Posted by editor@vimooz.com on November 5, 2009 under Ann Arbor Film Festival, Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Cinequest Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Indie Memphis Film Festival, Los Angeles Film festival, Nashville Film Festival (NaFF), New Orleans Film Festival, Outfest:Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, Ozark Foothills FilmFest, Phoenix Film Festival, Provincetown Film Festival, San Diego Latino Film Festival, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, San Francisco Silent Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, The, True/False Film Festival, Tucson Jewish Film Festival, Virginia Film Festival, Wild & Scenic® Environmental Film Festival, Women's Film Festival | 
The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $450,000 to 24 U.S. film festivals for the 2010 calendar year, Festival Grants Committee Chair Buffy Shutt announced on Wednesday.
Read more of this article »
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on March 10, 2009 under Cinequest Film Festival |
Firaaq continues it’s winning streak on the film festival circuit by snagging the top prize, the Maverick Spirit Award at Cinequest Film Festival 19. Firaaq is aclaimed actress’ Nandita Das directorial debut about ordinary people, from different walks of life, altered forever after the Hindu Muslim riots which ravaged Gujarat in 2002.
Cinequest Film Festival 19 Award Winners:
Narrative Features
Maverick Spirit Award (Cinequest’s top prize)
Firaaq
Director: Nandita Das
Best First Feature
The Fried (Der Freund)
Director: Micha Lewinsky
Special Jury Award for Narrative Feature
The Tour (Turneja)
Director: Goran Markovic
Directors Awards
Global Visions Award
Historias Extraordinarias
Director: Mariano Llinas
New Visions Award
Why Am I Doing This?
Directors: Tom Huang
Documentary Features
Best Documentary Feature
Heart of Stone
Director Beth Toni Kruvant
Special Jury Award for Documentary Feature
Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders
Director: Mark Hopkins
Shorts
Best Student Short Film
Thanksgiving
Director: Anja Marquardt
Best Documentary Short Film
Life for a Child
Director: Edward Lachman
Best Animated Short Film
Slaves
Director: Hanna Heilborn, David Aronowitsch
Best Narrative Short Film
Glory at Sea
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Audience Awards
Audience Award for Best Feature (Co-Winners/Tie)
All About Dad
Director: Mark Tran
&
For My Father
Director: Dror Zahavi
Audience Award for Best Documentary
Witch Hunt
Directors: Dana Nachman & Don Hardy
Executive Producer: Sean Penn
Kaiser Thrive Award:
Heart of Stone
Director: Beth Toni Kruvant
Maverick Spirit Award Recipients
The following individuals received Maverick Spirit Awards at Cinequest 19 for their Maverick careers in the film industry: Louis Gossett Jr., Kevin Pollak, and Diablo Cody.
Screenplay Competition Winners
First Place
Ora by Frederica Bailey
Second Place
Feed the Monster by Rob Rex
Third Place
The Juno Incident by Cody Yarbrough
Finalists: The Circle Cast (Montana Moss); Dog Land (Writer: Jay Nuzum); I Got You Babe (Will Hicks); The Re-Education of David Singer (Todd Friedman); Squirt (Talmage Cooley); Survival High (Aaron Mento); and The Wonder (Gregory Abbey)
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on February 26, 2009 under Cinequest Film Festival, Foursite Film Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, New York International Children's Film Festival |
33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF)
“Shinjuku Incident”, starring famous actor Jackie Chan and directed by Derek Yee Tung- shing, and “Night and Fog”, from acclaimed Director Ann Hui, will open the 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival. The World premiere of both films will take place on March 22, 2009 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.
The 33rd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will take place from March 22 to April 13. Read more …
19th annual Cinequest film festival opened in San Jose with a “Wake”
The 19th annual Cinequest film festival opened in San Jose Wednesday night with the film “Wake.” “This film is about a woman, who, because love has treated her poorly, has developed this obsession with funerals,” said Cinequest Co-Founder and Director Halfdan Hussey. “She goes to funerals, because it’s what she loves to do, and through that she engages in a new love affair.”
This year’s festival, which runs until March 8th, includes films from 44 countries. Read more …
Foursite Film Festival will run from March 4-7 in Ogden, Utah
The sixth annual Foursite Film Festival will run from March 4-7 and will show films at four venues in Ogden, Utah, including the Megaplex 13 at The Junction, the Weber State University Wildcat Theater, Peery’s Egyptian Theater and the Treehouse Museum.
