• A Separation to Receive European Commission’s first EU Media Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2495" align="alignnone"]Asghar Farhadi Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film[/caption]

    Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, director of A Separation (Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film) and his producer, Memento Films Production’s Alexandre Mallet-Guy, will be awarded the European Commission’s first EU Media Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

    Farhadi and Mallet-Guy will receive the award for their new project that will be filmed in France and in French in the Fall.

    “In these times when certain politicians are trying to turn the beautiful rainbow of cultural diversity in the world into differences and confrontations, I believe that this MEDIA award for my next film project is a very encouraging sign,” Farhadi said of the prize.

    The MEDIA prize is awarded to the best project with box-office potential submitted by a screenwriter and a production company. The project is selected from the applications submitted for development support from the MEDIA program in a given year. MEDIA will allocate support for the screenplay, casting, preparing a financial plan, marketing and piloting production. The EU MEDIA prize is part of the MEDIA program’s new €1.8 billion agenda set to kick off in 2014 and run through 2020 called “Creative Europe” meant to facilitate cultural exchange among film industry professionals through digital technology.

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  • Actor Armand Assante’s Dialogue From the Steppes Among Winners of 2012 Gasparilla International Film Festival

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    [caption id="attachment_2721" align="alignnone" width="550"]Armand Assante[/caption]

    “Dialogue From the Steppes,” a short film written and directed by actor Armand Assante (“Mambo Kings,” “Private Benjamin”) won the top documentary short prize at this year’s Gasparilla International Film Festival. “Dialogue From the Steppes” is described as Armand Assante’s presentation based on his own observations and feelings for the people of Kazakhstan. about the formation of an independent state, through several periods of Kazakhstan’s development, including the war years, closing of Semipalatinsk testing site, political repressions and the latest economic and political achievements of the country.

    The complete list of winners of 2012 Gasparilla International Film Festival:

    Life Achievment Award: Keith David

    Career Achievement Award: Chazz Palminteri

    Rising Star Award: Ryan O’Nan

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Screenwriting Competition
    “Heart of a Family” BY Sharon Duncan

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Audience Best Short Documentary
    Dialogue from the Steppes

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Audience Best Documentary
    Teresa Sareo – Alive Again

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Audience Best Narrative
    Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Audience Best Short Narrative
    Underground

    Florida Governor’s Office Film in Florida Award for Best Florida Prod.
    Subprime

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Special Mention Male
    Michael Weston in “Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best”

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Special Mention Female
    Danielle Harris

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Grand Jury Short Narrative
    Wolf Call

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Grand Jury Short Documentary
    Dilli

    Digital Domain Institute Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary
    The Loving Story

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Grand Jury Animated Short
    Live Outside the Box

    Digital Domain Institute Award for Grand Jury Narrative
    Downtown Express

    Digital Domain Institute Grand Jury Award for Young Filmmaker
    According to Plan

     

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  • 2012 Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival CANCELED

    The 2012 Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival which had been scheduled for September, has been canceled, organizers announced Thursday.

    The PE website reported that founder and Executive Director Jo Moulton said organizers are restructuring the annual event and the festival will return in 2013.

    Moulton said that, after 17 years, it was a difficult decision, but a combination of factors led organizers to conclude it was the right thing to do including a substantial reduction in festival donations and fewer people available to work on the event this year.

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  • Bully Expands in Wider Release After New PG13 Rating

    The controversial new documentary “Bully,” was given a PG-13 rating by the Classification and Rating Administration on Thursday, clearing the film for wider release in theaters by the film distribution company, Weinstein Company.

    The ratings board had initially given “Bully” an R rating for harsh language, but after earlier unsuccessful appeals, the Weinstein Company decided to release the film with no rating.

    This week though, the Weinstein Company and Lee Hirsch, the director and a producer of the film, agreed to edit some, but not all, of the offending language from the film. Kept intact was what is considered a crucial scene in which obscenities are hurled at a young victim on a school bus.

