Sunday, April 29-------While the narrative offerings at the Tribeca Film Festival remain an oil-and-water mix of glossy Hollywood product and uneven independent fare, the documentaries on tap are refreshingly nimble and powerful. Three docs seen this past weekend illustrate the top-flight work being done by non-fiction masters and newcomers at this year's Tribeca Film Festival.The master is UK director Michael Apted, who is one of the rare filmmakers who have simultaneously invigorating c...

On the opening day of its 60th anniversary, Wednesday May 16 from 2:30pm to 5:30pm, the Festival de Cannes is offering a moment of reflection on the opportunities and challenges of the next decade by holding a conference focused on the evolution of audience practices and on the ties between cinema creation, new promotional and broadcast platforms.  Film industry representatives, new media players, journalists and sociologists will share their experiences and views on how the fast evolving digit...

Jack Valenti, the former head of the Motion Picture Assn. of America for almost four decades and the prime mover behind the movie ratings system, died Thursday. He was 85. Valenti had checked out of Johns Hopkins University Medical Center on Wednesday where he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke. We loved his strong tenure, relentless battle against piracy, strong advocate of american cinema from majors and independents...I had the priviledge of dining a few times with his family and celeb...

Tuesday, April 17---While Sarasota may be noted for its beautiful sunsets, pristine beaches and cultural offerings, it is also an important city of architectural interest. In the years after the second World War, a number of architects, influenced by modernism and the Bauhaus movement, built a number of intriguing public and private buildings, which constitute an architectural legacy of some renown. Whether this legacy is properly prized by local authorities is another issue. As Sarasota grows i...

Julie Dash, Award winning Filmmaker moderates a screening and dialog of African American Women Filmmakers. The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center (BHERC) presents: the 14th Annual Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves: See Their Images… Hear Their Stories… Saturday, April 21, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. A Filmmaker Showcase and Discussion at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA (Melrose & Van Ness / across from Paramount Studios). To RSVP - 323/957-4747....

                        A CONVERSATION WITH BILL GATES Flying in to Paris, February 1st, on the leg of his 4-day European VISTA launching tour, MICROSOFT Chairman and Co-founder, Bill GATES, was Guest of Honour at the 2007 SALON DES ENTREPRENEURS, held in the Paris Congress Center. Before an audience of 4000 in the huge Palais de Congrès auditorium, he also addressed as their sponsor, the young winners of t...

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, January 25 – February 4, will open their 22nd edition with the highly-anticipated film “Factory Girl” starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen and directed by George Hickenlooper, it was announced today by SBIFF director Roger Durling. Opening night will take place at the Arlington Theatre and is sponsored by CafeFx and Studio 7.“Factory Girl” imaginatively unfolds the comet-like rise and fall of 60s “It Girl” Edie Sedg...

THE FIRST ROME FILM FIESTA, OCT. 13 – 21, 2OO6 The whole report day by day from day one. In less than a week, on the fateful FridayThe Thirteenth of the current month (October 13, 2OO6), the First International Film Festival ever held in Rome will open the gates of the Eternal City to a floodtide of media representatives, journalists, film professionals, actors, directors, film fans, and just plain curious stargazers of all stripes and colours. Whether this new festival turns out to be a blas...

As I open my INBOX in the press room today this is the first e-mail I see -- from film colleague and editor Tom, in Prague; "Ahoy, Alex: Sounds like you're having a helluva time over there! -- Vino pouring freely, sexy women lurking everywhere -- la dolce vita! Did you see the Scorsese flick? How was the press conference? Haven't been too impressed with him lately and Di Caprio can kiss my ass, but Marty did make a few great ones. Always waiting for the comeback. Tom"---------------------------...

Warren Beatty would be the first to admit it. When he talks, he tends to ramble and to answer an interview question at such great length that both he and the questioner have forgotten the original query. At the press conference held on Tuesday afternoon at Alice Tully Hall, following the press screening of his masterpiece REDS, Beatty covered a lot of territory in a wise, witty and rambling style that had the audience eating out of his hand. Such is the power of the movie star who also happens t...

