MONTCLAIR FILM ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF "THE MARK URMAN AWARD FUND"

ALL PROCEEDS WILL FUND THE ANNUAL MARK URMAN AWARD FOR FICTION FILMMAKING, SUPPORTING FIRST AND SECOND TIME AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FILMMAKERS
FUND IS LAUNCHED WITH THE SUPPORT OF DEBORAH DAVIS AND 
THE FAMILY + FRIENDS OF THE URMAN FAMILY

Montclair Film, New Jersey’s leading non-profit film organization, today announced the launch of the Mark Urman Award Fund, in honor of the late film distributor Mark Urman. The Fund has been established with Mark’s wife Deborah Davis and the family and close friends of the Urman family to fund a cash prize for the Montclair Film Festival’s Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking, offering direct financial support to the winning filmmaker of the annual Montclair Film Festival’s Future/Now Competition, a juried competition of five films made by first and second time American Independent filmmakers. 

“Montclair Film is deeply honored to be working with Mark Urman’s family, friends, and colleagues to award filmmakers with funding that will provide crucial support for their creative work,” said Montclair Film Executive Director Tom Hall. “Having known and worked with Mark since his days at ThinkFILM, I hope that this program will help filmmakers in an enduring way that honors Mark’s profound legacy in our industry.”

Montclair Film is proud to announce the creation of this Fund upon the approach of what would have been Mark’s 67th birthday on November 24th. The fund is launching with $30,000 in initial donations made in Mark’s memory and Montclair Film will spend the next several weeks fundraising to raise additional support that will ensure the Fund is active for the next ten years and beyond.

“Mark’s passion for film – old, new, and everything in-between – inspired him every day.  Our family is thrilled that Montclair Film’s Mark Urman Award will benefit a new generation of filmmakers,” said Deborah Davis.

The amount of the annual cash prize will be announced upon the completion of the initial funding cycle and prior to the close of submissions on January 17, 2020 for the 9th annual Montclair Film Festival (May 1-10, 2020). In addition to the cash prize, the filmmaker awarded the Mark Urman Award for Fiction Filmmaking will enjoy a film production package of in-kind goods and services.

The inaugural cash prize will be awarded at the annual Filmmaker Awards Reception, taking place May 9, 2020 at the Montclair Film Festival. Tax-deductible contributions to the Fund may be made directly at bit.ly/MarkUrmanAwardFund  and will be restricted to providing direct financial support to the filmmaker who wins the Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking at the annual Montclair Film Festival.

Mark was an early advocate of the Montclair Film Festival, which was founded in 2010, and an original member of the organization’s volunteer Artistic Committee of industry professionals. His encouragement and support of the festival helped to build a strong foundation that paved the way for Montclair Film’s long-term success. The Fund will support Mark’s enduring legacy as a champion of great cinema in all of its forms while providing fiscal encouragement to filmmakers to continue to produce new, ambitious films. 

"It's impossible to overstate the effect Mark Urman had on my career, and life,” said the writer and director Bill Condon.  “He decided to take on my film GODS AND MONSTERS when every other distributor had turned it down, and handled the release with all the talent, sensitivity, and sheer love of movies that he brought to countless other projects.  He was hands down the best film executive I ever worked with. Not only is he missed - it turns out he is irreplaceable."

As the home for the Mark Urman Award For Fiction Filmmaking, the Montclair Film Festival’s Future/Now Competition celebrates American, low-budget independent filmmaking by first or second time feature film directors who are creating innovative, challenging films. Past winners of the competition are MICKEY AND THE BEAR by Annabelle Attanasio (2019), WE THE ANIMALS by Jeremiah Zagar (2018), BEACH RATS by Eliza Hittman (2017), THE FITS bu Anna Rose Holmer (2016), and EDEN by Elise DuRant (2015). Four of the five past winners of this competition are women directors.

