Brimstone & Glory[/caption]
Three films – Viktor Jakovleski’s Brimstone & Glory, Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts and Yance Ford’s Strong Island – lead the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors nominations with 4 apiece. Five films received three nominations: Yuri Ancarani’s The Challenge, Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Coral, Agnès Varda and JR’s Faces Places, Brett Morgen’s Jane and Jonathan Olshefski’s Quest.
City of Ghosts, Faces Places, Quest and Strong Island are joined in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category by Frederick Weisman’s Ex Libris: The New York Public Library and Feras Fayyad’s Last Men in Aleppo. Kitty Green (Casting Jon Benet) joins the aforementioned Yuri Ancarani, Yance Ford, Matthew Heineman, Agnés Varda and JR, and Frederick Wiseman as a nominee in the Outstanding Achievement in Direction category.
With his nomination, Frederick Wiseman becomes the first filmmaker in Cinema Eye history to be nominated three times for Outstanding Direction, having been previously nominated for La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet and In Jackson Heights. He also received Cinema Eye’s 2012 Legacy Award for his 1967 classic Titicut Follies. Agnès Varda won the Outstanding Direction Award in 2010 for The Beaches of Agnés.
Outstanding Direction nominees Kitty Green and Yuri Ancarani were both previously nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Short, Green in 2016 for The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul and Ancarani was nominated twice for Il Capo (2012) and Da Vinci (2014).
Chasing Coral received three nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Cinematography for director Jeff Orlowski, an Honor he won in 2013 for Chasing Ice. Stefan Nadelman, nominated for his Graphic Design work on the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip, won the same award in 2016 for Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.
Ten films were nominated for the annual Audience Choice Prize, which includes many of the year’s most popular and talked about nonfiction films, notably Brett Morgen’s Jane, Ceyda Torun’s Kedi, Amanda Lipitz’ Step, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ Whose Streets? and Gethin Aldous and Jairus McLeary’s The Work. The winner in this category is voted on by the general public.
This year’s Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking category includes a number of notable filmmakers, among them a previous Cinema Eye winner and a nominee. Fisher Stevens, a winner for Outstanding Production and Feature for The Cove (2010), is nominated this year with his co-director Alexis Bloom for Bright Lights: Starring Carrie FIsher and Debbie Reynolds (HBO). Ryan White, who was nominated for Production in 2015 for The Case Against 8, is up this year for his Netflix series The Keepers. Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay received her first Cinema Eye nomination for her Netflix film 13th, while veteran filmmaker Kristi Jacobson gets her first nod for the HBO feature doc Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison.
This year’s winners will be announced at the 2018 Honors Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The ceremony will be hosted, for the third consecutive year, by award-winning nonfiction filmmaker Steve James (The Interrupters, Life Itself, Hoop Dreams), who is a Cinema Eye nominee this year for his latest film, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail.
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BRIMSTONE AND GLORY , CITY OF GHOSTS and STRONG ISLAND Lead Cinema Eye Honors Nominations
[caption id="attachment_24386" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Brimstone & Glory[/caption]
Three films – Viktor Jakovleski’s Brimstone & Glory, Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts and Yance Ford’s Strong Island – lead the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors nominations with 4 apiece. Five films received three nominations: Yuri Ancarani’s The Challenge, Jeff Orlowski’s Chasing Coral, Agnès Varda and JR’s Faces Places, Brett Morgen’s Jane and Jonathan Olshefski’s Quest.
City of Ghosts, Faces Places, Quest and Strong Island are joined in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category by Frederick Weisman’s Ex Libris: The New York Public Library and Feras Fayyad’s Last Men in Aleppo. Kitty Green (Casting Jon Benet) joins the aforementioned Yuri Ancarani, Yance Ford, Matthew Heineman, Agnés Varda and JR, and Frederick Wiseman as a nominee in the Outstanding Achievement in Direction category.
With his nomination, Frederick Wiseman becomes the first filmmaker in Cinema Eye history to be nominated three times for Outstanding Direction, having been previously nominated for La Danse – The Paris Opera Ballet and In Jackson Heights. He also received Cinema Eye’s 2012 Legacy Award for his 1967 classic Titicut Follies. Agnès Varda won the Outstanding Direction Award in 2010 for The Beaches of Agnés.
Outstanding Direction nominees Kitty Green and Yuri Ancarani were both previously nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Short, Green in 2016 for The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul and Ancarani was nominated twice for Il Capo (2012) and Da Vinci (2014).
Chasing Coral received three nominations, including a nod for Outstanding Cinematography for director Jeff Orlowski, an Honor he won in 2013 for Chasing Ice. Stefan Nadelman, nominated for his Graphic Design work on the Grateful Dead documentary Long Strange Trip, won the same award in 2016 for Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck.
Ten films were nominated for the annual Audience Choice Prize, which includes many of the year’s most popular and talked about nonfiction films, notably Brett Morgen’s Jane, Ceyda Torun’s Kedi, Amanda Lipitz’ Step, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ Whose Streets? and Gethin Aldous and Jairus McLeary’s The Work. The winner in this category is voted on by the general public.
This year’s Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking category includes a number of notable filmmakers, among them a previous Cinema Eye winner and a nominee. Fisher Stevens, a winner for Outstanding Production and Feature for The Cove (2010), is nominated this year with his co-director Alexis Bloom for Bright Lights: Starring Carrie FIsher and Debbie Reynolds (HBO). Ryan White, who was nominated for Production in 2015 for The Case Against 8, is up this year for his Netflix series The Keepers. Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay received her first Cinema Eye nomination for her Netflix film 13th, while veteran filmmaker Kristi Jacobson gets her first nod for the HBO feature doc Solitary: Inside Red Onion State Prison.
This year’s winners will be announced at the 2018 Honors Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 11, 2018 at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. The ceremony will be hosted, for the third consecutive year, by award-winning nonfiction filmmaker Steve James (The Interrupters, Life Itself, Hoop Dreams), who is a Cinema Eye nominee this year for his latest film, Abacus: Small Enough to Jail.
