Category Archives: Film Festivals

Dark Star Pictures picks up Brande Roderick’s 70s horror throwback “Wineville”

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winevilleDark Star Pictures has acquired the US and Canadian rights to Brande Roderick’s wine-soaked horror film Wineville going into the 2024 Cannes Film Festival. The directorial debut from director/producer/star Roderick (Starsky and Hutch, Baywatch), Dark Star Pictures is planning a September 2024 release of the film in select theaters, followed by VOD/Digital and Physical Media.

Set in the 70s, Wineville follows Tess (Brande Roderick), who is forced to return to the California winery that was her childhood home following the death of her brutal and abusive father. Now a single mom raising her 11-year-old son, Tess dreads setting foot again in the house filled with hateful and painful memories. Once there she is immediately confronted by her bitter and unforgiving aunt, who runs the place with her adult son. However, while trying to sort out her inheritance and dealing with an attraction to the mercurial young ranch hand, a violent murder reveals the evil still just below the surface there. In order to escape once again and save both herself and her boy, Tess will need to uncover the horrible truth of her own past and the roots of the murderous legacy that has been unleashed once again.

Additional cast include Carolyn Hennesy (General Hospital, Cougar Town), Texas Battle (Hard Kill, Coach Carter), Casey King (Star Trek: Pickard) and introducing Keaton Roderick Cadrez. Wineville was written by Richard Schenkman (The Man From Earth), who also produced alongside Roderick, Robin DeMartino, and Todd Slater.
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Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces Return Of Music Lounge At Baby’s All Right In Brooklyn, June 6-9

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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.”
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Doris Duke Foundation Announces $1M Grant to Sundance Institute Expanding Commitment to Uplifting Muslim Storytelling

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Sundance-Doris-Duke-FoundationThe Doris Duke Foundation is pleased to announce its  continued commitment to uplifting Muslim stories through a $1 million grant to Sundance Institute. Through a three-year commitment, the grant establishes the Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund. The fellowship aims to provide financial and creative resources, mentorship, and support to filmmakers, producers, and other creators focused on telling Muslim-related stories while also offering community and network support with other creatives in the industry. The Completion Fund for features, shorts, and episodic content will offer non recoupable grants to support the launch of Muslim-focused films and episodic content. The fellowship and fund not only foster creativity but also equip fellows with the necessary skills and financial resources to navigate the entertainment landscape.

“Great stories change hearts and minds — but only those hearts and minds they can reach,” said Sam Gill, President and CEO of Doris Duke Foundation. “The Building Bridges Fellowship and Completion Fund will elevate the fresh voices and stories we so desperately need in our fractured society.”

“For nearly 20 years, the Doris Duke Foundation has worked to create inclusive spaces for artists and creators to tell authentic Muslim stories,” said Zeyba Rahman, Director of the Building Bridges Program at the Doris Duke Foundation. “We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the Sundance Institute and Islamic Scholarship Fund to create the Building Bridges Fellowship program, ensuring these emerging talents have access to the very best the industry has to offer and greater opportunities to bring their stories to life. The Building Bridges Completion Fund aims to reduce the barriers for filmmakers to connect with their audiences to ensure that their stories reach and resonate with them.”
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Acclaimed Composer Ólafur Arnalds Joins ARI’S THEME as EP Ahead of Hot Docs World Premiere

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aris-theme-hot-docsSalazar Film announced today that award-winning Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and composer Ólafur Arnalds has joined the TELUS original documentary feature ARI’S THEME as an Executive Producer ahead of the film’s world premiere at Hot Docs on April 30th, 2024. The film, directed by filmmaking duo Salazar, Nathan Drillot and Jeff Lee Petry (Wizard Mode, Tegan and Sara Get Along), will screen to audiences for the first time in Toronto on April 30th and again on May 2nd, 2024 with the team in attendance. They also officially launched the ARI’S THEME trailer ahead of the fest.

Filmed in Victoria, B.C., ARI’S THEME follows Ari Kinarthy, a 34 year old music composer with a rare genetic condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. The condition causes his muscles to deteriorate and will shorten his life. By sixteen Ari had lost the ability to move his arms but through a music therapy program he was introduced to composing, finding his life’s purpose. Now 18 years later with his diploma from Berklee College of Music, Ari feels the negative progression of his SMA. Focused on his legacy, Ari sets out to create the soundtrack of the most impactful memories of his young life.

“We can’t ever know how long we’ll be remembered or what impact we really made. But today I’m happy with the thought that if you find yourself humming one of my melodies, you will have invoked me and my story, and you will in turn remember me,” says composer & ARI’S THEME subject Ari Kinarthy.
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American Cinematheque’s 2nd Annual PROOF Film Festival Announces Call For Entries

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PROOF-Film-FestivalThe American Cinematheque’s PROOF Film Festival returns for a 2nd edition of the L.A.-based proof-of-concept focused festival October 18-20. The festival is conducting an open call for its popular PROOF Pitch Deck Show & Tell, and CALLO joins this year to facilitate in-person matching for creative collaboration. PROOF will take place once again at the Culver Theater (9500 Culver Blvd.) in the heart of film industry hub Culver City.

