Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars[/caption]
DOC NYC announced the full lineup of over 250 films and events for its eighth edition, running November 9 to 16 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea.
Special Events include Closing Night Film, the NYC premiere of Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, with the acclaimed musician in attendance; Centerpiece Film, the world premiere of Far From the Tree, director Rachel Dretzin’s adaptation of Andrew Solomon’s bestselling book; and the NYC premiere of Wormwood, an ambitious new project from Errol Morris exploring the 1953 death of a CIA agent. The NYC premiere Greg Barker’s The Final Year, accompanied by members of the Obama administration, will open the festival.
World premieres at the festival include A Murder in Mansfield, by Barbara Kopple (Miss Sharon Jones!), which explores the impact of a 1989 murder on a family; Maynard, by Sam Pollard (Two Trains Runnin’), about Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson; Naila and the Uprising, by Julia Bacha (Budrus), about the hidden role women played in the First Intifada, a project that won last year’s DOC NYC Pitch Perfect competition; Father’s Kingdom, by Larry Feinberg, exploring the legacy of Father Divine, who attracted over a million followers and claimed to be God; The Iconoclast, by King Adz, about notorious art forger Michel van Rijn; and The Godfathers of Hardcore, by Ian McFarland, on the long-lived NYC hardcore punk band Agnostic Front.
Among this year’s U.S. premieres are David Bowie: The Last Five Years, by Francis Whately, an intimate look at the creative final years of the music icon; Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, by James Crump, a portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris; Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, by Matt Tyrnauer, about the man who was the secret sexual procurer to the stars; The Stranger, by past DOC NYC award winner Nicole N. Horanyi, about a woman who discovers the man of her dreams has secrets; Armed with Faith, by Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi, which follows the heroic Pakistani Bomb Disposal Unit; Soufra, by Thomas Morgan, and executive produced by Susan Sarandon, about a woman who starts her own successful catering company in a Lebanese refugee camp; EuroTrump, by Stephen Robert Morse and Nicholas Hampson, on the Dutch Donald Trump, Geert Wilders; and The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels: Inside the Crazy World of Apple, by Ben Lewis, a look back at the wild early days of Apple Corps.
“Documentary storytellers help us make sense of the tumultuous times we’re living in with artistry, humor and inspiring characters,” said Director of Programming Basil Tsiokos. “This year’s DOC NYC line-up gives audiences fresh insight into high profile figures and shines a light on lesser-known individuals who leave a big impression.” Tsiokos led the program selection in collaboration with Artistic Director Thom Powers and Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen.
The festival is curated in 18 sections that include two new strands: New World Order, with 6 films about global issues in the news, including Sky & Ground, which follows an extended family of refugees as they escape Syria; and Spiral, about the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Centerstage, an 8-title section focused on performing and performers, presents the world premieres of The Problem with Apu, in which a South Asian-American comedian explores the impact of the character from The Simpsons; and Repeat Attenders, about musical theater superfans.
In the festival’s two feature competition sections, 8 films appear under the Viewfinders section for distinct directorial visions. They include the world premiere of Mole Man, about an autistic man who has built a 50-room structure in his backyard; and the U.S. premieres of The Judge, about the first female Shari’a judge in the Middle East, and Silas, about a Liberian environmental activist.
In the Metropolis competition section, 7 films are dedicated to stories set in New York City. They include the world premieres of The Iron Triangle, about the resistance to the urban renewal of Queens’ Willets Point; Vigilante: The Incredible True Story of Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels, an unfiltered look at the founder of the controversial group; and Miracle on 42nd Street, about an apartment complex providing housing to performing artists, including past residents Alicia Keys, Terrence Howard and Angela Lansbury.
Other returning sections include high-profile Special Events; national and global takes inAmerican Perspectives and International Perspectives; and thematic sections Fight the Power (on activism), Sonic Cinema (on music), True Crime (on crime), Science Nonfiction (on science and technology), Modern Family (on unconventional families),Wild Life (on animals), Art & Design (on artists), and Behind the Scenes (on filmmaking). Short-form content (85 films in total) is represented by the festival’s Shorts Competition and DOC NYC U (showcasing student work).
The following is a breakdown of programming by section:
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DOC NYC 2017 to Close with NY Premiere of ERIC CLAPTON: LIFE IN 12 BARS + Announces Lineup
[caption id="attachment_23415" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars[/caption]
DOC NYC announced the full lineup of over 250 films and events for its eighth edition, running November 9 to 16 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and Chelsea’s SVA Theatre and Cinepolis Chelsea.
Special Events include Closing Night Film, the NYC premiere of Eric Clapton: Life in 12 Bars, directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, with the acclaimed musician in attendance; Centerpiece Film, the world premiere of Far From the Tree, director Rachel Dretzin’s adaptation of Andrew Solomon’s bestselling book; and the NYC premiere of Wormwood, an ambitious new project from Errol Morris exploring the 1953 death of a CIA agent. The NYC premiere Greg Barker’s The Final Year, accompanied by members of the Obama administration, will open the festival.
World premieres at the festival include A Murder in Mansfield, by Barbara Kopple (Miss Sharon Jones!), which explores the impact of a 1989 murder on a family; Maynard, by Sam Pollard (Two Trains Runnin’), about Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson; Naila and the Uprising, by Julia Bacha (Budrus), about the hidden role women played in the First Intifada, a project that won last year’s DOC NYC Pitch Perfect competition; Father’s Kingdom, by Larry Feinberg, exploring the legacy of Father Divine, who attracted over a million followers and claimed to be God; The Iconoclast, by King Adz, about notorious art forger Michel van Rijn; and The Godfathers of Hardcore, by Ian McFarland, on the long-lived NYC hardcore punk band Agnostic Front.
Among this year’s U.S. premieres are David Bowie: The Last Five Years, by Francis Whately, an intimate look at the creative final years of the music icon; Antonio Lopez 1970: Sex Fashion & Disco, by James Crump, a portrait of the most influential fashion illustrator of 1970s New York and Paris; Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood, by Matt Tyrnauer, about the man who was the secret sexual procurer to the stars; The Stranger, by past DOC NYC award winner Nicole N. Horanyi, about a woman who discovers the man of her dreams has secrets; Armed with Faith, by Geeta Gandbhir and Asad Faruqi, which follows the heroic Pakistani Bomb Disposal Unit; Soufra, by Thomas Morgan, and executive produced by Susan Sarandon, about a woman who starts her own successful catering company in a Lebanese refugee camp; EuroTrump, by Stephen Robert Morse and Nicholas Hampson, on the Dutch Donald Trump, Geert Wilders; and The Beatles, Hippies and Hells Angels: Inside the Crazy World of Apple, by Ben Lewis, a look back at the wild early days of Apple Corps.
“Documentary storytellers help us make sense of the tumultuous times we’re living in with artistry, humor and inspiring characters,” said Director of Programming Basil Tsiokos. “This year’s DOC NYC line-up gives audiences fresh insight into high profile figures and shines a light on lesser-known individuals who leave a big impression.” Tsiokos led the program selection in collaboration with Artistic Director Thom Powers and Executive Director Raphaela Neihausen.
The festival is curated in 18 sections that include two new strands: New World Order, with 6 films about global issues in the news, including Sky & Ground, which follows an extended family of refugees as they escape Syria; and Spiral, about the alarming rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Centerstage, an 8-title section focused on performing and performers, presents the world premieres of The Problem with Apu, in which a South Asian-American comedian explores the impact of the character from The Simpsons; and Repeat Attenders, about musical theater superfans.
