Friday, October 30, 2015

'Those People' and 'The Same Difference' Lead NewFest Winners

The 2015 NewFest, New York’s LGBT Film Festival, concluded its 27th anniversary year at the Bow Tie Chelsea Theater - and the recently completed screening room at the LGBT Community Center - with a sold-out screening of GIRLS LOST. The six-day festival screened nearly 100 films to a number of sold-out audiences and included a centerpiece gala screening of Todd Haynes' CAROL, a star-studded World Premiere of new trans series "Her Story" followed by a discussion moderated by Laverne Cox, a MasterClass discussion with award-winning filmmaker Ira Sachs, NewFest's first ever Queer Horror Night, and an enlightening panel discussion on the evolution of transgender representation in...

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Coming to the AFI FEST 2015: 'Embrace of the Serpent'

From Latin America “Embrace of The Serpent” (“El Abrazo De La Serpiente”) is a coproduction of Colombia, Venezuela and Argentina. This is a favorite film of mine and is the Colombian contender for Best Foreign Language Oscar nomination by Colombia’s Ciro Guerra whose past film “The Wind Journeys” also captured an existence far from our own reality.  This film and the Venezuelan contender “Gone with the River” by Mario Crespo are the first shot in the Amazonian rainforest in over 30 years. “Embrace of the Serpent” premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the top prize, the CIACE Art Cinema Award. It also...

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Thursday, October 29, 2015

'The Clan Wins' Audience Award At Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival’s GEMS

"The Clan" (El Clan), the Argentina-Spain co-production about the notorious well-to-do Puccio family who kidnapped and murdered several of their neighbors in 1980s-era Buenos Aires, continued its march to next year's Academy Awards with a victory yesterday in the coveted Audience Award category at Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival's new GEMS Festival, which has the distinction of being the only major film festival produced worldwide by a college or university.  Already breaking box office records in its domestic release in Argentina, "The Clan" received its U.S. Premiere at GEMS and was one of many sell-outs throughout the...

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Coming to the AFI FEST 2015: "Rams"

The Icelandic contender for Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category,  “Rams” (“Hrutar”) by Grímur Hákonarson premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard where it won the award for best picture.  It went on to play in Telluride and Toronto.  Its international sales agent, New Europe Film Sales is a comparatively new company, the first private enterprise out of Poland, founded by former American Film Festival/ US in Progress publicist, Jan Naszewski. Cohen Media will release the film in the U.S. "Rams" screens at AFI FEST on November 6 at 6:45 PM and on November 11 at 1:15 PM AFI Programmer Beth Hanna describes the film here: ...

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'Fourth Man Out,' 'Downriver' Lead MiFo LGBT Film Festival Awards

The 7thAnnual MiFo LGBT Film Festival in Fort Lauderdale came to a close this week, with nearly 5,000 tickets sold for films and events throughout the seven-day festival.  From its 7 documentaries, 28 narratives and 18 shorts, here were the big winners:   Audience Award Winners   Best Feature:    Fourth Man Out, Directed by Andrew Nackman Runner-Up for Best Feature:    Akron, Directed by Brian O’Donnell and Sasha King Best Documentary:    Reel In The Closet, Directed by Stu Maddux Runner-Up for Best Documentary:    Coming Out, Directed by Alden...

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Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Tyrese Gibson on the Challenges and Joys of Writing a Short Film

In the short film "Shame," Tyrese Gibson plays an up-and-coming soul singer who is married to his background singer, played by Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson. Produced by Denzel Washington, the film, which premiered last month at the 19th annual Urbanworld Film Festival, recently had its international premiere at the Aruba International Film Festival. In a guest post for Indiewire, Gibson writes about his inspiration for "Shame" and how the project came to life. To be honest I have a great appreciation for art, words, and intentions around creativity. But it takes work to bring those words to life. I felt really blessed that the words and the...

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What Happened to Scorsese's $70-Million Short 'The Audition' Starring DiCaprio, De Niro and Pitt?