Last year, PROOF established itself 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 uniquely focused film festival presented innovative work from up-and-coming filmmakers, as well as putting much attention on panel conversations looking at the art and business of filmmaking.

Regarding the success of last year’s edition and the continued development of PROOF’s mission to build the entirety of the film festival experience around building artist relationships and project development, American Cinematheque Film Programmer and Proof Film Festival Founder, Imani Davis, said, “Being located in Los Angeles in the heart of the film industry, we sought to not only give a platform to our selected filmmakers, but to also create the best environment for future success that we could. Last year’s inaugural edition of the festival was great, but we took notes as we went along to bring on more partners and add more tools to give our filmmakers an even better experience, show off their work in the best way, and create that essential platform so each of them could take the next step in their artistic careers.”

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Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces Audio Storytelling And Games Lineup

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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.
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Tribeca Festival 2024 Announces TV and Now Lineup

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Tribeca-FestivalThe 2024 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced its lineup of television and original indie episodic series. The Festival, which takes place June 5-16, showcases highly anticipated world premieres of new and returning programs from networks and streamers at the forefront of groundbreaking storytelling including Apple TV+, AMC, HBO, Hulu, Paramount+, and more. 
 
This year’s TV lineup features 11 series premieres and two first looks at returning classics. World premieres include Hulu’s Mastermind: To Think Like A Killer, executive produced by Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, an in-depth exploration of Dr. Anne Burgess’ career and her successful journey to closing some of America’s most infamous criminal cases; Hollywood Black, executive produced by Justin Simien, an examination of the Black experience in Hollywood featuring conversations with Issa Rae, Lena Waithe, Ryan Coogler, and Ava DuVernay; and Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent, a legal thriller starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal, hailing from David E. Kelley and executive producer J.J. Abrams, also with Ruth Negga and Peter Sarsgaard. 
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Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative Spotlights Three SFFILM Festival Titles

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SFFILM-2024Today, SFFILM announced the program slate of the Sloan Science in Cinema Initiative at the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) which runs April 24–28. Presented in partnership between the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and SFFILM, this year’s programs include three films and participation by Sloan Fellows and grant recipients at events throughout the Festival. 

“We are thrilled to partner with SFFILM on our continuing Science in Cinema initiatives,” said Doron Weber, Vice President and Program Director at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. “This year’s program features three original films, each of which recounts a very personal journey that links to broader scientific themes and addresses universal questions. We’ll be joined on the ground by the 2023 SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Fellows, and recipients of our Stories of Science Development Fund grantees who are all at the screenwriting phase of filmmaking. I am excited to have filmmakers from every part of the process together to benefit from each other and from audience interaction.”

Curated programs include three titles, selected by Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “It is thrilling to present such a strong slate of Sloan titles at the festival.
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Charles Crichton’s Classic Caper Comedy THE LAVENDER HILL MOB New 4K Restoration

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THE-LAVENDER-HILL-MOBCharles Crichton’s THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951), a classic heist comedy starring Alec Guinness, will run in a new 4K restoration at Film Forum from Friday, May 10 through Thursday, May 16.

“It’s a good job we’re both honest men,” remarks seedy Cockney knickknack manufacturer and hustler Stanley Holloway (13 years later, My Fair Lady’s Alfred Doolittle) as he gets the gist of fastidious bank clerk Guinness’ scheme: to smuggle Bank of England gold bullion out of the country by melting them down into seemingly tacky Eiffel Tower souvenirs.

One of the highlights of the golden years of British comedies from Britain’s famed Ealing Studios, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB was an international smash hit that won screenwriter T.E.B. Clarke an Oscar for Best Writing and a Best Actor nomination for Guinness, as well as a BAFTA Award for Best British Film. Its dénouement atop the real (filmed on location) Eiffel Tower features the most dizzying comedy chase ever.
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Oscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema 15-Film Festival Opens May 3 at Film Forum

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Oscar-Micheaux-and-the-Birth-of-Black-Independent-CinemaOscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema, an 18-film festival, including 7 new restorations, of work by the prolific independent director whose pioneering explorations of contemporary Black life paved the way for generations, will run at Film Forum from Friday, May 3 through Thursday, May 9.

Operating on shoestring budgets, Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) directed and produced more than 40 films between 1919 and 1948, shifting from silent to talkies, and depicting such complex and taboo subjects as religious hypocrisy, interracial marriage, police violence, and lynching, often with all-Black casts and producers. His work explored the Black experience with nuance and depth, often challenging the negative stereotypes so commonly portrayed in films of the era. Micheaux’s films were the first made by a Black filmmaker to be shown in white cinemas, and they were often hugely successful, with Micheaux working directly with theater owners to finance, distribute, and market them.
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