In the festival’s two feature competition sections, 8 films appear under the Viewfinders section for distinct directorial visions. They include the world premiere of Mole Man, about an autistic man who has built a 50-room structure in his backyard; and the U.S. premieres of The Judge, about the first female Shari’a judge in the Middle East, and Silas, about a Liberian environmental activist.
In the Metropolis competition section, 7 films are dedicated to stories set in New York City. They include the world premieres of The Iron Triangle, about the resistance to the urban renewal of Queens’ Willets Point; Vigilante: The Incredible True Story of Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels, an unfiltered look at the founder of the controversial group; and Miracle on 42nd Street, about an apartment complex providing housing to performing artists, including past residents Alicia Keys, Terrence Howard and Angela Lansbury.
Other returning sections include high-profile Special Events; national and global takes inAmerican Perspectives and International Perspectives; and thematic sections Fight the Power (on activism), Sonic Cinema (on music), True Crime (on crime), Science Nonfiction (on science and technology), Modern Family (on unconventional families),Wild Life (on animals), Art & Design (on artists), and Behind the Scenes (on filmmaking). Short-form content (85 films in total) is represented by the festival’s Shorts Competition and DOC NYC U (showcasing student work).
The following is a breakdown of programming by section:
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12th Rome Film Fest Unveils Official Selections, ‘HOSTILES’, ‘THE PLACE’, ‘I,TONYA’ and More…
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Hostiles[/caption]
The 12th Rome Film Fest has unveiled its Official Selection Lineup, which includes some of the most buzzed about films. The festival will open with Hostiles directed by Scott Cooper and starring Christian Bale; and close with The Place directed by Paolo Genovese.
Set in 1892, Hostiles tells the story of a legendary army captain (Christian Bale) who reluctantly accepts escorting a Cheyenne warlord leader (Wes Studi) and his family to their lands. During the trip they will meet a young widow (Rosamund Pike) whose dear ones have been assassinated in those plains, and together they will have to survive that ruthless landscape and hostile Comanche tribes.
In The Place, a mysterious man always sits at the same table as a restaurant, ready to meet the greatest wishes of eight visitors in exchange for tasks to be performed. How will they be willing to push the protagonists to achieve their desires?
2017 Rome Film Fest Official Selection
ABRACADABRA by Pablo Berger, Spain, France, Belgium, 2017, 96’ Cast: Maribel Verdú, Antonio de la Torre, José Mota, José María Pou, Quim Gutiérrez, Priscilla Delgado, Julián Villagrán, Javivi LOS ADIOSES | THE ETERNAL FEMININE by Natalia Beristain, Mexico, 2017, 85’ Cast: Karina Gidi, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Tessa Ia, Pedro de Tavira Egurrola IN BLUE by Jaap van Heusden, Netherlands, 2017, 102’ Cast: Maria Kraakman, Bogdan Iancu, Ellis van den Brink, Maria Rainea, Ada Gales, Patrick Vervueren BORG MCENROE by Janus Metz, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, 2017, 100’ Cast: Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny, Ian Blackman, Robert Emms, Scott Arthur CABROS DE MIERDA | THE YOUNG SHEPHERD by Gonzalo Justiniano, Chile, 2017, 118’ Cast: Nathalia Aragonese, Daniel Contesse, Elías Collado, Corina Posada de Gregorio, Luis Dubbó, Nicolás Rojas, Sara Becker Rodríguez C’EST LA VIE! (LE SENS DE LA FÊTE) by Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, France, 2017, 117’ Cast: Jean-Pierre Bacri, Gilles Lellouche, Jean-Paul Rouve, Vincent Macaigne, Alban Ivanov, Eye Haidara, Suzanne Clément, Hélène Vincent, Benjamin Lavernhe CUERNAVACA by Alejandro Andrade Pease, Mexico, 2017, 90’ Cast: Carmen Maura, Emilio Puente, Moisés Arizmendi, Mariana Gajá, Diego Álvarez García, Dulce Domínguez, Aranza Beltrán DETROIT by Kathryn Bigelow, United States, 2017, 142’ Cast: John Boyega, Will Poulter, Anthony Mackie, Hannah Murray, Jack Reynor FERRARI: RACE TO IMMORTALITY by Daryl Goodrich, United Kingdom, 2017, 91’ | Doc | O FILME DA MINHA VIDA | THE MOVIE OF MY LIFE by Selton Mello, Brazil, 2017, 113’ Cast: Johnny Massaro, Vincent Cassel, Bruna Linzmeyer, Selton Mello, Ondina Clais, Bia Arantes, Martha Nowill, Rolando Boldrin, João Pedro Prates HIKARI | AND THEN THERE WAS LIGHT by Tatsushi Omori, Japan, 2017, 138’ Cast: Arata Iura, Eita, Kyoko Hasegawa, Manami Hashimoto, Kaho Minami, Mitsuru Hirata, Masayo Umezawa, Nayuta Fukuzaki, Ama Gu, Atsuya Okada, Hirara Hayasaka OPENING FILM HOSTILES by Scott Cooper, United States, 2017, 127’ Cast: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Jesse Plemons, Adam Beach, Rory Cochrane, Ben Foster THE HUNGRY by Bornila Chatterjee, India, United Kingdom, 2017, 100’ Cast: Naseeruddin Shah, Tisca Chopra, Neeraj Kabi, Arjun Gupta, Sayani, Antonio Aakeel, Suraj Sharma I, TONYA by Craig Gillespie, United States, 2017, 121’ Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney KANOJO GA SONO NA WO SHIRANAI TORITACHI | BIRDS WITHOUT NAMES by Kazuya Shiraishi, Japan, 2017, 123’ Cast: Yu Aoi, Sadawo Abe, Tori Matsuzaka, Eri Murakawa, Masaaki Akahori, Muck Akazawa, Shû Nakajima, Yutaka Takenouchi KŘIŽÁČEK | LITTLE CRUSADER by Václav Kadrnka, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, 2017, 90’ Cast: Karel Roden, Aleš Bílík, Matouš John, Jana Semerádová, Jiří Soukup, Michal Legíň, Jana Ol’hová, Ivan Krúpa, Eliška Křenková, Jan Bednář, Tomáš Bambušek LAST FLAG FLYING by Richard Linklater, United States, 2017, 125’ Cast: Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne LOGAN LUCKY by Steven Soderbergh, United States, 2017, 119’ Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig, Seth MacFarlane, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Katherine Waterston, Dwight Yoakam, Sebastian Stan, Brian Gleeson, Jack Quaid LOVE MEANS ZERO by Jason Kohn, United States, 2017, 90’ | Doc | MADEMOISELLE PARADIS by Barbara Albert, Austria, Germany, 2017, 97’ Cast: Maria Dragus, Devid Striesow, Lukas Miko, Katja Kolm, Maresi Riegner, Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Stefanie Reinsperger, Susanne Wuest, Christoph Luser MARIA BY CALLAS, IN HER OWN WORDS by Tom Volf, France, 2017, 95’ | Doc | MON GARÇON | MY SON by Christian Carion, France, 2017, 84’ Cast: Guillame Canet, Mélanie Laurent, Olivier De Benoist, Antoine Hamel, Mohamed Brikat, Lino Papa, Marc Robert, Pierre Langlois, Tristan Pagès, Christophe Rossignon, Pierre Desmaret MUDBOUND by Dee Rees, United States, 2017, 134’ Cast: Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige, Rob Morgan, Jonathan Banks, Garrett Hedlund NADIE NOS MIRA | NOBODY’S WATCHING by Julia Solomonoff, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, United States, 2017, 102’ Cast: Guillermo Pfening, Elena Roger, Rafael Ferro, Cristina Morrison, Kerry Sohn, Pascal Yen-Pster, Paola Baldion, Marco Antonio Caponi, Mayte Montero, Petra Costa, Mirella Pascual, Moro Anghileri, Javana Mundi ONE OF THESE DAYS by Nadim Tabet, Lebanon, 2017, 80’ Cast: Manal Issa, Yumna Marwan, Reine Salameh, Panos Aprahamian, Nicolas