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ON BODY AND SOUL and THE SQUARE Lead Nominations for European Film Awards
[caption id="attachment_20704" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
ON BODY AND SOUL[/caption]
Ildikó Enyedi’s ON BODY AND SOUL and Ruben Östlund’s social satire THE SQUARE, lead the nominations for the 30th European Film Awards with four nominations each, including Best European Film, Best European Director and Best European Screenwriter, as well actress Alexandra Borbély in ON BODY AND SOUL and actor Claes Bang in THE SQUARE.
Two films have garnered three nominations each: Andrey Zvyagintsev’s LOVELESS, and Yorgos Lanthimos’ family drama THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER. LOVELESS is nominated for European Film, as well as Zvyagintsev for directing and together with Oleg Negin as screenwriter. Yorgos Lanthimos is nominated for director and, shared with co-author Efthimis Filippou, as screenwriter. Colin Farrell is nominated as actor in the film.
Aki Kaurismäki’s refugee melodrama THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE is nominated for European Film and directing. The remaining film nominated for European Film is Robin Campillo’s AIDS drama BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE), actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart received a nomination as well.
Nominees for Best Documentary include AUSTERLITZ by Sergei Loznitsa (Germany); COMMUNION (Komunia) by Anna Zamecka (Poland); LA CHANA by Lucija Stojevic (Spain, Iceland, USA); STRANGER IN PARADISE by Guido Hendrikx (the Netherlands) and THE GOOD POSTMAN by Tonislav Hristov (Finland, Bulgaria).
The winners will be presented during the awards ceremony on December 9 in Berlin.
European Film Awards 2017 Nominations
EUROPEAN FILM 2017
BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) 120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE France 145 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Robin Campillo PRODUCED BY Marie-Ange Luciani & Hugues Charbonneau LOVELESS НЕЛЮБОВЬ (NELYUBOV) Russia, Belgium, Germany, France 127 min DIRECTED BY Andrey Zvyagintsev WRITTEN BY Oleg Negin & Andrey Zvyagintsev PRODUCED BY Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov & Gleb Fetisov ON BODY AND SOUL TESTRŐL ÉS LÉLEKRŐL Hungary 116 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Ildikó Enyedi PRODUCED BY Mónika Mécs, András Muhi & Ernö Mesterházy THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN Finland, Germany 100 min WRITTEN, DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY Aki Kaurismäki THE SQUARE Sweden, Germany, France, Denmark 145 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Ruben Östlund PRODUCED BY Erik Hemmendorff & Philippe BoberEUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2017
AUSTERLITZ Germany 94 min WRITTEN, DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY Sergei Loznitsa COMMUNION KOMUNIA Poland 72 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Anna Zamecka PRODUCED BY Anna Wydra, Anna Zamecka, Zuzanna Krol, Izabela Lopuch & Hanka Kastelicová LA CHANA Spain, Iceland, USA 86 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Lucija Stojevic PRODUCED BY Lucija Stojevic, Greta Olafsdottir, Deirdre Towers & Susan Muska STRANGER IN PARADISE Netherlands 72 min WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Guido Hendrikx PRODUCED BY Frank van den Engel THE GOOD POSTMAN Finland, Bulgaria 80 min DIRECTED BY Tonislav Hristov WRITTEN BY: Tonislav Hristov, Lubomir Tsvetkov PRODUCED BY Kaarle Aho & Kai NordbergEUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2017
Ildikó Enyedi for ON BODY AND SOUL Aki Kaurismäki for THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE Yorgos Lanthimos for THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Ruben Östlund for THE SQUARE Andrey Zvyagintsev for LOVELESSEUROPEAN ACTRESS 2017
Paula Beer in FRANTZ Juliette Binoche in BRIGHT SUNSHINE IN Alexandra Borbély in ON BODY AND SOUL Isabelle Huppert in HAPPY END Florence Pugh in LADY MACBETHEUROPEAN ACTOR 2017
Claes Bang in THE SQUARE Colin Farrell in THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Josef Hader in STEFAN ZWEIG – FAREWELL TO EUROPE Nahuel Pérez Biscayart in BPM (BEATS PER MINUTE) Jean-Louis Trintignant in HAPPY ENDEUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2017
Ildikó Enyedi for ON BODY AND SOUL Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthimis Filippou for THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Oleg Negin & Andrey Zvyagintsev for LOVELESS Ruben Östlund for THE SQUARE François Ozon for FRANTZ
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Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung Accept The ‘Rising Star’ Award at Asian World Film Festival
Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung accepted the ‘Rising Star’ Award on behalf of Sreymoch Sareum from First They Killed My Father at the 3rd Asian World Film Festival.
First They Killed My Father director, producer and co-screenwriter Angelina Jolie and co-screenwriter and executive producer Loung Ung, whose memoir the film is based upon, accepted the ‘Rising Star’ Award on behalf of actress Sreymoch Sareum, who plays “Loung,” during a special screening of the film on October 30 at the Arclight Culver City. The film screened to a sold-out enthusiastic audience at the festival, and was followed by a Q&A with Jolie and Ung, moderated by Georges N. Chamchoum, AWFF Executive & Program Director.
Sareum stars as the principle character, Loung Ung, in First They Killed My Father, which is Cambodia’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film. The Netflix film is the adaptation of Cambodian author and human rights activist Ung’s gripping memoir of surviving the deadly Khmer Rouge regime from 1975 to 1978. The story is told through her eyes, from the age of five, when the Khmer Rouge came to power, to nine years old. The film is produced by Angelina Jolie and acclaimed Cambodian director and producer Rithy Panh, director of the Oscar-nominated The Missing Picture.
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Director Tom Tykwer Named Jury President of the 2018 Berlin International Film Festival
German director, screenwriter, film composer, and producer Tom Tykwer will serve as jury president of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.
