World Premier of a Brave New Magyar Comedy  "NO MAN'S ISLAND" IS A WINNER

 by Alex Deleon <filmfestivals.com>

 The peak of  the week was reached early on Wednesday, day number 3,  with the World Premiere of a brand new Hungarian film entitled SENKI SZIGETE, in English "No Man's Island". There are other very recent Films on view this week but all have already been in commercial circulation whereas this film is the only absolutely new revelation of the festival week -- straight out of the can, and what a Revelation! 

SENKI SZIGETE is a dazzling comedic drama -- or dramatic comedy, take your pick, with style and confidence to burn and an ensemble cast where all have their arias and no one tries to upstage anyone else, although some figures stand out a little more than others in an extremely well balanced juggling act of interesting characters.  This is the fourth feature film of 44 year old director Ferenc Török and clearly announces him as a major new force on the reconfigured Hungarian cinema scene. 

A sampling of Budapest elite film society packed the theater lobby with cameramen grinding away, but it was nothing like the old Film Szemle days when an event like this would bring out almost everybody who is anybody.

The most famous face spotted in the crowd was that of now senior director Istvan  Szabo, hanging out with Sándor Pál, legendary producer of the film just shown, and of course the new festival's prime mover, white haired Andy Vajna who is around every day quietly looking things over. Other than that it was primarily People connected with the Sziget film itself, many of whom are "nachwuchs" up-and-comers but the only fully established star I was able to identify from  back in the Szemle era was  actress Judith Schell who had a Key role in tonight's film and has been a major film Star here for close to a decade.  Schell, is no Relation to the once famous Maria Schell but is of equivalent beauty and talent, although her Pretty Woman Sex appeal and flair for comedy place her more in the company of Julia Roberts.

However, to get back to the Main Event of the evening, the film itself, which was presented without subtitles (too new) has plot intricacies that had me baffled here and there, but did not impede the overall perception that this is a high class piece of entertainment, which once it gets the clarifying titles could well become a breakout film onto the world market for Hungary. The last Hungarian film that was a real global success -- (I caught it at a commercial screening in Tokyo!)-- was Szabo's Oscar winning Mephisto, 1981, but that was Hungarian in Name of director only, because the main cast was not Hungarian and the language of the film was German.  In contrast Ference Török's new movie is pure Hungarian all the way, as Hungarian as it gets -- but at the same time as International mainstream as one can imagine.

The essential Plot:

This is basically a modern fairy tale in which a number of young people struggle to fulfill their dreams of getting away to an Unpeopled Island, an imagined Paradise out in the Pacific where one lives peacefully ever after away from the madness and stress of the modern world. In the movie we see the magic island only in a funny model mockup. An unlikely ménage-à-trois develops between a beautiful runaway bride who becomes a skyscraper window washer (!) an unscrupulous female taxi driver who steals a bunch of money from a Mafia boss, and a failed wannabe NBA basketball star who beds down every girl he can gets his hands on. They are soon joined by a sexy older woman who is sitting on her mothers secret fortune but can't access it, and finally by the young bridegroom who was left in the lurch, to make it a kind of ménage-à-cinq at the end.

The feeling us something like an update of Shakespeare's Midsummer Nights Dream with touches of Billy Wilder humor, but the execution is state-of-the-art international entertainment.  

The butch looking cabbie is played by EszterBánfalvy, a theater actress with striking off-beat looks, the handsome basketball player is Tamas Mohai, another young theater actor who comes on like a veteran in a rip-roaring film debut, effective and charming --the lady of the treasure is established film star Judith Schell, who doesn't exactly steal scenes, but you can't take your eyes off her when she's there (with that magical golden mascara!) and the runaway bride is Juli Jakab, a model with no film experience, who was cast by director Török because she looked perfect for the part --the camera loves her -- and she looks like a new edition of a very young Grace Kelly with ultra porcelain skin. The film has style, energy, a very colorful mise-en-scene  (pastel shade backgrounds and flying fish), a fast but not runaway pace, grippy situations, and winning performances all around -- even the bad guy looks good (popular Screen and Tv comedic actor András Stohl -- interesting how many Hungarian actors have Germannames!) -- SO, who could ask for anything more? -- Now all I have to do is see it again with English subtitles so I can make sure I wasn't just seeing things.

Juli Jakab, the runaway bride of  Ferenc Török's "No Man's Island"

The high International reputation of Hungarian cinema from the sixties on was built upon serious political and highly artistic works by a whole contingent of then young New Wave directors --Fábri, Jancsó, Makk, Szabo --serious cinema Art with a vengeance. The current picture is pure entertainment on a scale that could easily sell off the Hungarian shore, and yet maintains the quality production standards that made more serious Hungarian pictures famous in the now distant past.  In addition it is replete with all kinds of spectacular touches and savvy moves  that add up to make it a potential contender in the contemporary film market.  For a  number of years the local film industry has been in the doldrums for a variety of reasons -- withdrawal of government financial backing, political industry infighting, etc. -- with one or two worthy Pictures coming out here and there, but nothing like the steady output of masterpieces and near masterpieces that were almost commonplace in the latter half of the past century.  Signs of New life are now beginning to surface and Ference Török's "No Man's Island" is one of the brighter ones. 

The 58th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® announced this year’s Festival Awards’ winners at its high profile Awards ceremony at The Banqueting House, Whitehall, this evening. Guests included Ben Miller, Ben Rivers, Christopher Hampton, Sir David Hare, Dexter Fletcher, Ian Hart, James Corden, James McAvoy, Jeremy Thomas, John Hurt, Lynda Myles, Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Luc Roeg, Sophie Fiennes and recipient of the BFI Fellowship Stephen Frears.

Official Competition winner – Best Film: Leviathan – Andrey Zvyagintsev

Celebrating the most original, intelligent and distinctive filmmaking, the winner of the Best Film Award is Zvyagintsev’s striking film that tells the tragic tale of conflict between an individual and a corrupt system in a small Russian town. The award was announced by Jeremy Thomas, BFI Fellow and President of the Official Competition jury.

Jeremy Thomas said:

We were all very engaged by the 12 films selected for Competition and really admired many of them, there were extraordinary stories and impressive images.  But there was one film that we were unanimous in wanting to award Best Film, Leviathan directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev.  Its grandeur and themes moved all of us in the same way.

The jury also commended Celine Sciamma’s Girlhood about a young woman’s search for identity in the underprivileged suburbs of Paris.

Thomas’ fellow jurors were Ahmad Abdalla, director of last year’s Best Film Award nominee Rags & Tatters, whose film Décor received its world premiere at this year’s Festival, Chief Film Critic of Variety Scott Foundas, Malaysian film producer Lorna Tee, and BAFTA-winning and Golden Globe-nominated James McAvoy, whose film The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby received its UK Premiere at the Festival.

First Feature Competition winner – The Sutherland Award: Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy for The Tribe

The Tribe (2014)

The long-standing Sutherland Award is presented to the director of the most original and imaginative first feature in the Festival and this year’s victor was the Ukrainian drama The Tribe, set in a school for young, deaf people and acted entirely in sign language. This year, the actor Ian Hart introduced the nominations and the winner was announced by the BAFTA-nominated producer Luc Roeg whose own film We Need to Talk about Kevin won the Best Film Award at the Festival in 2011.

Luc Roeg said:

This year’s Sutherland Award presented a varied and interesting line-up of films from around the world but Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy’s The Tribe distinguished itself as the most original and powerful of all the contenders. The young non-professional cast were all exceptional, but special mention must go to Yana Novikova. Slaboshpytskiy makes an audacious and highly accomplished debut as writer-director and has marked himself out as a true auteur. It’s a pleasure and privilege to commend the work.

The jury also commended Naja Abu Nowar’s Theeb about orphaned brothers on a treacherous journey across the desert in the far reaches of the Ottoman Empire on the eve of the Arab revolt.

As well as Ian Hart, Roeg’s fellow jurors were the actress Hermione Norris, producer and president of production at EOne, Xavier Marchand and the director, cinematographer and writer Ben Rivers.

Documentary Competition winner – The Grierson Award: Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait – Ossama Mohammed & Wiam Simav Bedirxan

Silvered Water, Syria Self-portrait (2014)

The Grierson Award for the best documentary recognises outstanding feature-length documentaries of integrity, originality, technical excellence or cultural significance.

Announcing the winner was jury president, the director, writer and producer Sophie Fiennes whose own The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology screened at the Festival in 2012. 

About this confronting account of life in Syria during the civil war Sophie Fiennes commented:

The jury were deeply affected by this film. Ossama Mohammed and Wiam Simav Bedirxan’s portrait of Syria is both unflinching and poetic. It is hard to watch, because the fact of war is and should be unbearable. Bedirxan’s passionate and courageous quest to be a reliable witness, while trying to comprehend and survive her desperate situation in Homs, is profoundly moving. Ossama Mohammed’s exile in Paris, resonates with our own safe distance from this war, but the miracle of the film is how it engages us.

Reaching this verdict with Fiennes were the Emmy®-winner and BAFTA-nominated producer and director Roy Ackerman, the Emmy®-winning producer and editor of Storyville Nick Fraser, Dogwoof’s head of distribution Oli Harbottle, and the BAFTA-nominated filmmaker and screenwriter Penny Woolcock.

Best British Newcomer:  Sameena Jabeen Ahmed – actor Catch Me Daddy

Catch Me Daddy (2014)

The Best British Newcomer Award is presented to the most promising writer, actor, producer or director with no previous track record in feature films or television. Jury president Finola Dwyer, the Oscar® and BAFTA-nominated film producer, announced the result.

Finola Dwyer said:

We were unanimous in our decision to award actress Sameena Jabeen Ahmed the Best British Newcomer Award for her breakout performance in Catch Me Daddy. Sameena’s performance was very assured, confident and fearless. In the lead role of Laila, Sameena’s range of emotion was breathtaking; she was the heartbeat of the film.

Dwyers’ fellow jurors comprised the celebrated writer and novelist Monica Ali, the BAFTA-winning actor and writer James Corden, BAFTA-nominated director, actor and writer Dexter Fletcher, and the BAFTA-winning screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh.

BFI Fellowship Stephen Frears (as previously announced)

This year’s BFI Fellowship was presented to the British film director Stephen Frears by the celebrated British playwright and screenwriter Sir David Hare who said:

I can’t think of anyone who’s made a richer, more diverse or more consistently intelligent contribution to British film in my life-time.

The 58th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express®, closed tonight with the European Premiere of Fury and announced the highest ever attendance in the Festival’s illustrious history, with a 163,300 audience turnout, and an additional UK-wide audience of over 12,000.

Festival Director Clare Stewart has offered audiences a rich and diverse selection of films and events introducing the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival screened a total of 248 fiction and documentary features, including 18 World Premieres, 9 International Premieres, 35 European Premieres and 19 Archive films, and screenings of 148 live action and animated shorts, all from 70 countries.

The Festival welcomed 772 filmmaker guests over half of which came from international territories. Industry screenings and events were attended by 703 industry delegates and 906 press delegates. The Festival is essential in promoting London as the world’s leading creative city.

