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Six Film Projects Awarded Tribeca Film Institute TFI New Media Fund Grants

Industry

WHO IS DAYANI CRISTAL?

Six film projects have be selected as recipients for the 2013 Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) New Media Fund. The TFI New Media Fund was established in 2011 through a long-term partnership with the Ford Foundation’s JustFilms Initiative to support non-fiction film projects that go beyond traditional screens, exploring storytelling that is interactive, cross-platform and participatory.

The recipients of grants are:

CHASING THE SUN
Key participants: Paul Shoebridge, Michael Simons (The Goggles)
Description: Suppose we found a lost continent — impossible, but just imagine an opportunity to do things differently, to do anything besides business as usual. Chasing the Sun is an immersive online story about the Arctic.
Location: Canada: Vancouver, BC

THE YES MEN ARE REVOLTING
Key participants: Andy Bichlbaum, Mike Bonanno, Laura Nix, Mary Notari, The Public Society, Glocal
Description: The Yes Men Are Revolting ends with an urgent call to action—and with a tool, the Action Switchboard, that will help viewers answer that call. This human-moderated digital platform helps a global audience initiate and join direct actions that serve specific activist goals; it also provides training and other resources for carrying out media actions. Effectively, the Action Switchboard invites the film’s audience to join in the story the film and extend it in new and powerful ways.
Location: New York, Los Angeles

WHO IS DAYANI CRISTAL?
Key participants: Gael Garcia Bernal, Marc Silver, Lina Srivastava
Description: Deep in the scorching Sonoran desert beneath a cicada tree border patrol discovers a decomposing body. Lifting a t-shirt, they expose a tattoo that reads ‘Dayani Cristal.’ An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a search across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. “Who Is Dayani Cristal?” is a film and cross-platform exploration of stories underlying poverty, immigration, and the human rights of migrants who make journey across the US-Mexico border.|
Location: Mexico: Mexico City, UK: London, United States: New York

THIS IS MY BACKYARD (Logs of War)
Key participants: Anjali Nayar, Jude Mwenda, Andrew Hill, Daniel Burwen, Leonardo Bonanni
Description: Silas Siakor, winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize, risked everything to cut off warlord Charles Taylor from the illegal timber trade that was helping fund Liberia’s 14-year civil war. Now, Siakor tries to kick-start his country’s struggling economy through a sustainable logging industry. “This is My Backyard” is a multi-platform project that crowd sources and disseminates information about land and resources in West Africa.
Locations: Kenya: Nairobi; Liberia: Monrovia; United States: New York, Boston, San Francisco

AMERICAN PROMISE
Key participants: Michèle Stephenson & Joe Brewster
Description: American Promise follows two African American boys and their families for 12 years as they navigate the terrain of race, privilege and opportunity at a rigorous New York City private school. To further the work of the film, the team are creating a web series and a goal-setting mobile app called “Promise Tracker”.
Location: New York
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“AFRICAN GOTHIC” based on Reza de Wet’s master piece – Diepe Grond – to premiere at Durban International Film Festival

Durban International Film Festival

Connie Jackson as Alina, the housekeeper, Damon Shalit as Frikkie and Chella Ferrow as Sussie in African Gothic directed by Gabriel Bologna which will have its SA Premiere at DIFF

AFRICAN GOTHIC, the new international film version of Reza de Wet’s iconic masterpiece, Diepe Grond, will have its South African and African premiere at the 2013 Durban International Film Festival.

Chella Ferrow as Sussie and Damon Shalit as Frikkie in African Gothic directed by Gabriel Bologna, which will have its SA Premiere at DIFF

AFRICAN GOTHIC, directed by Gabriel Bologna, is described as a gritty, poignant drama set in a decaying farmhouse in the desolate heart of the parched Free State, about a dangerous and passionate relationship between deeply troubled lovers, their benign domestic worker and a hapless lawyer who pays them a visit. The production features two South African-born actors from Johannesburg who play the pivotal roles of Frikkie and Sussie: Damon Shalit plays the menacing Frikkie, and Chella Ferrow plays his beautiful and complex, sweetheart from childhood.

