SBIFF TO BESTOW BEN AFFLECK WITH  MODERN MASTER AWARD   The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, presented by lynda.com, will honor director, producer and actor Ben Affleck with the Modern Master Award at the 28th edition of the Fest, which runs January 24 -February 3, 2013, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.  The Tribute will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the historic Arlington Theatre.   “Afflec...

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today the revered group of industry professionals that will headline the Festival’s signature Master Class series. 2012 ZFF Master Class instructors include: ●          Three-time Academy Award® nominated writer, producer and director Frank Darabont ("The Green Mile,” “The Shawshank Redemption,” “The Walking Dead”) ●          Two-time Academy Award® nominated producer Michael Shamberg (“Pulp Fiction...

Nominees for the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding performances in 2011 in five film and eight primetime television categories and for the SAG honors for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning in Los Angeles at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood.SAG President Ken Howard introduced Judy Greer (“The Descendants”) and Regina King (TNT’s “Southland” and the 18th Annual Scree...

HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2012 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2011 The awards ceremony will take place january 15th, 2012     BEST MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA THE DESCENDANTS Sofia Vergara Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures THE HELP DreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures HUGO Paramount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures THE IDES OF MARCH Columbia Pictures, Cro...

  It was announced today that Academy Award® nominated director Alejandro González Iñárritu (“Amores Perros” “21 Grams” “Babel” “Biutiful”) will be feted with a Career Achievement Award at the 7th Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), taking place September 22 – October 2. The announcement was made by ZFF Directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht. Iñárritu will be on hand to receive ZFF’s coveted Golden Eye Award for his career achievements as a director, writer...

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today the members of the two juries that will preside over the international competition categories at the 7th edition of the Festival, which takes place September 22 – October 2, 2011. Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“The Matrix” trilogy, “Mystic River,” “What’s Love Got to Do With It”) will serve as Jury President for the ZFF’s international section. The Festival will also be honoring Fishburne with a special achieve...

LARRY CROWNE Starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Cedric the Entertainer, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Taraji P. Henson, Wilmer Valderrama, Rami Malek, George Takei, Bryan Cranston,  Rita Wilson Director: Tom Hanks America's sweethearts Julia Roberts   and Tom Hanks share  remarkable chemistry in this heart-warming romantic comedy about how Every(wo)man takes adversity on the chin, and comes up trumps.   It must be said though the film belongs as much to the youthful cast as it does to...

The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival is celebrating its 3rd year of making audiences laugh til' they chafe their throats. (Lozenges provided on request).   LACSFF is touted as the largest comedy film festival in the US, introducing the freshest comedy talent to the industry. The four-day celebration of comedic short films and the people who make them will be held from April 7 - 10 at the Downtown Independent Theater (251 S. Main St.).   "We've scoured the solar system for the funnie...

Dances With Films, now in its 14th year, champions the unflinching spirit at the very core of the independent film scene.  Living by its slogan “No Politics.  No Stars.  No Sh*t.” has earned DWF solid respect and street credibility through its thirteen years of existence.   Consequently, an impressive array of film professionals, film critics and audiences alike cover DWF each year to see what’s new and different, and who is truly going places in the indie world. DWF prese...

AFM Day 4-5: Adrien Brody's WRECKED Sells, Where Not to Film, Mini-Moguls Speakby Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent "Expected to be released in theatres in 2011" might be the most ominous phrase coming out of the 31st American Film Market, which closes on Nov. 10. It's the expectations of buyers and sellers that indicate we're in a worldwide down economy, with many expecting the worst. Not so if you are Adrien Brody, steeped in Oscar potential; and even if your film is WRECKED, som...

Wheeling & Dealmaking in Santa Monica at The American Film MarketAFM 2010 @ Loew's: 2010 AFM Begins by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Dim the house lights, open the curtains: the 2010 American Film Market (AFM) opens today, Nov. 3 through Nov. 10. Usually you can get a thematic read on this annual cinephile buyer/seller-ama by running through some titles.  Consider this year's AFM offerings sampler: SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS, JACK GOES BOATING, I'M STILL HERE, THE PEOP...

SNEAK PEEK: AFM 2010 Gets Into Swing with 409 Films, 49 World Premieres & 287 Market PremieresDim the house lights, open the curtains: the 2010 American Film Market (AFM) opens today, Nov. 3 through Nov. 10. Usually you can get a thematic read on this annual cinephile buyer/seller-ama by running through some titles. Consider this year's AFM offerings sampler: SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS, JACK GOES BOATING, I'M STILL HERE, THE PEOPLE VS GEORGE LUCAS, FREAKONOMICS, GASLAND, LOVE RANCH, THE DRY LAND, L...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Friday morning Oct. 8 at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, something huge happened in "Hollywood" -- no, it wasn't a Lohan lapse or star scandal -- it was the Media Access Awards brought to you by Superman with a little help from just about every guild and association in town. Picture AFTRA, CSA, PGA, SAG, WGAw, and the Christopher Reeve Foundation, in conjunction with Friends of Californians with Disabilities and the Govern...

We’re at war, the economy is in the toilet, many are out of work and/or sick with no health care, and speaking of which, arguments over health care reached an all time low with the way people have conducted themselves, oh and did I mention you still haven‘t won the lottery? With all the crap on the “news” the relentlessly chatty pundits shoving opinions in our faces, it’s a wonder we don’t all just take an elevator and jump out a high rise window. And do you want to know wh...

L.A. COMEDY SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL  2ND EDITION APRIL 15-18, 2010 They're back!  Funnier!  Faster!  Filmier!   The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival, touted the largest comedy film festival in the US, is a four-day celebration of comedic short films and the people who make them.    Held in Los Angeles from April 15th-18th at the Downtown Independent Theater (251 S. Main St.), LACSFF introduces the newest and hottest comedic talent to the industry in a ...

They’re back! Funnier! Faster! Filmier! The L.A. Comedy Shorts Film Festival, touted the largest comedy film festival in the US, is a four-day celebration of comedic short films and the people who make them. Held in Los Angeles from April 15th-18th at the Downtown Independent Theater (251 S. Main St.), LACSFF introduces the newest and hottest comedic talent to the industry in a fun-packed weekend of uproarious screenings, unmatched parties, hilariously unrivaled informative industry pane...

by Marla Lewin    Nominees for the 16th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding performances in 2009 in five film and eight primetime television categories and for the SAG honors for film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning in Los Angeles at the Pacific Design Center's Silver Screen Theater in West Hollywood. Screen Actors Guild President Ken Howard introduced Michelle Monaghan ("Trucker") and Chris O'Donnell ("NCIS: Los Angeles&qu...