Opening and Closing Night both received simultaneous screenings to 50 cinemas collectively across the country, with the red carpet action shown via satellite link, as part of the Festival’s ongoing commitment to put the UK audience at the heart of the Festival-going experience. This year for the first time Opening Night was live streamed online for fans everywhere, with over 16,500 views on the day. In addition there were nationwide screenings of the Documentary Special Feature of CITIZENFOUR.

The 12 day Festival’s screenings took place at venues across the capital, from the West End cinemas – Odeon Leicester Square, Odeon West End and Vue West End; central London venues – BFI Southbank, Odeon Covent Garden, the ICA, Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho and Ciné Lumière; and local cinemas – Ritzy Brixton, Hackney Picturehouse, Vue Islington and Rich Mix. Additional screenings and events took place at the Odeon BFI IMAX, Empire Leicester Square, Curzon Chelsea and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Leviathan (2014)

Last night the BFI London Film Festival Awards were held at Banqueting House, introduced by BFI Chairman Greg Dyke and hosted by Ben Miller. The Best Film award in Official Competition went to Andrey Zvyagintsev for Leviathan; with a jury commendation for Celine Sciamma’s Girlhood. The long-standing Sutherland Award for the First Feature Competition was presented to Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, for The Tribe; with a jury commendation for Naji Abu Nowar’s Theeb. The winner of the Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition was Ossama Mohammed & Wiam Simav Bedirxan, directors of Silvered Water, Syria Self Portrait. The Best British Newcomer award went to Sameena Jabeen Ahmed, the lead actor in Catch Me Daddy. At the Awards ceremony British director Stephen Frears received a BFI Fellowship, presented by Sir David Hare; the fellowship is the highest accolade the BFI can bestow.

Screen Talks took place with Bennett Miller director of Foxcatcher, the American Express Gala; and the director Abderrahmane Sissako director of Timbuktu which appeared in the LFF official Competition. Masterclasses were given by production designer Maria Djurkovic and director Frederick Wiseman, DreamWorks Animation Chief Technology Officer Lincoln Wallen. While producer Bonnie Arnold, director Dean DeBlois and author Cressida Cowell participated in a special family presentation.

Industry Programme Highlights

• Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO and Co-founder of DreamWorks Animation was the focus of the Industry Keynote hosted by Clare Stewart, as part of the LFF celebrations in honour of the 20th anniversary of the animation powerhouse.
• In Conversation events were held with newly awarded BFI Fellow director Stephen Frears who discussed his enduring career with Variety’s chief film critic Scott Foundas; Bruna Papandrea, producer of WILD; and British filmmaker Peter Strickland and co-director Nick Fenton.
• Talking Point panel discussions included in partnership with The Hollywood Reporter a talk with Jamie Schwartz President, International Marketing at The Weinstein Company, Jon Rushton Group Head of Publicity at Curzon and Carola Ash the director of the Europe at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences; and a roundtable session about the challenges and opportunities of broadening diversity in the UK film industry hosted by Ed Vaizey, Creative Industries Minister, and Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund.
• NET.WORK@LFF in partnership with Creative England saw emerging British talent participate at events with Festival visitors producer Teddy Schwartzman, writer/director David Robert Mitchell, UTA talent agent Bec Smith, director Susanne Bier, financier Claudia Bluemhuber and producer Sisse Graum Jørgensen.
• Screen International’s UK Stars of Tomorrow partnered with the LFF and the British Council for the first time this year to create an opportunity for rising stars to meet and greet key players from the international film industry, Aimee Ffion Edwards, Aisling Franciosi and Maisie Williams where among the actors to attend.

This year’s Industry offering also included an extensive screening programme – with a total of 13,129 attendances at 154 Press & Industry screenings, this year held at the Odeon Covent Garden. Buyers & Seller screenings, a new Digital Viewing Library and Delegate Centre were also this year based at the BFI Headquarters in Stephen Street.

The LFF Education team continued to work with expert partners, including The BFI Film Academy, The London Film School and the National Film and Television School to deliver a series of events and workshops for film students aspiring to make it in the industry. The programmed offered 4,485 students a look behind the scenes - from following the production processes of Mr. Turner and ‘71 with key members of the crew, to looking inside the Digital FX industry and even being part of a festival jury with The Festival Young Jury project.

THE CURRENT CRISIS IN HUNGARIAN FILM -- AFTER THE FILM WEEK 

by Alex Deleon <filmfestivals.com>   

Ágnes Havas, Film Fund CEO, address the Crowd at Hungarian Film Week closing Celebration

The interest is already waning. Or to put it more bluntly, nobody cares ~~ About the films or even the crisis itself. There are two reasons to this:  After the Film week, the films hardly ever get to the viewers. There are no real budgets for advertising. The film or DVD distribution of the works that actually get presented on the Film Week is not solved, and they scarcely get screened on television. Despite legal and contractual obligations the TV broadcast usually happen months or years later, then typically, in a very bad time slot.  It seems that the films are simply used to fill out TV programming time. Moreover, there is no real rotation of these programmes. So back to bluntness, there is just not enough money nor any inclination to really promise anything of substance to the new films being made. Aside from a few thematic festivals in Hungary documentary films are rarely shown. And then, most of the films that were made during the year but did not pass the jury at the Film Week, just fall into obscurity.

The other reason lies in the self-consciousness of the society at large. "The documentaries are supposed to reflect our lives - which they do to a certain extent - but Hungarians are reluctant to face the facts of life in today’s Hungary". The political, economic and social transformations over the last 21 years obviously have created a lot of subjects that need to be examined, while at the same time, there is an awful lot of things from the past that need to be dealt with as well. How can this be overcome so that more relevant documentaries are made “interesting” for the viewers?

The silence surrounding this question is hardly heavier than the silence that surrounds the current state of the entire film industry. In May, Andy Vajna, the government-appointed film commissioner, held a press cinference to introduce the Hungarian National Film Fund. The producer was joined by Ágnes Havas, from Havas Films, who recently became the general manager of the Film Fund. They told the press that there would be a greater control over the preparation of films, and feature length-documentaries as well. After selecting projects, the Fund will look after the script and the budget plans. But beyond that, there are no clear plans in any areas. 

There were no announcements regarding distribution, or any other film activities. For documentary films made for TV, the actual statement was that all decisions about projects and funds would go to the National Media and Infocommunications Authority (NMHH), whereas the Film Fund would only be focusing on feature films. The NMHH main task is to oversee - or rather create - news programming as it now holds the main news agency, the MTI and both Hungarian National Television (MTV) and the Duna TV. At this point, there is not much to be known.

Because of this, says filmmaker Réka Pigniczky, who grew up in the United States and has an entirely different approach to the situation: "I wanted to talk to filmmakers who, regardless of the current situation, keep working in the field. Besides the few people who say that "things should stay as they are," some say that this change is inevitable. Opinions vary but the underlying Need to find financial support for films remains unchanged".

While working as a journalist for Associated Press, Réka Pigniczky came to Hungary in 1989 and made a name for herself with her documentaries ("Journey Home", "Incubator") in which she tried to discover her father’s and her own roots in This country.  Ms. Pigniczky is really looking forward to possible changes in the system, hoping that the selection of funding for films will "finally will be merit-based". (-- as opposed to arbitrary decisions by film politicians mainly interestedin maintaining their Cushy positions of Power). 

She has many ideas on the subject and, although the American style of her films got mixed reception in Hungary, her attention to the audience (with screenings and Q&As in movie theatres), and the relevant subject matter were able to draw a lot of people to see her films.

(This Report compiled from the Hungarian vernacular press)

Alex, Budapest, Oct. 22, 2014
 

It was announced today that Oscar® nominee Philip Kaufman (“Quills,” “The Right Stuff,” “Henry & June”) will receive the coveted ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Directing’ at the 22nd edition of Camerimage, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, this November (November 15th– 22nd).

The ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ recognizes exceptional filmmakers who have changed the way movies are made with their creativity, visual skills and passion for their craft. In addition to great framing, superb use of colors, and the mastery in handling light while shooting, Camerimage also recognizes merit in the awareness of using the available means, prowess in working with all the external and internal limitations, and the ability of cooperating with others for the sole purpose of creating the best film possible.

Philip Kaufman is a distinguished American director and screenwriter who is regarded as one of the most brilliant filmmakers working in the field of literature adaptations and an artist who is not afraid to supplement genre features with deeper analyses of the human condition.  For over five decades, Kaufman has worked with many award-winning cinematographers, has written the stories for “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with George Lucas, and has had the pleasure of working with amazing talents on set such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine, Sean Connery, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashley Judd, and Andy Garcia, just to name a few.

Philip Kaufman’s first screenplay and directorial debut was the comedy “Goldstein.” The film shared the Cannes Film Festival Prix de la Nouvelle Critique with Bernardo Bertolucci's “Prima Della Rivoluzione” in 1964. The next film Kaufman wrote and directed was comedy "Fearless Frank,” which featured a comic book hero played by a young Jon Voight. Shortly after, Kaufman was given the opportunity to make his revisionist Western “The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid” for Universal starring Robert Duvall as the legendary outlaw Jesse James.

Drama “The White Dawn” marked Kaufman’s first collaboration with the Oscar® nominated cinematographer Michael Chapman. But it was only after his next film, the disturbing horror “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” that he made himself a household name in the film industry around the globe. Not only was the atmosphere, which Kaufman created with the help of Michael Chapman, so intense, but it also shaped him as an ambitious and rebellious filmmaker who pushed creative boundaries. The following year, Kaufman made the drama “The Wanderers” (also shot by Michael Chapman), which became a true classic for young audiences during that time.

Four-time Oscar® winning “The Right Stuff,” which was recently inducted into the National Film Registry, was shot with five-time Oscar® nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. Kaufman's artistic vision made “The Right Stuff” a gripping, suspenseful and utterly funny exploration of an ineffable, indefinable quality of heroism in the face of almost certain death. Kaufman’s two-time Academy Award® nominated film “The Unbearable Lightness of Being” was a beautifully cinematic adaptation of Milan Kundera’s novel of the same name.

Kaufman’s Oscar® nominated “Henry & June,” which was shot by Philippe Rousselot, was based on the memoirs of Anaïs Nin. It became infamous for becoming the first picture in American history with a NC-17 age category rating. “Quills” (shot by Rogier Stoffers) is a moving cinematic contemplation on the boundaries of artistic freedom and double moral standards of society. Kaufman’s most recent film, “Hemingway & Gellhorn” for HBO, is a turbulent love story between two famous writers.

It was previously announced that five-time Academy Award® nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (“The Right Stuff,” ‘The Natural,” “The Patriot,” “The Passion of the Christ”) will be the recipient of the Festival’s prestigious ‘Lifetime Achievement Award.’

About CAMERIMAGE

Now in its 22nd Edition, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE is the most recognized festival dedicated to the art of cinematography and is the biggest international film festival in Poland. The unconventional format of the Festival, which awards films according to their visual, aesthetic and technical values, is a unique alternative to traditional film festivals.

