“The Man In The White Van” World Premiere At ’23 Newport Beach Film Festival

Posted on September 15, 2023 by admin

Directed by Warren Skeels, “The Man In The White Van” stars Madison Wolfe, Brec Bassinger, Skai Jackson, Ali Larter, and Sean Astin. It is set to have its world premiere at ’23 Newport Beach Film Festival on Saturday, October 14.

Inspired by a true story, “The Man in the White Van” follows the harrowing experience of young Annie Williams, a spirited girl whose carefree life is turned upside down as she becomes stalked by an ominous man in a white van. It delves into the eerie underbelly of a seemingly idyllic 1974 Florida town.

The tranquility of Annie’s world, from her love of horseback riding to her leisurely strolls home from school in the nearby woods, begins to crumble as the menacing white van inches closer and closer. As her parents’ skepticism increasingly grows, Annie finds herself psychologically isolated, and on Halloween night her worst fears materialize into a full-blown nightmare as she gets abducted.

“The Man in the White Van” is the feature debut of award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Warren Skeels. It is based on actual events of the serial killer Billy Mansfield Jr., and captures a bone-chilling story of a young girl’s unimaginable horrors, and every parent’s worst nightmare.

“The Man In The White Van” is from Garrison Film and Legion M production, and is written by Sharon Y. Cobb and Warren Skeels. Executive producers include Gary Kompothecras, Michael Nole, Paul Scanlan, Jeff Annison, David Baxter, Sean Astin, and Ali Larter. Terri Lubaroff and Anne Marie Gillen are listed as producers. Other credits include: edited by Billy Gaggins; cinematography by Gareth Paul Cox; composed by Scott Borland.

Sundance Institute Announces the 2023 Documentary Fund Grantees

Posted on August 21, 2023 by admin

Sundance Institute Announces the 2023 Documentary Fund Grantees.
23 projects to receive grants totaling over $1,000,000

The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced this year’s grantees for the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, which supports the work of nonfiction filmmakers from around the globe. Twenty-three projects have been selected for unrestricted grant funding totaling just over $1,000,000. This granting cycle’s recipients are in various stages: 6 in development, 14 in production, and 3 in post-production. In a changing media landscape, the Documentary Fund has been a stable, progressive force in supporting work that has expressed the world in creative, complex, and provocative ways and has created real cultural and social impact around some of the most pressing issues of our time. Grants are made possible by the Open Society Foundations, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Gucci, and the Kendeda Fund.

The Fund prioritizes supporting and empowering historically marginalized voices and providing a platform for integral stories to be amplified. It is committed to elevating global voices and celebrating the rich diversity of filmmaking traditions around the world. Many of the international projects supported with this round of funding reflect a priority of supporting artists living and working in regions that lack a robust infrastructure of support for independent film, regions of conflict, and countries where freedom of expression is under threat.

Many projects in this year’s slate take on subject matter that showcases humanity in the face of oppression, global views on conflict and war from the past and the present, community archive building, and protagonists who are empowered to tell their stories exploring themes of human rights, social justice and coming of age.
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Tribeca 2023: World Premiere Of “Thaw” Live Action Short From Alex Bush

Posted on June 2, 2023 by admin

Writer, director and producer Alex Bush’s suspenseful live action short film is set to have its world premiere at Tribeca Festival 2023 in the Short Film Competition, featuring Jack Petersen and Caitlin Cobb-Vialet.

“Thaw is an American film about gender roles, intimacy, and self-expression. Suspenseful, spiritual, and romantic, director Alex Bush. “The film uses social archetypes and genre-tropes to position the experience of gender exploration as a fundamental, organic human experience, in all its gorgeous and vulnerable glory. It is just as significantly a love story, one that validates our intimate relationships as a place where we are both revealed and permanently transformed.”