ABOUT MONTCLAIR FILM 

Montclair Film, a non-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization connects filmmakers from around the region and world with audiences by presenting films and year-round programs that engage, educate, and entertain through the power of visual storytelling. The ninth annual Montclair Film Festival will take place from May 1-10, 2020. Our programs are made possible by funds from the New Jersey Department of State, Division of Travel and Tourism, as well as the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. We are grateful for generous support from Investors Bank; Audible; Craig Newmark Philanthropies; Hackensack Meridian Health, Mountainside Medical Center; The Bravitas Group; The Nature Conservancy; Ashenfelter, Slous, Trembulak, McDonough, Golia & Trevenen, LLP; Chubb; Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; William H. Connolly & Co.; the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, and others.

For information about Montclair Film, visit www.MontclairFilm.org.

DON MISCHER PRODUCTIONS AND DONE+DUSTED TO PRODUCE “71ST PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS” AIRING SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, LIVE ON FOX

Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted will co-produce the 71st PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS®, airing LIVE coast-to-coast from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 22 (8:00-11:00 PM ET live/5:00-8:00 PM PT live) on FOX.

“This marks the first Emmy Awards for FOX Entertainment as a new company, and we are taking a fresh direction by bringing together the two best, most inventive and most disruptive production companies to join forces on the show,” said Rob Wade, President of Alternative Entertainment and Specials, FOX Entertainment.  “Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted both brought incredible ideas to the table, and we are lucky enough to have the two teams collaborate on this television event.”

Frank Scherma, Television Academy Chairman and CEO, added, “Television is in a period of unprecedented growth and has emerged as the world’s premier entertainment choice across a multitude of spectacular platforms. As a consequence, the Emmy telecast has tremendous significance and should reflect the innovation and inventiveness that television embodies. Don Mischer Productions and Done+Dusted are the resources to help fuel that transformation.”

“We love producing the Emmys and celebrating the best television of the year,” said Don Mischer, Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare of Don Mischer Productions. “We’ve known Done+Dusted’s Hamish Hamilton and Ian Stewart for many years and have admired their work for quite some time. So, when our friends at FOX proposed this unconventional marriage, we also thought what better way for us to have the opportunity to learn and steal all of D+D’s masterful production secrets.”

“With the total respect felt by all of us at Done+Dusted for all the great people at Don Mischer Productions, this felt like the perfect opportunity to put partisan production aside and work together to see if we can find ways to develop a new-look Emmys on new-look FOX,” said Done+Dusted President Ian Stewart.  “Not to mention it gives us a chance to learn and steal all of Don and the team’s masterful production secrets.”

Nominations for the 71st PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS will be announced the morning of Tuesday, July 16.

For more information and updates on the 71st EMMY AWARDS, go to TelevisionAcademy.com/Emmys and follow @TelevisionAcad on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr and Snapchat.  

About Don Mischer Productions

Don Mischer Productions (DMP) is an internationally acclaimed production company for television and live events. Led by Don Mischer, Charlie Haykel and Juliane Hare, DMP has consistently produced programs that share the best of the human experience, whether it be the work of our most acclaimed artists or the celebration of our greatest international events. DMP is always at the forefront of their craft, with an eye to innovate and advance the art form. 

Some of their marquee productions include the Academy Awards; Super Bowl halftime shows (Prince, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, among others); We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial; The Emmy Awards; The Billboard Music Awards;  and the Opening Ceremonies of both the Winter and Summer Olympic Games.  Other productions include Seth Rogen’s Hilarity For Charity; Rock The Troops with Dwayne Johnson; and the Breakthrough Prize.

About Done+Dusted

Done+Dusted has devised and produced broadcast content, events and experiences, in every corner of the globe. Based in LA and London, D+D has built a global reputation for producing spectacular experiences on behalf of nations, broadcasters, brands, artists, gamers, leaders and educators.  

D+D’s credits include the Emmys, the London Olympics and Paralympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies, the UAE National Day Celebrations, the British Fashion Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Along the way, they have collaborated with many of the most successful artists on the planet in film, television, music and sport. 

On April 1, 2019, D+D turned 21 – if you need them, they have gone to the pub because they are finally old enough to drink. 

About the Television Academy

The Television Academy seeks to expand the horizons of television excellence. Through the programs, publications and events of the Academy and its Foundation, it strives to empower storytellers who shape the evolving television space. And it celebrates those who have excelled by recognizing their achievements through accolades and awards, including television's most coveted prize, the Emmy Award. For more information, please visit TelevisionAcademy.com.