CAMERIMAGE proves to be a great forum not only for presentation but also for further development of international moviemaking and provides a platform for young filmmakers to explore new artistic areas.

In addition to the main competition, the Festival offers a Polish Films Competition, Student Etudes Competition, Documentary Films Competition, Feature Debuts Competition, Music Videos Competition, Camerimage Market, Camerimage Forum, special screenings and premieres, various reviews, retrospectives, meetings and also accompanying events such as art exhibitions and music performances.

Various presentations of modern film equipment and of the latest production and postproduction technologies (both traditional and digital) are also an inherent aspect of the Festival and have been organized with cooperation from companies such as Arri, Panavision, Kodak, Hawk, K5600, J.L. Fisher, Sony, Panasonic, KinoFlo, Technicolor, Canon, Zeiss and Red.

CAMERIMAGE is an extraordinary event where art and technology meet, creating a unique and unforgettable atmosphere. Please visit http://www.camerimage.pl/ for more information.

MIDDLEBURG FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES SCHEDULE OF PANELS AND FILMMAKER CONVERSATIONS

Filmmakers, actors, industry executives and journalists to gather in Virginia’s historic countryside for four days of film, wine and conversation

The Middleburg Film Festival announced today the schedule of panels and filmmaker conversations that round out the festival program. Directors, producers, industry executives and special guests will be on hand throughout the festival to discuss filmmaking and the movie business.  Highlights include a conversation with Richard LaGravanese, director and screenwriter of THE LAST FIVE YEARS, and a panel discussion with THE IMITATION GAME director Morten Tyldum, screenwriter Graham Moore, actor Allen Leech and General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA.

The Middleburg Film Festival runs from October 30 to November 2 in Virginia’s historic wine country located one hour from Washington.

General public tickets to Middleburg Film Festival are now on sale. For ticketing, showtimes and festival information, please visit: www.middleburgfilm.org.

Follow us on Twitter @middleburgfilm and like us on Facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/MiddleburgFilmFestival

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30

THE LAST FIVE YEARS - Opening Night Film

8:00pm – Salamander Resort & Spa

Q&A with director/screenwriter Richard LaGravenese moderated by The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31

HUMAN CAPITAL

1:30pm – Buchanan Hall  (Upperville)

The Ambassador of Italy to the United States Claudio and Mrs. Bisogniero will introduce Italy’s foreign language submission to the Oscars.

LOW DOWN

4:00pm – The Hill School  

Q&A with producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa.

Distinguished Costume Designer Award

8:00pm – Salamander Resort & Spa

Conversation and film tribute to Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1

Panel on Film Distribution and Financing

9:30am – Library at the Salamander Resort & Spa

Rick Allen (CEO, SnagFilms), Pam Williams (Producer, LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN), William Hasselberger (Film/Television Financier and Producer), Lauren Versel (Producer, THE LAST FIVE YEARS, CITY ISLAND), Mark Sennet (Producer, Sennet Entertainment) discuss the changing landscape and challenges for both financing a film and reaching a wide audience.

ALL FALL DOWN

10:00am – National Sporting Library & Museum  

Q&A with director Mary Posatko.

RED ARMY

10:45am – The Hill School  

Conversation with Ted Leonsis, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Washington Capitals, following the screening.

Master Class: Where Does the Music Come From?

12:00pm – National Sporting Library

Award-winning film composer George S. Clinton (AUSTIN POWERS) and Chair of Berklee College of Music’s film scoring department takes participants through his process of composing for film, from inception to final composition, while screening examples of his work. 

Fine Wine and Conversation

12:45pm – Boxwood Winery & Tasting Room  

Vanity Fair Special Correspondent Maureen Orth talks with producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, two of Hollywood’s most accomplished and respected film producers (NEBRASKA, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, ELECTION).

MR. TURNER

2:00pm – The Hill School

Conversation with Franklin Kelly, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of National Gallery of Art and

J.M. W. Turner expert.

Distinguished Composer Award

4:00pm – Salamander Resort & Spa

Conversation with Oscar-nominated composer Marco Beltrami (THE HOMESMAN, WORLD WAR Z, HURT LOCKER, SCREAM) and performance of his scores by the Shenandoah Conservatory Symphony Orchestra accompanied by film clips.

LOW DOWN

5:30pm – The Hill School  

Q&A with with director Jeff Preiss, producers Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa, and composer Ohad Talmor.

THE IMITATION GAME – Centerpiece Film

8:00 pm – Salamander Resort & Spa

Q&A with director Morten Tyldum, screenwriter Graham Moore, actor Allen Leech and General Michael Hayden (former director of the CIA and NSA), The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran and moderated by John Horn, host of public radio’s arts and entertainment show,  “The Frame.”

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 2

Keynote Address: “Why Films Matter”

10:00am – Library at the Salamander Resort & Spa

Join former Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman & CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America for the festival's keynote address on “Why Films Matter”.  Senator Dodd will be joined by Librarian of the Congress James H. Billington.

FORCE MAJEURE

12:30pm – Salamander Resort    

The Ambassador of Sweden to the United States Bjorn Lyrvall introduces Sweden’s foreign language submission to the Oscars.

About Middleburg Film Festival

The Middleburg Film Festival offers four days of fantastic films in a spectacular setting, only 30 minutes from Dulles International Airport and just one hour from Washington, D.C.

A carefully curated selection of narrative and documentary films will screen in an intimate theatre environment, followed by fascinating Q and A’s with world-renowned filmmakers and actors. The films include Oscar contenders, festival favorites, foreign films, regional premieres, and both narratives and documentaries.    

Festival attendees will also be able to experience the natural beauty, food, wine, and warm hospitality of Middleburg. 

HollyShorts is teaming up with the Humans in Space Art Program and Waterstone Entertainment as an official Film Festival partner for the Humans in Space Art Video Challenge. The Humans in Space Art Program is working with NASA’s International Space Station Program to encourage the creation of videos focused on the future of space, science and technology, and its impact on Earth.  The Challenge is currently accepting film submissions and inviting filmmakers and students around the world to send in their creative videos, 3 minutes long or less, that explore “How will space, science, and technology benefit humanity.”

The video artwork can be of any style featuring original animation, sketches, music, live action, poetry, dance, drama, apps, etc. The winning project wins a cash prize of $5,000 courtesy of the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS). The winning video will also take a trip into orbit on the Space Station, and NASA will provide montages with flown patches for the winners. In addition, the winning film will be showcased at the 11th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (TCL Chinese Theater August 13-22, 2015).

Due Date
Artwork must be submitted online by November 15, 2014.

Eligibility & Requirements
Individuals or teams of participants should include at least one clear reference to the International Space Station in their videos, address the thematic question, be creative and capture their views in their best quality video product.

Fee
There are no fees associated with submitting to the Humans in Space Art Video Challenge.

The projects will be judged by a panel of astronauts noted below; also joining this panel will be a group of celebrities and award winning filmmakers who will be announced in the coming weeks.

Humans in Space Art Video Challenge Jury-Astronaut Members

Nicole Stott, NASA astronaut

Chris Hadfield, CSA astronaut

Luca Parmitano, ESA astronaut

Andreas Mogensen, ESA astronaut

Thomas Pesquet, ESA astronaut

   
Humans in Space Art Video Challenge Information
Competition closes Nov. 15. Announcement of winners March 2015.
Celebrity Judges to be announced soon.
$5000 award and video flown in space.

Twitter @SpaceArtLPI and #HISAChallenge and #spaceart
Facebook www.facebook.com/HumansInSpaceArt<http://www.facebook.com/HumansInSpaceArtand https://www.facebook.com/events/316493981855166/?ref=22
Instagram http://instagram.com/humansinspaceart

New portmanteau film showcases films from Béla Tarr founded cinema collective film.factory

The Sleepwalkers International Short Film Festival, held between 18th and 22nd November, will open its 15th edition with a screening of the portmanteau feature film Lost In Bosnia. This collection of shorts is an ode to films and filmmaking and highlights the works of the first batch of students from the Sarajevo based film.factory. The film school, founded by the legendary Hungarian film director Béla Tarr, aims to support the development of new artistic talent and currently counts 24 young filmmakers from across the world in its ranks. It’s teachers and mentors are some of the world’s most prominent film theorists, film historians and  critics,  film directors and  film artists,  so  far  including: Fridrik  Thor  Fridriksson,  Gus  Van  Sant,  Carlos  Reygadas,  Apichatpong  Wheersethakul,  Brothers  Quay,  Pedro  Costa,  Guy  Maddin, Tilda  Swinton,  Cristian  Mungiu,  Jean-Michel  Frodon,  Jonathan  Romney and  Jonathan Rosenbaum amongst many others.

Lost In Bosnia represents a collection of some of the very first films to come out of thefilm.factory. Each of the 11 films examines films and filmmaking is a paean to the pains and pleasure of the cinema and the moving image. A director’s statement about the film says “The  film  begins  as  an  experiment within  the  family  of  Film  Factory.  Align with  the  factory’s  spirit;  the  experiment  urges  filmmakers  to  keep  telling personal  stories. Armed with a  small  recording device,  they  set up  themes that speak about filmmaking. The experiment presents a cinematic poem to filmmaking and film itself.”

The feature will kick off a five day extravaganza that celebrates all aspects of short filmmaking. Four competitions – International, Student, Baltic Sea and National – will see some of the very best films from the past year with this year’s highlights including moving Indonesian film Maryam, the winner of the Best Short at the 2014 Venice Film Festival. There’ll be the infamous Vitamin Pills programmes full of funny and shocking shorts that are all 10 minutes and under and country retrospectives including one dedicated to Croatia. Also this year, Sleepwalkers will have a special focus on the Polish National Film School in Łódź, which will include short films directed by likes of Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieślowski.

Laurence Boyce, programme director of Sleepwalkers said:

“It’s apt that Lost In Bosnia will be opening this year’s Sleepwalkers. We’ve always celebrated cinema and the art of the short film, and it’s wonderful that a film that embodies our ethos and spirit is there to kick off our 15th year. And given that we’re also about showcasing brilliant student work, I am really happy that we’re able to celebrate a new film school whose philosophy seems set to make it an important force in the world of cinema over the years to come.”

As a sub-festival of the Black Nights Film Festival, Sleepwalkers will also bring some shorts to Black Nights audiences including the Short Matters! Tour, from the European Film Academy. Consisitng of films that have been awarded at prestigious festivals from across Europe, the three EFA programmes represent a snapshot of some of the most talked about short films of the past few years. We’ll also have some of the very best of Sleepwalkers for Black Nights audiences to enjoy.

The full Sleepwalkers programme will be announced at the end of October and be available atwww.swff.ee. You can find out more information on Lost In Bosnia and the film.factory visit www.filmfactory.ba

CHELSEA FILM FESTIVAL 2014 GRAND PRIX WINNER

Noah Lang, Producer of SunBeltExpress won the Grand Prix of the Chelsea Film Festival! 

Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress

Tate Donovan, India Ennega, Ana de la Reguera

Tate Donovan in "Sun Belt Express." ©Sun Belt Express, LLC

CFF Official Trophy, Charging Bull replica handmade by Arturo Di Modica ©Chelsea Film Festival, Inc CFF 2014 GRAND PRIX Award presented by Jury President Jacky Ido "Sun Belt Express" by Evan Wolf Buxbaum

Chelsea Film Festival 2014 Official Trailer

Google+ - See more at: http://chelseafilm.org/#sthash.wpFDpBjL.dpuf

The international jury of the 7th edition of CinEast (Central and Eastern European Film Festival Luxembourg, 9-26 October 2014, www.cineast.lu) presided by the Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa awarded the Grand Prix to the film The Way Outby the Czech director Petr Václav and the Special Jury Prize to the film Viktoria by the Bulgarian director Maya Vitkova. The Audience Award went to Life Feels Good by the Polish director Maciej Pieprzyca. The winners of the awards were announced at the Awards Ceremony held on Friday 24 October at the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg. The festival jury: Sergei Loznitsa (president), Christophe Wagner (director), Karolina Markiewicz (journalist), Claude Waringo (producer) and Gintare Parulyte (actor). Photos from the Awards Ceremony are available here and stills from the awarded films here.

The Grand Prix CinEast 2014 was awarded to the film The Way Out directed by Petr Václav. The president of the jury Sergei Loznitsa commented the verdict as follows: “We all agreed that this film is a great portrayal of the desperate fight of a smart and loving woman who is driven by her needs for independence and justice. We appreciated the direct and realistic way of filming, as well as the nuanced precision of the acting.”

The Jury also awarded the Special JuryPrize to Viktoria by Maya Vitkova: “We would like to humbly encourage Maya Vitkova, who is writer, director and producer of her first feature film. We have chosen this film for its unique, colourful and poetic depiction of an original story as well as the sublime acting that accompanied the rather unconventional way to portray a historical period.”

The Audience Award based on the votes of the festival-goers went to the film Life Feels Good by Maciej Pieprzyca.

Moreover, Audience Awards for Best Short Films in the three categories (fiction, animated, documentary) were awarded during the ceremony:

Audience Award for Best Short Fiction Film: Little Secret by Martin Krejčí (CZ)

Audience Award for Best Short Animated Film: Baths by Tomasz Duczki (PL)

Audience Award for Best Short Documentary Film: Down on the Corner by Nikola Ilić and Corina Schwingruber Ilić (RS/CH)

The Awards Ceremony was followed by the screening of the film Maidan by Sergei Loznitsa.

The CinEast film festival runs until Sunday 26 October. Over 50 features and 40 short films from 18 post-communist countries as well as many accompanying events were on the programme of the festival, which attracted over 6500 spectators.

Montréal, Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014– Doc Circuit Montreal, North America’s only bilingual market is pleased to announce the programming for its 10th anniversary, taking place from November 15th to the 19th. This edition will offer a slate of new creative and professional development initiatives, including the Eurodoc pitch session and grant, a 3-day Talent Lab, and a day-long Transmedia Think Tank.

Talent Lab

This edition begins with the pan-Canadian Doc Circuit MontrealTalent Lab, bringing together the most notable guest filmmakers and decision-makers for three days of informal conversations, workshops and skills exchange with emerging filmmakers. Seven participants will also be chosen for a tailor-made mentorship program, and a Peter Wintonick travel grant will be awarded to an out of province participant, courtesy of Films We Like. This initiative is made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Eurodoc Pitch & Grant

Doc Circuit will collaborate with Eurodoc, one of Europe’s most pre-eminent training programs, to offer a Québec producer with a project in development showing international potential, a spot.  Five finalists will be chosen for a live pitch at Doc Circuit Montreal on November 19th. Presented with the support of the Ministère de la culture et des communications, Doc Circuit Montréal will be awarding the pitch winner a $4000 grant (to be used towards registration and travel). In addition, Eurodoc will cover up to 60% of travel and accommodation costs.

Transmedia Think Tank

This year, in light of the undeniable influence of digital technologies on documentary practice, Doc Circuit Montreal will inaugurate a daylong interdisciplinary Transmedia Think Tank. Co-curated with Crossoverlabs, and presented in collaboration with the British Consulate-General in Montreal and the Canada Media Fund, the program will include a day-long story hack and short presentations exploring the tools, concepts and new approaches to collaborative and interactive creation. Mentors and speakers include: Hughes Sweeney (NFB), Boris Razon (France Télévision: Nouvelles Écritures), Opeyemi Olukemi (Tribeca Film Institute) and Gerald Holubowicz (Storycode, Paris).  

Get In Sync!

Doc Circuit has undertaken a new collaboration with M pour Montréal, to present Get in Sync!, a master-class with three international music supervisors that will re-imagine the musical landscape of a documentary film using a bank of music put together from artists participating in both M for Montreal and RIDM’s Beat Box repertoire. The session will welcome Lynn Fainchtein, Heather Gardner Adamo and Jocelyn Brown.

Conferences

Doc Circuit Montreal will once again present three intensive days of conferences, bringing our guests onto panels and into discussions looking at the possibilities and challenges at hand for the documentary community. This year’s themes will look to the future role of broadcasters, leveraging new technologies, impact producing, digital and alternative distribution strands as well as an overview of private and alternative funding. Hot Docs will also present a French-language focus of its audience study, while Doc Québec will hold its latest installation of “Assemblée de cuisine“ looking at the relationship between producers and directors.

Decision-makers

For our 10th edition, we are pleased to welcome more decision-makers than any year previous, including many newcomers to the festival: Jeremy Boxer (Vimeo), Hannah Horner (Doc&Film), Jake Craven (GATHR), Livia Bloom (Icarus Distribution), Kornelia Theune (ARTE), Phillipe Muller (ARTE GEIE), Eddy Moretti (VICE Media), Tina Apostolopoulos (Bell Media), Charlotte Madsen (SVT), Mads Mikkelsen (CPH-DOX), Cíntia Gil (Doc Lisboa), Luciano Rigolini (ARTE, La Lucarne), Boris Razon (France Télévision : Nouvelles Écritures), Opeyemi Olukemi (Tribeca Film Institute), Annick Jakobowicz (France Télévision, Documentaire International), Marc Schiller (BOND consultants), Alice Apley (DER), Mark Atkin (Crossoverlabs).  We are also happy to welcome many returning key decision-makers including representatives from: Sundance Film Institute, POV, MoMA, Union Docs and ITVS, Kino Smith/Blue Ice Docs, Blue Ant Media, Shaw Media, Knowledge Network and Superchannel.

Also new this year, will be a series of five “focus sessions”, allowing for more in-depth coverage of specific topics in smaller groups, such as: a master class on documentary series (with Knowledge Network and Canal D), legal aspects of music clearance (Willa Marcus, ARAC) and producing for the internet (case study with Remy Khouzam and Catbird Productions), producing with Latin America (with producers from Mexico and Columbia) and finally, a special theatrical distribution on demand workshop with GATHR (Jake Craven, Director or Acquisitions).

Some of our most popular activities from last year have also found their way back for another edition, including: micro-meet sessions allowing delegates to have small-group informal meetings with decision-makers, rough cut sessions where a project at rough-cut stage will have a private screening with a panel of decision-makers, and of course the Cuban Hat Pitch, back for another edition of pitching, crowdfunding and community building.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

North America’s only bilingual documentary market, Doc Circuit Montreal organizes an intensive schedule of business meetings and professional-development workshops that help directors, producers, distributors and broadcasters update their skills and launch new partnerships. Every year, more than 300 industry professionals gather at Doc Circuit Montreal to explore their shared interest in innovative projects and the issues facing documentary filmmakers.

The 10th annual DOC CIRCUIT MONTREAL will take place from November 15th to 19th, 2014.

More information: doccircuitmontreal.ca

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers, announced today the nominees for the 24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP.  The Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and signals the kick-off to the film awards season. For 2014, the seven competitive awards include Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress (presenting sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein), Breakthrough Actor, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award, and the Gotham Audience Award. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actor Tilda Swinton, director Bennett Miller and Industry Tribute recipient Netflix’s Ted Sarandos.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention, including recent winners and ultimate Oscar® contenders.

Twenty-four films received nominations this year. In addition, the nominating committee for the Best Actor category voted to award a Special Jury Award jointly to the three leading actors in Foxcatcher – Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum – for their ensemble work.

This year the Gotham Audience Award nominees are comprised of the15 films nominated for Best Feature, Best Documentary, and the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award. The winner will be selected by online voting of IFP members. Voting for that award begins November 19th at 12:01 AM EST and concludes on November 26th at 5:00 PM EST.

“Each year the Gotham Awards honor the best work from our independent storytellers and help new audiences discover their work. We congratulate this year’s nominees, from the master film artists to the talented newcomers, a true representation of the rich and diverse range of today’s independent filmmaking,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center. “We are grateful to our nominating committees of film critics, journalists, programmers and film curators for their dedication to selecting the nominees from so many worthy submissions.”

Nominees are selected by committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in making films will determine the final Gotham Award recipients.

The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, December 1st at Cipriani Wall Street.

The 2014 Gotham Independent Film Award nominations are:

Best Feature

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Alejandro G. Iñárritu, director; Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Boyhood

Richard Linklater, director; Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, producers (IFC Films)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson, director; Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales, Jeremy Dawson, producers (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Love Is Strange

Ira Sachs, director; Lucas Joaquin, Jay Van Hoy, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

Under the Skin

Jonathan Glazer, director; Nick Wechsler, James Wilson, producers (A24)

Best Documentary

Actress

Robert Greene, director; Douglas Tirola, Susan Bedusa, Robert Greene, producers (The Cinema Guild)

CITIZENFOUR

Laura Poitras, director; Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky, producers (RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films)

Life Itself

Steve James, director; Zak Piper, Steve James, Garrett Basch, producers (Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films)

Manakamana

Stephanie Spray & Pacho Velez, directors; Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, producers (The Cinema Guild)

Point and Shoot

Marshall Curry, director; Marshall Curry, Elizabeth Martin, Matthew Van Dyke, producers (The Orchard and American Documentary / POV)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (Kino Lorber)

James Ward Byrkit for Coherence (Oscilloscope Laboratories)

Dan Gilroy for Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)

Eliza Hittman for It Felt Like Love (Variance Films)

Justin Simien for Dear White People (Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

Best Actor*

Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins (Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

Ethan Hawke in Boyhood (IFC Films)

Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year (A24)

Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Miles Teller in Whiplash (Sony Pictures Classics)

* The 2014 Best Actor nominating panel also voted to award a special Gotham Jury Award jointly to Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum for their ensemble performance in Foxcatcher(Sony Pictures Classics).

