The 19th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival announced all of the films that will be showcased at the upcoming festival taking place September 23-27, 2015 at Manhattan’s AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.
BET’s Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ will serve as the opening night film at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. The biographical tribute to the former heavyweight champion, directed and executive produced by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, will connect the fighter’s boxing prowess as well as his social media activism, to the millennial audience to reveal Ali’s meaning in the world today.
Premiering on BET Wednesday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, the special features exclusive interviews with family, friends and admirers including Muhammad Ali’s daughter and niece Laila Ali and Shaya Ali, LL Cool J, Ludacris, T.I., Nas, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Lewis, Tyrese, Rosie Perez, David Banner, Michael Eric Dyson, Billie Jean King, Walt Frazier, Jim Brown, Ronnie Essett, Sway Calloway, Wood Harris, Jeffrey T. Sammons, Godfrey C. Danchimah, Richard Sherman, J. Ivy and Common. A Q&A with filmmakers will follow.
A Ballerina’s Tale will close the festival on Saturday, September 26 at 8:30pm. The film is an intimate look at a crucial period in the career of principal dancer Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre (ABT). It follows Misty from her triumphant lead performance in Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center through her painful injury and recovery that followed, to her return to ABT and subsequent pop cultural icon status. The documentary, directed by Nelson George, also examines issues of race and body image in the elite ballet world. Sundance Selects will release the film theatrically and on VOD on October 14. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Copeland and George.
2015 Urbanworld Film Festival SLATE
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ – Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons & Chike Ozah (USA) –
Presented by BET Networks
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
A Ballerina’s Tale – Directed by Nelson George (USA) – Presented by Sundance Selects
SPOTLIGHT FILMS
3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets – Directed by Marc Silver (USA) – Presented by HBO
Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives – Directed by Bobbito Garcia (USA)
The Man In 3B – Directed by Trey Haley (USA) – East Coast Premiere
NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
After School – Directed by Carlos Melendez & Mauricio Mendoza (USA) – New York Premiere
A Girl Like Grace – Directed by Ty Hodges (USA) – New York Premiere
Breaking Through – Directed by John Swetnam (USA) – US Premiere
Carmin Tropical – Directed by Rigoberto Perezcano (Mexico) – New York Premiere – Presented by NewFest in
Partnership with Outfest
Chapter & Verse – Directed by Jamal Joseph (USA) – World Premiere
Flow – Directed by Fenar Ahmad (Denmark) – US Premiere
Honeytrap – Directed Rebecca Johnson (UK) – New York Premiere
Knucklehead – Directed by Ben Bowman (USA)
Last Night – Directed by Harold Jackson III (USA)
Pocha – Directed by Michael Dwyer (USA) – New York Premiere
Primero De Enero (January 1st) – Directed by Erika Bagnarello (Dominican Republic) – New York Premiere
Riding 79 – Directed by Karola Hawk Gonzalez (Puerto Rico) – New York Premiere
Somewhere In The Middle – Directed by Lanre Olabisi (USA) – New York Premiere
The Stockroom – Directed by Victor Cruz (USA) – World Premiere
The Two Of Us – Directed by Ernest Nkosi (South Africa) – New York Premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS
Anatomy of a Dress – Directed by Flora Pérez-Garay (Puerto Rico) – New York Premiere
Can You Dig This – Directed by Delila Vallot (USA) – New York Premiere
Dramatic Escape – Directed by Nick Quested (USA) – World Premiere
Hate Crimes in the Heartland – Directed by Rachel Lyon (USA)
In Football We Trust – Co-Directed by Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn (USA) – New York Premiere
Romeo is Bleeding – Directed by Jason Zeldes (USA)
Tap World – Directed by Dean Hargrove (USA)
We Like It Like That – Directed by Mathew Ramirez Warren (USA) – New York Premiere
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
By Jamal Joseph: A Life Transformed by the Arts – Directed by Mike De Caro (USA) – World Premiere
Looking at the Stars – Directed by Alexandre Peralta (Brazil) – New York Premiere
Quest for Cuba: Questlove Brings the Funk to Havana – Directed by Jauretsi & Daniel Petruzzi (USA) –
Presented by Okayplayer Films & Jill Newman Productions
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
#American – Directed by Nate Parker (USA) – New York Premiere
1440 & Counting – Directed by Tony Gapastione (USA) – New York Premiere
2nd Life – Directed by Jake Alexander McAfee (USA) – New York Premiere
Ackee & Saltfish – Directed by Cecile Meke (UK)
About That… – Directed by Damien Smith (USA) – New York Premiere