“Tom Tykwer is one of the highest-profile German directors and has established himself on the international stage as a great filmmaker. His outstanding talent and innovative trademark have been on display in a variety of film genres. We have gained a superb jury president in Tom Tykwer,” says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick.
Since 1992, the prize-winning, internationally renowned filmmaker has presented six of his films at the Berlinale. The first was his short film Epilog in the 1992 Panorama section. The Berlin International Film Festival has twice opened with Tykwer films – Heaven (2002) and The International (2009). Also seen at the festival were his short True (2004), as well as the film projects Germany 09: 13 Short Films About the State of the Nation (2009) and Rosakinder (2013), both anthology films made with other German directors.
“The Berlinale has always been my favourite and my home film festival, and has supported me since I began working as a filmmaker. We have a fantastic and broad history with each other. Now I can look forward to two focused and fun weeks of films with the jury”, says Tom Tykwer with regard to his jury presidency.
Tom Tykwer originally studied philosophy in Berlin, and worked as a projectionist and manager of the Moviemento cinema before making his first feature Deadly Maria in 1993. In 1994, he joined Stefan Arndt, Wolfgang Becker, and Dani Levy in founding the production company X Filme Creative Pool. He co-wrote the screenplay for Becker’s film Life is All You Get (Berlinale Competition 1996). In 1997, he directed Winter Sleepers, followed in 1998 by Run Lola Run, which marked his international breakthrough.
After The Princess and the Warrior (2000), which he shot in his hometown of Wuppertal, he made his first English-language film Heaven, based on the last screenplay written by Krzysztof Kieślowski. Cate Blanchett played the lead. Further international productions followed with Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006), based on Patrick Süskind’s novel, and The International (2009 Berlinale opening film).
Three (2010), for which Tykwer won the German Film Prize for best director, was followed in 2012 by Cloud Atlas. The film, based on the eponymous bestseller by David Mitchell, was the first time Tykwer worked as a director with the Wachowskis (the Matrix trilogy). Tykwer composed music for and directed several episodes of the siblings’ Netflix series Sense8 (2015 – 2017).
Tykwer’s feature A Hologram for the King, with Tom Hanks in the lead, was released in 2016. The director adapted the screenplay himself from the novel by Dave Eggers.
For his most recent turn at the helm, Tykwer has ventured into episodic television. Babylon Berlin is based on the series of books by Volker Kutscher and is set in Berlin during the Weimar era. Tom Tykwer co-directed the first 16 episodes of Babylon Berlin with Achim von Borries and Henk Handloegten.
Since the beginning of his career, Tom Tykwer has always composed the music for his own films, and has recently been collaborating with Johnny Klimek. He received numerous awards for the Cloud Atlas soundtrack, as well as a Golden Globe nomination for best composer.
In addition to often functioning as writer, director, producer, and composer on his own films, Tom Tykwer has also been a producer on the films Gigantic (1999, dir: Sebastian Schipper), Soundless (2004, dir: Mennan Yapo), A Friend of Mine (2006, dir: Sebastian Schipper) and The Heart is a Dark Forest (2007, dir: Nicolette Krebitz).
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Actress Tessa Thompson to be Honored at Napa Valley Film Festival
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Tessa Thompson in Thor: Ragnarok (2017)[/caption]
Actress Tessa Thompson will receive the JCB Collection Trailblazer Tribute at this year’s Celebrity Tributes presentation at the seventh annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF). Thompson will join the festival’s already announced line-up of honorees including Charles Krug Legendary Filmmaker Nancy Meyers, Raymond Vineyards Trailblazer Michael Shannon, Charles Krug Spotlight Tribute honoree Michael Stuhlbarg and the Jameson Animal Rescue Ranch Humanitarian Tribute honorees Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder.
Thompson is best known for her roles in Creed and Dear White People, as well as her performance on HBO’s acclaimed drama series Westworld. She is also starring as the female lead in the highly-anticipated third installment of the Thor franchise, Thor: Ragnarok. In 2018, Thompson can also be found co-starring in the sci-fi thriller Annihilation and the fantasy/comedy Sorry to Bother You.
“Tessa is an actress who has demonstrated in her career the ability to take on unique, dynamic roles that demonstrate her remarkable range and ability to bring her humanity to each performance. As a “trailblazer,” she is the embodiment of someone who is undaunted by taking risks and in doing so, achieves great success,” said Marc Lhormer, co-founder of the Napa Valley Film Festival.
The Celebrity Tributes program will take place on Thursday, November 9 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville and will include highlight reels and an intimate on-stage conversation with Access Hollywood’s Natalie Morales.
NVFF announced their plans to move forward with this year’s programming following the wildfires that affected the region last month. The festival will be the first big event to take place since the fires, and will be both a celebration of the Valley itself, as well as an opportunity to support the rebuilding efforts of the community. NVFF will be donating 10% of all pass sales revenue from October 16 through the festival to the Napa Valley Disaster Relief Fund and Presenting Sponsor Lexus is generously donating 1,000 free tickets to select movies for those impacted by the fires.
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VIDEO: Watch New Clip from THE PROBLEM WITH APU, Premieres on truTV on November 19
Check out a new clip from the highly-anticipated comedic documentary The Problem with Apu which is set to premiere on truTV on Sunday, November 19 at 10PM ET/PT. The Problem with Apu will have its World Premiere at DOC NYC on November 14. In the hour-long film, creator and star Hari Kondabolu, a South Asian-American comedian, confronts his long-standing “nemesis” Apu Nahasapeemapetilon – better known as the Indian convenience store owner on The Simpsons.
Kondabolu discusses how this controversial caricature was created, burrowed its way into the hearts and minds of Americans, and continues to exist – intact – nearly three decades later.