Best Actress

Patricia Arquette in Boyhood (IFC Films)

Gugu Mbatha-Raw in Beyond the Lights (Relativity Media)

Julianne Moore in Still Alice (Sony Pictures Classics)

Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin (A24)

Mia Wasikowska in Tracks (The Weinstein Company)

Breakthrough Actor

Riz Ahmed in Nightcrawler (Open Road Films)

Macon Blair in Blue Ruin (RADiUS)

Ellar Coltrane in Boyhood (IFC Films)

Joey King in Wish I Was Here (Focus Features)

Jenny Slate in Obvious Child (A24)

Tessa Thompson in Dear White People (Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate)

Twenty writers, critics and programmers participated in the nomination process, considering 199 eligible submissions. The Nominating Committees for the 2014 Gotham Independent Film Awards were:

Nominating Committee for Best Feature and Breakthrough Director:

Justin Chang, Chief Film Critic, Variety

Eric Kohn, Lead Film Critic, Indiewire

Christy Lemire, Film Critic, ChristyLemire.com and co-host, What the Flick?!

Andrew O’Hehir, Film Critic, Salon.com

Joshua Rothkopf, Film Editor, Time Out New York

Nominating Committee for Best Documentary:

Charlotte Cook, Director of Programming, Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

Bilge Ebiri, Film Critic, New York Magazine and Vulture

Cynthia Fuchs, Film-TV Editor, PopMatters

Tom Hall, Executive Director, Montclair Film Festival

Sky Sitney, Visiting Artist, Georgetown University Film and Media Studies Department

Nominating Committee for Best Actor and Best Actress:

Mark Harris, Editor-at-Large, Entertainment Weekly and columnist,Grantland

Ann Hornaday, Film Critic, The Washington Post

Glenn Kenny, Critic, RogerEbert.com; author, Anatomy of an Actor: Robert De Niro

David Rooney, Film & Theater Critic, The Hollywood Reporter

Elizabeth Weitzman, Film Critic, New York Daily News

Nominating Committee for Breakthrough Actor:

Sam Adams, Editor of Criticwire, Indiewire

A.A. Dowd, Film Editor, The A. V. Club

Sheila O’Malley, Film Critic, RogerEbert.com

Ronnie Scheib, Film Critic, Variety

Stephen Whitty, Film Critic, Newark Star-Ledger

Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant

For the fourth consecutive year, IFP is proud present the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film.

The nominees are:

Garrett Bradley, director, Below Dreams

Claire Carré, director, Embers

Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award

New this year, IFP members will have a voice in determining the 5th Annual Gotham Independent Film Audience Awardwith nominees comprised of the 15 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.  Voting will take place online from November 19th at 12:01 AM EST and conclude on November 26th at 5:00 PM EST. In addition, IFP will be scheduling screenings of many of the nominated films for IFP members in the theater at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Brooklyn. These screenings will take place from November 5-12. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on December 1, 2014.

Sponsors

The Premier Sponsor of the 24th annual Gotham Independent Film Awards is The New York Times and the Platinum Sponsor is euphoria Calvin Klein. Additionally, the awards will be promoted nationally in an eight-page special advertising section in The New York Times in November 2014.

2014 Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP– Alphabetical List of Nominated Films

Actress

Best Documentary

Beyond the Lights

Best Actress

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Best Feature

Best Actor

Blue Ruin

Breakthrough Actor

Boyhood

Best Feature

Best Actor

Best Actress

Breakthrough Actor

CITIZENFOUR

Best Documentary

Coherence

Breakthrough Director

Dear White People

Breakthrough Director

Breakthrough Actor

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Breakthrough Director

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Feature

It Felt Like Love

Breakthrough Director

Life Itself

Best Documentary

Love Is Strange

Best Feature

Manakamana

Best Documentary

A Most Violent Year

Best Actor

Nightcrawler

Breakthrough Director

Breakthrough Actor

Obvious Child

Breakthrough Actor

Point and Shoot

Best Documentary

The Skeleton Twins

Best Actor

Still Alice

Best Actress

Tracks

Best Actress

Under the Skin

Best Feature

Best Actress

Whiplash

Best Actor

Wish I Was Here

Breakthrough Actor

Framed Film Festival returns to the Barbican for its third year over the weekend of 22 & 23 November with a packed line-up
of fantastic films, events, workshops and activities for young cinema goers aged 4-11.

The stories in this year’s festival capture
the world through childhood experiences: making friends, having adventures, looking after animals, being naughty and hoping not to get caught; as well as the desperate
 desire to be grown up and the frustration of being a kid in an adult world.

Ploddy the Police Car on the Case

Building on the festival’s reputation of bringing international cinema to children, Framed is excited to feature three films from Norway: Hocus Pocus, Alfie Akins, a delightful adventure film starring the famous Swedish children’s character created by Gunilla Bergström (who many youngsters will know from the popular App); Ploddy the Police Car on the Case, who feeds hot dogs to a newborn eagle; and The Christmas of Solan & Ludvig, in which inventor Theodore creates the world’s most powerful snow gun. From Holland, a chocolate-milk-loving moose in A Christmoose Story crashes Santa’s sleigh; and from France a new adaptation of Belle and Sebastian retells the story about the charming relationship between a boy and a wild dog, set along the Swiss-French border in 1943.

As ever the Framed Film Festival offers much more than a showcase of films, taking over the Barbican cinema foyer with creative learning opportunities through special events, activities and workshops, giving children the chance to watch, make and talk about films.

Opening Film - Sat 22 Nov 11am, Cinema 2

Watch this space…  Title to be confirmed.

Ploddy The Police Car On The Case (Pelle Politibil pa sporet) (U*) (Norway 2013 72 min) - Sat 22 Nov 2pm, Cinema 2

Ploddy is assigned to guard the biggest attraction in the brand new wildlife park: an endangered eagle mother and her egg. However, when two thieves steal the eagle mother, Ploddy ends up hatching the egg under his hood whilst tracking down the thieves. Ploddy comes to the rescue in this brand new adorable animation.

Norwegian with English subtitles. Headsets with English translation available.

Age range 5+

A Christmoose Story (Midden in de winternacht) (PG*) (Netherlands 2013 81 min) - Sat 22 Nov 4.15pm, Cinema 2

Max is convinced Christmas will be extremely boring, but when a giant talking Moose crashes through his roof he is not so sure. The moose claims he was on a test-run with Santa, who he has to find otherwise nobody will receive their Christmas presents.  Will Max help Moose and Santa fly again? A wonderfully funny family adventure.

Dutch with English subtitles. Headsets with English translation available.

Age range 7+

The Christmas Of Solan & Ludvig (Solan og Ludvig – Jul I Flaklypa) (U*) (Norway 2013 76 min) - Sun 23 Nov 11.30am, Cinema 2

Christmas is approaching, and what Ludvig wants most of all is snow. But when mad-cap inventor Theodore creates the world’s most powerful snow gun, it ends up in the wrong hands, and a raging blizzard ensues and Soren and Ludvig have to straighten things out all on their own. A charming family film.

Norwegian with English subtitles. Headsets with English translation available.

Age range 4+

Hocus Pocus, Alfie Atkins (Hokus Pokus, Albert Aberg) (U*) (Norway 2013 72 min) - Sun 23 Nov 2pm, Cinema 2

When he is not playing pirates, Alfie Atkins dreams of owning a dog but his dad doesn’t think he is old enough. Alfie is convinced he can use magic to make his dream come true but it is not as easy as he thinks. A delightful adventure film starring the famous Swedish children’s character created by Gunilla Bergström.

Norwegian with English subtitles. Headsets with English translation available

Age 6+

Belle And Sebastian(Belle et Sébastien) (PG*) (France 2013 104 min) - Sun 23 Nov 4pm, Cinema 2

A stunning new action adventure adaptation of Cécile Aubry’s Belle and Sebastian set along the French-Swiss borders in 1943, which explores the charming relationship between a boy and a wild dog. Threatened by Germans trawling the hills for members of the French Resistance and villagers hunting down a so-called ‘beast’, Belle and Sébastien must protect each other from harm in this thrilling children’s adventure.

French with English subtitles. Headsets with English translation available.

Age range 8+ (contains mild peril and threat)

Hocus Pocus, Alfie Atkins

Animation Station - Sat 22 & Sun 23 Nov 10.30am - 5pm, Beech Street Cinema Foyers

Children can come to this free drop-in with animator Reza Ben Gajra to create their own animated scene using stop-motion techniques. The station will be open all day in the festival for anyone to enjoy.

Recommended for 4-11 year olds

Green Screen Trailers - Sat 22 & Sun 23 Nov 10.30am - 5pm,Mezzanine Level, Main Barbican Centre

Calling all budding film stars. Children are being given the chance to star in their own film trailer. They can choose their adventure, get into costume and act out the scene of their dreams.  Plots include travelling to alien planets, stopping an evil genius detonating a bomb or saving the world from a terrible curse, without leaving the Barbican! Participants can also take home acopy of the trailer which will give them the chance to show off their film and re-live their movie experience at home again and again.

Bookable slots from 11am - 5pm. Sign up on the day. Recommended for 4-11 year olds

Free to take part. Optional DVD £6.

With the Young Film Academy

Pop Up Media Studio - Sat 22 & Sun 23 Nov 12-4pm, Beech Street Cinema Foyers

A free, drop-in film studio bringing you creative media techniques on the latest digital film kits, time-lapse animation and a Vox Pops Booth where you can add your ideas to 1000 Londoners, one of the largest digital portraits of a city ever undertaken.

www.1000londoners.com

INFORMATION

Tickets

Under 18s £3

Over 18s  £5

Activities/Workshops

Prices vary. Please see individual events for details.

Subtitles

Younger audiences may find it difficult to keep up with reading subtitles, so the festival provide a voice-over artist who reads out the subtitles live via headsets.

The original language version of the film will be played in the auditorium. Children usually get so absorbed in the story that the translation does not obstruct their viewing pleasure. The films selected for the festival are screened in their original language with English subtitles. The films for younger children are not heavy on dialogue and are very watchable and have been chosen for their universal appeal that children will relate to.

Flash Reviewing

Framed Flash Review sticky notes will be stuck around the festival cinemas so that audience members can write a flash review of all the films they see and stick them on special review boards.

Supported by City of London

With thanks to programming partner BAFTA

The Starz Denver Film Festival (SDFF), sponsored by Starz Entertainment and produced by the Denver Film Society, announced today its Red Carpet and Special Presentations for its 37th edition: November 12-23, 2014. Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region's premier film event, SDFF attracts nearly 58,000 filmgoers and is widely recognized for presenting Academy Award® and Independent Spirit Award-winning films, such as The Artist, Black Swan, Brokeback Mountain, Nebraska, No Country for Old Men and Silver Linings Playbook - well before their collective accolades.

The Starz Denver Film Festival opens Wednesday, November 12 with 5 to 7, directed by Victor Levin and starring a standout cast of Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Jocelyn DeBoer, Glenn Close and Frank Langella. Morten Tyldum's World War II thriller, The Imitation Game, will be center stage for Big Night on November 15. Like Sunday, Like Rain directed by Frank Whaley and starring Leighton Meester, Julian Shatkin, Debra Messing and Billie Joe Armstrong will close the festival on November 22. The Red Carpet Matinee's will highlight documentaries Touch The Wall directed by Grant Barbeito and Christo Brock and Keep On Keepin' On directed by Alan Hicks.

"We are thrilled to invite audiences to 'step into the story' and experience each of these outstanding films," said Festival Director Britta Erickson. "From the romance of New York City and the suspense of World War II to two powerful documentaries with Colorado ties, the Red Carpet is not to be missed at the 37th Starz Denver Film Festival."

