DAVE MADE A MAZE[/caption]
The Florida Film Festival announced the Grand Jury and Audience Awards of the 2017 Florida Film Festival which took place April 21 to 30, 2017, in Maitland and Winter Park, Florida. The Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to DAVE MADE A MAZE, directed by Bill Watterson and the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to RAT FILM, directed by Theo Anthony.
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DAVE MADE A MAZE, RAT FILM, STRAD STYLE, GIRL FLU Win Top Awards at 2017 Florida Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_21637" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] DAVE MADE A MAZE[/caption]
The Florida Film Festival announced the Grand Jury and Audience Awards of the 2017 Florida Film Festival which took place April 21 to 30, 2017, in Maitland and Winter Park, Florida. The Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to DAVE MADE A MAZE, directed by Bill Watterson and the Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature was presented to RAT FILM, directed by Theo Anthony.
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COLUMBUS and UNREST Selected for Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship
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Unrest[/caption]
Sundance Institute has selected two acclaimed works from the 2017 Sundance Film Festival: Columbus, from director and screenwriter Kogonada, and Unrest, a documentary directed by Jennifer Brea for its Creative Distribution Fellowship. The fellowship is a new initiative to support filmmaking teams seeking a more entrepreneurial approach to the release of their work.
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “Columbus and Unrest are perfect examples of the creative spirit of independent filmmaking, and this new Fellowship will provide them with resources, mentorship and tactical support to pioneer independent pathways to audiences. This entrepreneurial approach to marketing, distribution and audience building empowers independent filmmakers to release their own films, on their own terms, while retaining their rights.”
The Creative Distribution Fellowship, inspired by Sundance Institute’s long-standing Labs, will provide Columbus and Unrest with tools, resources and exclusive distribution deals in an immersive and nurturing environment. Each film will receive grants to fund marketing and distribution expenses. The Institute is working closely with the film teams to devise and execute tactics that will allow them to connect with their audiences in new and innovative ways. The filmmakers will serve as their own distributors, working with a network of professional vendors and digital retailers, with all theatrical and digital revenue flowing back to them. As a core part of the Fellowship, the producers of Columbus and Unrest are committed to sharing lessons learned from their creative distribution. These lessons will create “best practices” to help guide future independent filmmakers.
The Institute has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds and build audiences for Columbus and Unrest, which is open through Thursday, June 1.
Danielle Renfrew Behrens, producer of Columbus, said, “Many films have attempted to self-release over the years, but until recently filmmakers haven’t had the tools needed to reach their targeted audience. We’ve turned down more traditional distribution offers in the hopes of determining if this is a viable way forward for indie films with identifiable niche audiences. We’re thrilled to have Sundance Institute’s aid and guidance in navigating this new terrain, and hopefully creating a guide that other independent films can follow.”
Jennifer Brea, producer/director of Unrest, said, “We can’t wait to connect our film directly with its audience, combining a bespoke theatrical release with innovative ways of reaching those who would not be able to see the film in theaters. With the aid of the Creative Distribution Fellowship we’ll be able to actively engage with our viewers, encouraging an experience that will last far beyond the end of the film.”
Columbus stars John Cho, Haley Lu Richardson, Parker Posey, Rory Culkin and Michelle Forbes and world premiered in the NEXT section at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. In the film, Casey (Richardson) lives with her mother in a little-known Midwestern town haunted by the promise of modernism. Jin (Cho), a visitor from the other side of the world, attends to his dying father. Burdened by the future, they find respite in one another and the architecture that surrounds them. Vanity Fair wrote that Columbus “is a clever and compelling exploration into how physical structures can come to represent emotional landmarks in our personal lives, and the drive we have to share them with others.” Columbus will be released, starting theatrically, in August.
Unrest chronicles director and Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea, who was struck down at 28 by a fever that left her bedridden. Doctors told her it’s “all in your head.” Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families’ stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot. The film will have a theatrical release prior to airing as part of PBS’s ‘Independent Lens’ series in 2018.
The Creative Distribution Fellowship is part of Sundance Institute’s Creative Producing Program. Founded in 2011, the Program has empowered filmmakers navigating the changing business of independent film with online resources, live workshops and a network of allied organizations. Films it has supported include Upstream Color (Director: Shane Carruth), BURN (Directors: Brenna Sanchez and Tom Putnam), Cronies (Director: Michael Larnell), Western (Directors: Bill Ross and Turner Ross), First Girl I Loved (Director: Kerem Sanga), NUTS! (Director: Penny Lane) and HITS (Director: David Cross).