Amishi – Directed by Malinda Kaur (UK)
Ana – Directed by Renee Marie Petropoulos (USA) – New York Premiere
Bad Hunter – Directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa (Belgium) – New York Premiere
Beyond The Passage – Directed by Terrence Jones (USA) – New York Premiere
Blackcard – Directed by Pete Chatmon (USA)
Boxed In – Directed by Tasha Smith (USA) – New York Premiere
Charlotte – Directed by Angel Kristi Williams (USA) – New York Premiere
Clean – Directed by Gabriel Wilson (USA) – World Premiere
Debt to Society – Directed by Tristan Daley (USA) – New York Premiere
Dream – Directed by Nijla Mu’min (USA) – New York Premiere
Dubois – Directed by Kaz Ové (Trinidad & Tobago) – New York Premiere
Fanta Face – Directed by Yaa Boaa Aning (USA) – World Premiere
Forgiving Chris Brown – Directed by Marquette Jones (USA) – World Premiere
Gang – Directed by Clayton Vomero (USA) – US Premiere
Human Behavior – Directed by Carey WIlliams – New York Premiere
In the Clouds – Directed by Marcelo Mitnik (Argentina) – New York Premiere
King of Guangzhou – Directed by Quester Hannah (China)
Late Expectations – Directed by Laurie Arakaki (USA) – World Premiere
Lia – Directed by Ethosheia Hylton (UK) – World Premiere
Love for Passion – Directed by Nathan Hale Williams (USA)
Mandala – Directed by Guan Xi (China) – New York Premiere
Marianne – Directed by Tomisin Adepeju (UK) – New York Premiere
Only Light – Directed by Evita Castine (USA)
Roubado – Directed by Erica A. Watson (USA) – New York Premiere
Since I Laid Eyes – Directed by Adel Morales
South Arcadia Street – Directed by Melanie D’Andrea (USA) – New York Premiere
Standing8 – Directed by Michael Molina Minard (USA)
Stanhope – Directed by Solvan Naim (USA) – New York Premiere
Stomach – Directed by Javier Kühn (UK/Spain) – World Premiere
Taking Chance – Directed by Jerry Lamothe (USA) – World Premiere
Tap Shoes & Violins – Directed by Dax Brooks (USA) – New York Premiere
The Call – Directed by Zamo Mkhwanazi (USA) – New York Premiere
The Cycle – Directed by Michael Marantz (USA) – New York Premiere
The Loyalist – Directed by Minji Kang (South Korea)
The Reunion – Directed by Carmen Elly Wilkerson (USA) – New York Premiere
The Trade – Directed by Michael A. Pinckney (USA) – World Premiere
The Trophy Thief – Directed by Dave Edwardz (USA) – New York Premiere
The Walk – Directed by Alonso Alvarez Barreda (Mexico) – New York Premiere
The Waltz – Directed by Trevor Zhou (USA) – World Premiere
Times of Competition – Directed by Toti Loureiro & Ruy Prado (Brazil) – New York Premiere
Tough – Directed by Alfonso Johnson (USA) – New York Premiere
Wait Till the Wolves Make Nice – Directed by Jess dela Merced (USA) – New York Premiere
Wayward – Directed by Kira Richards Hansen (Denmark) – New York Premiere
Welcoming Arms – Directed by Roseanne Ma (USA) – New York Premiere
When Fragile Things Break – Directed by Shanika Warren-Markland (USA) – New York Premiere-
2015 Urbanworld Film Festival Reveals Complete Lineup; Opens With “Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” Closes With “A Ballerina’s Tale”
The 19th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival announced all of the films that will be showcased at the upcoming festival taking place September 23-27, 2015 at Manhattan’s AMC Empire 25 on 234 West 42nd Street.
BET’s Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ will serve as the opening night film at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 23. The biographical tribute to the former heavyweight champion, directed and executive produced by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, will connect the fighter’s boxing prowess as well as his social media activism, to the millennial audience to reveal Ali’s meaning in the world today.
Premiering on BET Wednesday, September 23 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, the special features exclusive interviews with family, friends and admirers including Muhammad Ali’s daughter and niece Laila Ali and Shaya Ali, LL Cool J, Ludacris, T.I., Nas, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Lewis, Tyrese, Rosie Perez, David Banner, Michael Eric Dyson, Billie Jean King, Walt Frazier, Jim Brown, Ronnie Essett, Sway Calloway, Wood Harris, Jeffrey T. Sammons, Godfrey C. Danchimah, Richard Sherman, J. Ivy and Common. A Q&A with filmmakers will follow.
A Ballerina’s Tale will close the festival on Saturday, September 26 at 8:30pm. The film is an intimate look at a crucial period in the career of principal dancer Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre (ABT). It follows Misty from her triumphant lead performance in Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center through her painful injury and recovery that followed, to her return to ABT and subsequent pop cultural icon status. The documentary, directed by Nelson George, also examines issues of race and body image in the elite ballet world. Sundance Selects will release the film theatrically and on VOD on October 14. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with Copeland and George.
