IFFF HONOREE: MARCO MARENGHI : A FAMILY GUYThe 2008 Friz Award HonoreeMarco Marenghi, Animation Supervisor, Sony Pictures Imageworks, will receive the coveted 2008 International Family Film Festival "Friz Award" (named for the late Isadore "Friz" Freleng, Head Animator at Warner Bros.) for Lifetime Achievement in the Art of Animation & Visual Effects, Sunday March 2nd at 6:30PM at Raleigh Studios.Originally from Rhondda Valley, South Wales, United Kingdom, Marenghi's rise from humble beginnings ...

The San Sebastian Festival is pleased to welcome two new members of staff who complete its network of international delegates. Alex Masson will be our new delegate in France and Curra Ortiz de Solórzano head of relations with Latin American cinema. In addition to the above, Marichu Corugedo will be responsible for coordinating, from the Festival, the award granted by technical companies in Madrid as part of the Films in Progress initiative.This year also marks the end of his collaboration with ...

7 September 2007: Polish director Andrzej Jakimowski’s TRICKS (Sztuczki) has won the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European film in the Giornate degli Autori/Venice Days section, it was announced today by a jury of four Europa Cinemas exhibitors. The Label will be awarded tomorrow.This marks the fourth year that the Europa Cinemas Label has been awarded at Venice, and complements the Labels awarded at the Panorama section in Berlin, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes and Karlovy Vary.TRI...

Further supporting its ongoing campaign to promote European films, Europa Cinemas will return once again to this year's Venice Film Festival, awarding its Label prize to the best European film in the Giornate degli Autori/Venice Days section (August 30 to September 8).This marks the fourth year that the Europa Cinemas Label will be awarded at Venice, and complements the Labels awarded at the Panorama section in Berlin, The Quinzaine des Réalisateurs in Cannes and Karlovy Vary.A jury of four Eur...

Attention filmmakers.  The American Indian Film Institute is seeking film and video entries for the 32nd Annual American Film Festival.  Known as the nation's oldest and most prestigious venue for American Indian Arts and Entertainment, this is a great opportunity to showcase work by and or about American Indian or Canadian First Nations people on a platform of excellence and integrity. Films will be presented November 2-10, 2007 in San Francisco, CA.    Deadline for entry is: August 10,...

40 new films, including 20 features (all premieres) and 20 new shorts, will be shown at the 11th Annual City of Lights, City of Angels (COL•COA). Acclaimed Berlin Film Festival opening film, “La Vie En Rose,” writer-director Olivier Dahan’s masterful biopic of Edith Piaf, starring Marion Cotillard and Gérard Depardieu, will open the showcase on Monday, April 16, 2007. Picturehouse will release the film on June 8th in New York and Los Angeles. The U.S. Premiere of “Michou D’Auber”...

The sun certainly shone on Sevilla's successfully revamped 100 Per Cent European Film Festival, which ran from 3rd to 11th November 2006 in the sensuous Andalucian city.(Actually, much of the downtown of this beautiful southern Spanish metropolis is currently scarred by the construction of a new underground transport system so not only the flamenco dancers have to watch their steps to cross from one florid architectural wonder to the next. Personally, I am rather fearful that whenever the first ...

The sun certainly shone on Sevilla's successfully revamped 100 Per Cent European Film Festival, which ran from 3rd to 11th November 2006 in the sensuous Andalucian city. (Actually, much of the downtown of this beautiful southern Spanish metropolis is currently scarred by the construction of a new underground transport system so not only the flamenco dancers have to watch their steps to cross from one florid architectural wonder to the next. Personally, I am rather fearful that whenever the firs...

From September 21st to the 31th, México City will witness the birth of DOCSDF, a forum, a meeting point where enthusiasts of the genre, film makers and producers, will have the oportunity to attend screenings of some of the genre’s highlights from recent years, from México and around the world.-This festival stems from the big lack México City -one of the biggest in the world- suffered, that of a large documentary film exhibition, like the ones cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, Rome, N...