The Durban International Film Festival takes place in Durban, South Africa from July 18 to 28, 2013.

http://youtu.be/YscH8QR5hhc
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Demarest Films and Cinedigm Announce New Partnership; Sets August 23 Release Date for “SHORT TERM 12”

News

Demarest Films and Cinedigm today announced a new co-acquisition and distribution partnership; and their first collaboration will be Destin Daniel Cretton’s 2013 SXSW Film Festival dual Grand Jury and Audience Award winner SHORT TERM 12. SHORT TERM 12 will be released theatrically August 23rd.

SHORT TERM 12 is the touching and uplifting story of Grace (Brie Larson), a twenty-something social worker who has channeled the demons of her own troubled past into a passion for helping at-risk teens. Her newest ward, Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), forces Grace to relive her own difficult upbringing just as she and her boyfriend Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) are on the cusp of making a decision that will change their lives. This is writer/director Cretton’s second feature following the 2012 Sundance Film Festival selection I AM NOT A HIPSTER. The film also features Rami Malek and newcomer, Keith Stanfield.

“We have been looking for ways to work with Sam and William since they formed Demarest Films. We are thrilled they felt as passionate about SHORT TERM 12 as we did and are very happy to bring them in as partners on this powerful film,” said Chris McGurk, Chairman and CEO, Cinedigm. “This arrangement is truly unique as it’s not a traditional distribution or production relationship – it’s a fully-fledged partnership that allows us to share equally in the upsides of our indie films, from theatrical all the way thru the vast ancillary opportunities our distribution expertise and infrastructure provides. It’s great to be working with such an innovative team and this arrangement should expand acquisition opportunities for both parties in the future.”

“Cinedigm is on the cutting edge of the independent film renaissance and we are thrilled to be partnering with them and tapping into the vast potential that digital distribution provides,” said Sam Englebardt, Co-founder and CEO, Demarest Films. “SHORT TERM 12 is a great initial project as it’s not only a strong, award-winning film with beautiful performances, but we also believe the long tail ancillaries of this project will be significant. We expect this to be the first of many films that we co-release with Cinedigm and a model that we are excited to replicate with other distribution partners as well.

http://youtu.be/Cook_OOKWlw
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“THE NEW BLACK” and “SLOMO” Win Audience Awards at AFI DOCS

AFI DOCS (formerly Silverdocs)

THE NEW BLACK directed by Yoruba Richen

THE NEW BLACK directed by Yoruba Richen received the Audience Award for Best Feature, and SLOMO directed by Joshua Izenberg received the Audience Award for Best Short at AFI DOCS presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs). The festival announced the Audience Award winners earlier today wrapping up the five day festival. THE NEW BLACK examines how African-American voters have become bitterly divided on the issue of gay marriage because of homophobia rampant in one of the pillars of the African-American community – the church. Focusing on the fight for marriage equality in Maryland, it argues that this hot-button issue is a matter of civil rights.

SLOMO directed by Joshua Izenberg

This year’s Audience Award for Best Short went to SLOMO directed by Joshua Izenberg. The film asks what would really happen if you quit your lucrative job and just did what you wanted all day, like subject John Kitchin, a doctor who traded his medical practice for rollerblades and sandy beaches, and explores the neurological and spiritual joys of slow acceleration.

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Actress Meg Ryan Honored at 2013 Taormina Film Festival

Taormina FilmFest

Actress Meg Ryan was honored with the Taormina Arte Award Lancia at the 2013 Taormina Film Festival in Italy.
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Actress Marisa Tomei Honored at 2013 Taormina Film Festival

Taormina FilmFest

Actress Marisa Tomei attended the 2013 Taormina Film Festival in Italy where she was honored with the Taormina City Prize.
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Academy Announces Submission Dates For 2013 Oscars

Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced category submission deadlines for 86th Academy Awards consideration.

The dates are as follows:

Scientific and Technical Awards – Friday, July 12
Documentary Short Subject – Tuesday, September 3
Documentary Feature – Monday, September 23
Live Action Short Film – Tuesday, October 1
Animated Short Film – Tuesday, October 1
Foreign Language Film – Tuesday, October 1
Animated Feature Film – Friday, November 1
Original Score – Monday, December 2
Original Song – Monday, December 2
Official Screen Credits Form – Monday, December 2
All submissions are due by 5 p.m. PT

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network.
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TRAILER: Bobcat Goldthwait’s BigFoot Horror Film “WILLOW CREEK” Releases Trailer

Horror + Scifi

A trailer has been released for horror film WILLOW CREEK which premiered earlier this year at Boston Independent Film Festival. Bobcat Goldthwait, known for his “gruff but high-pitched voice” who has also directed WORLD’S GREATEST DAD, 2009; GOD BLESS AMERICA, 2012, wrote and directed the BIg Foot “found-footage” horror film.