2015 Urbanworld Film Festival SLATE
OPENING NIGHT FILM
Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ – Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons & Chike Ozah (USA) –
Presented by BET Networks
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
A Ballerina’s Tale – Directed by Nelson George (USA) – Presented by Sundance Selects
SPOTLIGHT FILMS
3 ½ Minutes, 10 Bullets – Directed by Marc Silver (USA) – Presented by HBO
Stretch & Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives – Directed by Bobbito Garcia (USA)
The Man In 3B – Directed by Trey Haley (USA) – East Coast Premiere
NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS
After School – Directed by Carlos Melendez & Mauricio Mendoza (USA) – New York Premiere
A Girl Like Grace – Directed by Ty Hodges (USA) – New York Premiere
Breaking Through – Directed by John Swetnam (USA) – US Premiere
Carmin Tropical – Directed by Rigoberto Perezcano (Mexico) – New York Premiere – Presented by NewFest in
Partnership with Outfest
Chapter & Verse – Directed by Jamal Joseph (USA) – World Premiere
Flow – Directed by Fenar Ahmad (Denmark) – US Premiere
Honeytrap – Directed Rebecca Johnson (UK) – New York Premiere
Knucklehead – Directed by Ben Bowman (USA)
Last Night – Directed by Harold Jackson III (USA)
Pocha – Directed by Michael Dwyer (USA) – New York Premiere
Primero De Enero (January 1st) – Directed by Erika Bagnarello (Dominican Republic) – New York Premiere
Riding 79 – Directed by Karola Hawk Gonzalez (Puerto Rico) – New York Premiere
Somewhere In The Middle – Directed by Lanre Olabisi (USA) – New York Premiere
The Stockroom – Directed by Victor Cruz (USA) – World Premiere
The Two Of Us – Directed by Ernest Nkosi (South Africa) – New York Premiere
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS
Anatomy of a Dress – Directed by Flora Pérez-Garay (Puerto Rico) – New York Premiere
Can You Dig This – Directed by Delila Vallot (USA) – New York Premiere
Dramatic Escape – Directed by Nick Quested (USA) – World Premiere
Hate Crimes in the Heartland – Directed by Rachel Lyon (USA)
In Football We Trust – Co-Directed by Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn (USA) – New York Premiere
Romeo is Bleeding – Directed by Jason Zeldes (USA)
Tap World – Directed by Dean Hargrove (USA)
We Like It Like That – Directed by Mathew Ramirez Warren (USA) – New York Premiere
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
By Jamal Joseph: A Life Transformed by the Arts – Directed by Mike De Caro (USA) – World Premiere
Looking at the Stars – Directed by Alexandre Peralta (Brazil) – New York Premiere
Quest for Cuba: Questlove Brings the Funk to Havana – Directed by Jauretsi & Daniel Petruzzi (USA) –
Presented by Okayplayer Films & Jill Newman Productions
NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
#American – Directed by Nate Parker (USA) – New York Premiere
1440 & Counting – Directed by Tony Gapastione (USA) – New York Premiere
2nd Life – Directed by Jake Alexander McAfee (USA) – New York Premiere
Ackee & Saltfish – Directed by Cecile Meke (UK)
About That… – Directed by Damien Smith (USA) – New York Premiere
Amishi – Directed by Malinda Kaur (UK)
Ana – Directed by Renee Marie Petropoulos (USA) – New York Premiere
Bad Hunter – Directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa (Belgium) – New York Premiere
Beyond The Passage – Directed by Terrence Jones (USA) – New York Premiere
Blackcard – Directed by Pete Chatmon (USA)
Boxed In – Directed by Tasha Smith (USA) – New York Premiere
Charlotte – Directed by Angel Kristi Williams (USA) – New York Premiere
Clean – Directed by Gabriel Wilson (USA) – World Premiere
Debt to Society – Directed by Tristan Daley (USA) – New York Premiere
Dream – Directed by Nijla Mu’min (USA) – New York Premiere
Dubois – Directed by Kaz Ové (Trinidad & Tobago) – New York Premiere
Fanta Face – Directed by Yaa Boaa Aning (USA) – World Premiere
Forgiving Chris Brown – Directed by Marquette Jones (USA) – World Premiere
Gang – Directed by Clayton Vomero (USA) – US Premiere
Human Behavior – Directed by Carey WIlliams – New York Premiere
In the Clouds – Directed by Marcelo Mitnik (Argentina) – New York Premiere
King of Guangzhou – Directed by Quester Hannah (China)
Late Expectations – Directed by Laurie Arakaki (USA) – World Premiere
Lia – Directed by Ethosheia Hylton (UK) – World Premiere
Love for Passion – Directed by Nathan Hale Williams (USA)
Mandala – Directed by Guan Xi (China) – New York Premiere
Marianne – Directed by Tomisin Adepeju (UK) – New York Premiere
Only Light – Directed by Evita Castine (USA)
Roubado – Directed by Erica A. Watson (USA) – New York Premiere
Since I Laid Eyes – Directed by Adel Morales
South Arcadia Street – Directed by Melanie D’Andrea (USA) – New York Premiere
Standing8 – Directed by Michael Molina Minard (USA)
Stanhope – Directed by Solvan Naim (USA) – New York Premiere
Stomach – Directed by Javier Kühn (UK/Spain) – World Premiere
Taking Chance – Directed by Jerry Lamothe (USA) – World Premiere
Tap Shoes & Violins – Directed by Dax Brooks (USA) – New York Premiere
The Call – Directed by Zamo Mkhwanazi (USA) – New York Premiere
The Cycle – Directed by Michael Marantz (USA) – New York Premiere
The Loyalist – Directed by Minji Kang (South Korea)
The Reunion – Directed by Carmen Elly Wilkerson (USA) – New York Premiere
The Trade – Directed by Michael A. Pinckney (USA) – World Premiere
The Trophy Thief – Directed by Dave Edwardz (USA) – New York Premiere
The Walk – Directed by Alonso Alvarez Barreda (Mexico) – New York Premiere
The Waltz – Directed by Trevor Zhou (USA) – World Premiere
Times of Competition – Directed by Toti Loureiro & Ruy Prado (Brazil) – New York Premiere
Tough – Directed by Alfonso Johnson (USA) – New York Premiere
Wait Till the Wolves Make Nice – Directed by Jess dela Merced (USA) – New York Premiere
Wayward – Directed by Kira Richards Hansen (Denmark) – New York Premiere
Welcoming Arms – Directed by Roseanne Ma (USA) – New York Premiere
When Fragile Things Break – Directed by Shanika Warren-Markland (USA) – New York Premiere
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World Premiere of Angelina Jolie Pitt’s BY THE SEA to Kick off AFI FEST 2015 | TRAILER
The world premiere of Angelina Jolie Pitt’s BY THE SEA will kick off AFI FEST 2015 on Thursday, November 5. BY THE SEA follows an American writer (Brad Pitt) and his wife (Angelina Jolie Pitt) who arrive in a tranquil and picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France, their marriage in apparent crisis. The film is written, directed, produced by and starring Academy Award winner Jolie Pitt and co-produced by and starring Academy Award winner Pitt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lENyWGjAzdI
“Time and again, Angelina Jolie Pitt has proven herself an artist of the highest caliber,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President and CEO. “It is an honor for AFI to celebrate her latest story with its World Premiere – and in doing so – to shine a proper light upon her boundless creative energies as actor, director, writer and producer.”
