16 original short films and webisodes have been selected as semi-finalists for the 12th annual NBCUniversal Short Film Festival.
The webisodes and shorts, which include a mix of comedies and dramas, will be showcased at public screenings in New York on August 15 and 16 before the finalists are chosen. The finale screening and awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on October 18 at the Directors Guild of America.
The complete list of semi-finalists are:
Akashi, Writer & Director: Mayumi Yoshida
Kana, a young Japanese woman, receives news that her grandmother has passed away. During her trip to attend the funeral, she recalls intimate conversations with her grandmother that lead her to examine her own life.
Audible Static, Writer & Director: Sai Selvarajan
Thaddeus, a clever teenager with a speech impediment, creates a new way to communicate his feelings to his crush.
Brothers, Writer & Director: Emmett Lundberg
Four transgender male friends explore life and love in Brooklyn. This episode of the web series focuses on Max as he opens up to his new girlfriend that he is transgender.
Couples: Movie Night, Director: Ryan Sulak, Writer: Chris Sturgeon
A quiet night-in for couple, Sara and Adam, turns into an epic thrill-ride to find the perfect movie in a race against time before Sara falls asleep.
Cul-De-Sac, Director: Damon Russell, Writer: Shawn Christensen
Parents living at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac discover a listening device inside their son’s teddy bear. The film stars Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries).
Emergency, Director: Carey Williams, Writer: K.D Davila
A group of Black and Latino college students carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an emergency situation.
Groundhog Day For A Black Man, Writer & Director: Cynthia Kao
A Black man continually relives the same day until he can survive an encounter with the police.
Joy Joy Nails, Writer & Director: Joey Ally
Sarah manages a Korean-owned nail salon with an ever cheerful iron fist. New manicurist Mia, who is Chinese, starts working at the salon and attracts the affections of Sarah’s love interest. Threatened, Sarah becomes increasingly antagonistic toward Mia and later discover truths about herself and Joy Joy Nails.
Lost Dogs, Director: Cullan Bruce, Writers: Cullan Bruce and Chris Lee
A woman ridiculed by her family longs to escape. Striking a deal with her brother to clear his illegal debt, she delves deeper into darkness.
Madaran, Writer & Director: Rayka Zehtabchi
An Iranian mother decides whether to end or spare the life of her son’s killer.
Misery Loves Company 1: “Pussy,” Director: Gloria Calderon Kellett, Writers: Sara Amini and Emily Chang
Misery Loves Company 3: “Racist,” Director: Nadine Truong, Writers: Sara Amini and Emily Chang
Two friends navigate being women of color in a post-election world, while trying (and failing) at a #blessedlife in LA. In this episode, Sara and Emily deal with cat-callers on the street.
Mr. & Mrs. Kim, Director: Jaehuen Chung, Writer: Josh Aichenbaum
Joshua Kim makes up a glamorous story about his Korean immigrants parents for his fourth grade class. He later discovers that their real-life backstory is more extraordinary than what he could have ever imagined.
Mrs. Drake, Director: Caitlin FitzGerald, Writer: Kyle Warren
Laura is a single mother struggling to raise her son Jack. She is thrown into a spiral of confusion and guilt when Jack comes home from school claiming his teacher locked him in a closet.
Night Call, Director: Amanda Renee Knox, Writer: Joseph Sousa
During a routine patrol, a Black female cop (Marlyne Barrett, Chicago Med) is called to a disturbance that leads to her making a life-altering decision.
Pop Rox, Director: Nate Trinru, Writer: Alyssa Lerner
Jesse, an Iranian-American teenage girl, decides to tell her best friend, Roxanne, that she’s in love with her.-
16 Short Films and Webisodes Selected as Semi-Finalists for 2017 NBCUniversal Short Film Festival
16 original short films and webisodes have been selected as semi-finalists for the 12th annual NBCUniversal Short Film Festival.
The webisodes and shorts, which include a mix of comedies and dramas, will be showcased at public screenings in New York on August 15 and 16 before the finalists are chosen. The finale screening and awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on October 18 at the Directors Guild of America.