What happened to Martin Scorsese's "The Audition," the 15-minute short film slated to premiere on the Lido this year? The screening was canceled at the Venice Film Festival on September 7th due to "technical problems." Now the short has finally debuted in Macau, where it was unveiled by its stars, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorsese. (More details of the showing are at VanityFair.com.) Doubling as a promotion for a set of new casinos in Asia, "The Audition" stars Scorsese as a director opposite his muses DiCaprio and De Niro as actors vying for a lead role. Brad Pitt also co-stars in the film penned by Oscar-nominated...

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A Workshop Helps Aruban Filmmakers to Get Their Work Out Into the World

Yes, Aruba has its own film festival and it's one of the festivals we have stayed in touch with (and become friends with) since our first feature documentary "Finding Hillywood" screened there in 2013.  READ MORE: 10 Things I Learned from Self-Distributing My First Documentary We were elated when the festival staff asked us to come back this year to teach three days of workshops to help local filmmakers develop professional skills and continuing education. After all, "Finding Hillywood" profiles the beginning of the Rwandan film industry and Aruba is in a similar position trying to grow their local industry and film economy. Aruba International Film Festival...

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Lexus and The Weinstein Company Announce the Third Annual Lexus Short Film Festival

Lexus and The Weinstein Company annual Lexus Short Film series had an exciting twist for filmmakers this time around. For the first time ever, the Lexus Short Film series was opened to submissions from aspiring directors within the worldwide filmmaking community. Starting on July 15, 2015, emerging filmmakers were able to submit a short film of 20 minutes or less as an example of their past work for consideration through http://bit.ly/1GxdoUY, in collaboration with Withoutabox, the leading service for film festivals and filmmakers. Four finalists will be selected and announced during the closing awards ceremonies at the Napa Valley Film Festival on November 15, 2015....

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Closing Night at the American Film Festival in Wroclaw Poland

Artistic Director Urszula Śniegowska has created a family here of great cineastes and cinephiles. Included is the Austin posse with David Gordon Green receiving the double-barreled Indie Star Award and the European debut of his latest film, "Our Brand is Crisis" with the formidable Sandra Bullock in her ballsiest role ever playing the political strategist, James Carville, as she dictates the terms to her candidate for the President of Bolivia played by my new heartthrob, the Portuguese actor, Joaquim de Almeida. David says he may star in the next film he will direct which will be in Portuguese. I'm betting on David Gordon Green becoming heir to the...

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OPINION: SXSW is Wrong to Cancel Panels Due to GamerGate Fears, And May Be Hurting Itself

On Tuesday, SXSW canceled a pair of gaming-related panels scheduled for the 2016 festival, citing the significant threats of violence the festival received if certain panels were to remain on the schedule. READ MORE: Marc Webb On How Video Games Taught Him to Make Films One of those panels, "Level Up: Overcoming Harassment in Games," was a target of hostility from the moment it appeared on the radar of certain internet groups, including r/KotakuInAction, one of the digital havens for the "GamerGate" group often associated with online harassment. The other panel, "Save Point," billed itself as a discussion of "ethics in gaming journalism" — a...

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American Film Festival Features African American Women Directors

The American Film Festival is building families. The 6th edition (October 20-25, 2015) of the Wroclaw, Poland film fest was better than any of the previous four I have attended as a jury member for the US in Progress section. Networking with the USiP filmmakers, past participants Matt Sobel (“Take Me to the River”),Leah Meyerhoff (“I Believe in Unicorns”),Reza Sixo Safai (“A Girl Walks Home at Night Alone”) and whose present project “ The Loner” (he produced and stars in it, Daniel Grove directed) won at USiP, etc. mingled with Indie Star Awardees David Gordon Green and Hal Hartley and other filmmakers like Jenner Furst ("Welcome to Leith") invited to present their ...