The festival will premier its opening night film entitled “Saving God,” starring Golden Globe Award winning actor Ving Rhames (Mission Impossible I, II & III). Read more …
New York International Children’s Film Festival this weekend
This one is really for the kids. The New York International Children’s Film Festival kicks off this weekend with the french animated film Mia and Migoo. The rest of the lineup includes a mix of live action films and animated ones that can appeal to a wide range of kids, from tots to teens. The festival starts tomorrow, Friday, and runs through March 14th.
Posted by editor@vimooz.com on February 18, 2009 under Cinequest Film Festival |
Six hundred artists and innovators will unveil 150 films and forums to audiences projected to exceed 80,000 at Cinequest Film Festival 19, under the theme Transform. Events and screenings occur in spectacular venues within a three block radius, in thriving San Jose, CA (capital of Silicon Valley), February 25 - March 8, 2009. Highlights include:
- Films starring Robert Pattinson, Brea Grant, Danny Masterson, Jane Seymour, Frank Langella, Elliott Gould, Tom Sizemore, Tim Daly, Tom Arnold, Nandita Das, Jane Adams, Joe Morton, Marcia Gay Harden, Blanchard Ryan, Dominique Swain, Johnny Cash, Larry Norman, and Garrison Keillor.
- 72 U.S., North American, and World Premieres from 40 countries.
- Hot topic Film & Innovation Forums: The Marriage of Internet & TV and Lights, Cameras, P2.
- Day of the Writer featuring Richard Walter, Lew Hunter, Hal Ackerman & Maverick Spirit Award Recipient Diablo Cody.
- An Evening of Film Comedy with Maverick Spirit Award Recipient Kevin Pollak.
- Maverick Spirit Recipient & Academy Award Winner Louis Gossett Jr.
- Controversial Silent Cinema: D.W. Griffith’s Birth of A Nation and Intolerance
- Opening Night World Premiere of Wake with star appearances.
- Closing Night World Premiere of The Nature of Existence with religious and thought leaders.
Transform - Celebration
Cinequest’s Opening Night features the World Premiere of Ellie Kanner’s romantic comedy WAKE starring Bijou Phillips (Choke, Almost Famous), Danny Masterson (That 70s Show, Yes Man), Marguerite Moreau (Beverly Hills Chihuahua), Ian Somerhalder (TV’s Lost, Pulse) and Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers). WAKE tells the story of a woman looking for love at funerals. Post screening party, with star actors and filmmakers, occurs at Mezcal and Billy Berk’s.
Closing Night presents the World Premiere of Roger Nygard’s THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE. After exploring the phenomenon of Trekkies (1998, Paramount Release) Nygard takes on The Nature of Existence. Including luminary figures such as Indian holy man Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (The Art of Living), evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion), Stanford physicist Leonard Susskind (co-discoverer of String Theory), wrestler Rob Adonis (founder of Ultimate Christian Wrestling) and director Irvin Kershner (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), Nygard deftly combines an investigative approach with his trademark humor, to create a spectacular view of humanity. E&O Trading Company hosts the closing night party.
Celebration events and screenings include a Richard Ledes’ absorbing film noir THE CALLER, starring recent Academy Award® nominated Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Elliott Gould (Ocean’s Eleven) and Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive); Jeffrey Goodman’s noir romance THE LAST LULLABY, starring the Golden Globe-nominated Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS); the North American Premiere of Tennyson Bardwell’s supernatural thriller THE SKEPTIC, starring Tim Daly (Private Practice) and Tom Arnold (True Lies); director/actress Nandita Das’ (Earth, Fire) riveting directorial debut FIRAAQ; the Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) executive produced documentary CRUDE INDEPENDENCE; Don Hardy and Dana Nachman’s WITCH HUNT (Executive Produced and Narrated by Sean Penn), a powerful and critical look at the justice system through the lives of parents wrongly accused of crimes and taken from their families.
Also screening in Cinequest’s Celebration events are the World Premieres of Mark Tran’s Vietnamese-American family comedy ALL ABOUT DAD; David Di Sabatino’s look at the life of the “Godfather of Christian Rock” FALLEN ANGEL: THE OUTLAW LARRY NORMAN; plus the United States Premiere of Mary Haverstick’s HOME, starring Marcia Gay Harden (Miller’s Crossing, Pollack).
Transform - Innovation
A unique position in the Silicon Valley enables Cinequest to access latest innovations that empower film making, exhibition and distribution–keeping Cinequest and its communities ahead of the curve. Cinequest Film Festival 19 delivers three days of Film & Innovation Forums to motivate, educate and fascinate both filmmakers and film fans. This year’s forums include:
- THE MARRIAGE OF TELEVISION & THE INTERNET: Home entertainment systems remain the preferred means for the majority of film viewing; however, the Internet has made great strides in democratizing film delivery, providing more choices, and making it easier to browse, socialize, select and view films. What if these worlds came together, integrating into one experience we’ll call Internet Television? Could film lovers enjoy the best of all worlds while giving Independent and International filmmakers more audience and more money? Could this be the Holy Grail for Mavericks?