The International Family Film Festival is celebrating its twelfth year in Valencia at the Regal/Edwards Cinemas on Town Center Drive September 22-September 30, 2006. According to Chris Shoemaker, IFFF Executive Director, “This is a special year for the festival. Not only is it our twelfth year in the Santa Clarita Valley but it is the 100th Anniversary of Friz Freleng, the Father of Warner Bros. animation and the namesake of our Lifetime Achievement Award, The Friz. There are lots of thrill...

Hanan had the courage to take up the role as it reflected her personalityDunia (Kiss me not on the eyes) seeks to address and confront social issues in the Arab world. As a clear indication of the controversy surrounding the film, heated debate broke out during a press conference held at the 2nd Dubai International Film Festival to discuss the movie.Written in French and translated into Arabic, shot in Egypt by a Lebanese Director Jocelyne Saab, Dunia (Kiss me not on the eyes) proves the borderl...

The National Screen Institute – Canada (NSI), in association with Telefilm Canada, has chosen five filmmaking teams for the 2005-2006 NSI Features First Program – a training initiative for filmmakers ready to develop their first or second feature. The teams include participants from Toronto, Yellowknife, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. The selected participants are:Bang Bang Baby (Toronto, ON) Larissa Giroux, Producer; Jeffrey St. Jules, Writer/DirectorChroma (Winnipeg, MB) Timo Puolitaipale, Produc...

Valladolid Festival, October 27 One might say that there are three kinds of musicals; (1) Hollywood MGM type musicals with a flimsy plot as an excuse for stringing together a bunch of hit songs and "production number", (2) filmed Broadway shows such as "Showboat" or "Westside Story", and (3) CARLOS SAURA MUSICALS, or, Serious Dance and Music as Pure Cinema. His latest such work, "IBERIA", a suite of flamenco and balletic dances, vocalizations (Canto Hondo), and instrumental recitals (piano, sma...

The 11th Annual International Family Film Festival is a Wrap! The Festival officially closed for the year on October 1, 2005 at the Valencia Hyatt Hotel where over 150 atendees honored Henry Selick with the Friz Award and Lou Florimonte with the Film Excellence Award. The Award Show crowd also celebrated the Finalist Films and the Winning Films in each of the Festival's categories. This award-winning group of films were selected from the 84 films in competition. The Finalists and the Winners ...

MadCat is back with 89 films and videos by women directors from South Korea to Israel, Sweden to Portugal, and the Philippines to Australia. All in all there are 16 countries represented and over 50 premieres highlighted at this, the Ninth Annual MadCat Women’s International Film Festival. Mining selections from the more than 1,300 filmmakers is a process that takes many months. We present the cream of the crop and have curated eleven thematically programmed evenings of film. MadCat’s screen...

The 11th Annual International Family Film Festival is set to open on September 23, 2005 at the Regal/Edwards Grand Palace Theater with a slate of 80 films from 12 countries. The opening film is Come Away Home, a California premiere, from American Family Films, directed by Doug McKeon, written by Robert D. Slane and starring Lea Thompson, Paul Dooley, Martin Mull, Thomas Gibson, David Keith and Jordan-Claire Green. The film is the heartwarming story of a 12-year-old New York girl who leaves th...

An animated dish for the eyes From September 6 to 11, Fantoche, the biggest animation show in Switzerland, will conquer the cinematic screens of Baden and celebrate its 10th anniversary. From early morning until late at night, 515 short and feature films from 37 countries will be presented in four cinemas. 20’000 visitors and many national and international guests are expected to attend. This year’s anniversary edition of Fantoche will provide its audience with a rich programme, a true eye c...

DIGITAL DAYS 2004 TEEN FILMMAKER AWARDS ANNOUNCEDRichard Corwin and Gretchen Miller, producers of Digital Days 2004 at the 19th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, announced the winners for the Teen Filmmaker program as:* Amanda Weiss, "Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat," Cal Arts, Valencia, CA* Cole Sanchez, "Fridge," Rancho Marrieta, CA* Carolyn Chrisman, "Ascension Rites," Anacapa School, Santa Barbara, CA * Austin Madison, "Boy Meets Rex," Sacramento, CA* Daniel Howard, "Jai Yen-C...