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Monday, October 26, 2015

AFI FEST Adds Brit Oscar Contenders, Indie Panel, Special Screenings

AFI FEST 2015 has added Michael Caine’s new film "Youth" (Fox Searchlight), directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The veteran actor will attend the fest along with fellow Brit Ridley Scott, who will discuss his movie "The Martian."  AFI will also offer a special dual Tribute to honor the two stars of Andrew Haigh's fest hit "45 Years," Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, who will reflect on their careers before a Special Screening of the film at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Additional Conversations include an Indie Contenders Roundtable featuring a panel of filmmakers and talent who have achieved standout work this year in...

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Dan Stevens to Romance Anne Hathaway in AFM Sci-Fi Package 'Colossal'

Dan Stevens will romance Anne Hathaway in Voltage Picture's sci-fi package “Colossal,” for sale at AFM, per Variety. CAA is handling domestic rights.  Since he left hit PBS series “Downton Abbey,” Stevens has been busy. He carried indie thriller “The Guest,” and played supporting roles in “A Walk Among the Tombstones,” "The Fifth Estate," "The Cobbler," and “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.” Up next is another indie, “Criminal Activities,” and Beast opposite Emma Watson's Belle in Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast.”  READ MORE: Dan Stevens Left 'Downton Abbey' to Make a Rash of Movies Jason Sudeikis, Tim Blake Nelson and Austin Stowell...

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Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker on Changing Audiences, Working with Auteurs and the Future of Indie Film

As part of the Chicago International Film Festival's new Industry Days series, which ran from October 22-25, programmer Anthony Kaufman moderated a Q&A with Michael Barker, the co-founder and co-president of Sony Pictures Classics. Since founding Orion Classics in 1983 and Sony Pictures in 1992, Barker and his cohort Tom Bernard have been responsible for producing and/or distributing some of the best independent and foreign films of the past three decades. READ MORE: Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Don Cheadle's 'Miles Ahead' In the midst of these rapidly evolving times where film distribution and viewing is undergoing radical changes, Kaufman and Baker sat down to check the pulse of...

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Saturday, October 24, 2015

11th Annual New York Television Festival Announces Competition Winners and Development Deals

Tonight, the 11th annual New York Television Festival came to a close with a ceremony celebrating the winners of its Independent Pilot Competition. The awards handed out included Best Comedy and Drama Pilots and Best of the Fest; in addition, a jury of critics (including myself) awarded coming-of-age dramedy "The Parker Tribe" with the NYTVF Critics Award. READ MORE: Whatever Independent TV Is, It's Happening at the New York Television Festival The NYTVF showcased 50 pilots as well as special events for shows including WGN's "Manhattan" and networking opportunities connecting festival artists to television executives. 12 development deals were also announced as...

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Friday, October 23, 2015

Lady Filmmakers Festival Kicks Off Today With Script 2 Screen Program to Create Opportunities for Women In Film.

 “Lady Filmmakers has been so important as a venue in Los Angeles for women filmmakers to present and screen their work, and one of the most amazing things they do is Script 2 Screen where they are actually fostering and championing talent by finding interesting writers, staging readings, and then producing short films. What other festival does this? It’s incredible.” - Producer Cecillia Peck The 7th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival begins today and will run throughout the weekend. Lady Filmmakers screens a record number of films directed and filmed by women! The festival boasts 4 feature films and 42 short films with several World, US, West Coast, and LA Premieres in...

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Here's How The New Hampshire Film Festival Supports the Next Generation of Filmmakers

READ MORE: Attention, Young Filmmakers: Here's Your Chance to Go to Sundance From October 15-18, independent filmmakers gathered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for the 15th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival. Screening features such as Robert Eggers' "The Witch" and Charlie Kaufman's "Anomalisa," as well as the work of several local filmmakers, the festival brought together both seasoned independent filmmakers and beginners alike. Spanning the entire weekend, the festival's Young Filmmakers Workshop offered filmmakers under 18 the opportunity to craft their own short films. With help from professional filmmakers with works featured at the festival, the young...

