Sundance Film Festival Announces 2023 Short Film and Indie Episodic Program

Posted on December 13, 2022 by admin

Top L–R: Oxytocin, The Vacation, Pro Pool, I AM HOME. Center L–R: Kylie, Willie Nelson and Family, The Night Logan Woke Up, Inglorious Liaisons. Bottom L–R: The Dalles, Thriving: A Dissociated Reverie, Pipes, Azeh

Today the nonprofit Sundance Institute announced the Short Films and Indie Episodic projects selected for the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. For in-person attendees, Indie Episodic works will have individual premieres and Shorts will screen in curated programs. Beginning January 24, all Indie Episodic projects and selected Shorts will also screen online through the end of the Festival. The 2023 Festival will take place January 19–29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country January 24–29, 2023.

In addition, Online Ticket Packages are now on sale and the full schedule of in-person and online screenings is now live! Please visit festival.sundance.org/tickets to start planning your Festival experience.

“Short films and episodic projects are an integral aspect of the overall mission of the Sundance Institute — to empower artists who are taking risks, bringing new perspectives to the forefront, and creating work that entertains and provokes conversation,” said Kim Yutani, Sundance Film Festival Director of Programming. “These platforms provide artists with the ability to expand beyond the boundaries of traditional cinema, while also motivating a unique creativity through an ever expanding format.”

The 64 Short Films for the 2023 lineup were selected from 10,981 submissions, the highest number on record. Of these submissions, 4,996 were from the U.S. and 5,985 were international. The four Indie Episodic projects were selected from 519 submissions. This upcoming year’s Short Film program includes work from 23 countries and the Indie Episodic represents works from five countries.
Continue reading →

Sundance Film Festival 2023 Lineup to Showcase 99 Feature Films

Posted on December 7, 2022 by admin

In-Person Ticket Packages Now On Sale; Online Ticket Package Sales Begin December 13

The Sundance Film Festival has announced its 2023 features program. This also includes the titles that is set to compete in the narrative and documentary categories.

The 2023 Festival will take place January 19–29, 2023, in person in Park City, Salt Lake City, and the Sundance Resort, along with a selection of films available online across the country January 24–29, 2023. Festivalgoers will once again return to theaters to discover this upcoming year’s most impactful independent stories. In-Person Ticket Packages are currently on sale through December 16, Online Ticket Packages go on sale December 13 at 10 a.m. MT, and single film tickets go on sale January 12 at 10 a.m. MT.

Setting the scene, Day One Features will open the Festival in Park City: 11 features, plus a Shorts program, will illustrate the scope of Festival work across genre and form. Day One Features are birth/rebirth, L’Immensità, It’s Only Life After All, Kim’s Video, Little Richard: I Am Everything, The Longest Goodbye, The Pod Generation, Radical, Shayda, Sometimes I Think About Dying, and Run Rabbit Run. In addition, on January 19, the Institute will host the inaugural Opening Night: A Taste of Sundance presented by IMDbPro.

The celebration will kick off the Festival welcoming everyone back together again while raising funds for the Institute’s critical year-round artist support. The evening will honor Ryan Coogler, Nikyatu Jusu, W. Kamau Bell, and more whose journeys have been connected to Sundance throughout the years. In addition, in-person attendees will get to experience a robust offering of talks and events during the Festival, with more details to be announced.

Continue reading →

Angela Bassett To Receive 38th Annual SBIFF Montecito Award

Posted on December 1, 2022 by admin

Angela Bassett will be honored with the Montecito Award at the 38th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Bassett will receive the award on Thursday, February 9th, 2023 at an in-person conversation about her career leading up to this year’s performance in Marvel Studios’ BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER directed by Ryan Coogler from Disney Studios.

“Ms. Bassett has had an illustrious career as an actor, director and producer and in WAKANDA FOREVER reminds us why she’s so greatly revered. She’s regal, fierce and commanding as Queen Ramonda. We bow down.” SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling stated.

