Tarkovsky’s Haunting Late Masterpiece NOSTALGHIA New 4K Restoration Opens Feb. 21 at Film Forum

Posted on January 26, 2024 by admin

Andrei Tarkovsky’s haunting late masterpiece NOSTALGHIA (1983) will run at Film Forum in a new 4K restoration from Wednesday, February 21 through Tuesday, February 29.

In Tarkovsky’s first film made outside the USSR, Russian expatriate Andrei (Oleg Yankovsky, THE MIRROR), wanders wintry Italian landscapes while returning in memory to his homeland. He becomes obsessed with the Botticelli-like beauty of his translator Eugenia (Domiziana Giordano), as well as with the apocalyptic ramblings of a self-destructive wanderer named Domenico (Erland Josephson, THE SACRIFICE). In one of cinema’s most agonizingly suspenseful sequences, the fate of the world is found hanging on a candle’s flight across a dry pool, culminating in an overwhelming final shot.

Written with Tonino Guerra, frequent collaborator of Michelangelo Antonioni (on every film from L’AVVENTURA through BLOW-UP), Federico Fellini (AMARCORD), and Francesco Rosi (ILLUSTRIOUS CORPSES, CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI), NOSTALGHIA is a mystical and mysterious collision of East and West, shot with the tactile beauty that only Tarkovsky could provide.

NOSTALGHIA won the Grand Prix du cinéma de creation prize for Best Director (shared with Robert Bresson for L’ARGENT) and the international film critics prize at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. Soviet authorities prevented the film from winning the Palme d’Or, which hardened Tarkovsky’s resolve to never work in the Soviet Union again.

Trailer Premiere: Peter Callahan’s “Out And About” Set For Release On May 16

Posted on April 28, 2023 by admin

The film was written and directed by it star, Peter Callahan, whose film Against the Current, starring Joseph Fiennes, was critically acclaimed at the Sundance Film Festivasl. Producers are Ivon Visalli (High Voltage) and Konstantin von Krusenstiern (Last Ball). David Snyder is the Executive Producer.

Here’s the official release about “Out And About”:
Out and About is an unconventional tale about Jeff, a middle-aged man trying to come to terms with his life over the course of an afternoon walk through his hometown. Distinctive in both style and substance and told in real time, the story weaves together the protagonist’s inner monologue with conversations he has with the people he encounters along the way.

Raw, brutally honest, poignant and funny, Out and About explores the contrast between our inner and outer selves, the conflict between old dreams and new realities, and one man’s search for meaning as he wrestles with aging, success and failure in America, and his ultimate place in the world.

“Out And About” will be available on DVD and streaming on May 16, 2023.

Tribeca Festival Announces 2023 Audio Storytelling Lineup

Posted on April 26, 2023 by admin

The 2023 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced its audio storytelling lineup, including 18 world premieres from independent and established narrative audio creators and 11 “Live-from-Tribeca” events. This year’s Festival, which takes place June 7-18, will highlight its audio storytelling selection from June 12-16, connecting creators and listeners in-person at Tribeca.

The lineup includes 11 “Live-from-Tribeca” events, from exclusive conversations with audio creators to live tapings of hit shows, such as an audio artists panel hosted by Avery Trufelman (Articles of Interest, 99% Invisible); a live taping of Crooked Media’s Pod Save America with guest co-host Alex Wagner; a 25th anniversary rewatch event of Will & Grace followed by a live taping of SmartLess Media’s Just Jack & Will featuring Sean Hayes and Eric McCormack; a live taping of Selected Shorts with New York Times Bestselling author Roxane Gay; a live taping of New York Times Audio’s Modern Love with Kim Cattrall; and a live taping of Sonic Union’s Perreo 101 followed by a musical performance by Cuban artists Yotuel and Beatriz Luengo.

Additionally, the 2023 Audio Storytelling program showcases 16 official selections, including eight from independent creators and eight from established creators–evenly divided between fiction and narrative nonfiction series. World premieres from independent audio creators include the fiction series The Fabulists and These Were Humans, as well as the narrative nonfiction series Abridged and Magic on a Winter’s Night. World premieres from established creators include The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island (Radio Diaries and Radiotopia from PRX), Free from Desire (Paradiso), The Very Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen (Wolf at the Door Studios), and Dreamtown: The Story of Adelanto (Crooked Media). Official selections will be previewed at the Emerging Audio Artists Panel hosted by a special guest and the Established Audio Artists Panel hosted by Avery Trufelman, and available the following day at https://tribecafilm.com/podcasts and @TribecaAudio.

“We’re honored to premiere the work of these innovative creators and to celebrate audio storytelling with the high level of recognition the medium deserves,” said Davy Gardner, Curator of Audio Storytelling at Tribeca Festival. “The program brings together an expansive community of listeners and creators alike with interdisciplinary programming, parties, and sound-rich live events.”
Continue reading →

Tribeca Festival Announces 2023 TV and NOW Lineup

Posted on April 20, 2023 by admin

The 2023 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced its lineup of world premieres of new and returning television and original indie episodic series. The Festival, which takes place June 7-18, showcases a selection of highly anticipated programs from networks and streamers at the forefront of groundbreaking storytelling including Disney+, Max, Apple TV+, Starz, AMC, A&E, BET+, and more.

