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> PEOPLE ON OUR RADAR

Thank you Mister President... Spike is back to Cannes

France, Cannes hold a very special place in Spike Lee's heart,  he had his Cannes debut in 1986, and a great start to his career! The Festival de Cannes is delighted to confirm that the American Spike Lee will be the President of the Jury of its 74th edition, which will be held this year from July 6 to 17, 2021. Loyal to his commitments, the American director promised to support the Festival on its return to the Croisette. Prevented last year due to the health crisis, th...

 

The legends who left us: warm tribute from the Cesar to Malo Girod de l'Ain

Nice homage to Malo Girod de l'Ain: filmfestivals.com co-founder, it was part of the tribute to the recently deceased from the French industry 2020, on the song "What remains of our loves / Que reste t il de nos amours" performed by Benjamin Biolay. We were touched, as, I am sure, many of our followers. The legends who left us ...

 

Marianna Vargas Gurilieva joins as Film Commissioner of the Dominican Film Commission (DGCINE)

Marianna Vargas Gurilieva joins as the Film Commissioner of the Dominican Film Commission (DGCINE), a position dedicated to developing and promoting the Dominican film industry. Vargas is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra (PUCMM) with a law degree. Afterward, she obtained a Master of Law in Corporate, Business, and Maritime Law, specializing in Transactions of Business at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Recently, s...

 

 

Interview with Director of Photography Tommy Maddox-Upshaw for SNOWFALL (2021)

Director of photography, Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC shot five episodes (Ep. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) of the recently released FX Networks Season 4 of the series Snowfall. He also filmed half of Season 3. The series crime drama focuses on the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles. When asked about his experience working on the series, Maddox-Upshaw stated, "This is where I live with my family, so I care about the history of this town. These stories are like the societal problems I observed in...

 

 

VIDEO: Bruno Chatelin Speaker at SR film festival 's panel - "The Buzz that Made the Film"

SR Socially Relevant Festival NY held a great panel "The buzz that made the film" this Wednesday, March 17, at 2:30pm (EDT) The panel discussed the topic of The Importance of PR, the Press, Media and Marketing strategies in Film Distribution. It  reviewed the role of the publicist, the media and press person in securing a successful distribution or a film. Watch the vidoe transcript of the conversation, introduced by Nora Armani, SR festiva...

 

 

> FILMS IN FOCUS ...   

Overview of the US business for the week of Monday, March 15th

  Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon was the top performer at the box office this weekend, earning $5.5M in its second week. Warner Bros.' animated adventure Tom & Jerry returned $4.075M in its third weekend, now with a $28.15M cume after 17 days in theatres.   Lionsgate's Young Adult Sci-Fi Thriller Chaos Walking contributed $2.25M in its second week.  We offer Popcorn Previews Boxoffice Buzz videos previewing two upcoming studio releases with blockbuste...

 

VIDEO - Incredible drone shots : the ultimate bowling alley fly through tour

Bryant Lake Bowl Fly Through from Rally Studios on Vimeo. We spotted for you and wanted to share this great drone sequence (single-take video shot with a drone flying through a bowling alley. Rally Studios, an award-winning integrated production company, create content in all shapes and sizes, including FPV drone videos Check this one and enjoy. Rally Studios pilot, Jay Christensen, rips through a Minneapolis classic, Bryant Lake Bowl. Director: Anthony Jaska Ariel Cinematograph...

 

 

The Courier, Review: Delivers on time

The Courier, Review: Delivers on time A spy story with no fights, no gadgets, agents who neither carry guns nor seduce each other, The Courier is a hark-back to the genre that can be traced at least to deglamourised espionage outings like The Ipcress File and Funeral in Berlin, way back in the 60s. It’s not positioned as a competitor for the James Bond or Mission Impossible series, or their spin-offs, and is, in fact, based on a true story. Unwavering focus on the plot, and all round co...

 

 

The OTT consumption during the COVID-19 crisis shows astonishing numbers

The rise of the niche OTT video platforms   Mass market OTT continues to thrive as OTT video plans surpass two billion by 2025. It's a tough battlefield, since Disney +, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Hulu are all expanding internationally by offering a mix of TV and movie content across a wide variety of genres. However, the struggle between the deep pockets of this market giants only tell half the story. There has also been tremendous growth in specialized and thematic OTT ...