The complete list of semi-finalists are:
Akashi, Writer & Director: Mayumi Yoshida
Kana, a young Japanese woman, receives news that her grandmother has passed away. During her trip to attend the funeral, she recalls intimate conversations with her grandmother that lead her to examine her own life.
Audible Static, Writer & Director: Sai Selvarajan
Thaddeus, a clever teenager with a speech impediment, creates a new way to communicate his feelings to his crush.
Brothers, Writer & Director: Emmett Lundberg
Four transgender male friends explore life and love in Brooklyn. This episode of the web series focuses on Max as he opens up to his new girlfriend that he is transgender.
Couples: Movie Night, Director: Ryan Sulak, Writer: Chris Sturgeon
A quiet night-in for couple, Sara and Adam, turns into an epic thrill-ride to find the perfect movie in a race against time before Sara falls asleep.
Cul-De-Sac, Director: Damon Russell, Writer: Shawn Christensen
Parents living at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac discover a listening device inside their son’s teddy bear. The film stars Phoebe Tonkin (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries).
Emergency, Director: Carey Williams, Writer: K.D Davila
A group of Black and Latino college students carefully weigh the pros and cons of calling the police when faced with an emergency situation.
Groundhog Day For A Black Man, Writer & Director: Cynthia Kao
A Black man continually relives the same day until he can survive an encounter with the police.
Joy Joy Nails, Writer & Director: Joey Ally
Sarah manages a Korean-owned nail salon with an ever cheerful iron fist. New manicurist Mia, who is Chinese, starts working at the salon and attracts the affections of Sarah’s love interest. Threatened, Sarah becomes increasingly antagonistic toward Mia and later discover truths about herself and Joy Joy Nails.
Lost Dogs, Director: Cullan Bruce, Writers: Cullan Bruce and Chris Lee
A woman ridiculed by her family longs to escape. Striking a deal with her brother to clear his illegal debt, she delves deeper into darkness.
Madaran, Writer & Director: Rayka Zehtabchi
An Iranian mother decides whether to end or spare the life of her son’s killer.
Misery Loves Company 1: “Pussy,” Director: Gloria Calderon Kellett, Writers: Sara Amini and Emily Chang
Misery Loves Company 3: “Racist,” Director: Nadine Truong, Writers: Sara Amini and Emily Chang
Two friends navigate being women of color in a post-election world, while trying (and failing) at a #blessedlife in LA. In this episode, Sara and Emily deal with cat-callers on the street.
Mr. & Mrs. Kim, Director: Jaehuen Chung, Writer: Josh Aichenbaum
Joshua Kim makes up a glamorous story about his Korean immigrants parents for his fourth grade class. He later discovers that their real-life backstory is more extraordinary than what he could have ever imagined.
Mrs. Drake, Director: Caitlin FitzGerald, Writer: Kyle Warren
Laura is a single mother struggling to raise her son Jack. She is thrown into a spiral of confusion and guilt when Jack comes home from school claiming his teacher locked him in a closet.
Night Call, Director: Amanda Renee Knox, Writer: Joseph Sousa
During a routine patrol, a Black female cop (Marlyne Barrett, Chicago Med) is called to a disturbance that leads to her making a life-altering decision.
Pop Rox, Director: Nate Trinru, Writer: Alyssa Lerner
Jesse, an Iranian-American teenage girl, decides to tell her best friend, Roxanne, that she’s in love with her.
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2017 Open City Documentary Festival Unveils Lineup
MOTHERLAND OR DEATH, Vitaly Mansky The 2017 Open City Documentary Festival today announced the program for the 7th edition of the festival, taking place in London from September 5 to 10, 2017.
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13TH Director Ava DuVernay, World Premiere Music Videos + Comedians Added to Sundance NEXT FEST
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Ava DuVernay[/caption]
World premiere music videos, conversations between film legends and up-and-coming creatives and three female comedians have been added to the lineup for Sundance NEXT FEST, taking place August 10 to 13 at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles.
