Documentary filmmaker Jehane Noujaim, who directed the documentary film Control Room, a 2004 documentary about Arabic-language news network Al Jazeera, was reportedly arrested and released on Friday by Egyptian security forces after being held for 36 hours. Ms. Noujaim was filming in Tahrir Square for a planned documentary about the protests in Egypt. She reportedly said “I ran into then one military guy, my camera got taken, my eyepiece got broken by him, he called […]
Haskell Wexler, an 89 year-old Academy Award Winning cinematographer, is turning his camera on the Occupy LA movement for his latest political and social documentation. The groundbreaking cinematographer and film director has been in the business since the early 1960s, starting out with documentaries, then breaking into Hollywood with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, for which he won his first Oscar. He went on to shoot such famous and well respected films as In the […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present five-time Academy Award nominee Glenn Close with the Career Achievement Award at its Awards Gala. The Festival runs January 5-16. “Glenn Close has the gift of mesmerizing an audience whenever she performs,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Since her film debut in 1982, Close’s ability to capture the essence of a character is unparalleled, be it a femme fatale, a notorious stalker […]
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present acclaimed French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist) with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award. “Director Michel Hazanavicius boldly takes us back in time and reacquaints modern-day audiences with the magical power of black and white silent cinema to capture our hearts and our imaginations in The Artist,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “The film opened to rave reviews at its premiere in Cannes and […]
Asghar Farhadi’s Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (A Separation, Islamic Republic of Iran) won the Best Feature Film Award at the 5th Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Asghar Farhadi, who wrote, produced and directed the film, accepted his Award at the APSA Ceremony on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia from 2011 APSA International Jury President, Hong Kong’s Nansun Shi.
Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da (Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina), written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan and produced by Zeynep Özbatur Atakan, won three APSAs. Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the Achievement in Directing, Gökhan Tiryaki was
presented with the Award for Achievement in Cinematography and producer Zeynep Özbatur Atakan was awarded the Screen International Jury Grand Prize. {jathumbnail off}
The 2011 North Shore Surf Film Festival taking place on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, will feature this year’s top surf films which will include Hawaii premiers and short films, local musicians, and exciting opportunity drawings of surfboards and great gifts.
Films being featured this year are: Blue Sway by Jack McCoy, Year Zero by Globe, Sion Milosky Tribute by Volcom, Minds In The Water by Jason Krumb, Get N Classic by Graham Nash, 36 Hours In The City by Billabong, Imaginarium by Reef, Body Glove, Billabong and Rusty, Blow Up by Victor Pakpour, Surprise Excitement Party by Chris Cote & TransWorld Surf, Beer Can Surfboard by Rich Morrison, The Board Meeting by Maggie Franks, Hello, I’m Andy Irons as part of the upcoming Sunny Garcia documentary by Michael Oblowitz, Bonzer The Mothership 11.0 by Duncan and Malcolm Campbell, Behind The Lens Dan Merkel by Doug Walker, Lost & Found by Doug Walker Sanded by Tim Ryan, Float by Rip Curl, Walls Of Perception by Oxbow, Eddie by Claire Gorman, Chasing the Swell by Sachi Cunningham and Leave A Message by Jason Kentworthy and Aaron Leiber. {jathumbnail off}
The San Joaquin International Film Festival will open its 5th Anniversary with the Valley Premiere of the Swiss comedy “The Sandman (Der Sandmann)” with the honorable presence of Director-Screenwriter Peter Luisi on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue). Mr. Luisi will participate in a post-film Q&A following the film’s screening. • From Director Peter Luisi: “I am delighted that my film ‘The Sandman’ has been chosen to […]
The Harlem International Film Festival will screen Jason Swain’s documentary 9 LIVES on Wednesday, December 7, 2011.
The screening is timed to coincide with the death of rapper Heavy D last week, as well as to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the tragic night involving him that resulted in 9 people killed and 29 injured. 9 LIVES, is billed as director Jason Swain’s tribute to the nine victims including his brother Dirk, who died that night. The director will participate in a discussion after the screening. {jathumbnail off}
Ralph Fiennes will receive the coveted Richard Harris Award and Kenneth Branagh The Variety Award at the upcoming The Moët British Independent Film Awards ceremony on Sunday 4th December. The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2003 in honor of Richard Harris and recognizes outstanding contribution to British film by an actor. Previous winners have included John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis and most recently Helena Bonham Carter in 2010. Kenneth […]
29 feature-length documentary films will receive $582,000 in grants from the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program, including two films selected to receive grants from the Cinereach Project at Sundance Institute and one Time Warner Foundation Fellow.