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  • Penny Stock by Grainger David Wins Tribeca Film Institute Alfred P. Sloan Foundation $50,000 Student Grand Jury Prize For Screenwriting

     

    Penny Stock by Grainger David of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts was selected as the “best-of-the-best” screenplay, and the recipient of the 2012 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Student Grand Jury Prize for Screenwriting $50,000 grant from the Tribeca Film Institute (TFI).

    Grainger David from Wadmalaw Island, South Carolina will receive a $30,000 cash prize, as well as an additional $20,000 to be used in direct support of the project.  The award includes year-round support from TFI, including mentorship and guidance from scientific and film industry professionals, networking opportunities, and industry exposure.

    Penny Stock is a feature screenplay about a community college geology professor, who risks everything on a bold new theory in the race to discover an epic diamond pipe in the Northwest Territories. Becoming a mining prospector was never in the professor’s plans – or his family’s – but he feels that he is on the cusp of discovering something great, and he’s willing to risk everything to prove it.

    Last year’s inaugural prize went to Robert Cohen of NYU for his work Bystander, which is based on the 1964 rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in Queens. Though the attack lasted over 30 minutes, none of the 37 witnesses called the police or intervened until she was already dead.  Four years later, a groundbreaking psychological study on the “Bystander Effect” explained the inaction of the witnesses. Though a fictional account of the attack’s aftermath, the scientific research and theories in the script are historically and psychologically accurate.  Since winning, Cohen has been paired with an industry mentor, producer Alexis Alexanian (Pieces of April, Tadpole), who has helped him with re-writes and feedback on option agreements he has received. TFI is also providing a social psychologist who will serve as a mentor to help Cohen maintain the authenticity of the science.

    The Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize was created to recognize the very best student screenplay in the nation that uses science and technology themes or characters to tell an engaging story.

    The award was presented at an evening reception in New York City on Thursday, April 5, 2012.

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  • Academy Award Nominee Laura Linney to be Honored at 2012 Dallas International Film Festival Plus More Films Confirmed For Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_2712" align="alignnone"]Laura Linney[/caption]

    The Dallas International Film Festival continues to make news with the upcoming festival including the announcement that three-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Laura Linney will be honored with a Dallas Star Award at the Dallas Film Society Honors. Todd Louiso’s HELLO I MUST BE GOING and Marius A. Markevicius’ THE OTHER DREAM TEAM will be screened in DIFF’s coveted Saturday and Thursday Centerpiece slots respectively. Also, the previously announced LIBERAL ARTS is confirmed as the Opening Night Gala presentation.


    [caption id="attachment_1948" align="alignnone"]LIBERAL ARTS[/caption]

    DIFF 2012 will kick off on April 12 with the film LIBERAL ARTS which premiered earlier this year at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.  Starring Zac Efron, Elizabeth Olsen, Josh Radnor, Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney, LIBERAL ARTS centers on 30-something Jesse, who falls for a young 19-year old college student when he is invited back to his alma mater.

    [caption id="attachment_2713" align="alignnone" width="549"]HELLO I MUST BE GOING[/caption]

    The Saturday Centerpiece will be the comedy HELLO I MUST BE GOING from actor, writer and director Todd Louiso (HIGH FIDELITY (2000); THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2005)).  The new film, which also premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January, stars Melanie Lynskey (WIN WIN (2011); UP IN THE AIR (2009)) as Amy, a recently divorced New York photographer who moves back in with her parents in suburban Connecticut, then shakes up her life by starting an affair with a young actor.  Co-starring Blythe Danner, Christopher Abbott and Julie White, the film had its North American rights snapped up by Oscilloscope Laboratories in preparation for a theatrical release this year.


    [caption id="attachment_2714" align="alignnone"]THE OTHER DREAM TEAM[/caption]

    Completing the Centerpiece line-up, THE OTHER DREAM TEAM is the incredible story of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team coached by Donnie Nelson, known now as the general manager of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.  The Lithuanian athletes struggled under Soviet rule, but they became symbols of Lithuania’s independence movement and against all odds they triumphed at the Barcelona Olympics.  Members of the original team will join Donnie Nelson and director Markevicius at the Landmark Magnolia Theatre screening on Thursday, April 19.

