Including unfiltered interviews with fashion, sports, music and pop culture icons, the documentary film Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 tells the true story and features first-hand personal experiences around the irreverent shoe that powered its way into our culture and changed the world. Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 was written and directed by Dexton Deboree, co-founder of the award-winning creative agency, Los York and would be in limited theaters and available digitally on July 13, 2018.
“The AJ1 is more than a shoe. It’s a symbol of a much greater meaning across genders, race, geography and time. Now more than ever, what this shoe represents, its impact on society and its role in really creating, defining and redefining a lot of our modern culture makes it a story that has to be told,” said Writer-Director Dexton Deboree.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 explores the dynamic journey of the Air Jordan 1 from its unlikely beginnings to its role in disrupting long-established rules of the NBA, changing the game of basketball, birthing sneaker culture and influencing a social and cultural revolution. Highlighting icons from across the cultural spectrum – including Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Jason Sudeikis, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, hip-hop legend Chuck D, as well as rising stars Gizzle, Christian Combs, and Kid Ink, and many more – the film takes a raw and riveting look at a movement that so heavily shaped the culture in which we live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79nXVeyj4s-
“Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1” Tells True Story of the Original Air Jordan | Trailer
Including unfiltered interviews with fashion, sports, music and pop culture icons, the documentary film Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 tells the true story and features first-hand personal experiences around the irreverent shoe that powered its way into our culture and changed the world. Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 was written and directed by Dexton Deboree, co-founder of the award-winning creative agency, Los York and would be in limited theaters and available digitally on July 13, 2018.
“The AJ1 is more than a shoe. It’s a symbol of a much greater meaning across genders, race, geography and time. Now more than ever, what this shoe represents, its impact on society and its role in really creating, defining and redefining a lot of our modern culture makes it a story that has to be told,” said Writer-Director Dexton Deboree.
Unbanned: The Legend of AJ1 explores the dynamic journey of the Air Jordan 1 from its unlikely beginnings to its role in disrupting long-established rules of the NBA, changing the game of basketball, birthing sneaker culture and influencing a social and cultural revolution. Highlighting icons from across the cultural spectrum – including Spike Lee, Anthony Anderson, Michael B. Jordan, DJ Khaled, Lena Waithe, Kenya Barris, Jason Sudeikis, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, hip-hop legend Chuck D, as well as rising stars Gizzle, Christian Combs, and Kid Ink, and many more – the film takes a raw and riveting look at a movement that so heavily shaped the culture in which we live.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79nXVeyj4s
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Guy Maddin, Evan & Galen Johnson’s New One-Take Short ACCIDENCE Premieres at 68th Berlin International Film Festival | Trailer
The new one-take short Accidence from Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, will receive its world premiere on Tuesday 20th February, 2018 at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.
Accidence is based on music composed by Ensign Broderick, an enigmatic experimental songwriter from Toronto, Canada. The song, officially titled “Accidence PSA,” is found on his forthcoming album Feast of Panthers, to be released on March 9, 2018. To illuminate his unique creative process, Ensign Broderick recently shared two alternate versions of the song as an accompanying Triptych.
In a deadly and maddeningly endless loop of crime and punishment, Accidence explores the narrative potential of the mundane architectural projection. In Maddin’s words, “Every balcony is a poem, a chant — a muscle! But whoever lives with that extra blueprint luxury of a balcony lives on the wrong side of a cross-section, on the busy, narrative-addled side of something like an ant-farm window, a brazen architectural arrangement selling cheap peeks into the naked sideshows of the quotidian — even the grisly. Step right up! Behold! A ten story wall of solid twitching muscle!”
Based on the metaphor that we are each our own victims, each of us the worst perpetrators of our own worst traumas, and each the most tireless prosecutors of the crimes we commit against ourselves, Accidence follows the nightmarish cycle of a man who hurls to his death a doppelganger of himself from an apartment balcony, and is then pursued by a detective who is yet another doppelganger. The perpetrator is pursued from apartment to apartment, to the homes of his parents, and of his girlfriend, flats where he seeks sanctuary from persecution. By the end of the film, the perpetrator joins his victim in death as he is hurled from the balcony by his lookalike pursuer of justice, who promptly considers himself a perp, and who is promptly dogged by yet another lookalike agent of justice. And endless loop of crime and punishment is thus established. Everyone else living in the apartment block, at least those visible out on their balconies, is also caught in their own personal loops of varying activities. We all live in loops, each of us condemned to repeat ourselves in essential ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV0pK6BerHw
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2018 BAFTA Awards: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ” Wins Top Awards
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri[/caption]
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was the big winner at 2018 EE British Academy Film Awards, winning five BAFTAs including Best Film and Outstanding British Film, with Martin McDonagh winning Original Screenplay, Sam Rockwell taking Supporting Actor, and Frances McDormand receiving the BAFTA for Leading Actress.
