While the Cannes Film Festival may be over, the Festival season continues apace. Over 5000 miles away from the Croisette, another event is showcasing the best of international cinema. The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is celebrating its 32nd anniversary with its most ambitious program yet. The Festival opened on May 25th with the West Coast premiere of THE ILLUSIONIST, a historical thriller set in 1900 Vienna. The film, directed by Neil Burger, stars Edward Norton as a mysterious ma...
The parking was impossible. But the weather gloriously balmy by the bay for the San Francisco International Film Festival’s Golden Gate Awards held this evening in the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center. Appropriately, the Golden Gate Bridge itself could be glimpsed in the distance from the lobby windows. During the cocktail reception, Richard Hershowitz, director of the Virginia Film Festival and Skyy Prize juror, joked about giving the new San Francisco Film Society executive director his s...
The next edition of the Brussels European Film Festival will be held at the prestigious Flagey venue from June 30 till July 8, 2006. In its search for talented new directors, the Film Festival focuses on first and second European movies. Following the footsteps of events such as the festivals of Sundance and Angers, Brussels wants to give these young directors a suitable forum to show their excellent results. Therefore, an official jury composed of great personalities in European cinema, will be...
The next edition of the Brussels European Film Festival will be held at the prestigious Flagey venue from June 30 till July 8, 2006. In its search for talented new directors, the Film Festival focuses on first and second European movies. Following the footsteps of events such as the festivals of Sundance and Angers, Brussels wants to give these young directors a suitable forum to show their excellent results. Therefore, an official jury composed of great personalities in European cinema, will be...
The 25th installment of the Istanbul Film Festival provided a golden opportunity to gain an overview of Turkish cinema, both of current and more or less "classic" vintage. A grand total of 37 Turkish films were shown in four distinct categories. The national competition consisting of nine films from the past year; Award winning Turkish films of the past 25 years; a three film tribute to master filmmaker Erden Kiral, and one feature length documentary. Although singleton Turkish films such as "Bo...
2006 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival Announces Awards2007 Festival Tenth Anniversary Dates Set for April 12-15, 2007Ninth annual Full Frame Documentary Film Festival came to a close Sunday April 9th with record-breaking attendance. The final ticket number for the 2006 festival was 20,121, with an estimated 2540 additional viewers coming for the films showing post-barbecue bringing the total number of tickets to 22,661 for 2006. Last year, as of Sunday's Southern Style Barbecue and Awards Ce...
i have a bad feeling about this article – it is going to seriously date me. Yesterday, five of the major Hollywood movie studios announced that consumers could download movies from the internet – for a price and with restrictions, but never-the-less an evolutionary move.Movielink and CinemaNow will offer download-to-own sales of feature films at the same time as the studio’s pre-established home video release window.Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, MGM and Lionsgate titles will be availab...
FEATURES/DOCUMENTARIES2006 MIAMI GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL20 CENTIMETERS (Director Ramón Salazar)The musical journey of a lively narcoleptic transsexual who works the streets of Madrid for the money that she needs for her impending sexual reassignment (Spain – Florida Premiere)50 WAYS OF SAYING FABULOUS (Director Stewart Main)An overweight girly-boy and his tomboy best friend live out adventures from their favorite TV show Adventures In Space… with Billy playing the pony tailed heroine La...
The Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) today announced that David Shor, managing director of Labrador Media Group and Labrador Pictures of Santa Barbara, California has become president of its board of directors. The Festival will be held Aug. 23-27, 2006 in Lake Tahoe.In announcing the appointment of Shor, Katrina Wilson, founder and executive director of the festival said, “It’s no secret that the Festival was a huge hit last season; it was voted by the Lake Tahoe community as...
BUDAPEST FEST SETS RECORD IN SPITE OF BOMB SCAREby Alex Deleon, BudapestFebruary 12, 2OO6With ticket sales now counted and statistics compiled, it turns out that the 37th Hungarian Film Review (Magyar Film Szemle) in Budapest set a new paid attendance record in spite of the fact that an entire evening of screenings had to be canceled because of a bomb threat. The phoned in threat turned out to be a false alarm, probably the act of a twisted mind rather than a Moslem terrorist cell, however, with...
The traditional showcase of the Hungarian film production of the year, the 37th edition of the Hungarian Film Week will be held in Budapest between January 31 – February 7, 2005. This year nearly 120 foreign professionals accepted the invitation from Magyar Filmunió to the Hungarian Film Week that plays an outstanding part in the international promotion of Hungarian films. The foreign critics’ Gene Moskowitz Award will be handed over at the final ceremony on 7th February.The traditional sho...
Oregon's biggest film celebration, this year's 29th Portland International Film Festival premieres outstanding world cinema from over three-dozen countries to diverse audiences who descend on the Northwest Film Center from throughout the region.The Festival opens Friday, February 10, with an Opening Night Party and the first of 150+ screenings-16 days of world travel featuring new works by cinema masters and debuting directors. As always, a varied selection of Best Foreign Film Oscar submissions...
