AGBO Has Announced 2024 Winner Of The “Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum”

agboAGBO and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) has announced “My Kind of People,” directed by Joe Picozzi, as the winner of the 2024 Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF). Earlier this year, five filmmakers received $10,000 production grants to create short films based on concepts exploring the Italian American experience. From these exceptional works, “My Kind of People” has been selected as the top prize winner and will receive an additional $10,000 grant, along with access to the AGBO Storytellers Collective. Picozzi’s short film tells the story of a proud paesano who, after a DNA test reveals his father’s adoption, must grapple with the devastating realization that he’s not genetically Italian. As the foundation of his identity crumbles and his familial bonds fracture, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, wrestling with the meaning of heritage, belonging, and identity.

Since its inception in 2017, RBIAFF has supported emerging voices in cinema by awarding over $400,000 in grants to more than 50 talented filmmakers. This year marks a continued celebration of Italian American culture, language, and heritage through the lens of creative storytelling.

The winner was chosen by a selection committee composed of the AGBO creative team, ISDA leadership, and a distinguished panel of judges that included AGBO Co-Founders and Partners Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, AGBO’s Chief Creative Officer Angela Russo-Otstot, and ISDA National President Basil Russo, and ISDA representative Patricia Russo. The program’s mission remains steadfast: to elevate authentic, compelling narratives that highlight the richness of the Italian American experience.
Continue reading

Share

Winners of the 34th Edition of The Gothams Announced

thegothamsThe Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the winners of the 34th edition of The Gothams at a ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

The Gothams provide early recognition and media attention for outstanding and groundbreaking storytellers, including writers, directors, producers and actors. Nominees were selected by independent committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate independent juries independent of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors, and other film industry professionals determined the final recipients of The Gothams.

The Gothams Tributes, the organization’s highest honors celebrating outstanding achievement in film, were also presented at the ceremony. The Tributes recognize the industry’s most accomplished creators and performers whose work has made an indelible impact on both the art form and popular culture.

The winner for Best Feature was A Different Man.
The winner for Best International Feature was All We Imagine as Light.
The winner for Best Documentary Feature was presented to No Other Land.
The winner for Best Director was RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys.
The winner for Best Screenplay was Azazel Jacobs for His Three Daughters.
The winner for Breakthrough Director Gotham was Vera Drew for The People’s Joker.
The winner for Outstanding Lead Performance was Colman Domingo in Sing Sing.
The winner for Outstanding Supporting Performance was Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing.
The winner for Breakthrough Performer was Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys.
Continue reading

Share

Jerome Yoo’s MONGRELS Wins FIPRESCI Prize at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF)

mongrelsJerome Yoo’s debut feature film MONGRELS has won the prestigious FIPRESCI Critics Prize at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF). The award, which is presented by a jury from the International Federation of Film Critics, promotes film art and supports new and young cinema globally. MONGRELS was also presented with the First Feature Competition’s Special Jury Prize For the Cast. Vancouver and Seoul-based Yoo was present to accept the award at the PÖFF ceremony on November 23rd in Estonia.

This is the second festival and second award win for Yoo, who recently had a sold out world premiere of MONGRELS at the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) where he was honoured with the Director’s Guild of Canada’s Horizon Award for emerging Canadian director. MONGRELS was one of five films in post-production selected to be highlighted at the Udine Far East Film Festival’s FOCUS ASIA.
Continue reading

Share

American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival Wraps Up 2nd Outing With Filmmaker Awards Announcement

American-Cinematheque-PROOF-Film-Festival

Take Me Home, The Musical, Hema, Fishers of Men

The American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival announced the innovative film festival’s filmmaker awards as it wrapped a successful 2nd edition at the Culver Theater (9500 Culver Blvd.). Leading the award winners were Liz Sargent’s Take Me Home, which took the Grand Jury Prize, and Giselle Bonilla’s The Musical, which was the Audience Choice Award winner.

Along with the Grand Jury Prize, Sargent also received a $60K camera package, courtesy of Panavision, to assist them with fleshing out a larger project from their proof-of-concept.

