• Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat to Attend Melbourne International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_30476" align="aligncenter" width="800"]Alia Shawkat Alia Shawkat[/caption] Actress Alia Shawkat, best known for playing droll teenage con-artist Maeby Fünke in cult TV comedy series Arrested Development, is set to delight Australian fans as a guest of this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival. [caption id="attachment_30475" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Benjamin Dickey and Alia Shawkat star in BLAZE Benjamin Dickey and Alia Shawkat star in BLAZE[/caption] In town for the screening of Ethan Hawke-directed biopic Blaze (which tells the story of country and western songwriter Blaze Foley and stars Shawkat as Foley’s love interest), the accomplished former child star will participate in a special In Conversation event at the Comedy Theatre – discussing her life and career and sharing some of the inspiration behind her multi-disciplinary creative course, which has seen her develop as a talented jazz singer, pianist, painter and illustrator. Since wrapping the first iteration of Arrested Development in 2006 and appearing in its more recent Netflix reprisal, the highly sought-after actor has continued to make her mark in film and television: most recently returning to the role of Dory in the cult hit Search Party as well as executive producing, co-writing and starring in the independent psychodrama Duck Butter. Other notable film roles include Green Room, 20th Century Women, Nasty Baby (MIFF 2015) and Whip It, while television appearances include Transparent, Drunk History, Portlandia and Broad City. Moderated by author and broadcaster Lorin Clarke, Alia Shawkat in Conversation will be Shawkat’s only Australian appearance – a not-to-be-missed event for fans of the actress and popular culture alike. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXvwFdTTwhI

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  • Documentary A WHALE OF A TALE on Controversy Surrounding Whaling Sets Release Date

    A Whale of a Time In 2010, Taiji, a sleepy fishing town in Japan, suddenly found itself in the worldwide media spotlight. The Cove, a documentary denouncing the town’s longstanding whale and dolphin hunting traditions, won an Academy Award and almost overnight, Taiji became the go-to destination and battleground for activists from around the world. Can a proud 400-year-old whaling tradition survive a tsunami of modern animal-rights activism and colliding forces of globalism vs. localism? A Whale of a Time reveals the complex story behind the ongoing debate. Told through a wide range of characters including local fishermen, international activists and anAmerican journalist (and long time Japanese resident), this powerful documentary unearths a deep divide in eastern and western thought about nature and wildlife and cultural sensitivity in the face of global activism. A Whale of a Time will open theatrically in New York on Friday, August 17 (The Quad) and Los Angeles on Friday, August 24 (Laemmle Music Hall) with a nationwide release to follow. In 2008, Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki directed and produced her first feature-length documentary Herb & Dorothy, about legendary New York art collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel. The film went on to win top honors at many international film festivals and was released theatrically nationwide and as a part of PBS’s Independent Lens series. In 2013, Megumi completed the highly anticipated follow-up Herb & Dorothy 50X50, focusing on the next (and final) chapter in the lives of the beloved couple. The film had a nationwide theatrical release and continues to screen in theaters, museums and art fairs around the globe. A Whale of a Time is her third feature length and had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and has won awards in many other festivals worldwide. In August 2017, Sasaki published her first book with the same title of the film in Japanese, OKUJIRASAMA depicting behind the scenes of the film’s production and the in-depth historical and religious background information of the whaling controversy that won the Science Journalist Award in 2018.

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  • Documentary HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD on German Film Industry Under Third Reich Gets DVD Release [Trailer]