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Thursday, October 22, 2015

'Hitchcock/Truffaut': Directors from Fincher to Scorsese Revisit Truffaut's Famous Interview

With his documentary "Hitchcock/Truffaut" (December 2), New York Film Festival programming director Kent Jones takes us back to the legendary 1962 27-hour interview between French critic-auteur Francois Truffaut and British master Alfred Hitchcock. The movie plays some of the recordings that were translated and transcribed by Helen Scott in Truffaut’s classic 1966 cinephile must-read, “Cinema According to Hitchcock.” Truffaut was at the beginning of his career, while Hitchcock was nearing the end of his.  Jones ("A Letter to Elia"), who wrote the film with French critic Serge Toubiana, also brings in directors David Fincher, Paul Schrader, Richard...

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Attention, Filmmakers: 6 Tips for Distributing Your Indie Film

READ MORE: From Crowdfunding to Distribution: Here's How 'This is Happening' Forged an Unconventional Path At the New Hampshire Film Festival last weekend in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, five panelists sat down to discuss the process of independent film distribution, following a film from its first screening at a festival to theater engagements and its digital life beyond. The five distribution experts were Jeffrey Bowers, Senior Manager of Curation at Vimeo, producer and Factory 25 founder Matt Grady, Kate McEdwards, head of non-theatrical distribution at Oscilloscope, Rebecca Sosa, Head of Digital Distribution for A24, and Chris White, Director of Business Affairs & Delivery...

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'Spotlight' and 'Carol' to Headline 4th Annual Key West Film Festival (Plus Full Lineup)

READ MORE: Key West Film Festival Announces Brett Ratner Scholarship, Indiewire's Eric Kohn to Curate Critics Focus The 4th Annual Key West Film Festival has announced its official 2015 lineup, including opening night film "Spotlight," starring Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams and Michael Keaton. As part of the festival’s Critics’ Choice series, Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday will host a Q&A for Spotlight with Sacha Pfeiffer and Michael Rezendes, two of the journalists who’s real life work is featured in the film. The Saturday night Spotlight film will be Todd Haynes' Cannes-winning "Carol," starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. The romance film has...

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Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Tucson’s Loft Film Fest Opens Today with a World-Class Film Program

The Tucson’s Loft Film Fest starts today and runs until Sunday October 25. The program will bring some of the best works from around the globe to Tucson, many of which will be have their local premier during the festival. The acclaimed drama "Court," a quietly devastating portrait of political injustice involving an elderly folk singer facing persecution for his art, is India’s official Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as the winner of the Lion of the Future Award for director Chaitanya Tamhane at the Venice Film Festival. This is the film’s Tucson Premiere. "Mustang" France’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar and winner...

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AFI FEST 2015 Rounds Out Lineup With 'Son of Saul,' 'Rams' and More

READ MORE: Angelina Jolie's 'By the Sea' Becomes Full-Blown Oscar Contender as AFI Fest Opening Night Selection The American Film Institute has put the finishing touches on AFI FEST 2015 by announcing the titles that will make up its final five screening programs: World Cinema, Breakthrough, Midnight, Shorts and Cinema's Legacy. According to AFI, "World Cinema showcases the most acclaimed international films of the year; Breakthrough highlights true discoveries of the programming process; Midnight selections will grip audiences with terror; and Cinema’s Legacy highlights classic movies and films about cinema. World Cinema and Breakthrough selections are among the films...

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

How the Caribbean Film Industry is Surviving the Invasion of Hollywood

READ MORE: How the Trinidad & Tobago Film Festival Could Save the Caribbean Film Industry There were no real losers at the awards ceremony of this year's Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, which wrapped its latest edition last month — and that outcome reflected the state of this region's ambitious film community. Here, in a small, pretense-free environment, kinship and community were the defining characteristics. The sense of shock expressed by many of the evening's victors — a youthful, enthusiastic group of filmmakers hailing mostly from the region, and from Trinidad and Tobago in particular — felt sincere. At several points, prizewinners stressed that their rivals, in whose company...