    Finally, two additional screenings have been added to the film schedule:

    BERNIE (USA)
    Director: Richard Linklater
    In small-town Texas, the local mortician strikes up a friendship with a wealthy widow but when he kills her, he goes to great lengths to create the illusion that she’s alive. Starring Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey and Shirley MacLaine

    GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS (USA)
    Directors: Shana Sosin, Barbara Stepansky, Jennifer Chambers Lynch, Beth Grant, Tracie Laymon, America Young
    Six filmmakers were awarded $1000 each to make a short film. The filmmakers were given only two rules: it had to be written, directed, produced, shot, and edited by women, and the finished product had to express what “feminine strength” meant to the filmmakers. GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS is the result of these terrific collaborations, a half a dozen short films that showcase the diverse and unique voices of young female filmmakers from around the country.
    CONVENTION OF DYING
    MY OWN PRIVATE DEMON
    HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY MARRIAGE
    THE PERFECT FIT
    A HIDDEN AGENDER
    LOCKED-IN

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  • WWE Superstars Kelly Kelly and Rey Mysterio Among Sports Related Programming and Guests at 2012 Sarasota Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_2709" align="alignnone" width="550"]WWE Superstars Kelly Kelly and Rey Mysterio [/caption]

    The Sarasota Film Festival announced sports related programming and guests for the upcoming 2012 festival.

    Tino Wallenda and the Flying Wallenda family will attend the World Premiere screening of THE SHOW MUST GO ON on Friday, April 20th.

    [caption id="attachment_2710" align="alignnone" width="549"]THE SHOW MUST GO ON[/caption]

    THE SHOW MUST GO ON explores the unique familial bond that exists within the high flying Wallenda clan who, despite the true risks of their dangerous high wire act and the economic reality that threatens their livelihood, have performed aerial acts for generations as The Flying Wallendas. As they continue to hone their skills and develop their artistry, the film explores their rich legacy by sharing some of their most death defying feats. One of the most famous circus families in world, the Wallendas call Sarasota home, performing and training here with the same apparatus and on the same rigs as Karl Wallenda developed over 80 years ago.

    WWE Superstars Kelly Kelly and Rey Mysterio will attend the Saturday, April 21 screening of THE DAY  alongside Dominic Monaghan, Ashely Bell and Director Douglas Aarniokoski.

    THE DAY | Set in a bleak, post-apocalyptic world, where much of the remaining population has turned to the chaos of open warfare. A group of survivors, just normal people forced into a life of constant battle for survival, are now lost, wandering the desolate country in hopes of finding a true refuge. There is no mission objective. There is no destination. There used to be 12. Only 5 remain. One survivor falls victim to illness and when faced with an impending storm, the group decides to take shelter at an abandoned farmhouse. THE DAY is a horrifying glimpse into what 24 hours is like in this vicious world. The battle is everywhere and the bullets are dwindling. The group must use every ounce of strength, courage and guile they have to defend their stronghold from a brutally determined enemy. When faced with the end, what will you continue to battle for? Grab your weapon. The battle for humanity is here. Fight or die. A Robert Rodriguez protégé, Doug Aarniokoski, directs this edge-of-your-seat war action horror. Relentless, visceral, intense… THE DAY has come.

    NY Giants Hall Of Fame legend Harry Carson will attend thescreening of AMERICAN MAN on Thursday, April 19th.

    AMERICAN MAN | Kevin Turner was always good at football. After playing fullback for and graduating from the University of Alabama, he spent his career in the National Football League with The Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots, laying vicious blocks on his opponents and playing the game with physical abandon. But after his career came to an end, Kevin developed ALS, a devastating disease of the brain that may have been caused by his participation in the game he loved. IN AMERICAN MAN, Jon Frankel provides a powerful portrait of an athlete whose diagnosis has inspired him to help in the quest to find answers about this mysterious disease.