CONVERSATIONS
Ava DuVernay (13th, Selma) will join a conversation, presented by FilmL.A., Inc., with director Justin Chon after Saturday’s 4:00 p.m. screening of Gook. Also on Saturday, Gente-fied executive producer America Ferrera, director/creator/co-writer Marvin Lemus, co-writer Linda Yvette Chavez and producer Aaliyah Williams will be in conversation following the noon screening of all seven episodes of the series. On Sunday, Emmy Award winner Larry Wilmore will join directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles and the subject of Dina for a conversation following the afternoon screening. Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) will be in conversation with filmmaker Alex Ross Perry following Sunday’s 4:00 p.m. screening of Golden Exits.WORLD PREMIERE MUSIC VIDEOS
Highlighting the connection between music and movies, three brand-new music videos have been added to the lineup and will screen before films. Temptation — Joey Bada$$ Directed by Nathan R. Smith. A little girl journeys through Brooklyn as an omniscient Joey Bada$$ protects her from the alluring temptations she encounters. The track is featured on Joey Bada$$’ latest album, All-Amerikkkan Bada$$. The music video will premiere Saturday, August 12 with the 4:00 p.m. screening of Gook. Do It, Try It — M83 Written and directed by David Wilson. A family outing to a burger joint sparks an argument between the parents whilst two children draw pictures to entertain themselves, taking the viewer into their imaginations. This four-minute adventure of mixed media film, fusing live action and hand-drawn animation, premieres Sunday, August 13 with the noon screening of Dina. Fingers — Hundred Waters Directed by Allie Avital. Fingers is an eerie meditation on the dissolution of a relationship featuring 10,000 live insects.The music video will make its world premiere on Sunday, August 13 with the 4:00 p.m. screening of Golden Exits.COMEDIANS
Kate Berlant will host the screening of Lemon and performance by Lizzo on Friday, August 11 at 8:00 p.m. Berlant has been described by The New York Times as a “magnetic improvisational comic” and named by Time Out New York as one of New York City’s “Top Three Comics to Watch.” She is also one of Comedy Central’s “Comics to Watch.” Kate Micucci will host Saturday‘s 8:00 p.m. screening of Bitch and performance by Sleigh Bells. Micucci can be seen in The Little Hours with Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Dave Franco, Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly. Kate is co-creator and co-star of the group GARFUNKEL AND OATES, with Riki Lindhome. They were one of Variety’s comics to watch in 2010 and their two-woman show regularly sold out Largo and UCB. Natasha Leggero will host Sunday’s 8:00 p.m. screening of L.A. Times and performance by Electric Guest. Leggero has built her body of work with numerous roles on prominent television series including NBC’s Community, FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Arrested Development, Comedy Central’s Reno 911 and Drunk History, ABC’s Suburgatory, the sketch comedy Key and Peele, Comedy Bang! Bang! Chelsea Lately, and The Tonight Show, among many others.
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World Premiere of Woody Allen’s WONDER WHEEL to Close New York Film Festival
Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel will make its World Premiere as the Closing Night film of the 55th New York Film Festival on Saturday, October 14. Amazon Studios will release Wonder Wheel on December 1, 2017.
In a career spanning 50 years and almost as many features, Woody Allen has periodically refined, reinvented, and redefined the terms of his art, and that’s exactly what he does with his daring new film. We’re in Coney Island in the 1950s. A lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) tells us a story that just might be filtered through his vivid imagination: a middle-aged carousel operator (James Belushi) and his beleaguered wife (Kate Winslet), who eke out a living on the boardwalk, are visited by his estranged daughter (Juno Temple)—a situation from which layer upon layer of all-too-human complications develop. Allen and his cinematographer, the great Vittorio Storaro, working with a remarkable cast led by Winslet in a startlingly brave, powerhouse performance, have created a bracing and truly surprising movie experience.
New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones said, “I’m not quite sure what I expected when I sat down to watch Wonder Wheel, but when the lights came up I was speechless. There are elements in the film that will certainly be familiar to anyone who knows Woody Allen’s work, but here he holds them up to a completely new light. I mean that literally and figuratively, because Allen and Vittorio Storaro use light and color in a way that is stunning in and of itself but also integral to the mounting emotional power of the film. And at the center of it all is Kate Winslet’s absolutely remarkable performance—precious few actors are that talented, or fearless.”