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World Premiere of THE BOOK OF HENRY Starring Naomi Watts, Sarah Silverman to Open 2017 LA Film Festival
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(L to R) Jaeden Lieberher as Henry, Jacob Tremblay as Peter, and Naomi Watts as Susan star in Colin Trevorrow’s THE BOOK OF HENRY, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alison Cohen Rosa / Focus Features[/caption]
The World Premiere of Colin Trevorrow’s The Book of Henry written by Gregg Hurwitz and starring Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman will be the opening night film of the 2017 LA Film Festival. The film also starring Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler and Dean Norris, tells the story of a single mother whose genius son’s plan to help a classmate with a dangerous secret takes shape in thrilling ways. Focus Features will release The Book of Henry on June 16.
“We are so happy to be opening the Festival with The Book of Henry, it’s a touching story about friendship, community and redefining family,” said Festival Director Jennifer Cochis. “The Book of Henry embodies our mission via onscreen representation in highlighting a woman’s journey with a powerful turn by Naomi Watts.”
“I’m honored to premiere The Book of Henry at the LA Film Festival,” said director Colin Trevorrow. “Film Independent plays such a vital role in supporting new storytellers, and I’m thrilled to be a part of this year’s exciting program.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nd60i3ZnLOE
The Festival will also feature the Gala Screening of Brigsby Bear on June 16 at 7:30 pm at ArcLight Hollywood. Brigsby Bear is directed by Dave McCary, written by Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney and stars Mark Hamill, Claire Danes, Kyle Mooney, Greg Kinnear, Andy Samberg and Michaela Watkins. Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James’s life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself. Sony Pictures Classics will release Brigsby Bear in theatres on July 28.
On the eve of the launch of Season 2 Queen Sugar, the Festival will host a premiere of the first episode of Season 2 and hold a conversation with Ava DuVernay and the female directors of Queen Sugar, on June 19 at 7:30 pm at LACMA.
The LA Film Festival takes place June 14 to June 22, 2017 headquartered at ArcLight Cinemas Culver City, with additional screenings at ArcLight Hollywood and ArcLight Santa Monica and more.
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Oliver Stone Interviews Vladimir Putin in Showtime DocuSeries THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS | Trailer
THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS, a revealing series of interviews between renowned filmmaker Oliver Stone and Vladimir Putin, will have its world television premiere on SHOWTIME over four consecutive nights starting on Monday, June 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Granted unprecedented access to both Putin’s professional and personal worlds, Oscar(R)-winning writer and director Oliver Stone (Platoon, Snowden), with the help of his longtime documentary producer Fernando Sulichin, interviewed the Russian leader more than a dozen times over the course of two years, most recently in February following the U.S. presidential elections. Since first becoming the president of Russia in 2000, Putin has never before spoken at such length or in such detail to a Western interviewer, leaving no topic off limits. In scope and depth, THE PUTIN INTERVIEWS recalls The Nixon Interviews, the series of conversations between David Frost and Richard Nixon that aired in the spring of 1977, 40 years ago.
“If Vladimir Putin is indeed the great enemy of the United States, then at least we should try to understand him,” Stone said.
During these wide-ranging interviews, Putin confronts the controversies engulfing the increasingly fragile relations between the U.S. and Russia today, including his views on President Donald Trump and allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, NATO, and fostering turmoil in Syria, Ukraine and elsewhere.
Prodded by Stone, Putin traverses a host of critical topics in sharp detail, including Putin’s rise to the Presidency, and long-term grip on power, his personal relationships with Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump – as well as Yeltsin and Gorbachev. He also talks of the legacies of Stalin and Reagan, as well as the surveillance state and Edward Snowden’s flight to asylum in Moscow, and the resignation of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
Providing intimate insight via sessions held throughout the Kremlin, Sochi and Putin’s official residence outside of Moscow, the four-hour film captures the essence and complexity of the Russian leader and his approach to the U.S. and the world, while incorporating dramatic footage of key events. The exchanges are often pointed, always thought-provoking and occasionally surreal – including a remarkable sequence where Stone introduces Putin for the first time to Stanley Kubrick’s Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove which they watched together – all serving to illuminate the mindset of one of the least understood but most important players in the geopolitical world today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrBoj760aD8
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Chilling Sci-fi/Horror THE ENDLESS from Tribeca 2017 Eyes a 2018 Release Date
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Justin Benson as Justin and Aaron Moorhead as Aaron in THE ENDLESS. Photographer: William Tanner Sampson.[/caption]
Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson’s The Endless, a chilling sci-fi/horror hybrid which premiered to rave reviews in the Narrative Feature competition section of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival will be released in the US by Well Go USA Entertainment. The film will receive a traditional platform theatrical release in early 2018, with a digital and home video release afterwards.