- LIGHTS, CAMERAS…P2: At Cinequest, film producers, directors and cinematographers have discovered the latest and greatest breakthroughs to bring their visions to screen. Technologies must serve the story, artistry and the budgets of filmmaking to have impact. P2 (solid state filmmaking) provides many of the best opportunities for filmmakers today. Join an exciting visual and interactive presentation of the cameras, production & post-production workflows for this groundbreaking way to make films better, faster and cheaper.
Transform - Humor
An Evening of Film Comedy with Maverick Spirit Award Winner, Kevin Pollak. Film star (The Usual Suspects, The Whole Ten Yards) and beloved comedian, Pollak will perform specially crafted film-oriented stand-up comedy at Cinequest followed by an interview and award presentation.
Comedy premieres include: HOW TO BE… starring the widely-popular and talented Robert Pattinson (Twilight), is a true audience favorite, focusing on the coming-of-age story of a young man who hires a self-help author to move in with him and his parents to solve the source of his problems. Danny Masterson (That 70s Show, Yes Man), Blanchard Ryan (Open Water), Dominique Swain (Lolita) and Leon (Get Rich or Die Tryin’) star in Julian Kheel’s heist comedy CAPERS: a multi-perspective narrative that cleverly utilizes new technologies to craft a hilarious story of three badly executed heist; all after the same treasure.
Further comedies include CORPSE RUN, featuring Brea Grant from the hit show Heroes; North American Premiere of Kurando Mitsutake’s “sushi western” SAMURAI AVENGER: THE BLIND WOLF; and the United States Premiere of an uproarious look at the sport of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS.
Transform - Love
Cinequest transforms the notion of love beyond the standard formula and generic concepts of romance. The films in this year’s program reclaim thoughts of passion, hidden desire, and intimacy including TANDOORI LOVE, which mixes music, love and food for a spicy and infectious concoction; and the United States Premiere of the vibrant HOW AM I NOT GOING TO LOVE YOU.
Transform - Provocation
Controversial Silent Cinema: D.W. Griffith’s BIRTH OF A NATION and INTOLERANCE. The Stanford Theatre Foundation presents two films that provoked Hollywood; one breathtaking theatre, and the Mighty Wurlitzer organ to transform your film experience.
Shattering the bonds of conventionalism, provocation dares, sometimes misbehaves, and ultimately breaks the rules-deliberately stimulating and shocking film-goers. The North American Premiere of Lionel Baier’s ANOTHER MAN sensually depicts a film journalist’s lustful and sadistic affair with a femme fatale. Movie buffs will pleasure clever cinematic references and powerful sexuality. Further provocative experiences include: the North American Premiere of Murilo Salles’ provocative CAMILA JAM, featuring Leandra Leal (The Man Who Copied); the World Premiere of the dystopian sci-fi experiment CANARY; the North American Premieres of Anton Chekhov’s psychological THE BET; FIRST PERSON SINGULAR, featuring Amy Redford (Maid in Manhattan), Marjan Neshat (Rescue Me) and Annie Parisse (Law & Order); the epic mystery HISTORIAS EXTRAORDINARIAS; and Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s controversial JOHNNY MAD DOG.
Transform - Inspiration
Writing provides the inspiration on which all narrative cinema builds. Cinequest’s Day of the Writer, pays homage to writers, while offering mentoring for the new and emerging. Maverick Spirit Award winner Diablo Cody (Academy Award Winner, Juno) headlines. A wonderful group of panelists join to educate, including legends Richard Walter, Lew Hunter and Hal Ackerman.
Legendary (Academy Award Winner, An Officer and a Gentleman) Louis Gossett, Jr. receives Cinequest’s Maverick Spirit Award after a screening of THE LEAST AMONG YOU, based on the truly inspirational story of a young, African-American man sent to an all-white school where prejudice is the enemy. The film co-stars Lauren Holly (Picket Fences) and William Devane (24). Winner of this year’s Kaiser Permanente Thrive Award, HEART OF STONE inspires through the story of a principal who changed gang members through a groundbreaking program. A glorious portrait of the Man in Black and his music, JOHNNY CASH AT FOLSOM PRISON reveals the impact Cash’s music had on the inmates of Folsom Prison and how his fight for prison reform has had everlasting effects on their souls; and RAGING GRANNIES portrays a dynamic band of aging activists.