Pure Flix, the independent faith-and-family studio, has released the official trailer for the biblical epic Samson, described as the thrilling retelling of a champion’s calling, betrayal and redemption.
“If you’ve ever faced adversity and wondered if God was big enough to see you through it, this is your film,” says Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott.
The action-packed film stars Billy Zane, Golden Globe® winner Rutger Hauer, Jackson Rathbone, Lindsay Wagner, Caitlin Leahy and Taylor James in the title role of Samson.
Premiering nationwide February 16, Samson is based on the powerful, biblical epic of a champion chosen by God to deliver Israel. His supernatural strength and impulsive decisions quickly pit him against the oppressive Philistine empire. After being betrayed by a wicked prince and a beautiful temptress, Samson is captured and blinded by his enemies. Samson calls upon his God once more for supernatural strength and turns imprisonment and blindness into final victory.
Samson was shot on location in South Africa, directed by Bruce Macdonald and written by Zachary Warren Smith, Jason Baumgardner, Galen Gilbert and Timothy Ratajczak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSolF3QBVBY-
VIDEO: Watch Action-Packed Biblical Epic SAMSON Trailer Starring Billy Zane, Taylor James
Pure Flix, the independent faith-and-family studio, has released the official trailer for the biblical epic Samson, described as the thrilling retelling of a champion’s calling, betrayal and redemption.
“If you’ve ever faced adversity and wondered if God was big enough to see you through it, this is your film,” says Pure Flix CEO Michael Scott.
The action-packed film stars Billy Zane, Golden Globe® winner Rutger Hauer, Jackson Rathbone, Lindsay Wagner, Caitlin Leahy and Taylor James in the title role of Samson.
Premiering nationwide February 16, Samson is based on the powerful, biblical epic of a champion chosen by God to deliver Israel. His supernatural strength and impulsive decisions quickly pit him against the oppressive Philistine empire. After being betrayed by a wicked prince and a beautiful temptress, Samson is captured and blinded by his enemies. Samson calls upon his God once more for supernatural strength and turns imprisonment and blindness into final victory.
Samson was shot on location in South Africa, directed by Bruce Macdonald and written by Zachary Warren Smith, Jason Baumgardner, Galen Gilbert and Timothy Ratajczak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSolF3QBVBY
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LADY BIRD, LOVING VINCENT, THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI and More Nominated for Art Directors Guild Awards
The Art Directors Guild announced nominations for the 22nd Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards in theatrical motion pictures, television, commercials, music videos and, for the first time, animation features. Winners will be honored at the Awards Gala on Saturday, January 27, 2018, in the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood and Highland.
ADG Awards will also honor eight-time Academy Award®-Nominee KATHLEEN KENNEDY with the Cinematic Imagery Award. The “William Cameron Menzies Award” will honor Disney’s Oscar®-nominated animation filmmakers RON CLEMENTS and JOHN MUSKER. A special Leadership Award will be bestowed upon International IATSE President MATTHEW D. LOEB. The Outstanding Creative Achievement Award will be given to Production Designer MICHAEL BAUGH. Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to Production Designer NORM NEWBERRY, Emmy®-winning and Oscar®-nominated Production Designer/Set Designer JAMES MURAKAMI, Scenic Artist JOHN MOFFITT, Senior Illustrator/Art Director MARTIN KLINE, and the late Oscar®-winning Production Designer SIR KEN ADAM (Dr. Strangelove, James Bond) Senior Illustrator and Bambi’s Concept Designer TYRUS WONG will be inducted into the ADG Hall of Fame.
NOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR A FEATURE FILM:
PERIOD FILM
DARKEST HOUR Production Designer: SARAH GREENWOOD DUNKIRK Production Designer: NATHAN CROWLEY MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Production Designer: JIM CLAY THE POST Production Designer: RICK CARTER THE SHAPE OF WATER Production Designer: PAUL DENHAM AUSTERBERRYFANTASY FILM
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Production Designer: SARAH GREENWOOD BLADE RUNNER 2049 Production Designer: DENNIS GASSNER STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Production Designer: RICK HEINRICHS WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES Production Designer: JAMES CHINLUND WONDER WOMAN Production Designer: ALINE BONETTOCONTEMPORARY FILM
DOWNSIZING Production Designer: STEFANIA CELLA GET OUT Production Designer: RUSTY SMITH LADY BIRD Production Designer: CHRIS JONES LOGAN Production Designer: FRANÇOIS AUDOUY THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Production Designer: INBAL WEINBERGANIMATED FILM
CARS 3 Production Designers: WILLIAM CONE, JAY SHUSTER COCO Production Designer: HARLEY JESSUP DESPICABLE ME 3 Art Director: OLIVIER ADAM THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE Production Designer: GRANT FRECKELTON LOVING VINCENT Production Designer: MATTHEW BUTTONNOMINEES FOR EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR TELEVISION ARE:
One-Hour Period or Fantasy Single-Camera Series
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: “The Bad Beginning: Part One,” “The Reptile Room: Part One,” “The Wide Window: Part One” Production Designer: BO WELCH THE CROWN: “A Company of Men,” “Beryl,” “Dear Mrs. Kennedy” Production Designer: MARTIN CHILDS GAME OF THRONES: “Dragonstone,” “The Queen`s Justice,” “Eastwatch” Production Designer: DEBORAH RILEY MINDHUNTER: “S1:E1,” “S1:E4,” “S1:E9” Production Designer: STEVE ARNOLD STRANGER THINGS: “Chapter Six: The Spy,” “Chapter Eight: The Mind Flayer,” “Chapter Nine: The Gate” Production Designer: CHRIS TRUJILLOOne-Hour Contemporary Single-Camera Series
AMERICAN GODS: “The Bone Orchard,” “The Secret of Spoons,” “Head Full of Snow” Production Designer: PATTI PODESTA THE HANDMAID’S TALE: “Pilot, Offred,” “Birth Day,” “Nolite Te Bastardes Carborundorum” Production Designer: JULIE BERGHOFF THE HANDMAID’S TALE: “The Bridge” Production Designer: ANDREW STEARN MR. ROBOT: “eps3.0_power-saver-mode.h,” “eps3.1_undo.gz,” “eps3.2_legacy.so” Production Designer: ANASTASIA WHITE TWIN PEAKS: “Ep. 1: Part 1,” “Ep. 8: Part 8,” “Ep. 15: Part 15” Production Designer: RUTH DE JONGTelevision Movie or LIMITED Series
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT: “Election Night,” “Winter of Our Discontent” Production Designer: JEFF MOSSA BIG LITTLE LIES: “Somebody`s Dead,” “Living the Dream,” “You Get What You Need” Production Designer: JOHN PAINO BLACK MIRROR: “USS Callister” Production Designer: JOEL COLLINS FARGO: “The Narrow Escape Problem,” “The Law of Inevitability,” “Who Rules the Land of Denial?” Production Designer: ELISABETH WILLIAMS FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN: “Pilot,” “And the Winner is…,” “You Mean All This Time We Could Have Been Friends?” Production Designer: JUDY BECKERHalf Hour Single-Camera Series
FUTURE MAN: “Pandora’s Mailbox,” “Beyond The Truffledome,” “A Date With Destiny” Production Designer: JESSICA KENDER GLOW: “Pilot,” “The Wrath of Kuntar,” “The Dusty Spur” Production Designer: TODD FJELSTED MASTER OF NONE: “Le Nozze,” “Thanksgiving,” “Amarsi Un Po” Production Designer: AMY WILLIAMS SILICON VALLEY: “Hooli-Con,” “Server Error” Production Designer: RICHARD TOYON VEEP: “Omaha” Production Designer: JIM GLOSTERMULTI-CAMERA Series
9JKL: “Pilot,” “Lovers Getaway,” “Set Visit” Production Designer: STEPHAN OLSON THE BIG BANG THEORY: “The Romance Recalibration,” “The Separation Agitation,” “The Explosion Implosion” Production Designer: JOHN SHAFFNER THE RANCH: “My Best Friend,” “Last Dollar (Fly Away),” “Wrapped Up in You” Production Designer: JOHN SHAFFNER SUPERIOR DONUTS: “Pilot,” “Crime Time,” “Arthur`s Day Off” Production Designer: STEPHAN OLSON WILL & GRACE: “Eleven Years Later,” “A Gay Olde Christmas” Production Designer: GLENDA ROVELLOShort Format: Web Series, Music Video or Commercial