Jim and his girlfriend Kelly are in Willow Creek, California, to retrace the steps of Bigfoot researchers Patterson and Gimlin, who, in 1967, recorded the most famous film of the legendary monster. Kelly is a skeptic, along for the ride to spend time with her boyfriend between acting gigs. Jim, a believer, hopes to capture footage of his own, so his camera is constantly rolling.

The small town is a mecca to the Bigfoot community; sasquatch statues guard the local businesses, murals of the missing link line the roads, and Bigfoot burgers are the town delicacy. The couple interview locals who range from skeptic to believer and from manic to completely menacing. Some of the stories they hear are of chance encounters with a gentle creature, while others are tales of mysterious eviscerations.

On the day that Jim and Kelly plan on hiking into the woods to look for proof, they are given a simple warning: “It’s not a joke. You shouldn’t go there.” Despite the ominous message and Kelly’s own reservations, they head deep into the forest to set up camp. The events that follow will make them wish they had simply spent the night at the Bigfoot Motel. [IFFB]

http://youtu.be/eHcqBIPecRE

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Kathleen Hanna Documentary “THE PUNK SINGER” to Get a Fall 2013 Release

Documentary

The punk roc documentary THE PUNK SINGER directed by Sini Anderson will be released in the Fall 2013 by Sundance Selects. The Punk Singer: The Documentary about Kathleen Hanna focuses on Kathleen Hanna credited as a founder of the third wave of feminism and Riot Grrrl movement.

Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill and dance-punk trio Le Tigre, rose to national attention as the reluctant but never shy voice of the riot grrrl movement. She became one of the most famously outspoken feminist icons, a cultural lightning rod. Her critics wished she would just shut-up, and her fans hoped she never would. So in 2005, when Hanna stopped shouting, many wondered why. Through 20 years of archival footage and intimate interviews with Hanna, “THE PUNK SINGER” takes viewers on a fascinating tour of contemporary music and offers a never-before-seen view into the life of this fearless leader. SXSW

http://youtu.be/xuhtI_Kgn3E
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French Films “DELICATE GRAVITY” and “STRANGER BROTHERS” Take Top Awards at 2013 Palm Springs International ShortFest

Palm Springs International ShortFest

DELICATE GRAVITY

French films took the top prizes at the 2013 Palm Springs International ShortFest – DELICATE GRAVITY (Délicate Gravité) directed by Philippe André was awarded the BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD, and STRANGER BROTHERS (Faux Frères) directed by Lucas Delangle was awarded the BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD. Both films are now eligible to be submitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration.

The 2013 Palm Springs International ShortFest award winners are:

JURY AWARDS

BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD
DELICATE GRAVITY (Délicate Gravité) (France), Philippe André
Yvan Attal and Anne Parillaud are wonderful as two lonely spirits who come together by chance when a cell phone call to a wrong number provides the catalyst for a meeting.

PANAVISION GRAND JURY AWARD
STRANGER BROTHERS (Faux Frères) (France), Lucas Delangle
Guillaume returns to the village where he grew up to pick up the car he inherited from his father years before. Once there, he encounters his step brother, and things get a little more complicated.

FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD – Winner received a $2,000 cash prize and a GoPro Hero 3 Camera courtesy of Radiant Images.
RHINO FULL THROTTLE (Nashorn Im Galopp) (Germany), Erick Schmitt
Bruno roams the streets of Berlin, gazing behind the many facades and surfaces as he seeks the soul of the city. Unexpectedly, he meets an ally in his quest and immediately falls in love. But she is also on a quest, and it’s one that has her leaving Bruno and Berlin very soon.

Jury Special Mention – The jury would like to give a special mention to the short film The Wall from Norway for its grit, humanity and creativity.

AUDIENCE AWARDS

AUDIENCE FAVORITE LIVE ACTION SHORT
WALKING THE DOGS (UK), Jeremy Brock
Emma Thompson stars as Queen Elizabeth in this delicious rendering of the infamous 1982 incident in which a man broke into the Queen’s bedroom while her security guard was out in the palace grounds walking the dogs.

