AFI FEST 2020 presented by Audi announced the films that received this year’s Jury and Audience awards. The Audience Award – Narrative Feature went to Wolfwalkers directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart and the Audience Award – Documentary Feature went to 76 Days directed by Hao Wu, Weixi Chen, Anonymous.
Investigation Discovery exposes the injustices of the juvenile criminal justice system through the tragedy of one single family in the documentary premiere of “The Witmans” directed by Academy-award nominee David Petersen.
Oscar nominee Deepa Mehta’s latest film Funny Boy was acquired by Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Releasing. Widely known for her trilogy films, Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005), Mehta’s latest is based on the best-selling Canadian novel by Shyam Selvadurai. ARRAY will release Funny Boy in select cities and on Netflix beginning Thursday, December 10.
Óscar Catacora’s acclaimed debut feature, Wiñaypacha (Eternity), -winner of the Best First Film and Best Cinematography awards at the Guadalajara Film Festival and the first Peruvian film shot entirely in the indigenous Aymara language, premieres on Tropical on Demand on Thursday, October 29, 2020.
Showtime released the trailer for the upcoming docu-series The Reagans. Directed by Matt Tyrnauer (Where’s My Roy Cohn?, Studio 54), the four-part series contextualizes the legacy of Ronald and Nancy a generation later while exploring the palace intrigue of the Reagan White House years. The Reagans will premiere on Sunday, November 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
IFC Films released the trailer for writer/director Ekwa Msangi’s intimate immigrant story Farewell Amor, an Official Selection of the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The film starring Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (“The Chi”), Zainab Jah (False Positive), Jayme Lawson (The Batman) will open on Friday, December 11, 2020 in theatres and on Digital and VOD.
The Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival announced the award winning films and filmmakers for this year’s 29th edition of the festival with Jessica Earnshaw’s Jacinta winning the jury prize for Best US Feature as well as earning a Special Jury Mention for the Critics Prize. Anabel Rodríguez Ríos’ Once Upon a Time in Venezuela won the jury prize for Best International Feature, and Lisa Molomot and Jeff Bemiss’ World Premiere of Missing in Brooks County earned the award for Best Southern Feature. Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s The Viewing Booth was the recipient of this year’s HSDFF Critics Prize, and Sami Khan and Michael Gassert’s The Last Out won the Matt DeCample Audience Choice Award.
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam 2020 (IDFA) announced the films selected for the Dutch, short, student, and young audience competitions, as well as for the non-competitive sections Luminous, Frontlight, and IDFA on Stage.
Clea DuVall’s LGBTQ+ holiday romantic comedy, Happiest Season will debut as a Hulu Original film on Hulu on Wednesday, November 25. The film stars Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, Daniel Levy, Mary Holland, Burl Moseley, Victor Garber and Mary Steenburgen.
Tony and Emmy award winner Billy Crystal will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 23rd annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, taking place as a virtual experience October 24 – October 31. Crystal will receive his award on Monday, October 26 following the screening of his latest critically acclaimed film Standing Up, Falling Down.
Vertical Entertainment will release the sci-fi thriller Parallel from director Isaac Ezban in theaters and on demand on December 11, 2020.
The 16th annual HollyShorts Film Festival will open with the premiere of Jackson Lewis Lee’s new short film THOMPSON FARM. Jackson Lewis Lee is the son of legendary filmmaker and Oscar-Winning writer/director Spike Lee. Thompson Farm will screen as part of the HollyShorts opening night lineup on Monday, November 9th.