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20 FEET FROM STARDOM, THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE Among 2014 Academy Award Oscar Winners

Awards

At the 86th Academy Awards held on Sunday night, he best documentary award went to 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, and Italy picked up it’s 11th best foreign film Oscar for THE GREAT BEAUTY. The documentary short Oscar went to THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE, about 110-year-old Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz Sommer, who died just days before the ceremony.

The complete list of winners of 86th Academy Awards.

Best picture
12 YEARS A SLAVE – Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas, Producers (WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE – Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS – Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB – Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers
GRAVITY – Alfonso Cuaron and David Heyman, Producers
HER – Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers
NEBRASKA – Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, Producers
PHILOMENA – Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan and Tracey Seaward, Producers
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET – Nominees to be determined

Best performance by an actor in a leading role
Matthew McConaughey, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus Features) (WINNER)
Christian Bale, AMERICAN HUSTLE (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Bruce Dern, NEBRASKA (Paramount)
Leonardo DiCaprio, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (Paramount)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight)

Best performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett, BLUE JASMINE (Sony Pictures Classics) (WINNER)
Amy Adams, AMERICAN HUSTLE (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Sandra Bullock, GRAVITY (Warner Bros.)
Judi Dench, PHILOMENA (The Weinstein Company)
Meryl Streep, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (The Weinstein Company)

Achievement in directing
GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuaron (WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE, David O. Russell
NEBRASKA, Alexander Payne
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Steve McQueen
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Martin Scorsese

Original screenplay
HER, Spike Jonze (WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE, Woody Allen
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack
NEBRASKA, Bob Nelson

Adapted screenplay
12 YEARS A SLAVE, John Ridley (WINNER)
BEFORE MIDNIGHT, Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, Billy Ray
PHILOMENA, Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, Terence Winter

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Let It Go” from FROZEN; Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (WINNER)
“Alone Yet Not Alone” from ALONE YET NOT ALONE; Music by Bruce Broughton; Lyrics by Dennis Spiegel
“Happy” from DESPICABLE ME 2; Music and Lyrics by Pharrell Williams
“The Moon Song” from HER; Music by Karen O; Lyrics by Karen O and Spike Jonze
“Ordinary Love” from MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM; Music by Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen; Lyrics by Paul Hewson

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)
GRAVITY, Steven Price (WINNER)
THE BOOK THIEF, John Williams
HER, William Butler and Owen Pallett
PHILOMENA, Alexandre Desplat
SAVING MR. BANKS, Thomas Newman

Achievement in production design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Production Design: Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn(WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Heather Loeffler
GRAVITY, Production Design: Andy Nicholson; Set Decoration: Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
HER, Production Design: K.K. Barrett; Set Decoration: Gene Serdena
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Alice Baker

Achievement in film editing
GRAVITY, Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger (WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
CAPTAIN Phillips, Christopher Rouse
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Joe Walker

Achievement in cinematography
GRAVITY, Emmanuel Lubezki (WINNER)
THE GRANDMASTER, Philippe Le Sourd
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA, Phedon Papamichael
PRISONERS, Roger A. Deakins

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 YEARS A SLAVE (WINNER)
Jennifer Lawrence, AMERICAN HUSTLE
June Squibb, NEBRASKA
Julia Roberts, AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY
Sally Hawkins, BLUE JASMINE

Achievement in sound editing
GRAVITY, Glenn Freemantle (WINNER)
ALL IS LOST, Steve Boeddeker and Richard Hymns
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, Oliver Tarney
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, Brent Burge
LONE SURVIVOR, Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing
GRAVITY, Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro (WINNER)
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith and Chris Munro
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick and Tony Johnson
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
LONE SURVIVOR, Andy Koyama, Beau Borders and David Brownlow

Best foreign-language film
THE GREAT BEAUTY, Italy (WINNER)
THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN, Belgium
THE HUNT, Denmark
THE MISSING PICTURE Cambodia
OMAR, Palestine