    Hitlers Hollywood Hitler’s Hollywood is a new documentary directed by Rüdiger Suchsland and narrated by Udo Kier, that traces the rise and fall of Nazi Germany through its national cinema of 1933-1945, illustrated with clips from the many big spectacles, colorful fantasies and lavish costume films that Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels conceived of to rival Hollywood. An Official Selection of the Telluride Film Festival, this critically-acclaimed film opened at New York’s Film Forum earlier this year before moving on to engagements in national markets including Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta. Kino Lorber will release Hitler’s Hollywood on DVD on July 10. Hitler’s Hollywood, narrated by Udo Kier, asks what the Nazi cinema of the Third Reich reveals about its period and its people. About 1000 feature films were made in Germany in the years between 1933-1945: musicals, melodramas, romances, costume dramas and war films. Only a few were overtly Nazi propaganda films. But by the same token, even fewer of them can be considered harmless entertainment. How did the open lies and hidden truths in these films affect the future of German cinema? Director Rüdiger Suchsland (From Caligari to Hitler) presents these films and the people behind them. It explains how propaganda works: how stereotypes of the “enemy” and values of love and hate managed to be planted into viewers’ heads through the screen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVeFBjVcglU Hitler’s Hollywood is Suchsland’s follow-up to his 2014 film From Caligari to Hitler, a documentary adaptation of Siegfried Kracauer’s ground-breaking 1947 psychological study of silent German cinema that argues the rise of Nazism was anticipated in many of the films from that period. Kino Lorber also recently released Forbidden Films: The Hidden Legacy of Nazi Film on DVD. This documentary by Felix Moeller examines those films made in Nazi Germany that were conceived and presented explicitly as propaganda, and explores questions of whether they should be shown for the purposes of study, or locked away for their dangerous (and powerful) ideological messages. Together, these three documentaries present a comprehensive view of the cinema in Germany just before and during the Third Reich, posing challenging questions about cinema as an indicator of larger historical currents, the power of film as propaganda, and how even seemingly harmless entertainment films can be used to convey dangerous ideology.

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  • Bradford Baruh’s ‘Wild and Blood-Soaked’ DEAD NIGHT Drops Official Trailer + Poster

    Dead Night Bradford Baruh’s directorial debut, Dead Night with genre icon Barbara Crampton as lead actress and producer, today released the official trailer and poster. Dark Sky Films will release Dead Night starring Brea Grant, AJ Bowen, Sophie Dalah, Elise Luthman, Joshua Hoffman, and Daniel Roebuck in theaters and digital/VOD on July 27, 2018. Dead Night Poster James and his wife Casey load up their two teenage kids and head out to a remote cabin in Oregon for a weekend trip. When James heads into the snowy forest in search of firewood, he encounters an enigmatic woman passed out in the snow. Bringing her back to the cabin for help, the family has no way of knowing that the woman’s presence is the catalyst for a series of events that will change their lives forever. Mixing original storytelling with timeless supernatural elements, Bradford Baruh’s directorial debut features a stellar cast of genre favorites including AJ Bowen and Barbara Crampton and delivers a wild and blood-soaked weekend away. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyKyboTBsU4

