Alexei Barrionuevo
Argentinian/American filmmaker Alexei Barrionuevo's debut feature doc 'WAITING FOR THE DROP: Rise of the Superstar Djs' (2018) follows the fascinating modern EDM (Electronic Dance Music) movement from the early 90s through its rises and falls to present day. The film travels to exotic party 'it' locales around the world including Ibiza, London, Miami and Las Vegas. The film's legendary DJ Superstar guests include: Paul Oakenfold, Sebastian Ingrosso, ...
Dean Matthew Ronalds is a New York based Writer/Director/Producer known for films “Meet the Browns” (2009) and “Screamers” (2016). His recent short film “The View From Up Here” (2017) that he produced for director Marco Calvani stars Cesar winning Leila Bekhti and Oscar winning actress Melissa Leo has gained international recognition. His recent feature as writer/director “Fourplay” (2018) is a black and white Woody Allen-esque New York dramedy a...
Jordan Peele is an actor, writer, producer and director known most for films like 'Keanu' (2016), 'Storks' (2016) and most recently 'Get Out' (2017). While Peele has made a name for himself as an actor and writer for TV and films, he has only recently donned the director's hat with his first feature 'Get Out'. The film makes a comment on the current topics of race issues and politics in America, telling the story of a young African Ameri...
Mexican director, writer and producer Guillermo del Toro is what many deem the Gabriel Garcia Marquez of cinema. While Marquez popularized magical realism in literature, del Toro has mastered it in film. One of his first films was the horror flick 'Cronus' (1993), after which he has been straddling the line between genres creating one that is all his own; some of his most known works include: 'Hellboy' (2004), 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006), 'Pacific Ri...
Multi award winning short 'Chocolate' (2017) is the latest work by Brazilian writer/director/producer Thiago Dadalt. Thiago's career began with the stage as a play director; after which, he switched to film. Since producing and directing his first short film, 'The Postman', (2007), he also made films 'Life on a Leash', 'On My Way'', '2nd Time Around' and headed commercials for Unilever and Mercedes Benz. Thiago is currently based in ...
Sales Agent and Producer Carlos Rincon has been working world markets for a decade, having started his career with international sales and distribution company Spotlight Pictures, where he worked on dozens of film titles including James Franco's films 'Sal' (2011) and 'Child of God' (2013). He now works for Premiere Entertainment Group as VP of Development & Acquisitions (Executive); the company has been in business for 15 years and has distributed film l...
Danish director Rasmus Dinesen's documentary 'Michelen Stars: Tales from the Kitchen' (2017) recounts the history of the Michelen Guide's coming to being and its evolution into the canon go to book reference for the best culinary restaurants. The film travels to Michelen star restaurants around the globe to hear stories and perspectives from the kitchen by their award winning chefs. Produced by Jasper Jarl Becker, the film is being distributed by Juno Films. It r...
Meg Thomson is VP of Worldwide Content for Globalgate Entertainment, a division of distribution company Lionsgate. With offices in the US and London, Globalgate specializes in the co-financing (through its Globalgate Fund), production and international distribution for local-language films within their home territories.
I recently interviewed Meg about her experience, position and the company.
Before your current position with Globalgate Entertainment, you wer...
Filmmaker Brian Metcalf wrote, directed, produced and DP'd his found footage vampire tale 'Living Among Us' (2018). In one of the late actor John Heard's last performances, this horror/sci-fi flick follows some documentarians as they make an ethnological study on vampires living among mortals. Produced by Brian's Red Compass Media production company, Vision Films is handling international sales and US distribution in association with Sony Pictures Home ...
Nick Pollack (left) and Aaron Bush (right).
Australian film team writer/director Nick Pollack and producer Aaron Bush attended the 2017 Napa Valley Film Festival with their 30 minute short film 'And Though the Music Ended, We Danced on Through the Night'. The film follows three frenetic characters hanging on at the end of their rope after what might be a tragic accident. Reminiscent of Aronofsky's 'Requiem for a Dream' (2000), the lives of these three de...
Writer/director Chris Thomas co-directed short film 'Awarewolf' (2017) with director Dan Damman. The film tells the story of an young boy who is forced to prematurely become a professional yoga athlete by his despondent and no longer pliant mother who lives vicariously through him. The film is beautifully produced with a remarkable performance by newcomer Nicolas Yurkevich. It screened at the 7th Annual Napa Valley Film Festival where I had a chance to interview both fi...
Director William H. Macy onstage at 'Krystal' Q&A during 20th Anniversary SCAD Savannah Film Festival on November 3, 2017 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
Actor William H. Macy's feature film directorial debut 'Krystal' (2017), about a sickly young man who is forced to live a sequestered existence who forms an infatuation with a stripper, recently screened at the 20th Annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival. As an act...
Laurie Gordon is a producer, writer, director and festival director for the Montreal International Animation Film Festival. Laurie is one of the international film industry's most avid supporters of animation and has recently run the 3rd annual Animation Day at Cannes Film Festival in 2017. Laurie regularly attends the film marketplaces, including Cannes, Berlin and AFM for new innovative animation content.