Here is the film’s official synopsis:
On a snowy winter afternoon, two young people arrive at a remote farmhouse. The two unpack and bring the dormant house back to life, powering on the electricity and settling in for what seems to be a long winter. Smith (Caitlin Cobb-Vialet), a “girl” with fiery red hair, has come for the winter to work and prepare the land, a position previously held by her late-father. The other, Huck (Jack Peterson), was forced to come along against Smith’s wishes. The “sweet kid” may not be much of a farmhand, says Smith’s mother, but he will at least ensure that Smith is safe during the brutal winter farming season. What follows is a suspenseful and intimate transformation, as the two young people discover the truth of who they are to both themselves and each other.

“Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive” World Premiere at ’23 Tribeca Festival on Friday, June 9th

Posted on May 23, 2023 by admin

“Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive follows the magnificent second act of Grammy Winner and global music legend, Gloria Gaynor as she pursues her decades-long dream of writing and recording a gospel album.

For more than fifty years, Gloria has inspired millions around the world with her song, “I Will Survive.” While she always believed in the timeless power of the song’s lyrics; they were never more impactful to Gloria herself until her sixties when she faced major upheavals in her own life.

The poignant documentary chronicles her struggles with ageism and financial ruin and through the power of faith and resilience embarks on a journey to not only ‘survive’ but to truly ‘thrive.’”

“Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive” is directed by Betsy Schechter. Betsy Schechter, David Zieff, Kieran Healy serve as producers.

Here are the public screenings for “Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive”:
Friday, June 9, 2023 at 8:15 PM at Spring Studios/The Indeed Theater
After the Movie: A performance by the one and only Gloria Gaynor.
Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 5:45 PM at Village East Cinema – 03
Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 5:15 PM at Village East Cinema – 07

Tribeca Festival Announces Return Of The Music Lounge

Posted on May 12, 2023 by admin

The 2023 Tribeca Festival, presented by OKX, today announced the second annual Music Lounge at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, featuring four days and nights of exclusive performances, special guest appearances, insider talks, and more. The Tribeca Music Lounge, sponsored by Tubi, is open to the public from June 8-11 and offers Festival attendees the opportunity to experience the intersection of film and music.

The Music Lounge highlights four distinct experiences, kicking off with an “Indie Sleaze Revival” featuring New York City artists Tei Shi and Frost Children.

The weekend follows with a musical performance by David Duchovny, ahead of the world premiere of his film Bucky F*cking Dent; the first U.S. show of Australian Grammy-nominated artist Jitwam; R&B performance by the legendary Eddie Chacon; and an Iranian showcase with artists LuNika – the brother-sister duo behind the viral Iranian protest song “Women Life Freedom” – Habibi and Sussan Deyhim. The cast of Mountains is performing a comedy set, following the film’s world premiere at Tribeca; and Ali Dee is moderating a conversation on soundtracks with film composers from Tribeca Festival films, in partnership with BMI.

Tribeca Festival also announced free programming, including Drag Story Hour – an afternoon of banned stories and songs for kids of all ages; a screening of Planet B-Boy (2008), and a conversation with b-boy legend Ken Swift; a master class on filmmakers’ rights to their work; and a screening of the family-friendly classic Shark Tale (2004).
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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.”
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SFFILM Announces Golden Gate Award Winners at the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival

Posted on April 24, 2023 by admin

The juried awards recognize narrative and documentary films, and works from the Cine Latino and Youth Works spotlights. Winners of the Audience Awards were also announced. The SFFILM Festival ran April 13–23 in theaters across the Bay Area, and featured local and international filmmakers and works.

This morning, SFFILM announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Awards competition at the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival). Created the same year the Festival was founded in 1957, the prestigious Golden Gate Awards have served as a launching pad for internationally renowned filmmakers who are early in their careers.

The awards are also notable as a qualifier for films under 40 minutes for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Previous Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs, Céline Sciamma, Jia Zhang-ke, Stanley Nelson, Tasha Van Zandt, and many others across nearly seven decades.

This year, the SFFILM Festival ran from April 13–23, with events held in theaters across the Bay Area, including the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), and several San Francisco-based theaters: the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market, the Castro Theatre, the Premier Theater, The Walt Disney Family Museum Theater, and the Festival’s hub at the CGV San Francisco.