Following their acclaimed debut Resolution and their follow-up, the Lovecraftian modern cult classic Spring, writer/directors Moorhead and Benson star as two brothers who return to the death cult from which they fled a decade ago, only to find that there might be some truth to the group’s otherworldly beliefs.
“The Endless is a film made hand-over-fist with an incredible crew, and ourselves wearing many hats, out of a conviction that audiences truly do want left-of-center, meaningful independent films,” said directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson. “Well Go throwing their theatrical support behind us shows a shared belief that the box office is more than just superheroes. Audiences will be able to see The Endless at its best: sound cranked up in a dark theater, sharing the experience with movie lovers like ourselves.”
“Justin and Aaron are known for making smart, atmospheric films that challenge audiences while scaring the hell out of them,” said Dylan Marchetti, SVP of Acquisitions and Theatrical Distribution for Well Go USA Entertainment. “The Endless is their most accomplished work yet, and here at Well Go we can’t stop talking about it. We can’t wait to unleash it on everyone else.”
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SOME FREAKS, THE EREMITES, DOG YEARS Win Top Feature Film Prizes at 2017 Nashville Film Festival
SOME FREAKS directed by Ian MacAllister McDonald Some Freaks, The Eremites, Dog Years, Revengeance, The Nest, A Closer Walk With Thee are the winners of the top prizes in feature filmmaking at the 2017 Nashville Film Festival.
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FSLC’s Open Roads: New Italian Cinema Unveils 2017 Lineup, Opens with NY Premiere of INDIVISIBLE
Indivisible The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Istituto Luce Cinecittà announced the complete lineup for the 17th edition of Open Roads: New Italian Cinema taking place June 1 to 7, 2017.
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Tribeca 2017: THE DIVINE ORDER and HONDROS Win Audience Awards
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Liberia soldier Joseph Duo exults after firing a rocket at rebel forces in Monrovia, Liberia in 2003. The photo led to an unlikely and enduring friendship between the subject and the photographer, Getty Images photojournalist Chris Hondros. Film still from HONDROS. Photo by Chris Hondros.[/caption]
Festival goers at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival voted The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung) and Hondros the winners of the Audience Awards. The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung), directed and written by Petra Volpe was chosen to receive the Narrative award and Hondros, directed by Greg Campbell, written by Greg Campbell, Jenny Golden, was chosen for the Documentary award. Each award comes with a cash prize of $10,000. Additionally, as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program, Divine Order receives R.H. Quaytman: Delphi Landscape, 2017, and Hondros receives Urs Fischer boomboomboom, 2016, The Transit of Venus (Melanie).
“It is always exited to see what resonates most with the audience, and this year both the narrative and documentary winners represent smart filmmaking and impactful storytelling,” said Tribeca Film Festival’s Paula Weinstein. “On behalf of the Tribeca team, we congratulate The Divine Order and Hondros as the 2017 Audience Award winners, and hope moviegoers worldwide get to experience these powerful films.”
The runners-up were Saturday Church, directed and written by Damon Cardasis, for the narrative audience award and Shadowman, directed and written by Oren Jacoby, for the documentary audience award. Throughout the Festival, which kicked off on April 19, audience members voted by using the official Tribeca Film Festival app on their mobile devices and rating the film they just experienced on a scale of 1-5 stars. Films in the U.S. Narrative Competition, International Narrative Competition, World Documentary Competition, Viewpoints, Spotlight, Specials, and Midnight sections were eligible.
THE AUDIENCE AWARD WINNING FILMS AND RUNNERS-UP:
WINNERS
The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung), directed and written by Petra Volpe. (Switzerland) – International Premiere. Political leaders in Switzerland cited ‘Divine Order’ as the reason why women still did not have the right to vote as late as 1970. Director Petra Volpe explores this surprising history through the story of Nora, a quiet housewife from a quaint village searching for the fierce suffragette leader inside her. With Marie Leuenberger, Max Simonischek, Rachel Braunschweig, Sibylle Brunner, Marta Zoffoli, Bettina Stucky. In Swiss-German with subtitles.
