Established in 1998, and now in its ninth year, The Newport International Film Festival NIFF has grown into one of America's leading regional film festivals. The Festival, which critics have called a "low key Cannes," has distinguished itself as one where, according to Vanity Fair "art ranks before commerce". Over 10,000 filmmakers, celebrities, journalists, and film enthusiasts of all kinds attend drawn by the less frenzied, less commercial, and more intimate environment that the Newport fe...
One of the highlights of this springs Tribeca Film Festival is sure to be the Animated New York program curated by Bill Plympton. When people think of New York City’s filmmakers most are unaware of the thriving, diverse independent animation community .Plympton's illustrations and cartoons have been printed in The New York Times and The Village Voice , as well as the magazines Vogue , Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Penthouse , and National Lampoon . His political cartoon strip "Plympton", ...
One of the highlights of this springs Tribeca Film Festival is sure to be the Animated New York program curated by Bill Plympton. When people think of New York City’s filmmakers most are unaware of the thriving, diverse independent animation community .Plympton's illustrations and cartoons have been printed in The New York Times and The Village Voice , as well as the magazines Vogue , Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Penthouse , and National Lampoon . His political cartoon strip "Plympton", ...
The 49th San Francisco International Film Festival (running April 20 to May 4) will launch on April 20th with the US Premiere of PERHAPS LOVE, the first film from Hong Kong to open the Festival. The film will have its gala screening at the historic Castro Theater, one of the grandest and most beautiful cinema palaces in the country. The film, directed by Hong Kong auteur Peter Chan, will kick off 15 days of movie magic as the oldest film festival in North America again unspools in the City by th...
7th Annual BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS Announces the winners for 2004The contentious story of an abortionist in 1950s England swept the board tonight at the 7th annual British Independent Film Awards. Vera Drake scooped a massive six awards including the prestigious Best Film and Best Director.Mike Leigh and actress Imelda Staunton repeated their Venice Film Festival triumph where the film was awarded the Golden Lion for Best Film and Best Actress award for Staunton. Again, Leigh, who has en...
CLOSES THE CURTAINS ON THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FESTIVAL YETTonight The Times bfi 48th London Film Festival closed the curtains on the most successful Festival yet with the international premiere of David O. Russell's existential comedy I ♥ Huckabees. Over the past 16 days and nights film-makers, journalists, industry professionals and the general public have flocked to London to attend Europe's largest and most prestigious public film festival. This year the Festival broke all previous records...
Alex Deleon,London Film Festival,November 1, 2004Today’s films:(1) “Vanity Fair” with Rees Witherspoon as the social climbing “mountaineer”, Becky Sharp with seamless English accent, in Napoleonic era England, via Thackeray – A lush high budget production by Mira Nair (of “Monsoon Rain”) – fantastic costumes, makeup, sets, horses, rich colour photography, good acting all around from a full cast of English stalwarts, Bob Hoskins, Gabriel Byrne, nearly the entire British “a Li...
The London Film Festival (November 20 – November 4) has opened appropriately, with a new English film, Mike Leigh’s “Vera Drake”, set in 1950s London. Mr. Leigh and the star of his film, Imelda Staunton, who is in line for an Oscar for her startling portrayal of a back-street abortionist in early post-war London, were guests of honour last night at the British premiere of the film. Other high profile guests were directors Anthony Minghella (“Cold Mountain”) and Ridley Scott. Vi...
The Times bfi 48th London Film Festival : 20 October - 4 November 2004The countdown to The Times bfi 48th London Film Festival has begun, with less than 4 weeks until our Opening Night Gala, Mike Leigh's award winning Vera Drake The Gala section screens European and UK premieres including Wong Kar-Wai's 2046, the visually arresting martial arts tale House of Flying Daggers and Mira Nair's Vanity Fair. Closing Night Gala is I Heart Huckabees - a brilliant 'existential' comedy starring Dustin Hoff...
Other screenings on day 8 and 9 include Horizon selection Izo by Takashi Miike. An assassin for the anti-Shogun Lord Hampeida is crucified in 1865 and comes back to revenge his murder. But what has he learned? The film is an endictment on war and displays a basic hatred of women for giving life. Briefly featuring Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano) as prime minister, the film reminds Venice fest goers of what cinema is about with multilayered tableau, entries to new worlds, imagery that confronts. ...