Best documentary feature
20 FEET FROM STARDOM,, Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers (WINNER)
THE ACT OF KILLING, Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
CUTIE AND THE BOXER, Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
DIRTY WARS,Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
THE SQUARE, Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer

Best documentary short subject
THE LADY IN NUMBER 6: MUSIC SAVED MY LIFE, Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed (WINNER)
CAVEDIGGER, Jeffrey Karoff
FACING FEAR, Jason Cohen
KARAMA HAS NO WALLS, Sara Ishaq
PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL, Edgar Barens

Best live-action short film
HELIUM, Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson (WINNER)
AQUEL NO ERA YO (THAT WASN’T ME), Esteban Crespo
AVANT QUE DE TOUT PERDRE (JUST BEFORE LOSING EVERYTHING), Xavier Legrand and Alexandre Gavras
PITAAKO MUN KAIKKI HOITAA? (DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING?), Selma Vilhunen and KirsikkaSaari
THE VOORMAN PROBLEM, Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

Achievement in visual effects
GRAVITY, Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould (WINNER)
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick
THE LONE RANGER, Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS, Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

Best animated feature
FROZEN (WINNER)
THE CROODS
THE WIND RISES
DESPICABLE ME 2
ERNEST & CELESTINE

Best animated short film
MR. HUBLOT, Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares (WINNER)
FERAL, Daniel Sousa and Dan Golden
GET A HORSE!, Lauren MacMullan and Dorothy McKim
POSSESSIONS, Shuhei Morita
ROOM ON THE BROOM, Max Lang and Jan Lachauer

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews (WINNER)
JACKASS PRESENTS: BAD GRANDPA, Stephen Prouty
THE LONE RANGER, Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

Achievement in costume design
THE GREAT GATSBY, Catherine Martin (WINNER)
AMERICAN HUSTLE, Michael Wilkinson
THE GRANDMASTER, William Chang Suk Ping
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, Michael O’Connor
12 YEARS A SLAVE, Patricia Norris

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role
Jared Leto, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (WINNER)
Barkhad Abdi, CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Bradley Cooper, AMERICAN HUSTLE
Michael Fassbender, 12 YEARS A SLAVE
Jonah Hill, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
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Guillaume Gallienne’s ME, MYSELF AND MUM is Big Winner at 39th César Awards

Awards

Guillaume Gallienne’s ME, MYSELF AND MUM

Guillaume Gallienne’s ME, MYSELF AND MUM was the big winner at the 39th César Awards in Paris, taking home five awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adaptation, Best First Film and Best Editing. Adapted from his one-man stage show, Guillaume Gallienne shows what it’s like to grow up as a boy when everyone is convinced that you’re really a girl – or should have been. Playing both himself and his frosty grande dame mother, Gallienne traces his life from childhood in an aristocratic family through adventures in Spain, ill-fated stints at boarding school and a hair-raising spa visit to the present, when he comes out as… well, simply as his own uncategorisable self.

The complete list of winners of the 39th Cesar Awards:

Best Picture: Me, Myself and Mum

Honorary Cesar: Scarlett Johansson

Best Director: Roman Polanski for La Vénus à la fourrure

Best Actor: Guillaume Gallienne for Me, Myself and Mum

Best Actress: Sandrine Kiberlain for 9 Month Stretch

Best Supporting Actor: Niels Arestrup for Quai d’Orsay

Best Supporting Actress: Adèle Haenel for Suzanne

Most Promising Actress (Newcomer): Adèle Exarchopoulos for Blue Is The Warmest Color

Most Promising Actor (Newcomer): Pierre Deladonchamps for Stranger by the Lake

Best Original Screenplay: Albert Dupontel for 9 Month Stretch

Best Foreign Film: The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix van Groeningen