The film played in the International Narrative Competition section.
Hondros, directed by Greg Campbell, written by Greg Campbell, Jenny Golden. (USA) – World Premiere. Beginning with the war in Kosovo in 1999, award-winning photographer Chris Hondros served as a witness to conflict for over a decade before being killed in Libya in 2011. In Hondros, director and childhood friend Greg Campbell creates a portrait of a man with not only great depth and sensitivity, but a passion for his craft, and an unending talent for creating breathtaking imagery. Executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal. In Arabic, English with subtitles.
The film played in the Spotlight Documentary section.
RUNNERS UP
Saturday Church, directed and written by Damon Cardasis. (USA) – World Premiere. 14-year-old Ulysses is a shy and effeminate teen being raised in the Bronx by his strict Aunt Rose. He finds escape in a rich fantasy life of music and dance, and soon with a vibrant transgender youth community called Saturday Church. Damon Cardasis’ directorial debut is a rousing celebration of one boy’s search for his identity. With Luka Kain, Margot Bingham, Regina Taylor, Marquis Rodriguez, MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Alexia Garcia.
The film played in the U.S. Narrative Competition section.
Shadowman, directed and written by Oren Jacoby. (USA) – World Premiere. In the early 1980s, Richard Hambleton was New York City’s precursor to Banksy, a rogue street artist whose silhouette paintings haunted the sides of Manhattan buildings. Like so many other geniuses of his time, he fell victim to drug addiction, even as his work continued to rise in both demand and value. Shadowman doubles as both a time capsule of a forgotten New York City era, and a redemption story.
The film played in the Documentary Competition section.
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Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Selects Series Launches with Israeli Romantic Comedy THE WEDDING PLAN
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The Wedding Plan[/caption]
The Wedding Plan, an Israeli romantic comedy about a jilted Orthodox bride who embarks on an elaborate search for Mr. Right, will screen as the first film of the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival Selects series on Thursday, May 11.
The AJFF Selects series is designed to bring the same type of world-class films from the annual festival to audiences year-round. AJFF Selects will feature a series of special screening events outside of the annual festival. These programs will feature outstanding new foreign and independent films, as well as expert speakers and guest filmmakers.
Says AJFF Executive Director Kenny Blank, “With programming initiatives like the AJFF Selects, we have the opportunity to continue our conversation with the community and expand our artistic footprint all year long. We’re excited to unveil more films in the Selects series soon. This is just the beginning of new program offerings from AJFF.”
From acclaimed writer-director Rama Burshtein (Fill the Void) comes the surprisingly gentle and sweet new Israeli romantic comedy, The Wedding Plan.
After her fiancé calls off their wedding a month before the ceremony, an ultra-Orthodox woman (Noa Koler) decides to keep the wedding date, leaving it to fate to provide a suitable groom. Unwilling to return to lonely single life, Michal embarks on an exhaustive search for a spouse, enlisting different matchmakers and enduring a series of horrible blind dates. As the day of her wedding grows closer and without the presence of Mr. Right, the jilted bride-to-be puts everything on the line to find happiness.
Nominated for nine Israeli Academy Awards, The Wedding Plan is winner of Best Actress and Best Screenplay honors, and claimed Best Actress prize at the Haifa International Film Festival. A nominee for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, the film is also an Official Selection of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
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Roman Polanski’s BASED ON A TRUE STORY Among New Films Added to 2017 Cannes Film Festival
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Roman Polanski[/caption]
Roman Polanski’s latest film Based on a True Story (D’après une histoire vraie) along with six other films have been added to the lineup of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Based on a True Story will screen Out of Competition.
The complete list of films added to the 2017 Cannes Film Festival
Competition
The Square by Ruben Ostlund
Out of Competition
Based on a True Story (D’après une histoire vraie) by Roman Polanski
Un Certain Regard
La Cordillera by Santiago Mitre
Walking past the Future by Li Ruijun
Special Screenings
Le Vénérable W. by Barbet Schroeder
Carré 35 by Eric Caravaca
Children’s Screening
Zombillénium by Arthur de Pins and Alexis Ducord
The Festival de Cannes will also offer a screening tribute to André Téchiné presenting his newest film Nos années folles; and an event with a concert and a film by Tony Gatlif whose movie Djam will be screened at the Cinéma de la plage (“Movies on the Beach).