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  • Baby Mamas, The Tale, Rafiki Among Durban International Film Festival 2018 Program Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_30442" align="aligncenter" width="1474"]Baby Mamas Baby Mamas[/caption] This year’s 2018 Durban International Film Festival will offer a focused fare of 180 features films, documentaries, and shorts, along with an insightful industry program that includes Isisphethu for emerging and micro-budget filmmakers, the 11th Talents Durban, in partnership with Berlinale Talents, for pre-selected, semi-established filmmakers as well as the co-production and finance forum the 9th Durban FilmMart, the festival’s partner program with the Durban Film Office. Opening the festival is the first feature film from South African director Jerome Pikwane, the horror flick The Tokoloshe. The LGTBI love-story Rafiki, directed by Kenyan Wanuri Kahiu, will close the festival. Manager of DIFF Chipo Zhou, explains the choice of these two diverse films that have women as their focus. “We wanted to book-end DIFF with films that tell stories about women, their strength and their resilience. We also want to showcase the fact that there are many ways to tell these stories from a cinematic point of view,” said Zhou. “We are in a time of diversity, where women, racial minorities and LGBTI communities who have traditionally been underrepresented in film are having their voices brought to the fore,” says Zhou. “Referencing this global narrative, the films in this year’s festival will reflect these new voices as much as possible.” Among the features in competition this year are South African films Farewell Ella Bella directed by Lwazi Mvusi, which follows a young woman on a journey to bury her father; High Fantasy directed by Jenna Bass, in which a group of young South Africans have to navigate a personal-political labyrinth when they wake up to discover they have swapped bodies; Sara Blecher’s Mayfair, a gangster film about a father and son; and The Recce by Ferdinand van Zyl, which explores the pain and suffering families endured during and after South Africa’s 20-year border war. International features in competition include The Tale (USA) directed by Jennifer Fox, which chronicles one woman’s powerful investigation into her own childhood memories as she is forced to re-examine her first sexual experience; Clint (India) by Hari Kumar, which tells the story of prodigious artist child who died before his seventh birthday, leaving behind 25000 pictures; and the closing film Rafiki (Kenya), directed by Wanuri Kahiu, which is set in Nairobi and tells the touching tale of two very different girls who fall in love. Competition titles in the documentary section include the South African film Silas, a global tale directed by Anjali Nayar and Hawa Essuman which warns of the power of politics and celebrates the capacity of individuals to fight back, and Whispering Truth to Power, directed by human rights lawyer Shameela Seedat, which tracks Thuli Madonsela, South Africa’s first female Public Protector, as she builds her second case against President Jacob Zuma. International documentaries in competition include New Moon (Kenya), directed by Phillippa Ndisi-Herrmann, who explores her journey to Sufi Islam; Amal (Lebanon, Egypt, France, Germany, Norway, Denmark), directed by Mohamed Siam, which follows a teenager as she comes to terms with her identity and sexuality in a post-revolutionary police state;  Shakedown (USA) directed by Leilah Weinraub, which chronicles explicit performances in an underground queer club in Los Angeles; and The State Against Nelson Mandela and the Others (France) by Nicolas Champeaux and Gilles Porte, which offers archival recordings that include Mandela’s co-accused at the Rivonia Treason Trial hearings, and which transports the audience back into the courtroom battles. Other South African films on the billing include Durban filmmaker Michael Cross’ award-winning The Fun’s Not Over, about the life of musician James Philips, and Eubulus Timothy’s warm, coming-of-age surf love story Deepend.  Sisters of the Wilderness is Karin Slater’s inspiring film which is set in the iMfolozi Wilderness and follows five young Zulu women on a journey of self-discovery. Then there is Oscar-nominated director Darrel Roodt’s horror Siembamba, Stephina Zwane’s comedy Baby Mamas, which revolves around the daily lives and loves of four women and their own real-life baby mama drama, Leli Maki’s comedy Table Manners, in which  a wife and mother finds solace and hope in cooking, learning that all she needs is life’s three courses – family, food and love. Prior to each screening, public service announcements will be shown. These are themed around an industry campaign #thatsnotok created by SWIFT (Sisters Working in Film and Television), the SA-based non-profit that works to protect and advance the cause of women in the industry. In 2018 DIFF continues its endeavours to grow cinema audiences and this year free community-based screenings will take place at Solomon Mahlangu Hall (New Germany/Clermont), KwaMashu Fan Park, Umlazi W Section Library and The Workshop Amphitheatre. Other screenings take place at Community ZA (formerly Artspace Gallery in Umgeni) and KZNSA Gallery, Musgrave Ster Kinekor, Suncoast Cine Centre and Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, as well as Ushaka Marine World, where the popular free ocean-focused film festival Wavescapeswill take place in the public area. “With about 400 film-makers in attendance, the public can look forward to a feast of film and some fascinating insights into the world of cinema,” concludes Zhou. The DIFF is organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts in partnership with the eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission, National Film and Video Foundation, Durban Film Office and other valuable partners. DIFF opens at The Playhouse on July 19 and runs until July 29. The closing film will be screened on July 28, after the competition awards.

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  • Robert Paschall Jr.’s “24 Hour Film” SEGFAULT Eyes A Fall Release Date [Trailer]

    [caption id="attachment_30436" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Segfault Segfault[/caption] Segfault, the unique film, written and directed by Robert Paschall Jr. and starring Shannon Lucio is set to premiere in the fall in many major cities across North America, including Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Dallas, Vancouver, and Houston via Factory Film Studio. The Story: Without any memory of who she is or her past, Blair (Shannon Lucio) wakes up in a hotel room with a dead body. After receiving a mysterious phone call, she flees in search of answers and is immediately pursued by a corrupt organization that is determined to keep the truth of her identity concealed. With the help of Victoria (Cassie Shea Watson) and Frank (Stephen Brodie), Blair is confronted with a sequence of startling discoveries that exposes a reality she never could’ve imagined. Factory Film Studio CCO, Michael Lilly, “This movie was made in less than 24 hours, with a lead actress who was given no script, storyline or even a character name. It’s not often that we see a movie that is as perceptive, innovative and suspenseful as this. We are excited to bring it to the North American audience.” “We know Factory Film Studio knows perfectly well what kind of audiences are going to be intrigued by this film that was made in the spirit of absolute freedom,” said Paschall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzCbl3OYuE