This year’s TV lineup features eight series premieres and two first looks at returning classics. World premieres include Max’s Full Circle about an investigation into a botched kidnapping that reveals long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present-day New York City directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Dennis Quaid, Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Zazie Beetz, and Jharrel Jerome; Prime Video’s The Horror Of Dolores Roach, a Sweeney-Todd inspired tale with Justina Machado; and BET+’s Diarra From Detroit, a dark comedy executive produced by Kenya Barris that centers on a divorcing school teacher, written and starring Diarra Kilpatrick.

The program also features subject-centric stories from HBO Sports Documentaries’ The Golden Boy, a definitive documentary unpacking the life of cultural icon Oscar De La Hoya, executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and Mario Lopez; Disney+’s Choir based on the inspirational story behind America’s Got Talent finalists the Detroit Youth Choir; A&E’s Exposing Parchman, an investigative documentary that explores the efforts to reform the Mississippi correctional system led by a team of attorneys on behalf of the inmates of Parchman Prison featuring Jay-Z; and Paramount+’s De La Calle, a docu-series that takes a journey into the Latino diaspora with special guests Fat Joe and Juelz Santana among other artists.

Continue reading →

“Daliland” Trailer: Ben Kingsley, Ezra Miller And More In The Mary Harron Biopic

Posted on April 7, 2023 by admin

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Mary Harron (“I Shot Andy Warhol”, “American Psycho”), Dalíland stars Ben Kingsley as the titular Salvador Dalí, one of the most world-renowned artists of the 20th century.

The film focuses on the later years of the strange and fascinating marriage between Dalí and his wife, Gala, as their seemingly unshakable bond begins to stress and fracture.

Set in New York and Spain in 1974, the film is told through the eyes of James, a young assistant keen to make his name in the art world, who helps the eccentric and mercurial Dalí prepare for a big gallery show. Rupert Graves, Suki Waterhouse, Andreja Pejic, and Ezra Miller also star.

From a screenplay by John C. Walsh, Magnolia Pictures is distributing the movie. “Daliland” is set for its theatrical and on-demand release on June 9, 2023.

“Balloon Animal” Trailer Debut

Posted on March 9, 2023 by admin

First Bloom Films production has recently released the trailer for its latest film “Balloon Animal”. The film is set to be available on VOD on Friday, April 7, 2023 (U.S. & U.K.) in Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Comcast/Xfinity, Charter, Cox, etc.

Written and directed by Em Johnson, the drama film s Katherine Waddell, Ilia Volok, Erin Li, Dani Baez, and Michael David Wilson.

“Balloon Animal” follows Poppy Valentine, a young circus performer who has grown up in her family’s traveling circus, begins dreaming of what life would be like outside of its fences.

Now in her mid-20s and with more unwelcomed responsibility weighing her down, she’s desperate to figure out if this life is for her. As she slowly begins to take time for herself, finding independence and even love, she strains her relationship with those around her in the tight-knit circus community. Amidst her overprotective father, stressful circus expectations, and a blossoming curiosity for a life of her own, Poppy must decide if the risk is worth leaving everything she’s ever known behind.

A First Bloom Films production, “Balloon Animal” is written and directed by Em Johnson. Cinematography by Megan Stacey. Produced by Ruvi Leider, Monica O’Hara, and Katherine Waddell. Composed by Alexa L. Borden and Connor Cook. Edited by Gregory Tuzin.

2023 Sundance Film Festival Awards Announced

Posted on January 27, 2023 by admin

The Sundance Film Festival, a program of the nonprofit Sundance Institute, returned back in person and across the country online for 2023. Whether you gathered in theaters or are joining us from home, the Festival offers the opportunity to be a part of the discovery of stories and artists that will inspire and entertain us for years to come. The 2023 Sundance Film Festival jurors and audiences have voted with the awards announced today during an event at The Ray Theatre in Park City and updated on Sundance Film Festival’s official social accounts. The award-winning films will screen in person and via the online Festival platform on Saturday, January 28, and Sunday, January 29. Tickets for all award-screening films are available beginning at 1:00 p.m. MT today.

The jury and audience-awarded prizes amplify the fearless and dynamic stories across sections, with Grand Jury Prizes awarded to A Thousand and One (U.S. Dramatic), Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (U.S. Documentary), Scrapper (World Cinema Dramatic), and The Eternal Memory (World Cinema Documentary), and the NEXT Innovator Award presented by Adobe was awarded to KOKOMO CITY.

Voted on by the audience, Radical was granted the Festival Favorite Award. Audience Awards for films in competition were presented by Acura to The Persian Version (U.S. Dramatic) and Beyond Utopia (U.S. Documentary), and presented by United Airlines to Shayda (World Cinema Dramatic) and 20 Days in Mariupol (World Cinema Documentary). KOKOMO CITY won the audience award for NEXT.