Angela Bassett is an actress, director, and executive producer known for captivating, emotionally-tinged performances full of dignity in treasured films such as MALCOLM X, BOYZ IN THE HOOD, WAITING TO EXHALE, HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK, and of course, WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. She has since made star-turns in the historic BLACK PANTHER, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE-FALLOUT, BUMBLEBEE from Paramount, as well as the television hits 9-1-1, and MASTER OF NONE. Other recent projects include Disney and Pixar’s Academy Award-winning animated feature SOUL, for which she lent her melodious voice for the character, Dorothea Williams; feature films OTHERHOOD and GUNPOWDER MILKSHAKE from Netflix; and THE FLOOD from National Geographic, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Narrator. Further, she was nominated for two Emmys, including Outstanding Narrator for the IMAGINEERING STORY: THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH and Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW. Bassett recently wrapped production on the Netflix Originals feature film, DAMSEL, opposite Millie Bobby Brown.

The Montecito Award is named after one of the most beautiful and stylish areas in Santa Barbara. Past recipients include Penélope Cruz, Amanda Seyfried, Lupita Nyong’o, Melissa McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan, Isabelle Huppert, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts and Javier Bardem.
Continue reading →

Cate Blanchett To Receive Honor At Palm Springs Film Festival

Posted on November 21, 2022 by admin

Focus Features

The Palm Springs International Film Awards has announced that Cate Blanchett is set to receive the Desert Palm Achievement Award.

“Cate Blanchett is truly one of the best actresses of this generation, whose performances are always extraordinary no matter the role. In her latest film Tár, Cate perfectly embodies Lydia Tár as an orchestra conductor at the height of her career whose life begins to unravel,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner. ” There is no one better suited for this role and it is our honor to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, to Cate Blanchett.”

Two-time Oscar winner Blanchett will receive the honor during a ceremony at the Palm Springs Convention Center on Jan. 5, 2023.

Her film Tar saw its initial theatrical release Oct. 7 through Focus Features.

Blanchett was honored at the festival previously with the Desert Palm Achievement Award: Actress (2016) for Carol and Truth, Career Achievement Award and Ensemble Performance Award Babel (2007).

Cate Blanchett To Receive 38th Annual SBIFF Outstanding Performer Of The Year Award

Posted on November 8, 2022 by admin

Cate Blanchett will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at the 38th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Blanchett will be honored on Friday, February 10, 2023 for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Lydia Tár in Todd Feld’s TÁR from Focus Features. Setting a historic record, this is the second time Blanchett will be feted at the festival as the Outstanding Performer of the Year.

In 2014, she received the honor for her role as Jasmine French in BLUE JASMINE. In 2008, she was crowned the Modern Master Award for her role as Queen Elizabeth in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE and as multi-faceted Bob Dylan in I’M NOT THERE.

“Cate Blanchett is an artist that has nothing left to prove; she is one of the most brilliant actresses ever – yet she keeps challenging herself and proving over and over again that she’s the most outstanding performer!” SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling noted.

Cate Blanchett is an internationally acclaimed, Academy Award-winning actor, producer, artistic director, humanitarian, and dedicated member of the arts community. Blanchett plays the titular role and executive produces Todd Field’s highly anticipated feature film “TÁR,” which marks the writer-director-producer’s first film in over 15 years. The film was warmly welcomed at the Telluride Film Festival and Venice International Film Festival, where Blanchett was awarded the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress for her second time since I’m Not There. This fall, Blanchett will appear in Guillermo Del Toro’s latest film, “PINOCCHIO,” and the mockumentary hit series “Documentary Now!” She has now begun production in Australia on Warwick Thornton’s “The New Boy,” in which she stars and produces via the production company Dirty Films. She most recently wrapped production on “Disclaimer,” directed by Alfonso Cuaron, in which she also stars and executive produces. In 2021, Blanchett appeared in Adam McKay’s smash hit, Don’t Look Up, as well as Guillermo Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley.
Continue reading →

Exclusive Trailer For Upcoming Drama: “Crossing”

Posted on November 5, 2022 by admin

“Crossing” begins at the end of the Cold War with a dream and delivers us to the United States, 20 years later where those dreams are in jeopardy.