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Tribeca 2017: KEEP THE CHANGE, SON OF SOFIA, and BOBBI JENE Win Top Juried Awards
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Brandon Polansky as David Cohen and Samantha Elisofon as Sarah Silverstein in KEEP THE CHANGE. Photographer: Giacomo Belletti.[/caption]
Keep the Change, Son of Sofia and Bobbi Jene won the top competition awards at the 16th Tribeca Film Festival award ceremony earlier tonight.
Keep the Change won the award for Best U.S. Narrative, Son of Sofia won for Best International Narrative, and Bobbi Jene won for Best Documentary.
For the fifth year, Tribeca awarded innovation in storytelling through its Storyscapes Award for immersive storytelling, which went to TREEHUGGER: WAWONA.
“It is more important than ever to celebrate artists both in front of and behind the camera who have the unique ability to share different viewpoints to inspire, challenge and entertain us,” said Jane Rosenthal, Executive Chair and Co-Founder, Tribeca Film Festival. “The winning creators from across the Festival program shared stories that did exactly that, and we are honored to recognize them tonight. And how wonderful is it that the top awards in all five feature film categories were directed by women.”
This year’s Festival included 97 feature length films, 57 short films, and 30 immersive storytelling projects from 41 countries.
The winners of awards of the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival
U.S. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature – Keep the Change, written and directed by Rachel Israel. Jury Comment: “For her heartwarming, hilarious and consistently surprising reinvention of the New York romantic comedy, which opens a door to a world of vibrant characters not commonly seen on film, the U.S. Narrative Jury gives the Founders Award to Rachel Israel for Keep the Change.” Best Actor in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Alessandro Nivola in One Percent More Humid. Jury Comment: “For his raw, complex and deeply human portrayal of middle-aged teacher and writer who tries to rekindle his creativity by plunging into an ill-advised affair with a student, the award for Best Actor goes to Alessandro Nivola, in Liz W. Garcia’s One Percent More Humid.” Best Actress in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Nadia Alexander in Blame. Jury Comment: “For her powerful, multilayered and risky portrayal of a troubled teenager in Quinn Shepard’s accomplished directorial debut Blame, the award for Best Actress goes to Nadia Alexander.” Best Cinematography in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Chris Teague for Love After Love. Jury Comment: “For creating a visual style that beautifully mirrors the fraught and messy landscape of grief, the cinematography award goes to Love After Love, shot by Chris Teague.” Best Screenplay in a U.S. Narrative Feature Film – Abundant Acreage Available written by Angus MacLachlan. Jury Comment: “For its portrayal, both universal and intimate, of two families who meet, clash and ultimately discover what it means to call a place home, the best screenplay award goes to Abundant Acreage, written and directed by Angus MacLachlan.”INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
The Best International Narrative Feature – Son of Sofia (O Gios tis Sofias) written and directed by Elina Psykou (Greece, Bulgaria, France). Jury Comment: “When we were watching these movies we were looking for something we hadn’t seen before. We unanimously agree that one film challenged us to see in a new way, and we were seduced by the surprising humanity of its difficult characters. The direction was assured, and its tone unique, and we look forward to seeing Elina Psykou’s next work. The Best International Narrative Feature Award goes to Son of Sofia.” Best Actor in an International Narrative Feature Film – Guillermo Pfening in Nobody’s Watching (Nadie Nos Mira) (Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, USA, Spain). Jury Comment: “For a performance of extraordinary vulnerability and commitment that anchored the film, the Best Actor Award goes to Guillermo Pfening for Nobody’s Watching.” Best Actress in an International Narrative Feature Film – Marie Leuenberger in The Divine Order (Die göttliche Ordnung) (Switzerland). Jury Comment: “For a performance that is patient, intelligent and graceful, that captured the liberation of a young woman the Best Actress Award goes to Marie Leuenberger for The Divine Order.” Best Cinematography in an International Narrative Feature Film – Cinematography by Mart Taniel for November (Estonia, Netherlands, Poland). Jury Comment: “We were particularly impressed by the high level of the cinematography of the films we’ve just seen which had very different styles and demands. One film was particularly audacious and showed supreme command of its visual language. The Best Cinematography Award goes to Mart Taniel for November.” Best Screenplay in an International Narrative Feature Film – Ice Mother (Bába z ledu) written by Bohdan Sláma (Slovakia, France). Jury Comment: “A screenplay can create a world. With warmth and humor, this movie leads us into a specific and eccentric world driven by an unlikely love story. The Best Screenplay Award goes to Bohdan Sláma for Ice Mother.”DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