Cardahi, Julien Farhat, Walid Feghali THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW YORK by Marc Webb, United States, 2017, 89’ Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan, Kiersey Clemons, Tate Donovan, Cynthia Nixon, Callum Turner PRENDRE LE LARGE | CATCH THE WIND by Gaël Morel, France, 2017, 103’ Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Mouna Fettou, Kamal El Amri, Ilian Bergala, Lubna Azabal UNA QUESTIONE PRIVATA | RAINBOW: A PRIVATE AFFAIR by Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Italy, France, 2017, 84’ Cast: Luca Marinelli, Valentina Bellè, Lorenzo Richelmy SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD by Matt Tyrnauer, United States, 2017, 98’ | Doc | SKYGGENES DAL | VALLEY OF SHADOWS by Jonas Matzow Gulbrandsen, Norway, 2017, 91’ Cast: Adam Ekeli, Katherine Fagerland, John Olav Nilsen STRONGER by David Gordon Green, United States, 2017, 119’ Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, Clancy Brown, Carlos Sanz, Frankie Shaw, Danny McCarthy, Lenny Clarke TORMENTERO by Rubén Imaz, Mexico, Colombia, Dominican Republic, 2017, 80’ Cast: José Carlos Ruiz, Gabino Rodríguez, Mónica Jiménez, Rosa Márquez, Waldo Facco, Nelly Valencia, Ausencio Valencia, Leonardo Verdejo TOUT NOUS SÉPARE by Thierry Klifa, France, 2017, 98’ Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Diane Kruger, Nekfeu, Nicolas Duvauchelle TROUBLE NO MORE by Jennifer Lebeau, United States, 2017, 59’ | Doc | LA VIDA Y NADA MÁS | LIFE & NOTHING MORE by Antonio Méndez Esparza, Spain, United States, 2017, 110’ Cast: Andrew Bleechington, Regina Williams, Robert Williams, Ry’nesia Chambers WHO WE ARE NOW by Matthew Newton, United States, 2017, 99’ Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Emma Roberts, Zachary Quinto, Jimmy Smits, Jess Weixler, Jason BiggsIN COLLABORATION WITH ALICE NELLA CITTÀ
THE BREADWINNER by Nora Twomey, Ireland, Canada, Luxemburg, 2017, 93’ | Animation | MAZINGER Z INFINITY by Junji Shimizu, Japan, 2017, 95’ | Animation | SATURDAY CHURCH by Damon Cardasis, United States, 2017, 82’ Cast: Luka Kain, Margot Bingham, Regina Taylor, Marquis Rodriguez, MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Alexia Garcia, Kate Bornstein, Jaylin FletcherEVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT IT
This section includes a selection of films to be screened at the Rome Film Fest after a remarkable international debut. BABYLON BERLIN by Tom Tykwer, Henk Handloegten, Achim von Borries, Germany, Episodes 1 and 2, 2×45’ | TV Series | Cast: Liv Lisa Fries, Volker Bruch, Peter Kurth, Leonie Benesch, Severija Janušauskaitė, Matthias Brandt, Lars Eidinger, Fritzi Haberlandt, Mišel Matičević INSYRIATED by Philippe Van Leeuw, Belgium, France, Lebanon, 2017, 85’ Cast: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Abou Abboud, Juliette Navis MZEVLEBI | HOSTAGES by Rezo Gigineishvili, Georgia, Poland, Russia, 2017, 104’ Cast: Irakli Kvirikadze, Tina Dalakishvili, Merab Ninidze, Darejan Kharshiladze, Avtandil Makharadze THE PARTY by Sally Potter, United Kingdom, 2017, 71’ Cast: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall UNE PRIÈRE AVANT L’AUBE | A PRAYER BEFORE DAWN by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, France, United Kingdom, 2017, 117’ Cast: Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringarm, Nicolas Shake PROMISED LAND by Eugene Jarecki, United States, Germany, 2017, 117’ | Doc |SPECIAL EVENTS
CLOSING FILM THE PLACE by Paolo Genovese, Italy, 2017, 105’ Cast: Valerio Mastandrea, Marco Giallini, Sabrina Ferilli, Vinicio Marchioni, Silvia D’Amico, Giulia BETWEEN CINEMA AND MUSIC NYSFERATU – SYMPHONY OF A CENTURY by Andrea Mastrovito, United States, 2017, 67’ | Animation | SELECTED BY… BERNARDO BERTOLUCCI DA’WAH by Italo Spinelli, Indonesia, 2017, 64’ Cast: Wahyu Rafli, Muhammad Hasan Masduqi, Ahmad Yazid, Muhammad Shofi A TIMELESS DIRECTOR SPIELBERG by Susan Lacy, United States, 2017, 147’ | Doc |
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Heartwarming Indie Drama THE FLORIDA PROJECT to Screen at Stockholm International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_23729" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
THE FLORIDA PROJECT[/caption]
The heartwarming drama The Florida Project, one of the most highly buzzed-about at this year Cannes Film Festival, will screen at the upcoming Stockholm International Film Festival.
The movie is Florida-based, and award winning director, Sean Baker’s sixth movie. It is a devastating tale about the forgotten America, seen through the carefree eyes of 6-year-old Moonee.
Moonee and her rebellious mother Halley stays at a cheap motel called “The Magic Castle”. There they meet the long-suffering motel manager Bobby, extraordinary played by Willem Dafoe, who despite his rough appearance is the closest to a father figure Moonee comes.
While Moonee and her new friends explore the motel, and its odd guest, Halley finds herself in more or less dangerous situations in order to provide for her daughter.
The Stockholm International Film Festival takes place November 8th to 19th, 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwQ-NH1rRT4
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Sam Pollard’s Latest Film MAYNARD Profiles Maynard Holbrook Jackson, First Black Mayor of Atlanta | Trailer
The documentary Maynard, directed by the prolific filmmaker Sam Pollard, has wrapped as the film enters post production in Atlanta, Georgia.
He was Obama before Obama, Maynard Holbrook Jackson became first black Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in 1973 and this film is an exploration into a man who had dreams and ambitions to be a public servant for his people seeing that it was the next logical step in the journey that had been started by Dr. King, and so many others who had blazed the trail during the years of horrific segregation.
Maynard interviews include President Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton, Vernon Jordan, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Jesse Jackson, former Atlanta Mayor’s Sam Massel and Shirley Franklin, and current Mayor Kasim Reed to name a few.
Directed by Academy Award nominee, Emmy winner and 4 time Peabody Award winner Sam Pollard (“Slavery by Another Name”, “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Two Trains Runnin’”), Maynard is produced by Wendy Eley Jackson, Dolly Turner, and Winsome Sinclair with cinematography by Henry Adebonojo who worked on the Academy Award nominated documentary “I Am Not Your Negro”.
Update: MAYNARD will World Premiere at 2017 DOC NYC on Thursday, November 16th, 2017.
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MOTHER! Director Darren Aronofsky and More Featured Speakers Added to SXSW 2018
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Darren Aronofsky[/caption]
The 2018 South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals has added Keynote Darren Aronofsky and another round of Featured Speakers to the programming lineup.
“A provocative, and virtuoso filmmaker, we’re thrilled to host Darren Aronofsky as one of SXSW Film’s 2018 Keynotes,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film. “He’s been an original since his first independent work, and we know it will be a blast for our passionate SXSW audiences to hear his story.”
