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Winners Announced for 2014 Spirit Awards; FRUITVALE STATION, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, 12 YEARS A SLAVE Among Winners

The 29th Spirit Awards ceremony was held this afternoon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, with top honors going to 12 YEARS A SLAVE, DALLAS BUYERS CLUB and NEBRASKA. BLUE JASMINE, FRUITVALE STATION, BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, SHORT TERM 12, THIS IS MARTIN BONNER and 20 FEET FROM STARDOM also received awards at the ceremony.

This year’s major category winners were 12 YEARS A SLAVE, which won Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Female and Best Cinematography and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB, which won Best Supporting Male and Best Male Lead; FRUITVALE STATION which won Best First Feature and NEBRASKA, which won Best First Screenplay; BLUE JASMINE, which won Best Female Lead, SHORT TERM 12 which won Best Editing; THIS IS MARTIN BONNER, which won the John Cassavetes Award; BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR, which won Best International Film and 20 FEET FROM STARDOM which won Best Documentary.

Australia’s Byron Bay International Film Festival Taking Place through March 9; Opens with Australian premiere of WHEN MY SORROW DIED

WHEN MY SORROW DIED: THE LEGEND OF ARMEN RA & THE THEREMIN

Described as “Australia’s independent showcase for the edgiest filmmakers on the planet,” the 8th Byron Bay International Film Festival kicked off on Friday, February 28th and runs through March 9th, 2014. The festival opened with the Australian premiere of WHEN MY SORROW DIED: THE LEGEND OF ARMEN RA & THE THEREMIN – the candidly told life story of Armen Ra, who toured with Nick Cave and whose performance Debby Harry describes as ‘beyond’. RISE OF THE ECO WARRIORS closes the festival.15 brave and passionate young people and one scientist step up against rampant destruction in Borneo to save its Orangutans.

Polish Documentary, DEEP LOVE to Screen at 2014 American Documentary Film Festival

The 2014 edition of the American Documentary Film Festival and Film Fund will screen a number of award-winning international films, including the acclaimed Polish documentary, DEEP LOVE. DEEP LOVE is a story of Dr. Janusz Solarz (Soley), an active economist, researcher and lawyer, and an avid scuba diver. Life for Soley is filled with passion and promise until suddenly, at age 58, he suffers a debilitating stroke that leaves him partially paralyzed and unable to communicate clearly. Rehabilitation and recovery proves difficult, despite the assistance of his partner, Asia, a water therapist who works with disabled children, and is an active diver herself. Over the course of three years, Soley begins to regain some mobility, but not enough to reclaim his passion for diving – especially not his big dream of returning to one of the most dangerous diving locations on earth – the perilous Blue Hole in Dahab, Egypt.

Bermuda International Film Festival Unveils 2014 Film Selections

LE WEEK-END

The 17th annual Bermuda International Film Festival taking place later this month, March 21 to 27, 2014, under the theme, Global Visions, unveiled its lineup including more than 25 feature-length and short films which will screen this year at Liberty Theatre in Hamilton, Bermuda. BIFF 2014 opens with “LE WEEK-END,” a British film set in Paris. It stars Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan as a fifty-something couple returning to the city of love, in which they honeymooned, in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage.

49 Films to Premiere at 2014 Miami International Film Festival

Family United (La gran familia Española)

49 films are making their World, International, North American, and U.S. Premieres at the upcoming 31st Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), opening next week. The Miami International Film Festival, a program of Miami Dade College’s MDCulture, will run March 7 to 16, 2014).

From this year’s lineup, MIFF will screen seven feature films and 17 short films making their World Premieres, three films will make their International Premieres, 12 films will make their North American Premieres, and six films will be screening for the first time in the U.S. There will also be three North American premiering short films and one U.S. premiering short film.