Best Documentary Feature – Bobbi Jene, directed by Elvira Lind (USA, Denmark, Israel). Jury Comments: “In a diverse field of worthy films, one work captivated our jury with its exquisite blend of emotional depth and rigorous craft. Fulfilling the promise of classic cinema verite, where camera serves as both observer and provocation, this film connected two artists, filmmaker and subject, pushing nonfiction intimacy to bold new places. Our winner documents the deeply personal process of a brilliant woman finding her voice – paired with a director whose own artistic vision dances elegantly with that of her subject. We the jury give the Best Documentary Feature to Elvira Lind’s Bobbi Jene.” Best Documentary Cinematography – Cinematography by Elvira Lind for Bobbi Jene (USA, Denmark, Israel). Jury Comments: “For the film’s extraordinary relationship to an artist who is willing to go bare not only in performance but in stunningly intimate scenes that are poetic, honest and moving, seemingly without barriers between camera and subject, we give Best Cinematography to Elvira Lind for Bobbi Jene.” Best Documentary Editing – Editing by Adam Nielson for Bobbi Jene (USA, Denmark, Israel). Jury Comments: “For a film whose precise economy of construction creates space for the rich sensual palette of a committed artist going through a life change, and whose internal rhythms mirror the art it portrays, we give Best Editing to Adam Nielson for Bobbi Jene.” Special Jury Mention – True Conviction. “For its compelling storytelling and for introducing us to three heroic characters who transform the injustice they suffered into active change, we give a Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Feature to Jamie Meltzer’s True Conviction.”BEST NEW NARRATIVE DIRECTOR COMPETITION:
Best New Narrative Director – Rachel Israel, director of Keep the Change (U.S.). Jury Comments: “For this award, we were looking for a filmmaker with a fearless, authentic voice. Our decision was unanimous. This filmmaker created a world full of vibrant characters often under-represented in cinema. It is a unique, yet universal love story told in a way we’ve never seen. We anxiously await to see what this filmmaker does next. We are so thrilled to present the award for Best New Narrative Director to Rachel Israel for Keep the Change.”BEST NEW DOCUMENTARY DIRECTOR COMPETITION
Albert Maysles New Documentary Director Award – Sarita Khurana and Smriti Mundhra for A Suitable Girl (U.S./India). Jury Comments: “For the top prize we chose a film that helped us to rethink the dynamics of love through a moving portrayal of a cultural tradition. With incredible access, heartfelt scenes and it’s strong verite style, The Albert Maysles Prize for first documentary feature goes to A Suitable Girl.” Special Jury Mention – Hondros. “In considering a wide range of subjects in our category we were moved by two different kinds of love stories. The film we decided to honor with a special mention delves into the fractured worlds of chaos and violence and the interconnectedness of humanity. A childhood friend carries on his legacy to show the enduring power of love. The special mention goes to Hondros.”:THE NORA EPHRON PRIZE
The Nora Ephron Prize: Petra Volpe, writer/director of The Divine Order (Switzerland). Jury Comments: “For its intrepid and compassionate storytelling, beautiful cinematography (DP-ed by a woman), complex characterization of the female experience, seamless navigation of both drama and comedy, and true embodiment of the personal being political, we award the Nora Ephron Prize to Petra Volpe for her film The Divine Order.” Special Jury Mention: Keep the ChangeSHORT FILM COMPETITION CATEGORIES:
Best Narrative Short – Retouch, directed by Kaveh Mazaheri (Iran). Jury Comments: “For its message of choice, liberty, and renewal where the lines of morality and honesty are blurred, leaving the audiences own projection of the events open for discussion and introspection. We appreciated the unification of the aesthetic and the ethical. The winner of the Best Narrative Short goes to Retouch.” Best Animated Short – Odd is an Egg (Odd er et egg) directed by Kristin Ulseth (Norway). Jury Comments: “We found the story of this animated short sweet and moving. We were also very impressed with beautiful visuals, which were artistic, cool and haunting. The filmmaker shows great promise. Best Animated Short goes to Kristin Ulseth for her film, Odd is an Egg.” Best Documentary Short – The Good Fight directed by Ben Holman (U.S., UK, Brail). Jury Comments: “An unflinching