ESCA 2009: This is a conference about the nuts and bolts that drive the Entertainment Industry and was held at the Luxe Hotel in Los Angeles over two days. The Studios feel that Blu-ray is the wave of the future. The question remains how to keep the quality and cost effectiveness for both machines and product. It is important for the consumer to be aware that if you are not paying for the top end models of players, then all products may not be compatable at this time. Internation...
Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper lead DANDELION's big win at VISIONFEST 09's Awards Ceremony; Paul Osborne crowned with Domani Vision Film Society ‘Filmmaker of the Year' Award for his OFFICIAL REJECTION
VISIONFEST 09:The Other Festival, wound down its five-day run last night, at Tribeca Cinemas, with its Official Closing Night Selection, LIKE DANDELION DUST, directed by Jon Gunn, honored with 4 statuettes. The film took home awards for Outstanding Achievement in Production (Bobby...
Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper lead DANDELION’s big win at VISIONFEST 09’s Awards Ceremony; Adam Mason’s BLOOD RIVER landed wins for Andrew Howard’s performance and Stuart Brereton’s cinematography - two of the film festival’s “special awards.” Directing honors bestowed upon Jef Taylor for the short, COVERAGE; SANDHOGS came out of the ground to win for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking; Nyle Cavazos Garcia’s screenplay, TAG, winner of the Feature Screenwritin...
Cinevegas is set off the Las Vegas strip at the Palms Hotel and Brenden Theatre complex. Parties were held at the Playboy Club, the Rain Night club, the Venetian and Mandalay Bay Hotels. The festival closed with a street party and Drive-In showing of a 1950's movie "classic" that recently served as the inspiration of Monsters versus Aliens. There is a casino level suite where filmmakers and industry meet for a once a day feed, and a cocktail hour. There has been much said and written about a pa...
Dennis Hopper in the CineVegas Lounge Cinevegas is set off the Las Vegas strip at the Palms Hotel and Brenden Theatre complex. Parties were held at the Playboy Club, the Rain Night club, the Venetian and Mandalay Bay Hotels. The festival closed with a street party and Drive-In showing of a 1950's movie "classic" that recently served as the inspiration of Monsters versus Aliens. There is a casino level suite where filmmakers and industry meet for...
We spoke with Marin Hinkle, who currently stars as Judith (Harper) on the number one comedy "Two and a Half Men" on CBS. She said this movie was one of the few good things that occurred during last year's WGA strike. The film was cast with such an amazing group of actors because friends were able to get together and make this movie during the strike. The film played to an enthusiastic and appreciative audi ...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies EditorIn a theater full of documentary filmmakers and film lovers, the appearance of an eminence grise the likes of Albert Maysles is the equivalent of having a member of documentary royalty in your midst. Maysles, along with his late brother David, was responsible for some of the most iconic documentaries of the past fifty years and has served as a mentor to hundreds of filmmakers.Albert Maysles is widely recognized as a pioneer of “direct cinema” a...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
"The future is strange", declared Silverdocs International Documentary Conference Keynote Speaker Tom Bernard, the co-founder and co-President of Sony Pictures Classics (SPC). Drawing on a 30 year career where he has marketed and distributed some of the most celebrated American independent and world cinema films, Bernard is one of the true film mavens with a commanding intellect and a deep understanding of the cinema busines...
Digital cinema pioneer Barco is proud to announce that Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), the world's second largest motion picture exhibitor, has entered into an exclusive agreement with Barco. As part of this agreement, Cinemark is also partnering with the DLP Cinema® product group from Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN) and media server provider Doremi to secure the industry's best-in-class and brightest digital cinema solution. This group of partners, representing more than 100 years in c...
Telluride Film Festival (September 4-7, 2009), presented by National Film Preserve LTD., is proud to announce its 2009 Guest Director, Alexander Payne. The acclaimed American film director and screenwriter has been invited by Telluride Film Festival’s co-directors, Tom Luddy, Julie Huntsinger and Gary Meyer, to enhance the already prestigious program and select a series of films to show at the 36th Telluride Film Festival.Each year the Festival’s directors select one of the world’s great f...
Countries from the Asia-Pacific region have ten weeks to submit films for the region's highest accolade in film, the third annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSAs).
More than 100 entries have been received to date and APSA is expecting to surpass its already strong 2008 entry mark with some 200 titles expected to compete in this year's Awards. The calibre of films is high with many of Asia-Pacific's leading filmmakers among those competing for an APSA in 2009.
Fifty-three Official Submi...
The 35th Seattle International Film Festival has concluded with the announcement of juried SIFF 2009 Competition Awards and Golden Space Needle Audience Awards, bringing to a close the largest and most highly attended film festival in the United States. Over the last 25 days, SIFF presented 203 narrative features, 11 archival features, 54 documentary features, and 124 short films from 62 countries, including 31 World Premieres (10 features, 21 shorts), 45 North American Premieres (36 features, 9...