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  • Greenwich Entertainment to Release Jeremy Workman’s Documentary THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET

    The World Before Your Feet Jeremy Workman’s documentary The World Before Your Feet, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival, will release be released theatrically later this year by Greenwich Entertainment. Executive produced by Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Café Society), this personal and moving documentary follows Matt Green, who for six years has walked every block of every street in New York City. This journey of over 8000 miles takes Green and the audience to each neighborhood in the five boroughs and reveals the humanity and wonder of the world’s greatest city. Critics raved following the film’s SXSW premiere with The Hollywood Reporter’s John DeFore saying “a Gotham-set charmer about the pleasures of wandering,” RogerEbert.com’s Nick Allen declaring the film “lovely…inspired me to get outside and look around,” and The Playlist’s Gary Garrison calling it “an utterly compelling joy.” “Jeremy has found in Matt Green, a kind of contemporary Thoreau, and in the process of documenting Matt’s quest has made one of the most poignant and inspiring city symphonies in documentary history,” according to Greenwich co-managing director Edward Arentz. “Jesse and I are thrilled and honored that Greenwich Entertainment will be releasing The World Before Your Feet and helping audiences discover Matt’s unique journey,” said Workman. “With the passion that Edward and his team have for this film, we know this is the ideal partnership.

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  • EXCLUSIVE: Watch a Clip from Documentary MAYNARD, on Maynard Jackson Jr., First Black Mayor of Atlanta [Video]

    Atlanta. Mayor Maynard Jackson , Coretta Scott King and Nelson Mandela Here is an exclusive clip from the new documentary MAYNARD on the remarkable story of the unparalleled success of Maynard Jackson Jr., who became first black Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in 1973. 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 which will be released by Virgil Films on iTunes and digital platforms and dvd retailers on Tuesday, July 3, 2018. Maynard interviews include President Bill Clinton, Al Sharpton, Vernon Jordan, Ambassador Andrew Young, Rev. Joseph Lowery, Jesse Jackson, former Atlanta Mayor’s Sam Massell and Shirley Franklin, and current Mayor Kasim Reed to name a few.

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  • First Look – See New images from Patrick Cunningham’s Surreal Thriller MODEL HOME World Premiering at North Bend Film Festival

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    MODEL HOME Patrick Cunningham has released new cryptic stills from his directorial debut, the surreal thriller Model Home, which will World Premiere at the inaugural North Bend Film Festival.  Model Home follows a single mother suffering from bipolar disorder who begins to entertain dangerous fantasies while working as a live-in caretaker of an unsold Model Home. The debut film from director/writer Patrick Cunningham transports us to a surreal world of barren promises where the American Dream becomes the American Nightmare. Following in the cinematic lineage of Kubrick’s The Shining Cunningham’s twisting tale of ostrasization was co-written and produced by William Day Frank (Mickey Keating’s Psychopaths and POD) and stars Monique Curnen (The Dark Knight, Taken the TV series), Emmy award winner Kathy Baker (Take Shelter, Age of Adaline), Luke Ganalon, and Jon Jon Briones (Miss Saigon on Broadway). Model Home will have its World Premiere at the first edition of the North Bend Film Festival running from August 23rd to the 26th 2018 in North Bend, Washington. The North Bend FF is focused on vanguard programming and innovative means of storytelling and providing a platform for emerging filmmakers. Working directly with the town of North Bend, the destination festival will be an event for the local community, Northwest creatives, and national genre film industry to enjoy together. Click to see images from Model Home [gallery ids="30414,30413,30412,30411,30410"]

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  • 3 IDIOTAS, Mexican Remake of Indian Comedy-Drama to Open Jagran Film Festival [Trailer]

