American filmmaker Spike Lee is the winner of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2012 award of the Venice International Film Festival   The Biennale di Venezia and Jaeger-LeCoultre announce that the great American director, screenwriter, actor and producer Spike Lee has been awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2012 award of the Venice International Film Festival, dedicated a personality who has brought great innovation to contemporary cinema.   The Direc...

Independent icon Seymour Cassel lends his name to new festival award.    There is hardly an actor who better embodies the passion and love for independent cinema than American performer Seymour Cassel. For more than 50 years he has been working in front of the camera and is revered for his work with John Cassavetes while being THE face of independent cinema. Sam Peckinpah, Don Siege, Kenn Russell and Alender Rockwell or Wes Anderson have used his luminous qualities. For his performan...

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today that legendary producer and entertainment industry icon Jerry Weintraub (“Ocean’s Eleven” series, “Karate Kid” series) will be the recipient of the Festival’s coveted ‘Golden Eye’ Career Achievement Award at this year’s Festival, taking place September 20th – 30th. Weintraub will receive the ‘Golden Eye’ for his life’s work and also celebrate his birthday in Zurich on Wednesday, September 26th. The awa...

San Sebastian Film Festival is boiling with news.   Yesterday we learnt that "Arbitrage", a film starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, will be opening the Official Section of the San Sebastian Film Festival in competition and both actors are confirmed to attend the inauguration gala. Both of them have received Donostia Awards in previous years in recognition of their entire careers: Richard Gere at the 55th edition in 2007 and Susan Sarandon at the 43rd edition in 19...

  On Opening Night, sound effects master Ben Burtt and the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra brought WINGS to exhilarating new life. Andrea Kalas and Grover Crisp, the respective heads of preservation at Paramount and Sony, gave thoughtful insight into the future and necessity of digital restoration. Introduced by the masterful director Philip Kaufman, THE WONDERFUL LIE OF NINA PETROVNA seduced everyone sitting in the Castro - a sleeper hit of the festival. Donald Sosin and Toychestra p...

" Arbitrage ", a film starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, will be opening the Official Section of the San Sebastián Film Festival in competition. At its opening gala, the 60th San Sebastián International Film Festival will be presenting the European premiere of the US production Arbitrage, a film competing in the Official Section starring Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon from writer/director Nicholas Jarecki. The gala will mean the return to San Sebastián for bot...

Oscar winning producer Richard Zanuck hit "the Road" at 77 years old.  I remember very vividly the first time I met Richard Zanuck. We were in Deauville at the American Film Festival to premier "Road to perdition". He was flanked by his son and Tom Hanks.  No matter how accomplished I may be in my career, the little Frenchie who dreamed of making films, and meeting her idols, is still very much part of who I am today.  Even though I can't say I ...

MANHATTAN SHORT today announced The Feature Film Project, a new program that will discover and launch one feature film each year, with the help of over one hundred cinemas and the interactive opinions of movie goers across the United States. On March 21 2013 the winning feature film selected from a global call for entries will screen in over one hundred cinemas across the USA.  Audiences at each venue will receive a voting card at each cinema and be asked, ‘Should this film retur...

The organizers of Hollyshorts (www.hollyshorts.com) announced today that Zachary Quinto and his Before The Door Pictures ("Margin Call") banner (www.beforethedoor.com) will open the 8th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival (HSFF) with a special theatrical world premiere of PERIODS. (www.periodsfilms.com), an improvised comedy film series created by NY-based filmmakers Victor Quinaz, Anna Martemucci and their ensemble crew.   The showcase of the PERIODS. shorts will be held during the Ho...

Filmmakers and screenwriters from all over the globe including the United Kingdom, Australia, Turkey, Argentina, France, Sweden, Trinidad, Sierra Leone, Bahrain, Romania, Israel, the US, and Canada travelled to Toronto to participate in and celebrate in the 10th Anniversary Female Eye Film Festival (June 20th – 24th, 2012). In a shaky economy The Female Eye Film Festival held strong with unprecedented screenings, script readings, industry panel discussions and the FeFF 10th Anniversary Phot...

Halfway through the first scene (he writes long scenes) of Sorkin's NEWSROOM I thought, "This show could change the world." I am a Sorkin fan, and an idealist, but that's besides the point. In the same way that THE WEST WING made Americans feel apart of what was happening in Washington, NEWSROOM does too. It takes place in a newsroom in Washington, and not only that but it's set during the real events of the day beginning on April 20, 2010. I feel like this kind of pseudo-inside look...

  Director William Friedkin and actress Gina Gershon took to the red carpet at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre last night for the UK Premiere of KILLER JOE which opened the 66th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Arriving in AF Noble Subaru cars, in attendance with the filmmakers were EIFF guests including Jim Broadbent (Chair Michael Powell Jury), Elliott Gould (Chair International Jury), Edith Bowman (Juror), Kate Dickie (actor), Steven McCole (Actor), Paul McCole (Actor), Craig Hil...

On the opening day of the The Los Angeles Film Festival, the day was filled with excitement  with fans packing the streets and watching the parade and honoring the Stanley Cup champions. The LA Kings but movie fans were looking forward to Oscar winner Woody Allen appearing and presenting his romantic new film”To Rome with Love”. So love was in the air all over downtown Los Angeles with smiling faces , the red carpet and the film fans and lovers of Hollywood. The LAFF direc...

On the opening day of the The Los Angeles Film Festival  , the day was filled with excitement  with fans packing the streets and watching the parade and honoring the Stanley Cup champions .The LA Kings but movie fans were looking forward to Oscar winner Woody Allen appearing and presenting his romantic new film”To Rome with Love”.So love was in the air all over downtown Los Angeles with smiling faces , the red carpet and the film fans and lovers of Hollywood. The LAFF directors were very s...

On the opening day of the The Los Angeles Film Festival , the day was filled with excitement with fans packing the streets and watching the parade and honoring the Stanley Cup champions .The LA Kings but movie fans were looking forward to Oscar winner Woody Allen appearing and presenting his romantic new film”To Rome with Love”.So love was in the air all over downtown Los Angeles with smiling faces , the red carpet and the film fans and lovers of Hollywood. The LAFF directors were very sma...

"His work features an undercurrent of faith and malice you just can't shake out of your head." Great film composer Danny Elfman was introduced at the LA Film Festival Saturday night with such ideas as, "His work brings the life of the mind to the screen." As an 18-year old, Elfman's first performance was in Paris, where he followed his brother. Together they were in Le Grand Magic Circus, an avant-garde musical theater group. "It was a crazy experience that put t...