It also marks the feature directorial debut of Arthur Ian (Looking for Romeo) who wrote the script as well.

The film will drop worldwide on multiple digital platforms including iTunes/AppleTV and Amazon on December 1 from Offshore Productions. Crossing was an official selection in several film festicals worldwide including Miami Independent Film Festival, Peterhof Film Festival in Russia, Festival International Cannes, Kiev International Film Festival, and the Austrian Film Festival.

Rudolf Martin (“NCIS”), Marina Sirtis (“Picard”), Teri Reeves (“The Punisher,” “Chicago Fire”) and Kathleen Gati (“Arrow,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) star in the indie drama alongside Mesrop Tsaghikyan, Alex Veadov, Isidora Goreshter (“Shameless”), Lily Vardan and Ilia Volok (“Minx”).

In the final years of the Cold War, a Soviet family splinters along East/West lines. Andrei (Tsaghikyan), a free-spirited teenager, leaves the USSR to follow his dream of becoming a successful businessman in the United States. Ultimately, Andrei’s (Martin) dreams come to a halt 20 years later when his new world is shattered by the Great Recession. Forced to reunite with his family, including his eccentric mother (Sirtis), and caught between struggles both present and past, Andrei reexamines the values from the life that he left behind.

“The story of a person torn between two worlds is something many people can relate to,” states Ian. “With Crossing people will get to see not only emotional and familial divides but what it’s like when that divide spans across time and geography.”

Cynthia Graner (Seattle Road), Debra Trevino (Rebound), Maxime Martins and Gohar Igityan produced from Ian’s script which he also directed. Sandra Valde, Gevorg Sarkisian, Tammam Hamza and Argo Baroyan formed the Cinematography team.

Guillermo Del Toro’s “Pinocchio” Set To Be Closing Night Film At “Animation Is Film” Festival

Posted on October 7, 2022 by admin

ANIMATION IS FILM (AIF) has announced its Closing Night film: GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO. The closing night will be held at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater and will host the multi-award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro on Saturday, October 29. Also, the festival will screen the World Premiere of the English-language dub of ONE PIECE FILM RED as the Centerpiece of the festival, on Saturday, October 22, ahead of its North American theatrical release on November 4.

The announcement of this year’s Closing and Centerpiece films comes on the heels of last week’s announcement of the Opening Night Selection – Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, as well as Competition Section titles, including the North American Premiere of Nora Twomey and Cartoon Saloon’s My Father’s Dragon and Annecy’s Cristal Award-winning Little Nicolas. In addition to these titles, Luck, Turning Red and Aurora’s Sunrise are also in the awards race. The festival is a one-stop shop for films vying for Oscar contention this award season.

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving wood carver named Geppetto. This whimsical stop-motion film directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson, the film features an all-star voice cast with Ewan McGregor as Cricket, David Bradley as Geppetto, and Gregory Mann as Pinocchio. Other cast includes Finn Wolfhard, Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Ron Perlman, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman, with Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz and Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton.

Continue reading →

Prime Video Is Bringing “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power” To Comic-Con

Posted on June 17, 2022 by admin

Prime Video confirmed today that The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series will be coming to Comic-Con International: San Diego this July. Creators and stars of the much-anticipated new series will take to the coveted Hall H stage for the very first time, inviting fans of the much beloved franchise to experience Middle-earth as they never have before.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power panel will introduce the international team of actors bringing the show’s roster of new and legendary characters of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Second Age to life.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is led by showrunners and executive producers J.D. Payne & Patrick McKay and stars a celebrated cast led by Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, Nazanin Boniadi, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Charles Edwards, Trystan Gravelle, Sir Lenny Henry, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Lloyd Owen, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Leon Wadham, Benjamin Walker, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.