Darren Aronofsky is a film director, screenwriter and film producer whose latest film mother! stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer. His film Black Swan became an indie box office phenomenon and earned actress Natalie Portman an Academy Award® for her performance. His other films have included The Wrestler, The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream and Pi. Aronofsky joins previously announced SXSW Keynotes Ta-Nehisi Coates (Convergence), Barry Jenkins (Film Keynote), Esther Perel (Interactive Keynote), and whurley(Convergence Keynote).
“Some of the world’s most imaginative thinkers are part of today’s announcement,” said Hugh Forrest, Chief Programming Officer. “These innovative speakers cover the depth and breadth of SXSW content, enhancing our standing as the foremost destination for creative people to gain the practical tools and outside-of-the-box inspiration to achieve their goals.”
Other Featured Speakers announced today include writer and host of With Friends Like These podcast Ana Marie Cox, This American Life creator and host Ira Glass, design ethicist Tristan Harris, biophysicist and engineer Hugh Herr, Facebook Vice President of Messaging Products David Marcus, activist Bree Newsome, athlete and model Aimee Mullins, best-selling author Daniel H. Pink, Altimeter Principal Analyst and Futurist Brian Solis, GSD&M co-founder and chairman Roy Spence, Pulitzer prize-winning author Lawrence Wright, and many more.
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MUDBOUND Directed by Dee Rees Will Open AFI FEST 2017 | Trailer
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Mudbound[/caption]
MUDBOUND, the historical period drama, directed by Dee Rees will open the AFI FEST 2017 presented by Audi on Thursday, November 9, 2017, at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The film stars Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Mitchell, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan.
“MUDBOUND will launch eight exhilarating days of great movies, filmmakers and discovery in the heart of Hollywood,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director, AFI FEST. “Emblematic of what AFI FEST is, director Dee Rees’ film is rich with cinematic artistry — exemplifying storytelling at its finest, on both an epic and a human scale.”
Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees’ MUDBOUND is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, yet bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta.
MUDBOUND follows the McAllan family, newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming. Despite the grandiose dreams of Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture. Meanwhile, Hap and Florence Jackson (Rob Morgan, Mary J. Blige) — sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations — struggle bravely to build a small dream of their own despite the rigidly enforced social barriers they face.
The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.
MUDBOUND will be in select theaters and on Netflix on November 17, 2017.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAZWhFI9lLQ
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First wave of Frightening, Bloody Films Revealed for A Night of Horror International Film Festival
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CANNIBALS AND CARPET FITTERS[/caption]
The first wave of programming was announced today for the 11th A Night of Horror International Film Festival and Fantastic Planet, Sydney Sci-Fi and Fantasy Film Festival.
The festivals will run concurrently from November 29 to December 3, 2017 at at Dendy Cinemas Newtown, Australia.
“The festivals’ programmers are delighted to announce a stunning array of frightening, bloody, and awe-inspiring cinema from around the world,” says programming director Dean Bertram. “This first wave is an international cinematic buffet. It includes the freshest and best of this season’s fantastic genre fare: incredible films from Australia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa.”
The first eight feature films announced by the two festivals – all of which are Sydney, Australian, or international premieres – follow.
BAD BLACK (dir: Nabwana I.G.G., Uganda) Get ready Commandos! The most original and surprising hit of the festival season soon invades Sydney! BAD BLACK is a thrill-packed, laugh-filled, self-deprecating action epic: made with no budget in Wakaliwood – Uganda’s answer to Hollywood. And at a time when an endless string of studio produced spectacles leave one feeling numb, this film overflows with a fresh infectious energy that reminds even the most jaded cinephile why they fell in love with movies in the first place. Whether you’ve yet to experience the insane delights of Wakaliwood, or you’re craving your latest fix, here is your chance for Supa Action!
BODIES (dir: Tom Large, UK) After serious money troubles, a married couple agree to take part in a bizarre medical experiment. From festival alumnus Tom Large (BEYOND) comes this twisting sci-fi thriller that will have you as unbalanced and shocked as the film’s protagonists. Fans of smart sci-fi (think PRIMER meets GATTACA) will get their speculative fix from this thought provoking gem.
CANNIBALS AND CARPET FITTERS (dir: James Bushe, UK) A ragtag group of carpet layers are sent on a job to an old English country house in the middle of nowhere. They soon discover it’s a trap set up by a savage cannibalistic family. The carpet fitters must fight for their lives or risk ending up as the evening’s dinner. Horrific delights abound in this gore filled dish, that tastes like a wickedly decadent blend of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and THE TEXAS CHANSAW MASSACRE.
HOSTILE (dir: Mathieu Turi, France) Xavier Gens (FRONTIER(S), THE DIVIDE, HITMAN) presents this post-apocalyptic chiller grounded in character and an emotionally compelling story. Lone survivor Juliette (Brittany Ashworth) fights to survive against hunger, thirst, a broken leg and disturbing creatures that only come out at night: all the while haunted by memories of the most important relationship from her past. Imagine PITCH BLACK meets THE OMEGA MAN mixed with a dash of TV’s LOST, and you have an idea of the tone of this film’s terrifying imagined future, and it’s very real and contemporary heart.
THE MARSHES (dir: Roger Scott, Australia) Deep in a remote marshland, three young biologists (Dafna Kronental, Sam Delich, Mathew Cooper) conduct research. But when they encounter evil, science ends and survival begins. A Night of Horror is delighted to present the Australian premiere of this pulse-charging, clever, and timely addition to the annals of Australian outback horror.
MUSCLECAR (dir: Dwayne Labbé, Australia) The beautiful and obsessive Bambi (Jacinta Stapleton) blows her dough buying the car of her dreams, a lipstick-red, 1968 Dodge Phoenix. When she can’t afford to run it she cooks up a harebrained scheme to bring her car to life. Using ancient Voodoo incantations, the blood of drunkards, and an ox heart, we discover that a girl can love her car too much. This live action film – with dollops of gorgeous and gory animated comic-paneled transitions from director and animator Dwayne Labbé (THE REN AND STIMPY SHOW, ALADDIN, THE JUNGLE BOOK 2) – is a bloody hilarious ride, and the best unabashedly Ozploitation flick the festival’s programmers have seen in years. Don’t miss MUSCLECAR: shot in Sydney’s Inner West, in the very neighborhoods surrounding A Night of Horror Film Festival!
OUR EVIL (dir: Samuel Galli, Brazil) A shocking and utterly original film, which tracks the extreme deeds a man with spiritualist powers will commit to protect his daughter’s soul from the demonic entity destined to consume her. Whether you’re a fan of brutal cinema or of terrifying supernatural tales, this film delights all morbid appetites.
REPLACE (dir: Norbert Keil, Germany/Canada) Young and beautiful Kira (Rebecca Forsythe) is afflicted with a strange disease: her skin starts to age rapidly, dry out and crumble away. When she discovers that she can replace her own skin with somebody else’s, she has to choose: watch her own body wither and die – or give in to temptation – whatever the price. Genre favourite Barbara Crampton (RE-ANIMATOR, WE ARE STILL HERE, YOU’RE NEXT) captivates in her most disturbing role to date in this gorgeously repulsive addition to the body horror subgenre (co-written by Richard Stanley HARDWARE, DUST DEVIL, THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU).
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HAITI MY LOVE is Haiti’s First Entry for Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film | Trailer
For it’s first submission ever, Haiti has selected Haiti, My Love (Ayiti Mon Amour) by Guetty Feli Cohen as its candidate for nomination in the foreign-language category of the 2018 Oscars.
Haiti, My Love, an official selection of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival, is set in post-earthquake Haiti, and invokes the country’s past and present with stories that intertwine and collide.