APPLE: “Bulbs” Production Designer: JAMES CHINLUND CHANEL: “Gabrielle” Production Designer: SHANE VALENTINO KATY PERRY: “Bon Appétit” Production Designer: NATALIE GROCE NIKE: “Equality” Production Designer: RUTH DE JONG STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II: “Rivalry / PS4” Production Designer: JASON EDMONDSVariety or Competition Series/AWARDS OR EVENT SPECIAL
BILL NYE SAVES THE WORLD: “Earth Is A Hot Mess” Production Designer: JAMES PEARSE CONNELLY GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS: “74th Annual” Production Designer: BRIAN STONESTREET PORTLANDIA: “Portland Secedes,” “Ants,” “Fred`s Cell Phone Company” Production Designer: SCHUYLER TELLEEN SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: “Aziz Ansari + Big Sean,” “Alec Baldwin + Ed Sheeran,” “Larry David + Miley Cyrus” Production Designers: KEITH IAN RAYWOOD, EUGENE LEE, AKIRA YOSHIMURA, N. JOSEPH DeTULLIO SUPER BOWL HALFTIME SHOW: “STARRING LADY GAGA” Production Designer: BRUCE RODGERS
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“I, Tonya” “Lady Bird” “Jane” and More Score 2018 Writers Guild Awards Nominations
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I, TONYA[/caption]
The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced nominations for outstanding achievement in screenwriting during 2017. Winners will be honored at the 2018 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday, February 11, 2018, at concurrent ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York City.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Big Sick, Written by Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani; Amazon Studios Get Out, Written by Jordan Peele; Universal Pictures I, Tonya, Written by Steven Rogers; Neon Lady Bird, Written by Greta Gerwig; A24 The Shape of Water, Screenplay by Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor; Story by Guillermo del Toro; Fox SearchlightADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Call Me by Your Name, Screenplay by James Ivory; Based on the Novel by André Aciman; Sony Pictures Classics The Disaster Artist, Screenplay by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Based on the Book The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made by Greg Sestero and Tom Bissell; A24 Logan, Screenplay by Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green; Story by James Mangold; Based on Characters from the X-Men Comic Books and Theatrical Motion Pictures; Twentieth Century Fox Film Molly’s Game, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the Book by Molly Bloom; STX Entertainment Mudbound, Screenplay by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees; Based on the Novel by Hillary Jordan; NetflixDOCUMENTARY SCREENPLAY
Betting on Zero, Written by Theodore Braun; Gunpowder & Sky Jane, Written by Brett Morgen; National Geographic No Stone Unturned, Written by Alex Gibney; Abramorama Oklahoma City, Written by Barak Goodman; American Experience Films
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Trans Teen Drama JUST CHARLIE Sets Release Date | Trailer
Powerful working-class trans teen drama Just Charlie traces with nuance and sensitivity one young person’s struggle with gender identity through the lens of a gritty, sports loving blue-collar community and a tough family struggling to accept it.
The film will be released on January 30th in the U.S. and Canada on DVD & VOD via Wolfe.
Set in Tamworth, a gritty, small working class Midland town in the UK, teenage soccer star Charlie and his family see soccer as a way out of a dead end factory life for him. But Charlie is struggling with gender dysphoria, and is torn between his father’s expectations and shedding his male identity. With dramatic yet surprising results for himself, his family, and his community, Charlie begins a gender transition while continuing to pursue the dream of becoming a soccer star.