Best First Film: Me, Myself and Mum by Guillaume Gallienne

Best Costume: Pascaline Chavanne for Renoir

Best Original Score: Martin Wheeler for Michael Kohlhaas

Best Production Design: Stephane Rozenbaum for L’Ecume des Jours

Best Sound: Jean-Pierre Duret, Jean Mallet and Melissa Petitjean for Michael Kohlhaas

Best Documentary: Sur le Chemin de l’Ecole by Pascal Plisson

Best Adapted Screenplay: Me, Myself and Mum by Guillaume Gallienne

Best Animated Feature Film: Loulou l’Incroyable Secret by Eric Omond

Best Animated Short Film: Mademoiselle Kiki et les Montparnos by Amelie Harrault

Best Editing: Valerie Deseine for Me, Myself and Mum

Best Cinematography: Thomas Hardmeier for The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet

Best Short Film: Avant Que de Tout Perdre by Xavier Legrand

via collider | film description via BFI
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4th LA INDIE Film Festival Reveals Lineup Featuring 84 films in Competition

LA Indie Film Festival

SATELLITE BEACH written, directed and starring LUKE WILSON

The LA INDIE Film Festival will take place March 13 to 23, 2014 at the LET LIVE THEATRE (916 N. Formosa Ave.). 84 films from 16 countries make up the Features and Shorts lineup! There are nine Feature Films in competition. Among them is THE FRONTIER with a stellar turn by MAX GAIL as a retired professor who tries to reconnect after years of estrangement with his ranch hand son. From France is the stunning love story, YOU CANT WRITE A LETTER, from India, the terrifying, THE BLACK TAPE, from Brazil, with a stellar performance from one of its finest actresses, REGINA DUARTE is NEVER TOO OLD TO MEOW. Closing out the festival is the thought provoking documentary from Israel, CROSSROADS: LABOR PAINS OF A NEW WORLDVIEW explores the depths of the current human condition and the emergence of an integrated worldview.

There are also eleven short program blocks featuring 75 films representing a wide range of genres and styles of filmmaking. In the mix are many premiering and multi-award winning narrative and animated films. SATELLITE BEACH is written, directed and stars LUKE WILSON. Satellite Beach follows the unique journey of the Endeavour space shuttle as it travels through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center. ZACH BRAFF contributes the mayhem of EFFED! This truly international festival has films featured from Romania, Italy, Singapore, India, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, Ireland, France, Germany, Mexico, Australia, Israel, Canada, UK, and all over the USA.
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Zach Braff’s WISH I WAS HERE Sets Release Date

News

WISH I WAS HERE, directed by Zach Braff, which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival to lukewarm reviews, will open in theaters July 18, 2014, in Los Angeles and New York, and then expanding to more markets on July 25 and August 1. WISH I WAS HERE, a followup to Braff’s indie breakout hit Garden State, is a comedy about a 30-something man (Braff) arriving a major crossroads that push him to examine his life, career, and his family.

Following his celebrated debut feature, GARDEN STATE, Zach Braff delivers a new postcard from the edge of existential crisis, this time playing a thirtysomething family man wrestling with a few minor hindrances—like his disapproving father, an elusive God, and yes, adult responsibility. Aidan Bloom is a pot-smoking actor whose last job, a dandruff commercial, was longer ago than he cares to admit. Pursuing his thespian dream has landed him and his wife in tough financial straits, so when his grumpy father can no longer pay for the kids to attend Jewish Yeshiva, Aidan opts for homeschooling. To the chagrin of his hyperdisciplined, religious daughter and the delight of his less-than-studious son, Aidan takes matters into his own imaginative hands, rather than sticking to the boring old traditional curriculum. | Sundance Film Festival

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VIDEO: Official Trailer for Manny Pacquiao Documentary

Documentary

The official trailer has been released for Manny Pacquiao Movie, MANNY, the documentary film about Filipino boxer turned congressman Manny Pacquiao. MANNY is scheduled to world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference taking place March 7 to 15, 2014, in Austin, Texas.