Runner-up – GREAT (Germany), Andreas Henn

AUDIENCE FAVORITE DOCUMENTARY SHORT
NOT ANYMORE: A STORY OF REVOLUTION (USA), Matthew VanDyke
Shot on the ground with a hand held camera and told in striking first person, the Syrian struggle for freedom as experienced by a 32 year old rebel commander, Mowya, and a 24 year old female journalist, Nour, in Aleppo, Syria is exposed like no TV newscast could do.

Runner-up – SLOMO (USA), Josh Izenberg

AUDIENCE FAVORITE ANIMATION SHORT
A GIRL NAMED ELASTIKA (Canada), Guillaume Blanchet
A spirited girl made of rubber bands journeys across her corkboard universe in this delightful stop-motion film.

Runner-up – CHOPPER (Netherlands), Lars Damoiseaux, Frederik Palmaers

The ShortFest Online Audience Award went to SHELVED (New Zealand), directed by James Cunningham. The film will be available to view on the PSIFF website for the next three months.

JURY CATEGORY AWARDS

BEST ANIMATION SHORT
First Place ($2,000) – ARTS & CRAFTS SPECTACULAR #2 (Germany),Ian Ritterskamp & Sébastien Wolf
This surreal claymation extravaganza wryly celebrates the close encounter of such disparate pop figures as Popeye and Yoko Ono during a be-in at a museum somewhere in time.

Second Place ($500) –Chopper(Netherlands), Lars Damoiseaux & Frederik Palmaers

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
First Place ($2,000) – WILD HORSES (USA), Stephanie Martin
Mireille Enos stars in this story of cruelty, courage, love and memory as two generations of women bear witness to the brutality common to wild horse roundups in the American West.

Second Place ($500) – SPRING TIDES (Les Grandes Marées) (France), Mathias Pardo

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
First Place ($2,000) – WE KEEP ON DANCING (Australia), Jessica Lawton
Two distinctly disparate characters come together over a broken down Volkswagen Beetle in this sweet, amusing tale of love, loss and… car trouble.

Second Place ($500) – NOT FUNNY (No Tiene Gracia) (Spain), Carlos Violadé

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
First Place ($2,000) – LETTERS FROM PYONGYANG (Canada), Jason Lee
The tragedy of a divided Korea is powerfully evoked in this profound personal journey undertaken by filmmaker Jason Lee, who ventures with his father from South to North, across the Korean peninsula, in search of clues of his family’s unsettled past.

Second Place ($500) – DECEMBER 25 (Australia), Wendy Dent

STUDENT CATEGORIES

BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
First Place – HARALD (Germany), Moritz Schneider
Harald is a champion wrestler with a monster mother for his coach. Though his true love is growing flowers, coach mom doesn’t wanted him distracted by such trifles, so when she takes away his latest plant, Harald is forced to sieze the day.

Second Place – THE MAGNIFICENT LION BOY (UK), Ana Caro

BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES
First Place – MAGMA (Poland), Pawel Maslona
Dedicated furniture salesman Janusz always knows just how to close a sale but after an extremely rare accident at work, he finds his carefully constructed life unraveling.

Second Place – PAULINE IN A BEAUTIFUL WORLD (USA), William Thompson

BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER
First Place – JUMP (Australia), Aimee Lee Curran
In a visually dazzling story about the importance of family when pursuing your dreams, Jump tells the tale of 12-year-old Edwin, a circus clown like his father, who dreams of becoming a trapeze artist..

Second Place – RELICS(USA), Jennie Allen

BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT
First Place – EMPTY NEST (Myanmar), Zaw Naing Oo
In one small pocket of Yangon, the urban center of Myanmar, Daw Ni Lang lives very modestly with her husband and young son. It’s a hard life, but she’s managed to raise four children who are all well-educated… if only they would call home a little more often.

Second Place – JONATHAN (Ecuador), Abe Zverow

BEST STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY
Leigh Lisbão Underwood (cinematographer), THE BOY SCOUT (USA)
Trapped in their car for days after an unexpected snowstorm strands them on a remote mountain road during an impromptu trip, Grant and Leah confront a life-or-death choice… With another storm on the way, should they stay or should they go.

