Category Archives: Movies

2025 Slamdance Film Festival Announces Award Winners

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slamdanceThe 31st Slamdance Film Festival this evening announced the winners of their annual Sparky Awards in Audience and Jury categories for 2025. The festival also announced the recipient of their AGBO Fellowship from Slamdance alumni Joe and Anthony Russo, a curated Acting Award, and the second annual Summer Chastant Episodic Award. All winners were announced during the in-person awards ceremony on February 26th at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles, CA.

“Our first year in Los Angeles hasn’t just been a new chapter—it’s been a breakthrough,” said Taylor Miller, Slamdance Director. “These award-winning films don’t just stake a claim; they redefine what cinema can be. These filmmakers have cemented their place in the future of cinema, proving that Slamdance isn’t just moving—it’s evolving. And we’re just getting started.”

A celebration of emerging filmmaking talent from around the world, this year’s lineup consisted of 146 films – 21 of which are World Premiere features. The fully accessible lineup included 33 features, 104 shorts, and five episodics. For the second year in a row, Slamdance continues to champion female filmmakers, with women directing 55% of this year’s lineup – marking a powerful shift in independent filmmaking. The full Slamdance lineup is still available online on the Slamdance Channel through March 7th.
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New Trailer For “Bring Her Back”, New film From The Directors of “Talk To Me”

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A24 has dropped a brand new teaser trailer for the upcoming horror film “Bring Her Back”.

The new film is the follow up feature from Danny and Michael Philippou, the directors of Talk To Me, the low budget horror breakout hit 2023.

In the film, a brother and sister uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.

The cast includes Sally Hawkins, Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, Sally-Anne Upton, Stephen Phillips, Liam Damons, Mischa Heywood, Olga Miller, Alina Bellchambers

The film is set to hit theaters on May 30, 2025.

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Cannes Prize-Winner “Holy Cow” Coming-of-Age Drama Opens at Film Forum

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holy-cowFilm Forum has set the US theatrical premiere of Louise Courvoisier’s “Holy Cow” on Friday, March 28.

HOLY COW had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it was awarded the festival’s Youth Prize.

It will be featured in the upcoming Rendez-Vous with French Cinema festival, screening at Walter Reade Theater on Saturday, March 8. A limited number of press tickets are available to this screening.

The film’s synopsis says: Reveling in his youth in the gorgeous rural Jura region of Eastern France, Totone has few worries and is content to party with his friends as the family dairy business hums along. But when calamity strikes, the under-disciplined 18-year-old finds himself in charge of the farm and his 7-year-old sister. A sun-drenched coming-of-age story cast with non-professionals from Jura (filmmaker Courvoisier’s home), HOLY COW follows Totone’s determination to win a local Comté cheesemaking competition (cash prize: €30,000), while he romantically pursues a competing farmer — whose bullying brothers are none-too-pleased — and clumsily steps up to adult responsibilities.

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U.S. Theatrical Release of the Puerto Rican Sundance Film “The Fishbowl”

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thefishbowlMonument Releasing has announced the North American theatrical release for the acclaimed Puerto Rican ecofeminist drama The Fishbowl (La pecera), the striking feature debut by interdisciplinary artist Glorimar Marrero Sánchez. The film, which made history as the first Puerto Rican-produced feature to premiere at Sundance, is set to debut in U.S. theaters in March 2025, coinciding with Puerto Rican Emancipation Day on March 21. A streaming release will follow on May 21, 2025.

Set on the island of Vieques—a U.S. military testing ground for toxic munitions like napalm, depleted uranium, and Agent Orange—The Fishbowl tells the story of Noelia (Isel Rodríguez in an elegant performance), a 40-year-old artist grappling with terminal cancer. Determined to use her remaining time resisting the ecological and social consequences of U.S. colonialism, Noelia’s journey unfolds as both a personal and collective act of resilience.

After discovering her cancer has returned and metastasized, Noelia retreats to her home in Vieques, where she reconnects with her mother and her community. Choosing to keep her illness a secret in the absence of local medical care, she devotes herself to protesting the enduring environmental devastation caused by military activity. As a hurricane looms and her health deteriorates, she rekindles a past romance and faces a profound decision: to leave and seek treatment or to remain with her people and her cause.

Featuring a predominantly female cast and crew, The Fishbowl is both a compelling character study and a poignant commentary on environmental racism, colonialism, and resilience. Marrero Sánchez emerges as a vital voice in Puerto Rican cinema, creating a film that resonates far beyond its setting.

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“Under The Burning Sun” Premiere At 2025 Slamdance Film Festival

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under-the-burning-sun“Under The Burning Sun” is written and directed by Yun Xie. Produced by Aaron Linjun Yu and Jera Wang. Cinematography by Tianyi Wang. Edited by Bowei Yue and Christopher Ma. Music by Dong Liu. A Narval Films production.

Says the film’s synopsis: In a barren, desolate land where abortion is outlawed, Mowanza struggles with an unwanted pregnancy. When she hears of a distant land with a lenient abortion policy, Mowanza, armed with only a half-empty water bottle and a battered car, embarks on a journey across the desert towards the lush land of Iropus.

“Our protagonist, Mowanza, never had the agency to make choices about her own body,” says Yu Xie.

“She is trapped in a cycle of anguish and anger, with freedom always just out of reach—like a distant oasis she can never quite grasp. Through Mowanza’s journey, the world we’ve crafted, and the struggles she endures, I hope we can inch closer to understanding the complex realities of womanhood—ones that remain unresolved, but deserve to be told.”

