Dabangg (Fearless) was the big winner at the 12th International India Film Academy (IIFA) awards ceremony held in Toronto, Canada on Saturday night. The Hollywood Reported, reported that Dabangg won for best film and took home three of the four major music awards: best male playback singer for Rahat Ali Fateh Khan for the song “Tere mast mast do nain,” best music director shared by Sajid Wajid and Lalit Pandit, and the best female playback […]
AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs Documentary Festival announced its distinguished award winners, culminating the weeklong festival activities that included the screening of 108 films representing 52 countries, a free outdoor screening, live performances and a five-day professional documentary conference. The Festival hosted 27,000 attendees, including more than 1,500 filmmakers, film and television executives and media professionals celebrating the art and business of documentary filmmaking.
This year’s Sterling Award for Best US Feature goes to OUR SCHOOL directed by Mona Nicoara and Miruna Coco-Cozma. Shot over the course of four years, the film follows the attempt to integrate isolated rural Roma (or gypsy) children into the mainstream school system of Romania. Focusing on seven-year-old Alin, 12-year-old Beni and 16-year-old Dana, this fascinating film takes an unflinching look at the challenges of a longstanding tradition of prejudice. The prize is accompanied by a $5,000 cash award.
Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, which ran from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday, June 26 in downtown Los Angeles, announced the jury and audience award winners for the 2011 Festival. The Narrative Award recognizes the finest narrative film in competition at the Festival and went to Stéphane Lafleur for the North American Premiere of Familiar Ground. The Documentary Award recognizes the finest documentary film in competition at the Festival and went to Beverly Kopf […]
EdmondsPatch is reporting that the Edmonds International Film Festival in Edmonds, Washington, will not be returning for a second year, in what director Trevor Greenfield said was largely due to a lack of sponsor support. “There were things that were outside of our control,” said Greenfield, a filmmaker, writer and editor who created the festival along with his father, filmmaker Fred Greenfield. “It’s a tough economy, and ultimately it comes down to the sponsorships we […]
Shanghai’s 14th International Film Festival (SIFF) wrapped yesterday and announced the 2011 winners of the Golden Goblet Award. The Chinese movie “Mr. Tree” and “The Young Man Sings Folk Song in the Opposite Door” were the biggest winners “Mr. Tree” received awards for Jury Grand Prix and Best Director; and “The Young Man Sings Folk Song in the Opposite Door” grabbed three awards for Best Screenplay, Best Actress and Best Music. Award for Best Feature […]
The 2011 Provincetown International Film Festival which ran June 15th thru 19th, announced its award winners on Sunday night. Prizes were given to the following films: DIRTY GIRL (directed by Abe Sylvia) won the HBO Audience Award Best Narrative Feature. **US Premiere at PIFF** BUCK (directed by Cindy Meehl) won the HBO Audience Award Best Documentary Feature HELLO CALLER (directed by Andrew Putschoegl) won the HBO Audience Award Best Short Film 27 (directed […]
KLITSCHKO, a documentary directed by Sebastian Dehnhardt, which had its World Premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival will open in New York at Cinema Village on Friday, October 21, and in Los Angeles at the end of October. Many other cities will follow. Corinth Releasing is proud to present the US Theatrical premiere of KLITSCHKO, a documentary directed by Sebastian Dehnhardt. KLITSCHKO had its World Premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival to critical […]
The 37th Seattle International Film Festival, wrapped on June 12th after a 25-day run with the announcement of the SIFF 2011 Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards. The Indian film ‘Gandu’ directed by “Q” Kaushik Mukherjee took the Grand Jury Prize for Best New Dierctor. ‘Gandu’ is described as film about A poor young man in Kolkata befriends a Bruce Lee-obsessed rickshaw driver and begins a strange descent into a world of drugs […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has extending invitations to join the organization to 178 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2011 to the Academy’s roster of members. “These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “Their talent and creativity have entertained moviegoers around the […]
The 32nd edition Durban International Film Festival’s taking place from July 21 to 31, 2011, opens with the World Premiere of a film shot in Durban – Otelo Burning, directed by Sara Blecher. Beginning in the late 1980s, the story is set around youngsters from Lamontville township who discover surfing as an empowering escape from the political violence of the times. Surfing facilitates the shaping of a new culture and lifestyle for them, and this […]
The 2011 Staten Island Film Festival finally came to an end and held its closing award ceremonies, and the the big winner was Lovinder Singh Gill’s “Stalemate” which won the award for Best Picture. “StaleMate” is a story about how we are 100% sure that we want something and then, in a split second, we realize we never wanted it in the first place. Kayleigh has finally found the perfect man; unfortunately, he comes in […]
The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted on Tuesday (6/14) to add a new twist to the 2011 Best Picture competition, and a new element of surprise to its annual nominations announcement. The Board voted to institute a system that will now produce anywhere between five and 10 nominees in the category. That number won’t be announced until the Best Picture nominees themselves are revealed at the January nominations announcement. […]