 

 

Voltage Pictures acquires the American Boogeywoman starri,g Cobra Kay's Peyton List

 

Voltage Pictures has secured worldwide rights to the new feature film American Boogeywoman based on the early life of one of America’s most notorious female serial killers, Aileen Wuornos who’s downfall was chronicled in the Oscar winning movie Monster.  Currently in post production, the film stars rising talent Peyton List who has become a social media sensation since appearing in Netflix’s hit series “Cobra Kai” and Disney’s “Bunk’d”, ...

 

 

FINDING YOU is your St. Patrick’s Day romcom 4 leaf clover

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent A brief and incomplete Irish-related Hollywood romcom highlight reel includes THE MATCHMAKER where comedian Janeane Garofolo goes to Ireland, followed by Amy Adams who also flees to Ireland to propose to a man in LEAP YEAR. Now in 2021? There’s FINDING YOU from Roadside Attractions coming on May 14, with actors you have mostly never heard of except the supporting veteran cast members Patrick Bergin and Vanessa Redgrave. But don’...

 

 

Domestic release set for WASH ME IN THE RIVER starring Robert De Niro, John Malkovich, Jack Huston

Highland Film Group announced today that the company has secured multiple distribution deals for the new action-thriller Wash Me in the River, directed by Randall Emmett (Midnight in the Switchgrass) from a script by Adam Taylor Barker and Chris Sivertson. The stellar cast includes two-time Academy Award® Winner Robert De Niro (The Irishman, Taxi Driver), two-time Academy Award® nominee John Malkovich (Deepwater Horizon, Being John Malkovich), Jack Huston (American Hustle, Kill Your D...

> FESTIVALS IN FOCUS 

Annapolis Film Festival 2021 Slate Announced

Opening Night Film Marvelous and the Black Hole   “This year’s festival has expanded to 10 days for its virtual presentation to allow for a better user experience this year,” says Lee Anderson, Festival Director and Co-founder. “And because of that we have been able to program more films this year.”   This year’s program contains over 100 films (23 feature-length narrative films; 16 feature-length documentaries; 66 short films). The films come...

 

 

World Premieres, Hollywood Stars, Industry Panels, +300 Feature Films at Garden State Film Festival: FUN

  *CLICK ON THE IMAGES FOR MORE INFO & TICKETS* ...

 

 

Emberlight International Film Festival - Ironwood, Michigan calling

Emberlight International Film Festival Call For Submissions   [Ironwood, Michigan] Emberlight International Film Festival is now accepting submissions for its 2021 season. Film is one component of the Emberlight Festival, an annual celebration that produces world-class art within the natural beauty of Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula.    All events will be outdoors to ensure Emberlight can remain totally COVID-compliant and adapt to guidelines set by the CDC at the t...

 

 

The SR Film Festival is in Full Swing!

 

 Tickets and films stream on the festival's streaming site SparqFest. To purchase tickets for the films, either ...

 

 

Virtual Hangout with DMZ Docs team

We’ve organized a session for you to get to know the detailed information on submissions for the 13th DMZ Docs and DMZ Industry! Join us online on the 19th, Friday, to learn more and say hello to the team. See you on Zoom!   We will talk about - The 13th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Submission Rules and Regulations - DMZ Industry 2021 Project Application Guidelines - Answers to Other Questions You Have! When to join March 19th, Friday, 17:00 – 18:00...

 

 

The Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) celebrates 10th edition

Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2021, The Sun Valley Film Festival (SVFF) will mark another milestone with the second annual Ford Producers Grant. In partnership with the Ford Motor Company, SVFF welcomes producers to participate, with three finalists earning the opportunity to have their project be reviewed and selected by filmmaker Alice Gu. This is Ford’s fourth year participating in SVFF, to take place this year as an online event, April 14-18. The three finalists will receive an...

 

 

Full-Scale Changes Unveiled for 34th Tokyo International Film Festival

Despite the continued challenges and uncertainties brought about by COVID-19, as announced earlier, the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) plans to go ahead with a hybrid edition of the 34th edition of TIFF, to be held from October 30 through November 8, and preparations have begun. The 33rd TIFF was also held both physically and online under the threat of the pandemic and was able to remind audiences of the joys of watching films in the cinema. The festival is aiming for a further ...

 

Sundance Film Festival 2021 Film Highlights

As I noted in my earlier Context and Data report about Sundance 2021, the festival delivered an effective hybrid adaptation to the rapidly changing film universe by providing national and international online streaming, in-person screenings in Utah and independent art cinemas, as well as using drive-ins in numerous locations throughout the U.S. Sundance generated the largest audience it has ever experienced, reaching a total audience of 600,000 viewers, with event participants close to triplin...

