Hot Doc Announces 14 Special Presentations to Screen During 2016 Festival

Hot Docs has announced 14 documentary features that will screen in this year¹s Special Presentations program, joining 15 selections previously announced. Special Presentations features a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award winners from the recent international festival circuit and works by master filmmakers or featuring some star subjects. Notable subjects featured as part of the Special Presentations program include activist Bobby Sands ("Bobby Sands: 66 Days"), musicians David Byrne, Nelly Furtado and St. Vincent ("Contemporary Color"), filmmaker Brian de Palma ("De Palma"), former NFL defensive back Steve...

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Los Angeles Film Festival 2016 Opening Night Film Is 'Lowriders'; Ryan Coogler is Guest Director

With the Spirit Awards behind them, Film Independent is ramping up for this summer's the 2016 LA Film Festival (June 1-9). And they've chosen their opening nighter: Ricardo de Montreuil’s coming-of-age East L.A. drama "Lowriders" will play June 1 at the ArcLight Hollywood Cinerama Dome.  Produced by Brian Grazer and Jason Blum, "Lowriders" stars Gabriel Chavarria as a street artist with an old-school lowrider father (Demián Bichir). Eva Longoria and Melissa Benoist also star. “Made by filmmakers of color," said festival director Stephanie Allain, 'Lowriders' embodies our mission.” Ryan Coogler ("Creed") will be the 2016...

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World Premiere of 'The Tiger Hunter' to Open the 32nd Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced the Opening, Closing and Centerpiece film programs for the upcoming 32nd edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running April 21-28, 2016. This annual film celebration will be presented across Los Angeles from Little Tokyo to Downtown Los Angeles to Koreatown and to West Hollywood featuring 140 films from over 20 countries. VC will celebrate 32 years as Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind. The LAAPFF launches the pre-celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of over 130...

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IFF Panama: 22 Unique Educational Activities

The Industry Program of the International Film Festival of Panama connects local film industry members with international representatives to identify new and creative possibilities for the production, marketing, and distribution of films. At the same time, a vibrant and diverse group of film industry insiders support IFF Panama’s educational and training activities in the form of workshops, free screenings, presentations, and master-classes for industry members, students and youth. Among the activities that will take place during IFF Panama’s fifth edition is the “Your Project in Motion: Co-production and Financing”, a panel, organized by the Panama Film...

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Qumra: James Schamus Discusses the Filmmaking Process in Extensive Master Class and Interview

In the Qumra Master Class 2016 where James Schamus and Richard Peña, former long-time head of Lincoln Film Society in NYC, carried on an informal and open-ended discussion, James gave a personal view of himself before going into the professional ins and outs of his film production and distribution life. I was surprised to hear that James, who seems like a quintessential New Yorker, is not a native New Yorker but is an angeleno and attended Hollywood High in Los Angeles. When I spoke with him afterward, he said that he actually was from North Hollywood but had attended the Milton School of Performing Arts, a Magnet School, at Hollywood High.  On looking the school up...

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See the North: Recent Canadian Cinema from an Oscar-Nominee and Newcomers at IFC Center

This weekend New Yorkers will have a change to dive into a selection of the best recent Canadian cinema thanks to a showcase created by TIFF and Telefilm Canada appropriately called "See the North." On April 1, 2 and 3 2016, audiences at the IFC Center in New York City will be treated to this curated program of Canada’s finest creative talent, with directors in attendance for intros and Q+A’s. The series includes the most recent work my Oscar-nominated filmmaker Philippe Falardeau ("Monsieur Lazhar"), an LGBT-themed debut, and a drama starring Ellen Page and Evan Rachel Wood.  Here is the full lineup:    "Closet Monster"...

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Family Films at the IFF Panama 2016

Children’s and Family films often get short shrift from the professional film community. They are shunted to a special section. But at some festivals, they get their due. Panama International Film Festival is one of Latin America’s best stages to show these films. READ MORE: Panama: The Next Big Country for Latin American Films?  Andrés Waissbluth’s "Elephant, the Horse"  is inspired by the lives of Lalo and Roberto Parra. 80’, Chile/Mexico/Colombia, 2016. World Premiere. Lalo wants nothing more than to grow up to be a valiant adventurer, just like his grandfather was. Grandpa who is on his deathbed—for the third time— charges Lalo and his brother Roberto...

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