“MANNY” is narrated by Academy Award Nominee Liam Neeson and directed by Ryan Moore and Academy Award winner Leon Gast (“When We Were Kings”). “Manny” features original music by Lorne Balfe (Inception, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes) and ChadHugo (The Neptunes/NERD) and interviews by Mark Wahlberg, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeremy Piven, Oscar De La Hoya, and other notable celebrities.

From abject poverty to becoming a ten time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon, Manny Pacquiao is the true definition of a Cinderella-man story.

In the Philippines, he first entered the ring as a sixteen year old weighing ninety-eight pounds with the goal of earning money to feed his family. Now, almost twenty-years later, when he fights, the country of 100 million people comes to a complete standstill to watch. The army and the rebels cease-fire. There are no cars in the street. There is zero crime. An entire country becomes united.

Regarded for his ability to bring people together, Pacquiao entered the political arena in 2010. As history’s first boxing congressman, Pacquiao now fights for his people both inside and outside of the ring. Now at the height of his career, he is faced with maneuvering an unscrupulous sport and maintaining his political duties, while still supporting his family and sustaining a personal life. The question now is, what bridge is too far for Manny Pacquiao to cross? SXSW | Facebook

http://youtu.be/Qqi_DVcSMPY
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AFI and The White House Partnered for the 1st White House Student Film Festival

White House Student Film Festival

The American Film Institute partnered with the White House for the very first White House Student Film Festival which was held on Friday, February 28, 2014. K-12 students from all over the country were asked to create short films about the connection between technology and education. Inside the East Room of the White House, President Obama offered opening remarks prior to the screening of the top films.

All the 16 short films streamed live at whitehouse.gov/live. Kal Penn (HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE) and Neil DeGrasse Tyson presented at the White House event. Also, Conan O’Brien presented over video.

Below are the 16 Official Selections selected to screen at the White House. The films are in three categories: Young Visionaries, Future Innovators and Building Bridges.

Young Visionaries

TECHNOLOGY, DOCUMENTARY, MY DAD, AND ME. Seventeen-year-old Shelly Ortiz became interested in filmmaking once she began attending the Metropolitan Arts Institute in Arizona in eighth grade. In “Technology, Documentary, My Dad, and Me,” Shelly tells us about how the technology in her school has allowed her to find her passion and ability as a filmmaker and use that ability to tell the story of the people she cares about.

TELEPORTATION INVESTIGATION OF 2014. Delaware, Ohio High school students Lexus Lexus Wolf, Natalie Koeritzer, Caroline Proffit, and Elizabeth Russell make up the group The Extrazzlers. In their video “Teleportation Investigation of 2014,” The Extrazzlers created an original music video about the technology in 2014 and what it might look like in the future.

THROUGH THE LENS OF A TIGER. Seniors Alicia Oluhara and Jason Perry attend Woodrow Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. In their submission to the White House Student Film Festival, they detail the many ways technology has enabled them to learn about broadcasting and journalism to tell stories and chase their dreams.

STAY CURIOUS: TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM. Seventeen-year-old Kayla Briët from Cypress, California has a passion for film, music, and the arts. Her submission focused on how technology can foster both academics and creativity. Kayla is also an accomplished musician who produced and recorded the original music featured in her film “Stay Curious: Technology in the Classroom.”

DISCOVERY. Irvington High School sophomore Tiffany Lin from Fremont, California learned about the White House Student Film Festival by following the White House on Instagram. Her film, “Discovery,” shows how technology is used in the everyday life of a student through the advents of an action figure and an omniscient person who guides it.

BEYOND THE CROSSFIRE. High school students Gabriel Garcia, Tirsa Mercado, and Rachel Walden from High Tech High in Chula Vista, California submitted a short film about a larger documentary being produced by more than 45 fellow students designed to elevate youth voices in the discussion about how to prevent and reduce violence and make our schools, homes, and neighborhoods safer.