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  • ‘After’ and ‘Beauty is Embarrassing’ open ‘BIG EASY EXPRESS’ and ‘Paul Williams Still Alive’ to close 2012 Nashville Film Festival

    Beauty is Embarrassing

    Continuing a trend started several years ago, two films will officially open and close the Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) when it takes place April 19-26, 2012 at the Regal Green Hills Cinemas.

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  • GI Film Festival Releases 2012 Film Lineup on its Website

    The award-winning GI Film Festival (GIFF),described as “the nation’s only military film festival,” announced the film program for its 2012 event, which will take place Tuesday, May 15, through Sunday, May 20, 2012, in Washington, DC.

    Overall, the sixth annual GIFF film line-up offers 42 film screenings, movies that represent every branch of the military and span five wars. Over the course of the six-day event, the festival said that it will offer 23 narrative films and 19 documentaries covering every genre conceivable – from action and adventure to drama and romance.

    “More than 200 films were submitted to GIFF this year. We were overwhelmed by the raw talent and emotion expressed in every film,” explained Brandon Millett, Co-Founder and President of the GI Film Festival. “Our mission is to educate the public about the successes and sacrifices of the American military and there has never been a better festival line-up to more perfectly exemplify that mission.”

    On Thursday, May 17, the festival will provide an advanced screening of Universal Pictures’ BATTLESHIP, directed by Peter Berg. The BATTLESHIP screening will take place during the festival’s Wounded Warrior Appreciation Night, where wounded warriors from the DC metro area will serve as the festival’s guests of honor.

    “One of the best parts of the festival is every day is so different. Whether our guests are honoring the contributions of wounded warriors or walking the red carpet with famous actors, there’s a unique experience every night,” said GIFF Co-Founder and Director Laura Law-Millett.

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  • China Heavyweight from 2012 Sundance Film Festival Gets a US Release

    Zeitgeist will release in the US, Yung Chang’s latest film ‘China Heavyweight’ that premiered earlier this year at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. A Summer 2012 release date is planned.

    In southwestern China, a Master coach recruits poor rural teenagers and turns them into Western-style boxing champions. Through hard work and discipline, these boys and girls come of age, trained in the art of boxing and the game of life. They are filled with Olympic dreams, hoping to become China’s next amateur heroes.  Their charismatic coach, Qi Moxiang–with his own dreams of winning back the championship–hopes to show them the way. The top student boxers face dramatic choices as they graduate–should they fight for the collective good as amateurs or for themselves and their own personal gain as professionals? It’s a metaphor for the choices that everyone faces now, in the New China.

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  • Morgan Spurlock’s New Documentary MANSOME a Hilarious Look at Metrosexuals and Mens Grooming Habits

    Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated director/producer Morgan Spurlock’s new documentary film MANSOME has a release date. The film which is scheduled to have its world premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival on April 21st, will open in limited release in several major cities nationwide including New York and Los Angeles beginning May 18th.

    MANSOME  was written, directed and produced by Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) and executive produced by DumbDumb co-founders Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Electus Founder Ben Silverman, MANSOME marks Arnett and Bateman’s first executive producer credits.


    In the age of manscaping, metrosexuals, fancy men’s day spas, and high-end grooming products galore, MANSOME is a witty, provocative and highly-entertaining glimpse into what it means to be a man in a world where the definition of masculinity has become as diverse as a hipster’s facial hair in Williamsburg. With his signature humor and insight, Spurlock combs over the follicles of men’s idiosyncratic grooming habits, opening up a dialogue about men’s unique approach to self image.

    An expose of comic proportions, MANSOME follows Arnett and Bateman to the spa as they undergo various beautification rituals while offering amusing stories and observations about elusive male bathroom secrets. The film highlights a wide range of men including champion beardsmen, longtime barbershop owners, known metrosexuals, mustachioed males and professional wrestlers; all intercut with candid, one-on-one interviews and commentary from actor/comedians Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Adam Carolla, Judd Apatow, as well as sociological experts and everyday men and women all of whom weigh in on everything from the growing incidence of men turning to plastic surgeons to our obsession with facial hair.