    3 Idiotas 3 Idiotas – a Mexican remake of multiple award winning Indian film, 3 Idiots will premiere in India as the opening night film of the 9th Jagran Film Festival (JFF). The heartfelt and relatable instances in the film has made it one of the highest grossing films in Mexico, in 2017. Mexican actors Alfonso Dosal, Christian Vazquez, German Valdez and Martha Higareda play the roles of Aamir Khan, Sharman Joshi, R. Madhavan and Kareena Kapoor respectively, from the Indian version. The plot, much like 3 Idiots, is a coming of age film revolving around a group of close friends who go on a humorous and memorable adventure in search of their close college friend that went missing five years ago, just a day before their graduation ceremony. It showcases the ups and downs in a friendship and the bond they forge while searching for their beloved friend. This year, JFF received nearly 3500 submissions across genres from 100 countries. The curated program will showcase over 200 films. The competition segment will include International and Indian Features, Shorts, Indian Documentaries and Student Films. The non-competitive segment will include Thematic Specials, a Retrospective, Tributes, India Showcase, World Panorama and Hot Shorts. The 2018 edition of the Jagran Film Festival that will connect 18 cities and showcase over 200 films will commence in Delhi and tour to other Indian cities like Kanpur, Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Dehradun, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bhopal, Indore, Gorakhpur, Agra, Ludhiana, Hissar, Meerut and Raipur before concluding in Mumbai in September. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqwR_28VjcA

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  • RomeFilmFest 2018: Fest Reveals Sneak Previews + Lifetime Achievement Award for Martin Scorsese

    Martin Scorsese The Artistic Director Antonio Monda of Rome Film Fest today announced several sneak previews of the upcoming thirteenth edition which will take place from October 18th to 28th 2018. The complete lineup will be announced at a press conference to be held on Friday October 5th.

    CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

    Like every year, ample space will be dedicated to the Close Encounters with directors, actors and leading figures in the world of art and culture. The first names announced include:

    Martin Scorsese | Lifetime Achievement Award

    The thirteenth Rome Film Fest will celebrate Martin Scorsese, one of the finest figures in the history of the seventh art, bestowing him with the Lifetime Achievement Award that will be presented by Paolo Taviani. On this occasion, the American filmmaker, author of a remarkable series of masterpieces from Mean Streets and Taxi Driver to Raging Bull, from Goodfellas to Casino, from Gangs of New York to The Departed, from The Wolf of Wall Street to Silence, will take part in a Close Encounter with the public. In conversation with festival director Antonio Monda, Scorsese will review his fifty-year career and discuss a selection of clips from Italian films that have had a long-lasting effect on his life and his work. Scorsese will also present a newly restored version of a classic of Italian cinema, and have a public conversation with students from the Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”.

    Sigourney Weaver

    From science fiction to thrillers, from comedy to socially-engaged films: throughout a career that stretches across five decades, Sigourney Weaver has played profoundly different roles thanks to the combination of talent and acting skills that have made her one of the most versatile actresses in contemporary cinema. The list of filmmakers who have directed her, from Ridley Scott to Ivan Reitman, from Mike Nichols to Ang Lee, from Roman Polanski to David Fincher and James Cameron, is impressive. She gave memorable performances in the ‘Alien’ and ‘Ghostbusters’ sagas, in Gorillas in the Mist and Working Girl (which won her the Golden Globe), in Death and the Maiden and Avatar, the biggest box-office hit in the history of cinema.

    Giuseppe Tornatore

    The Sicilian director is one of the most beloved and award-winning auteurs in Italian cinema. His stories have reached beyond the borders of Italy: from the Oscar® with Cinema Paradiso to his nominations for The Star Maker, from Malèna to Baarìa, from The Legend of 1900 to The Unknown Woman, from The Best Offer to Correspondence, Tornatore has produced a universal language based on an personal style, suspended between nostalgia and illusion, intimacy and sensation. At the next Rome Film Fest, the filmmaker will take part in an encounter in which he will discuss with the audience his passion for the noir genre, between literature and cinema.

    Pierre Bismuth

    Pierre Bismuth’s works include exhibitions and video-installations presenting a revolutionary combination of genres and languages, from sculpture to painting, from collage to architecture all the way to music. The French artist won the Oscar®, with Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, considered one of the best films of the past decade. He later made his directorial debut with the feature-length film Where is Rocky II?, half-way between fiction and reality. The Close Encounter with Bismuth will be held at the MAXXI in collaboration with Videocittà.

    Luca Bigazzi and Arnaldo Catinari

    The cinematographer is one of the most important figures in the production of a film and over the course of the decades, has produced extraordinary “light wizards”, who have won great international acclaim. Two of them will meet for a conversation at the Rome Film Fest: Luca Bigazzi, who earned his place in the history of Italian cinema by winning seven David di Donatello and seven Nastro d’Argento awards, and Arnaldo Catinari, the cinematographer of films such as Light of My Eyes, La vita che vorrei, The Caiman, Tell Me About Love, The Demons of St. Petersburg, Angel of Evil.