With a full slate of in-person programming and events, the 66th iteration of the Festival featured essential stories from both local and international filmmakers, who hailed from 37 countries. The SFFILM Festival also remained firm in its commitment to showcasing programming from artists with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, with half of the films in the lineup being helmed by women or non-binary filmmakers.
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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.

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SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 66th San Francisco International Film Festival

Posted on March 22, 2023 by admin

Today, SFFILM announced the full lineup for the 66th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival), the longest-running film festival in the Americas. This year’s program, curated from over 5,000 submissions and invitations, will screen exclusively in theaters across San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley from April 13–April 23.

“It is SFFILM Festival season once again and I cannot wait to share this year’s program with local audiences,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “The line-up includes a wealth of Bay Area filmmakers across all sections, and highlights new—and seminal—work from eminent filmmakers. Our curatorial team, dedicated to showcasing evocative stories, prioritized films that unite us all through cinematic expression and outstanding narrative craft. We continue SFFILM’s legacy of bringing international work to the Bay with stories from 37 countries and an exciting array of emerging artists. For the third year in a row, half of this thematically diverse program is helmed by female or non-binary filmmakers and we are so proud to share these stories with festival attendees.”

The 2023 SFFILM Festival will run in theaters across the Bay Area, including the Grand Lake Theatre in Oakland, the Dolby Cinema @ 1275 Market, the Castro Theatre, the Premier Theater, The Walt Disney Family Museum, and Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). The central hub of the Festival will be at CGV San Francisco to allow for maximum viewing; this location will also feature a hospitality lounge presented by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for guests to meet and mingle with each other in between screenings.

“We are thrilled to bring an array of exciting new films and filmmakers to our discerning and passionate Bay Area film lovers,” said Anne Lai, Executive Director of SFFILM. “Each year, our Festival unites us both inside and outside of theaters where we engage in conversations across audiences, filmmakers, industry guests, and others who help us deepen our understanding of the craft, and of the fascinating world we all share. I am particularly delighted that in addition to hosting screenings in venues across the Bay Area, we will have a Festival hub at the CGV San Francisco. We are excited to host a space this year that harnesses the energy of multiple screens. As audiences gravitate towards different fare, they will also be able to spend time in a gathering place designed to create connection, possibility, and opportunity with one another. Find your spot, and we’ll see you there.”
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2023 Sundance Institute Momentum Fellows Announced

Posted on March 2, 2023 by admin

Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced the eight participants selected for the fifth annual Momentum Fellowship, a program designed to support and provide coaching to mid-career artists with a focus on career development during a pivotal moment in their creative practice. Created to support storytellers from historically marginalized communities who have recently achieved a noteworthy accomplishment, such as a highly regarded feature film or series, Momentum provides fellows with a full-year program of deep, customized support around the goals they have identified for themselves to level up in their craft and career. The Momentum Fellowship is a program of Women at Sundance, with support from Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

The Momentum Fellowship includes an unrestricted artist grant; professional coaching offered by Renee Freedman & Company, supported by The Harnisch Foundation; connection to ELEVATE, Sundance’s professional development initiative; and bespoke year-round support from Sundance Institute staff. Additionally, as part of an ongoing partnership with Universal’s Global Talent Development & Inclusion team (GTDI), the Studio will provide additional support for up to four (4) Momentum fellows working on fiction projects. GTDI is providing select participants access to the Studio’s creative executives and producers to build career momentum and exposure to potential directing opportunities across the Company’s portfolio.

“Over the years, the fellows selected for Momentum have all experienced success with their recently completed projects. This has often been a critical moment for artists to receive creative and tactical support as they focus on a meaningful path forward,” said Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director, Artist Programs. “This is where Momentum is both aptly named and unique in the industry — the fellowship is customized to the needs of individual filmmakers as they move forward with their next steps, making choices that will ensure they can sustain a career that gives them exciting and timely creative opportunities.”
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