The Portland Women's Film Festival (a.k.a. POW Fest) is pleased to announce that acclaimed director, Kathryn Bigelow, one of Hollywood's most innovative filmmakers - whose films include K-19 (2002) with Harrison Ford; The Weight of Water (2000) with Sean Penn; Strange Days (1995) with Ralph Fiennes; and Point Break (1991) with Keanu Reaves - will be in Portland to screen her latest film, The Hurt Locker, an action thriller, as part of a benefit for the Portland Women's Film Festival, POW Fest,...
The Encounters team are pleased to announce that the Festival will go ahead as planned, despite the shortfall in funding, from 2 – 19 July at the Nu Metro cinemas, V&A Waterfront. The programme of 40 films includes 15 World Premières, 14 multiple international-award winning films, Q&A sessions with 21 guests and 3 Panel Discussions. In addition there will be two Master Classes. Encounters made a public plea for support when it was announced that the SABC would withdraw its support – and man...
The Portland Women’s Film Festival (a.k.a. POW Fest) is pleased to announce that acclaimed director, Kathryn Bigelow, one of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers – whose films include K-19 (2002) with Harrison Ford; The Weight of Water (2000) with Sean Penn; Strange Days (1995) with Ralph Fiennes; and Point Break (1991) with Keanu Reaves – will be in Portland to screen her latest film, The Hurt Locker, an action thriller, as part of a benefit for the Portland Women’s Film Festival, P...
Not since Mel Gibson cast James Caviezel as Jesus in his 2004 film The Passion of The Christ , has there been any comparison between an actor and the Lord. But now several Latin American distributors, who saw the international version of Rakesh Roshan's Kites , are stunned by Hrithik's resemblance to Jesus Christ in the film.
It's been two weeks since the Bollywood film was showcased at the Cannes Film Festival, but the buzz around it still continues at the French Riviera. And, another t...
Marshall Herskovitz is an instrument of change. He is an award winning producer and the current President of the PGA. He wants to change the world, our business and how we do business. This past weekend he oversaw the first Produced By Conference which took place at the Sony Studios in Culver City. Marshall said during his Sunday afternoon Master Class "Producers are adept at keeping on Balance. There are no answers so there is still lots to be learned. The purpose of this conferenc...
The 11th Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival unveils a packed programme of films, fun and activities from 25 June to 9 July at the Showroom Cinema in Sheffield. ICE AGE 3: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS FAMILY GALAFestival organisers have announced that the family gala at this year’s Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival is a preview screening of the summer blockbuster Ice Age 3: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs. This much anticipated animation screens at the festival on Sunday 28 June and follows ...
Marshall Herskovitz is an instrument of change. He is an award winning producer and the current President of the PGA. He wants to change the world, our business and how we do business. This past weekend he oversaw the first Produced By Conference which took place at the Sony Studios in Culver City. Marshall said during his Sunday afternoon Master Class "Producers are adept at keeping on Balance. There are no answers so there is still lots to be learned. The purpose of this conference was to hel...
Independent web TV service Babelgum and The Fish Film Company have today announced a landmark deal for the worldwide mobile and online release of Rupert Murray's The End of The Line - The Series, timed to coincide with the traditional release of the feature documentary. George Duffield and Christopher Hird on behalf of The Fish Film Company, and Karol Martesko-Fenster, General Manager & Publisher - Film Division on behalf of Babelgum, negotiated the deal.
Based on the...
The Irish Film Institute is delighted to announce a major redevelopment of its landmark Old Quaker Meeting House premises on Eustace Street in Temple Bar. Plans have been unveiled to create a third cinema in addition to the existing two cinema screens, a major overhaul of the existing public areas, and significant development of the IFI's Irish Film Archive allowing better access to the archive's collection for the IFI's audience, film researchers and students.
Speaking of the redevelopmen...
EFA Think Tank THE IMAGE OF EUROPE with EU President Barroso results in filmmakers’ call for film education in school Twenty leading creators from the fields of film directing, writing, acting, production, distribution and education met with José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, to exchange their views on the impact that images and cinema have on the identity of Europe and the way Europeans identify with their home continent. The President who had followed the Academy’s...
The 49th Monte-Carlo Television Festival was officially declared open by its Honorary President, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, last night. A star-studded opening ceremony was followed by the international premiere of the television documentary film “Backdoor Channels: The Price of Peace”. Members of the production team of the opening film including Director Harry Hunkele, Script Writer Jonathan Hicks, Executive Producers Arick Wierson and Matthew Tollin, Co-Producer Vered Kollek-Meisel, Associate...
The Irish Film Institute announces a major cinema expansion and redevelopment The Irish Film Institute is delighted to announce a major redevelopment of its landmark Old Quaker Meeting House premises on Eustace Street in Temple Bar. Plans have been unveiled to create a third cinema in addition to the existing two cinema screens, a major overhaul of the existing public areas, and significant development of the IFI’s Irish Film Archive allowing better access to the archive’s collection for th...
Aspen Film announced today that film festival professional Michael DeVous Jr. has been named Communications Manager. Mr. DeVous will be responsible for Aspen Film's external communications, including proactively managing Aspen Film's brand and all marketing and public relations initiatives.
"We have a diverse slate of festivals and film series throughout the year, along with the desire to deepen our reach an...