Category Archives: Film Industry

AGBO Has Announced 2024 Winner Of The “Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum”

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agboAGBO and the Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA) has announced “My Kind of People,” directed by Joe Picozzi, as the winner of the 2024 Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum (RBIAFF). Earlier this year, five filmmakers received $10,000 production grants to create short films based on concepts exploring the Italian American experience. From these exceptional works, “My Kind of People” has been selected as the top prize winner and will receive an additional $10,000 grant, along with access to the AGBO Storytellers Collective. Picozzi’s short film tells the story of a proud paesano who, after a DNA test reveals his father’s adoption, must grapple with the devastating realization that he’s not genetically Italian. As the foundation of his identity crumbles and his familial bonds fracture, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery, wrestling with the meaning of heritage, belonging, and identity.

Since its inception in 2017, RBIAFF has supported emerging voices in cinema by awarding over $400,000 in grants to more than 50 talented filmmakers. This year marks a continued celebration of Italian American culture, language, and heritage through the lens of creative storytelling.

The winner was chosen by a selection committee composed of the AGBO creative team, ISDA leadership, and a distinguished panel of judges that included AGBO Co-Founders and Partners Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, AGBO’s Chief Creative Officer Angela Russo-Otstot, and ISDA National President Basil Russo, and ISDA representative Patricia Russo. The program’s mission remains steadfast: to elevate authentic, compelling narratives that highlight the richness of the Italian American experience.
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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

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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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Academy Award Nominated Costume Designer Arianne Phillips Honored with “Creative Visionary Award”

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Costume Designer Arianne Phillips;
Photo Credit: Frank Ockenfels

The 25th Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) and NBFF Premiere Partner, Fashion Island will be honoring 3x Academy Award-nominated costume designer, Arianne Phillips with the esteemed Creative Visionary Award during Fashion Island’s 13th Annual StyleWeekOC on October 19. This accolade recognizes artists for exceptional creative leadership and impact within their field. The award will be presented by actress Aubrey Plaza (“Megalopolis,” “The White Lotus”) followed by a panel moderated by Costume Designer Guild’s communications director Anna Wyckoff, where they will explore Arianne’s unique perspectives on the intersection of fashion and film.

“I’m so thankful to the Newport Beach Film Festival and Fashion Island for this wonderful honor and for acknowledging the art of costume design and our contribution to filmmaking. I am especially grateful to be recognized for my work this year on “Joker: Folie á Deux” and “A Complete Unknown.” I’m humbled to be included alongside such exciting talent at the festival this year,” said Arianne.

On October 28, Arianne will be attending the SCAD Savannah Film Festival where she will join Variety Artisans Editor, Jazz Tangcay for the festival’s annual “Behind Her Lens” panel along with a conversation following a screening of Todd Phillips’ Joker: Folie à Deux on October 29.

On November 1, Arianne is set to receive the Precious Gem Award at Miami Dade College’s Miami Film Festival GEMS. The Precious Gem Award is the festival’s signature award, reserved for one-of-a-kind artists whose contributions to cinema are lasting and unforgettable.
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Queens-Based Festival of Cinema NYC 2024 Announces Film Lineup for Next Month’s Fest

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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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Suspense Thriller “Somnium” World Premiere At 2024 Chattanooga Film Festival

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somniumWritten and directed by Racheal Cain, “Somnium” stars Chloë Levine (The OA), Will Peltz (Euphoria), Peter Vack (Someone Great), Johnathon Schaech (Ray Donovan), Clarissa Thibeaux (Runaways), and Grace Van Dien (Stranger Things).

“Somnium” follows small-town Gemma, who after a painful breakup, moves to Los Angeles with the hopes of making it big. To get on her feet, she takes a job working the overnight shift at Somnium – a mysterious, experimental sleep clinic where dreams are made real.

Meanwhile, Gemma throws herself into the cutthroat world of Hollywood auditions. But as the pressure to succeed mounts, she begins to experience strange and unsettling phenomena, and soon finds herself trapped in a nightmarish spiral as she discovers a darkness lurking within the clinic walls.

“With its gripping storyline and striking cinematography, SOMNIUM drags audiences through the horrifying consequences of tampering with the fabric of reality,” says the film’s synopsis.

See official trailer below:

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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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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 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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