“AFI has long supported the boldness and experimentation that accompanies provocative cinema,” said Jolie Pitt. “As a filmmaker, and on behalf of our cast and crew, I am honored to launch the film at the Opening Night Gala for AFI FEST.”
The 29th edition of AFI FEST will take place November 5–12, 2015 in the heart of Hollywood.
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ROOM Starring Brie Larson, William H. Macy to Open 2015 Aspen Filmfest | TRAILER
ROOM, directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, William H. Macy and Joan Allen, will open 2015 Aspen Filmfest on Friday, Sept. 25. Based on the international best-selling novel by Emma Donoghue, this emotional journey demonstrates he triumphant power of a mother’s love even under the darkest of circumstances. The Aspen Filmfest audience will be the first to see the narrative feature outside of its Toronto International Film Festival premiere earlier in the month.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C6fZ-fwDws
“Aspen Film is honored to open our 37th Aspen Filmfest with such an anticipated title,” said Aspen Film Executive Director John Thew. “ROOM is sure to set the stage for our forthcoming impressive and diverse program.”
One of Colorado’s longest running film festivals, the 37th Aspen Filmfest runs Friday, Sept. 25 – Wednesday, Sept. 30 at Paepcke Auditorium and Isis Theater in Aspen and the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.
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2015 Camden International Film Festival Reveals Slate of Feature and Short Films
The 2015 Camden International Film Festival (CIFF) announced the slate of feature and short films for its 11th edition, which will take place September 17-20, 2015 throughout Camden, Rockport and Rockland, Maine. CIFF will present over 60 features and short films from across the globe, the country and the state, with filmmakers attending nearly every screening.
Highlights of this year’s program include Locarno titles Machine Gun or Typewriter, The Ground We Won and Locarno winner Olmo and the Seagull (pictured above), fresh from TIFF: climate change doc This Changes Everything; and Points North alums Containment and Drawing the Tiger. In addition to the titles below, CIFF will screen a sidebar program of historic ethnographic films with support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a program celebrating the home movie archives of Charles Norman Shay in collaboration with Northeast Historic Film, and the Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking Shorts List, whose titles will be announced at the festival next month.
The Camden International Film Festival will announce their Points North Documentary Forum lineup of films, speakers and panels on Thursday, August 27.
2015 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES
ABOVE AND BELOW
Nicolas Steiner | Switzerland, Germany | 2015
ALL THINGS ABLAZE
Oleksandr Technyski, Aleksey Solodunov, Dmitry Stoykov | Ukraine | 2014
ALMOST THERE
Aaron Wickenden, Dan Rybicky | United States | 2014
BEST OF ENEMIES
Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon | United States | 2014
BREAKING A MONSTER
Luke Meyer | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
CONTAINMENT
Peter Galison, Robb Moss | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance! Points North Alum!
DEMOCRATS
Camila Nielsson| Denmark | 2014
DRAWING THE TIGER
Amy Benson, Ramyata Limbu, Scott Squire | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance! Points North Alum!
ELEPHANT’S DREAM
Kristof Bilsen | Belgium | 2014
Filmmaker in attendance!
FRAME BY FRAME
Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance!
FROM THIS DAY FORWARD
Sharon Shattuck | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF
Alex Gibney | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
THE GROUND WE WON
Christopher Pryor | New Zealand | 2015
HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Jerry Rothwell | United Kingdom, Canada | 2015
I AM THE PEOPLE (JE SUIS LE PEUPLE)
Anna Roussillon | France | 2014
IN TRANSIT
Albert Maysles, Lynn True, Nelson Walker, Ben Wu, David Usui | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance!
KINGS OF NOWHERE
Betzabé García | Mexico | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
MACHINE GUN OR TYPEWRITER
Travis Wilkerson | United States | 2015
MERU
Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi | United States | 2015
OF THE NORTH
Dominic Gagnon | Canada | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
OLMO AND THE SEAGULL
Petra Costa, Lea Glob | Denmark, Brazil, Portugal, France | 2015
Producer in attendance!
