London premiere of "Stingers", digital shorts fostered by Northern Film and Media (20/1/09) There was no sign of Cleo but de cinq a sept seems now to have become the time when regional film agencies visit their latest wares on the movers and shakers of the metropolitan media milieu. I was glad to have attended the showcase presented by Newcastle-based Northern Film and Media of some of the latest digital shorts from their 'Stingers' scheme, co-funded by the UK Film Council, in the sud...
London premiere of "Stingers", digital shorts fostered by Northern Film and Media (20/1/09) There was no sign of Cleo but de cinq a sept seems now to have become the time when regional film agencies visit their latest wares on the movers and shakers of the metropolitan media milieu. I was glad to have attended the showcase presented by Newcastle-based Northern Film and Media of some of the latest digital shorts from their 'Stingers' scheme, co-funded by the UK Film Council, in the suddenly busy ...
Greetings from the sun and surf of Santa Cruz!
As we gear up for next May, I wanted to take a look back at the 2008 Festival and share with you the activities of some of the films we presented then. It was a fantastic Festival with a terrific program (if I may so myself). Over those nine beautiful Spring days, we screened 149 films from all over the world to a record audience of nearly 8000 film lovers. This is truly a testament to the dedication and enthusiasm of our commun...
AFM Conferences and Seminars provide a forum where attendees can interact with and learn from prominent filmmakers, financiers, industry executives and talent. Belo...
Saturday, August 30------French actress Isabelle Huppert received a special Award yesterday by the Montreal World Film Festival for her unique contribution to French and world cinema. One of the great actresses of her generation, Huppert is also being honored with special screenings of several of her films, including the French films VIOLETTE NOZIERE, MADAME BOVARY and L'IVRESSE DU POUVOIR, all directed by her muse, iconic French film director Claude Chabrol and the Western epic HEAVEN'S GA...
Undeniably one of cinema’s master storytellers and an inspiration to generations of filmmakers, the Irish Film Institute is proud to announce a two-part retrospective of the work of David Lean. The sixteen films showing throughout July and August demonstrate his achievements as a chronicler of the British imagination and as one of the greatest creators of cinematic epic in film history.In a BFI poll of the 100 best British films of the century, David Lean had 3 in the Top 5, Brief Encounter, L...
Director Matthew Vaughn will present Variety vice president and editor-in-chief Peter Bart with the 2008 RAAM International Award at the opening ceremony of the 2008 RAAM Conference in London on April 29.Following the award presentation, Bart will take part in a Q&A sharing highlights of his career as both a studio boss and a journalist in front of an invited audience.Following the Q&A, Paramount Pictures Intl. will present its slate of upcoming films and an advance screening of “Iron Man.”T...
Sunday, March 9, 2008 -- The 2008 Cinequest Juries selected winners from over 150 films from 34 countries. Cinequest Executive Director and Co-founder Halfdan Hussey read the following statement: “They discovered myriad worlds that challenged, excited and surprised. Their job to find the top films was not an easy one, and reaching a unanimous vote was nearly impossible because the films truly affected them in many ways and heated debates were sparked because of the passion each felt for the st...
The 2008 Cinequest Juries selected winners from over 150 films from 34 countries. Cinequest Executive Director and Co-founder Halfdan Hussey read the following statement: “They discovered myriad worlds that challenged, excited and surprised. Their job to find the top films was not an easy one, and reaching a unanimous vote was nearly impossible because the films truly affected them in many ways and heated debates were sparked because of the passion each felt for the stories that were revealed....
Friday, February 29---------There is nothing quite so glamorous as the Red Carpet at a film festival. Popping flash bulbs, the crush of the paparazzi, the push of the crowd, the rare opportunity of seeing world-class filmmakers and celebrities, the sheer excitement in the air. Glamour is definitely on tap on Flagler Street in downtown Miami as the 25th Miami International Film Festival presents the Gusman Galas in all their glory in the beautiful and historic Gusman Center for the Performing...
There is nothing quite so glamorous as the Red Carpet at a film festival. Popping flash bulbs, the crush of the paparazzi, the push of the crowd, the rare opportunity of seeing world-class filmmakers and celebrities, the sheer excitement in the air. Glamour is definitely on tap on Flagler Street in downtown Miami as the 25th Miami International Film Festival presents the Gusman Galas in all their glory in the beautiful and historic Gusman Center for the Performing Arts each evening. The Hollywoo...
Aspen Shortsfest celebrated a diverse mix of short films including several world, North American and US premiers to the delight of audiences and dozens of film guests from around the world during its 16th edition. The top winners were The Substitute (Andrea Jublin, Italy) for Best Comedy, Fair Trade (Michael Dreher, Germany) for Best Drama, Never Like the First Time! (Jonas Odell, Sweden) and Yours Truly (Osbert Parker, UK), which share Best Animation and City (Topaz Adizes, USA) for Best Short ...
Filmmakers and film lovers will gather April 3-8 when Aspen Shortsfest 2007 hits the screen at the Wheeler Opera House and other locations in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. Now in its 16th year, Aspen Shortsfest is considered one of the world’s finest international short film and video showcases. Shortsfest’s centerpiece, the International Competition offers a lively, heart-warming and thought-provoking selection of drama, comedy, animation and documentary – all 30 minutes or less. From t...