Future Innovators

ART TECH COLLABORATION. Elementary school students Emily Villazon, Sarah Matus, Jessica Barney, Reyah Doshi, and Garrett Dahn at Highlands and Mill Street Elementary Schools in Naperville, Illinois came together to create this dramatization of the interaction between two schools without ever meeting face to face. Student volunteers helped animate paper cutouts, created props, edited the film, and composed a soundtrack. This was a collaborative effort that required students to work together to create a cohesive story.

PIP. High school students Richard White, Nicolas Ramey, and Emil Willmann from Louisiana teamed up to tell the story of a young boy who uses technology to make a presentation on what he wants to be when he grows up.

TECHNOLOGY AND ME. First graders Emily Kretschmer, Eleanor Daken, Malaika Wande, Yoan Pinsonneault, Veronica Techane, Makaia Spittel, Bezawit Gessesse, and Sydney Humpert from Silver Spring, Maryland gave us a pure and simple look at how the youngest of our students see the past, present, and future of classroom technology.

World of Tomorrow

TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION: A FUTURE CLASSROOM. High school junior Daniel Nemroff from Wynnewood, Pennsylvania set out to show us what education might look like in the future. In “Technology in Education: A Future Classsroom,” Daniel replaces standard texting with a conceptual example of Objective-Based Learning where students work independently, at their own pace, and are motived by achieving a virtual objective.

FULL S[T]EAM AHEAD – HOW TECHNOLOGY ROCKS THE CLASSROOM. Elementary school students Miles Pilchik and Gabrielle Nafie from SciTech Kids in New York, New York came together to show us how technology can spark children’s innate curiosity through hands-on experiences. From iPads to 3D printers, “Full S[T]EAM Ahead” shows us how STEAM activities requires them to think like scientists, inventors, and Makers.

TOMORROW’S CLASSROOM. Eighth grader Alexander Emerson from Manchester, Massachusetts shows us how his classroom uses technology to collaborate with students in Uganda, Rwanda, and Brazil to design a more efficient cookstove. Alex has been making films for several years, including an adaptation of Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.”

Building Bridges

ALEX. Eleventh grader Aaron Buangsuwon from Atladena, California shot his video “Alex” about his brother, Alex, to shed light on how technology is helping kids with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia learn in a modern school environment. In order to stand out from the other submissions, and in honor of his brother’s love of the outdoors, Mitch recorded his video out in nature instead of inside the classroom.

POSNACK TECHNOLOGY: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF KYLE. Seventh graders Marni Rosenblatt, Justin Etzine, and Rachel Huss at the David Posnack Jewish Day School in Davie, Florida came together to tell the story of fellow student Kyle Weintraub, who is being treated for lymphoma in Philadelphia but continues to attend school at Posnack through the use of a special robot. Using the robot, Kyle is able to interact with friends and teachers, venture through the hallways, and participate in class as if he were physically present.

DOUBLE TIME. Eighth gradersJoshua Leong and Stephen Sheridan from Longfellow Middle School in Falls Church, Virginia told the story of two sister schools who collaborate on a school project from different parts of the world by using technology. Josh and Stephen wrote the script and traveled to schools and airports to tell their story.

HELLO FROM MALAYSIA. Seventeen-year-old Kira Bursky from Asheville, North Carolina has been making films since she was only 10. Her film chronicles a fictional girl, Aiman, who, after being sent to boarding school in the United States, uses technology both to maintain a connection with her family back home in Malaysia and also to share her culture and build connections with her new classmates.

via AFI | see films
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Jeff Bridges to Receive San Luis Obispo International Film Festival’s Career Achievement Award

San Luis Obispo International Film Festival

The San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLOIFF) announced that actor Jeff Bridges will be presented with the 20th Anniversary King Vidor Award at the upcoming festival taking place March 5 to 9th, 2014. On Saturday, March 8 at the Fremont Theatre in San Luis Obispo, former King Vidor Award recipient James Cromwell will present the award followed by a conversation with Jeff Bridges, and a screening of one of his films.