Second Place – Tam Morris (cinematographer), JUMP (Australia)

BEST US FILM SCHOOL STUDENT FILM AWARD
First Place – MY FATHER’S TRUCK (Xe Tai Cua Bo) (Brazil/Vietnam), Mauricio Osaki
10-year-old Mai Vy skips school one day to help her father with his passenger truck for hire. Set along the countryside of Northern Vietnam, Mai Vy is soon confronted with varying shades of morality and harsh realities as she learns how things outside the classroom really are.

ADDITIONAL PRIZES The Alexis Award for Best Emerging Student Filmmaker went to OSTRICHLAND (USA), directed by David McCracken. T

Bridging the Borders Award presented by Cinema Without Borders went to THAT WASN’T ME (Aquel No Era Yo) (Spain) directed by Esteban Crespo. The runner-up was TRYOUTS (USA), directed by Susana Casares.

The next Palm Springs International Film Festival will be held January 3-13, 2014.
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“HAVING YOU,” and “HOW TO FOLLOW STRANGERS” Awarded Top Honors at 2013 Lower East Side Film Festival

L.E.S* Film Festival | Lower East Side Film Festival

HAVING YOU

“HAVING YOU,” and “HOW TO FOLLOW STRANGERS” were awarded top honors at the 2013 Lower East Side Film Festival (L.E.S* Film Festiva), which ran June 13 – 23 in New York City.

Prix D’or Winner, “HOW TO FOLLOW STRANGERS” is directed by Chioke Nassor and stars Broad City’s Ilana Glazer. There is a true story of a woman who died in her apartment and it took people a year to find her body decomposing in a crisp Chanel suit. A young man becomes obsessed with this urban tragedy and disappears, wondering if anyone will notice. A young woman who shares his commuting schedule DOES notice…

Best Feature Winner, HAVING YOU, is directed by Sam Hoare and stars Golden Globe Nominated Anna Friel, Golden Globe and BAFTA Nominee Romola Garai, and BAFTA Nominee Phil Davis. Jack has finally managed to propose to his infertile girlfriend when his life is turned upside down by the arrival of an old one-night stand that introduces him to his seven year old son.

The Full List of Winners are:

PRIX D’OR – Best of Fest – How To Follow Strangers. Dir. By Chioke Nassor
BEST FEATURE – Having You. Dir. By Sam Hoare
AUDIENCE AWARD – i hate myself 🙂 Dir. By Joanna Arnow
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT – The Caretaker. Dir. Lauren Lillie
BEST DOC SHORT – Wright’s Law. Dir. By Zack Conkle
BEST ANIMATION – Fear of Flying. Dir. By Conor Finnegan
L.E.S* NEIGHBORHOOD AWARD – The Birdman. Dir. By Jessie Auritt.
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Jonathan Demme’s ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE to Kick Off 2013 Maine International Film Festival

Maine International Film Festival

ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE directed by Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme (Silence Of The Lambs, Philadelphia, Stop Making Sense) will kick off the Opening Night of the 16th Maine International Film Festival (MIFF) on Friday, July 12 at the Waterville Opera House. Jonathan Demme, the MIFF 2002 Midlife Achievement Honoree, will introduce his new film, which centers on Enzo Avitabile, the Neapolitan musician who’s blazing a world music trail in his collaborations with other musicians from around the Mediterranean and around the world, including Buena Vista Social Club’s Eliades Ochoa.

ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE is the first in a special section of MIFF 2013 called “Demme Does Music,” designed to highlight what the festival describes as Demme’s fantastic feel for and ability to convey the excitement of music. Although his feature films, including classics like Silence of the Lambs, for which he won the Best Director Oscar in 1992, Philadelphia, Melvin and Howard and Something Wild, invariably have a strong musical element, according to Festival Programmer Ken Eisen, it is Demme’s “beautiful portfolio of films directly centering on music and musicians that really shine with the excitement, power and thrill of Jonathan’s wonderful ability to wed film with music.”

ENZO AVITABILE MUSIC LIFE will open theatrically at Lincoln Plaza and a downtown theater in New York on October 18, and at the Royal and other Los Angeles area Laemmle theaters on October 25. A national release will follow.

http://youtu.be/bMY73xNXDJk
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