The Shape of Water won three awards: Guillermo del Toro won for Director and composer Alexandre Desplat collected the Original Music award, his third BAFTA win; the film also won Production Design.
Gary Oldman won Leading Actor for Darkest Hour, and Supporting Actress went to Allison Janney for her role as Tonya Harding’s mother in I, Tonya.
Raoul Peck won the Documentary award for I Am Not Your Negro. Film Not in the English Language was won by South Korean drama The Handmaiden and Coco took the BAFTA for Animated Film.
Writer/director Rungano Nyoni and producer Emily Morgan received the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for I Am Not a Witch.
James Ivory won for Adapted Screenplay for Call Me by Your Name and Dunkirk for Sound. Cowboy Dave won the British Short Film award.
The Special Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented to the National Film and Television School (NFTS). The school has trained generations of BAFTA-nominated film talent; this year’s British Short Animation award was won by Poles Apart, which is the 13th NFTS graduation film to win a BAFTA.
The Fellowship, the highest honor the Academy can bestow was presented to director and producer Sir Ridley Scott by HRH The Duke of Cambridge, President of BAFTA, and Sir Kenneth Branagh.
The EE Rising Star Award, voted for by the public, went to Daniel Kaluuya.
Winners of the EE British Academy Film Awards in 2018
FELLOWSHIP SIR RIDLEY SCOTT OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA NATIONAL FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL (NFTS) BEST FILM CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears DARKEST HOUR Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski DUNKIRK Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM DARKEST HOUR Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski THE DEATH OF STALIN Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, Laurent Zeitoun, Yann Zenou, Ian Martin, David Schneider GOD’S OWN COUNTRY Francis Lee, Manon Ardisson, Jack Tarling LADY MACBETH William Oldroyd, Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Alice Birch PADDINGTON 2 Paul King, David Heyman, Simon Farnaby THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER THE GHOUL Gareth Tunley (Writer/Director/Producer), Jack Healy Guttmann & Tom Meeten (Producers) I AM NOT A WITCH Rungano Nyoni (Writer/Director), Emily Morgan (Producer) JAWBONE Johnny Harris (Writer/Producer), Thomas Napper (Director) KINGDOM OF US Lucy Cohen (Director) LADY MACBETH Alice Birch (Writer), William Oldroyd (Director), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (Producer) FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ELLE Paul Verhoeven, Saïd Ben Saïd FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER Angelina Jolie, Rithy Panh THE HANDMAIDEN Park Chan-wook, Syd Lim LOVELESS Andrey Zvyagintsev, Alexander Rodnyansky THE SALESMAN Asghar Farhadi, Alexandre Mallet-Guy DOCUMENTARY CITY OF GHOSTS Matthew Heineman I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO Raoul Peck ICARUS Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk JANE Brett Morgen, Bryan Burk ANIMATED FILM COCO Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson LOVING VINCENT Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Ivan Mactaggart MY LIFE AS A COURGETTE Claude Barras, Max Karli DIRECTOR BLADE RUNNER 2049 Denis Villeneuve CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Luca Guadagnino DUNKIRK Christopher Nolan THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY GET OUT Jordan Peele I, TONYA Steven Rogers LADY BIRD Greta Gerwig THE SHAPE OF WATER Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Martin McDonagh ADAPTED SCREENPLAY CALL ME BY YOUR NAME James Ivory THE DEATH OF STALIN Armando Iannucci, Ian Martin, David Schneider FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL Matt Greenhalgh MOLLY’S GAME Aaron Sorkin PADDINGTON 2 Simon Farnaby, Paul King LEADING ACTRESS ANNETTE BENING Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool FRANCES McDORMAND Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri MARGOT ROBBIE I, Tonya SALLY HAWKINS The Shape of Water SAOIRSE RONAN Lady Bird LEADING ACTOR DANIEL DAY-LEWIS