A grieving young boy discovers he has a superpower. An old fisherman realizes the cure for his ailing wife can be found in the sea. A muse struggles to exit the story her author is penning. In Guetty Felin’s magical neorealist tale, these three stories combine to create a poetic portrait of the island nation Haiti.
Set five years after the devastating 2010 earthquake, Felin’s film eschews the images that saturated screens after the disaster. While the pain of the destruction remains evident — in young Orphée’s grief over the loss of his father, in the rubble of decimated buildings, in ghostly images that float beneath the ocean’s surface — Felin refuses to tell a tale of victimhood. Instead, she places the island’s narrative back in the hands of Haitians whose lives aren’t reducible to headlines. And as her characters begin to heal, Felin suggests that the island will too.
Felin taps into her past work in the documentary field, infusing the realities of modern-day Haiti with a lyrical touch. From its verité-style moments of Jaures the fisherman labouring by the beach to the theatrical scenes between muse Ama and her author, the film makes its fluid tonal shifts at a lulling, rhythmic pace.
Shot on location with local actors and crew, Felin’s film is an important addition to the body of work coming out of Haiti’s burgeoning film scene. Ayiti Mon Amour doesn’t just mark the emergence of a distinct new directorial voice; it’s a key development in the evolution of a national cinema. TIFF
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Santa Fe Independent Film Festival will Host a Tribute to Actor Wes Studi + Premiere of HOSTILES
Actor Wes Studi will be honored on Sunday October 22nd at Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, followed by the New Mexican premiere of Hostiles directed by Scott Cooper starring Wes Studi, Christian Bale, and Rosamund Pike.
Hostiles, shot in New Mexico takes place in 1892, legendary Army captain Joseph J. Blocker (Christian Bale) undertakes one final mission before retirement: escort Yellow Hawk (Wes Studi) – a dying Cheyenne war chief – and his family back to sacred tribal lands. After 20 years of violent struggle, this gesture of peace is as unthinkable as it is harrowing. Together they battle against a punishing landscape and the brutality of men alike, coming to the rescue of a young widow (Rosamund Pike) amidst the carnage of her murdered family. Two great warriors, once rivals across the battlefield, must learn to trust each other and find peace in an unforgiving land. A heroic odyssey of survival, HOSTILES becomes a story not about the miles traveled nor the battles fought, but the journey towards respect, reconciliation and forgiveness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yuxKRZ_KPk
The actor gained attention in 2016 as Kaetenay in Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful”. Wes is perhaps best known for his powerful portrayal of Magua in “The Last Of The Mohicans”, and starring as Det. Joe Leaphorn in Tony Hillerman’s “Skinwalkers”, “Coyote Waits” and “Thief Of Time” on American Mystery! for PBS. His other film credits include the title role in “Geronimo: An American Legend”, Eytukan, the Na’vi chieftain in “Avatar”, “Dances With Wolves”, “Powwow Highway”, “Street Fighter”, “Deep Rising”, “Heat”, “Undisputed”, “Mystery Men”, “The New World”, and “The Only Good Indian”. He has appeared on television in the PBS series “We Shall Remain”, “The Red Road”, “Kings”, “The Mentalist”, HBO’s “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”, Larry McMurtry’s “Commanche Moon”, and “Streets of Laredo”, “Into The West”, “Superfire”, American Playhouse PBS “Trial Of Standing Bear”, “Longarm”, “Return To Plum Creek”, and TNT’s “The Broken Chain” and “Crazy Horse”.
Also a musician and songwriter, he plays bass with the band Firecat of Discord. Wes is an expert horse trainer, an accomplished sculptor of stone, and the author of two children’s books for the Cherokee Bilingual/Cross Cultural Education Center. Currently the Spokesman for the Indigenous Language Institute, he is fluent in both spoken and written Cherokee, his native language, and he provided the Cherokee translations for the Pulitzer Prize winning drama “The Kentucky Cycle”. Wes was born in Nofire Hollow, and raised in Northeastern Oklahoma. He currently resides in Santa Fe, NM with his wife, singer-actress Maura Dhu Studi, and their son Kholan.
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Street Cats of Istanbul Documentary KEDI, Leads 2nd Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
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Kedi[/caption]
Kedi, a beautiful documentary about the street cats of Istanbul, leads the nominations for the second annual Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards, with nominations for Best Documentary, Best First Documentary, Most Innovative Documentary, Best Director for Ceyda Torun, and Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary for The Cats of Istanbul.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKq7UqplcL8
California Typewriter, Chasing Coral, City of Ghosts, Cries From Syria, and Dawson City: Frozen Time, followed with three nominations each; and Abacus: Small Enough to Jail and An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power receiving two nominations each.
The second annual awards ceremony takes place November 2 in Brooklyn. Academy Award and seven-time Emmy nominated filmmaker Joe Berlinger will receive the Critics’ Choice Impact Award.
Second Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards Nominations
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail – Director: Steve James (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production) Beware the Slenderman – Director: Irene Taylor Brodsky (HBO, Warner Bros. Television Distribution / HBO Documentary Films, Vermilion Films) Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds – Directors: Alexis Bloom, Fisher Stevens (HBO / Bloomfish Pictures, HBO Documentary Films, Insurgent Docs, RatPac Documentary Films) California Typewriter – Director: Doug Nichol (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Chasing Coral – Director: Jeff Orlowski (Netflix / Exposure Labs) City of Ghosts – Director: Matthew Heineman (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Cries From Syria – Director: Evgeny Afineevsky (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Dawson City: Frozen Time – Director: Bill Morrison (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis – Director: Colin Hanks (HBO / Live Nation Productions, Company Name) Ex Libris: The New York Public Library – Director: Frederick Wiseman (Zipporah Films) Faces Places – Directors: Agnès Varda & JR (Cohen Media Group / Ciné Tamaris, Social Animals, Rouge International, Arte France Cinéma, Arches Films) Jane – Director: Brett Morgen (National Geographic Documentary Films / National Geographic Studios, Public Road Productions) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) One of Us – Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady (Netflix / Loki Films) Spettacolo – Directors: Jeff Malmberg, Chris Shellen (Grasshopper Film / Open Face) Strong Island – Director: Yance Ford (Netflix / Yanceville Films, Louverture Films)BEST DIRECTOR
Evgeny Afineevsky – Cries from Syria (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Amir Bar-Lev – Long Strange Trip (Amazon / Amazon Studios, Double E Pictures, Sikelia Productions, AOMA Sunshine Films) Matthew Heineman – City of Ghosts (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Bill Morrison – Dawson City: Frozen Time (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Doug Nichol – California Typewriter (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Jeff Orlowski – Chasing Coral (Netflix / Exposure Labs) Irene Taylor Brodsky – Beware the Slenderman (HBO, Warner Bros. Television Distribution / HBO Documentary Films, Vermilion Films) Ceyda Torun – Kedi (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Agnès Varda & JR – Faces Places (Cohen Media Group / Ciné Tamaris, Social Animals, Rouge International, Arte France Cinéma, Arches Films) Frederick Wiseman – Ex Libris: The New York Public Library (Zipporah Films)BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY
California Typewriter – Director: Doug Nichol (Gravitas Ventures / American Buffalo Pictures) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Nowhere to Hide – Director: Zaradasht Ahmed (East Village Entertainment / Ten Thousand Images) Step – Director: Amanda Lipitz (Fox Searchlight / Impact Partners, Stick Figure Productions) Strong Island – Director: Yance Ford (Netflix / Yanceville Films, Louverture Films) Whose Streets? – Director: Sabaah Folayan, Co-Director: Damon Davis (Magnolia Pictures)BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
11/8/16 – Directors: Duane Andersen, Don Argott & Sheena M. Joyce, Yung Chang, Garth Donovan, Petra Epperlein & Michael Tucker, Vikram Gandhi, Raul Gasteazoro, Jamie Goncalves, Andrew Beck Grace, Alma Har’el, Daniel Junge, Alison Klayman, Ciara Lacy, Martha Shane, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Bassam Tariq (The Orchard / Cinetic Media) Abacus: Small Enough to Jail – Director: Steve James (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production) An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – Directors: Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) City of Ghosts – Director: Matthew Heineman (Amazon Studios, A&E IndieFilms, IFC Films / Our Time Projects) Dolores – Director: Peter Bratt (PBS Distribution / 5 Stick Films) The Reagan Show – Directors: Sierra Pettengill, Pacho Velez (Gravitas Ventures, CNN Films)BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
AlphaGo – Director: Greg Kohs (Submarine Entertainment / Moxie Pictures, Reel As Dirt) Disgraced – Director: Pat Kondelis (Showtime Networks / Bat Bridge Entertainment) Icarus – Director: Bryan Fogel (Netflix / Alex Productions, Diamond Docs, Impact Partners) Speed Sisters – Director: Amber Fares (First Run Features) Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton – Director: Rory Kennedy (Sundance Selects / Moxie Firecracker Films) Trophy – Directors: Christina Clusiau, Shaul Schwarz (CNN Films, The Orchard / Candescent Films, Pulse Films, Reel Peak Films)BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of our Lives – Director: Chris Perkel (Apple Music / IM Global, Scott Free Productions) Contemporary Color – Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross (Oscilloscope / The Department of Motion Pictures, Public Domain, Todo Mundo) Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis – Director: Colin Hanks (HBO / Live Nation Productions, Company Name) I Called Him Morgan – Director: Kasper Collin (FilmRise, Submarine Entertainment / Kasper Collin Produktion, Sveriges Television, Film i Väst) Long Strange Trip – Director: Amir Bar-Lev (Amazon / Amazon Studios, Double E Pictures, Sikelia Productions, AOMA Sunshine Films) Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World – Director: Catherine Bainbridge, Co-Director: Alfonso Maiorana (Kino Lorber / ARTE G.E.I.E, Rezolution Pictures)MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECT OF A DOCUMENTARY
The Cats of Istanbul – Kedi (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Etty – One of Us (Netflix / Loki Films) Al Gore – An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) Laird Hamilton – Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton (Sundance Selects / Moxie Firecracker Films) Dolores Huerta – Dolores (PBS / 5 Stick Films) Gigi Lazzarato – This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous (YouTube Red / SelectNext, Cabin Creek Films) The Sung Family – Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (PBS / Blue Ice Films, Mitten Media, Motto Pictures, Kartemquin Films Production)MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY
78/52 – Director: Alexandre O. Philippe (IFC Midnight / ARTE, Exhibit A Pictures, Milkhaus, Screen Division, Sensorshot Productions) Casting JonBenet – Director: Kitty Green (Netflix / Forensic Films, Symbolic Exchange, Meridian Entertainment) Dawson City: Frozen Time – Director: Bill Morrison (Kino Lorber / Hypnotic Pictures, Picture Palace Pictures) Karl Marx City – Directors: Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker (Bond/360 / Pepper & Bones) Kedi – Director: Ceyda Torun (Oscilloscope Laboratories, YouTube Red / Termite Films) Last Men in Aleppo – Director: Firas Fayyad, Co-Director: Steen Johannessen (Grasshopper Film / Aleppo Media Center, Larm Film)BEST SONG IN A DOCUMENTARY
An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power – “Truth to Power” – OneRepublic (Paramount / Actual Films, Participant Media) Chasing Coral – “Tell Me How Long” – Kristen Bell (Netflix / Exposure Labs) Cries From Syria – “Prayers for This World” – Cher (HBO / Afineevsky – Tolmor Production, Cinepost Barrandov, Levy Entertainment Group, Studio Malibu) Dina – “Best I Can” – Michael Cera featuring Sharon Van Etten (The Orchard / Cinereach, El Peligro, Killer Films) Served Like a Girl – “Dancing Through the Wreckage” – Pat Benatar (Entertainment Studios, Freestyle Digital Media) Step – “Jump” – Cynthia Erivo (Fox Searchlight / Impact Partners, Stick Figure Productions)BEST LIMITED DOCUMENTARY SERIES (TV/STREAMING)
The Defiant Ones (HBO) Five Came Back (Netflix / Amblin Television, IACF Productions, Netflix, Passion Pictures, Rock Paper Scissors Entertainment) The Keepers (Netflix / Film 45, Tripod Media) The Nineties (CNN / CNN, Playtone, Herzog & Company) Planet Earth II (BBC America, AMC, SundanceTV / BBC Natural History Unit, BBC America, ZDF, Tencent, France Télévisions) The Vietnam War (PBS / Florentine Films, WETA-TV Washington)BEST ONGOING DOCUMENTARY SERIES (TV/STREAMING)
30 for 30 (ESPN / ESPN Films) American Masters (PBS / WNET New York City) Frontline (PBS / WGBH-TV Boston) Independent Lens (PBS / Independent Television Service, Inc.) POV (PBS / American Documentary, Inc.) VICE (HBO / VICE Media)
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UNDER THE TREE, and LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE Win 2017 Hamptons International Film Festival Awards
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LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE[/caption]
The 25th Hamptons International Film Festival today announced their award winners, with UNDER THE TREE, and LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE winning the top awards.
UNDER THE TREE directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson won the Award for Best Narrative Feature. LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE, directed by Gustavo Salmerón, received the Award for Best Documentary Feature. DEKALB ELEMENTARY, directed by Reed Van Dyk, and EDITH+EDDIE, directed by Laura Checkoway, received the Award for Best Narrative Short Film and for Best Documentary Short Film, respectively.
COMMODITY CITY, directed by Jessica Kingdon, received an Honorable Mention for Documentary Short Film.
The Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award was awarded to NOVITIATE, directed by Maggie Betts. This award honors an outstanding female narrative filmmaker.
WANDERLAND, directed by Josh Klausner, was awarded the Suffolk County Next Exposure Grant. This program supports the completion of high quality, original, director-driven, lowbudget independent films from both emerging and established filmmakers who have completed 50% of principal photography within Suffolk County. The film was awarded a $3,000 grant.
HONDROS, directed by Greg Campbell, was awarded the 2017 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution.
THE LAST PIG, directed by Allison Argo, was awarded the Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award. This award is presented to a film that raises public awareness about contemporary social issues, including the moral and ethical treatment and the rights of animals as well as environmental protection.
I AM EVIDENCE was presented with the Victor Rabinowitz & Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice. The award was presented to directors Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir & producer Mariska Hargitay on Sunday, October 8th. The annual award is handed to a film that exemplifies the values of peace, equality, global justice and civil liberties, and is named after iconic civil rights lawyer Victor Rabinowitz and his wife Joanne Grant, an author, filmmaker and journalist. The award, which is accompanied by a cash prize of $1,500, is named in honor of two people who spent their entire lives fighting for those values.