Just Charlie is the feature film directorial debut of theatre & TV actress / director Rebekah Fortune. Inspired by emotional real life accounts from transgender communities, Fortune was inspired by these resonant stories to create a poignant account of one young teen’s identity transition in a small, gritty British town.
Said Fortune, “Just Charlie is a film about chasing your dreams, and accepting those who are different because – sometimes – the rules on how to love, what you can do, and who you should be, are meant to be broken. This is a story about identity, who we think we are and who we really are. About being true to ones self in the face of terrible adversity.”
Featuring a breakout lead performance from theatre / TV actor Harry Gilby (star of the play version of
The Full Monty). This film marks his cinema debut, and he was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer at the British Film Awards.
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Filmmakers Diogo Costa Amarante, Jyoti Mistry and Mark Toscano Selected for Berlinale 2018 International Short Film Jury
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Diogo Costa Amarante, Jyoti Mistry and Mark Toscano[/caption]
Portuguese filmmaker and winner of the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale 2017, Diogo Costa Amarante; US filmmaker and curator Mark Toscano; and South African filmmaker and academic Jyoti Mistry will make up the International Short Film Jury of 2018 Berlin Film Festival.
They will award the Golden and the Silver Bear, as well as the Audi Short Film Award. In addition, they will nominate a film for the European Film Awards in the category European Short Film 2018. “The diverse perspectives that Mark Toscano, Jyoti Mistry and Diogo Costa Amarante bring to the jury portend a well-versed, young and contemporary discussion on the 2018 selection,” comments Maike Mia Höhne, curator of Berlinale Shorts.
Diogo Costa Amarante (Portugal)
Diogo Costa Amarante completed his Master of Fine Arts at New York University / Tisch School of the Arts in 2016 with his film Cidade Pequena, which celebrated its international premiere at the 67th Berlinale in 2017 and received the Golden Bear for Best Short Film. Amarante is a member of the widely acclaimed third generation of Portuguese filmmakers, whose works have established an impressive position for Portugal in the cinematic world. His first film Jumate/Jumate received accolades at many festivals, and in 2007 he received a scholarship for documentary film and cinematography at the School of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Catalonia (ESCAC). In 2009, he was a participant at Berlinale Talents, and shot his second documentary film In January, perhaps.
Jyoti Mistry (South Africa)
Filmmaker Jyoti Mistry is an Associate Professor and Deputy Head of Division at the Wits School of Arts in South Africa. She received the CILECT Teaching Award (The International Association of Film and Television Schools) in 2016 in recognition of her outstanding achievements in film pedagogy and film practice research. Her research areas include cultural policy, questions of identity, and multiculturalism. Her experimental film The Bull On the Roof (2010) celebrated its debut at the Durban International Film Festival and was presented at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume in Paris, among other institutions. Her feature film Impunity (2014) celebrated its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and her most recent short film When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Black Man was a competition selection at the short film festival Winterthur in 2017. Her publications include “’we remember differently’: Race, Memory, Imagination” (2012), “Gaze Regimes: Film and Feminisms in Africa” (2015) and “Places to Play – Practice, Research & Pedagogy” (2017) which was adapted for the screen.
Mark Toscano (USA)
Mark Toscano has worked for many noted institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art, EYE Filmmuseum, Tate Modern, Los Angeles Filmforum, as well as for festivals in Rotterdam, London, Oberhausen, Zagreb and Bangalore, functioning as curator and presenter of stand-out programmes. In addition, he lectures on experimental film and archiving at numerous universities. At the California Institute of the Arts, he is an instructor in the area of Experimental Animation. A distinguished filmmaker and curator, Mark Toscano has been a contributor to the conservation of cinematic heritage at the Academy Film Archive since 2003, where he specialises in the conservation of noteworthy films, maintaining exchange with over 100 international filmmakers.
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Actress Cate Blanchett Named President of the Jury of 2018 Cannes Film Festival
Actress Cate Blanchett will be the President of the Jury of the 71st edition of the Cannes Film Festival taking place May 8th to 19th, 2018.