SDFF Special Presentations include: '71, Clouds of Sils Maria, Little Accidents, The Look of Silence, Red Army, Seymour: An Introduction, Two Days, One Night and WildLike.

RED CARPET PRESENTATIONS

Opening Night, November 12 (8pm), Buell Theatre

5 to 7 - (DIRECTOR Victor Levin PRODUCERS Bonnie Curtis, Sam Englebardt, David S. Greathouse, William D. Johnson, Julie Lynn WRITER Victor Levin CAST Anton Yelchin, Bérénice Marlohe, Jocelyn DeBoer, Glenn Close and Frank Langella) - Writer/director Victor Levin's debut is a complex look at a modern affair that offers insight into the unpredictable nature of life and the equally unexpected consequences of love. Outside the Manhattan St. Regis Hotel, Brian (Anton Yelchin), a young and single aspiring writer, inadvertently comes upon Arielle (Bérénice Marlohe), the elegant wife of a French diplomat and mother of two. Despite the brevity of their meeting and Arielle's marital status, Brian can't help but be drawn to her sophisticated allure, and the two become embroiled in a cinq-a-sept affair. But what begins as a casual encounter quickly develops into a deeper attraction, facing the couple with a complicated future and leaving them with the realization that love that cannot be contained between 5 and 7. Courtesy of IFC

Matinee, November 15 (2pm), Buell Theatre

Touch the Wall - USA - (DIRECTOR Grant Barbeito, Christo Brock PRODUCERS Grant Barbeito, Christo Brock WRITER Christo Brock CAST Missy Franklin, Kara Lynn Joyce) - Touch the Wall is the story of two Olympic swimmers - Gold-Medalist Missy Franklin and Silver-Medalist Kara Lynn Joyce - and their journey to the 2012 London Olympics. When the veteran Joyce joins teenager Franklin and her age-group swim club, everything changes. The veteran Kara finds a new start and a world-class training partner; Missy finds a veteran and older sister to learn from. Together they train, compete, and support each other until the pool becomes too big for the two of them. Thrown apart by coach and circumstance, they reunite at Olympic Trials to redefine what it means to win.

Big Night, November 15 (8pm), Buell Theatre

The Imitation Game - USA - (DIRECTOR Morten Tyldum PRODUCERS Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman WRITERS Andrew Hodges (book), Graham Moore (screenplay) CAST Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode) - Benedict Cumberbatch (TV's Sherlock) dominates in this biopic of Alan Turing, the British mathematician who broke the Germans' Enigma code, playing a major role in ending World War II. Imagine The Social Network set in 1930s England: a team of geniuses headed by the savant Turing, who must race against the clock to curb Nazi power. Norwegian director Morten Tyldum (Headhunters) gets a boost in his English-language debut from a strong performance by Keira Knightley. The story is told through flashback. We meet Turing toward the end of his life, reflecting on his impact on the war effort. At 27, he lands a job at a top-secret agency that's in the early stages of breaking the code. Turing, obviously beyond brilliant for the job, begins butting heads with everyone up the chain of command, until ultimately cracking the code. But the inspired mathematician's personal life eventually becomes his demise, through no fault of his own. Courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Matinee, November 22 (2pm), Buell Theatre

Keep On Keepin' On - USA - (DIRECTOR Alan Hicks PRODUCERS Paula DuPré Pesmen, Quincy Jones WRITERS Davis Coombe, Alan Hicks CAST Clark Terry, Justin Kauflin, Quincy Jones) - From his impoverished childhood in St. Louis in the '20s and '30s to a career that crossed paths with nearly every great jazz musician of the last 70 years, Clark "CT" Terry has amazing stories to tell. Deemed by Dizzy Gillespie to have the "happiest sound in jazz," Terry is featured on over 900 recordings, and counts as his students Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. At 93, Terry still teaches, plays music, and tells great stories. The film's emotional core is the moving relationship between young pianist (Kauflin), who lost his sight at age eleven, and Terry, who is losing his own. Keep on Keepin' On is directed by first-time filmmaker Alan Hicks, a drummer who was a student of Terry's and played in his band. This inspiring documentary is written and edited by Colorado's leading editor, Davis Coombe, who will be participating in a one-on-one conversation during the festival. Courtesy of RADiUS-TWC

Closing Night, Saturday, November 23 (8pm), Buell Theatre

Like Sunday, Like Rain - USA - (DIRECTOR Frank Whaley, PRODUCERS Fabio Golombek, James Jones, Jimi Jones, Danny Sherman, Uri Singer, Josh Kesselman WRITER Frank Whaley CAST Leighton Meester, Justin Shatkin, Debra Messing, Billie Joe Armstrong) - Actor/writer/director Frank Whaley shows a gentle and sensitive side in his latest feature, Like Sunday, Like Rain. The tale of isolation-turned-doubtful-friendship across age and class stars Leighton Meester (TV's Gossip Girl), Debra Messing (TV's Will & Grace) in a serious role, and Green Day's Armstrong. Reggie (newcomer Julian Shatkin) is a 12-year-old musical prodigy who has a hard time forming bonds with kids his age. He thwarts his mothers' pressure to normalize him. Living in an Upper East Side mansion, he's isolated from most of the world with nothing but his music to occupy his time. Eleanor (Leighton Meester) finds herself jobless and homeless after a drastic breakup with her rocker boyfriend (Billie Joe Armstrong). By chance she becomes Reggie's au pair, and through a bond of music the duo form a close relationship, altering both their lives. 

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

'71 - UK - (DIRECTOR Yann Demange PRODUCERS Robin Guch, Angus Lamont WRITER Gregory Burke CAST Jack O'Connell, Sam Reid, Sean Harris) - A British soldier finds himself lost behind enemy lines one night after a riot in Belfast during the Northern Ireland conflict in 1971. Rising star Jack O'Connell (300: Rise of an Empire) bravely must find his way to safety while trying to distinguish friend from foe.

Monday, November 17 (7pm), Sie FilmCenter

Tuesday, November 18 (9:45pm), Sie FilmCenter

Clouds of Sils Maria - France/Switzerland/Germany - (DIRECTOR Olivier Assayas PRODUCERS Charles Gillibert WRITER Olivier Assayas CAST Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, Chloë Grace Moretz) - Maria (Juliette Binoche), traveling to receive an award on behalf of the director who made her famous, learns he's died. She agrees to star in a revival of the play that launched her career. When a young actress gets the seductress role, Maria is cast as the doomed older woman and life's imitation of art becomes reality.

Friday, November 14 (9:30pm), UA Pavilions

Sunday, November 23 (1:45pm), UA Pavilions

Little Accidents - USA - (DIRECTOR Sara Colangelo PRODUCERS Jason Michael Berman, Anne Carey, Thomas B. Fore WRITER Sara Colangelo CAST Boyd Holbrook, Elizabeth Banks, Chloë Sevigny, Josh Lucas) - The lone survivor of a coal mining accident, Amos is caught between a rock and a hard place: speak truth or stay quiet and keep the town's economy alive. One accident leads to another, entangling three families in tragedy and ultimately in the liberating power of truth.

Sunday, November 16 (4pm), UA Pavilions

The Look of Silence - Denmark/Indonesia/Norway/Finland/UK - (DIRECTOR Joshua Oppenheimer PRODUCERS Werner Herzog, Signe Byrge Sørensen, Errol Morris, Andre Singer) - In Joshua Oppenheimer's sequel to his 2012 documentary The Act of Killing, about Indonesia's massacres in the 1960s, we follow Adi, whose brother was assassinated, as he probes former death-squad leaders about their roles. He seeks closure, but the perpetrators deny responsibility and relish in the horrors.

Friday, November 14 (6:15pm), Sie FilmCenter

Saturday, November 15 (9:30pm), Sie FilmCenter

Red Army - USA/Russia - (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER Gabe Polsky) - This incisive documentary about the dominating ice hockey program of the Soviet Union from 1954 until its collapse provides insight into a historical chapter that continues to inform Russia's leadership. Archival footage and contemporary interviews reveal the personal cost its stars paid for success.

Monday, November 17 (6:15pm), UA Pavilions

Seymour: An Introduction - USA - (DIRECTOR Ethan Hawke PRODUCERS Ryan Hawke, Greg Loser, Heather Smith) - Ethan Hawke's documentary paints a warm and inspirational portrait of Seymour Bernstein, the esteemed classical pianist, composer, author, and teacher. Describing his experiences through observations, recollections, and stories, Bernstein offers a glimpse into his intricate views on life and art.

Saturday, November 22 (4pm) Sie FilmCenter

Sunday, November 23 (4:45pm), UA Pavilions

Two Days, One Night - Belgium/France/Italy - (DIRECTORS/WRITER Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne PRODUCERS Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd CAST Marion Cotillard, Fabrizio Rongione, Pili Groyne) - Acclaimed Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, two-time winners of the Palme D'Or at Cannes, team up with Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard for the highly anticipated Two Days, One Night. A timely, compassionate meditation on unemployment and the global financial crisis, the film depicts one woman's struggle to escape the jaws of the capitalist machine.

Saturday, November 22 (1:30pm), Sie FilmCenter

Sunday, November 23 (11:15am), Sie FilmCenter

Sunday, November 23 (4:45pm), Sie FilmCenter

WildLike - USA - (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER Frank Hall Green PRODUCERS Julie Christeas, Joseph Stephans, Schuyler Weiss CAST Ella Purnell, Brian Geraghty, Bruce Greenwood) - After running away from an abusive home in Alaska, fourteen-year-old Mackenzie (Ella Purnell) joins another lone traveler (Bruce Greenwood) in an unlikely alliance, helping to guide each other better than any map could. Director Frank Hall Green offers a story of salvation in his feature debut.

Thursday, November 20 (7pm), UA Pavilions

TICKET & PRESS INFORMATION

Advanced tickets ($12 DFS member/$15.50 non-member) for Touch the Wall only are on sale now at denverfilm.org or the SDFF main box office location at the Sie FilmCenter (2510 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206). Individual tickets for all remaining films will go on sale to Denver Film Society members on Wednesday, October 29 and to the general public on Friday, October 31. The full 12-day festival program will be announced on Monday, October 27.

Advanced Red Carpet packages are on sale now and six pack tickets to any regularly priced films are on sale through October 26 at denverfilm.org.

Patron Packages are available for advanced ticket selection and to ensure seating at Red Carpet and Special Presentations. Contact Alison Greenberg to purchase a Patron Package at (303) 595-3456 ext. 229 or alison@denverfilm.org.

Red Carpet Presentations will take place at the Buell Theatre. Special Presentation screenings will take place at UA Denver Pavilions Stadium 15 and the Sie FilmCenter.

Press accreditation is now open and closes on Tuesday, October 28. Click here to apply. For an advance screening link, film stills or interview requests email: katie@denverfilm.org.

To keep up to date with the Starz Denver Film Festival on social media: like the SDFF Facebook page, follow @DenverFilm on Twitter and join the conversation by using the hashtags: #SDFF37 and #stepintothestory.