2017 HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL WINNERS
The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature UNDER THE TREE, directed by Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE, directed by Gustavo Salmerón The HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film DEKALB ELEMENTARY, directed by Reed Van Dyk The HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film EDITH+EDDIE, directed by Laura Checkoway Honorable Mention for Best Documentary Short Film COMMODITY CITY, directed by Jessica Kingdon Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award NOVITIATE, directed by Maggie Betts Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant WANDERLAND, directed by Josh Klausner The 2017 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution HONDROS, directed by Greg Campbell The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence THE LAST PIG, directed by Allison Argo Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice I AM EVIDENCE, Trish Adlesic and Geeta Gandbhir & producer Mariska Hargitay
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40th Denver Film Festival to Spotlight ‘LADY BIRD’, ‘I, TONYA’, ‘MOLLY’S GAME’
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Lady Bird[/caption]
Actress Greta Gerwig directorial debut Lady Bird starring Saoirse Ronan will kickoff the 40th Denver Film Festival which takes place November 1 to 12, 2017. I, Tonya, the Tonya Harding biopic, directed by Craig Gillespie, and starring Margot Robbie, will close out the festival on Saturday, November 11.
Other spotlight films include Submission directed by Richard Levine, starring Stanley Tucci and Kyra Sedgwick screening on Friday, November 3; and The Ballad of Lefty Brown directed by Jared Moshe, starring Bill Pullman and Peter Fonda will have a special “spotlight” screening on Wednesday, November 8.
Molly’s Game starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba in the directorial debut from writer Aaron Sorkin, is featured on the “Big Night” of the festival on Thursday, November 9.
And, on closing night, there will also be a red carpet matinee of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri by writer/director Martin McDonagh, starring Frances McDormand and Woody Harrelson on Saturday, November 11.
Special Presentations
CALL ME BY YOUR NAME – Italy/France/Brazil/USA / Director: Luca Guadagnino Based on an acclaimed novel, the screenplay for this sensual and transcendent tale of first love from Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino was penned by none other than that master of exquisite longing, James Ivory CHAPPAQUIDDICK – USA / Director: John Curran How did one of the most powerful political dynasties in US history preserve its legacy in the aftermath of a tragic scandal? Directed by John Curran, this historical drama centers on the media maelstrom surrounding Chappaquiddick, as the 1969 car accident involving US Senator Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) and a young campaign worker (Kate Mara) came to be known. Ed Helms and Jim Gaffigan co-star. DARKEST HOUR – UK / Director: Joe Wright Gary Oldman stars in director Joe Wright’s thrilling fictionalized account of Winston Churchill’s first weeks in office during the early days of World War II. With the support of his wife of 31 years, Clemmie (Kristin Scott Thomas), the witty and brilliant Prime Minister must rally a nation to fight against incredible odds and change the course of world history forever. HUMAN FLOW – Germany / Director: Ai Weiwei In recent years, over 65 million people around the world have fled their homes to escape famine, climate change and war. This epic documentary journey through 23 countries by the internationally renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei gives powerful visual expression to both the staggering scale of the refugee crisis and its profoundly personal human impact. IN THE FADE (Aus dem nichts) – Germany/France / Director: Fatih Akin When her husband Nuri and young son Rocco are killed in a bomb attack, Katja begins a search for answers that makes the mourning process all the more painful and difficult. The trial of two neo-Nazi suspects pushes her to the edge, but there’s simply no alternative for the pursuit of justice. Diane Kruger won Best Actress at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for her role in this raw, gripping drama. ISMAEL’S GHOSTS (Les fantomes d’smael) – France / Director: Arnaud Desplechin Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Marion Cotillard star in this meta-romantic thriller from France about a filmmaker caught in a triangle between his current love and a woman from his past—who happens to have been presumed dead for 20 years. LAST FLAG FLYING – USA / Director: Richard Linklater Thirty years after they served together in Vietnam, three military vets (Steve Carell, Bryan Cranston and Laurence Fishburne) reunite for a different type of mission: to bury Doc’s son, a young Marine killed in Iraq. In this thoughtful and moving road movie, director Richard Linklater’s characters wrestle with the impact war has had on their lives. THE LEISURE SEEKER – Italy/France / Director: Paolo Virzì From acclaimed Italian filmmaker Paolo Virzì, this new take on an old genre—the road movie—stars Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland as a runaway couple on an unforgettable journey to recapture their passion for life and their love for each other in the faithful old RV they call the Leisure Seeker. NOVITIATE – USA / Director: Margaret Betts Melissa Leo (The Fighter, The Big Short) leads a strong cast of rising stars in this Vatican II–era drama about a rural Tennessean girl’s first true love—which just so happens to be for God. Granted a scholarship to Catholic school, young Cathleen is quickly drawn into the mysterious romanticism—eroticism, even—of a life devoted to worship and servitude. THE PARTY – UK / Director: Sally Potter The more is anything but the merrier in this brutally funny satire on the British upper crust. Politico Janet (Kristin Scott Thomas) throws an insufferable dinner party whose every guest (Patricia Clarkson, Emily Mortimer and Cillian Murphy among them) is worse than the last—all the better for the audience to bask in writer-director Sally Potter’s zinger-rich dialogue. SOLLERS POINT – USA / Director: Matthew Porterfield This gritty drama follows small-time drug dealer Keith from the confines of house arrest back onto the racially tense streets of Baltimore. Although he wants to make a new start, his father (Jim Belushi), a retired steelworker, has little patience with his unemployed son—and the allure of criminal life in his depressed neighborhood may be impossible to withstand. VIGILANTE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF CURTIS SLIWA AND THE GUARDIAN ANGELS – USA / Director: David Wexler A forceful tribute to community self-defense, this documentary tells the remarkable story of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, who vividly narrates his initiation into a life of vigilantism in the crime-ridden New York City of the ’70s and ’80s, touching on everything from the crack epidemic to his defense of infamous subway gunman Bernard Goetz.KRZYSZTOF KIESLOWSKI AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM FINALISTS
THE HAPPINESS OF THE WORLD – Poland / Director: Michał Rosa This period drama from Polish filmmaker Michał Rosa is set in 1939 in a village on the German-Polish border, where the residents of a tenement house endure the rising tension of the coming war. When a Warsaw journalist embeds himself in their building in search of an anonymous author, their secrets begin to surface, intertwined with a mysterious Jewish beauty named Róża. IN THE FADE– Germany/France / Director: Fatih Akin When her husband Nuri and young son Rocco are killed in a bomb attack, Katja begins a search for answers that makes the mourning process all the more painful and difficult. The trial of two neo-Nazi suspects pushes her to the edge, but there’s simply no alternative for the pursuit of justice. Diane Kruger won Best Actress at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival for her role in this raw, gripping drama. QUALITY TIME – Netherland/Norway / Director: Daan Bakker Dutch filmmaker Daan Bakker’s sly, strange tragicomedy about a quintet of 30-something misfits is told in five distinct parts—all employing their own inventive visual and narrative styles to convey a sense of the dislocation, dysfunction and absurdity dictating the lives of Koen, Stefaan, Kjell, Karel and Jef. RADIANCE – Japan/France / Director: Naomi Kawase In this heartfelt drama from Japan, Misako is a passionate translator of films for the visually impaired. At a screening, she meets Nakamori, an older photographer who is slowly losing his eyesight—but who can teach her to see what’s right in front of her, provided she’s open to the possibilities. THELMA – Norway/France/Denmark/Sweden / Director: Joachim Trier When shy, religious young Thelma goes to study at a university in Oslo, she begins to experience violent seizures that lead to an encounter with beautiful classmate Anja—while also revealing supernatural abilities. As the girls’ friendship deepens, both the terrifying implications of Thelma’s powers and tragic secrets from her past come to light in this paranormal thriller from Norway. UNDER THE TREE – Iceland / Director: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson When Baldwin and Inga’s next door neighbours complain that a tree in their backyard casts a shadow over their sundeck, what starts off as a typical spat between neighbours in the suburbs unexpectedly and violently spirals out of control.MAYSLES BROTHERS AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FINALISTS