    Giogiò Franchini and Esmeralda Calabria

    Because of its critical role, the theme of film editing has been one of the most highly debated in the field of film theory. The Rome Film Fest will bring two famous Italian film editors face to face: on one side, Giogiò Franchini, who has worked with directors such as Paolo Sorrentino, Jonathan Demme and Giovanni Veronesi and won the David di Donatello Award for The Girl By The Lake by Andrea Molajoli; on the other, Esmeralda Calabria, film editor for auteurs such as Nanni Moretti, Francesca Archibugi and Giuseppe Piccioni, winner of both the David di Donatello and the Nastro d’Argento awards for Romanzo criminale by Michele Placido.

    SPECIAL EVENT

    Notti Magiche by Paolo Virzì

    The acclaimed Tuscan filmmaker – considered one of the greatest heirs of the commedia all’italiana tradition, who directed a series of box-office hits including Hardboiled Egg, Human Capital, The First Beautiful Thing, Tutta la vita davanti, Like Crazy and The Leisure Seeker – sets his latest film in Rome in 1990 during the summer of the football world cup. The film is produced by Marco Belardi for Lotus Production, a division of the Leone Film Group, with Rai Cinema, and will be distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution.

    RETROSPECTIVES

    The retrospectives of the thirteenth Rome Film Fest, curated by Mario Sesti, will be dedicated to two sophisticated exponents of great European cinema. On the one side, Peter Sellers, the multifaceted English artist, known for his extraordinary comedic talent and the lucid madness of his characters – first and foremost Inspector Clouseau – yet also a respected performer of dramatic roles; on the other, Maurice Pialat, the French filmmaker, winner of the Golden Palm at Cannes for Under the Sun of Satan, author of cinema that deliberately eschews labels, but always deals with themes and feelings charged with exceptional emotional tension. The retrospective on Peter Sellers will be held in collaboration with the British Embassy and the British Council, the one on Maurice Pialat will be organized with the Cineteca di Bologna and the Embassy of France.

    FILM RESTORATIONS

    Several important Italian films will screen at the next Rome Film Fest in a newly-restored version: among them, Italiani brava gente by Giuseppe De Santis. The filmmaker, one of the founding masters of Neo-Realism, winner of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 1995, evokes the tragedy of Italian soldiers during the Russia campaign in World War II. The restoration was completed by the Cineteca Nazionale.

    A PORTRAIT OF MARCELLO MASTROIANNI

    Between October and January, the Museum of the Ara Pacis will host an important exhibition dedicated to one of the symbols of Italian cinema in the world: Marcello Mastroianni. The exhibition, curated by Gian Luca Farinelli, is promoted by Musei di Roma, Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Luce Cinecittà, Equa di Camilla Morabito.

    THE FILMS OF OUR LIVES: NOIRS

    Like every year, the Artistic Director and the members of the Selection Committee will present the films that influenced their passion for the cinema: after westerns and musicals, this year’s choice is the film noir. Each film will be accompanied by a conversation with directors, actors and guests. Furthermore, before each screening, spectators will enjoy short clips of the most famous and beloved film noirs.

    THE ROME FILM FEST IN THE CITY

    The Auditorium Parco della Musica has been the heart of the Rome Film Fest since 2006 with the red carpet and the screening venues. Like every year, the Rome Film Fest will extend to several other locations in the city, including the Auditorium of the Rebibbia Prison (Nuovo Complesso) and the Women’s Ward in Rome. Following the success of the pilot-project that took place last year in Via della Frezza, the Rome Film Fest has decided to continue bringing its initiatives into the heart of the city, extending its iconic Red Carpet to a multiplicity of meeting points in the historic city centre of Rome. The project, organized by the communication group HDRA, will be called IT WILL HAPPEN ON THE RED CARPET and its goal will be to promote quality cinema and the city of Rome, bringing together citizens, tourists and international celebrities. The activities, which will focus on cinema, culture, new trends, fashion, design and fine music, will take place along a fascinating itinerary that will wind through the streets of the Capital, with the assistance and collaboration of institutions, merchants’ associations and private sponsors.