VIDEO: Poster and Trailer for STRIPPED, Documentary Featuring Comic Strips Creators

Check out the official poster and trailer for the documentary STRIPPED, directed by Dave Kellett and Frederick Schroeder, and scheduled for release on iTunes and DVD on April 1st. STRIPPED is described as a love-letter to comic strips. It brings together the world’s best cartoonists to talk about the art form they love, and what happens to it as newspapers die. Over 90 interviews were conducted, including the first-ever audio interview with Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes), as well as Jim Davis (Garfield), Cathy Guisewite(Cathy), Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), Mike & Jerry (Penny Arcade), Matt Inman (The Oatmeal), Jeff Keane (The Family Circus), Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics), Lynn Johnston (FBOFW), Zach Weiner (SMBC), Scott Kurtz (PvP), Scott McCloud(Understanding Comics), Richard Thompson (Cul de Sac), Jeph Jacques(Questionable Content), Stephan Pastis (Pearls Before Swine), Bill Amend (Foxtrot), Kate Beaton (Hark! A Vagrant) and more. STRIPPED sits down with these creators to talk about how cartooning works, why it’s so loved, and how they’re navigating this dicey period between print and digital options…when neither path works perfectly.

JOE starring Nicolas Cage to Open 2014 Atlanta Film Festival; THE DOUBLE starring Jesse Eisenberg to Close

The 38th Annual Atlanta Film Festival taking place March 28 to April 6 2014, will open with the feature film “JOE,” starring Nicolas Cage.

100 Films on Lineup for 2014 Gasparilla International Film Festival; THERE’S ALWAYS WOODSTOCK is Opening Night Film

The Gasparilla International Film Festival (GIFF) unveiled its list of scheduled films for the eighth annual event held March 19-23, 2014 in Tampa, Florida. 100 films which will be screened at the Tampa Theatre, Cinébistro at Hyde Park and Muvico Centro Ybor 20, Tampa Art Museum and Firehouse Cultural Center. The World premiere,of THERE’S ALWAYS WOODSTOCK directed by Rita Merson is the opening night film , and the U.S.premiere of CHU AND BLOSSOM directed by Gavin Kelly and Charles Chu is the closing night film.

3 Iconic Films Discovered by the Sundance Film Festival to Screen at 2014 Sundance London

Winter’s Bone

Three films discovered by the Sundance Film Festival in its 30-year history have been selected to screen at the 2014 edition of the Sundance London film and music festival. Sundance London will take place from April 25-27, 2014, at The O2. The films are: MEMENTO, which launched Christopher Nolan’s directing career after its premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, leading to his work directing Inception and a trilogy of Batmanfilms; RESERVOIR DOGS, which was supported by Sundance Institute during production and premiered at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, propelling Quentin Tarantino’s directing career; and WINTER’S BONE, from director Debra Granik and featuring Jennifer Lawrence in one of her first film roles, before she appeared in the Hunger Games series and won an Academy Award for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook.

Kat Candler’s HELLION from Sundance Film Festival to Get a U.S. Release

Kat Candler’s HELLION which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will be released in the U.S. by Sundance Selects. HELLION is written by Candler, based on her short film that screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and stars Aaron Paul, Juliette Lewis, and newcomer Josh Wiggins. Sundance Selects will release the film in theaters and on VOD later this year.

FRUITVALE STATION, WAR WITCH Among Winners of the 45th NAACP Image Awards

FRUITVALE STATION

The winners of the 45th NAACP Image Awards were announced this weekend, and “FRUITVALE STATION” won the award for Outstanding Independent Motion Picture, and “WAR WITCH” won the Outstanding International Motion Picture award. “FREE ANGELA AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS” received the award for Outstanding Documentary – (Theatrical), and RICHARD PRYOR: OMIT THE LOGIC won the award for Outstanding Documentary – (Television).

Noah Cowan Appointed Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society

Noah Cowan has been appointed Executive Director of the San Francisco Film Society (SFFS), effective March 3. Cowan joins SFFS after five years as Artistic Director of TIFF Bell Lightbox, the landmark cinema museum space in Toronto and home of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

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