“Under The Burning Sun” is set to have its world premiere at 2025 Slamdance Film Festival where it plays on these dates:
Saturday Feb 22 – 1:30pm at LA Times Theater – Quixote Studios
Monday Feb 24 – 3:45pm at LA Times Theater – Quixote Studios

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Lou Ye’s Docufiction AN UNFINISHED FILM + Four Ye Features | Opening March 14 at Film Forum

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an-unfinished-filmFilm Forum has announce the US theatrical premiere of Lou Ye’s AN UNFINISHED FILM on Friday, March 14.

Using outtakes and on-set footage from SUZHOU RIVER and other films (SPRING FEVER, MYSTERY, THE SHADOW PLAY), and casting real actors from these films to play themselves, Lou creates an intense yet playful catharsis for filmmakers, artists, and, ultimately, all of us — a chance to revisit that time, and to heal.

In this enthralling, poignant docufiction, director Lou Ye (SUZHOU RIVER) and his crew reunite in Wuhan in January 2020 to complete a film started a decade earlier. When the first wave of COVID precipitates lockdown and fear, this story of revived artistic vision pivots to a thriller-paced account of the early spread of the virus — both the devastation and the deep connections borne of shared isolation.

AN UNFINISHED FILM had its world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival in the Special Screenings section and was an official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival, MoMA Doc Fortnight, and more.


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‘O’Dessa’ Trailer: Sadie Sink, Regina Hall And Kelvin Harrison Jr. In ‘Rock Opera’ Film

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odessa-filmSearchlight Pictures has released the first trailer for the “epic rock opera” film “O’Dessa”, starring Sadie Sink, who is on a mission to preserve her family’s legacy.

In O’Dessa, “a farm girl is on an epic quest to recover a cherished family heirloom”, says the film’s synopsis. Her journey leads her to a strange and dangerous city where she meets her one true love – but in order to save his soul, she must put the power of destiny and song to the ultimate test.

Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett, Regina Hall, Kelly Macdonald, Pokey LaFarge also star.

Filmmaker Geremy Jasper (Patti Cake$) wrote and directed the film, which Searchlight Pictures is releasing on Hulu on March 13, 2024.

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Theatrical Release of the Cannes Doc “The Falling Sky”

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the-falling-skyKimStim has announced the North American theatrical release of The Falling Sky (A Queda do Céu), the immersive and lyrical Brazilian documentary co-directed by acclaimed documentarian Eryk Rocha (Cinema Novo) and first-time director Gabriela Carneiro da Cunha.

Inspired by the 2010 book of the same name by Yanomami shaman Davi Kopenawa—who serves as both protagonist and narrator—and French anthropologist Bruce Albert, this breathtaking and collaborative film gives voice to the remote Yanomami and Watoriki communities as they issue a dire warning to the world: environmental catastrophe is imminent, driven by the greed of industrialized nations.

A standout at major international festivals—including Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, DOC NYC, and Doclisboa—this powerful and award-winning portrait of Indigenous resilience will open with a one-week theatrical engagement at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City on Friday, March 7, followed by a theatrical release at Laemmle Theaters in Los Angeles beginning Friday, April 2, with additional cities to be announced.
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Festival Hit “Hood Witch” Sets Release In Theaters and VOD

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hood-witchDirected by Saïd Belktibia, and co written by Saïd with Louis Penicaut, festival favorite starring Golshifteh Farahi (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Body of Lies, Extraction, Extraction 2), “Hood Witch” is set for release in select theaters and digital platforms on March 21, 2025.

Also in the film are Amine Zariouhi, Denis Lavant, Alexis Manenti, Karim Belkhadra, Issaka Sawadogo.

A cautionary tale about the perils of modern society that cleverly intertwines themes of social media pitfalls, religious extremism, unregulated black market activities, HOOD WITCH debuted to critical acclaim at last year’s SXSW Film Festival. It is the debut film of emerging French director Saïd Belktibia and features acclaimed Iranian-French actress Golshifteh.
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“Trigger Happy” Quirky Comedic Satire Inspired by the 1950s

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trigger-happy“Trigger Happy” stars Tyler Poelle (Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS: LA), Elsha Kim (The Garcias), Christina Kirkman (All That!, Ambitions), Matt Lowe (Hart of Dixie, Blood of Zeus), Chau Long (Interior Chinatown, PEN15), Zak Steiner (Euphoria, White Men Can’t Jump), Kevin Kreider (Bling Empire, The Traitors), Jacob Wysocki (Pitch Perfect, Unfriended, Terri), and Michele Selene Ang (13 Reasons Why). The film was directed by Tiffany Kim Stevens with a screenplay by Daniel Moya and produced by Kyle Herman.

“Trigger Happy” had its World Premiere at 2024 Cinequest where it won the Audience Award for Best Sci-Fi and Thriller. It also had a sold-out screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival 2024. The film has a running time of 86 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA. Gravitas Ventures will release “Trigger Happy” on digital platforms on February 25, 2025.

In “Trigger Happy” George Decker has a dream of escaping his life and jetting to the Bahamas, but getting there will mean finding a way to rid himself of his wife, his crushing debts, his demeaning nine-to-six job, and an American culture that he feels has been specifically designed to torture him. Annie Decker, George’s wife, has a dream, too: booking the lead role in an infomercial for the “WOW! Sponge,” which is the most watched television program in America. As Annie’s acting career approaches new heights, George’s frustrations send him plummeting towards rock bottom, and the lives of these selfish, striving people intersect in ways that are hilarious, violent, and spectacularly unpredictable.

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