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  • 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Announces Winners, FAUVE Wins Best of the Festival

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    [caption id="attachment_30392" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Fauve, Jérémy Comte Fauve, Jérémy Comte[/caption] After screening 333 short films, the 2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest, the largest short film festival and only short film market in North America, announced its Festival award winners on Sunday, June 24, 2018.  More than $87,500 in prizes, including $27,000 in cash awards were awarded in 21 categories. “The award winners truly capture the amazing pool of talent and the incredible range of films found at the festival,” said Festival Director Lili Rodriguez. “We’re honored to witness and share such a skilled level of filmmaking and can’t wait to do it again next year.”

    2018 Palm Springs International ShortFest Award Winners

    JURY AWARDS

    Jury Awards and awards in the non-student and student competition categories were selected by ShortFest jury members Penelope Bartlett (Programmer for the Criterion Collection), Marc-André Grondin (Actor), Brian Hu (Artistic Director of Pacific Arts Movement, Presenter of the San Diego Asian Film Festival, Assistant Professor of TV, Film, and New Media at San Diego State University), Missy Laney (Director of Development at Adult Swim) and Ina Pira (Curator at Vimeo).

    BEST OF FESTIVAL AWARD

    Winner received $5,000 cash prize courtesy of the Greater Palm Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau. The winner of this award may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration. Fauve (Canada), Jérémy Comte Set in a surface mine, two boys sink into a seemingly innocent power game with Mother Nature as the sole observer. https://vimeo.com/246704892  

    BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT

    Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to the best short produced outside of the U.S. or Canada, Coyote (Switzerland), Lorenz Wunderle The film shows a tragic coyote, who loses his family during an attack by wolves.

    BEST NORTH AMERICAN SHORT

    Winner received $1,000 and the use of a camera package valued at $60,000 courtesy of Panavision. Awarded to the best short produced in the U.S. or Canada. Caroline (USA), Logan George, Celine Held When plans fall through, a six-year-old is faced with a big responsibility on a hot Texas day.

    NON-STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS

    All first place winners in the non-student categories received a cash award of $2,000 and may be eligible to submit their film to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar® consideration.

    BEST ANIMATED SHORT

    Nevada (USA), Emily Ann Hoffman In this stop-motion animated comedy, a young couple’s romantic weekend getaway is interrupted by a birth control mishap.

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES

    Shadow Animals (Sweden), Jerry Carlsson Marall follows her parents to a party and they want her to behave. As the evening progresses she finds the adults’ behavior increasingly strange.

    BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER

    Fence (Kosovo/France), Lendita Zeqiraj A chaotic moment in a family gathering of a woman with children and an unexpected visitor with his dog. Special Mention: Nursey Rhymes (Australia), Tom Noakes – On the side of a rural highway, a bizarre encounter with a Metalhead takes a profound turn.

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Dulce (Colombia/USA), Guille Isa, Angello Faccini In coastal Colombia, a mother teaches her daughter how to swim so that she may go to the mangroves and harvest the piangua shellfish with the other women in the village. Special Mention: After/Life (USA), Puck Lo – In an Arizona desert, a dystopic collective nightmare unfolds where US domestic and foreign policies collide.

    STUDENT COMPETITION AWARDS

    All first place winners in these categories received a $500 cash prize.

    BEST STUDENT ANIMATION

    Perfect Town (Switzerland), Anaïs Voirol In search of perfection a whole city obeys to selection. A constant struggle. Trying and trying again. Where is the difference between endurance and madness?

    BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT OVER 15 MINUTES

    Satán (Switzerland/Mexico), Carlos Tapia González Everyday, Tiago goes into his garden to feed the crocodile that killed his brother.

    BEST STUDENT LIVE ACTION SHORT 15 MINUTES AND UNDER

    Kira Burning (USA), Laurel Parmet Teenage Kira attempts to take revenge after a heartbreaking betrayal by her ex-best friend.

    BEST STUDENT DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Palenque (Colombia/USA), Sebastián Pinzón Silva Guided by motifs of life and death, Palenque is an ode to a small town that has greatly contributed to the collective memory of Colombia: San Basilio de Palenque, the first town in the Americas to have broken free from European domination.