“For many of these filmmakers, receiving a grant will be just the beginning of our relationship with them,” said Cara Mertes, Director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program. “These filmmakers are also eligible for year-round creative support through our programs, including Creative Labs, Work-in-Progress screenings, and events and activities at the Sundance Creative Producing Summit and Sundance Film Festival. We welcome these filmmakers to our community and look forward to working with them to further support and develop their unique visions.” {jathumbnail off}
The 5th Anniversary San Joaquin International Film Festival will close with “Carol Channing – Larger than Life,” a documentary film directed by Broadway producer Dori Berinstein. The film will screen on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 7:30pm at the Janet Leigh Theatre on the campus of University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue). Synopsis from Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival: “With an incomparable voice and presence, Carol Channing burst onto the Broadway scene in […]
Michelle Williams will be honored at the 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), which runs January 5-16, 2012, with the Desert Palm Achievement Actress Award. “Every generation, the cinema has a few performers who mesmerize audiences with an exceptional blend of talent, versatility and grace,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “Michelle Williams epitomizes these qualities as she continues to accept challenging role after challenging role. In her latest work, My Week with Marilyn, […]
The new documentary, Pipe Dreams from Academy Award- and Emmy-nominated director Leslie Iwerks is playing at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in LA, through November 24 at 7:30 pm daily. Narrated by actress/activist Daryl Hannah, the documentary tells the story of the Keystone XL Pipeline and the company TransCanada’s efforts to build a transportation system for tar sands through some of the most environmentally sensitive areas in the region (with a route crossing the Sandhills […]
The award-winning documentary Man on a Mission: Richard Garriott’s Road to the Stars, a riveting account of Richard Garriott’s lifelong quest to become the first son of an astronaut to blast into space opens January 13, 2012, in theaters and VOD platforms nationwide. Man on a Mission is directed by Mike Woolf, produced by Brady Dial and released by First Run Features. {jathumbnail off}
The 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF) announced that its Centerpiece films will be the Valley premiere of “Le Havre” (Finland’s official entry for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki and “Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” by American documentary filmmaker Constance Marks. The films selected for the Centerpiece program are cinematic stories that capture the essence of humanity, power of expression and universality of cinema […]
The International Film Festival Rotterdam announces the first five films selected for its Tiger Awards Competition 2012. Polish-American co-production IT LOOKS PRETTY FROM A DISTANCE by Anka and Wilhelm Ankal ventures into the darker sides of country life. Midi Z’s RETURN TO BURMA is a rare contemporary fiction from the Southeast Asian country. Eduardo Nunes’ black and white, fairylike SOUTHWEST from Brazil has been supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. A FISH from South Korea […]
The 25th Leeds International Film Festival which ran November 3 to November 20, 2011, attracted its largest ever audience of over 35,000, including a record audience for a single screening with 1000 people attending Closing Gala Shame. The Festival today announced its Audience Award winners and three prestigious Jury prizes. {jathumbnail off} 
The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Academy Award® winner George Clooney with its prestigious Chairman’s Award for The Descendants and The Ides of March. “George Clooney brings new definition to the word ‘star,’” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. “A consummate actor, director, producer and screenwriter, he’s demonstrated that no discipline within the film industry is beyond his reach. In The Ides of March as an actor, director, producer and […]
The Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded $455,000 to 25 U.S. film festivals for the 2012 calendar year.
The 2012 film festival grants allocations are as follows: {jathumbnail off}
The San Francisco Film Society is now accepting submissions for the 55th San Francisco International Film Festival. Works in all genres, forms and lengths are considered. The final deadline for short films is Monday, December 5; and the final deadline for features is Monday, December 12. The Festival’s Golden Gate Awards include a juried award for Best Documentary Feature with a $20,000 prize; Best Bay Area Documentary Feature with a $15,000 prize; and awards totaling […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 84th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: “Battle for Brooklyn” (RUMER Inc.) “Bill Cunningham New York” (First Thought Films) “Buck” (Cedar Creek Productions) “Hell and Back Again” (Roast […]
by Francesca McCaffery RID OF ME, James Westby’s latest black comedy that follows Meris, (an awesome Katy O’Grady!) an awkward young woman trying too hard to perfect her marriage, amongst a new group of friends. RID OF ME follows Meris’ rejection from the cool crowd down a path towards truth and salvation which includes a job at a local candy shop, a group of punk friends, community gardening and a newfound love for Cambodian rock music! (Yes!) […]
Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) announced its Jury and Audience Awards for the inaugural film festival which ran November 9 – 13, 2011.
The coming-of-age film Mamitas, based on director Nicholas Ozeki’s award-winning short film of the same name took the top prize Best Narrative and the cash award of $10,000. In the film, cocky teenager and self-proclaimed Casanova Jordan Juarez thinks he knows everything about girls. But one day, while teaching his best friend how to pick up “hot mami chulas,” he learns just what it means to be a man who can truly connect with a woman.
The complete list of winners: {jathumbnail off}
“The Rum Diary” starring BIFF’s 2009 Career Achievement tributee and Bahamian home owner, Johnny Depp, will open the 8th Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) on Thursday, December 1st while sports dramedy “Breakaway” starring Rob Lowe will close the festival on Sunday, December 4th.
This year, the Festival, which takes place December 1-4, 2011 in Nassau, will showcase 68 films from 33 different countries, including 42 features of which several are international premieres and all are Bahamian premieres. The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Documentary; New Visions; First Look; and Short Film. Special sections include Caribbean and Environmental sidebars as well as a World Cinema showcase.
The official BIFF lineup is comprised of the following films: {jathumbnail off}