About FOX Entertainment

FOX Entertainment, a unit of the newly formed FOX Corporation, is home to some of the highest-rated and most acclaimed series on television, including the season’s #1 new show, THE MASKED SINGER, and 9-1-1, EMPIRE, LAST MAN STANDING, THE ORVILLE, THE RESIDENT, THE PASSAGE, LETHAL WEAPON, GOTHAM, STAR, THE GIFTED, THE COOL KIDS, REL, PROVEN INNOCENT, THE SIMPSONS, FAMILY GUY, BOB’S BURGERS, HELL’S KITCHEN, MASTERCHEF, MASTERCHEF JUNIOR, BEAT SHAZAM, SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE, GORDON RAMSAY’S 24 HOURS TO HELL AND BACK and MENTAL SAMURAI; as well as upcoming series PARADISE HOTEL, SPIN THE WHEEL and 90210. FOX airs 15 hours of primetime programming a week, as well as major sports events. Through the FOX NOW app, FOX viewers can watch full episodes of their favorite FOX shows on a variety of digital platforms, while enjoying enhanced interactive and social capabilities around those shows. Download the FOX NOW app at www.fox.com/foxnow.  To watch primetime programming live on the web, visit www.fox.com/live. “Like” FOX on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FOXTV and follow the network on Twitter @FOXTV. For additional information about FOX, please visit www.fox.com.

15th Annual StandUp NBC Final w/Amanda Seales, Tone Bell and more!

((L-R) Comedians Calvin Evans, Sohrab Forouzesh, Luz Pazos, Mike E. Winfield, Ali Clayton, Jay Jurden, Vincent Bryant, Senior Vice President of Programming Talent Development & Inclusion Karen Horne and Venessa Peruda)

On Wednesday, December 5th – the 15th Annual ‘StandUp NBC’ finale was held at the Hollywood Improv with the top 8 outstanding new comics of diverse backgrounds. 

Finalists were chosen from a four city casting call to perform at the finale showcase in front of NBCUniversal Execs from Development programming, Primetime, Alternative & Cable as well as top producers, casting director, agents and managers in the entertainment industry.

Previous StandUp NBC winners and alumni in attendance included: Amanda Seales (“Insecure), Tone Bell (“Disjointed”), Langston Kerman (“Insecure”), Ron G (Comedian) and more!

21st Century Fox and American Film Institute Announce Inaugural Class of Fox DP Lab

21st Century Fox (21CF) and the American Film Institute (AFI) have announced the eight female cinematographers to participate in the first-ever FOX DP LAB, to take place today, Thursday, Nov. 8, and tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 9, on the historic Fox Lot in Los Angeles: Tarin Anderson, Anne Etheridge, Catherine Goldschmidt, Halyna Hutchins, Hana Kitasei, Anka Malatynska, Dominique Martinez and Moira Morel.

As part of its ongoing efforts to bring new and diverse voices into the entertainment industry, 21CF designed the FOX DP LAB to increase the number of women cinematographers working in Hollywood. The Lab will connect participants with cinematographers, producers, directors, agents and executives; and provide an insider’s experience on Fox studio films and TV series in production. The participants will visit the set of Fox feature film “Call of the Wild,” meeting with Academy Award-winning Director of Photography and AFI Conservatory alumnus Janusz Kamiński; and Fox-produced comedies “Speechless” and “Fresh Off The Boat.”

Participants of the Fox DP Lab are recent graduates of the AFI Conservatory — the American Film Institute’s filmmaking MFA program, and one of the most prestigious film training programs in the world.

“We’re excited about this initiative to propel female DPs in their careers,” said MyKhanh Shelton, Senior Vice President, 21CF Global Inclusion. “We believe that focusing on increased gender representation in this key role will help accelerate diversity throughout production crews.”

2018 FOX DP LAB Participants

Tarin Anderson

Seattle native Tarin Anderson earned her master’s degree in cinematography at the AFI Conservatory after studying film at both Vassar and Hampshire colleges. She has shot a wide variety of projects, including commercials, music videos, documentaries, scripted series and feature films.