Phantom Thread DANIEL KALUUYA Get Out GARY OLDMAN Darkest Hour JAMIE BELL Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET Call Me by Your Name SUPPORTING ACTRESS ALLISON JANNEY I, Tonya KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS Darkest Hour LAURIE METCALF Lady Bird LESLEY MANVILLE Phantom Thread OCTAVIA SPENCER The Shape of Water SUPPORTING ACTOR CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER All the Money in the World HUGH GRANT Paddington 2 SAM ROCKWELL Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri WILLEM DAFOE The Florida Project WOODY HARRELSON Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri ORIGINAL MUSIC BLADE RUNNER 2049 Benjamin Wallfisch, Hans Zimmer DARKEST HOUR Dario Marianelli DUNKIRK Hans Zimmer PHANTOM THREAD Jonny Greenwood THE SHAPE OF WATER Alexandre Desplat CINEMATOGRAPHY BLADE RUNNER 2049 Roger Deakins DARKEST HOUR Bruno Delbonnel DUNKIRK Hoyte van Hoytema THE SHAPE OF WATER Dan Laustsen THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Ben Davis EDITING BABY DRIVER Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss BLADE RUNNER 2049 Joe Walker DUNKIRK Lee Smith THE SHAPE OF WATER Sidney Wolinsky THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI Jon Gregory PRODUCTION DESIGN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer BLADE RUNNER 2049 Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola DARKEST HOUR Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer DUNKIRK Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis THE SHAPE OF WATER Paul Austerberry, Jeff Melvin, Shane Vieau COSTUME DESIGN BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Jacqueline Durran DARKEST HOUR Jacqueline Durran I, TONYA Jennifer Johnson PHANTOM THREAD Mark Bridges THE SHAPE OF WATER Luis Sequeira MAKE UP & HAIR BLADE RUNNER 2049 Donald Mowat, Kerry Warn DARKEST HOUR David Malinowski, Ivana Primorac, Lucy Sibbick, Kazuhiro Tsuji I, TONYA Deborah La Mia Denaver, Adruitha Lee VICTORIA & ABDUL Daniel Phillips, Lou Sheppard WONDER Naomi Bakstad, Robert A. Pandini, Arjen Tuiten SOUND BABY DRIVER Tim Cavagin, Mary H. Ellis, Dan Morgan, Jeremy Price, Julian Slater BLADE RUNNER 2049 Ron Bartlett, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, Mark Mangini, Mac Ruth DUNKIRK Alex Gibson, Richard King, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo, Mark Weingarten THE SHAPE OF WATER Christian Cooke, Nelson Ferreira, Glen Gauthier, Nathan Robitaille, Brad Zoern STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS BLADE RUNNER 2049 Richard R. Hoover, Paul Lambert, Gerd Nefzer, John Nelson DUNKIRK Paul Corbould, Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley THE SHAPE OF WATER Dennis Berardi, Trey Harrell, Mike Hill, Kevin Scott STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI Stephen Aplin, Chris Corbould, Ben Morris, Neal Scanlan WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Joel Whist BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION HAVE HEART Will Anderson MAMOON Ben Steer POLES APART Paloma Baeza, Ser En Low BRITISH SHORT FILM AAMIR Vika Evdokimenko, Emma Stone, Oliver Shuster COWBOY DAVE Colin O’Toole, Jonas Mortensen A DROWNING MAN Mahdi Fleifel, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Patrick Campbell WORK Aneil Karia, Scott O’Donnell WREN BOYS Harry Lighton, Sorcha Bacon, John Fitzpatrick EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) DANIEL KALUUYA FLORENCE PUGH JOSH O’CONNOR TESSA THOMPSON TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
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Sony Pictures Classics to Release Rupert Everett’s THE HAPPY PRINCE
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Rupert Everett in The Happy Prince[/caption]
The Happy Prince, written and directed by, and starring Rupert Everett, which has its European premiere this weekend at the Berlin International Film Festival as a Special Gala, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for release in the US. Sony Pictures Classics is planning a 2018 release.
The film which also stars Colin Morgan, Edwin Thomas, Colin Firth, Emily Watson and Tom Wilkinson, had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January.