One of Hollywood’s most successful actors and a six-time Academy Award® nominee, Bridges’ performance in “CRAZY HEART”—as Bad Blake, the down-on-his-luck country music singer —deservedly garnered the iconic performer his first Oscar® for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. The performance also earned him the Golden Globe, SAG Award and the IFP/Spirit Award for Lead Actor.

Other SLOIFF Highlights include the 3rd Annual Spotlight Award presented to Adam West on Opening Night, after a screening of the new documentary, STARRING ADAM WEST directed by James Tooley.
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GASLAND PART II to have Australian Premiere at 2014 Byron Bay International Film Festival | VIDEO Watch Trailer

Byron Bay International Film Festival

GASLAND PART II, the follow up to Emmy Award-winning and Oscar®-nominated director Josh Fox’s groundbreaking documentary, GASLAND that exposed the truth, lies and corruption in the natural gas industry and inspired communities worldwide to act, will have its Australian Premiere on Saturday 1st March at the 8th Byron Bay International Film Festival. GASLAND PART II, which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, shows how the stakes have been raised on all sides in one of the most important environmental issues facing the world today.

Fox uses his trademark dark humor to take a deeper, broader look at the dangers of the controversial mining method hydraulic fracturing, known as ‘fracking’, to extract natural gases like coal seam gas and oil, that is now occurring on a global level in 32 countries worldwide.

The film argues that the gas industry’s portrayal of natural gas as a clean and safe alternative to oil is a myth and that many ‘fracked’ wells inevitably leak over time, contaminating water and air, hurting families, and endangering the earth’s climate with the potent greenhouse gas, methane.

In addition, the film looks at how the powerful oil and gas industries are in Fox’s words “contaminating our democracy”.

The film is a relentless kick to the head of scientifically-sourced data, personal stories, case examples, insider information, consistent pragmatic research and an investigative documentary-makers mindset that keeps chasing the core subject matter, staying on track, keeping an audience’s interest front and centre in the frame.

Taking no prisoners in the making of GASLAND PART II, as reported in The Guardian in early 2012, Fox was arrested and handcuffed at US Congress when he tried to film a hearing about fracking. Fox stated, “This is the second or third time we were denied access to a hearing that should be covered and coverable by our film. Everyone should be allowed to take in these hearings. They are public speech.”

Byron Bay International Film Festival Director J’aimee Skippon-Volke has been in discussion with Josh since 2010 and is excited to be presenting the Australian Premiere of his second installment, which has been nominated for a hat trick of awards, Best Film, Best Documentary and Best Environmental Film.

http://youtu.be/dzx7UXzK_z4
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Winners Announced for 2014 Spirit Awards; FRUITVALE STATION, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, 12 YEARS A SLAVE Among Winners

Awards

The 29th Spirit Awards ceremony was held this afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with top honors going to 12 YEARS A SLAVE, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and NEBRASKA. BLUE JASMINE, FRUITVALE STATION, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, SHORT TERM 12, THIS IS MARTIN BONNER and 20 FEET FROM STARDOM also received awards at the ceremony.

This year’s major category winners were 12 YEARS A SLAVE, which won Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Female and Best Cinematography and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, which won Best Supporting Male and Best Male Lead; FRUITVALE STATION which won Best First Feature and NEBRASKA, which won Best First Screenplay; BLUE JASMINE, which won Best Female Lead, SHORT TERM 12 which won Best Editing; THIS IS MARTIN BONNER, which won the John Cassavetes Award; BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, which won Best International Film and 20 FEET FROM STARDOM which won Best Documentary.

