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.
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BRANDO 100, Commemorating the Iconic Actor’s Centennial Year

marlon-brando-100BRANDO 100, a two-week festival of classics starring Marlon Brando, with many films screening in 35mm, will run at Film Forum from Friday, December 13 to Thursday, December 26, in commemoration of the actor’s centennial year in 2024.

The series features performances by Brando (1924-2004), the rebellious iconoclast in his most iconic and lesser seen roles. From his rarely-screened feature debut as a paralyzed, depressed ex-GI in Fred Zinnemann’s THE MEN (1950); to his definitive Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (adapted to film in 1951 by Elia Kazan); to his Oscar-winning performance as dockworker Terry Malloy in Kazan’s ON THE WATERFRONT (1954), and his turn as the suave, wisecracking Sky Masterson in the 1955 musical GUYS AND DOLLS. Brando’s return to form as Mafia patriarch Don Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s THE GODFATHER (1972) reminded Hollywood of his brilliance and earned Brando his second Oscar (which he refused in protest of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans). The following triumph, Bernardo Bertolucci’s X-rated sensation LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972) would go on to spark debate about the ethics of consent in filmmaking, and APOCALYPSE NOW (1979), his second collaboration with Coppola, in which he plays a rogue Army officer who descends into madness, is remembered as one of Brando’s most enigmatic performances.
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American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival Wraps Up 2nd Outing With Filmmaker Awards Announcement

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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.
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13th Annual Key West Film Festival Announces Official Lineup

annual-key-west-film-festivalThe 13th Annual Key West Film Festival announces its official 2024 lineup including major fall films from Pedro Almodovar, Barry Jenkins, Billy Corben, Michael Gracey, Gia Coppola and others. More than 75 films will be shown during the 5-day festival, which runs November 13-17.

As is tradition for the festival, the Opening and Closing Night films are curated by two of the top film critics in the country. Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter will host a discussion with Stepanie Zacharek of Timeprior to the Opening Night screening of THE FIRE INSIDE, the inspiring story of two time Olympic women’s boxing gold medalist Claressa “T-Rex” Shields and her fight for all women athletes across the world. The film is written by local hero Barry Jenkins, Miami-bred Academy Award winning writer and director of Moonlight.

On Saturday night, Zacharek will lead a pre-show conversation with Gyarkye prior to the screening of THE ROOM NEXT DOOR, which stars Academy Award winner Julianne Moore and Academy Award nominee Tilda Swinton in Pedro Almodovar’s first English language film about a best-selling writer who rekindles her relationship with her friend, a war journalist, with whom she has lost touch for a number of years.

Other spotlight films include Gia Coppola’s THE LAST SHOWGIRL, featuring a career defining performance by Pamela Anderson as a seasoned Las Vegas showgirl who must plan for her future when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run; the inspirational true story UNSTOPPABLE, featuring Jennifer Lopez and Bobby Cannavale alongside Jharrel James (also in Moonlight), who stars as Anthony Robles, an athlete born with one leg who defies expectations to become a champion wrestler in college; and BETTER MAN,
from director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
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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.
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‘Impulse: Playing with Reality’ Takes Achievement Award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in Immersive

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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.
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2024 SF Honors Award Presented to Netflix’s “His Three Daughters” by SFFILM

his-three-daughtersSFFILM announced today the recipient of the 2024 SF Honors Award going to His Three Daughters, written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. The film stars Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Carrie Coon, and Jovan Adepo and tells the story of three estranged sisters reuniting in a cramped New York City apartment to watch over their ailing father during his final days.

The SF Honors event will culminate in a special pre-release public screening of the film on Wednesday, September 18 at 7:30 pm at the Premier Theater at One Letterman. Director Azazel Jacobs, and actors Elizabeth Olsen and Jovan Adepo are expected to attend in person for the pre-screening award presentation and an in-depth post-screening conversation about their work.

“We are thrilled to present another stunning film from Azazel Jacobs (Terri, 2021 Festival), one that reminds us of his unique ability to weave unexpected and thrilling stories. Jacobs’ singular script and direction, complete with tour de force performances and a tactile sense of place, are the perfect match for our annual SF Honors,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “His collaboration with Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, and Carrie Coon as the three sisters grappling with shame and grief will leave audiences in awe of the talent both before and behind the camera. We are so proud to celebrate His Three Daughters with Azazel, Elizabeth, and a scene stealing Jovan Adepo in person next month.”
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American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival 2024 announces Film Lineup and new programs

proof-film-festival-2024The American Cinematheque announced the lineup of official selections and events for the 2nd Annual PROOF Film Festival, taking place October 18-20. The innovative film festival presents thematically curated programs featuring 46 official selections, filmmaking labs and panels – all taking place at the Culver Theater (9500 Culver Blvd.). PROOF is dedicated solely to the presentation of proof-of-concept short films, looking to be expanded into feature-length productions or series, and empowering the next generation of cinematic storytellers.

Once again, PROOF will look to spotlight a slate of innovative films from up-and-coming filmmakers, as well as panel conversations on the art and business of filmmaking. To that end, this year, PROOF will team with CALLO to schedule meetings between selected festival filmmakers and industry partners in the film festival’s CALLO Lounge. These meetings will assist in developing relationships and potentially make their proof-of-concept projects into fully realized films.

Another highlight is the PROOF Pitch Deck Show & Tell. This interactive session will be held during the festival on Sunday, October 20, and will feature 6 selected filmmakers who will pitch their project live in front of a film industry panel. A grand prize winner and a runner-up will be selected and announced at the PROOF Film Festival Award Show.
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Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Film Festival 2024 Announces Film Lineup

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Lucha: A Wrestling Tale, Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life, Miwene

Brooklyn’s Greenpoint Film Festival announced the film lineup for its 13th edition, taking place August 7-11. GFF will kick things off with Marco Ricci’s Lucha: A Wrestling Tale on Opening Night, a two-film retrospective of New York City-based Spanish filmmaker Alex Lora’s The Masterpiece and Unicorns as its Centerpiece presentation, and a documentary double feature including the US Premiere of Kelly Moneymaker’s Drum Song: The Rhythm of Life and festival favorite Miwene, directed by Keith Heyward, Jennifer Berglund, Gange Anita Yeti Enomenga, and Obe Beatriz Nenquimo Nihua for Closing Night.

Additional US Premieres among the narrative feature film lineup include; Marco Amenta’s Anna, Paweł Wyszomirski’s The Green Ink, Adrian Apanel’s Horror Story, Jan Jakub Kolski’s Loonies, Paweł Maślona’s Scarborn, and Maciej Adamek’s Unspoken is a portrait of a determined and resilient young man who stutters but refuses to let it hinder his aspirations to become the Polish champion in acrobatics. The documentary features making their US Premieres include Viktor Witkowski’s Moje Własne Słowa (In My Words), Dominic Allen’s Planet Wind – The Global Story of Offshore Wind, and Sonia Zawitkowski and Jenna Kathleen Taylor’s Thank You for Sharing.

The film festival has more than doubled the number of films screened from last year, now totaling 118 films (20 feature-length, 95 shorts, and 3 XR exhibits). GFF’s footprint has also become larger with additional screens added to The Boiler / ELM Foundation location (191 N. 14th Street), and Film Noir (122 Meserole Avenue) also added to the mix.
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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.
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