tells the story of a child who rebels against the life imposed on him and launches a lawsuit against his parents. “It is wonderful to have the opportunity to collaborate once again with Sony Pictures Classics. Capernaum is very special to me, and with the passion Tom and Michael have for this film, I know this is the ideal partnership,” said Labaki. Said Sony Pictures Classics, “Nadine Labaki is one of the world’s great filmmakers. Capernaum is an emotionally profound experience about the world we live in and promises to be a triumph in Cannes. Nadine Labaki’s moment as writer-director is here and now. It is thrilling to be working with her, as well as her producer Khaled Mouzanar, Vincent Maraval and Eva Diederix at Wild Bunch, and Roeg Sutherland and CAA.” Sony Pictures Classics plans to open the film in December qualifying the movie for year-end awards consideration.

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  • Michael Kutza, Founder & CEO of Chicago International Film Fest, To Retire

    [caption id="attachment_29014" align="aligncenter" width="960"]Michael Kutza Michael Kutza[/caption] Michael Kutza, Founder and CEO of Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival will be retiring from his role at the end of 2018. The Governing Board of Directors will pay tribute to Kutza’s remarkable career at a special gala, “Celebrating Michael,” Saturday, July 14 at Loews Chicago Hotel. The event will be chaired by Chaz Ebert, Candace Jordan and Maria Pappas, and will include an array of appearances from film industry luminaries to honor Kutza’s passion for film and his dedication to fostering the appreciation of film in Chicago, as well as the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award. Kutza founded the Chicago International Film Festival at age 22 in 1964 with silent screen star Colleen Moore; the Festival made its debut at the Carnegie Theatre at Rush and Oak Streets on November 9, 1965. Kutza served as Artistic Director through 2017, holding that title longer than any other Festival artistic director, at which time he passed the baton to Mimi Plauché and Kutza was promoted to CEO. Over the course of his 55-year career, Kutza was responsible for supporting the early careers of directors who have gone on to be regarded as some of the film industry’s most acclaimed figures, including Martin Scorsese, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Krzysztof Zanussi, Claude Lelouch, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta, Tsai Ming-liang, Mike Leigh, Michael Moore, Oliver Stone, John Carpenter, Joe Swanberg and Taylor Hackford, among many others. He also continuously featured adventurous, cutting-edge films from across the globe to draw attention to previously untold stories and undiscovered new talent. Under his leadership, a who’s who of the film industry’s elite has attended the Festival and its special events, including Harold Lloyd, Bette Davis, Jack Lemmon, Vincente Minnelli, Sophia Loren, Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine, François Truffaut, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Liv Ullmann, Jodie Foster, Halle Berry, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Chadwick Boseman, Vanessa Redgrave, and many more. “The Governing Board of Directors will be forever grateful to Michael Kutza for his tireless passion, vision, optimism, and service for more than 50 years,” said Executive Board Member Byron Pollock. “Michael has had a tremendous impact on the film industry world-wide as well as on the cultural vibrancy of Chicago. His love for film has touched countless individuals who acquired an appreciation for the cinematic art form and a broader worldview thanks to their attendance at the Chicago International Film Festival. We look forward to saluting him at the Gala on July 14 and for helping to make this year’s Festival a crowning achievement.” “Having spent most of my life dedicated to celebrating film and running a non-profit organization, I am excited to help curate the programming for the 2018 Festival before taking some time to recharge my batteries and complete my book on a 50+ year look at the behind the scenes of the Festival,” said Kutza. “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve in this role for more than five decades. I have made many lifelong friends here in Chicago and around the globe, and I am grateful to the Chicago audiences and sponsors for their ongoing support of our mission to foster a better understanding between diverse cultures through the moving image.” Kutza has been awarded countless honors over the course of his storied career, including named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, awarded by French Minister of Culture Jacques Lang, at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984. He also received the Silver Lion Award from the 32nd Venice International Film Festival, awarded for organizing a special section devoted to U.S. independent filmmakers. He received the Chicago Sun-Times award for “Exceptional Contribution to Chicago.” In 2010, Chicago Magazine included Kutza on their list of “Top 40 Chicago Visionaries.” In 2012, he received the Sydney Pollack Award from the American Cinematheque, honoring a person “who has been of critical importance and continuing influence in non-profit film exhibition, film preservation and/or independent film distribution.” In June 2015, Kutza was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour by the President of the French Republic for his achievements as “an internationally recognized graphic designer, filmmaker and the Founder of the Chicago International Film Festival.” And, in 2017, Kutza received the “Onorificenza di Cavalierato,” the highest honor awarded to a person in the arts, from the President of the Italian Republic. Following Kutza’s retirement, he will become Emeritus CEO. Cinema/Chicago will continue to operate with Vivian Teng as Managing Director and Mimi Plauché as Artistic Director. No replacement has been named to succeed Kutza. The 54th Chicago International Film Festival will be presented October 10-21, 2018. image via Facebook

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  • HBO Sets Memorial Day Date for John McCain Documentary JOHN MCCAIN: FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS

    Sen. John Sidney McCain, III HBO has set the debut date for and confirmed the title – John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls – of the previously announced documentary about Senator John Sidney McCain, III.   Produced and directed by six-time Emmy(R) winner Peter Kunhardt, along with Emmy(R) winners George Kunhardt and Teddy Kunhardt, the film is described as an illuminating, exclusive profile of one of the most influential forces in modern American politics. John McCain: For Whom the Bell Tolls will debut this Memorial Day, MONDAY, MAY 28 (8:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO. Following more than 31 years of public service, the six-term senior Arizona senator agreed to participate in the film shortly after being diagnosed with brain cancer, providing unprecedented access to his daily life in Washington, D.C. and Sedona, Arizona. The film features interviews with family, friends, colleagues and leading political figures such as former President Barack Obama, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Senator Joe Lieberman and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Mesmerized at 12 years old by Ernest Hemingway’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” Sen. McCain has used the book as a guide for his life. This sweeping account draws on his own voice, culled from original interviews, commentary and speeches, archival newsreel and television footage, and previously unseen home movies and photographs. Recounting everything from his years spent as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War to running for president, the documentary paints an important portrait of an American maverick who has never lost courage and has kept his eye on America’s most important goals. John McCain’s life is a story of triumph, defeat and resilience? – ?Six decades of, in his words, “imperfect service to my country,” in which the mistakes he made were redeemed by the risks he took and the sacrifices he made for the county he loves. “I think all of us think about death, but I think more about life,” says Sen. McCain. “There are so many days in my life that are more than coincidental. That it has made me believe that I am here for a reason. I’ve been tested on a number of occasions. I haven’t always done the right thing. And I think I understand given my family’s history and given my experiences, the important thing is not to look back and figure out all the things I should have done? – ?and there’s lots of those? – ?but to look back with gratitude. You will never talk to anyone that is as fortunate as John McCain.” McCain’s recent battle with brain cancer underscores the fighting spirit and resilience of this remarkable man, who continues to crusade for the causes he believes in, despite advancing health issues and daunting odds. Kunhardt Films’ previous HBO credits include the recent “King in the Wilderness,” the Emmy(R) winner “Jim: The James Foley Story,” the PGA nominee “The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee,” “Becoming Warren Buffett,” the Emmy(R) nominated “Nixon by Nixon: In His Own Words,” the Emmy(R) nominated “Gloria: In Her Own Words” and the Emmy(R) winner “Teddy: In His Own Words.”

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