The New York Film Festival has showcased Allen’s work on two other occasions: Bullets Over Broadway was Centerpiece of NYFF32 in 1994 and Celebrity was Opening Night of NYFF36 in 1998.
The New York Film Festival taking place September 28 to October 15, 2017, highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent.
Earlier this summer, NYFF announced Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying as Opening Night and Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck as the Centerpiece selection. The retrospective section honors Robert Mitchum’s centenary.
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38th Durban International Film Festival Awards, A FATHER’S WILL Wins Best Film
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A Father’s Will[/caption]
The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) announced this year’s award-winners at the 38th DIFF Awards ceremony, with the award for the Best Feature Film going to A Father’s Will; and the award for Best South African Feature Film going to Vaya directed by Akin Omotoso.
The Best Director for a South African Film went to John Trentgrove The Wound.
The Best South African Documentary award was taken by Strike A Rock, directed by Aliki Saragas which the jury described as a powerful documentary that reflects the context of the current South African society; while the Best International Documentary went to Dusk Chorus directed by Nika Šaravanja and Alessandro D’Emilia.
The award for Best Direction in the international competition, went to A Father’s Will (Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu) in addition to the award for Best Cinematography (Akjol Bekbolotov).
The Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award for the film that best reflects human rights issues which comes with a cash prize donated by the Amnesty International went to Strike a Rock and Mama Colonel ; and the African Critic Award was won by Serpent which also opened DIFF this year.
38th Durban International Film Festival Awards
Best Feature Film – A Father’s Will Best South African Feature – Vaya Best Director for a South African Film: John Trentgrove The Wound Best Direction – A Father’s Will (Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu.) Best Cinematography – A Father’s Will (Akjol Bekbolotov) Best Screenplay – La Soledad (Jorge Thielen Armand, Rodrigo Michelangeli) Best Actor – Nakhane Touré (The Wound) Best actress – Mariam Al Ferjani (Beauty and the Dogs) Best editing – La Soledad (Felipe Guerrero) Artistic Bravery – Liyana Best International Short Film – Witnesses Best African Short Film – All of Us Best South African Short – The Hangman Best South African Documentary Film – Strike A Rock Best International Documentary Film – Dusk Chorus
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VIDEO: Poster + Watch Official Trailer for Eliza Hittman’s Sundance Award Winning Indie Drama BEACH RATS
Neon has released the official trailer and poster for the Sundance Film Festival award-winning indie drama Beach Rats, from filmmaker Eliza Hittman, a follow-up to her debut It Felt Like Love. The film will be released in select theaters starting August 25th.
Beach Rats premiered earlier this year at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where the film won the Best Director award for Eliza Hittman.
An aimless teenager (Harris Dickinson) on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=df0TQJBkPP4
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Cecilia Aldarondo Delves into the Secrecy Her Uncle’s Death In MEMORIES OF A PENITENT HEART | Trailer
Twenty-five years after her uncle died of AIDS, filmmaker Cecilia Aldarondo delves into the secrecy surrounding his death in the documentary Memories of a Penitent Heart.
Memories of a Penitent Heart, which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, will have its national broadcast premiere on the PBS documentary series POV (Point of View) on July 31, 2017.
Like many gay men in the 1980s, Miguel moved to New York City in search of a life out of the closet; he found a career in theater and a rewarding relationship. Yet in the midst of the AIDS crisis, his devout Catholic mother pressured him to repent for his homosexuality on his deathbed. Twenty-five years later, his niece Cecilia Aldarondo breaks the silence surrounding her uncle’s death, sifting through conflicting memories of a man she never really knew. She locates Miguel’s estranged partner and begins to unlock long-dormant family secrets.
Through home movies, audio recordings, family photos, letters and interviews, Cecilia Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart reconstructs her uncle Miguel’s New York life, one he lived far from his family, especially his religious mother. Along the way, her investigation untangles a knot of family secrets, denials and repressed conflicts.