“This year’s Festival has been an extraordinary experience,” said Joana Vicente, Sundance Institute CEO. “The artists that comprise the 2023 Sundance Film Festival have demonstrated a sense of urgency and dedication to excellence in independent film. Today’s award winners highlight our programs’ most impressive achievements in the current moment of cinematic arts. I hope you will join me in congratulating our winners, as well as thanking all artists across sections for sharing their stories with the Sundance community.”

“In addition to acknowledging our artists, I want to thank this year’s jurors for their time and thoughtful consideration,” added Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “Their efforts help contextualize our artists’ work beyond the Festival program and elevate their stories to new audiences around the globe. The winners themselves represent a diverse mix of bold storytelling, thought-provoking reflections, and critical representations of our world today.”
Continue reading →

“My Old School” Starring Alan Cumming Release Set

Posted on July 17, 2022 by admin

Magnolia Pictures is set to release “My Old School” in theaters on July 22, 2022 in New York (Film Forum), July 29, 2022 in Los Angeles (Laemmle Monica Film Center) and Other Select Theaters.

Directed by Jono McLeod, the film stars Scottish actor Alan Cumming (mma, GoldenEye, X2), Clare Grogan, and Lulu. Filmmaker Jono McLeod returning to his old school for a nostalgic look at the strange but true story of his former classmate, Brandon Lee.

The film tells the story of 16-year-old Brandon Lee who was enrolled at Bearsden Academy, a secondary school in a well-to-do suburb of Glasgow, Scotland. What followed over the next two years would become the stuff of legend.

Here’s the film’s official synopsis:
Brandon had been privately tutored in Canada while he accompanied his mother, an opera diva, on tour before her tragic death. The preternaturally bright student surprised teachers by blazing toward his goal of entering medical school, displaying a wealth of knowledge beyond his years. Brandon found friends despite his initial awkwardness, taking bullied students under his wing, introducing classmates to seminal retro bands, and even starring in the school’s production of South Pacific. But then his unbelievable secret was revealed.

“From Where They Stood” Berlinale Documentary Release Set

Posted on June 30, 2022 by admin

Greenwich Entertainment announced today the U.S. and Canadian release of the documentary “From Where They Stood” (À pas aveugles) written and directed by Christophe Cognet. The North American theatrical release begins July 15, 2022 at NYC’s Film Forum followed by additional major US & Canadian cities.

A 2021 Berlinale Forum premiere, From Where They Stood went on to win the Spirit of Freedom Award for Best Documentary at the 2021 Jerusalem Film Festival. The US festival premiere was at the 2022 New York Jewish Film Festival at Lincoln Center.

“From Where They Stood” was produced by Raphaël Pillosio. Greenwich’s Edward Arentz negotiated the acquisition with Fionnuala Jamison of MK2 International on behalf of the filmmakers.

“In contrast to today when thankfully evidence of war crimes and genocide can be gathered often remotely and disseminated worldwide with startling precision and detail, the individuals who took these photos risked everything to pierce the cloak of secrecy that surrounded the genocidal horror of the Nazi murder machine and remain a testimony to their courage and defiance in the face of totalitarian evil,” says Greenwich’s co-president Edward Arentz.

Here’s the film official synopsis:
It’s not widely known but somehow a handful of prisoners in Nazi concentration camps managed to take clandestine photographs of the hell the Nazis were hiding from the world.

Either smuggled out or hidden and retrieved only after the war, Director Christophe Cognet retraces the footsteps of these courageous men and women in a quest to unearth the circumstances and the stories behind their photographs.

Stage-centric Comedy “The Daphne Project” Debuts in Theatres in New York

Posted on June 17, 2022 by admin

Stage-centric comedy “The Daphne Project” debuts in theaters in New York starting in July 22nd ahead of Fuse+ release.

The film stars Daphne Wilco (Zora Iman Crews), actress and social justice warrior, hilariously wreaking havoc on an off-off Broadway production of Euripides’ “The Bacchae” in the name of progress, her progress.

Co-directed, written & produced by Alec Tibaldi (the critically acclaimed “Spiral Farm”) and Zora Iman Crews (Amazon Prime’s “Legend’s Of Sleepy Hollow Anthology”), this quick moving New York centric stage driven feature film invites comparisons to another critical favorite “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with its perfectly timed comedic gems. The Daphne Project,” a film festival circuit darling (including top Film Festival’s Geena Davis’s Bentonville Film Festival and St. Louis International Film Festival) will open in theatres beginning in New York with the Quad Cinema on July 22nd with the filmmakers in attendance for Q&A’s, ahead of its platform release through Fuse + later this year.

“The Daphne Project” engaging cast is led by stars Zora Iman Crews (Amazon Prime’s “Legend’s Of Sleepy Hollow Anthology”), Jake Horowitz (Amazon Studios’ “The Vast of Night”, Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All), April Lavelle (HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant”), Reed Lancaster (“Gold”), Geena Quintos, Annie-Sage Whitehurst (“Roadside Assistance”), Yael Rizowy (“Trying Hard”), Ed Norwood (“Spiral Farm”), Austin Letorney (“Magnolia Flowers”), Duncan Menaker (“Cilla”), and Piper De Palma (“Spiral Farm”).