Ten years ago, in Texas, Esequiel Hernandez, Jr. turned 18. Half a world away, in Afghanistan, a young man named Dilawar did the same.Ten years ago, David Sington was at the BBC, Tony Kaye was shooting two movies in black and white, and Labour crushed the Conservatives ending an 18-year reign.Ten years ago, Eric Rudolph had moved on from the Olympics to abortion clinics, while Teignmouth Electron was marooned in the Caymans, never to move again.Ten years ago, Billy Mitchell was famous, but Bob B...

Lors de son Assemblée générale du 14 novembre 2007, l'association du Festival International de Films de Fribourg a renouvelé la composition de son comité et nommé la direction artistique pour les trois prochaines éditions (2008-2010). Edouard Waintrop sera chargé de la ligne et de la programmation artistique des éditions 2008 à 2010. Déjà mandaté par le comité du FIFF en été pour l'édition 2008, il a souhaité pouvoir poursuivre au-delà de cette première expérience qui aura l...

A few words from an interview with Sandra Hebron, Head of The London Film Festival 2007 WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS THE KEY INGREDIENTS OF A ‘GREAT’ FILM FESTIVAL? Well I think the key ingredients really are great films; you can’t have a great film festival if the films themselves aren’t up to scratch. So, everything starts from the programme and the quality of the films. Of course, a festival is always about more than just films. So, having people here to present the films and talk about ...

IFP, the nation's largest membership organization of independent filmmakers, and, for 29 years, New York's preeminent film association, today announced that it will present a tribute to the Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, at the 17th Annual Gotham Awards Ceremony, taking place at Steiner Studios on Tuesday, November 27, 2007.  The Gotham Awards were established by IFP in 1991 to salute the innovative independent films and filmmakers whose passion and vision make their wa...

Wayne Wang, the director of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers,explains that what he was really interested in showing in his film was the contrast between the American and Chinese cultures.“Despite the fact that the daughter has become very Americanised, she still respects certain values that she has learnt in China and speaks to her father with respect. In Chinese culture it is difficult to express your feelings; you don’t say things directly, you say them in a very roundabout, formal way.”...

The Dubai International Film Festival today announced the appointment of Masoud Amralla Al Ali as the Festival Artistic Director. In his new capacity, Al Ali will oversee the programming for the festival that comprises films from Arab and international filmmakers. He will be ably assisted by a qualified team of programmers and colleague, Simon Field, the Director for International Programming. A UAE National, Al Ali was the Artistic Director of the UAE Cultural Foundation and the founder of the ...

                    For the past ten years, Canadian Film Centre Media Lab has been in the forefront of the thrust towardinteractive media, having developed original content for a variety of platforms, including cellphones, digitalcinema broadband and gaming consoles. It was time to take it to the people.But how do you make an innovative interactive feature film with two producers, three writer-direct...

we are still in the early planning stages, BUT-the theme of the 1st SIUFF will be "exploitation celebration" and featurea special guest, QnA,  tribute, related programming, etc. and a panel(s) on the genre...and a peepshow booth!stay tuned for updates!...

The recently announced Middle East International Film Festival – Abu Dhabi (MEIFF), which will take place October 12-17, 2007, continues to gain momentum. MEIFF will be produced by Pyramedia, LLC, a media production and entertainment company based in the United Arab Emirates with offices in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Riyadh, London and New York. Considered a major coup, the Festival has secured festival veteran Jon Fitzgerald to assume the role of Festival Director. Over the past fifteen years, Jon...

“Italy is my favorite country and the Ischia Global Fest is the world event of the summer: a perfect combination of content and quality of life. I am happy to be the chairman and to have worked with Pascal Vicedomini in order to make this edition even richer and to promote your country throughout the world through the medium of film. With Oliver Stone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Hilary Swank, Ben Kingsley, Laura Dern, Sheryl Crow, Gustavo Santaolalla, Andrea Bocelli, and many other friend...

Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, director of Babel, (a film defined by critics as “the manifesto of globalized culture” and seven-time Oscar candidate in 2007) is the star of the ”Social Cinema Forum” which will take place at Ischia’s Regina Isabella Hotel from July 10th to the 15th during the fifth Global Film & Music Fest (www.ischiaglobal.com). The festival will also feature producer like Lawrence Bender (winner of the 2007 Oscar for the docu-film An Inconvenient...

View from the Hilton balconyItalian film hot shots mingled on the balcony of a Hilton Hotel conference room Friday afternoon in Cannes, discussing the latest in Ischia Island's Film and Music Global Festival. The summertime festival, which takes place on Ischia Island, Italy will have its fifth run this year from July 9th to 15th.The event, a conference to promote Italian film and to present Ischia's festival in shining lights, took place over looking the Mediterranean, a slight breeze c...

Although the main purpose of the press conferences that take place next to the Noga Hilton in the Quinzaine des Realisators tent is so that the general public can ask questions to the directors, Sandrine Bonnaire wasn't the one who did most of the talking Thursday after the first showing fo her film "Elle S'appelle Sabine." The film is a documentary concerning autism in which Bonnaire follows around and paints a portrait of the life of her sister, who has autism.  The film i...