PEACE OFFICER
Scott Christopherson, Brad Barber | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
THE RUSSIAN WOODPECKER
Chad Gracia | Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States | 2015
SAILING A SINK SEA
Olivia Wyatt | United States | 2015
Filmmakmer in attendance!
TELL SPRING NOT TO COME THIS YEAR
Saeed Taji Farouky, Michael McEvoy | United Kingdom | 2015
(T)ERROR
Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING
David Osit, Malika Zouhali-Worrall | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance!
THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING
Avi Lewis | Canada, United States | 2015
THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING
Morgan Knibbe | Netherlands | 2014
TOTO AND HIS SISTERS
Alexander Nanau | Romania, Hungary, Germany | 2014
T-REX
Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
UNCERTAIN
Anna Sandilands, Ewan McNicol | United States | 2015
Filmmakers in attendance!
UNTITLED Work-in-Progress Screening
Ian Cheney | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
WESTERN
Bill Ross, Turner Ross | United States | 2015
Filmmaker in attendance!
2015 CAMDEN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SHORT FILMS
70-SOME YEARS
Riley Hooper | United States | 2015
AMERICAN RENAISSANCE
Jarred Alterman, Ryan Scafuro | United States | 2015
BODY TEAM 12
David Darg | United States | 2015
CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH
Adam Benzine | United Kingdom | 2015
CHOP MY MONEY
Theo Anthony | United States | 2014
DENALI
Ben Knight | United States | 2015
DIVER
Christoph Gelfand, Caroline Losneck | United States | 2015
Dirigo Short! Made in Maine!
ERIC, WINTER TO SPRING
Danya Abt | United States | 2014
THE FACE OF UKRAINE: CASTING OSKANA BAIUL
Kitty Green | Australia | 2015
FARM
Christoph Gelfand | United States | 2015
Dirigo Short! Made in Maine!
HERETIX: UP AND RUNNING
Francis Decky | United States | 2015
Dirigo Short! Made in Maine!
HOTEL 22
Elizabeth Lo | United States | 2014
THE LAND
Erin Davis | United States | 2015
THE LAST BARN DANCE
Ted Richardson, Jason Arthurs | United States | 2015
LAST PYRAMID
Dave Schachter | United States | 2015
Dirigo Short! Made in Maine!
LETTER TO SUBI
Genevieve Carmel | United States | 2015
LUCHADORA
River Finlay | United States, Mexico | 2014
THE MANY SAD FATES OF MR. TOLEDANO
Joshua Seftel | United States | 2015
MY GAL, ROSEMARIE
Jason Tippet | United States | 2015
NEW MISSION
Christopher Giamo | United States | 2014
OBJECT
Paulina Skibinska | Poland | 2015
OF THE UNKNOWN
Eva Weber | United Kingdom | 2014
PINK BOY
Eric Rockey | United States | 2015
THE REAGAN SHORTS
Pacho Velez | United States | 2015
Points North Alum!
SEEDING FEAR
Craig Jackson | Canada | 2015
SPEARHUNTER
Luke Poling, Adam Roffman | United States | 2014
TERRITORY
Eleanor Mortimer | United Kingdom | 2015
THINGS
Ben Rivers | United Kingdom | 2015
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Narrative and Documentary Competition Films at 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival Incl. FRENCH BLOOD, RAMS, TIKKUN
The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival revealed the films in the Narrative and Documentary Competition. The jury will select winners in each category; awards will be announced in a ceremony in East Hampton on Monday, October 12.
The feature films in this year’s Narrative Competition include Matt Sobel’s Take Me to the River, Ciro Guerra’s Embrace of the Serpent, Avishai Sivan’s Tikkun, Grímur Hákonarson’s Rams, and Diastème’s French Blood.
This year’s Documentary Competition feature films include the World Premiere of Jon Fox’s Newman, David Shapiro’s Missing People, Jean-Gabriel Périot’s A German Youth, Michael Madsen’s The Visit, and Ilinca Calugareanu’s Chuck Norris Vs. Communism.
The jury deciding the winners of the 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival Narrative and Documentary Competition includes Michael H. Weber, screenwriter of 500 Days of Summer and The Fault in Our Stars; Dan Guando, head of U.S. Production and Acquisitions at The Weinstein Company; Josh Charles, star of television’s The Good Wife and Masters of Sex; Marshall Fine, renowned author, journalist and film critic; and Sarah Lash, acquisitions consultant at Conde Nast Entertainment.
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Colombia)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Ciro Guerra
Inspired by the real experiences of explorers in the Amazon, Embrace of the Serpent centers on the relationship between Karamakate, a shaman of an extinct tribe carrying secrets and traditions, and two scientists in search of a sacred plant, capable of immense healing. Opting for powerful black and white cinematography, director Ciro Guerra tracks their parallel stories over 40 years with trips deep into the jungle. Winner of the top prize at the Cannes Directors Fortnight, the film intimately captures the thirst for knowledge and the ravages of colonialism that have destroyed the harmony and balance at the heart of the indigenous way of life.
RAMS (Iceland)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Grímur Hákonarson
Brothers Gummi (Sigurdur Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Juliusson) live side-by-side but have not spoken in forty years. Stubborn and competitive, they only communicate via handwritten notes delivered by their loyal sheepdog Somi. When a deadly virus threatens their prize-winning sheep and livelihood, they are forced to come together to save their unique family breed, and themselves, from extinction. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Award in Cannes, Rams details the hardships of daily farm work in remote Iceland with humanism and humor. Stunningly combining otherworldly landscapes and powerful performances, director Grímur Hákonarson expertly builds this gentle comedy to reveal a deeper and emotionally moving tale.
TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (USA)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Matt Sobel
Accompanying his parents to a Nebraskan family reunion couldn’t be more uncomfortable for Ryder (Logan Miller), a gay Californian teenager. For his mother’s sake he agrees to act “normal,” but nonetheless attracts some unwanted attention from his conservative relatives. The only one who seems to like him is 9-year-old Molly (Ursula Parker), but a strange encounter between the two of them raises many questions and places Ryder at the center of a long-buried family secret. A superbly acted drama from first-time filmmaker Matt Sobel, Take Me to the River reveals itself through Ryder’s perplexed point of view, unfolding in an atmosphere of mystery and trepidation.
TIKKUN (Israel)
East Coast Premiere
Director: Avishai Sivan
Haim-Aron (Aharon Traitel) is considered an illui (a prodigy) at his Yeshiva. He is absorbed in his studies to such a degree that he completely isolates himself from the outside world, going days without eating or sleeping. When a near death experience changes his perspective on life, he starts to slowly explore life outside of his secluded ultra-orthodox community and begins to doubt his faith. Seeing Haim-Aron’s transformation torments his father (Khalifa Natour) with nightmares in which he is instructed to perform Tikkun (rectification). With its riveting performances and the arrestingly beautiful black and white cinematography, Avishai Sivan’s haunting film is sure to linger long in your imagination.
FRENCH BLOOD (France) (pictured in main image above)
US Premiere
Director: Diastème
Marco (Alban Lenoir) is a young Neo-Nazi and skinhead who, along with his friends, terrorizes the lower-class suburbs of Paris hoping to clear out the “scum” that is polluting the pure, white landscape of their beloved country. Spanning almost 3 decades in Marco’s life as he struggles to understand his own anger and brutal actions, this evocative and moving portrait—the sophomore effort from writer-director Diastème—offers a rare and unsettling look into the rise of xenophobia in France. With a brilliant performance by Lenoir, this poignant drama distinguishes itself as a unique and powerful work by an emerging talent.
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UK’s Music Documentary Festival, 2015 Doc’n Roll Film Festival Unveils Lineup | TRAILERS
Doc’n Roll Film Festival, the UK’s music documentary festival, returns to London for its second edition from September 25 to October 4, 2015. The 2015 Doc’n Roll Film Festival will open with the UK premiere of Morphine: Journey of Dreams, the story of the unique and genre-blurring trio Morphine told through rare performance footage and tour journals, plus a Q&A with the film’s director Mark Shuman. Ten days later the festival will come to a close with the Theatrical World premiere of Lost Songs – The Basement Tapes Continued, a behind the scenes look at a two week recording session with some of today’s most talented musicians as they create new music using long-lost Bob Dylan lyrics from the iconic Basement Tapes sessions.
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TRUTH Starring Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett to Open 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival
TRUTH, the directorial debut of James Vanderbilt, and starring Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Elisabeth Moss, and Topher Grace, has been selected as the Opening Night film of the 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF).
Truth, follows news anchor Dan Rather (Redford) during his final days at CBS News, when he broadcast a report about how President Bush relied on privilege and family connections to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War.
In addition to Moss and Grace, the supporting cast includes Dennis Quaid, Bruce Greenwood, and John Benjamin Hickey.
The 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) will take place October 8 to 12, 2015
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Poster and Watch Trailer for YOUTH Starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel | TRAILER
Fox Searchlight Pictures has released the poster and trailer for YOUTH, directed by Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty), and starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine (The Cider House Rules, Kingsmen: The Secret Service) and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel), which debuted earlier this year at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. YOUTH will be released in theaters on December 4.
From Paolo Sorrentino, the director of Italy’s Oscar foreign language winner THE GREAT BEAUTY comes YOUTH, about two longtime friends vacationing in the Swiss Alps. Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker. While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career. The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJNxQ8Wzr2I
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2015 Milwaukee Film Festival Announces Shorter Is Better | Short Films Lineup
The 7th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival announced its lineup for Shorter Is Better, a short film showcase comprised of eight themed programs, featuring 58 of the “best short stories told by filmmakers from all over the world, from all walks of life.”
Milwaukee Film’s newest shorts programs, Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports. and Stories We Tell, return for a second year, and will join programs: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t., Date Night, Let’s Get Animated, Out of This World, Modern Families and Stranger Than Fiction.
2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL
SHORTER IS BETTER
Shorts: The Best Damn F*#@ing Midnight Program Ever. Sh*t.
Not for the faint of heart (or those who aren’t willing to equip themselves with adult diapers) comes this series of brain-f^#@ingly psychedelic, pants-sh*ttingly insane shorts — replete with bloody stumps, psycho ghosts, and plotlines that make Donnie Darko look like Bambi. Only those looking for a temporary respite from political correctness and polite society need apply.