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What We Know So Far About Angelina Jolie Pitt's 'By the Sea' (VIDEO)

Angelina Jolie Pitt's hotly anticipated "By the Sea," her first collaboration with Brad Pitt since "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" (2005), witnesses the husband-wife filmmaking team do it all, or nearly so: they co-produced and co-star in the 1970s-set drama, written and directed by Jolie Pitt as an homage to the kinds of intimate films she likes to see. Now, Jolie Pitt is opening up about the project, which Universal has slated for a Nov. 13 theatrical release after it world premieres at AFI FEST—an awards season launching pad for films such as "American Sniper" and "Selma"—on Nov. 5. (Watch a new featurette on the film above.)  READ MORE:...

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Here's the Best Science Fiction Discovery of the Year

READ MORE: Ridley Scott's 'The Martian' is the Anti-'Interstellar' There is much to appreciate about Ridley Scott's "The Martian," but a lot of it has to do with turning out better than many people expected. The premise — essentially "Castaway" on Mars — doesn't exactly scream for mass approval. Yet "The Martian" succeeds at hitting a series of satisfactory beats, combining hard science with spectacle and a charismatic lead far better than most Hollywood productions made on its scale today. However, its competence pales in comparison to the welcome surprise of another entry in the science fiction genre quietly surfacing at film festivals this fall. Still...

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Monday, October 19, 2015

What We Learned from the Fall Film Festivals

Venice, Telluride, Toronto, New York and most recently London all feed into each other, igniting and enhancing the buzz that builds during the fall quality release season and the ongoing awards race. "We amplify in a major way," says TIFF's Piers Handling. "There's an amplification process." Out of the fall fests emerged Open Road's "Spotlight," A24's "Room" and eventual Paramount pickup "Anomalisa," none of which were on industry radars ahead of their warm embrace by audiences and critics. Berlin premiere "45 Years" (Sundance Selects) got a sizable fest bump, along with Cannes entry "Carol" (TWC) and two Focus...

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Short Film-Centric Laguna Film Festival Unveils Award Winners

READ MORE: First Annual Shorts-Only Laguna Film Festival Announces Lineup The first-ever Laguna Film Festival has awarded 19 short films among jury and audience award categories. The festival ran October 16-18 and was founded by 18-year-old filmmaker Austin Fickman.  "This weekend and this festival have blown me away," said Fickman in a statement. "To be able to provide an environment for filmmakers of short films to have their films screened, meet and talk with other directors and producers, and have a cool experience is a dream come true. The support from the community, people from many branches of the entertainment industry, as well as my family and friends, is...

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'The Witch' Wins Top Honor at 15th New Hampshire Film Festival

READ MORE:  'Manglehorn,' 'Winter Light' and More Pick Up Awards at New Hampshire Film Festival The 15th New Hampshire Film Festival came to a close Sunday evening with an awards ceremony that saw Robert Eggers' Sundance breakout "The Witch" and the U.S. premiere of "Chicken" winning big in the top two categories. "The Witch" took home the Best Feature prize, while "Chicken" won the Grand Jury Narrative Award. "It truly was the most amazing combination of filmmakers and festival-goers to date," said Nicole Gregg, Executive Director of the festival. "The appreciation and love from everyone involved was overwhelming and the energy...

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How This Director Turned an Award-Winning Short into a Feature and Wowed at Cannes

Building on the buzz started earlier this year at Cannes, "Sleeping Giant" won the best Canadian feature debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The film expanded on the award-winning short of the same name. Attention, Filmmakers: Attention, Short Film Tips "Sleeping Giant" is a coming-of-age film about a teenage boy and his two friends on vacation in Northern Ontario. The film has an incredibly strong voice and the performances from inexperienced young actors rings with raw authenticity. Facing the challenges of pitching a film that sounds like it's been done to death, Andrew Cividino and his crew produced a successful short proof of concept...