    ALEXIS AWARD FOR BEST EMERGING STUDENT FILMMAKER

    The Alexis Award was created in honor of Alexis Echavarria, whose talent as a budding filmmaker and gift for inspiring excellence among his fellow students were cut short suddenly in 2005 at age 16. This year two films were selected to receive the award, which is a cash prize of $500 each. Imfura (Switzerland/Rwanda), Samuel Ishimwe How can one get an idea of the issues connected with the ruined home of a family who is a victim of the Rwandan genocide? A young man returns to the village where his deceased mother was born. He seeks to adopt a bruised collective recollection. Intoned chants all represent voices of possible reconciliation. Cross My Heart (USA/Jamaica), Sontenish Myers An American teenage girl visits her family in Jamaica and uncovers a secret that changes the way she sees the people she loves. This film explores the culture of silence amongst women, the kinds of secrets we keep and who they’re actually protecting.

    AUDIENCE AWARDS

    BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

    Beneath the Ink (USA), Cy Dodson In a time when society’s belief systems are seemingly changing, or even reverting back in time. One Ohio artist Billy Joe White is challenging his Appalachian region by saying: “bring me your mistakes”. Inspired by recent events, White and his tattoo shop are promoting a simple concept: ERASE THE HATE. Beneath the Ink is a timely look at hatred and racism in one Appalachian community and reveals heartfelt stories of change and redemption.

    LIVE ACTION SHORT

    Trois Pages (Canada), Roger Gariépy An unassuming middle-aged accountant learns he has only weeks to live. Rather than tell everyone, Martin determines to learn the three pages of a Bach adagio for piano he’d abandoned as a child. That accomplished, he performs the piece for his wife and friends, completing his life and thanking those who brightened it along the way.

    BEST ANIMATION SHORT

    Bilby (USA), Pierre Perifel, Liron Topaz, JP Sans In the deadly desert of Australia, a lonesome Bilby finds himself tied with a helpless baby bird.

    BEST STUDENT SHORT

    Untitled Short Film About White People (USA), Nicholas Colia A Drumpf-era comedy about a female yuppie who overcompensates for her white guilt by aggressively trying to befriend the Indian woman who works at her local Brooklyn bodega. It doesn’t go great.

    ADDITIONAL PRIZES

    FUTURE FILMMAKER AWARD

    Winner received a $2,000 cash prize. Awarded to a filmmaker whose work and vision point ot a bright and prospective career in cinema. Mamartuile (Mexico), Alejandro Saevich The president of Mexico spends his final days in office making plans for his future. Everything looks in order until an international conflict interrupts his pleasant rest. Special Mention: Falling (France), Benjamin Vu – In the winter of 1994 in the French suburbs, Léo and Baptiste, two polar opposite students, meet up one evening to work on a school presentation.

    VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD

    Films featured in competition are eligible for the Vimeo Staff Pick Award, which includes a $4,000 cash prize. The winning film will be released on Vimeo June 25, 2018. Rewind Forward (Switzerland), Justin Stoneham Reliving the past is sometimes the only way to move forward.

    BRIDGING THE BORDERS AWARD PRESENTED BY CINEMA WITHOUT BORDERS

    $2,500 courtesy of Go Energistics; Awarded by the Cinema Without Borders jury to the short that is most successful in bridging and connecting the people of our world closer together. Mon Amour, Mon Ami (Italy/France), Adriano Valerio Is it possible to stage a wedding with someone who really loves you? Special Mentions: The Last Refugees (USA/Jordan), Tanaz Eshaghian – This cinema vérité style documentary follows the Kalajis—originally from the besieged city of Aleppo —allowing for a peek into the lives of those who seek a new life in America. The viewer becomes immersed in this family’s journey as they travel from Jordan to their new home of Philadelphia. Scaffold (Canada), Kazik Radwanksi – Recent immigrants to Canada, working on scaffolding break the routine of their job by observing the people in the the neighbourhood from a unique, precarious and ephemeral vantage point.

    YOUTH JURY AWARD

    Awarded by ShortFest youth juries composed of local students interested in cinema and the arts. Each winner received a $250 cash prize. Kids’ Choice (Ages 13 and under) – $250 One Small Step (USA/China), Bobby Pontillas, Andrew Chesworth Luna, a young Chinese American girl, dreams of becoming an astronaut. Supported by her humble father, Luna endeavors to make her dreams come true. Young Cineastes (Ages 14-17) – $250 Sin Cielo (USA), Jianna Maarten A modern day Romeo and Juliet story of two star crossed lovers along Mexico’s northern border where Dollars rule and girl’s bodies turn up mysteriously in the river or never at all.

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