In this highly-personal, insightful and timely exploration of minority media representation, Kondabolu speaks with prominent South Asian actors about the damaging legacy of Apu – an animated character voiced by a white actor with a heavily exaggerated, stereotypical Indian accent. Aziz Ansari, Kal Penn, Aasif Mandvi, Hasan Minjaj, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aparna Nancherla, Russell Peters, Sakina Jaffrey and Maulik Pancholy share poignant stories about their own experiences with Apu and the broader questions about the comedy and representation he evokes. With additional interviews with EGOT-winner Whoopi Goldberg, W. Kamau Bell, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Mallika Rao, and many more, The Problem with Apu takes a humorous look at how even a beloved television series can have a blind spot.
“I was obsessed with The Simpsons growing up and it has greatly influenced my comedy. However, as my mother proves, you can criticize something you love because you expect more from it,” said Kondabolu. “For the longest time, Apu was the most prominent representation of South Asian Americans – and despite how much our society has changed in the last three decades – the character persists today. I made this film to not only talk about the origin of Apu and highlight the impact of such images in media, but also to celebrate the diversity and complexity of my community.”
Hailed as “one of the most exciting political comics in stand-up today” by The New York Times, Brooklyn-based comedian Kondaboluis the host of the popular podcast “Politically Re-Active” alongside W. Kamau Bell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nUp5EG-5Kc
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VIDEO: New Trailer for QUEST, An Epic Portrait of an American Family, Opens in NY on Dec. 8
Here is the new trailer for Quest, Jonathan Olshefski’s moving chronicle of a close knit African-American family living in North Philadelphia.
Filmed with vérité intimacy for almost a decade, Quest has swept top documentary awards at festivals across the country since it premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, including the Grand Jury prize at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. It will open in Philadelphia on December 1 (Landmark’s Ritz at the Bourse), New York on December 8 (Quad Cinema) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Monica) on December 15. A wider national rollout will follow.
Beginning at the dawn of the Obama presidency, the film follows the Raineys: father Christopher “Quest” Rainey, who juggles various jobs to support his family; Christine’a “Ma Quest,” who works at a women’s shelter; Christine’a’s son William, who is undergoing cancer treatment while caring for his baby son; and PJ, Quest and Christine’a’s young daughter. In a neighborhood besieged by inequality and neglect, they nurture a community of hip hop artists in their home music studio. It’s a safe space where all are welcome, but this creative sanctuary can’t always shield them from the strife that grips their neighborhood. Epic in scope, Quest is a vivid illumination of race and class in America, and a profound testament to love, healing and hope.
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Whistler Film Festival Unveils Lineup, Opens with Winston Churchill Biopic DARKEST HOUR
[caption id="attachment_25385" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
DARKEST HOUR[/caption]
The 17th Whistler Film Festival, aka ‘Canada’s Coolest Film Fest’, will take place from November 29 to December 3, 2017, and feature 87 fresh films (46 features and 41 shorts) from over 15 countries.
WFF is set to open with Joe Wright’s DARKEST HOUR, starring Gary Oldman and Lily James. Endorsed by Winston Churchill’s estate, the film tells the story of Churchill’s refusal to engage in peace treaty negotiations with Nazi Germany during WWII, and his determination to fight on against incredible odds. Closing the festival is the World Premiere of THE MOMENT. Darcy Hennessey Turenne’s latest documentary feature uncovers the origin of Freeride Mountain Biking and its provenance in British Columbia by following a dedicated group of adventure seekers who changed the course of the sport forever.
Oscar-contending films screening at WFF include the Western Canadian premieres of I, TONYA, one of the most pleasant surprises of this year’s festival season about disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Margot Robbie; THE DISASTER ARTIST, directed and starring James Franco along with Dave Franco, tells the true-life story of Tommy Wiseau, Hollywood outsider and director of the cult-hit THE ROOM, which will also debut as the “From the Vault” selection; and Canada’s entry in this year’s Best Foreign-Language film Oscar competition HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS directed by François Girard.
Additional critically acclaimed directors with works premiering in the festival include Richard Linklater, with LAST FLAG FLYING starring Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne, about three ex-marines who reunite thirty years after the Vietnam War; Émile Gaudreault with FATHER AND GUNS 2 (DE PÉRE EN FLIC 2), Canada’s highest grossing film of the year; Oscar Winner Mike Van Diem with the Netherlands, Italy, Canada co-production TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR, AND A BICYCLE; and acclaimed Canadian documentarian Alan Zweig with his latest film THERE IS A HOUSE HERE, about an Inuk rock singer Lucie Idlout.
Director of Programming Paul Gratton stated: ”It is gratifying to see that the Whistler Film Festival’s ever growing reputation as a cool film festival in which to showcase original work is growing well beyond our borders. The quality of our American Indie submissions was way up this year, as was the quality of our hundreds of Canadian entries. The Borsos jury will have a particularly challenging time picking the winners this year.”
Programming strands include American Indies, Canada 150, Contenders, Doc Bloc, Family Feature, First Features, From Overseas, From The Vault, Mountain Culture, ShortWork, Transgressive Tales, and World Premieres.
This year WFF is proud to boast that all five films in its “American Indies” strand will grace Canadian screens for the first time in Whistler. American Indies include STORY OF A GIRL, the directorial debut from Kyra Sedgwick starring Kevin and Sosie Bacon; THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN starring Bill Pullman directed by Jared Moshe; THE LEARS directed by longtime Whistler Alumnus and Canadian filmmaker Carl Bessai starring Bruce Dern, Sean Astin and Anthony Michael Hall; NEVER HERE directed by Camille Thoman starring the late Sam Shepard in his last performance on screen; and PAINLESS directed by Jordan Horowitz starring Canadian actor Joey Klein. Other American films include PERMISSION directed by Brian Crano starring Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens and Jason Sudeikis; BERNARD AND HUEY directed by Slamdance Founder Dan Mirvish with the original script written by the legendary Jules Feiffer; and HEAVEN’S FLOOR directed by Lori Stoll based on the true story of a LA photographer who heads to Iqualuit for a shoot. And it’s not just Americans are entrusting WFF with their Canadian premieres. From Hungary, WFF will present Eva Gardos’ Chinatown style film noir set in Budapest during the early years of World War II. BUDAPEST NOIR is the story of an investigator trying to uncover the truth about a prostitute’s murder, though no one around him seems to care.