In a recent interview with Laurie, here is what she had t...
Actor Robert Pattinson at Trustees Theater during 20th Anniversary SCAD Savannah Film Festival. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
Robert Pattinson ('Harry Potter' 2005, 'Twilight' 2008, 'Cosmopolis' 2012, 'The Lost City of Z' 2016) recently starred in the indie film 'Good Time' (2017) about two bank robber brothers who get separated when a heist goes wrong. The film has met with critical acclaim at international film fe...
Actor John Boyega poses backstage with Vanguard Award at Trustees Theater during 20th Anniversary SCAD Savannah Film Festival on November 2, 2017 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
Actor John Boyega first received worldwide attention with his breakout role as Moses in director Joe Cornish's film 'Attack the Block' (2011). Since then, he has been steadily ascending his illustrious career ladder with roles in followup films as Ugwu i...
2017 NAPA VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL FESTIVAL AWARD WINNERS
Winners include “Quest,” “Stuck” and Mackenzie Davis for “Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town”
Napa Valley, CA - The 7th Annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) announced this year’s juried and audience award winners at the Uptown Theatre in Napa on Saturday, November 11, 2017. The Festival, held from November 8-12, screened 124 films, including the 18 in ...
Seventh Annual Napa Valley Film Festival Films,
Special Events and Celebrity Tribute Honorees
Honorees Included Will Ferrell (Maverick Actor Tribute), Nancy Meyers (Legendary Filmmaker Award), Michael Shannon (Trailblazer Tribute) and Michael Stuhlbarg (Spotlight Tribute)
Rising Star Tributes Were Awarded to Ana de Armas, Odeya Rush, Austin Stowell, Gregg Sulkin and Alex Wolff
A Special Humanitarian Tribute was given to Nikki Reed and Ian Somerhalder
...
A graduate of USC Business School, Jonathan Wolf has held an illustrious career in finance and business within the film industry. He joined IFTA in 1993 as Senior Vice President of Business and has been Managing Director of the AFM since 1998. I sat with Jonathan Wolf at the Fairmont Hotel during the 2017 AFM to get his opinion on the climate of the current marketplace. Here is what he had to say:
This is an interesting year in distribution, right? ...
Producer J. Miles Dale onstage at 'The Shape of Water' screening at Trustees Theater during 20th Anniversary SCAD Savannah Film Festival on November 2, 2017 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
Winner of the Golden Lion at this year's Venice Film Festival, Guillermo del Toro's latest film 'The Shape of Water' (2017) is a Cold War magical realism love story set in 1962. The film is sweeping up awards at international film ...
Actress Kyra Sedgwick. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SCAD)
'Story of a Girl' (2017). Synopsis: “When a compromising video of sixteen year old Deanna Lambert hits social media, her teenage life is changed forever. Overcoming bullies, hurtful school-yard taunts and the enduring rage and disappointment of her father, Deanna longs to escape a life defined by her past. Directed by Kyra Sedgwick (feature directorial debut) and starring Ryann Shane, Jon Tenney an...
Ryan Suffern
Director/Producer Ryan Suffern's award winning documentary 'FINDING OSCAR' (2017) recounts the tragic story of the infamous massacre of Dos Erres, Guatemala which took place on December 6th 1982 during which over 200 people, including women and children, were brutally murdered by the Guatemalan military under de facto president Efrain Rios Montt. The film follows the decades long search for Oscar Ramirez, the unlikely survivor of the tragedy who was then only thre...
Director/Producer Cameo Wood’s first narrative film 'Real Artists' (2017) starring Tiffany Hines (Bones, 24: Legacy) and Tamlyn Tomita (Joy Luck Club/Berlin Station) made its debut at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival as part of the 2017 Marché du Film. Adapted from the short story by bestselling author Ken Liu, 'Real Artists' takes place in the near future and tells the story about an animator challenged to choose between her dr...
Actress Karen Allen has been acting for over 35 years in commercial film and theater. With some of her most renown characters being Katy from 'Animal House' (1978), Marion Ravenwood from 'Raiders of the Lost Arc' (1981) and 'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' (2008), Jenny Hayden from 'Starman' (1984) and Claire Phillips from 'Scrooged' (1988), she has played hundreds of roles in film, TV and theater. An award winning actress and h...
Pescara born Umberto Smerilli is one of Italy's emerging masterful film composers. A graduate of the Italian National School of Cinema at Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Umberto is best known for his work on 'Scrambled' (2007), 'Il Torneo' (2008) and 'Worldly Girl' (2016). He is a multi talent who synergizes the old and new world with confidence, grace and Italian panache. My first encounter with Umberto was at the Off Camera Film Festival in Krakow, Poland i...
Argentine born Director/Writer/Producer/Actress Romina Schwedler is a woman of many talents. She moved to NY at the age of 15 and began her career studying dance at the School of American Ballet and music at The Juilliard School. She followed with intensive acting training at the William Esper Studio during which she began to be featured in films and TV series.
In 2014, she jumped behind the camera for the first time to direct a spec commercial. Through it she was s...