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Sunday, October 18, 2015

Review: Whet Your Appetite for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' with Bittersweet Doc 'Elstree 1976'

It’s a film buff’s starter for 10: which science fiction movie was shot in the UK’s Elstree Studios in 1976? The correct answer, especially for those fast on the buzzer, may induce mouth-watering anticipation of a nostalgic, behind-the-scenes account of George Lucas’s "Star Wars." So a slight pause is in order. Jon Spira’s documentary is not a "making of" in any conventional sense, but a glimpse into the experience and after-effects of involvement in the film, for a handful of extras and actors with very small speaking roles. It isn’t really about one of the most famous and influential movies of all time, but a bittersweet account of ordinary people sucked...

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Saturday, October 17, 2015

London Film Festival Awards

The London Film Festival wound up with awards celebrating filmmakers in Official Competition, First Feature Competition, Documentary Competition and Short Film Competition. Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari won the Best Film Award for "Chevalier," her feminist satire of men competing on a yacht vacation. The award was announced by president of the Official Competition jury, Pawel Pawlikowski, whose Ida won the LFF Best Film prize in 2013. “'Chevalier' is a study of male antagonism seen though the eyes of a brave and original filmmaker," said Pawlikowski. "With great formal rigour and irresistible wit, Athena Rachel Tsangari has managed to...

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Friday, October 16, 2015

Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno Talk Film, Music, Performance and the Nadir of Film Soundtracks

The new LFF strand that opened this year with Christopher Nolan and Tacita Dean in a crusading mood about the future of celluloid ended with Laurie Anderson and Brian Eno musing on the cross-currents in their careers between film, music and performance. LFF Connects has been a series of talks looking at the way film engages across all of the creative sectors. Guy Maddin, games designer Alistair Hope and documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux were among the other speakers. The final event was actually billed as a showcase for Anderson, the musician and performance artist whose gorgeous new feature "Heart of a Dog" (HBO Documentary Films, October 21) screened at the festival; but...

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

Asian World Film Festival Announces Additional Films Out of Competition and Special Screenings (Exclusive)

The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF) has added 11 films to their Special Screenings and non-competitive lineup, with "Piku" (India) as the Festival’s “Centerpiece Screening.” Running from October 26 - November 2, 2015 in Culver City and Westwood, California, the Festival features select foreign language films from the 50 eligible countries in the Asian World region, including films that have been officially submitted as their country’s Oscar® and Golden Globe considerations. South Korea’s "The Shameless" will officially open the Festival with Taiwan’s official Oscar® submission, "The Assassin," by master filmmaker as the official closing...

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2015 DOC NYC Lineup is 30% Female-Helmed; Hillary Rodham Clinton to Appear at Fest

DOC NYC's 2015 lineup has been announced, and of 104 features screening, 31 are directed or co-directed by women -- a figure that amounts to 30% of the programming. Last year, women helmed 43 percent of the features, so unfortunately, this marks a step back, statistically speaking. That being said, last year we bristled at the lack of docs centered on female subjects at the fest, and this time around, a number of the docs focus on high-profile celebrities as well as leading ladies who aren't household names but who should most definitely be on your radar. The sixth edition of the festival will also feature a very special guest -- someone who definitely hasn't slipped under your radar -- in...

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Top-notch Talent to Attend Whistler Film Festival for WIDC Story & Leadership

Eight women directors from across Canada have been selected to attend the 20th annual session of Women In the Director’s Chair (WIDC), which includes the pilot program, WIDC Story & Leadership. Over the coming months this top-notch group of content creators will develop their feature films and web series, working with an ensemble of hand-picked professional actors, technicians and other industry experts. A major component of the program takes the form of an Industry Immersion at the 15th anniversary Whistler Film Festival (December 2-6), and culminates with a three-month mentorship tailored to advance each director’s project. Mounting their sophomore...

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Genre Director Onur Tukel on Finding Realistic Body Parts and Taking Inspiration from Woody Allen

Without spoiling things by revealing too much of the plot, we can tell you that Onur Tukel's latest film, "Applesauce" is a black comedy about infidelity, post-9/11 paranoia and severed body parts. Since the film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival, it's been making its rounds on the film festival circuit. In his review out of Tribeca, Eric Kohn wrote "Everyone and everything in 'Applesauce' is a comic time bomb prone to explode at any moment." Indiewire recently chatted with Tukel, who wrote, directed and acted in the film, at the BendFilm Festival in Bend, Oregon where "Applesauce" was screening. The audience responded appropriately...