This year, 20 Canadian films will compete for Canada’s second largest festival prize -Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature. Borsos titles include eight World Premieres featuring work from WFF Alumni including Pat Kiely with SOMEONE ELSE’S WEDDING starring Jacob Tierney, Jessica Paré, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Kevin Zegers, Kathleen Turner and Wallace Shawn; PRODIGALS directed by Michelle Ouellet starring Sara Canning and David Alpay; Jackie English’s first feature BECOMING BURLESQUE about a Muslim woman who turns to burlesque dancing starring Shiva Negar; Gail Harvey’s crime thriller NEVER SAW IT COMING based on the novel by Linwood Barclay; NOBODY FAMOUS directed by Sarah Rotella; plus three features from Vancouver based directors including 8 MINUTES AHEAD by Ben Hoskyn shot over the course of four years in Vancouver and China; THE PRODIGAL DAD, a home-grown sort of Toni Erdmann directed by Robert Wenzek; and THE CANNON directed by WFF Alumni Marshall Axani, who won the inaugural MPPIA Short Film Award.
Canadian premieres in the Borsos competition include Hannah Cheesman and Mackenzie Donaldson’s coming of age story, THE DEFINITES, Daniel DiMarco’s atmospheric character study JUGGERNAUT starring Jack Kesy and Amanda Crew, and the family friendly Christmas story SANTA STOLE OUR DOG: A MERRY DOGGONE CHRISTMAS starring Ed Asner from DIY master Bryan Michael Stoller. Western Canadian premieres in the Borsos Competition include Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s first time feature A WORTHY COMPANION starring Evan Rachel Wood and Vancouver’s Julia Sarah Stone produced by the TIFF Canadian producers of the year, Luc Déry and Kim McCraw, ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA the original and rhythmic visual buffet from first time director Ian Lagarde, Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley’s drama CARDINALS featuring an unforgettable performance from Sheila McCarthy, Vladimir de Fontenay’s Canada/France co-production MOBILE HOMES starring Imogen Poots, Callum Keith Rennie and Callum Turner, TRENCH 11 an unusual WWI dark thriller starring Rossif Sutherland, the comedic drama VENUS about a man transitioning to a woman, and PORCUPINE LAKE, a beloved coming of age story about two best friends directed by DIY queen Ingrid Veninger. Also screening alongside PORCUPINE LAKE is the making of documentary feature THE OTHER SIDE OF PORCUPINE LAKE directed by Julian Papas. Other Canadian films screening at the festival out of competition include ANOTHER WOLFCOP directed by Lowell Dean, the hilarious sex comedy A SWINGERS WEEKEND directed by Jonathan Cohen, and the original crime drama ORDINARY DAYS shot in three segments by three directors Jordan Canning, Kris Booth and Renuka Jeyapalan. In addition to the World Premiere of THE MOMENT which closes the fest, Mountain Culture films include A TO B ROLLERSKI directed by Arnis Aspers about an athlete who “rollerskis” from the Arctic to Baja, DEPTH PERCEPTION the latest brainchild of Travis Rice directed by Chip Taylor and Chris Murphy accompanied by the short series SOMETHING from The Manboys as well as compilation of short mountain based films from some of the industry’s finest athletes and storytellers. This year’s Doc Bloc competition features a very diverse film line-up. In keeping with the theme of emerging talent, WFF is pleased to present the World Premiere of BECOMING ICONIC, Neal Thibedeau’s incisive look at aspiring New York based director Jonathan Barker’s first feature with Nicolas Cage, Gina Gershon and Faye Dunaway, and interviews with such directing legends as Adrian Lyne, John Badham, Jodie Foster and Taylor Hackford about their first time on set as directors. Additional films in this section include WORLD OF DARKNESS, a detailed look at the history and evolution of one the most popular goth lifestyle games of all time, will receive its Canadian Premiere at our fest; and THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRÉ, a probing biodoc of André Leon Talley, former editor of Vogue Magazine, featuring interviews with everyone from Anna Wintour to Tom Ford.WFF 2017 COMPLETE FEATURE FILM LISTING BY STRAND:
American Indies:
THE BALLAD OF LEFTY BROWN (United States) Dir. Jared Moshe THE LEARS (Canada, United States) Dir. Carl Bessai NEVER HERE (United States) Dir. Camille Thoman PAINLESS (United States) Dir. Jordan Horowitz STORY OF A GIRL (United States) Dir. Kyra SedgwickCanada 150:
ANOTHER WOLFCOP (Canada) Dir. Lowell Dean FATHER AND GUNS 2 (DE PÉRE EN FLIC 2) (Canada) Dir. Émile Gaudreault HEAVEN’S FLOOR (Canada, United States) Dir. Lori Stoll JUGGERNAUT (Canada) Dir. Daniel DiMarco MOBILE HOMES (Canada, France) Dir. Vladimir de Fontenay ORDINARY DAYS (Canada) Dir. Jordan Canning, Kris Booth, Renuka Jeyapalan PORCUPINE LAKE (Canada) Dir. Ingrid Veninger TRENCH 11 (Canada) Dir. Leo SchermanContenders:
THE DARKEST HOUR (United Kingdom) Dir. Joe Wright THE DISASTER ARTIST (United States) Dir. James Franco HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS (HOCHELAGA, TERRE DES ÂMES) (Canada) Dir. François Girard I, TONYA (United States) Dir. Craig GillespieThe Doc Bloc:
BECOMING ICONIC (United States) Dir. Neal Thibedeau THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRE (United States) Dir. Kate Novack THE OTHER SIDE OF PORCUPINE LAKE (Canada) Dir. Julian Papas THERE IS A HOUSE HERE (Canada) Dir. Alan Zweig WORLD OF DARKNESS (Sweden) Dir. Giles AldersonFamily Feature:
SANTA STOLE OUR DOG: A MERRY DOGGONE CHRISTMAS! (Canada) Dir. Bryan Michael StollerFirst Features:
ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA (Canada) Dir. Ian Lagarde BECOMING BURLESQUE (Canada) Dir. Jackie English CARDINALS (Canada) Dir. Aidan Shipley & Grayson Moore THE DEFINITES (Canada) Dir. Hannah Cheesman & Mackenzie DonaldsonFrom Overseas:
BUDAPEST NOIR (Hungary) Dir Éva Gárdos TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR, AND A BICYCLE (Canada, Netherlands, Italy) Dir. Mike Van DiemFrom The Vault:
THE ROOM (United States) Dir. Tommy WiseauMountain Culture:
A TO B ROLLERSKI (Latvia, United States, Canada, Mexico) Dir. Arnis Aspers DEPTH PERCEPTION Dir. Chip Taylor & Chris MurphyTransgressive Tales:
A SWINGER’S WEEKEND (Canada) Dir. Jonathan Cohen A WORTHY COMPANION (Canada) Dir. Carlos Sanchez & Jason Sanchez BERNARD AND HUEY (United States) Dir. Dan Mirvish THE CANNON (Canada) Dir. Marshall Axani PERMISSION (United States) Dir. Brian Crano VENUS (Canada) Dir. Eisha MarjaraWorld Premieres:
8 MINUTES AHEAD (Canada, China) Dir. Ben Hoskyn NEVER SAW IT COMING (Canada) Dir. Gail Harvey NOBODY FAMOUS (Canada) Dir. Sarah Rotella PRODIGALS (Canada) Dir. Michelle Ouellet THE PRODIGAL DAD (Canada) Dir. Robert Wenzek SOMEONE ELSE’S WEDDING (Canada) Dir. Pat KielyWFF 2017 Feature Films Eligible for the Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature:
A WORTHY COMPANION ALL YOU CAN EAT BUDDHA BECOMING BURLESQUE THE CANNON CARDINALS THE DEFINITES HOCHELAGA, LAND OF SOULS JUGGERNAUT MOBILE HOMES NEVER SAW IT COMING NOBODY FAMOUS PORCUPINE LAKE PRODIGALS THE PRODIGAL DAD SANTA STOLE OUR DOG: A MERRY DOGGONE CHRISTMAS SOMEONE ELSE’S WEDDING TRENCH 11 TULIPANI: LOVE, HONOUR AND A BICYCLE VENUS 8 MINUTES AHEAD
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AFI FEST 2017 Presentations and Conversations Lineups Feature Christopher Nolan, Angelina Jolie and More
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Angelina Jolie, FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER[/caption]
Conversations on directing with Christopher Nolan and on storytelling with Angelina Jolie and Loung Ung are among the events on the Presentations and Conversations lineups for AFI FEST 2017 presented by Audi. Other events include a roundtable of documentary filmmakers presented by the Los Angeles Times; The Hollywood Reporter’s Indie Contenders Roundtable with eight standout artists; an in-depth conversation with director Patty Jenkins; a conversation with filmmaker Agnès Varda; and a conversation with Martin McDonagh and Sam Rockwell about THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, presented by Variety.
AFI FEST takes place November 9 to 16, 2017, in the heart of Hollywood. Screenings, Galas and other events will be held at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and The Hollywood Roosevelt.
PRESENTATIONS
CINEMATIC STORYTELLING: A CONVERSATION WTH CHRISTOPHER NOLAN Director/writer/producer Christopher Nolan discusses his latest film, Dunkirk, centering on the British maneuvers from the land, sea and air as the military and civilians attempt to save 400,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France, during World War II. A special 70mm film presentation of Dunkirk will precede the discussion. WORLD CINEMA MASTER IN CONVERSATION: AGNÈS VARDA French auteur and AFI FEST 2013 Guest Artistic Director Agnès Varda sits down for a discussion of her career and her new film Faces Places (co-directed with French installation artist JR). The event begins with a screening of Faces Places. The event will be moderated by Serge Toubiana, President of UniFrance.CONVERSATIONS
INDIE CONTENDERS ROUNDTABLE Hear from a diverse panel of artists who have done standout work in independent film this year. Presented by The Hollywood Reporter and moderated by columnist and blogger Scott Feinberg, the panel will feature a 90-minute discussion with the artists about their careers and influences, as well as the challenges and rewards of working on indies. Panelists include Sean Baker (THE FLORIDA PROJECT), Richard Gere (NORMAN: THE MODERATE RISE AND TRAGIC FALL OF A NEW YORK FIXER), Salma Hayek (BEATRIZ AT DINNER), Diane Kruger (IN THE FADE), Kumail Nanjiani (THE BIG SICK), Robert Pattinson (GOOD TIME), Margot Robbie (I, TONYA) and Lois Smith (MARJORIE PRIME). The roundtable is presented by The Hollywood Reporter and will be moderated by Scott Feinberg their lead awards analyst. DOC ROUNDTABLE Los Angeles Times film critic Justin Chang sits down with a panel of distinguished directors behind some of the most talked-about and acclaimed documentaries of the year. The panelists will include Evgeny Afineevsky (CRIES FROM SYRIA), Greg Barker (THE FINAL YEAR), Kasper Collin (I CALLED HIM MORGAN), Feras Fayyad (LAST MEN IN ALEPPO), Yance Ford (STRONG ISLAND), Bryan Fogel (ICARUS), Steve James (ABACUS: SMALL ENOUGH TO JAIL), Amanda Lipitz (STEP) and Brett Morgen (JANE). The roundtable it presented by the Los Angeles Times. ON DIRECTING: PATTY JENKINS WONDER WOMAN director and AFI Conservatory alumna Patty Jenkins sits down for a moderated, in-depth discussion. ON DIRECTING: SOFIA COPPOLA Director/writer Sofia Coppola sits down to discuss her latest film, THE BEGUILED, set during the American Civil War and centering on an all-female Southern boarding school that takes in a wounded Union soldier, with unsettling results. ON ACTING: BRINGING APES TO LIFE – ANDY SERKIS, TERRY NOTARY, MATT REEVES, JOE LETTERI Actors Andy Serkis and Terry Notary, director Matt Reeves and Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri of the critically acclaimed and visually stunning WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES sit down for a panel discussion on how performance capture and visual effects bring complex and emotional characters to life. ON COLLABORATIVE STORYTELLING: ANGELINA JOLIE AND LOUNG UNG Director Angelina Jolie and writer Loung Ung discuss the artistic and cross-cultural collaboration that brought FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER to the screen. Based on Ung’s autobiography, the film centers on a young girl who must embark on a harrowing quest for survival amid the sudden rise and terrifying reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER is Cambodia’s official Best Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission. CINEMA’S LEGACY: A CONVERSATION WITH JORDAN PEELE GET OUT director/writer Jordan Peele sits down for an in-depth conversation about his film and the impact and legacy of GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER (1967), the groundbreaking, Oscar® winner about an interracial romance starring Sidney Poitier that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER will screen following the conversation. IN CONVERSATION: MARTIN MCDONAGH AND SAM ROCKWELL Director/writer/producer Martin McDonagh and actor Sam Rockwell, who have a long relationship working together for both the stage and screen, sit down for a moderated discussion with Jenelle Riley of Variety on THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, a darkly comedic drama centering on a mother (Frances McDormand) who makes a bold move to find her daughter’s murderer, riling local law enforcement. The conversation is presented by Variety.