Anne Etheridge

A cinematographer for feature films, television and documentaries, AFI Conservatory graduate Anne Etheridge’s work has screened at film festivals around the world, including Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, Sundance, Berlin, Rotterdam, SXSW and Tribeca. Her latest documentary project, “Dayla’s Other Country,” was selected to kick off the 2017 national PBS series, “POV.” 

Catherine Goldschmidt 

Since graduating from the AFI Conservatory in 2009, Catherine Goldschmidt has lensed eight narrative feature films, dozens of shorts, music videos and commercials, and has shot on such high-profile documentaries as the Academy Award-winning feature “20 Feet From Stardom.” She is a co-founding member of Illuminatrix, a collective of female cinematographers. 

Halyna Hutchins 

A graduate of the AFI Conservatory’s Class of 2015, Halyna Hutchins grew up on a Soviet military base in the Arctic Circle.  Her AFI thesis film, “Hidden,” was screened at Camerimage, AFI FEST and Austin Film Festival, among others, collecting multiple awards and recognition, including as a finalist in the Vizio + Dolby Vision Cinematography Challenge.

Hana Kitasei

Hana Kitasei is a Japanese and American cinematographer dedicated to telling stories about human connection.  While completing a degree in Math at Harvard, she took a left turn and fell in love with cinematography. Since then, she has shot a huge variety of narrative, commercial and documentary projects. In addition to shooting, she guest-lectures at the AFI Conservatory and is also a core member of the International Collective of Female Cinematographers.

Anka Malatynska

Cinematographer Anka Malatynska’s feature film and documentary credits have ranged from the modern-day adaptation of “Little Women” to the cable comedy “Insecure.” She is an advocate for women working in the industry, coaching and counseling emerging talent through her teaching platform, Fearless Film, which she co-founded with DGA director Liz Hinlein.

Dominique Martinez

Cinematographer Dominique Martinez hails from Miami and is of Cuban and Spanish descent. A graduate of the AFI Conservatory’s prestigious cinematography discipline, her work includes commercials, documentaries, features and television. An avid photographer, she recently finalized her portfolio from her travels to Mongolia with National Geographic.

Moira Morel

Moira Morel is a Latinx cinematographer based in Los Angeles with a background in both documentary and narrative filmmaking.  “Vámonos,” the short film she shot and co-wrote, won a 2016 Imagen Award for Best Theatrical Short Film. Her latest narrative feature, “Unlovable,” premiered at SXSW in 2018 and won the SXSW Gamechanger Award.

This partnership builds on 21CF’s previous work with AFI to expand opportunities for women in the entertainment industry. The first of this two-part series, the AFI Cinematography Introductory Intensive for Women (CIIW), brought 19 emerging female filmmakers to the AFI campus in August for a four-day course exploring the fundamentals of visual storytelling.

About the American Film Institute

The American Film Institute (AFI) was established by presidential proclamation in the White House Rose Garden, and launched its national mandate on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. Among AFI’s programs dedicated to training future storytellers are the world-renowned AFI Conservatory; the AFI Directing Workshop for Women; and the AFI Cinematography Introductory Intensive for Women.

About 21CF Global Inclusion

21CF Global Inclusion nurtures diverse voices and stories, both in front of and behind the camera, through a variety of partnerships, initiatives and programs, including the Fox Writers Lab, Fox Directors Lab, Fox Filmmakers Lab and the Fox DP Lab.

Vivica Fox, Rev. Al Sharpton, Iyanla Vanzant, Amiyah Scott, Le'Andria Johnson, Claire Sulmers & More at iElevate Conference

BISHOP OLIVER CLYDE ALLEN, III COMPLETES  2018 iELEVATE CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA FOR AFRICAN-AMERICAN & LGBTQI+ PEOPLE OF FAITH

 Conference Special Guests Included Rev. Al Sharpton, Iyanla Vanzant, Vivica A. Fox, Amiyah Scott, Le’Andria Johnson, Ricky Dillard, Claire Sulmers & More

Photo Credit: iElevate Conference

(ATLANTA, GA) – June 26, 2018 - Bishop Oliver Clyde Allen, III thought-leader and Amazon.com best-selling author of Master Your Emotions, assembled both national and global leaders and entrepreneurs for the 2018 iElevate Conference held June 19th-24th at The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis Hotel. Hundreds attended to hear from prominent leaders on topics of social relevance.