The last days of Oscar Wilde—and the ghosts that haunted them—are vividly evoked in Rupert Everett’s directorial debut. Everett gives a career defining performance as Wilde, physically and emotionally embodying the literary genius as he lives out his last days in exile in Europe. His body ailing and heavy, his mind spinning, he survives by falling back on the flamboyant irony and brilliant wit that defined him. As the film travels through Wilde’s final act and journeys through England, France and Italy, desire and loyalty face off, the transience of lust is laid bare, and the true riches of love are revealed.
“I am absolutely thrilled, particularly because Michael and Tom distributed my first film Another Country,” said Everett.
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VIDEOS: Watch 2 New Clips from Raoul Peck’s THE YOUNG KARL MARX
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The Young Karl Marx (Le jeune Karl Marx)[/caption]
The Orchard has released two new clips from THE YOUNG KARL MARX, celebrated Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck’s first film since the Oscar®-nominated documentary I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. A fervently intelligent chronicling of the blood, sweat and debate that went into the creation of a manifesto and a movement, the film premiered at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.
Timed to the anniversary of the original publishing date of The Communist Manifesto, The Orchard will open THE YOUNG KARL MARX theatrically on Friday, February 23rd in New York and Los Angeles, with a national rollout to follow.
At the age of 26, Karl Marx (August Diehl; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, THE COUNTERFEITERS) embarks with his wife Jenny (Vicky Krieps; PHANTOM THREAD) on the road to exile. In 1844 Paris they meet young Friedrich Engels (Stefan Konarske), son of a factory owner and an astute student of the English proletariat class. Engels brings Marx the missing piece to the puzzle that composes his new vision of the world. Together, between censorship and police raids, riots and political upheavals, they will preside over the birth of the labor movement, which until then had been mostly makeshift and unorganized. This will grow into the most complete theoretical and political transformation of the world since the Renaissance – driven, against all expectations, by two brilliant, insolent and sharp-witted young men.
The Meeting
Critical Critique
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COMING SOON: Josh Hutcherson, Suki Waterhouse and Tilda Cobham-Hervey to Star in Mike Gan’s PLUME
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JOSH HUTCHERSON, SUKI WATERHOUSE AND TILDA COBHAM-HERVEY[/caption]
Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise) , Suki Waterhouse (Assassination Nation, The Bad Batch) and Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Hotel Mumbai, 52 Tuesdays) will star in the upcoming film, Plume, written and directed by Mike Gan.
A contained thriller reminiscent of Compliance mixed with a female-centric Nightcrawler, PLUME follows a lonely, unstable gas station attendant Melinda (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), tired of being overshadowed by her more confident, outgoing co-worker Sheila (Suki Waterhouse). When the gas station is held at gunpoint by Billy (Josh Hutcherson), a desperate man in need of quick cash, Melinda finds an opportunity to make a connection with the robber, regardless of who gets hurt.
The film marks the feature debut for writer/director Mike Gan. Gan previously gained recognition in the genre filmmaking community for his acclaimed short No Evil, which premiered at festivals around the world including TIFF Creative Minds and Palm Springs ShortFest.
“I am beyond ecstatic for the opportunity to work with such a talented trio of actors in Josh, Suki and Tilda,” commented Mike Gan. “I’m a huge fan of their work, and feel they’re perfectly suited to bring the characters of Melinda, Billy, and Sheila to life.”
Josh Hutcherson is known for his lead roles in The Hunger Games franchise, The Disaster Artist and Hulu Original Series Future Man. Suki Waterhouse next stars in several anticipated upcoming films including Sundance hit Assassination Nation, Detective Pikachu with Ryan Reynolds, and Jonathan with Ansel Elgort, and is also known for her roles in The Bad Batch and Insurgent. Rising star Tilda Cobham-Hervey is most known for her roles in 52 Tuesdays and The Kettering Incident, and next stars in Hotel Mumbai opposite Armie Hammer and Dev Patel.
Production of Plume will commence later this month.
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Film Society of Lincoln Center Announces Lineup for 23rd Rendez-Vous with French Cinema
Barbara Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, the celebrated annual series showcasing the variety and vitality of contemporary French filmmaking, returns to the Film Society of Lincoln Center for the 23rd edition, from March 8 to 18, 2018, with 24 diverse films on display.