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Lady Macbeth Leads with 15 Nominations for 2017 British Independent Film Awards | Complete List
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Lady Macbeth[/caption]
Lady Macbeth topped the list of nominations for the 2017 British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) with 15 nominations including Best British Independent Film. The Death of Stalin, I Am Not a Witch follow with 13 nominations each; and God’s Own Country and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri each nominated 11 times. Overall, debut features dominate the nominations list, with the first-time writers, producers and directors of Lady Macbeth, I Am Not a Witch and God’s Own Country all recognized in the three newcomer categories – Debut Screenwriter, Breakthrough Producer and The Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director – as well as Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best British Independent Film.
Past BIFA winners Armando Iannucci and Martin McDonagh are the writer-directors of this year’s other two Best British Independent Film nominees, The Death of Stalin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Both films have two nominees in the Best Supporting Actor category, with The Death of Stalin’s Simon Russell Beale and Steve Buscemi taking on Three Billboards’ Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. Frances McDormand is nominated for Best Actress for her performance in Three Billboards and Andrea Riseborough for Supporting Actress for The Death of Stalin. Both films also have nominations for Best Director, Best Screenplay.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool has four nominations including two for past BIFA winners Jamie Bell and Julie Walters, nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress.
Gary Oldman will receive The Variety Award at the ceremony.The Variety Award recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK. Past winners include Kate Winslet, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Greengrass, Jude Law, Kenneth Branagh, Liam Neeson, Sir Michael Caine, Naomie Harris, Daniel Craig, Helen Mirren and Richard Curtis.
Winners will be announced by host Mark Gatiss at the British Independent Film Awards Ceremony on Sunday December 10 at Old Billingsgate.
Best British Independent Film
The Death of Stalin God’s Own Country I Am Not a Witch Lady Macbeth Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriBest International Independent Film
The Florida Project Get Out I Am Not Your Negro Loveless The SquareBest Director
Armando Iannucci (The Death of Stalin) Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch) William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth)Best Screenplay
Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin (The Death of Stalin) Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Rungano Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch)Best Actress
Emily Beecham (Daphne) Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Margaret Mulubwa (I Am Not a Witch) Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) Ruth Wilson (Dark River)Best Actor
Jamie Bell (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool) Paddy Considine (Journeyman) Johnny Harris (Jawbone) Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country) Alec Secareanu (God’s Own Country)Best Supporting Actress
Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth) Patricia Clarkson (The Party) Kelly MacDonald (Goodbye Christopher Robin) Andrea Riseborough (The Death of Stalin) Julie Walters (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool)Best Supporting Actor
Simon Russell Beale (The Death of Stalin) Steve Buscemi (The Death of Stalin) Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Ian Hart (God’s Own Country) Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)Most Promising Newcomer sponsored by The London EDITION
Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth) Harry Gilby (Just Charlie) Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth) Harry Michell (Chubby Funny) Lily Newmark (Pin Cushion)The Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)
Deborah Haywood (Pin Cushion) Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) Thomas Napper (Jawbone) Rungani Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch) William Oldroyd (Lady Macbeth)Debut Screenwriter
Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth) Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) Johnny Harris (Jawbone) Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) Rungani Nyoni (I Am Not a Witch)Breakthrough Producer
Gavin Humphries (Pin Cushion) Emily Morgan (I Am Not a Witch) Brendan Mullin, Katy Jackson (Bad Day For The Cut) Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Lady Macbeth) Jack Tarling, Manon Ardisson (God’s Own Country)The Discovery Award
Even When I Fall Halfway In Another Life Isolani R My Pure LandBest Documentary
Almost Heaven Half Way Kingdom Of Us Uncle Howard WilliamsBest British Short Film
1745 Fish Story The Entertainer Work Wren BoysBest Cinematography
Ben Davis (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) David Gallego (I Am Not a Witch) Tat Radcliffe (Jawbone) Thomas Riedelsheimer (Leaning Into the Wind) Ari Wegner (Lady Macbeth)Best Casting
Shaheen Baig (Lady Macbeth) Shaheen Baig, layla Merrick-Wolf (God’s Own Country) Sarah Crowe (The Death of Stalin) Sarah Halley Finn (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Debbie McWilliams (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool)Best Costume Design
Dinah Collin (My Cousin Rachel) Suzie Harman (The Death of Stalin) Sandy Powell (How to Talk to Girls at Parties) Holly Rebecca (I Am Not a Witch) Holly Waddington (Lady Macbeth)Best Editing
Johnny Burke (Williams) David Charap (Jawbone) Jon Gregory (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Peter Lambert (The Death of Stalin) Joe Martin (Us And Them)Best Effects
Nick Allder, Ben White (The Ritual) Luke Dodd (Journeyman) Effects team (The Death of Stalin) Dan Martin (Double Date) Chris Reynolds (Their Finest)Best Make Up & Hair Design
Julene Paton (I Am Not a Witch) Jan Sewell (Breathe) Nadia Stacey (Journeyman) Nicole Stafford (The Death of Stalin) Sian Wilson (Lady Macbeth)Best Music
Carter Burwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Fred Frith (Leaning Into The Wind) Matt Kelly (I Am Not a Witch) Paul Weller (Jawbone) Christopher Willis (The Death of Stalin)Best Production Design
Jacqueline Abrahams (Lady Macbeth) Cristina Casali (The Death of Stalin) James Merifield (Final Portrait) Nathan Parker (I Am Not a Witch) Eve Stewart (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool)Best Sound
Anna Bertmark (God’s Own Country) Maiken Hansen (I Am Not a Witch) Andy Shelley, Steve Griffiths (Jawbone) Joakim Sundström (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) Sound team (Breathe)
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VIDEO: Watch First Trailer for Muay Thai Boxing Thriller A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN
Watch Joe Cole fights his way out in first trailer for Muay Thai boxing thriller A Prayer Before Dawn. The film, directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire premiered earlier this year at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and is set to be released in 2018 by A24.