Originated in 2018, the iElevate Conference was designed to offer many of the country’s great thought provoking thinkers, leaders and voices a platform to safely participate and address some of the most sensitive and salient subjects from a faith point of view. The conference is of the first and only inclusive conferences with a mission to transform, empower and equip people of faith with the resources and tools needed to impact their immediate community and reach their goals.

At this year’s iElevate, attendees experienced diverse and dynamic programming designed for all conference goers, including well-recognized events from O.C. Allen, as well as several new initiatives such as an HIV awareness campaign in collaboration with the Prevention From The Pulpit Initiative. A partial list of this year’s iElevate speakers, influencers, panelists, entertainers included: Oliver Clyde Allen, III (Senior Pastor, “The Vision Cathedral of Atlanta”), Rev. Al Sharpton (Civil Rights Activist and radio/TV personality), Iyanla Vanzant (Inspirational Speaker, spiritual teacher, author, life coach and television personality),Vivica A. Fox (author & actress, “Two Can Play That Game,” “Set It Off”), Amiyah Scott (actress), Rashad Burgess (Regional Director, Gilead Science), Sandy Thurman (Former White House Office of AIDS Director), Ricky Dillard (E One recording artist), Le’Andria Johnson (RCA Inspiration recording artist), Claire Sulmers (founder of FashionBombDaily.com), Dr. Daniel Black (author of Perfect Peace and professor of African American Studies at Morehouse) and more.

For more information visit: iElevateConference.org

Hank Chen embodies INCLUSION! #Sundance

Hank Chen is a very talented actor and comedian who can be seen next in Jacza Bravo’s directorial debut, Lemon, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival 2017. The film has a talented cast that includes Michael Cera, Nia Long, Megan Mullally, and Shiri Appleby. Hank can also be seen in the web series “Strangers" and “The Chances," both also premiering at the Sundance Film Festival 2017.

We had a chance to talk to him at Sundance. Here it is:

What did you enjoy most about this project? Why should audience watch it?

- The film I'm lucky enough to be in, Lemon, is a labor of love that took the producers, Janicza Bravo, the director, and her husband, Brett Gelman, the star of the film over 5 years to get made. Because of that, I was on a set where everyone cared so much and it showed in the environment, and the work. The audience should definitely watch it if they've ever felt weird or like an underdog. When you watch the ordeal Brett's character goes through, trust me when I say you won't feel so alone anymore. Oh, and if you're Jewish. There are some moments where I felt like only someone truly Jewish could understand and appreciate, and all I could do was smile and clap along.

What's your most favorite memory of Sundance?

- I attended the SAG Indie actors brunch and literally in the course of half an hour, met a ton of my acting heroes and simultaneously reconnected with 10 people I had worked with or known back in New York and Los Angeles. None of whom I knew would be attending Sundance, and some I'm back in touch with now. I have a few coffees and lunches lined up that I'm really looking forward to. Moments like that are terrific because it makes you realize just how small and inter-connected the artistic community is.

Hank Chen at Sundance 2017 with film Lemon. He loves Gambit, but not sure if he wants to play it LOL. Wonderful actor & wonderful guy!

What do you think about state of inclusion in Hollywood? 

- I think Hollywood has done an okay job. There's always more and never enough, so you can't lose sight. But it's important to acknowledge and commend people when change is being made in the right direction - even if it's incremental. Because, hey, at least it's still forward movement.

What's your experience and what do you think we all can do to improve the situation?

- Like every actor, my experience is going to be unique because no two careers are alike. But what I can say is that as a member of two minority groups, there are advantages and disadvantages. For instance, it might be easier for me to get through a door to get seen because my line isn't as long as, say, the young blonde ingenue line. But on the other hand, that door I'm walking through... the roles available to me are limited in their size and influence. I've played waiters more times that I can count and not interested in doing that anymore.

