A “Once In A Lifetime” Backstage interview with Ed Asner of Pixar’s “UP”by Marla LewinEd Asner was born the same year as the Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman play, Once In A Lifetime, was written 1929. Ed has been a regular performer for the LA Theatre Works readings of great plays since its inception in 1985. The first live reading of this play back then had guests Steven Spielberg and Barry Diller in the audience. The producer explained that their technique and equipment for that perf...

The 12th annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, will take place from Saturday, October 31-Saturday, November 7. Films to receive special gala screenings will include Jean-Marc Vallée’s “The Young Victoria”; Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger,” with Moverman and stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster in attendance; Grant Heslov’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats”; Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embraces”; Lone Sherfig’s “An Education”; the ...

DEADLINE APPROACHING!New York International Children's FilmFestival (NYICFF) is issuing a call for entries for the upcoming 2010festival, to take place from February26-March 14, for a sold-out-in-advance audience of over 20,000 children,teens, parents, filmmakers and media professionals and a marketing reach of 2million in the New Yorkarea.  NYICFF seeks creative, original,non-formulaic works that will help to define a new, more compelling film forkids. NYICFFJURY:  Academy Award® winning ac...

At the Woodstock Film Festival, which today concludes its five-day marathon of film premieres, industry seminars, music concerts and groovy parties, film directors generally get all the attention. However, after my own personal marathon screenings, it is the performances of several standout actors that has made the biggest impression. Of course, for an independent filmmaker, casting is a critical part of the process. Luckily, it has been part of the appeal of independent cinema that name actors...

Ashton Kutcher and Demi MooreBill MurrayBrenda BlethynChristopher PlummerClive OwenColin FarrellColin FirthDanny BoyleDiablo CodyEdward NortonEllen PageEthan HawkeJeff BridgesJulie Christie ...

A pair of Beverly Hills film producers have been found guilty of conspiring to bribe a former Thai government official to obtain contracts that provided for, among other things, control of the annual Bangkok International Film Festival, the Justice Department said Monday.A jury in California on Friday found Gerald Green, 77, and Patricia Green, 52, guilty of money laundering and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. A jury also found substantive violations under the FCPA, a hi...

South Carolina native son and bestselling author Pat Conroy was named this week as the 2010 'Jean Ribaut Award Winner' for 'Outstanding and Inspiring Original Material for Film' which will be presented to him at the Beaufort International Film Festival's Awards Ceremony on February 20th. Four of Mr. Conroy's novels to date have been made into films: Conrack (based on The Water is Wide), Lords of Discipline, Prince of Tides, and The Great Santini, all of which have been set in the Lowcount...

The New York International Independent Film & Video Festival is proud to announce that Abel Ferrara is President of the 2009 festival in NYC. The NYIIFVF continues to be the voice of independent film, launching many careers and successes from our festivals in New York and LA. NYIIFVF's President Abel Ferrara was introduced to producer Rafael Primorac by NYIIFVF's Executive Director Stuart Alson and will begin production together on a $9 million film starring Wesley Snipes, directed by Abel Ferra...

The Alaska International Film Festival is currently accepting film submissions. Each year, the Alaska International Film Festival awards are presented to independent filmmakers from around the globe who produce original and compelling films and screenplays in several competition categories.  The Alaska International Film Festival awards innovative and diverse films that connect independent filmmakers' vision and the artistic process to the emerging global arts community. Competit...

  New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) is issuing a call for entries for the upcoming 2010 festival, to take place from February 26-March 14, for a sold-out-in-advance audience of over 20,000 children, teens, parents, filmmakers and media professionals and a marketing reach of 2 million in the New York area.  NYICFF seeks creative, original, non-formulaic works that will help to define a new, more compelling film for kids.      NYICFF JURY:  ...

Did the Octomom have Angelina Jolie envy?Is the ruin of America caused by the need for fame, money, and power? Is life just one big Vaudeville act? Will the “American Angels” save us all?These are the questions you might get answered, starting Saturday night at The Fake Theatre, at 4319 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. You can witness "The American Psyche" gone completely off the tracks for 62 minutes with no intermission. This zany, vaudevillian revue that plays like a Mad magazine sketch ...

        Did the Octomom have Angelina Jolie envy?Is the ruin of America caused by the need for fame, money, and power?  Is life just one big Vaudeville act?  Will the “American Angels” save us all?   These are the questions you might get answered, starting Saturday night at The Fake Theatre, at 4319 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood.    You can witness "The American Psyche"  gone completely off the tracks for 62 minutes wit...

Mika Kaurismäki, a renowned Finnish film director and a member of the famous Kaurismäki family of filmmakers, is coming to Motovun Film Festival! Mika Kaurismäki is also the older brother of the world famous Finnish filmmaker Aki. In the first decade of their work, the Kaurismäki brothers marked the new era of Finnish cinema with their joint projects. Their joint works accounted for almost one third of Finnish film production of the time! Although Mika Kaurismäki started working on film by...

 The Michael Jackson memorial is on TV today, I am sitting here watching and thinking about the difference between a person's public image and what it means to be an icon. Michael was an icon in life and is even a bigger icon now in death. Gone are the questions of his personal legal problems, gone are his money problems, his music now dominates the sales charts after a 4 year slump. Now he is iconic legend. Berry Gordy of Motown Records called him "the greatest entertainer who ever lived...

The Michael Jackson memorial is on TV today, I am sitting here watching and thinking about the difference between a person's public image and what it means to be an icon. Michael was an icon in life and is even a bigger icon now in death. Gone are the questions of his personal legal problems, gone are his money problems, his music now dominates the sales charts after a 4 year slump. Now he is iconic legend. Berry Gordy of Motown Records called him "the greatest entertainer who ever lived". Sunda...

Obama is weaving a very supportive story about healthy relationships...which is what Secrets To Love is all about!   http://www.whitehouse.gov/live/video165/ ...

  by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor President Barack Obama is, if nothing else, very telegenic.....the camera simply loves him and cannot get enough. This fact plus his historic ascendancy in a mere two years from junior Senator to the top political leader of the world is an astounding one that will certainly be the stuff of legend in years to come. But for the moment, we are living that legend and the media fascination on and surrounding Obama is electric. Afte...