32 PILLS: MY SISTER’S SUICIDE – USA / Director: Hope Litoff She’s beautiful, artistic, beloved—and she can’t stand to be alive. Documentary filmmaker Hope Litoff seeks to piece together the life and death of her sister Ruth; in the process, she gives a devastating account of the toll her investigation takes on her own mental health. ALPHAGO – USA / Director: Greg Kohs The ancient Chinese game called Go is said to have more board configurations than there are atoms in the universe. This fascinating documentary takes viewers from the coding terminals of Google DeepMind in London to a tournament in Seoul, where a legendary Go master is set to compete against a computer program in an epic battle of wits: can the human brain outsmart artificial intelligence? DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN? – USA / Director: Travis Wilkerson Filmmaker Travis Wilkerson turns the camera on his own family to expose a dark secret in this unflinching personal documentary. Returning to his hometown of Dothan, Alabama, he discovers that his great-grandfather, a white supremacist, once shot and killed a black man but was never charged with the murder—and that any historical trace of his victim is gone. FACES PLACES – France / Director: JR, Agnès Varda At 89 years old, Agnès Varda, one of the leading figures of the French New Wave, teamed up with acclaimed 33-year-old French photographer JR to co-direct this enchanting documentary-meets-road movie. As they travel around France in JR’s truck producing large-scale photographic portraits of the locals they meet along the way, they reveal the humanity in their subjects—and themselves. NO MAN’S LAND– USA / Director: David Byars Director-cinematographer David Byars had remarkable access to the protesters occupying Oregon’s Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during their 41-day armed standoff with federal authorities in 2016. This gripping documentary reveals the inner workings of the insurrection as it examines what draws Americans to the concept of revolution. STRAD STYLE – USA / Director: Stefan Avalos Meet Danny Houck—a down-on-his-luck, Stradivarius-obsessed recluse in rural Ohio who has somehow convinced a famous European concert violinist that he can make a copy of one of the world’s rarest and most valuable violins. A hilariously poignant and suspenseful documentary about the true meaning of chutzpah.AMERICAN INDEPENDENT NARRATIVE AWARD FINALISTS
DISCREET – USA/Brazil / Director: Travis Mathews After years in hiding and struggling to control his demons, an eccentric drifter returns home and discovers that his childhood abuser, the center of his pain, is still alive. GOLDEN EXITS – USA / Director: Alex Ross Perry Writer-director Alex Ross Perry (The Color Wheel, SDFF34) explores the torment of modern domestic life, with a fabulous ensemble cast—including Mary-Louise Parker, Jason Schwartzman, Chloë Sevigny, Keith Poulson and the Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz—on hand to embrace both the dramatic and darkly comedic sides of despair. THE MISOGYNISTS – USA / Director: Onur Tukel This dark, claustrophobic satire stars Dylan Baker (Happiness) as Cameron, a lonely businessman celebrating Trump’s election in a hotel room after a bitter separation from his wife of 35 years. As the night progresses, friends, colleagues and strangers come and go, debating politics and what it means to be an American—among them a pair of prostitutes facing an existential crisis of their own. MR. ROOSEVELT – USA / Director: Noël Wells Comedian Noël Wells (Saturday Night Live, Master of None) wrote, directed and stars in this charming comedy. Like Wells, Emily has racked up millions of YouTube hits for her video sketches. But unlike Wells, she can’t quite make it in Los Angeles. When she receives news of a death in the family, she rushes back to Austin to find her ex-boyfriend—and everything else—has changed. THE STRANGE ONES – USA / Directors: Christopher Radcliff, Lauren Wolkstein A young man and a boy travel by car through a wooded American landscape. Who are they? Where are they going? Are they on the run? The boy seems disturbed, haunted by memories of nameless violence, and the mood is one of foreboding—but the more we learn, the less we understand in this artful coming-of-age mystery. THIRST STREET – France/USA / Director: Nathan Silver While on layover in Paris, a lonely American flight attendant has a rendezvous with a seedy nightclub bartender and becomes tangled in a web of misunderstandings, masochistic tendencies, & unrequited amour fou in this homage to the erotic dramas of 1970s Europe from returning fest guest Nathan Silver (Actor Martinez, DFF39).TRUE GRIT BEST COLORADO FEATURE FILM AWARD FINALISTS
COLORADO FEATURE FILMS
AMY & SOPHIA – UK/USA / Director: Adam Lipsius An unlikely friendship forms when two troubled girls, haunted by their past, forge a shared future by using art as an escape from the present in this magical-realist drama. GNAW – USA / Director: Haylar Garcia Jennifer Conrad is a small-town girl starting over in the big city. Fleeing an abusive relationship, all she wants is a chance to become whole again. But that’s hard to do when something is eating at you while you sleep—literally. This horror flick by Colorado filmmaker Haylar Garcia delves with equal gusto into paranormal and psychological phenomena. HOME TRUTH – USA / Directors: Katia Maguire, April Hayes In 1999, Colorado mother Jessica Gonzales experienced every parent’s worst nightmare when her three young daughters were killed after being abducted by their father. Determined to make sure their deaths were not in vain, Gonzales became an advocate for domestic-violence victims, taking her case to the US Supreme Court and beyond. At once troubling and inspiring, this documentary tells her story. HONDROS – USA/Iraq/Liberia/Libya / Director: Greg Campbell Pulitzer Prize-finalist photographer Chris Hondros spent a decade documenting wars in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Liberia and Libya, until he was killed while on assignment for Getty Images in 2011. Directed by fellow journalist and lifelong friend Greg Campbell, this eloquent documentary pays tribute to the late photojournalist’s courageous and compassionate career. JONBENET’S TRICYCLE – USA / Director: Andrew Novick Andrew Novick is a Mile High legend as (among other things) an obsessive collector. He reveals some of his strangest acquisitions—including JonBenet Ramsey’s tricycle—in this quirky autobiographical documentary, which is also an investigation of the human urge to possess what we value and of the impact pop culture and the media have on our experience of tragedy. LIYANA – Swaziland/USA/Qatar / Directors: Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp The lives and extraordinary imaginations of five orphans at a storytelling workshop in Swaziland are captured in this enchanting, moving and highly acclaimed documentary from Colorado filmmakers Aaron and Amanda Kopp. MOVING PARTS – Trinidad and Tobago/USA / Director: Emilie Upczak In this unique personal drama of human trafficking—written and directed by Boulder native Emilie Upczak—Zhenzhen follows her brother to Trinidad and Tobago with the help of a smuggler. When her new restaurant job proves dangerously unpleasant, a local art gallery owner helps her fight to secure her future. WALDEN: LIFE IN THE WOODS – USA / Director: Alex Harvey Shot on location in Colorado, this radical Western re-imagining of Thoreau’s eponymous classic interlaces three narratives that take place over 24 hours to consider the trappings of modern life and the unlikely heroes who dream of escape.COLORADO SHORT FILMS
CHOCOLATE SPOKES – USA / Directors: Brendan Leonard CHOWDER – USA / Director: Justin Tyrrell, Travis Lindner THE DAY BEFORE – USA / Directors: Geoff Marslett DIVING MONKEYS – USA / Director: Elizabeth Henry DREAMSPOOK – FEAR IN LOVE – USA / Directors: Joseph Kolean FED TO FIRE – USA / Director: Joseph Dasteel FINAL FOUR – USA / Directors: Dario Ortega MRS. DRAKE – USA / Director: Caitlin FitzGerald OH, OPHELIA – USA / Directors: Dakota Nanton THE OUTSIDER – USA / Director: Scott Takeda THE ROMANTIC METHOD – USA / Directors: Maggie Hart UNSEEN – USA / Director: Kaleb Kohart