What do you like about being a storyteller and artist? What's your message to other aspiring storytellers?

- If I'm doing my job correctly, I love getting to reflect the human condition. When a performer moves you, it's because the audience sees in them something they see in themselves - whether you're willing to admit it to yourself or not. For me, art helped me come out, and ultimately influence my identity as a gay man. Was I terrified to watch shows with queer themes like, Six Feet Under? Absolutely. But I also felt that show speak to me and understand me in a way no one in my current world was able to, so I couldn't look away.

- My message to other storytellers is to tell a story that is uniquely yours and don’t try to be anyone else. Sundance is all about films with strong single visions and new perspectives. Don't water it down for a mass audience. Make it your voice, and make it heard.

What's your most favorite and least favorite thing about NYC?

Favorite: that there's variety in New York - it doesn't seem like everyone is in show business. New York is the pinnacle of finance, art, fashion, media, food, museums, you name it. You run into (literally and figuratively) a lot more people doing different things in New York and that keeps things, life, and your circle of friends interesting.
Least favorite: the weather. Only 4 good months out of the year. Two in the spring, and two in the fall.

---------------

Hank will be seen in season 2 of "Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,”  later this March, and the feature film directorial debut of Hallie Meyers-Shyer's Home Again, produced by Nancy Meyers, starring Reese Witherspoon, Michael Sheen, and Candice Bergen and is set for a wide holiday release fall of 2017. Hank is known for Amazon’s “Transparent," TV Land's “Lopez,” and CBS's "NCIS: Los Angeles." Other television roles include Netflix’s "Grace and Frankie,” ABC Family’s “Baby Daddy,” and CBS’s “Blue Bloods." One of Hank’s favorite roles to date is working alongside Robin Williams in his final theatrical release, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. 

NEW YORK INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS AWARDS #NYIFF2016

Photo Caption: Salman Rushdie presenting the award for Best Film accepted by Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni for HIGHWAY who also won Best Director for the film. (Photo credit: Mo Pitz)

HIGHWAY WINS TOP AWARDS IN FESTIVAL

The New York Indian Film Festival 2016 (NYIFF) announced the winners of its competition categories, on the evening of May 14th, at a ceremony at The Skirball Center, in the final event for the successful festival, which ran May 7 – May 14.

 “I am delighted to honor these brilliant filmmakers for the diversity of their plots, themes and characters!” said Aroon Shivdasani, IAAC Executive & Artistic Director.

“Our jury had a tough job since this year's nominations were very strong,” commented NYIFF’s film festival director Aseem Chhabra. “I congratulate all the winners, the nominees and also other filmmakers who shared their films with our audiences."

Below is the full list of winners:

Best Film: Highway
Best Director: Umesh Vinayak Kulkarni for Highway
Best Screenplay: Ruchika Oberoi, Island City
Best Actor: Rajit Kapoor, Threshold
Best Actress: Neena Gupta, Threshold
Best Child Actor: Vedashree Mahajan, The Silence
Best Documentary: Cities of Sleep
Best Short: 

Checkout more pics from the closing night:  http://www.iaac.us/NYIFF2016/gallery.htm

#WFA2016 #WFASoDiverse| Winter Film Awards Indie Film Festival coming soon! February 18-26 2016 !

FEB 18-26 - NEW YORK CITY

86 AWESOME FILMS FROM 26 COUNTRIES
COOL DISCUSSION PANELS - FANTASTIC PARTIES EVERY NIGHT

 

Dear Friends & Fans of Winter Film Awards -

Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival starts this week!
Check out the Festival Schedule here!

This year's Indie Film Fest runs Feb 18-26 in New York City with a jam-packed schedule of screenings, discussion panels, networking events and after-parties. 86 films by emerging filmmakers from 26 countries — awesome FREE discussion panels — $5 matinees — daily screenings of fantastic films — free rocking parties every night! 

Hollywood continues to ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone! “I think that when everybody’s story is told, then that makes for better art, that makes for better entertainment. It makes everybody feel part of one family.” — President Obama. 