New home for Fantasporto 2021 postponed to April 26-May 2

41st PORTO INTERNACIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | FANTASPORTO 2021 WILL BE HELD IN THE HISTORICAL CENTRE OF THE TOWN, NEAR THE DOURO RIVER FROM 26th APRIL TILL MAY 2nd Fantasporto barely escaped the effects of the pandemic in 2020 which was starting at the time in Portugal, and was able to celebrate its 40thanniversary. Unfortunately, for the 2021 edition, the festival had to be postponed, unable to start on the scheduled dates due to the pandemic and the long period of lockdown that followed, with all ...

 

 

> AWARDS WATCH 

Cesar Winners 2021 (and french actress) unveiled, Bye Bye Morons wins big

REALLY? SERIOUSLY? WAS THAT NECESSARY?

The 46th Cesar ceremony was held at the Olympia on March 12, 2021, marked by the triumph of Albert Dupontel's film "Adieu les cons" awarded 7 times, but also by political declarations, an incongruous striptease when handing the Cesar for the best costume. ... The ceremony was widely criticized for its lack of lightness, haughtiness and humor. A dark year! 1.4 M views... and growing! BEST FILM Adieu Les Cons, dir: Albert Dupontel BEST DIRECTOR Albert Dupontel, Adieu ...

 

The IndieFEST Film Awards Announces Latest Winners!

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:                                     Rick Prickett, Competition Director 858-454-9787 TheIndieFEST.com Info@TheIndieFEST.com  The IndieFEST Film Awards Announces Latest Winners! La Jolla, CA, February 2021 – The IndieFEST Film Awards strives to give talented directors, ...

 

 

VIDEO Oscars® nominations announced today

93RD OSCARS® NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED - THE OSCARS SET TO AIR LIVE, APRIL 25, 2021, ON ABC Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed and broadcast media. Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. PT. See below the complete list of nominees, or visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.     Ac...

 

 

The 93rd #Oscar Noms & Oscartini Recipe for you

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent It’s not enough that this Award Season 2021 went virtual right out of the gate due to the Pandemic? But the Academy actually decided that the foreboding Ides of March, or March 15, would be an auspicious date for the Nominations Announcement for the 93rd Oscar Presentation. Who knows what else will happen on show date April 25, 2021. That’s where we find ourselves in the Year of COVID, where even the things we count on go awry. ...

 

 

 

VIDEO: Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Nick Jonas will announce the Oscar nominations this coming monday March 15

93RD OSCARS® NOMINATIONS will be revealed live Monday, March 15, 2021 5:19 a.m. PDT / 8:19 a.m. EDT / 12:19 p.m. GMT / 8:19 p.m. CST   Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas (“The White Tiger”) and singer, songwriter and actor Nick Jonas (“Kingdom”) will announce the 93rd Oscars® nominations in all 23 Academy Award® categories in a two-part live presentation on Monday, March 15, via global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s d...

 

> "THE BEST FOR FESTS :
ONES TO WATCH FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION

The Sound of Us directed by Chris Gero

"The Sound of Us" illustrates that during this critical time in world and U.S. history, music gives sound to hope and courage, allows us to grieve and be honest, and is the great, universal language that unites us all.

As the world grapples with unrest the profound truth remains that, through music, we are not alone.

The Sound of Us weaves inspiring stories about the beauty and goodness of music with interviews and performances by artists such as Ben Folds, Sarah McLachlan, Avery*Sunshine, Eric Whitacre, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Hiromi, Antonio Sanchez, Butch Walker, Will Wells, Patti Smith, and many more. Combined, these powerful vignettes illustrate how music heals us, gives us hope for the future through our children, keeps our heritage and history alive, allows us to have the most difficult of conversations, sheds light on current struggles, and continues to invite us back to the thing that unites us all - music.

The film is directed by Chris Gero, a Grammy nominated, American music industry executive, concert producer, record producer, songwriter, film director and composer, founder of Yamaha Entertainment Group of America and Chief Artist Relations Executive for Yamaha Artist Relations Group

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Only Human HOMO Directed by Igor Ivanov

Homo Adorans, Homo Amans , Homo Economicus, Homo Faber, Homo Ludens,Homo Ridens : which one are you which one are they really?

ONLY HUMAN – Homo… stages six profiles in six sequencess  cleverly interwoven. One dramatic story in 6 episodes featuring desperate characters in their quest for survival and love, or redemption. The jobless graduate becomes a grave-digger, the grieving widow a nun, the priests gamble and gangsters rule the courts. Only the lonely child may find some affection when hope springs eternal.