A Prayer Before Dawn is the remarkable true story of Billy Moore, a young English boxer incarcerated in two of Thailand’s most notorious prisons. He is quickly thrown into a terrifying world of drugs and gang violence, but when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes this might be his chance to get out. Billy embarks on a relentless, action-packed journey from one savage fight to the next, stopping at nothing to do whatever he must to preserve his life and regain his freedom. Shot in a an actual Thai prison with a cast of primarily real inmates, A Prayer Before Dawn is a visceral, thrilling journey through an unforgettable hell on earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp88Nuci68c
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2017 Twin Cities Film Fest Awards – “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” Wins Best Film
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption]
The Twin Cities Film Fest announced its 2017 award winners Saturday evening, and named Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” as the year’s Best Feature Film. “The Bachelors,” a father-son drama starring J.K. Simmons, was named a finalist in several categories and walked away with the Indie Vision Breakthrough Award for Simmons’ teenage co-star Josh Wiggins.
The festival’s top non-fiction awards went to documentaries spotlighting the great migrations of refugees now underway around the globe. Ai Weiwei’s “Human Flow,” was named Best Documentary; Amanda Bailly’s “8 Borders, 8 Days” won the 2017 Non-Fiction Indie Vision Award.
The 2017 Audience Awards went to “Instructions for Living,” a drama co-starring and co-written by Minnesota native Morgan Owens; “Coyote,” a documentary about the life and disappearance of acclaimed sailor Mike Plant who grew up in the state; and ‘Hearts Want,” a sweeping short romance directed by Twin Cities filmmaker Jason P. Schumacher.
Minnesota native Lea Thompson returned home to the state to open the festival with her comedic directorial debut “The Year of Spectacular Men.” The film is written by her daughter Madelyn Deutch, who stars in the comedy opposite her sister Zoe. At Saturday evening’s award ceremony, Madelyn was named this year’s Indie Vision Breakthrough Artist for narrative filmmaking.
“The creativity of Madelyn’s script, the strength of her performance, and the uniqueness of Lea’s first film, set the tone for the entire festival,” says Jatin Setia, Twin Cities Film Fest’s executive director. “We billed this year as the ‘Year of Spectacular Women,’ in part because we were captivated by these memorable female-driven films we were seeing on the festival circuit and also in recognition of the fact that over 50 percent of all our titles this year were directed/produced by women. Madelyn’s award is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of the female talent we celebrated this year.”
On the festival’s closing day, TCFF also honored actress, and Minnesota native, Rachael Leigh Cook with the festival’s coveted North Star Award.
2017 Twin Cities Film Fest Award Winners
Best Feature Film: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” directed by Martin McDonagh. Best Documentary: “Human Flow,” directed by Ai Weiwei Best Short Film: “Cat Killer,” directed by Wes Jones. Audience Award, Narrative: “Instructions For Living,” directed by Sarah Heinss (Runner-Up: “Aquarians,” directed by Michael M. McGuire) Audience Award, Non-Fiction: “Coyote,” directed by Thomas Simmons (Runner-Up: “Victor’s Last Class,” directed by Brendan Brandt) Audience Award, Short Film: “Hearts Want,” directed by Jason P. Schumacher (Runner-Up: “Wet Dreams: One Woman’s Chance at Touching Gold,” directed by Darren Coyle) Indie Vision Breakthrough Award — Narrative: Madelyn Deutch (screenplay, “The Year of Spectacular Men”) Indie Vision Breakthrough Award — Non-Fiction: “8 Borders, 8 Days,” directed by Amanda Bailly Indie Vision Breakthrough Award – Best Performance: Josh Wiggins (“The Bachelors” and “Walking Out”) Fun Is Good Bill Murray Comedic Shorts Award: “Lady Lillian,” directed by Amber Johnson North Star Award for Excellence: Rachael Leigh Cook TCFF 2017 Changemaker Award: Lexi Reed Holtum, executive director and lobbyist of the Steve Rummler Hope Network, for her work advocating on behalf of Steve’s Law and the 2015 state funding that enabled first responders to have the resources they need to implement the law. Holtum was also responsible for the creation of the network’s Overdose Prevention Program, fostering partnerships between hospitals, treatment and sober living facilities, and communities to reduce opioid overdose deaths.