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Sarasota Film Festival Unveils 20th Anniversary Edition Poster
The Sarasota Film Festival unveiled the special edition 20th Anniversary poster for the upcoming 2018 festival designed by local designer, Kelsey Hunt-Dolan. This year the festival will take place April 13th through the 22nd, 2018.
This year’s artwork represents the 20th celebration of the Sarasota Film Festival and the lasting impact from various artists. The Roman numerals “XX” on the poster commemorate the historic 20 year anniversary for the festival. John Ringling’s David statue, a replica of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s original masterpiece, is known as the symbol of Sarasota and resides in The Ringling Museum courtyard. John Ringling carved this statue between the mid-19th to early 20th century as a momentum for local artists. He had hoped to open a school of art prior to his demise, but left this statue behind to inspire future artists.
“We are very pleased with this year’s collaborative effort at designing our twentieth anniversary poster containing Michelangelo’s Statue of David, one of the most beautiful pieces of art known to man and a symbol of our great city,” said Mark Famiglio, President of the Sarasota Film Festival. “In these last 20 years, we have watched the festival evolve into a captivating and engaging showcase of diverse films, highlighting the unique and distinct voice from artists nationally and internationally. We look forward to the next 20 years as we salute our community and film lovers from around the world.”
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See Trailer and Poster for Tunisian Film BEAUTY AND THE DOGS. Opens in Theaters on March 23rd
Oscilloscope Laboratories has dropped the trailer and poster for BEAUTY AND THE DOGS from Tunisian director and screenwriter, Kaouther Ben Hania. The film which world premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival will open theatrically on March 23rd, in NYC at Landmark 57 West; in LA at the Nuart.
When Mariam, a young Tunisian woman, is raped by police officers after leaving a party, she is propelled into a harrowing night in which she must fight for her rights even though justice lies on the side of her tormentors. Employing impressive cinematic techniques and anchored by a tour-de-force performance from newcomer Mariam Al Ferjani, Kaouther Ben Hania’s BEAUTY AND THE DOGS tells an urgent, unapologetic, and important story head-on. A rare, startling film from a female Tunisian director, it’s a striking critique on a repressive society and a forcefully feminist rallying cry.
Director and screenwriter Kaouther Ben Hania was born in Sidi Bouzid (Tunisia). Following film studies at the Ecole des Arts et du Cinéma in Tunis, she studied scriptwriting at La Fémis in Paris. She has a Research Masters in Film and Audiovisual Studies from the Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdAGBnOyGyo
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MY DAYS OF MERCY to Open, POSTCARDS FROM LONDON to Close 2018 BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival
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MY DAYS OF MERCY[/caption]
The 32nd edition of BFI Flare: London LGBT Film Festival which takes place from March 21st to April 1st, 2018, announced the Opening and Closing Night Galas films. MY DAYS OF MERCY opens the Festival on Wednesday March 21, with POSTCARDS FROM LONDON closing the Festival on Saturday March 31.
Tali Shalom-Ezer’s MY DAYS OF MERCY will open the Festival on Wednesday March 21st . Powered by stirring performances from Ellen Page and Kate Mara , Shalom-Ezer’s follow up to PRINCESS is a poignant love story between two women from vastly different backgrounds and opposing political views.
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POSTCARDS FROM LONDON[/caption]
The European Premiere of Steve McLean’s stylish and sexy POSTCARDS FROM LONDON will feature as the Closing Night Gala. The film tells the story of beautiful teenager Jim (Harris Dickinson, BEACH RATS) who, having travelled from the suburbs, finds himself in Soho where he falls in with a gang of unusual high class male escorts ‘The Raconteurs’. Set in a vibrant, neon-lit, imaginary vision of Soho, this morality tale manages to be both a beautifully shot homage to the spirit of Derek Jarman and a celebration of the homo-erotic in Baroque art.
MY DAYS OF MERCY is written by BAFTA nominated British writer Joe Barton (THE RITUAL & IBOY) and the film is produced by Ellen Page, Kate Mara, Christine Vachon & David Hinojosa. POSTCARDS FROM LONDON is Steve McLean’s long-awaited follow-up to his 1994 Sundance and Indie Spirit-nominated drama POSTCARDS FROM AMERICA.
