Tommy Oliver (“1982”) directs, produces and shoots the documentary 40 Years a Prisoner, chronicling the controversial 1978 Philadelphia police raid on the radical back-to-nature group MOVE and the aftermath that led to a son’s decades long fight to free his parents.
Film at Lincoln Center unveiled the poster for the 58th New York Film Festival (September 17 – October 11), designed by filmmaker, artist, and “Pope of Trash,” John Waters.
IFC Films debuted the first trailer for Shithouse, written, directed, and starring Cooper Raiff, in his feature debut. Shithouse won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature at the virtual 2020 SXSW Film Festival, where the film made its World Premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition section. Shithouse will open in in theaters and VOD on October 16.
Showtime dropped the new trailer for the new documentary film Kingdom of Silence exploring the complicated dynamic between the United States and Saudi Arabia as a backdrop to the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi.
SFFILM announced the four winners of 2020 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund grants totaling $80,000, which support feature-length documentaries in post-production. Giovanni Buccomino’s After a Revolution (working title), Clarke Lyons and Gabe Dinsmoor’s Squeegee, Farah Kassem’s We Are Inside, and Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh’s Writing with Fire were each awarded funding that will help push each project towards completion.
Daria Woszek’s debut Marygoround swept the film awards of the Fantasia International Film Festival which closed out its digital 2020 edition. Marygoround won the awards for Best Film, Best Director for Daria Woszek, Best Actress for Grazyna Misiorowska, and a Special Jury Mention.
Roadside Attractions revealed the first trailer for The Glorias, directed by Julie Taymor and based on the book ‘My Life on the Road’ by Gloria Steinem. The Glorias stars Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Bette Midler, Janelle Monáe, Lorraine Toussaint, Lulu Wilson, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Kimberly Guerrero will be released on September 30th, 2020.
For the first time, this year’s 14th edition of The Method Fest Independent Film Festival showcased a total of 27 feature films and 29 short films as a Drive-In movie experience. The festival which wrapped on August 30, announced the Grand Jury selections of award winning films and actors.
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the full slate of 26 films from 20 countries being presented online for the 2020 AFI Latin American Film Festival, which will take place September 25–October 7, 2020.
Zurich Film Festival will honor French director, producer and actress Maïwenn with The A Tribute to… Award for her contribution to the resurgence of auteur cinema, and screen her directorial works in a retrospective. Maïwenn receives the award on October 1, and presents her most recent film ADN (DNA).
This year’s All Drive-in Edition of the Sidewalk Film Festival which ran August 24-30, announced the awards winners. The Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature went to The Killing Of Kenneth Chamberlain directed by Dwight Cameron; and for Best Documentary Feature to Transhood directed by Sharon Liese. Transhood also won the prize for Best SHOUT Feature.
From executive producer Anjelica Huston, the new documentary Breaking the Chain introduces viewers to a nationwide crisis of abused and neglected dogs, cats, and other animals through interviews and behind-the-scenes footage following PETA’s dedicated team of fieldworkers, who live in hope as they respond to cases and calls for help around the clock and in all weather extremes.