“I have been to Cannes in many guises over the years; as an actress, producer, in the marketplace, the Gala-sphere and in Competition,” she declared, “but never solely for the sheer pleasure of watching the cornucopia of films this great festival harbours.”v
Cate Blanchett follows Pedro Almodóvar, Jury President of the 70th edition, whose jury awarded the Palme d’or to The Square by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.
“I am humbled by the privilege and responsibility of presiding over this year’s jury,” she continued. “This festival plays a pivotal role in bringing the world together to celebrate story; that strange and vital endeavour that all peoples share, understand and crave.”
Pierre Lescure, Festival de Cannes President and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, said: “We are delighted to welcome such a rare and unique artist whose talent and convictions enrich both screen and stage. Our conversations from this autumn tell us she will be a committed President, a passionate woman and a big-hearted spectator.”
Cate Blanchett will next appear in Ocean’s 8; the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go Bernadette, directed by Richard Linklater; and in The House with a Clock in its Walls, directed by Eli Roth.
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UK Premiere of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs to Open Glasgow Film Festival 2018
Glasgow Film Festival 2018 will open on February 21 with the UK premiere of Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs. The animated adventure Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
The all-star voice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, Kunichi Nomura, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Akira Ito, Greta Gerwig, Akira Takayama, Frances McDormand, F. Murray Abraham, Courtney B. Vance, Yojiro Noda, Fisher Stevens, Mari Natsuki, Nijiro Murakami, Yoko Ono, Harvey Keitel and Frank Wood.
Allan Hunter, Festival Co-director said: “Wes Anderson is one of the most imaginative, beguiling filmmakers working in world cinema and we are thrilled to open GFF 2018 with the UK premiere of his brand new film. Four years ago we opened the Festival by booking into The Grand Budapest Hotel. This year we invite audiences to set sail for the Isle Of Dogs. It will be a night to remember and the best possible start to a great Festival.”
Fox Searchlight Pictures will release Isle of Dogs in UK cinemas on March 30, 2018.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt__kig8PVU
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BELIEVER, Documentary on Mormon Church Treatment of LGBTQ Members, Heads to HBO
The powerful documentary Believer, directed by Don Argott, follows Mormon Dan Reynolds, frontman for the Grammy Award-winning band Imagine Dragons, as he takes on a new mission to explore how the Mormon Church treats its LGBTQ members. With the rising suicide rate amongst teens in the state of Utah, his concern with the church’s policies sends him on an unexpected path of acceptance and change.
Believer, from Live Nation Productions, will have its world premiere in the Documentary Premieres section of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, and will debut this summer on HBO.
The film documents this past year of Reynolds’ life during the process of organizing the first-ever LoveLoud Festival concert in Orem, Utah, to benefit such gay rights organizations as GLAAD and the Trevor Project, among others. While Believer takes a broader look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ treatment of LGBTQ members, it also focuses on the suicide rate in the community, which has skyrocketed in the last decade.
Reynolds hopes Believer will continue to force discussion of gay rights within Mormonism on a larger scale. “LoveLoud reached 20,000 people in Utah, which is really small compared to the number of people who need to be reached,” he notes. “I think the reason the film needs to happen is because I feel like this is a way that nobody can turn their heads away.”
Believer centers on Reynolds, Aja Volkman, his wife and fellow musician, and Tyler Glenn, frontman for Neon Trees, among others.
Hans Zimmer composed the score for Believer and contributed to one of the two original songs Reynolds wrote for the film, giving music an integral role in the documentary.
Image: Dan Reynolds appears in Believer by Don Argott, an official selection of the Documentary Premieres program at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Don Argott.
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“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” “Get Out” and “Darkest Hour” Win Top Awards At Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, MissouriThree Billboards Outside Ebbing,[/caption]
Get Out won the top prize for best picture at the Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival. Indie favorite Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was also a big winner bagging three awards including best actress for Frances McDormand, best supporting actor for Sam Rockwell and best original screenplay for Martin McDonagh. Darkest Hour also won three awards including best film editing, best original score, and best makeup and hairstyling.