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See the Stunning Trailer and Poster for Tribeca-Winning Medieval Fantasy NOVEMBER
November, the black metal-inspired medieval fantasy and Estonia’s official entry to the 90th Academy Awards, has released the stunning surreal trailer and poster. The film which won the award for Best Cinematography at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival will open theatrically in New York City on February 23rd, and in Los Angeles on March 2nd.
In this tale of love and survival in 19th century Estonia, peasant girl Liina longs for village boy Hans, but Hans is inexplicably infatuated by the visiting German baroness that possesses all that he longs for. For Liina, winning Hans’ requited love proves incredibly complicated in this dark, harsh landscape where spirits, werewolves, plagues, and the devil himself converge, where thievery is rampant, and where souls are highly regarded, but come quite cheap.
With alluring black and white cinematography, director Rainer Sarnet vividly captures these motley lives as they toil to exist – but is existence worth anything if it lacks a soul?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19QZy1YHL50
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2018 MidWest WeirdFest Announces Full Program, Opens with Wisconsin Premiere of PICKINGS
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PICKINGS[/caption]
The MidWest WeirdFest today announced the full program for its second annual film festival – a cinematic celebration of of all things fantastic, frightening, offbeat, and just plain weird – which will take place March 9-11, 2018 at the Micon Cinemas Downtown in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Opening the festival is the Wisconsin premiere of PICKINGS from director Usher Morgan. In this neo-noir, western, thriller a short-tempered mobster and his gang of thugs try to shake down a neighborhood bar. But they’re soon confronted with the wrath of its owner: a mysterious southern mother with a dangerous past. PICKINGS is a twisting, blood-drenched, super-stylized, thrill ride, sure to delight fans of Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL and Robert Rodriguez’s SIN CITY.
And for closing night, MidWest WeirdFest presents director Amara Cash’s DADDY ISSUES. A compelling and at times confronting film that tracks a bizarre love triangle: Maya, a desperate young artist, is unaware that her new girlfriend is involved in an emotionally charged, co-dependent, fetish relationship with a neurotic and drug-addicted sugar daddy: a man who is also Maya’s biological father. All three lovers are oblivious to the dark secret of their entanglement, and revelation will change them, forever…
“This year’s festival program runs a weird and wonderful gamut, ranging from the boldest and bloodiest in sci-fi and horror, through documentaries of the strange and macabre, to twisting thrillers and erotic underground dramas” says festival director Dean Bertram, an Australian expatriate and veteran of the international film festival scene. “Whether you want to be thrilled, terrified, mesmerized or titillated you’re going to find an abundance of entertaining films in this unique cinematic smorgasbord.”
Some other fantastic titles the festival announces today include:
CANNIBALS AND CARPET FITTERS (Dr: James Bushe) 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 of a horror comedy, that tastes like a wickedly decadent blend of SHAUN OF THE DEAD and THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.
IMPOSSIBLE HORROR (Dr: Justin Decloux) Lily, an insomniac filmmaker, hears a sinister scream outside her window every night. Determined to help the screaming person, she heads into the darkness of her neighbourhood. There she meets Hannah, a veteran “scream hunter”, obsessed with putting a stop to the nightly occurrence. The young women join forces to solve the bloodcurdling mystery, and quickly discover that its source may be an otherworldly threat that drives its victims into madness – and Lily and Hannah are next.
THE MILWAUKEE MAFIA: FRANK BALISTRIERI (Director: Jason Love)
Frank Peter Balistrieri (AKA “Mr. Big”, “Big Frank”, “Mr. Slick”, and “Mad Bomber”) was the most notorious and dangerous Mob Boss in Milwaukee’s history. In this documentary, learn about the secret world of organized crime through the lens of the most dangerous man in Milwaukee. Known for using car bombs to murder his enemies, Frank Balistrieri was willing to do anything to keep his power over the city.
OFFICER PIGSLEY (Director: Kevin Losani, Michael J. Widger) In a a city full of superheroes and monstrous villains, a clumsy police officer stumbles upon an evil conspiracy. He has to decide whether it’s worth taking the law into his own hands – and risking his life – to save a city that despises him. An indie epic, that bats miles above its meager budget, and delivers laughs, gasps, and feels.