The San Francisco Film Society today announced that A. Sayeeda Moreno and Micah Shaffer have been selected to receive this year's $15,000 SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant for development of their script White. The SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant is awarded in the fall of each year to writers residing in the United States who have been practicing for at least five years and who have previously written a minimum of one feature screenplay. The panelists who reviewed the finalists' submissions were Noah Cowan, SFFS executive director; filmmaker Ian Hendrie; and Michele Turnure-Salleo, SFFS director of Filmmaker360.

A. Sayeeda Moreno and Micah Shaffer

The jury said in a statement: "Science fiction has a special ability to explore the issues of today by showing us a possible tomorrow. The boldness of this project's attempt to demonstrate something new about race and class and climate change through a particular dystopian worldview was very impressive to the jury. As society becomes more concerned with advances in technology and science, we need stories like these to help contextualize changes in the world around us."

"It's an honor to receive the Hearst Screenwriting Grant, and we are thrilled to be partnering with the San Francisco Film Society at this stage of making our movie," said Moreno. "The Filmmaker360 program has a great track record of supporting innovative films that advance our collective dialogue, so we're excited to be in such good company!"

The SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant, supported by a gift from William R. Hearst III, is a component of the prestigious grants program administered through Filmmaker360, the Film Society's robust filmmaker services department. For more information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.

2014 SFFS / HEARST SCREENWRITING GRANT WINNERS

A. Sayeeda Moreno is a proud native New Yorker, dedicated to the art of directing. Her short film White, funded by ITVS for Futurestates.tv, is also on PBS.org. White screened at SXSW, Tribeca, and BAMcinemaFest, with Precious at the Tri-Continental Film Festival and with Spike Lee's Crooklyn at the Brooklyn Bridge Film Series. Clarke's award-winning short Sin Salida aired on HBO/HBOLatino for two years. Her short The Grey Woman premiered at Lincoln Center and won the Hallmark short film competition. Clarke received an MFA in Film from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where she was a Dean's Fellow. She is a Film Independent Fellow for her collaborative screenplay I'm Not Down and is currently developing the feature version of White.

Micah Shaffer is a writer, filmmaker, and educator whose work focuses on forging unexpected connections between people and finding humanity in unforeseen places. Shaffer's first feature documentary Death of Two Sons was awarded the HBO "Life Through Your Lens" Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award and was distributed through Netflix. Shaffer then attended the MFA program at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where he wrote and directed several short narrative films. Shaffer has written three feature screenplays, including On the Wall, which was a finalist for an Alfred P. Sloan screenwriting award and a selection at Independent Film Week's Emerging Narrative Forum. He recently completed a fellowship at the Cinema Research Institute, where he is studying the future of the cross-border financing and coproduction of independent film.

White
It's another sweltering 120-degree winter day with five more days to Christmas and hot is the only season left. The best protection from the sun remains the naturally occurring melanin in one's skin. Like many valuable natural resources, in this future it is coveted, extracted, bought, sold and stolen. Bato, who is black, enters into a race against time to save his daughter as he is forced to bargain with the new currency of this world.

For more information on the SFFS / Hearst Screenwriting Grant and the other Film Society grant programs, visit sffs.org/filmmaker360.

As with all Film Society grants, in addition to the cash awards, recipients will gain access to numerous benefits through Filmmaker360, the Film Society's comprehensive and dynamic filmmaker services program. Filmmaker360 is a leader in the field of non-profit support of cinema and offers unparalleled assistance and opportunities designed to foster creativity and further the careers of independent filmmakers nationwide. Filmmaker360 oversees one of the largest film grant programs in the country, which disperses nearly $1 million annually to incubate and support innovative and exceptional films at every stage of production. Other elements of Filmmaker360 include project development consultation, FilmHouse Residencies, fiscal sponsorship and information resources. Additional screenwriting initiatives include the Djerassi Residency Award / SFFS Screenwriting Fellowship, the SFFS / Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant and Off the Page, a program that provides private script-reading sessions with celebrated actors for filmmakers with screenplays in development.

Recent Filmmaker360 success stories include Short Term 12, Destin Cretton's sophomore feature which won both the Narrative Grand Jury Award and Audience Award at South by Southwest 2013; Ryan Coogler's debut feature Fruitvale Station, which won the Un Certain Regard Avenir Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the narrative category at Sundance 2013; and Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin's debut phenomenon which won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and Cannes' Camera d'Or in 2012, earned four Academy Award nominations (including Best Picture) and became an indie box office smash. For information visit sffs.org/filmmaker360

5th edition of the American Film Festival has come to an end. The first event in Eastern and Central Europe focused entirely on independent American cinema closed on October26th with the Polish premiere of Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher.

In five days of the festival 70 pictures were presented in 137 screenings. The program included 54 titles screened for the first time in Poland and three international premieres. With some shows sold out completely, the attendance was 17 thousand admissions.

Like in the previous years festival audience selected their favorite films. The results were announced during the closing gala at the New Horizons cinema on Sunday evening. Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child was voted the best narrative of the AFF's Spectrum section (that included 20 movies this year).

Read more about the film >

In American Docs section 10 films were screened. The award went to Steve James for Life Itself - a brilliant documentary about Roger Ebert, famous American film critic, Pulitzer Prize winner who passed away last year.

Learn more about the film >

Directors of the awarded feature narrative and documentary received cash prizes of 10 and 5 thousand dollars respectively funded by BNY Mellon.

The AFF included Polish premiere screenings of the films awarded at Sundance (including Whiplash, The Skeleton Twins) and Cannes Film Festival (Foxcatcher). Festival program included films of such directors as Gregg Araki, Bennett Miller, David Gordon Green, Joe Swanberg, Debra Granik and Robert Keener.

The 5th AFF held also a retrospective of Orson Welles and Whit Stillman, who received the Indie Star Award, honoring recognized and established American independent filmmakers.

The Starz Denver Film Festival (SDFF), sponsored by Starz Entertainment and produced by the Denver Film Society, announced today its full Festival schedule. The complete lineup of films for the 37th edition, which runs November 12-23, is available at denverfilm.org/festival.

Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region's premier film event, SDFF attracts nearly 58,000 filmgoers and is widely recognized for presenting Academy Award® and Independent Spirit Award-winning films, such as The Artist, Black Swan, Brokeback Mountain, Nebraska, No Country for Old Men and Silver Linings Playbook - well before their collective accolades.

SDFF will screen more than 250 features, shorts, student films and music videos representing over 40 countries along with selections under Denver Film Society's signature programs such as Cinema Q, Stanley Film Festival and Women+Film. This year, SDFF shines a spotlight on cinema from Brazil, known for its widly diverse range of cinematic treasures. The annual "Focus On a National Cinema" program features 14 Brazilian films. Foxcatcher directed by Bennett Miller and Wild directed by Jean-Marc Vallée were added as Gala Presentations. As previously announced, Red Carpet Presentations are 5 to 7, The Imitation Game, Keep On Keepin' On, Like Sunday, Like Rain and Touch the Wall. Special Presentations include: '71, Clouds of Sils Maria, Little Accidents, The Look of Silence, Red Army, Seymour: An Introduction, Two Days, One Night and WildLike.

"Every November we launch what we think is a collection of the year's best films; American independents, insightful documentaries, world cinema selections and enlightening short works," says Artistic Director, Brit Withey. "The 2014 program, anchored by an incredibly diverse 14-film focus on Brazil, is one we are all proud of."

THE 37TH STARZ DENVER FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

GALA PRESENTATIONS

Foxcatcher - USA - (DIRECTOR Bennett Miller, PRODUCERS Bruna Papandrea, Reese Witherspoon WRITERS E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman CAST Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller) - Foxcatcher, the highly anticipated film from Bennett Miller, the Oscar®-nominated director of Capote and Moneyball, presents an unrelenting glimpse into the dark underbelly of the American Dream. The disturbing, psychological crime drama relays the true account of events leading up to the murder of Olympic wrestling champion Dave Schultz's in 1996. After famed wrestling brothers Mark and Dave Schultz fall under the influence of the wealthy John E. du Pont, they soon find he is a benefactor turned butcher. The film features an eclectic ensemble cast with Mark Ruffalo as Dave Schultz, Channing Tatum as Mark Shultz, and an unrecognizable Steve Carell as the sinister and schizophrenic John E. du Pont.Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Wednesday, November 19 ( 7:00pm), UA Pavilions

Wild - USA - (DIRECTOR Jean-Marc Vallée, PRODUCERS Bruna Papandrea, Reese Witherspoon WRITERS Nick Hornby, Cheryl Strayed CAST Reese Witherspoon, Gaby Hoffman, Laura Dern) - This follow-up to Dallas Buyers Club from director Jean-Marc Vallée offers a uniquely female perspective on the human-versus-nature genre. Reese Witherspoon proved she could tackle a biographical role with her Oscar-winning 2006 portrayal of June Carter in Walk the Line. In Wild, she plays Cheryl Strayed, on whose best selling-autobiography the film is based. The story of why Strayed chose the lonely path is slowly revealed. The death of her mother, her divorce, and heroin abuse lead her to the 1,100-mile Pacific Crest Trail, where she learns the hard way how ill-prepared she is. All the while she presses on, furiously scribbling her experiences in her journal. As her character survives the elements and the potential threat of strangers, Witherspoon shines again. 

Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures

TBA

FOCUS ON A NATIONAL CINEMA: BRAZIL

Each year the festival shines the spotlight on one particular country in order to illuminate its range of onscreen treasures. In the summer of 2014 as the world turned its attention to the spectacle that was the World Cup, we carefully explored the country's cinematic coffers and were delighted to unearth a robust, multi-faceted and history-laden collection of works that are imbued with the Brazilian spirit. A country that contains two of the largest metropolitan populations in the world yet holds the majority of the Amazon rainforest within its borders, Brazil's filmmaking community is as diverse as its landscape.

 Feature Films:

• August Winds, Directed Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas
• Black Orpehus, Directed Marcel Camus
• Casa Grande, or the Ballad of Poor Jean, Directed by Fellipe Barbosa
• Castanha, Directed by Davi Pretto
• The Exercise of Chaos, Directed by Frederico Machado
• Futuro Beach, Directed by Karim Ainouz
• The Game, Directed byPedro Coutinaho
• If God Comes Let Him Bring a Gun, Directed by Luis Dantas
• Jonathas' Forest, Directed by Sergio Andrade
• The Man of the Crowd, Directed by Marcelo Gomes, Cao Guimarães
• Rhythms of Resistance, Directed by Jason O'Hara
• Riverrun, Directed by Paulo Sacramento

Short Films:

• The Sun Called Blind, Directed by Toti Loureiro
• The Unfamiliar, Directed by Diogo Cronemberger

CINEMA Q

Queer Voices. Queer Visions. Queer Lives. Experience the best in films that convey every angle of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer rainbow through the Cinema Q program during the festival, as well as year-round.