The following is the complete list of the winners:

Best Feature: 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Dede Gardner, Anthony Katagas, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Arnon Milchan, Brad Pitt, Bill Pohlad

Best Director: Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Screenplay: John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best First Feature: Fruitvale Station (The Weinstein Company)
Director: Ryan Coogler, Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker

Best First Screenplay: Bob Nelson, Nebraska (Paramount Pictures)

John Cassavetes Award (For best feature made under $500,000):
This is Martin Bonner (Monterey Media inc)
Writer/Director: Chad Hartigan, Producer: Cherie Saulter

Best Supporting Female: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Supporting Male: Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club (Focus Features)

Best Female Lead: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Male Lead: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club, (Focus Features)

Robert Altman Award: Mud (Roadside Attractions / Lionsgate)
Director: Jeff Nichols, Casting Director: Francine Maisler, Ensemble Cast: Joe Don Baker, Jacob Lofland, Matthew McConaughey, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson, Michael Shannon, Sam Shepard, Tye Sheridan, Paul Sparks, Bonnie Sturdivant, Reese Witherspoon

Best Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt, 12 Years a Slave (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Best Editing: Nat Sanders, Short Term 12 (Cinedigm)

Best International Film: Blue is the Warmest Color (France- IFC Films)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom (Radius-TWC)
Director/Producer: Morgan Neville, Producers: Gil Friesen, Caitrin Rogers
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Australia’s Byron Bay International Film Festival Taking Place through March 9; Opens with Australian premiere of WHEN MY SORROW DIED

Byron Bay International Film Festival

WHEN MY SORROW DIED: THE LEGEND OF ARMEN RA & THE THEREMIN

Described as “Australia’s independent showcase for the edgiest filmmakers on the planet,” the 8th Byron Bay International Film Festival kicked off on Friday, February 28th and runs through March 9th, 2014. The festival opened with the Australian premiere of WHEN MY SORROW DIED: THE LEGEND OF ARMEN RA & THE THEREMIN – the candidly told life story of Armen Ra, who toured with Nick Cave and whose performance Debby Harry describes as ‘beyond’. RISE OF THE ECO WARRIORS closes the festival.15 brave and passionate young people and one scientist step up against rampant destruction in Borneo to save its Orangutans.

Other film highlights include:

Multi-award winning anti-fracking doco GASLAND 2 from Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated director and ativist, Josh Fox. Nominee, Best Film; Best Environmental Film; Best Documentary

Australian premiere of WHEN MY SORROW DIED: THE LEGEND OF ARMEN RA & THE THEREMIN – the candidly told life story of Armen Ra, who toured with Nick Cave and whose performance Debby Harry describes as ‘beyond’. Opening Night Film. Nominee, Best Film, Best Documentary

World premiere of the gobsmacking DWARVES KINGDOM – about a real life fantastical mountain village built for 3,000 Chinese dwarves.

Game-changing Australian gay surf film OUT IN THE LINE UP cracks open homophobia in this Aussie way of life. Nominee, Best Surf Film.

THE INTERVIEWER by former Tropfest winner, Genevieve Clay-Smith, and co-created with 12 people living with a disability.

World premiere of highly anticipated, A WOMAN’S DEEPER JOURNEY INTO SEX starring infamous Hollywood madam Heidi Fleiss and pornstar Jesse Jane

A GUERRA DA BEATRIZ, the first post-war dramatic feature film from East Timor. Nominee, Best Dramatic Feature

World premiere of Aussie surf film BURRAJURRA, a doco about the life-changing indigenous surf charity featuring champions Layne Beachleyand Josh Melling. Nominee, Best Surf Film

RISE OF THE ECO WARRIORS closes the festival.15 brave and passionate young people and one scientist step up against rampant destruction in Borneo to save its Orangutans. Nominee, Best Environmental Film.