Established last year as one of the first-ever film festivals dedicated solely to the presentation of proof-of-concept short films looking to be expanded into feature-length productions or series, the festival upped the ante for its second outing by opening its PROOF Pitch Deck Show & Tell to the general public. That resulted in the film festival receiving over 100 submissions for feature film and series pitches, from which eight participants were chosen to present their pitch decks live in front of a panel of industry professionals at the festival.
Continue reading

Share

2024 Sundance Institute Latine Fellowship & Collab Scholarship Artists Selected

sundance-latine-fellowshipThe nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the storytellers selected for the 2024 Latine Fellowship and Collab Scholarship. Now in its third year, the program aims to expand Latine representation in independent media meaningfully by providing artist development through fellowships and mentorships to10 early career Latine artists. This year’s cohort will receive an intentional immersion in a community of like-minded creatives where both professional and creative growth is nurtured through professional and creative development support, networking opportunities, access to Sundance Collab and ELEVATE.

“This year’s Latine Fellowship and Scholarship recipients come from diverse disciplines, all united by their shared goals of growth and increasing representation for a wide range of Latine voices,” said Hajnal Molnar-Szakacs, Director of Sundance Institute’s Artist Accelerator and Women at Sundance. “We are thrilled to welcome them into this Program and look forward to seeing how creative and financial support will help them advance these goals.”

The Sundance Institute Latine Fellowship will uplift five early career Latine artists working in film or television with a yearlong fellowship experience. Each fellow will receive a $10,000 unrestricted grant, bespoke artist development support, creative and tactical support on their projects, and regular opportunities for community engagement and networking. The fellows were chosen from Sundance Institute artist support programs across fiction and nonfiction.
Continue reading

Share

Academy Award Nominated Costume Designer Arianne Phillips Honored with “Creative Visionary Award”

Costume Designer Arianne Phillips;
Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels

The 25th Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) and NBFF Premiere Partner, Fashion Island will be honoring 3x Academy Award-nominated costume designer, Arianne Phillips with the esteemed Creative Visionary Award during Fashion Island’s 13th Annual StyleWeekOC on October 19. This accolade recognizes artists for exceptional creative leadership and impact within their field. The award will be presented by actress Aubrey Plaza (“Megalopolis,” “The White Lotus”) followed by a panel moderated by Costume Designer Guild’s communications director Anna Wyckoff, where they will explore Arianne’s unique perspectives on the intersection of fashion and film.

“I’m so thankful to the Newport Beach Film Festival and Fashion Island for this wonderful honor and for acknowledging the art of costume design and our contribution to filmmaking. I am especially grateful to be recognized for my work this year on “Joker: Folie á Deux” and “A Complete Unknown.” I’m humbled to be included alongside such exciting talent at the festival this year,” said Arianne.

On October 28, Arianne will be attending the SCAD Savannah Film Festival where she will join Variety Artisans Editor, Jazz Tangcay for the festival’s annual “Behind Her Lens” panel along with a conversation following a screening of Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux on October 29.

On November 1, Arianne is set to receive the Precious Gem Award at Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival GEMS. The Precious Gem Award is the festival’s signature award, reserved for one-of-a-kind artists whose contributions to cinema are lasting and unforgettable.
Continue reading

Share

‘Impulse: Playing with Reality’ Takes Achievement Award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in Immersive

impulse playing with reality

Anagram

The mixed reality experience created by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy and narrated by Tilda Swinton world premiered in the 2024 Venice Immersive Program at the 81st Venice International Film Festival

The Venice Film Festival announced Saturday that Impulse: Playing with Reality, directed by May Abdalla and Barry Gene Murphy, created and produced by Anagram, supported by Meta VR for Good and co-produced by Floréal & France Télévisions, has been awarded the prize for Achievement as part of the 2024 Venice Immersive Program.