Feature Films:

• Castanha, Directed by Davi Pretto                           
• Futuro Beach, Directed by Karim Ainouz

Special DéjàQ Presentation:

• Limited Partnership, Directed by Thomas G. Miller

Back by popular demand, Cinema Q Film Festival's Audience Award-winning doc returns with an extended panel featuring filmmaker Thomas Miller, former Boulder County Clerk Clela Rorex, current Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall and the History Colorado Museum.

WOMEN+FILM

Women+Film is a year-round program of the Denver Film Society that not only celebrates the art and achievements of female filmmakers around the world but also brings together an array of scholars, civil and human rights advocates, community leaders, and concerned members of the public to shine the spotlight on social issues through cinema and the dialogue it stimulates.

Feature Films:

• I Am A Girl, Directed by Rebecca Barry
• I Believe In Unicorns, Directed by Leah Meyerhoff
• Light Fly, Fly High, Directed by Susann Østigaard and Beathe Hofseth
• Little Accidents, Directed by Sarah Colangelo
• The Midnight Swim, Directed by Sarah Adina Smith
• Mile High Magic, Directed by Karen Cruz
• Thou Wast Mild And Lovely, Directed by Josephine Decker
• Touch the Wall, Directed by Grant Barbeito and Christo Brock
• Viktoria, Directed by Maya Vitkova
• Walking Under Water, Directed by Eliza Kubarska
• Welkome Home, Directed by Angelina Nikonova
• William Matthews: Drawn to Paint, Directed by Amie Knox

SPOTLIGHT ON COLORADO

Colorado's filmmaking scene continues to grow as a diverse and collaborative effort; each year increasing the number of films produced, and continuing to expand across the country both theatrically as well as receiving national and international festival berths. This year's Starz Denver Film Festival features a whole host of locally produced feature-length films and shorts.

Feature Films:

• Father Unknown, Directed by David Quint
• Keep On Keepin' On, Directed by Alan Hicks
• Mile High Magic, Directed by Karen Cruz
• William Matthews: Drawn to Paint, Directed by Amie Knox

Short Films:

• Emancipation, Directed by Devin Hume
• The Fire Line: Wildfire In Colorado, Directed by Meghan Lyden
• The Maildog, Directed by Ryan Charmatz
• Man On Devils Head, Directed by Daniel Fickle
• The Mortal Coils and Sanction, Created by 2012 & 2014 Episodic Television Classes, Film and Television Program, University of Colorado - Denver
• muted. heart. strings., Directed by Colton Walter
• Out Of Green Stuff Woven, Directed by Elizabeth Henry
• Shut!, Directed by Charles Powell
• Thaw, Directed by Sheryl Glubock
• Wrong Side Up, Directed by Henry McComas

Music Videos:

• Blackbird and The Storm - Black Crow, Directed by Daniel Beahm, Erika Randall Beahm
• Faceman - Yes, Directed by Greg Carr
• Gregory Alan Isakov - Amsterdam, Directed by Laura Goldhamer

ENVIRONMENT IN FOCUS

Environmental advocacy has become a powerful cultural touchstone; as such, it is a core concern for the 2014 Starz Denver Film Festival. The Environment in Focus program features six cutting edge documentaries that have the ability to inspire audiences to make a difference through their interactions with the natural world.

Feature Films:

• A Dangerous Game, Directed by Anthony Baxter
• SlingShot, Directed by Paul Lazarus
• This Time Next Year, Directed by Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman
• ThuleTuvalu, Directed by Matthias von Gunten
• Walking Under Water, Directed by Eliza Kubarska
• Wrenched, Directed by ML Lincoln

MUSIC VIDEO MIXTAPE

The Music Video Mixtape returns this year louder than ever. Featuring a selection of the best new music videos from around the world, this compilation features funny, provocative, and mesmerizing work within a wide range of music genres. In a post-MTV era, music videos are seldom seen outside of a computer screen. The Music Video Mixtape strives to rectify this loss if only for two evenings with surround sound and a big screen to jam out to.

Music Videos:

• Benjamin Verdoes - So Bari, Directed by Tristan Seniuk
• Billion ft. Maxine Ashley - Special, Directed by Roboshobo
• Blackbird and The Storm - Black Crow, Directed by Daniel Beahm, Erika Randall Beahm
• Brunettes Shoot Blondes - Knock Knock, Directed by Andrii Kovalov
• Christopher Bono - Unity, Directed by Tobias Stretch
• Clipping - Inside Outside, Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada
• Clipping (feat. Cocc Pistol Cree) - Work Work, Directed by Carlos Lopez Estrada
• DyE feat. Egyptian Lover - She's Bad, Directed by Dent de Cuir
• Exit Hoods - Spooky Actions In The Distance, Directed by Ilya Simakov
• Faceman - Yes, Directed by Greg Carr
• Gregory Alan Isakov - Amsterdam, Directed by Laura Goldhamer
• Hundred Waters - Cavity, Directed by Michael Langan
• Irma - Save Me, Directed by Xavier Maingon
• Joywave - Tongues ft. Kopps, Directed by DANIELS
• Kidkanevil ft. Cuushe & Submerse - Butterfly/Satellite, Directed by Sankaku
• Leon - 2033, Directed by Thomas Blanchard
• Real Estate - Crime, Directed by Tom Scharpling
• Sheep, Dog & Wolf - Glare, Directed by THUNDERLIPS
• Son Lux - Lanterns Lit, Directed by SJ Finlay
• Throwing Snow feat. Adda Kaleh - The Tempest, Directed by Rick Robin
• Thundercat - Tron Song, Directed by Eric Andre
• Tiny Victories - Drinking With Your Ghost, Directed by Brian Bowman
• Walking with Elephants - Ten Walls, Directed by Nez

STANLEY NIGHTS

This past year the Denver Film Society partnered with the Stanley Hotel to produce the Stanley Film Festival. This unique four-day event showcases classic and contemporary independent horror cinema all set at the haunted and historic Stanley Hotel in beautiful Estes Park, CO. To continue this spooky fun year round, SDFF presents Stanley Nights, an offering of horrific, bizarre, and at times darkly comedic fare throughout the festival. Save the date for next year's Stanley Film Festival, April 30-May 3, 2015.

Feature Films:

• Allelulia, Directed by Fabrice Du Weiz
• The Incident, Directed by Isaac Ezban
• Killers, Directed by The Mo Brothers
• Norway, Directed by Yannis Vesiemes
• Thou Wast Mild and Lovely, Directed by Josephine Decker 

FILMMAKER FOCUS

The Denver Film Society's Filmmaker Focus offers a robust series of programs to support filmmaking in Colorado. Filmmaker Focus is in partnership with Colorado Film and Video Association and Colorado Office of Film Television Media. 

Financing Your Project

Our series of industry-related panels continues with an informative look at organizations that help filmmakers realize their visions. Robert Denerstein will moderate a panel featuring Mynette Louie of GameChanger, a for-profit film fund devoted to financing narrative features by women; Jenni Wolfson of Chicken & Egg Pictures, a nonprofit film fund dedicated solely to supporting women documentary film directors; and Jason Berman and Molly O'Brien of Catalyst Films, which develops and produces nonfiction feature films, television and web content.

Saturday, November 15 (3:00pm), RedLine

The Business of the Art: A Conversation with Michael Beugg and Irwin Rappaport

Join Producer Michael Beugg (Up in the Air, Thank you for Smoking) and Entertainment Lawyer Irwin Rappaport (Zero Dark Thirty, The Grand Budapest Hotel) for an in-depth conversation on producing and packaging films. 

Sunday, November 16 (12:30pm), RedLine

Music Composition Intensive with Charles Denler

Join Emmy®-winning composer Charles Denler for an in-depth look at composing the music that makes movie magic happen. Music is the unspoken narrative, a voice that guides the viewer into a deeper understanding of the director's vision. With nearly 200 film and television scores, and over 2,000 concerts to his credit, Denler's multiple Emmy® Award-winning music can be heard all over the world. 

Sunday, November 16 (3:30pm), RedLine

PANELS

Davis Coombe: The Editor's Art

Davis Coombe is the creative director of milkaus, an award-winning Denver-based production company and post-production house that specializes in documentary content. Coombe has worked as a producer, director, cinematographer, and editor. Robert Denerstein will highlight Coombe's role as an editor in a lively and informative program designed to enhance audience appreciation of the editor's art. Among the films Coombe has edited: Iron Ladies of Liberia, They Killed Sister Dorothy, the Oscar®-winning short Saving Face, and the eagerly anticipated Keep on Keepin' On. Coombe will show clips and discuss the editing choices that go into telling stories.

Thursday, November 13 (7:00pm), UA Pavilions

Examining Ebert

Prolific, influential and beloved by his audience, Roger Ebert became the best-known film critic in cinema history. Robert Denerstein moderates a panel that will examine Ebert's work, and his unique status as a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper critic who achieved fame and success on television, the popular Siskel & Ebert at The Movies. Our panel, which includes National Public Radio's Howie Movshovitz, critic David Thomson, critic Joe Leydon and perhaps a surprise or two, won't be turning thumbs up or down on Ebert, but trying to evaluate Ebert's criticism, posing questions about his role and discussing how celebrity can impact the critical enterprise.

Saturday, November 15 (11:30am), Sie FilmCenter

David Thomson Presents: The Drop

One of the most entertaining and provocative authors to write about film, Thomson brings sharp-edged insight to everything he does. In addition to contributing to major publications, Thomson is the author of numerous books, including "Moments That Made the Movies," "The Big Screen: The Story of Movies," and the incomparable "New Biographical Dictionary of Film: Fifth Edition." Thomson, who reviews for The New Republic, will present a special screening of The Drop, calling attention to the work of Tom Hardy, the British actor who Thomson regards as "one of the most dynamic and turbulent actors of the new century."

Saturday, November 15 (1:45pm), Sie FilmCenter

Women+Film: Film Fatales

This year, SDFF is proud to showcase some of the best rising talent among American independent female directors. In an area of storytelling traditionally considered a "boys club," these bold stories about women, made by women, use re-imagined genre elements to entrance the audience. I Believe In Unicorns, The Midnight Swim and Thou Wast Mild And Lovely juxtapose nature with female sexuality, be it entering into adulthood or child rearing, to visually explore the uniqueness or sometimes fear that goes along with womanhood. These three films boldly rethink narrative genre: I Believe In Unicorns; a fantasy, day-dreaming, road trip movie (using the beautiful play of light on 16mm and super 8mm film); The Midnight Swim, a family drama with a supernatural twist that follows three daughters reconciliation after their mother's death; and Thou Wast Mild And Lovely, a surrealist take on the horror genre where a farmer's daughter and the summer hired hand prove private thoughts, nightmares and the silences in between are the truly unnerving elements in a pastoral environment.

Sunday, November 16 (11:30am), UA Pavilions

25 Years Post Cassavetes

Hard to believe, but it has been 25 years since the Starz Denver Film Festival gave the first Cassavetes Award to director Steven Soderbergh, whose breakthrough sex, lies, and videotape transformed the world of independent films. Robert Denerstein moderates a panel that will look at the changes that have rocked the independent film world in the 25 years since the Cassavetes Award made its debut.

Sunday, November 23 (11:30am), Sie FilmCenter