I got to sit down with Zoe Elton, Director of Programming at The Mill Valley Film Festival 3 days before the close of this year's fest. She's been with the Festival since it's inception 32 years ago, when she sort of fell into the position at random. Previously she worked in England as a theatre director and writer. Check out our conversation below to see what she has to say about the video art community in the 80s, how documentary has changed, it feeling like a "vintage year" for film, and o...

I got to sit down with Zoe Elton, Director of Programming at The Mill Valley Film Festival 3 days before the close of this year's fest.  She's been with the Festival since it's inception 32 years ago, when she sort of fell into the position at random.  Previously she worked in England as a theatre director and writer.  Check out our conversation below to see what she has to say about the video art community in the 80s, how documentary has changed, it feeling like a "vintage year" fo...

The 28th annual Vancouver International Film Festival concluded its 16-day run today with the closing gala screening the French film QUEEN TO PLAY (Joueuse), directed by Caroline Bottaro, in the Visa Screening Room at the Empire Granville 7 Cinemas. Director Bottaro was present to introduce the film to the audience.The winners of three juried awards and five audience awards were announced prior to the screening; a fourth juried award was announced previously. More award details and the attendanc...

Edinburgh, Scotland, 15 October 2009, The Edinburgh International Film Festival today announced a new training initiative funded by Skillset, - The Story Works.The Story Works is a high-level screenwriting initiative aimed at experienced screenwriters which will be delivered by the triumvirate partnership of story editor Kate Leys - as project director, producers Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey as creative advisors and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.The programme is supported by an advi...

11th International Panorama : “…a celebration of freedom of speech…”232 films – 62 countriesThe International Film Festival of Patras city – 10th International Panorama (www.independent.gr) having existed for 11 years hopes that it had presented an effluence of sounds and pictures which united various cultures and promote diversity. Our goal is to continue "the dream of art’s freedom ". In the 11th International Panorama people met and bonds made in a cultural e...

Münster has truly been gripped by film fever for 5 thrilling days and nights during the 13th Münster Film Festival. The city’s Cineplex welcomed around 7,000 visitors to the festival’s screenings, setting a new record. The expert juries debated the merits of each film into the early hours of the morning before finally deciding on the following winners. The European Feature Film Competition awards the best director an attractive € 7,500. The winner is: Pierre Schoeller for VERSAILLES (Fr...

Continuing with the tradition of offering the best in Latino cinema, Redwood City and the Latino Leadership Council are excited to be the sole hosts of the Redwood City International Latino Film Festival. For the fourth year in a row, the Festival brings three evenings of incredible, award-winning international Latino films and a fabulous gala kick-off event. The Redwood City International Latino Film Festival offers the best features, shorts, and documentaries from Latin America, Spain, and Lat...

Hollywood Heavyhitters Announced for Film Finance & Distribution Summit   Hollywood Black Film Festival's 3rd Annual Summit Features Leading Film Finance & Distribution Executives          BEVERLY HILLS, CA - October 7, 2009 - Roy Salter of The Salter Group, Maya Entertainment's COO/CFO Jeff Gonzalez, and Peter Graham, Managing Partner, 120dB Films Tax Finance will be among the panellists at the Hollywood Black Film Festival's 3rd Annual Film Finance...

Hollywood Black Film Festival's 3rd Annual Summit Features Leading Film Finance & Distribution Executives Roy Salter of The Salter Group, Maya Entertainment's COO/CFO Jeff Gonzalez, and Peter Graham, Managing Partner, 120dB Films Tax Finance will be among the panellists at the Hollywood Black Film Festival's 3rd Annual Film Finance & Distribution Summit. The event takes place at the Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica on Saturday, Oct. 10 and wi...