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Safeguard: An Electoral College Story Documentary by Matthew Taylor

USA September 2020 77minutes

How do United States' presidential elections really work? And what would happen if we changed the rules? In Safeguard: An Electoral College Story, award-winning filmmaker M.A. Taylor answers those questions.

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IRIS by Diana Rodriguez

USA - Fantastic drama thriller: 104 minutes - first feature film

Alice Kremelberg (Orange Is The New Black) stars as Iris, and gives an outstanding lead performance as this tortured soul dreadfully awaiting the death of her Aunt Adelaide, played by Mary Looram (Like Father, Braid). As Aunt Adelaide slowly withers away in hospice, Iris continues her day to day routines of working in an antique shop, and scrolling online for connections through an online dating app. However, Iris has an ulterior motive behind her digital search for suitors, and it’s not love. Iris has a hunger, and she needs to feed. On every date she goes on, she sizes her match up and determines their strength of character on a criteria of what she considers basic human decency. And if any of her dates fail to meet her standards, then that’s the end of them. They’re dinner. That’s just how Iris operates.

Sales by Porter Pictures  I IMDB I filmfestivals.com profile I Instagram I request a screener

ANGIE: LOST GIRLS by Julia Verdin

USA, 107 minutes, June 2020

One girl’s nightmare. A nationwide reality.

After escaping from a sex trafficking ring, one teenage girl struggles to reconnect with herself and her family after her ordeal. Ultimately, in order to find herself and rescue her helpless friends, she must confront her own fears and help lead the police to her traffickers - no matter the cost.

EPK I Poster I Synopsis I Cast & Crew Credits I Trailer I Julia Verdin's Bio I
 Interview with Julia I IMDB I Cinando I Lost Girls short (2016) I filmfestivals.com profile

 

FINDING MANNY by Kacey Cox

Canada, 56 minutes documentary, june 2020

BLUE MOTEL Award winning script by Ted Campbell
Feature film in production by Doval Bacall Films

Grand Winner Your Script Produced season 1  Platinum Remi Award WorldFest Houston

When his bank robber father injured in a recent heist seeks refuge at the desolate motel where he works, a motel clerk is forced to confront the truth behind a botched heist from his past.

Originally from Boston, Mass, Ted Campbell is a screenwriter and director who specializes in thoughtful, character driven thrillers. Ted will direct his heist thriller "Underground" with producer Ellen Wander of Film Bridge International. His contained, crime thriller “Blue Motel” won the Grand Prize in Your Script Produced screenplay competition. Ted will direct “Blue Motel” with Doval Bacall Films producing. Ted is a member of ISA’s Development Program. And was named to ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch list.

Ted finds inspiration in the works of the great noir writers Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald as well as his screenwriting idols Scott Frank, Shane Black, Tony Gilroy and Richard Wenk.

Ask for Ted Campbell’s script

SAVING NORTH - A RUSSIAN AMERICAN ODYSSEY by J Mitchell Johnson

Russia USA Feature documentary April 2020 Director's cut: 79 minutes

What happened, what can happen to the centuries old amazing wooden churches in north of Russia. Photographer Richard Davies trips to Russia and USA tell stories on human soul, hope and russian american…cooperation in restoring beauty.

Saving North is the story of a struggle for human and cultural survival in the mysterious and insular world of the Russian North. An outsider from England, photographer Richard Davies, enters this mysterious and vast region of the world with the hope of documenting both the glory and the tragic demise of its rapidly disappearing Wooden Churches. 

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SEKURITAS written and directed by Carmen Stadler

Romantic dark comedy 117 minutes 2019 Switzerland

Starring Kathrin Veith, Duraid Abbas Ghaieb, Jeanne Devos, Daniel Kasztura, Vilmar Bieri, This Maag

First feature film by Swiss director Carmen Stadler, produced by Claudia Wick for Abrakadabra Films AG

An office complex wishes for a love story before demolition. It chooses the lonely misfits for this story; those who go through security rounds at night, scrub toilets, experiment with recipes or rehearse their final speech. A poetic and twisted kaleidoscope that centers around desire, security and melodious noises which move through the entire fabric of the building.

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Marcel Duchamp: The Art of the Possible written  and directed by Matthew Taylor

USA 2019 Documentary 89 minutes

THE MYSTERY OF A BURYAT LAMA, directed by Elena Demidova

Festivals in Russia I EPK

THE CREEPY LINE a film by M.A.Taylor 2018

"A film that Google does not want you to see  - filmfestivals.com Best for Fest"

An eye-opening documentary, The Creepy Line reveals the stunning degree to which society is manipulated by Google and Facebook and blows the lid off the remarkably subtle – hence powerful – manner in which they do it.