portrait of finding hope in a world of danger; a journey of perseverance in the face of tragedy; an uplifting and visually compelling story of redemption. The winner of the Best Documentary Short is The Good Fight.” Special Jury Mention – Resurface: “Shedding light on the struggle for normalcy, hope, and recovery that US Veterans face every day, this is the story of reviving the human spirit through connecting with something deeply powerful and larger than the self: the Natural World.” Student Visionary Award – Fry Day directed by Laura Moss (U.S.). Jury Comments: “For its success in balancing an immersive coming of age experience with relevant social commentary in a historically specific context; compelling performances and expert filmmaking, the student visionary award goes to Fry Day.” Special Jury Mention – Dive: “Visceral, deeply moving meditative and exquisitely constructed / A nuanced examination of love and moving on after grief. Dive receives a Special Jury Mention.”STORYSCAPES AWARD
Storyscapes Award: TREEHUGGER: WAWONA created by Barnaby Steel (Co-Founder, Creative Director), Ersin Han Ersin (artist, Creative Director) and Robin McNicholas (Co-founder, Creative Director) of Marshmallow Laser Feast . Jury Comments: “The project we chose exemplifies the highest standards of artistry and inventiveness. It explores the potential for new visual forms and investigates unique modes of storytelling that allow us to tap into aspects the world and our lived experience that are intuitively known but seldom articulated. Through its use of poetic abstraction, embodiment, and the viewer’s own imagination and interpretation, we are able to unlock new ways of understanding and experiencing the world around us. We’ve selected this piece because we hope it will inspire others to start creating in ways that take risks and use the limitations of technology to revamp story and experience. The Storyscapes Award goes to TREEHUGGER: WAWONA.” The Festival’s competition categories continue to incorporate storytelling in all its forms with two awards that were given out earlier in the week. The Tribeca X Award is a juried section recognizing the intersection of advertising and entertainment and Tribeca also presented the first Tribeca Snapchat Short Award, a new official categoryTRIBECA X AWARD
Tribeca X Award: Chris Fonseca: Keep It Moving by 72andSunny for Smirnoff Ice. Directed by Zachary HeinzerlingTRIBECA SNAPCHAT SHORTS
Tribeca Snapchat Short award: Magic Show directed by Annie Hubbard.
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TOMORROW EVER AFTER, Ela Thier’s Award-Winning Comedic Drama, Opens May 5th | Trailer
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Tomorrow Ever After[/caption]
Ela Thier’s poignant comedic drama about the times we are living in, Tomorrow Ever After, opens May 5 in NY and LA, followed by additional cities and a VOD opening in June. The film stars Ela Thier, Nabil Viñas, Ebbe Bassey, Memo, Matthew Murumba, and Daphna Thier.
Tomorrow Ever After won Best American Indie at the Fort Lauderdale international Film Festival, Best Feature Film and the Audience Choice Award at the Moondance International Film Festival, and Best Director at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Shaina is a historian who lives 600 years in the future. War, poverty, pollution, greed, exploitation, depression, loneliness: these are things that she’s read about in history books. And while she studied this dark period of history (in which we are living) when money is viewed as more important than people, she has never, in the flesh, seen humans hurting other humans.
Until now.
While visiting a group of physicists who experiment with time travel, Shaina is accidentally stranded in the year 2015. Here she involves herself with a group of friends who are as lovable as they are flawed. As the harsh realities of their lives unfold, she learns what no history book could have taught her.
Old habits, however, are hard to break, and Shaina can’t help but assume that everyone around her is honest, generous, and caring, as she works to recruit the help that she needs to get back home.
While most futuristic films depict a dystopia that is even colder and more mechanical than our own, this film takes a bold departure from the sci-fi genre by exploring the possibility of a future in which caring and compassion govern our societies. What if the future of humanity and the planet turns out exactly as we would want it to be?
Writer/Director and Star of “Tomorrow Ever After”, Ela Thier is known for creating laugh-out-loud comedies that surprise audiences by evolving into heartbreaking dramas with profound messages about the human condition. Her award-winning feature, “Foreign Letters”, is a memoir about her own immigration experience. The film has shown in over 140 film festivals world-wide, and was released by Film Movement and Go2Films (2012).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZor1JlAL-E