ANAL JUKE -anal juice- (Ketsujiru Juke) (Japan / 2013 / Director: Sawako Kabuki)
The Black Bear (L’ours noir) (France, Belgium / 2015 / Directors: Méryl Fortunat-Rossi, Xavier Séron) (pictured above)
DRIVING (USA / 2014 / Director: Nate Theis)
Limbo Limbo Travel (France / 2014 / Directors: Zsuzsanna Kreif, Borbála Zétényi)
Polaroid (Norway / 2015 / Director: Lars Klevberg)
Primrose Lane (USA / 2014 / Director: Nick Phillips)
Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes (Canada / 2015 / Director: Scott Brachmayer)
teeth (United Kingdom, Hungary, USA / 2015 / Directors: Tom Brown, Daniel Gray)
Zepo (Spain / 2014 / Director: Cesar Diaz Melendez)
Shorts: Date Night
You should be sure to swipe right on this fun, fluffy, and relatable collection of love in all of its messy glory. We celebrate heart-pounding puppy love, sobbing-in-the-shower breakups, and all the love emojis in between. Be it young love, old love, new love, or no love at all, these relatable bite-sized bits are sure to do a number on your heartstrings.
Digits (USA / 2015 / Director: Alexander Engel)
Forever Over (Germany / 2014 / Director: Erik Schmitt)
In the Clouds (En las Nubes) (Argentina / 2014 / Director: Marcelo Mitnik)
One-Minute Time Machine (USA, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Devon Avery)
Say Nothing (No Digas Nada) (Spain / 2014 / Director: Silvia Abascal) (pictured above)
We’ll Find Something (USA / 2015 / Director: Casey Gooden)
Who’s Up? (Qui de Nous Deux?) (France / 2014 / Director: Benjamin Bouhana) (pictured in main image above)
Shorts: Let’s Get Animated
This diverse, unexpected, and beautiful grouping of animated offerings presents an ever-shifting series of stories where anything can and will happen. Ranging from silly and absurd to heartfelt and personal, each short is perfectly matched with its technique, form, and function in animated harmony. The wide variety is sure to provoke post-screening conversations in the lobby.
Automatic Fitness (Germany / 2015 / Directors: Alberto Couceiro, Alejandra Tomei) (pictured above)
Beach Flag (Vosta) (France / 2014 / Director: Sarah Saidani)
Edmond (United Kingdom / 2015 / Director: Nina Gantz)
The Five Minute Museum (Switzerland / 2015 / Director: Paul Bush)
Light Motif (France, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Frédéric Bonpapa)
Queen Bum (Königin Po) (Switzerland / 2015 / Director: Maja Gehrig)
Storm Hits Jacket (Tempête sur anorak) (France / 2014 / Director: Paul E. Cabon)
We Can’t Live Without Cosmos (Russia / 2014 / Director: Konstantin Bronzit)
Shorts: Modern Families
All the love and drama one can expect from everyday life surrounded by family is on display here — a daughter becomes a woman, a son becomes a man in the absence of his incarcerated father, a husband seeks to reconnect with his wife after the birth of their child, and a mother relies on the kindness of strangers to be there for her family.
De Smet (Belgium, Netherlands / 2014 / Directors: Thomas Baerten, Wim Geudens) (pictured above)
The Emperor (Der Kaiser) (Netherlands / 2014 / Director: Eché Janga)
Gloria (Mexico / 2014 / Director: Luis Hernández de la Peña)
Grounded (Au sol) (France / 2014 / Director: Alexis Michalik)
Personal Development (Ireland / 2014 / Director: Tom Sullivan)
SexLife (United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Stefan Georgiou)
Shorts: Out of This World
Do you prefer your shorts a little askew? Perfect for those looking to have the rug pulled out from under them, these effects-filled tales of the fantastical are tailored to your sensibilities. Just remember to keep a close eye on your clone, don’t get overly attached to that imaginary friend, and watch out for the end of days, because it’s nearly here and it’s going to look amazing.
Actor Seeks Role (USA / 2015 / Director: Michael Tyburski)
Francis (USA / 2014 / Director: Richard Hickey)
The No Look Dunk (USA / 2014 / Director: Dan Samiljan) (pictured above)
So You’ve Grown Attached (USA / 2014 / Director: Kate Tsang)
Sundays (Mexico, Netherlands / 2015 / Director: Mischa Rozema)
Zelos (USA / 2015 / Director: Thoranna Sigurdardottir)
Zero M2 (France / 2015 / Director: Matthieu Landour)
Shorts: Sports Shorts. Shorts about Sports.
Whether you’re a lifelong sports fanatic or you think a goalie can dunk a touchdown, these stories are for you. They all deal with some manner of underdog, and the humanity of these subjects shines through and leaves you rooting for their success. These populist parables of perseverance, as people push the limits of what’s possible, will leave you grinning ear to ear (and doing the wave).
The Bad Boy of Bowling (USA / 2015 / Director: Bryan Storkel)
Boxeadora (USA, Cuba / 2014 / Director: Meg Smaker)
The Edge of Impossible (USA / 2014 / Director: Conor Toumarkine) (pictured above)
Every Day (USA / 2014 / Director: Gabe Spitzer)
Giovanni and the Water Ballet (Netherlands / 2014 / Director: Astrid Bussink)
Run Fast (USA, Kenya / 2014 / Director: Anna Musso)
Shorts: Stories We Tell
Everybody’s got a story to tell — personal, provocative, funny, sad, or heartfelt, this program’s got ’em all. Between a love affair with a dolphin, a fateful camping trip that would irrevocably change the lives of many, and a family photo years in the making, this smattering of tales both true and fictional is sure to leave you satisfied.
