What made you start Raindance?
I had worked as a scenic artist and set designer on over 68 feature films and 700 commercials, both here at the BBC Shepherd's Bush 1974-77, and in my native Toronto in the early 80's. When I moved to London in 1986 with my family, I entertained a fantasy of becoming a property magnate, and went bust in the 1990 recession. After a year of wallowing in self-pity, my neighbour, an elderly retired farmer (who served as a barber in WW1) said to me: "Elliot, as ...
"A professional, emotional and thought-provoking documentary that truly deserves recognition"
(Todd Konrad, Independent Film Quarterly)
"Murder in America: The Sarah Cherry Story is the real Law and Order"
(Gerald Wright, Rotten Tomatoes)
"A compelling and well-balanced film"
(Richard Atteih, Pineapple Media)
Sarah Cherry
Another U.S. independent production gets recognized ...
Another U.S. independent production gets recognized internationally. Former stand up comedian turned film producer Angelo Lazaro in association with Moonlake Films today announced that his crime documentary Murder in America: The Sarah Cherry Story has been acquired by the Crime Channel in Australia and New Zealand through Pineapple Media (Australia). The documentary will be broadcast on FOXTEL’S CI channel on April 17, 2010 at 8:30pm Sydney Time and 10:30pm in New Zealand. Murder in America, ...
The 53rd San Francisco International Film Festival (April 22 - May 6) will award close to $100,000 in total prizes this year. The New Directors Prize of $15,000 is given to a narrative first feature that exhibits a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible. An independent jury will select the New Directors Prize winner, to be announced at the Golden Gate Awards Wednesday, May 5.
Alamar, directed by Pedro González-Rubio, Mexico 2009
West Coa...
Director: Uwe Boll.
Since 2003 the crisis in Darfur has claimed the lives of over 300,000 civilians. 2,8 million Darfuri have been displaced within Sudan. The JANJAWEED MILITIY & SUDANESE GOVERNMENT FORCES have been responsible for the majority of the rape, torture and murder. 3,8 million people are dependent on international humanitarian aid. One half of these people are beyond the reach of such help.
In 2009 a group of international Journalists visited a village in the Darfur region under the protection of the AFRICAN UNION (AU).
They were never the same again ...
An Academy Gold Standard Screening Featuring a 20th anniversary presentation of Field of Dreams, Hosted by Los Angeles Times Film Critic Kenneth TuranFollowed by a cast-and-crew reunion including actor Kevin Costner; writer-director Phil Robinson; producers Chuck Gordon and Lawrence Gordon; production designer Dennis Gassner; and cinematographer John Lindley.Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a voice in his cornfield, telling him “If you build it, he will come.” This mysterious ...
Mugabe and the White African, one of the films in this year's Soundtrack International Film and Music Festival (Nov 18-22 http://www.soundtrackfilmfestival.com/) has been shortlisted for an Oscar, adding more prestige to a festival described by Danny Boyle as "crucial".
The powerful and intimate feature-length documentary about the Mugabe regime is amongst the 15 Documentary Features shortlisted for an Academy Award, hoping to make it onto the final five list ready for t...
Charting the documentaries that will eventually will be tapped for Oscar gold is a sport popular in the world of non-fiction filmmakers and their devoted public. With documentaries showing considerable clout at the box office and responsible for adding to the public discourse about global warming, globalization and other 21st century vices, the announcements last week of nominees from the International Documentary Association holds special interest. Winners will be feted on December 4t...
Tony Rayns and Shelly Kraicer, programmers of the Vancouver International Film Festival's big Dragons & Tigers: The Cinemas of East Asia section, today announced that the program will showcase a total of 35 features, four mid-length films and 22 shorts (programmed to date). Dragons & Tigers, one of the pre-eminent showcases of East Asian films in the world, is presented with the generous support of Brad Birarda and Robert Sali. The series will feature five World Premieres, eight Internat...
The SILVERDOCS International Film Festival, which is entering its final weekend, is by most accounts a very sober affair. After all, many of the films are about challenging subjects of human rights abuse, political exploitation, ecological ruin and the inhumanity of men and their regimes. But the programmers of the event have made sure to season this sober brew with some films whose premises are a bit "out there". However, instead of simply being comic relief for what is mostly a rather serious ...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
Coming to a climax after a week full of screening premieres, information sessions, special events and networking parties, the 2009 SILVERDOCS Documentary Film Festival, co-presented by the American Film Institute and The Discovery Channel, announced its award winners this past weekend, spreading the wealth amongst a diverse group of documentary titles. This year, the Festival screened over 120 films representing 58 countries and incl...
Coming to a climax after a week full of screening premieres, information sessions, special events and networking parties, the 2009 SILVERDOCS Documentary Film Festival, co-presented by the American Film Institute and The Discovery Channel, announced its award winners this past weekend, spreading the wealth amongst a diverse group of documentary titles. This year, the Festival screened over 120 films representing 58 countries and included more than 1000 filmmaker and media professional attendees ...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
The SILVERDOCS International Film Festival, which is entering its final weekend, is by most accounts a very sober affair. After all, many of the films are about challenging subjects of human rights abuse, political exploitation, ecological ruin and the inhumanity of men and their regimes. But the programmers of the event have made sure to season this sober brew with some films whose premises are a bit "out there". However, i...
When your career resume ranges from playing English royalty to an American patriarchal President, with a corrupt police captain and a Scottish pig farmer thrown in for good measure, you know you are talking about someone with a great range. That quality to perfectly personify a host of different types is the hallmark of great character actors. Among the best applying their craft to numerous film and television projects is the actor James Cromwell, who will be honored this evening with a Career...
Out Film CT is pleased to announce that the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - a fixture in the state's cultural landscape - is celebrating its 22nd year this May, bringing to the region a wide range of documentaries, shorts, and full-length feature films.
"We've had twenty-two years to build a strong foundation in the community, which allows us to present a major cultural event that continues to grow each year," said Shane Engstrom, Director of this year's festival. ...
The 2009 Tribeca Film Festival today announced the line-up for its two discussion programs – the Tribeca Talks Series and “Behind the Screens: Films and Conversations about Truth, Clarity and Responsibility,” sponsored by iShares Exchange Traded Funds. The Tribeca Talks Series includes “Tribeca Talks Panels,” “Tribeca Talks: After the Movie,” “Tribeca Talks Special Events,” “Tribeca Talks: Industry” and “Tribeca Talks: Pen to Paper hosted by Barnes & Noble.” The 2009 ...
Aspen Film announced today its film selections that will be screening at Aspen Shortsfest 2009, April 1-5 at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen and Crystal Theatre in Carbondale. More than 2,500 entries were considered from more than 60 countries, and more than 60 short films were selected from 21 countries for this esteemed, five-day Oscar®-qualifying International Competition. In its 18th year, Aspen Shortsfest is considered one of the world's premier international short film and video showcase...