Born and raised in the 1970s in Puerto Rico, Miguel Dieppa was a gay man eager to leave the island in search of Broadway fame in New York City.
Aldarondo’s investigation begins with a two-year search for Miguel’s long-time partner, Bob, who disappeared after Miguel’s funeral. When she eventually finds him, he is living in Pasadena, California, as Father Aquin, a Franciscan monk. Through the reminiscences of Aquin and others who knew him, Miguel emerges as a charismatic and vivacious actor and playwright, struggling to live comfortably in his own skin.
We see glimpses into Miguel’s restlessness in his autobiographical play, Island Fever: “I guess that’s a diagnosis for my case. It’s that feeling that creeps on up on those who have known wide spaces, or long to do so.”
Miguel seems eternally torn between two identities. His New York friends know him as Michael, a freedom-loving gay thespian, while to his family in Puerto Rico he remains Miguel, the obedient son who downplays his sexuality.
Unexpectedly, Miguel begins to get sick, and although he refuses to be tested, telltale skin lesions on his legs indicate AIDS as the underlying illness.
Miguel’s illness places Bob on a collision course with Miguel’s mother, Carmen, as the two come to represent opposing faces of faith. Fearing that her son is not yet “dead to life but dead to grace,” Carmen feels Miguel can only find redemption if he repents.
Delving into her family’s trove of secrets, Aldarondo’s Memories of a Penitent Heart examines the light and dark sides of faith and how we fight over the memories of those we love. In the director’s intensely personal film, Miguel’s friends and family reflect on their imperfect relationships. Considering her own flaws, Miguel’s sister (Aldarondo’s mother) Nylda reflects, “The bottom line is that we all need to survive and we use different ways of surviving, according to our gifts, our limitations and our circumstances.” That prompts her daughter to ask, “Can’t we survive and look out for others as well?”
Memories of a Penitent Heart is a brave and honest exhumation of buried resentments that ultimately reveals how reflections on grief, betrayal and love bring us closer to reconciliation.
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VIDEO: Watch Official Trailer for BRAD’S STATUS Starring Ben Stiller
Amazon Studios has released the trailer for the indie film Brad’s Status, written and directed by Mike White, and starring Ben Stiller, Michael Sheen, Luke Wilson. The film which also stars Jemaine Clement, Jenna Fischer and Austin Abrams, will be released in theaters on September 15th, 2017.
When Brad Sloan (Ben Stiller) accompanies his college bound son to the East Coast, the visit triggers a crisis of confidence in Brad’s Status, writer and director Mike White’s bittersweet comedy. Brad has a satisfying career and a comfortable life in suburban Sacramento where he lives with his sweet-natured wife, Melanie (Jenna Fischer), and their musical prodigy son, Troy (Austin Abrams), but it’s not quite what he imagined during his college glory days. Showing Troy around Boston, where Brad went to university, he can’t help comparing his life with those of his four best college friends: a Hollywood bigshot (White), a hedge fund founder (Luke Wilson), a tech entrepreneur (Jemaine Clement), and a political pundit and bestselling author (Michael Sheen). As he imagines their wealthy, glamorous lives, he wonders if this is all he will ever amount to. But when circumstances force him to reconnect with his former friends, Brad begins to question whether he has really failed or is, in some ways at least, the most successful of them all.
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2017 HollyShorts Film Festival Unveils Competition Short Films Lineup
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Super Sex[/caption]
The Academy Awards® qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival unveiled today it’s official lineup of in-competition short films for the upcoming 13th edition of the festival. HollyShorts, which is LA’s biggest shorts film festival takes place August 10 to 19 at the TCL Chinese Theater, Roosevelt Hotel, Harmony Gold Theater and other venues throughout Hollywood. This year’s festival received an all time record of 4,000 submissions from 65 countries. 400 shorts will compete for the Best Short Film Prize and Grand Jury Prize, Best Director among other top categories.