{THE AND} Marcela & Rock (USA / 2014 / Director: Topaz Adizes)
Copycat (United Kingdom / 2015 / Director: Charlie Lyne)
Dolphin Lover (USA / 2015 / Director: Kareem Tabsch)
In the Hollow (USA / 2015 / Director: Austin Bunn)
The Little Deputy (Canada / 2015 / Director: Trevor Anderson)
Mother’s Song (USA / 2015 / Director: Matty Brown)
My Beefs with Taco Bell (USA / 2015 / Director: Connor Kerrigan)
Two Dosas (United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Sarmad Masud)
Walls (Spain / 2014 / Director: Miguel López Beraza)
Shorts: Stranger Than Fiction
These extraordinary and unusual shorts beggar belief, but unbelievable as they may seem, they’re all true. Be it the story of an infamous murder house, a team risking life and limb to stop the spread of Ebola, or a boxing champion turned taxi driver, these documentaries prove true life can be as fascinating, sobering, and heartfelt as the finest of fictions.
Body Team 12 (USA / 2015 / Director: David Darg)
The Champion (USA / 2014 / Directors: Brett Garamella, Patrick McGowan)
The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul (Australia / 2014 / Director: Kitty Green)
The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (USA / 2015 / Director: Joshua Seftel)
The House is Innocent (USA / 2015 / Director: Nicholas Coles)
Spearhunter (USA / 2015 / Directors: Adam Roffman, Luke Poling)
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JAMES WHITE Starring Rapper Kid Cudi, Cynthia Nixon to Premiere in Canada at Toronto International Film Festival
Josh Mond’s JAMES WHITE will make its Canadian premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival in the Discovery Program. Starring Christopher Abbot, Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, Cynthia Nixon, Ron Livingston, David Call, and Mackenzie Leigh, JAMES WHITE is a coming-of-age story about a young New Yorker struggling to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. JAMES WHITE was the recipient of the 2015 Sundance “Best of Next” Award.
James White (Christopher Abbott) is a troubled twenty-something trying to stay afloat in a frenzied New York City. He retreats further into a self-destructive, hedonistic lifestyle, but as his mother (Cynthia Nixon) battles a serious illness James is forced to take control of his life. As the pressure on him mounts, James must find new reserves of strength or risk imploding completely. The directorial debut of MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE producer Josh Mond, JAMES WHITE, which had its world premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2014 where it was the winner of the “Best of Next” Audience Award, is a confident and closely observed debut that explores loss and the deep relationship between a mother and son. Abbott’s strong central performance is aided by a stellar supporting cast featuring Cynthia Nixon (“Sex and the City”), Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi (“Comedy Bang! Bang!”), and Ron Livingston (DRINKING BUDDIES). Shot on location in New York City with an intimate visual style, JAMES WHITE follows its lead into deep, affecting places while still maintaining its fragile humanity.
JAMES WHITE is Josh Mond’s feature film debut as a director. He has worked as producer on a number of films including the award-winning MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE for which he was recognized with an Independent Spirit Award nomination and shared the Los Angeles Film Critic Association New Generation Award.
JAMES WHITE will be released theatrically Fall 2015 by The Film Arcade.
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2015 Milwaukee Film Festival Selects Sweden as Spotlight Country for 5th Passport Program
After successfully traversing India, China, Germany and Mexico, the 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival has selected Sweden as the spotlight country for its fifth annual Passport program. The festival will feature a selection of eight films set in Sweden, with seven of the eight being contemporary films made by female filmmakers.
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HE NAMED ME MALALA Among Young Film Enthusiasts Top 10 2015 TIFF Picks
The TIFF Next Wave committee of young film enthusiasts has hand-picked 10 Toronto International Film Festival films that will resonate with their peers. Founded in 2010, the TIFF Next Wave Committee is a group of 12 students ranging in age from 15 to 18 and selected from a competitive pool of young film enthusiasts, hailing from schools across the Greater Toronto Area.
In order to help their peers navigate the Festival, the Committee has identified the following youth-driven 2015 TIFF selections that will appeal specifically to the next generation of movie aficionados:
As I Open My Eyes (A peine j’ouvre les yeux)
Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium (Contemporary World Cinema) North American Premiere
Born To Dance
Tammy Davis, New Zealand (Discovery) World Premiere
The Final Girls
Todd Strauss-Schulson, USA (Midnight Madness) International Premiere
Girls Lost Alexandra-Therese Keining, Sweden (Contemporary World Cinema) World Premiere
He Named Me Malala (pictured above)
Davis Guggenheim, USA (TIFF Docs) International Premiere
The Idol (Ya Tayr El Tayer)
Hany Abu-Assad, United Kingdom/Palestine/Qatar/ United Arab Emirates (Special Presentations) World Premiere
Ixcanul
Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala/France (Discovery) Canadian Premiere
Keeper
Guillaume Senez, Belgium/Switzerland/France (Discovery) North American Premiere
My Name is Emily
Simon Fitzmaurice, Ireland (Discovery) North American Premiere
Sleeping Giant
Andrew Cividino, Canada (Discovery) North American Premiere
The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.