The Creepy Line is a title culled from the words of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, when during a 2010 interview he explained Google’s code of conduct: “The Google policy on a lot of things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.”

However, as Dr. Robert Epstein explains in the film, “Google crosses the creepy line every day”. 

Trailer I Website

Sharkwater: Extinction by Rob Stewart Documentary
Canada 2018
 

Rob Stewart''s Sharkwater: Extinction is a follow up to his first two award-winning films, Sharkwater and Revolution. Sharkwater exposed the devastating issue of shark finning, while Revolution brought the destructive effects of Ocean Acidification to light.

Rob taught the world to not fear sharks, through his iconic images of hugging these majestic creatures and free diving with them. This is his final film, he died in a diving accident while completing the film.

www.Sharkwater.com     www.TheRevolutionMovie.com

Revolution by Rob Stewart 

over 40 festival wins so far

Eco Documentary feature film by Rob Stewart April 2015, 82 minutes (Sharkwater)
Revolution is a film about changing the world. The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed SHARKWATER (36 festival wins) documentary continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger -- it's humanity itself.

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> NEWS IN FRENCH   

Des partenariats forts avec les plus grands festivals et marchés

Nous sommes très fiers des bonnes relations et des partenariats signé avec les plus grands festivals et marchés : Venice Production Bridge, FestForums Santa Barbara, AFM, Animaze, Tallinn Black Night International Film Festival, Houston WorldFest, Fantasporto, et Cannes Market bien entendu et beaucoup d'autres. Nous sommes heureux de pouvoir grace à ces parteneriats pouvoir apporter news et dailies à ..  

 

Spike Lee, le Président du Jury de retour pour le 74e Festival de Cannes

  Le Festival de Cannes est heureux de confirmer que l’Américain Spike Lee sera bien le Président du Jury de sa 74e édition qui se déroulera cette année du 6 au 17 juillet 2021. Fidèle à ses engagements, le réalisateur américain avait promis d’accompagner le Festival pour son retour sur la Croisette. Empêché l’an passé en raison du contexte sanitaire, le Festival de Cannes ... 

 

Hommage des Cesar à Malo Girod de l'Ain

Bel adieu rendu par l'académie au créateur de notre site, Malo Girod de l'Ain: co-fondateur de filmfestivals.com, rendu lors de l' hommage aux disparus du cinéma français 2021, sur la chanson  "Que reste-t-il de nos amours" interprétée par Benjamin Biolay.       ...

 

Le palmarès complet des César 2021 dévoilé dans une cérémonie qui a suscité de nombreuses critiques

La 46e cérémonie des César s'est tenue à l'Olympia le 12 mars 2021, marquée par le triomphe du film d' Albert Dupontel "Adieu les cons" récompensé à 7 reprises, mais aussi par des déclarations politiques, un strip-tease bien incongru pour remettre le Cesar du meilleur costume et une façon discutable de rentrer dans les anales des Cesar par la mauvaise porte... La cérémonie a &eac...

 

Record d'inscriptions à Planète Cinéma: le FIFF 2021 séduit les écoles

Tandis que la 35e édition du Festival International de Films de Fribourg est reportée à cet été, les projections scolaires de Planète Cinéma sont déployées comme prévu du 22 au 26 mars pour plus de 800 classes du canton de Fribourg et au-delà. Dans une formule garantissant des conditions sanitaires sûres, Planète Cinéma convie cette année un nombre record de plus de 15'700 participant...

 

 

Cinélatino 2021 : Le goût du rire

  LE GOÛT DU RIRE   La muestra de la 33e édition est sous le signe de la moquerie, de la satire et de la dérision. De nombreux cinéastes latino-américains manient habilement ces instruments pour alléger les fardeaux, mater les inquiétudes et désacraliser les fatalités : rire, ou même seulement sourire, face à des réalités pesantes. N’en disons pas plus sur le contexte actuel : le g...

 

VIDEO Bruno Chatelin et le CAS MARKETING du lancement de Boyz'n The Hood à Cannes

Interview video de Bruno Chatelin pendant le Festival de Cannes (virtuel) 2020! L'histoire du lancement du film Boyz'n The Hood à Cannes que j adore raconter car c est l un des plus beaux contes de fées qu il ma été donné de rencontrer dans ma carière de distributeur de films! Une voie royale ouverte par Cannes qui a conduit le film et son réalisateur, John Singleton, jusqu 'aux Oscars... The Boyz'n The Hood launch in Cannes tol...