Best foreign film went to Samuel Maoz’s Foxtrot and Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives won the prize for best documentary film.
2017 Capri, Hollywood International Film Festival Awards
Best Picture – Get Out Best Director – Christopher Nolan – Dunkirk Best Actor – James Franco – The Disaster Artist Best Actress – Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Supporting Actor – Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Supporting Actress – Melissa Leo – Novitiate Best Adapted Screenplay – The Disaster Artist Best Original Screenplay – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Best Animated Movie – Coco Best Documentary Feature – Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives Best Foreign Language Film – Foxtrot (Israel) Best Cinematography – Hostiles Best Film Editing – Darkest Hour Best Make-up and Hairstyling – Darkest Hour Best Production Design – Blade Runner 2049 Best Original Song – “Remember Me” – Coco Best Original Score – Darkest Hour Best Sound Editing / Best Sound Mixing – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Best Visual Effects – War for the Planet of the Apes Best Ensemble Cast – The Leisure Seeker Career Achievement Award – James Ivory
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BEUYS, Documentary on Controversial Arrtist Joseph Beuys, Sets January Theatrical Release Date | Trailer
BEUYS, a documentary portrait of Joseph Beuys, one of the 20th century’s most influential and controversial artists, directed by Andres Veiel, will have it’s U.S. theatrical premiere with an exclusive theatrical engagement at Film Forum in New York City, starting Wednesday, January 17. The film expands to other national markets in February and March, 2018.
Charismatic and controversial German artist Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) was a messianic figure, alternately considered a shaman, a kook, a radical political activist, and a breakthrough artistic genius. Filmmaker Andres Veiel mines a rich trove of never-before-seen archival footage, showing how Beuys’s teachings (at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf), installations (using felt and fat), ‘happenings’ (covering himself in honey and gold leaf in How to Explain Paintings to a Dead Hare or locking himself in a room with a coyote in I Like America and America Likes Me), and lectures (“money shouldn’t be a commodity”) argued for a more expansive view of the role of art in our lives.
Always recognizable in his trademark fedora, Beuys was a visionary who, 30 years after his death, continues to influence artists as well as confound and entertain the rest of us. BEUYS will have a two-week engagement, from January 17 to January 30, at Film Forum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn2VSGwzMsE
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World Premiere of JIMMIE by Jesper Ganslandt to Open + THE DEATH OF STALIN to Close International Film Festival Rotterdam
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Jimmie[/caption]
The world premiere of Jimmie by Swedish filmmaker Jesper Ganslandt, a road movie with a truly original twist about a father and son on the run, will open the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) on January 24, 2018. The festival will close on February 3, 2018 with The Death of Stalin by Armando Iannucci.
In Jimmie, the cast lends the film an interesting extra dimension: Ganslandt himself plays the father, with Ganslandt’s own son Hunter playing four-year-old Jimmie. Together, they embark on a journey through Europe that challenges our preconceptions in an unexpected way. According to producer Hedvig Lundgren: “the film shows that a child’s universe is both very small and bigger than an adult can imagine.”
Festival Director Bero Beyer: “Ganslandt offers a truly new perspective in an intense cinematic experience that makes us view the world anew. The film is an honest and subtly executed take on one of the more pressing issues we face in today’s society, as seen through the eyes of a striking protagonist, a four-year-old boy. Jimmie is a remarkable, emotional and thought-provoking story and we’re proud it will open our 47th edition.”
Ganslandt is one of the bold new voices in Scandinavian cinema. In his dreamy first feature Falkenberg Farewell (2006), five friends spend their last summer together in their hometown, Falkenberg. For his claustrophobic second feature The Ape, screened at IFFR 2010, Ganslandt did not let his lead actor Olle Sarri read the full script in advance. Ganslandt’s first English-language film is to be released later in 2018 – a thriller entitled Beast of Burden starring Daniel Radcliffe.