"An apple a day keeps the doctor away"THE NYC HOME FILM FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 29-30, 2005The eagerly awaited seventh semi-annual NYC Home Film Festival (NYC HFF) announces its return to Manhattan for two days of short film screenings on Tuesday, November 29 at Coda Lounge (34 East 34th Street) and Wednesday, November 30 at Pioneer (Bar 218 Bowery). The NYC HFF is recognized as a festival for emerging and established filmmakers, industry insiders, and those who appreciate entertainment in all its f...
The 32nd Northwest Film & Video Festival opens this Friday, November 4 with a screening of short films at the Guild Theatre representing the best recent work from this region's filmmakers followed by a rollicking party next door bringing together the artists and lovers of truly independent film.The party starts at 9pm on the ground floor of the Studio building, 901 SW Taylor @ Park Avenue, next door to the Guild Theatre. Enjoy the music of Adelaide who combines electronics with live instrumenta...
2005 Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival’s “Pages to Pictures ” Short Script Contest! With kudos and thanks to all who entered this unique competition, the Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival (T-RIFF) has announced the winner, finalists and those who made honorable mention. Congratulations to Wendy Whitbeck and all of you who placed in this competition! Wendy’s short script will be produced during the festival and screened at our premiere venue, Sand Harbor Starlight Amphitheater, ...
The 35 annual Seattle Arts Festival known as ‘Bumbershoot’ wrapped here on Labor Day with fire drums, dancers and fireworks exploding out of the Great Volcano. Attendee’s and artists at this years festival raised over $30,000 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina over the holiday weekend. The festival combines visual art, the Flatstock poster exhibition, comedy, dance and musical artists ranging from local buskers to headlining acts like Elvis Costello or the New York Dolls. Most events ar...
The VIFF Turns its Focus to New American Indies and Eastern Europe The Vancouver International Film Festival today announced two areas of regional focus within the Festival’s program for its 24th annual edition, which will take place September 29 to October 14th at ten venues, including the VIFF’s own brand new Vancity Theatre in downtown Vancouver. American Independence focuses on the best of the new indie scene, while The New World presents a selection of compelling narratives and incisive...
The 11th Annual Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market, held from September 20-26, 2005 at the Camelot Theatres, announces that Kathleen McInnis will join the Festival as the Director of Short Film Programming this year. The largest short film festival and market in North America screens approximately 350 films from over 40 countries annually. Over the past 10 years, 46 of the short films nominated for Academy Awards have played at the Festival, with six of the ...
The Rural Route Film Festival has been created to highlight works that deal with rural people and places. While the term "rural" is defined by Webster's Dictionary as: 1) Of or relating to the country: RUSTIC 2) Of or relating to people who live in the country 3) Of or relating to farming: AGRICULTURAL, the creators of Rural Route Film Festival leave it up to you, the film and video artists, to explain your own definition of "rural." The 2005 Rural Route Film Festival will take place in New York...
The 31st Annual Seattle International Film FestivalThe 31st Annual Seattle International Film Festival announces award winners and concludes its 25-day run on Sunday June 12 with the North American premiere of award winning director Gus Van Sant’s film Last Days. Van Sant will be in attendance for the screening, which will be followed by the Closing Night Gala. SIFF 2005 was a great year and brought many eminent Seattleites together—from Microsoft’s Bill Gates to Eddie Vedder of Pearl Ja...
The Caméra d'Or landed in a tie, to Sulanga Enu Pinisa (The Forsaken Land) by Vimukthi Jayasundara, which had been selected for Un Certain Regard, and Me And You And Everyone We Know by Miranda July, which screened on the Critics' Week program. Abbas Kiarostami and Milla Jovovich had the honor of presenting the prizes..."I want to thank the Jurors, and thank the Festival for inviting me, said American director Miranda July. I'm still amazed to have gotten all the way here. I must thank the audi...
World Premiere of “When Do We Eat?” opens the fest U.S. Premiere of “Checking Out” to closeOver 150 films headline fest with 11 World PremieresOver a 150 diverse films will screen at the Palm Beach International Film Festival event, including features, documentaries and shorts. The eight-day Fest will introduce 11 world premieres, 6 U.S. premieres and 43 Florida premieres, including 30 international films.“This is an exciting year for us--we have reached the milestone of our 10th anni...
BERMUDA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2005 LINEUP“THE UPSIDE OF ANGER” and “MAD HOT BALLROOM” OPEN and CLOSE MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM TO BE “FILMAKER IN FOCUS” Showcasing a film line-up as rich and eclectic as the culture of the island itself, the Bermuda International Film Festival will welcome visitors for the 8th annual Fest, March 18-24. . The Bermuda International Film Festival invites influences from around the world with films that will compete for Best Feature from the ...
Dave Barry Turns Movie Star at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has always been a bit adventurous with its selection of films. Along with the requisite slate of solid international and American independent features, the festival does a great job supporting local films and filmmakers. This year, midway through the 20th edition, more than two thousand people packed the Arlington Theatre for the Centerpiece screening and World Premiere of ...
2005 Sundance Film Festival Announces ProgramThe Sundance Institute has announced the slate of films for the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. New this year will be the inaugural World Cinema Competition, which brings more of an international focus on this once only US independent film Festival. The 2005 Sundance Film Festival will take place January 20–30, 2005, in Park City, Utah, USA. This Film Festival is the premier showcase for American independent film, is an important new platform for i...