Tuesday, February 27-----While current social, economic and political issues are prominently featured throughout the Miami International Film Festival program (which is truly international in its scope and concerns), several special programs have been dedicated to the issues of immigration and its sometimes related cousin, homelessness.Among the most anticipated is what the Miami dubs its Big Picture program, which for the past several years have highlighted films that tackle world issues and th...
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced its nominees in fifteen seperate categories for the Orange British Academy Film Awards, affectionately knowns as the BAFTAs. By and large, they read like a re-do of the Golden Globes, with some prominent exceptions. Which film dominated the proceedings? THE QUEEN, of course. The acclaimed behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Family received the most BAFTA nods, with 10 nominations in all, in the categories of Best Film, Best Di...
Friday, January 12----The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has announced its nominees in fifteen seperate categories for the Orange British Academy Film Awards, affectionately knowns as the BAFTAs. By and large, they read like a re-do of the Golden Globes, with some prominent exceptions. Which film dominated the proceedings? THE QUEEN, of course. The acclaimed behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Family received the most BAFTA nods, with 10 nominations in all, in the categor...
The French actress Jeanne Moreau is one of the few performing artists who both epitomize and transcend their eras by the originality of their work.Jeanne Moreau was born in Paris on January 25, 1928. Her father, Anatole Désiré Moreau, was the proprietor of a Montmartre bistro. Her mother, Kathleen Sarah Buckley, left Lancashire, England, at the age of seventeen to dance at the Folies-Bergère. After honing her craft as a principal member of the Comédie-Française and the Théâtre National Po...
Premiers, Packed Houses, Prestigious Jury Awards and More… Aspen Shortsfest celebrated an eclectic mix of short films including several world and North American premiers to big crowds and dozens of film guests from around the world during its 15th edition. Laughter, applause—even screams—could be heard throughout the festival in Aspen and Carbondale. The Audience Favorite Award was a 3-way split between The Danish Poet (North American premier, Torill Kove, Canada/Norway; animation), Mons...
Filmmakers from around the world will gather April 5-9 for Aspen Shortsfest 2006 at the Wheeler Opera House and other locations in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. Now in its 15th year, Shortsfest will present an array of short films for all ages chosen from over 45 countries. Two evenings of selected festival highlights will also screen April 14 - 15 at Denver’s Starz FilmCenter in association with the Denver Film Society. From premiers to Oscar®-nominated shorts, this year's International C...
The Orange BAFTA – British Academy of Film and Television Awards - ceremony held February 19 in London turned out some surprises in an eclectic number of wins by various actors, directors and producers. The event was hosted by the outstandingly witty Stephen Fry, best known for his role as Oscar Wilde in Wilde. Absolutely every person he presented received a stunning compliment. Even Matt Dillon whom he told the audience he had seen Crash with at the same theater as the awards ceremony - the O...
Despite the extra burden of responsibility of making a film in his native South Africa, filmmaker Gavin Hood has happily enjoyed riding the wave of film festivals to success. This has resulted in Hood’s film “Tsotsi” being nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category at next month’s Academy Awards. The Oscars will held in Hollywood on March 5. Hood was recently on the South Coast to participate in the director’s panel at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Held ...
Veteran wildlife film producer Naresh Bedi has been selected for the 2005 Prithvi Ratna Award instituted by the Centre for Media Studies (CMS) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The award has been announced on the eve of the third VATAVARAN Environment and Wildlife Film Festival which begins in New Delhi on November 21, 2005.This is the second Prithvi Ratna award being given by CMS and UNEP. The first was given to Mike Pandey in the previous Vatavaran in 2003. The special tro...
Mill Valley Film Festival closed its 28th year with screenings of more than 200 films from over 50 countries on Sunday, October 16. Always an exciting Festival component, more than 175 filmmakers and actors from around the globe made the trip to Mill Valley to share their filmmaking experiences with the audiences. “We had an exceptional slate of US and world cinema, tributes, spotlights, music events, parties and receptions for film lovers of all ages,” notes Founder/Director Mark Fishkin. ...
István Szabó will deliver the 15th Variety Cinema Militans Lecture in conclusion of the Holland Film Meeting at the 25th Netherlands Film Festival. On October 2nd, the Hungarian filmmaker will share his vision on the future of cinema in Ottone in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The fixed theme of the Lecture, 'the position and viability of cinema in the present age', is an adaptation of the theme of Dutch film critic and writer Menno ter Braak's essay 'Cinema Militans' (1926). István Szabó was bor...
Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Robin Spry, who died in a car crash in March, will be honoured with a retrospective including five of his early films during the Festival’s inaugural edition, September 18-25, 2005.One of the most important documentary directors of the National Film Board in the late 1960s and early 70s, Spry went on to become a fiction director of considerable repute with such political and social dramas as Prologue (1969), One Man (1977), Drying Up the Streets (1978) and Suzanne ...