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The Death of Stalin[/caption]
The closing film of IFFR 2018, The Death of Stalin, is also part of the festival’s theme program A History of Shadows, which investigates cinema’s powers to reevaluate and revisit the past. In his new film, Armando Iannucci – best known for his television series The Thick of It and Veep – employs his knack for lampooning the self-serving attitudes of authority figures to zoom in on the Kremlin power struggles that ensued following the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. The result is a stylish, salient black comedy starring among others Michael Palin and Steve Buscemi.
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Actor Trevor Jamieson is Revelation Perth International Film Festival Ambassador + 3 Films Win City of Vincent Film Project
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Trevor Jamieson[/caption]
Actor Trevor Jamieson, soon to be seen in the upcoming remake of the classic Australian film Storm Boy playing the iconic character Fingerbone Bill, has been appointed the permanent ambassador of the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
As ambassador to the Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Trevor will become one Revelation’s most prominent supporters, lending his profile and his passion to promote the festival regarded by media, industry and audiences alike as the most individual and innovative screen culture events in the country.
Revelation Film Festival director Richard Sowada says it’s a terrific collaboration.
“Trevor is proudly West Australian with an international outlook, just like Rev,” said Richard.
“We can’t think of a better person to help spread the word about what we do and what we are all about.
“As an actor he’s of course deeply involved in the screen business, but he also brings a message of the place of the arts in our broader culture.”
Trevor Jamieson says he’s humbled at the opportunity.
“As someone who grew up in the arts industry and spent most of my life in Western Australia, I’ve gained witness to skills of strength and weakness within our state that have always given me experiences to share of stories and places, nationwide and internationally,” Trevor said.
“I’m excited to celebrate the most simple viewpoints that can reveal great strengths within the awareness of our mindset for independent works and allowing for amazing collaboratives between national and international themes to understand the human common aspects of social justice.
“Plus I’m looking forward to being back home again and becoming involved with a lot of well known and emerging artists.
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Revelation Perth International Film Festival – City of Vincent Film Project[/caption]
Revelation Perth International Film Festival partnered with the City of Vincent for a film project which offered an opportunity for filmmakers to tell stories in and about the City of Vincent, with $15,000 being allocated to fund three short documentaries.
Revelation Film Festival Director Richard Sowada said the grass-roots project has been enormously rewarding.
“It’s about having a real creative impact at a community level and brings many of these emerging filmmakers into the international fold,” said Richard.
The winning films are:
The Beeman
The buzz around local Beeman, Carl Maxwell, isn’t for nothing – he’s the best in the business – and that’s because he can communicate with the local honeybee population. The Beeman follows one man’s crusade to save the honeybees, one hive at a time.
Producer Cody Greenwood, Directors Samantha Marlowe and Frances Elliott
Neon
Neon signs are everywhere in cities around the world. They liven the sky and streets with colour and atmosphere. In Perth, neon bending is a dying art. But one young man is taking on an apprenticeship that could change that.
Producer Rachael Karotkin, Director Matt Sav
Ghosts Of Vincent
An expository-participatory documentary that looks at historical people and venues within the area of the City of Vincent. The film investigates the legend of ‘Kanga’ the ghost who haunts the newly renovated Leederville hotel, but also focuses on other venues and locations of interest in the Vincent area.
Producer Paul Van Lieshout, Director Kimberly McGivern and Ellen Broadhurst
Project Coordinator Ashleigh Nicolau said that the films were as eclectic as the City of Vincent itself.
“A mixed bag of environmental, artistic and supernatural stories, I can’t wait to see these short documentaries take off!,” Ashleigh said.
“The City is also keen to work closely with the filmmakers to create events surrounding the film subjects such as art exhibitions and ghost tours.”
The record number of submissions received were considered by a panel of industry professionals, and representatives of the City of Vincent and the Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
Successful applicants will commence production in January, and the three completed films will screen as part of the 2018 Revelation Perth International Film Festival in July.