Tickets on sale now!
Feb 19-25 Screenings & Discussion Panels at Cinema Village
Feb 18 8-11PM, Open Bar 8-9PM Opening Reception at The Attic
Feb 26 8-11PM Gala Awards ceremony & Red Carpet at Club 230Fifth

* FREE Parties every night
* FREE Discussion Panels
* Feb 23 6-7:30pm "Getting the Best Sound in your Indie Film" with NYCPost Group
* Feb 24 6-7:30pm "NY State's Support for Filmmakers" with NYS Governor's Office
sponsored by Jungle Software. Each attendee receives a free copy of the Rate Book!
* Feb 25 6-7:30pm "NYC's Great Benefits for Filmmakers" with NYC Mayor's Office

* Feb 22 2-5:25pm Animation Afternoon Matinee - $5
* Feb 25 Bloody Thursday - All Horror - All Day
* Screenings each night and all weekend $10/adv, $15/door
* All screenings $5 w/Student ID

We look forward to seeing you at our celebration!

Best regards,
The Winter Film Awards Team

#sagawards|#SimplyPerfect| Patrón Tequila and Ultimat Vodka Cocktails Featured at 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Ceremony and Post-Awards Gala

Patrón tequila and Ultimat vodka cocktails will be featured at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® ceremony on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016. The specially created cocktails also will be part of the Post-Awards Gala, which is co-hosted by PEOPLE and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

Patrón has created two signature cocktails with ultra-premium Patrón tequila, and one drink featuring Ultimat vodka, for the star-studded SAG Awards events. The “Patrón 22” in honor of the Awards’ 22nd year, is prepared with 100 percent agave Patrón Silver tequila, fresh pineapple and fresh lime juice. The other Patrón cocktail, aptly called “The Actor,” includes Patrón Reposado tequila (aged more than two months in oak barrels), Patrón Citrónge liqueur, and fresh lemon juice. The “Ultimat Award” cocktail is created with Ultimat vodka, Patrón Citrónge liqueur, cranberry juice, lime and simple syrup.

“It’s truly limitless the number of inventive cocktails that can be created with Patrón tequilas, and events like the Screen Actors Guild Awards are the perfect venue to showcase this versatility,” said Patrón’s mixology manager David Alan, who helped create the cocktails for the evening. “It’s a privilege to again be part of this prestigious celebration, and we look forward to raising a glass of Patrón in a toast to the outstanding performances and talented actors honored at the Awards this year.”


For more information, please visit:

#sagawards | Ken Howard and JoBeth Williams to Announce This Year's Stunt Ensemble Honorees During the SAG Awards® Red Carpet Pre-Show

The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® Red Carpet Pre-Show Will Stream Live on
Saturday, Jan. 30, from 6 p.m. (ET) / 3 p.m. (PT)

***

SAG-AFTRA President Ken Howard and SAG Awards® Committee Chair JoBeth Williams will announce the honorees for Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles from the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® red carpet, SAG Awards Executive Producer Kathy Connell announced today.

Honorees in these categories, which recognize memorable television and film stunt ensemble action performances during calendar year 2015, will be announced from the red carpet during the SAG Awards Red Carpet Pre-show, when Howard and Williams open the envelopes sealed by the independent election teller and reveal which ensembles received the most votes. The announcement will be webcast live on sagawards.tntdrama.com, sagawards.org and People.com beginning at 6 p.m. (ET) / 3 p.m. (PT).

The nominees for the Screen Actors Guild Awards were selected by two separate film and television nominating panels. each composed of 2,200 SAG-AFTRA members from across the United States. All 116,741 SAG-AFTRA members who were in good standing as of Dec. 1, 2015 are eligible to vote for the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in all categories. Final voting information was sent to eligible members on Dec. 16, and ballots must be received by the Screen Actor Guild Awards’ official teller Integrity Voting Systems by noon (PT) Friday, Jan. 29, 2016.