The Sicilian Film Festival, 7th Edition will be held April 11-17, 2012 at the Miami Beach Cinematheque. The seven-day festival was created in Miami in 2006 by the Sicilian-born sculptor, musician, writer, and designer Emanuele Viscuso. Now residing in Miami Beach, Viscuso seeks to underline the importance of Sicily and Southern Italy, its cinema, literature, art, food and wine, fashion, and culture on an international platform. While based primarily in Miami, the SFF holds events […]
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition has received a record 6,730 entries for 2011, including a first-time entry from Ecuador. The Academy will award up to five fellowships of $30,000 each in November. The Nicholl Fellowships competition is open to screenwriters who have not earned more than $5,000 writing for film or television. Entry scripts must be feature length and the original work of a sole author or […]
The Weinstein Company (TWC) announced yesterday that it will release “W.E.,” Madonna’s directorial debut of a feature film in the U.S. W.E. is a romantic drama co-written by Madonna and Alek Keshishian. It stars Abbie Cornish (LIMITLESS), Oscar Isaac (DRIVE), James D’Arcy (MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD), Andrea Riseborough (NEVER LET ME GO), Natalie Dormer (“The Tudors”), Richard Coyle (PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME), James Fox (SHERLOCK HOLMES) and […]
The Brooklyn Film Festival (BFF) announced the winners of this year’s festival held June 3 – June 12, 2011 at IndieScreen and Brooklyn Heights Cinema. Fittingly enough, a film about Brooklyn, ‘Battle For Brooklyn’ by Suki Hawley & Michael Galinsky took the Grand Chameleon Award and the award for Best Documentary. BATTLE for BROOKLYN is an intensely intimate look at the very public and passionate fight waged by owners and residents facing condemnation of […]
Fifteen students from colleges and universities around the world were honored last night (June 11) as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 38th Annual Student Academy Awards® competition awards ceremony, which featured as presenters actress Jennifer Garner, Oscar®-nominated animator John Musker, and Academy Award-winning producer Edward Zwick alongside Academy President Tom Sherak at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. The 2011 winners are: Alternative category Gold Medal*: “The Vermeers,” Tal S. Shamir, […]
Conceptualized at first as a six-part television series for British television, director Michael Winterbottom’s “The Trip,” starring English comics Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, is a strange, delightfully bittersweet mid-life crisis film of sorts, which leaves you somehow feeling as if you’ve witnessed an actual epiphany happening as it is unfolding. Coogan plays himself, ostensibly, and the premise is that he is invited to do a driving restaurant tour of the gorgeous Northern English […]
Jerzy Rose’s Some Girls Never Learn emerged the big winner of the 2011 Chicago Underground Film Festival picking up Audience Award in addition to the Made in Chicago Award. The film synopsis, ” A university has found the leg bone of Amelia Earhart. The diver responsible for the discovery is receiving mysterious messages from the famous dead pilot. A high school science teacher travels to the underworld to bring back his girlfriend. Animals are arranging […]
The 2011 Palm Springs International ShortFest, Short Film Festival & Film Market, which will screen June 21-27, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs, announced its roster of 331 films. New this year, Palm Springs International ShortFest announced its inaugural ShortFest Online Film Festival featuring ten films playing on a special section of the festival web site starting a week prior to the festival and will continue to play online for two months after the […]
Just days after the close of the 5th Little Rock Film Festival, the Arkansas Times is reporting that executive director Jack Lofton is out after announcing his resignation. With Lofton out, co-founders Owen Brainard and Craig Renaud will serve as co-executive directors of the festival. Lofton has reportedly described the split as “amicable and mutually beneficial.” Additionally, co-founder Brent Renaud has been appointed executive director of the newly created Arkansas Film Institute, a “state-wide initiative […]
The 2011 Amsterdam Film Festival Van Gogh Awards announced the winners of the prestigious Van Gogh Awards. The Grand Jury Prize was presented to four films – The Secret Friend directed by Flavio Alves (Brazil), Der Sandmann directed by Peter Luisi (Switzerland), Wish directed by Kyle Milardo (USA) and Happy directed by Roko Belic (USA). The De grote Prijs van de Jury was presented to New Low directed by Adam Bowers (USA); a film about […]
Thirty-one films will compete in the 2011 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in Manila next month. Nine films will compete in the New Breed Full-length Feature category, 10 films in the Short Feature category, and 4 in the Directors’ Showcase. New Breed category “Amok” by Lawrence Fajardo“Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” by Chris Martinez“Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa” by Alemberg Ang and Alvin Yapan“Baby Factory” by Eduardo W. Roy, Jr. and Jerome Zamora “Cuchera” by […]
The 2011 Honolulu Film Awards Ceremony Dinner was held last month at the Sarento’s Top of the “I” restaurant located on the top floor of the beautiful Ilikai Hotel & Suites with breathtaking views of Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Film Awards honor the best from around the world in several competition categories including Feature Films, Documentaries, Short Films, Foreign Films, Hawaiian Films, Action Sports Films, Music Videos, Experimental Films, […]