Girls go hard in New Zealand’s PRETTY BRUTAL about the highs and lows of the roller derby scene – one of six films to be shown at the Festival’s showcase for International Women’s Day on 8 March

THE ACTIVIST. A thriller set in 1973 about two Native American activists embroiled in a secret that stretches all the way to Hollywood and Nixon. Nominee, Best Film, Best Dramatic Feature

THE DEFLOWERING OF EVA VAN END. A Wes Anderson-style feature about a family aflutter when an Adonis-like exchange student moves in. Nominee, Best Film, Best Dramatic Feature

A cross-cultural dance fusion from the streets of New York to farthest India, UPAJ: IMPROVISE. Stars Emmy-winner, Jason Samuels-Smith. Nominee, Best film, Best Documentary.

image via ianyanmag
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Polish Documentary, DEEP LOVE to Screen at 2014 American Documentary Film Festival

American Documentary Film Festival

The 2014 edition of the American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund will screen a number of award-winning international films, including the acclaimed Polish documentary, DEEP LOVE. DEEP LOVE is a story of Dr. Janusz Solarz (Soley), an active economist, researcher and lawyer, and an avid scuba diver. Life for Soley is filled with passion and promise until suddenly, at age 58, he suffers a debilitating stroke that leaves him partially paralyzed and unable to communicate clearly. Rehabilitation and recovery proves difficult, despite the assistance of his partner, Asia, a water therapist who works with disabled children, and is an active diver herself. Over the course of three years, Soley begins to regain some mobility, but not enough to reclaim his passion for diving – especially not his big dream of returning to one of the most dangerous diving locations on earth – the perilous Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt.

Together with his friend Arthur, Solely determines that he must return to the Blue Hole, and dive there, despite its danger, and his own physical challenges. They begin planning the trip, despite the concerns of Asia, who fears she may lose her life partner to the Hole. In the end, though, Asia, Arthur and Soley all three decide to make the trip, knowing that Soley’s life, and, more importantly, his joy for life, may never be the same until he makes the attempt.

DEEP LOVE is a story of danger and dreams. Of the human will to survive, and thrive, despite illness and physical limitations. It is a testament to human ingenuity and the desire to succeed despite all odds. It is also one more way the American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund helps us all see the bigger picture, one film at a time.

The American Documentary Film Festival opens on Thursday, March 27th and continues through Monday, March 31st.

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Bermuda International Film Festival Unveils 2014 Film Selections

Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF)

LE WEEK-END

The 17th annual Bermuda International Film Festival taking place later this month, March 21 to 27, 2014, under the theme, Global Visions, unveiled its lineup including more than 25 feature-length and short films which will screen this year at Liberty Theatre in Hamilton, Bermuda. BIFF 2014 opens with “LE WEEK-END,” a British film set in Paris. It stars Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as a fifty-something couple returning to the city of love, in which they honeymooned, in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage.

For its centerpiece Gala, the festival will screen screen THE FRENCH MINISTER, described as an off-the-wall comedy about French politics is based on the award-winning graphic novel by Abel Lanzac, a former government speech writer.

The festival closes with the Gala Presentation of ALAN PARTRIDGE, with Steve Coogan returning in his BBC television comic creation of Alan Partridge, a broadcaster at the edge of his own sanity.

Other films on the lineup include three Oscar-nominated films, MISSING PICTURE, OMAR and THE SQUARE, which will be screened in Bermuda for the first time.

The narrative line-up includes GLORIA; LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival last year; ABUSE OF WEAKNESS; and THE DOUBLE, the latest film from director Richard Ayoade, who won the Audience Choice Award at BIFF 2011 with SUBMARINE.

Documentaries screening at BIFF 2014 are AFTERNOON OF A FAUN: TANAQUIL LE CLERCQ; FINDING VIVIAN MAIER; and THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN.

The Onion Patch strand which showcases Bermudian cinematic talent includes three films: Ben Watson’s DOWNING’S WRECK documentary about Bermuda’s most famous shipwreck, Sea Venture; Robert Zuill’s documentary AN ANCIENT WINDOW also about a shipwreck that tells the tale of early Bermuda; and Gareth Fletcher Pit Bull dog documentary, BULLIED BREEDS.

via Bermuda Sun
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