Hola Mexico Film Festival 2009 Film List• 9 contemporary feature films• 2 Documentaries• 2 Sexy/Comedias• 2 Family Films• 9 short films presented by IMCINE• 5 JULIO BRACHO films A TRIBUTE TO MEXICOOPENING NIGHT FILM:SIN NOMBREDIR. CARY FUKUNAGA (MEXICO/USA 2009, 96MIN, 35MM)SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLESCAST: EDGAR FLORES, DIANA GARCIA, PAULINA GAITAN AND TENOCH HUERTAMaking its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, Sin Nombre is an epic dramatic thriller from award-winn...

The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival will host a dedicated awards ceremony on 28 October at which two new awards will be presented – the Best Film Award and Best British Newcomer – in addition to Festival accolades The Sutherland Trophy and The Times BFI London Film Festival Grierson Award. Two prestigious BFI Fellowships will also be bestowed at the high profile ceremony to be held at London’s Inner Temple and hosted by the celebrated journalist and broadcaster, Paul Gambaccini. Winner...

The 25th edition of MIPCOM, the indispensable meeting place for the world's audio-visual industry, throws opens its doors on Monday, October 5th, in Cannes. The global content event runs until next Friday. During these intense few days, the 13,500 participants from 4500 companies from every corner in the world will again chart the course for entertainment content across all platforms. If it hasn't been co-produced, bought, sold, financed, distributed or at least seriously discusse...

During the Gala of the Dutch Film at the 29th Netherlands Film Festival, on Friday 2 October, departing director Doreen Boonekamp (1968) was honoured with the Golden Calf for the Culture Award 2009. The prize was presented by chairwoman of the board Jeltje van Nieuwenhoven. The Golden Calf for the Culture Award is granted by the board of the Foundation Netherlands Film Festival to a person or organisation that made an important contribution to the Dutch film culture.Doreen Boonekamp graduated fr...

The 25th edition of MIPCOM, the indispensable meeting place for the world’s audio-visual industry, throws opens its doors on Monday, October 5th, in Cannes. The global content event runs until next Friday. During these intense few days, the 13,500 participants from 4500 companies from every corner in the world will again chart the course for entertainment content across all platforms. If it hasn’t been co-produced, bought, sold, financed, distributed or at least seriously discussed at MIPCO...

Media Personality and CEO of UAE-based production company Pyramedia, Nashwa Al Ruwaini, was unanimously elected last week as a member of the prestigious International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. With over 20 years of experience in the television industry in the Middle East, Nashwa has built a massively successful reputation for content creation in the Middle East.  After 11 years of presenting and creating content for the Middle East Broadcasting corporation (MBC), Nashwa estab...

Pere Portabella is the President of The International Jury of the Orizzonti section, director (Spain) of Die Stille Vor Bach and, this year the 20 minute short film Mudanza (Removal) in the Orizzonti Events.I had passed through a set of three walls at Arsenale Art Biennale - displaying just walking sticks, and then entered through several adjoining rooms of pure colour - red, green, yellow, blue. As I moved through each space with my eyes closed I could still see their colour, and I asked Portab...

Forum and Ex Oriente Film 3rd workshop - October 27 - 30, 2009 East European Forum - public pitching session - October 31 – Nov 1, 2009The Institute of Documentary Film will make this year's selection of East European Forum participants out of a record number of applications. Eighty-two projects from more than 20 countries are applying for participation. However, only the authors of eight to ten most promising projects will be chosen by the international committee and given an opportunity to p...

The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival in association with Skillset, is pleased to announce that the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA winning producer and screenwriter James Schamus will talk on the following theme on Tuesday 27 October: “MY WIFE IS A TERRORIST: LESSONS IN STORYTELLING FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY”Festival Artistic Director, Sandra Hebron said, “We are delighted to be working alongside Skillset on this event. James in not only someone with an enviable track record in...

THE MERRY WIDOW (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, US 1925) is the opening night film at the 2009 Giornate de Cinema Muto 200, The Music When I first accompanied The Merry Widow years ago, I was totally struck by this highly creative and inventive film adaptation of the operetta, directed by the genius Erich von Stroheim. Immediately I realized that my “one” piano + singer accompaniment wasn’t at all enough to serve this brilliant film. I started a serious quest to develop a score for the...