Wednesday, October 4---Warren Beatty would be the first to admit it. When he talks, he tends to ramble and to answer an interview question at such great length that both he and the questioner have forgotten the original query. At the press conference held on Tuesday afternoon at Alice Tully Hall, following the press screening of his masterpiece REDS, Beatty covered a lot of territory in a wise, witty and rambling style that had the audience eating out of his hand. Such is the power of the mo...

The critics may have not liked "The Da Vinci Code" but surely they have been able to handle complex material before. At least that is what they claim was the problem. After all, Fibonnaci numbers are only used to access a Swiss bank account.Todd McCarthy at Variety wrote a scanty review of little insight. Problem with pic is not the information but the potboiler approach by helmer Ron Howard. Second, there is NO chemistry between Hanks and Tatou. You can feel her warmth but Hanks is somewhere e...

Legendary filmmaker Richard Leacock to be honored with Career AwardFull Frame Documentary Film Festival has chosen Sketches of Frank Gehry as the opening film of the 2006 festival. The first documentary by the Academy Award® winning director Sydney Pollack (The Interpreter, Out of Africa) is a look at the life and work of the renowned architect. The opening night screening is sponsored by Capitol Broadcasting. The festival also announced that it would present its Career Award this year to l...

7 lsland International Film Festival opens with film “ Weapons of Mass Deception” 7 lsland International Film Festival starting from January 26, 2006, Republic day of India was open with a recorded message from Hon Abul Kalam, the president of India and & smt. Kiran Bedi. Veteran actor Shri A.K.Hangal was present and delivered a speech about importance of non violence & shared his experiences during freedom movement of India. Mr. Hangal was given a warm apologue for recent announcement of...

The Göteborg Film Festival, now in its 29th year will be held 26th January to 4th of February, becoming the Nordic film branch headquarters for ten days. The festival head is the esteemed film critic Jannike Åhlund who has been active for nearly three decades on the Swedish film scene and a member of the Un Certain Regard jury at Cannes 2003. The festival is both a public forum as well as a branch meeting place with 450 features, shorts, and documentaries from 60 countries.George Clooney’s ...

Richard Peña, Program Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Chairman of the Selection Committee of the New York Film Festival, is a film curator and scholar whose wide-ranging knowledge of the medium includes a special expertise and interest in Latin American, Asian, and Arab cinemas.Program Director of the Film Society and Festival Selection Committee Chair since 1988, Mr. Peña has brought a visionary zeal and enthusiasm and a remarkable variety of programs both to the Festival a...

MICHAEL MOORE DOCUMENTARY TO GO ON 22 COLLEGE TOURMinority Films and the Center for American Progress proudly announced this week the national college tour of the controversial new documentary film, This Divided State.Steven Greenstreet, director and producer of This Divided State, has been invited by the Center for American Progress and its sub-division Campus Progress to screen the film at 22 colleges around the nation including Harvard, Yale, NYU, and USC.This Divided State follows the explos...

After months of receiving and reviewing submissions, the South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival (SXSW Film) announces the lineup of feature films for this year's event. The lineup includes over 40 world and U.S. premieres, set to be unveiled March 11-19, 2005 in venues throughout Austin, TX.The following is the lineup of features for SXSW 2005. NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION:CAVITEDir: Ian Gamazon and Neill Dela Llana; Cast: Ian Gamazon, Dominique Gonzalez.An American citizen visiting his ...

VIVA PEDRO! An exclusive evening with Pedro Almodóvar, the legendary Spanish director of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and the upcoming Bad Education. Highlights from the director's rich career will be screened, followed by a conversation between Mr. Almodóvar and Richard Peña, NYFF Selection Committee Chairman. We expect onstage appearances by special guests who have appeared in Mr. Almodóvar's films. 7A Thu. Oct. 7, 6:15 pm Alice Tully Hall HB...

Jack Valenti steps down from his power position at the Motion Picture Association of America and has named Dan Glickman as his successor. Valenti, 82, will officially retire Sept. 1, Will he celebrate his birthday with Anne d'Ornano during the Deauville Film Festival remains uncertain.Texas born, Harvard educated, Jack Valenti has led several lives: a wartime bomber pilot, advertising agency founder, political consultant, White House Special Assistant, movie industry leader. In his current role ...