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1st Central American International Film Fest to Launch in L.A. This Nonmember

Central American International FilmFestival (CAIFF) , the West Coast’s first festival to showcase works from the movement emerging among isthmus-based and emigré Central American filmmakers, has announced its launch this November 13-15th, 2015 at the University of South California. All the presentations will be open to the public for free. The Festival will bring the best cutting-edge and modern Central American films to greater metropolitan Los Angeles, home to the largest number of Central American immigrants in the US and the greatest number of Salvadoran refugees and emigrés in the world. It will also take its annual event on a rotating...

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

San Francisco Film Society Jumps Into Documentary Awards Fray

While November's DOC NYC has announced its full program and influential Shortlist of 15, the San Francisco Film Society is curating its own doc program. The inaugural Doc Stories Festival will celebrate the year's best long and short docs for four days, November 5-8, at the Vogue Theatre.  The lineup ranges from new, unreleased films to breakouts from the festival circuit. Nearly every screening will include filmmakers and guest Q & As. Doc Stories is presented with support from HBO Documentary Films, Catapult Film Fund and Chicken & Egg Pictures.  “The historical strength of the Bay Area in documentary filmmaking is a known fact to most industry professionals,” stated...

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A Conversation with Hou Hsiao-Hsien - Director of 'The Assassin'

At the New York Film Festival press screening, Hou Hsiao-Hsien spoke with Dennis Lim about his new film "The Assassin" for which he won Best Director at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. Filmed on location in Japan and on set in Taiwan, "The Assassin" centers on the story of Yinniang, who, abducted at age 10, is now a Tang Dynasty assassin dedicated to the art of killing until memory transforms her course of action. The Story Hou Hsiao-Hsien: “There is a lot of information from the Tang Dynasty -- tales, legends and novels. I first came across this story in college. I wanted to bring this realism into the film. The story...

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DOC NYC Announces Full 2015 Lineup

READ MORE: DOC NYC Announces 'Short List' Program of 15 Documentaries, Including 'Going Clear' and 'Amy' DOC NYC, America's largest documentary film festival, has announced the full lineup for its sixth edition, running November 12-19 at the IFC Center in Greenwich Village and the Bow Tie Cinemas and SVA Theater in Chelsea. The 2015 festival includes 104 feature-length documentaries and has expanded to showcase over 200 films and events overall. Included are 27 world premieres and 15 U.S. premieres, with more than 200 filmmakers and special guests expected in person to present their films, including Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. As previously announced, Barbara Kopple's music...

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Meryl Streep To Preside Over Berlin's 2016 Festival Jury

We're already extremely jealous of whoever it is that makes up the rest of the Berlin Film Festival's 2016 jury, because their appointment of the president is as good as it gets: Ms. Meryl Streep will play the role of juror at a major film festival for the first time in Berlin come February.  “Meryl Streep is one of the most creative and multifaceted film artists. To mark our enthusiasm for her extraordinary talent we awarded her the Honorary Golden Bear in 2012 for her lifetime achievement. I am very happy that she is returning to Berlin and with her artistic experience will take on the chairmanship of the International Jury”, says Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick. The festival...

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Meryl Streep to Serve as 2016 Berlin Film Festival President

READ MORE: 'Suffragette' Director Sarah Gavron Explains Why She Didn't Cast Women of Color The Berlin Film Festival has announced that Meryl Streep will serve as the jury president of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival next year. While Streep has been a guest to countless film festivals, the Berlinale in February will mark the first time the three-time Academy Award winner and 19-time nominee has ever served as a festival juror. "Meryl Streep is one of the most creative and multifaceted film artists," said Dieter Kosslick, the director of the Berlin International Film Festival. "To mark our enthusiasm for her extraordinary talent we awarded her the honorary Golden...

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