Joining Payne & McKay are executive producers Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, as well as producers Ron Ames and Christopher Newman. Wayne Che Yip is co-executive producer and directs, along with J.A. Bayona and Charlotte Brändström.

The multi-season drama will premiere in multiple languages and in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Friday, September 2, exclusively on Prime Video, with new episodes available weekly.

Stage-centric Comedy “The Daphne Project” Debuts in Theatres in New York

Posted on June 17, 2022 by admin

Stage-centric comedy “The Daphne Project” debuts in theaters in New York starting in July 22nd ahead of Fuse+ release.

The film stars Daphne Wilco (Zora Iman Crews), actress and social justice warrior, hilariously wreaking havoc on an off-off Broadway production of Euripides’ “The Bacchae” in the name of progress, her progress.

Co-directed, written & produced by Alec Tibaldi (the critically acclaimed “Spiral Farm”) and Zora Iman Crews (Amazon Prime’s “Legend’s Of Sleepy Hollow Anthology”), this quick moving New York centric stage driven feature film invites comparisons to another critical favorite “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with its perfectly timed comedic gems. The Daphne Project,” a film festival circuit darling (including top Film Festival’s Geena Davis’s Bentonville Film Festival and St. Louis International Film Festival) will open in theatres beginning in New York with the Quad Cinema on July 22nd with the filmmakers in attendance for Q&A’s, ahead of its platform release through Fuse + later this year.

“The Daphne Project” engaging cast is led by stars Zora Iman Crews (Amazon Prime’s “Legend’s Of Sleepy Hollow Anthology”), Jake Horowitz (Amazon Studios’ “The Vast of Night”, Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All), April Lavelle (HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant”), Reed Lancaster (“Gold”), Geena Quintos, Annie-Sage Whitehurst (“Roadside Assistance”), Yael Rizowy (“Trying Hard”), Ed Norwood (“Spiral Farm”), Austin Letorney (“Magnolia Flowers”), Duncan Menaker (“Cilla”), and Piper De Palma (“Spiral Farm”).

The Daphne Project Teaser from Daphne Wilco on Vimeo.

Continue reading →

“The Cave of Adullam”, “Good Girl Jane,” Among Top Winners At 2022 Tribeca Festival

Posted on June 16, 2022 by admin

By Armando

Good Girl Jane – Astute Films

Sarah Elizabeth Mintz’s coming-of-age drama “Good Girl Jane” took the top prize at the 2022 Tribeca Festival Founders’ Award for Best U.S. Narrative Feature, with its star Rain Spencer winning for Best Performance.

Written and directed by Sarah Elizabeth Mintz, the film tells the story of a lonely private school dropout teen who falls in love with a charismatic drug dealer, played by Patrick Gibson, and becomes entangled in his meth ring run by LA teens.

Also big winners were January (Janvaris) by Viesturs Kairiss which was named Best International Narrative Feature, as well as the documentary “The Cave of Adullam” from directed by Laura Checkoway. The film is produced by Laurence Fishburne who was attended the premiere.

“Today’s honorees are a testament to the vitality of cinematic storytelling, representing the most exciting achievements across countries, genres, and platforms,” Cara Cusumano, Festival Director and Vice President of Programming, said. “We are proud to recognize such a diverse and innovative group of works and creators with today’s well-deserved award winners.”

The announcement of winners at the 2022 Tribeca Festival officially marks the end of the annual event towards its full wrap up this weekend. To see the full winners, go to tribecafilm.com

Many of the winning films will be available at Tribeca At Home up to June 26th. You may buy your pass to stream these and other notable Tribeca Festival films and talks you may have missed.

The 2022 Tribeca Festival continues through Sunday, June 19, 2022.

Page 6 of 8

« 1 … 5 6 7 8 »

Creative Media Times

Category Archives: Film Festivals