    “As someone who has spent the past eight years shaving around a ridiculous mustache, I couldn’t think of a more ‘Mantastic’ story to tell than this,” said director/producer Morgan Spurlock.  “I jumped at the chance to work with Will and Jason.  They’re so manly, so handsome, so … Mansome.”

    “If I do say so myself, there are no better coiffed, buffed, sharpened and styled men than Morgan, Will and myself to open the world’s eye to the changing notion of masculinity in today’s culture,” said executive producer and DumbDumb Co-Founder Jason Bateman. “Mansome is a special tribute to our passion and dedication for male grooming and the freedom of facial-hair expression which we wholeheartedly feel should be equal amongst both sexes,” continued executive producer and DumbDumb Co-Founder Will Arnett.

    “Jason Bateman and Will Arnett are two legendary back shavers, and Morgan’s mustache and strange receding hairline make them the perfect partners to bring this project to life,” said Ben Silverman, Executive Producer and Founder of Electus.



    The other interview subjects featured in MANSOME include John Waters, ZZ Top band members Dusty Hill and Billy Gibbons, Anthrax musician Scott Ian, Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Kate White, author Brett McKay, sociologist Michael Kimmel, beard expert Allan Peterkin, champion beardsman Jack Passion, Old Spice Guy Isaiah Mustafa, Co-Founder of Movember Andrew Garone, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, pro-wrestler Shawn Daivari, stylist Stefan Campbell, clothing buyer Ricky Manchanda, and salon and barbershop owners Martial Vivot, Donnie Hawley, Ricky King, Adam Baker, Michael Haar and Kamal Neru.

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  • Tribeca Film Festival to Host Events Exploring Future Of Storytelling In The Digital Age

    Tribeca today announced two new forward-looking events to take place during the Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) that will assemble a first-rate collection of thought leaders spanning the worlds of film, media, gaming, technology and society. The Tribeca Film Institute’s Interactive Day will explore the future of storytelling in the digital age, through an all-day conference on April 23, made possible by the Ford Foundation. Tribeca’s long-running Future of Film blog will expand its successful online offerings with a Lunchtime Series with daily talks and presentations related to platforms, technology, and trends that are changing the art and business of film.

    On April 23, the TFI Interactive Day, programmed with XO Labs, will bring together leading thinkers from the fields of media, entertainment, education and technology to share their insights and inspire content creators to rethink paradigms. The day will explore the digital media ecosystem. Conversations will range from an interactive case study of the multi-platform rollout of HBO’s Game of Thrones to the signature insights of The Onion’s Digital Director Baratunde Thurston to a conversation about the funding of transmedia projects. The event will take place from 9:30 am – 4:30pm at the IAC Building and is open to all TFF badge holders and invited guests.

    “In a world where the lines between audience and creator are increasingly blurred, every sector of the communications industry is undergoing somewhat of an identity crisis. As the only formalized funder of independent, non-fiction transmedia in the US, we are excited to welcome the brightest thinkers and doers from across the spectrum to help us differentiate the substance from the hype,” said Beth Janson, Executive Director of the Tribeca Film Institute.

    The Future of Film Lunch Series, hosted by and taking place at 92YTribeca, features notable speakers such as Paranormal Activity producer Jason Blum, Tumblr founder David Karp and College Humor and Vimeo founder Ricky Van Veen. The series will take place on April 23-26 from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., with two sessions daily, each 30 minutes followed by an audience Q&A; these events will be highlighted via daily video segments on tribecafilm.com and throughout TFF.

    Our Future of Film blog has been an important tool in nurturing a steady, year-round dialogue on the changes in our industry. As we continue to drive this conversation year round and grow the community of contributors our Future of Film speaker series is a great platform to hear from industry pros who are experiencing the changes first hand,” said Matt Spangler , Tribeca Enterprises, EVP Marketing and Content. “The live event and video content created by this terrific lineup of speakers will offer unique perspectives for our audience on where film is headed.”

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