Category Archives: Film Festivals

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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SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival

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sffilmToday, SFFILM  announced the full lineup for the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), the longest running film festival in the Americas.

This year’s program, curated from nearly 5,000 submissions and invitations, will screen exclusively in theaters in San Francisco’s Marina and Presidio neighborhoods, and in Berkeley from April 24–28. A selection of titles, curated from the full festival, will be presented from May 2–4 as SFFILM Festival Encore Days at the historic Roxie Theater.

“We have been boldly imagining a future where the San Francisco Bay Area is thriving in its celebration of and engagement with the arts and community,”  said Anne Lai, Executive Director of SFFILM. “Film—always a reflection of and beacon for society—remains the gateway to a vibrant, healthy future of our culture and city.
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KEN LOACH: 21-Film Festivaln of Work by British Director Ken Loach Set To Open at Film Forum

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Photo by Robin Holland

A two-week, 21-film festival of work by British director KEN LOACH, spanning his six-decade career, will run at Film Forum from Friday, April 19 through Thursday, May 2.

The series is preceded by a run of Loach’s latest film – and what he has announced to be his final – THE OLD OAK, opening on Friday, April 5.

Loach’s career began in the mid-1960s when fellow socialist Tony Garnett recruited him to direct episodes for the BBC’s ‘Wednesday Play’ series. Loach’s 10 contributions examined social issues faced by ordinary Britons at the bottom of the social ladder and tackled controversial subjects such as abortion, homelessness, and labor strikes.

Through use of nonprofessional actors, improvised dialogue, and location shooting, Loach developed his realist style, “a subtle cinematic language, merging elements of documentary and fiction.” (James Monaco).
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Hollywood Icon Michael J. Fox to Receive Inaugural Visionary Award at DaVinci International Film Festival’s Sixth Edition

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michael-j-foxBeloved actor Michael J. Fox will be honored with the inaugural Visionary Award, celebrating the human endeavor and the unwavering pursuit of progress, at the sixth edition of the DaVinci International Film Festival (DIFF), the announcement was made today by DIFF founder/director Chadwick Pelletier.

In recognition of Fox’s extraordinary work in film and television, and advocacy for Parkinson’s disease research, the prestigious award will be presented during the festival’s gala awards ceremony on February 25th at AMC Theatres at The Grove in Los Angeles.

“Michael J. Fox embodies the true spirit and essence of a visionary,” comments Pelletier. “He has not only entertained us on screen, but also inspired us with his courage and unwavering determination in the face of adversity. His life’s work, both on and off screen, and now spotlighted in Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, exemplifies the profound impact that one individual can have on the world.”

The 2023 documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, directed by Davis Guggenheim and currently airing on Apple TV+, is the winner of many awards for best documentary, including four Primetime Emmys and numerous film critic associations’ awards, and has garnered 32 additional nominations, including the coveted BAFTA. The poignant film follows the life of the beloved actor and advocate, exploring his personal and professional triumphs and travails, and what happens when an incurable optimist confronts an incurable disease.
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