2017 HollyShorts official selections include: Walking Dead’s Emma Bell’s Directorial debut horror short Scratch; Matthew Modine’s comedy Super Sex starring his daughter Ruby Modine, Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins, Ed Asner and Efren Ramirez; John Stamos’s short Ingenue-ish; Julia Barnett’s Chasing Grace Produced by Connie Britton starring Christopher Backus, and Lydia Tracy; Joshua Shultz’s Strobe starring Sammi Hanratty; Brett Gursky’s Graffiti starring Cassie Scerbo; Erin Elder’s Penny Sucker starring James Paxton; Russell Simpson’s Home starring Sharon Lawrence and Marianne Jean-Baptiste; Jack Henry Robbins Hot Winter: A Film By Dick Pierre; Bill Plympton’s animated short Cop Dog, Spike Lee’s Lil Joints $15 Dollar Kicks Directed by Jenn Shaw. Tye Sheridan and Nikola Todorovic co-founders of VR production company Aether will oversee the first-ever VR Experience at this year’s HollyShorts.
As previously reported the festival will open with a special screening of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Full Metal Jacket on Thursday August 10 followed by a Q&A with Matthew Modine.
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Watch the Trailer + Poster for Award-Winning MARJORIE PRIME Starring Jon Hamm, Geena Davis
FilmRise has released the poster and official trailer for the Sundance Film Festival award-winning drama Marjorie Prime, starring Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins and Lois Smith. The film, written and directed by Michael Almereyda will be released in New York City and Los Angeles on August 18th with national rollout to follow.
Eighty-six-year-old Marjorie spends her final, ailing days with a computerized version of her deceased husband. With the intent to recount their life together, Marjorie’s “Prime” relies on the information from her and her kin to develop a more complex understanding of his history. As their interactions deepen, the family begins to develop ever diverging recounts of their lives, drawn into the chance to reconstruct the often painful past.
Built around exceptional performances from a veteran cast, Marjorie Prime shines a light on an often-obscured corner in the world of artificial intelligence and its interactions with mortality. Bringing us robustly into the future, Michael Almaryeda’s poetic film forces us to face the question—If we had the opportunity, how would we choose to rebuild the past, and what would we decide to forget?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7PtcOLJDco
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Stanley Kubrick’s “Full Metal Jacket” to Open HollyShorts Film Festival
Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam war masterpiece “Full Metal Jacket” will open this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival on August 10. The opening night festivities will coincide with the iconic feature’s thirtieth anniversary — the film first bowed back in June of 1987 — and star Matthew Modine will be on hand to participate in a special post-screening Q&A.
Kubrick’s instant classic depiction of Vietnam — and really, war in general — was based on Gutav Hasford’s novel “The Short-Timers,” which Kubrick sparked to after seeking material for a war film for years. The film stars Modine, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D’Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Dorian Harewood, Arliss Howard, Kevyn Major Howard, and Ed O’Ross and follows a motley crew of Marines as they train for and eventually go to battle in Vietnam. The film was a lauded success, and earned an Oscar nod for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The actor has also offered to display his own personal collection of behind-the-scenes photos from the making of the film, which will be available for viewing at Hollywood’s Chinese Theater during the run of the festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j3_iPskjxk
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Michael Jackson-Themed SHEIKH JACKSON will Close Toronto Film Fest Special Presentation Program
The World Premiere of Sheikh Jackson, written and directed by Amr Salama, will be the Closing Night film of the Special Presentation program of the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. Sheikh Jackson tells the story of a young imam and former Michael Jackson devotee who falls into a tailspin following the news of the King of Pop’s death.
“We couldn’t be happier to have Sheikh Jackson close the Special Presentations program and to welcome Amr Salama to TIFF for its World Premiere,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “With this film he has provided a deeply personal look at one man’s life through the lens of the passing of his larger-than-life hero. Film lovers can expect a tender and moving account of fandom and faith and their influence on the more intimate aspects of our lives.”
“I’m thrilled to have this film premiere at such a prestigious festival,” said Amr Salama, writer and director, Sheikh Jackson. “Though this film was a collaborative effort, it’s my most personal film to date. It’s about faith, identity, self-discovery and embracing one’s contradictions.” Sheikh Jackson is produced by Mohamed Hefzy and Hani Osama.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.