Important regional film festivals like Newport, now in its ninth edition, rarely show outstanding new film makers for the first time since those tend to enter first in national or international fests such as Sundance, Tribeca, Telluride the New York Film Festivals, Toronto or the Berlinale. Yet this apparent disadvantage is not troublesome since the audience views many remarkable productions which gained their cache already in national or other regional festivals. Thus the Newport program fea...

While the Cannes Film Festival may be over, the Festival season continues apace. Over 5000 miles away from the Croisette, another event is showcasing the best of international cinema. The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is celebrating its 32nd anniversary with its most ambitious program yet. The Festival opened on May 25th with the West Coast premiere of THE ILLUSIONIST, a historical thriller set in 1900 Vienna. The film, directed by Neil Burger, stars Edward Norton as a mysterious ma...

Seven film, seven parties. That’s the user-friendly concept behind the Gen Art Film Festival, one of New York’s most popular film showcases, which ran from April 5th to the 11th at the recently renovated Clearview Cinema in New York’s trendy Chelsea area.The Festival is only one of the diverse programs produced by the Gen Art organization, which is a leading national arts and entertainment entity dedicated to promoting emerging talents in fashion, film, art and music. With offices in New Y...

The South By Southwest Film Festival and Conference, which opened last week in the Texas capital of Austin, has presented over 150 films and nearly 50 professional seminars. Last evening, at a typically laid-back awards ceremony, the Festival announced its 2006 Festival Award Winners.LIVE FREE OR DIE, co-directed Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin (former executive producers and Emmy-winning writers of the hit comedy series SEINFELD), won the Narrative Jury Award. The film, shot in New Hampshire and sta...