Impulse: Playing with Reality is an interactive mixed reality documentary that explores ADHD and how you make sense of the world around you, told through the stories of four people coming to terms with the decisions which have chartered their lives.
Continue reading

Share

Queens-Based Festival of Cinema NYC 2024 Announces Film Lineup for Next Month’s Fest

festival-of-cinema-nycFestival of Cinema NYC returns to the Regal UA Midway in Forest Hills for the 8th edition of the popular Queens-based film festival, running from August 2-11. Additional venues this year include the Queens Public Library at Forest Hills, and Yant Tattoo Studios – the Official Filmmaker Lounge. This year the festival expands its programming with special presentations at the Queens Center Mall in Rego Park. The festival opens with Ivy Vale’s coming of age musical Out of My Comfort Zone and closes with the world premiere of Delfine Paolini’s A Wonderful Way with Dragons.

Additional world premieres among the feature film lineup include Laura Angiulli’s I Know You, Harrison Dillingham’s Mortimer, and Charles Caracciolo’s The Old Ballgame: The QBH Story. North American premieres include Andrey Getov’s Bo Nan Za, Francois Manceaux’s Encontro, Penny Zhou’s Hollywood Takeover: China’s Control in the Film Industry, Roman Balmakov’s No Farmers No Food: Will You Eat the Bugs?, Holger Borggrefe’s Once And For Real, and Jordi Torrent’s Third Week. The short films lineup adds an additional 12 world premieres and 2 North American premieres, as well.
Continue reading

Share

Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces Return Of Music Lounge At Baby’s All Right In Brooklyn, June 6-9

tribeca-festival-music-loungeThe 2024 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced its third annual Music Lounge at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, featuring four days and nights of exclusive performances, special guest appearances, and more. The Music Lounge is open to the public from June 6-9 and offers Tribeca Festival attendees the opportunity to intimately experience the music celebrated in a selection of this year’s films.  
 
The 2024 Tribeca Music Lounge includes a rare performance by pop hitmaker Linda Perry, sharing the stage with Stella Rose following the world premiere of the documentary Linda Perry: Let It Die Here; the first-ever tribute to Genesis P-Orridge with members of Psychic TV, following the world premiere of S/He Is Still Her/e – The Official Genesis P-Orridge Doc; and an intimate set by Kneecap, the Irish language rapping trio who will be celebrating the New York premiere of their self-titled spotlight narrative film. Rounding out the weekend will be audiovisual performances by Actress, the stage name taken by British electronic artist Darren Cunningham, and Lower East Side multi-instrumentalist and Onyx Collective founder Isaiah Barr, who will present his project “THE RED ZONE.”
 
“This year’s music films showcase a wide variety of artists and genres, and we sought to bring diversity to our Music Lounge through unique events,” said Tribeca Curator of Music Programming Vincent Cassous.  “There is something for every music fan on our lineup, from pop to experimental.”
  Continue reading

Share

Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces Audio Storytelling And Games Lineup

Tribeca-FestivalThe 2024 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced its lineup of live events and official selections for audio storytelling and games. This year’s audio storytelling program, exclusively sponsored by Audible, takes place June 9-13 and the games lineup runs June 12-16.

Tribeca’s 2024 audio storytelling live events program includes the 10th anniversary of Vox Media’s Criminal, an award-winning podcast that explores the unexpected side of true crime, with special guest Melissa McCarthy; Stitcher Studios’ Vibe Check, a dissection of news, entertainment, politics, and everything in between through a Black, queer lens, with special guest Lena Waithe; IMI and Audio Flux Presents Pet Sounds, three-minute audio stories inspired by the artwork of NYC-based pet portrait artist Ben Lenovitz; Slate’s Slow Burn, a narrative history podcast exploring the Briggs Initiative; Crooked Media’s Strict Scrutiny, an in-depth, accessible, and irreverent analysis of the Supreme Court and its cases, culture, and personalities; and Slate’s Death Sex & Money, a special event on the art of the interview, with special guest Kara Swisher.

Tribeca is also recognizing the impact of audio journalism and celebrating achievements in the medium by honoring the New York Times’ The Daily with an inaugural Excellence in Audio Journalism Gala.
Continue reading

Share
Page 1 of 10
1 2 10