The nominees for this year’s Outstanding Action Performances by Film and Television Stunt Ensembles are:

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“EVEREST” (Universal Pictures)
Gordon Alexander
Nellie Burroughes
Annabel Canaven
Jamie Edgell
Annabel Elizabeth-Wood
Peter Ford
Nic Goodey
Rob Jarman
George Kirby
Sarah Lochlan
Tony Lucken
Belinda McGinley
Erol Mehmet
Chris Newton
Chris Pollard
Tom Rodgers
Ian Van Temperley
Simon Whyman
Jamie Windsor

“FURIOUS 7” (Universal Pictures)
Dean Bailey
Freddie Bociegues
Dave Castillo
John Cienatiempo
Eric Cord
Lateef Crowder
Wally Crowder
Phil Culotta
Scott Dale
Elizabeth Davidovich
Catlian Dechelle
Nicolas Dekay
Jayson Dumenigo
Debbie Evans Leavitt
Lance Gilbert
Tim Gilbert
Andy Gill
Jack Gill
Myles Humphus
Jeff Imada
Jace Jeans
Linda Jewell
Dennis Keiffer
Steve Kelso
Lauren Mary Kim
Henry Kingi
Hank Kingi, Jr.
John Koyama
Joel J. Kramer
Joel Michael Kramer
Paul Lane
Oakley Lehman
Matt Leonard
Terry Leonard
Sam Loc
Victor Lopez
Jay Lynch
Tara Macken
Roman Mitichyan
Heidi Moneymaker
Renee Moneymaker
Robert Nagle
Tree O'Toole
Allan Padelford
Norbert Philips
Steve Picerni
Denney Pierce
Spiro Razatos
Tanoai Reed
Jimmy N. Roberts
Troy Robinson
Joe Ross
John Rottger
Mike Ryan
Tim Trella
Scott Wilder
Travis Wong

“JURASSIC WORLD” (Universal Pictures)
Terry Ahue
Dean Bailey
Gary Baxely
Hunter Baxley
Brandon Beckman
Randy Beckman
Tim Bell
Hannah Betts
Chad Bowman
Jeff Cadiente
Bonnie Campanella
Dave Castillo
Jacob Chambers
Whitney Coleman
Tim Connolly
Jacqueline Cryan
Paul Darnell
Craig Davidson
Rockey Dickey
Tony Donno
Eddie Fernandez
Tait Fletcher
Craig Frosty Silva
Darin Fujimori
Jeff Galpin
Danny Graham
Kenan Harkin
Reid Harper
Regis Harrington
Jen Harris
Karen Harris
Charlie Haugk
Randy Haynie
Daniel Hernandez
Robert Houllion
Michael Jamorski
Keith Jardine
Allen Jo
Noah Johnson
Zero Kazama
Brian Kealeana
Danny Kim
Martin Klebba
Eric Lasko
Matthew Lefevour
Victor Lozano
Jess Lundgren
Mike Majesky
Eddie Matthews
Tony McFarr
John Meier
Carolina Mogollon
Vanessa Motta
Chris O'Hara
Holly O'Quinn
Ales Ordelt
Chris Palermo
Jason Patterson
Guy Pere
Kara Petersen
Gary Price
Austin Priester
Chad Randall
Rush Randle
Suzanne Reed
Greg Rementer
Meredith Richardson
Jason Roberts
Brittany Romatowski
R.A. Rondell Rondell
Rich Rutherford
Jon Sakata
Eric Salas
Kazim Saul
Filipe Savahge
Bill Scharpf
Mark Semos
Jared Shaw
Brendan Shea
Aden Stay
Patrick Stenberg
Eric Stratemeier
Taryn Terrell
Matt Thompson
T. Jay Thompson
Keoni Watson
Nico Woulard
Katie Wright

“MAD MAX: FURY ROAD” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Keith Adams
Shea Adams
Lee Adamson
Michael Addison
Genevieve Aitken
Russell Allen
Cameron Ambridge
Guy Andrews
Eugene Arendsen
Keir Beck
Artur Berezin
Tristan Carrigan
Kabelo Chaletsane
Raelene Chapman
Dayna Chiplin
Malcolm Cochrane
Jared Cohen
Doug Coleman
Hein De Vries
Sebastian Dickins
Paul Doyle
Steve Dunlevy
Kelsey Egan
Morgan Evans
Sean February
Brenda Firmani
Shaun Ford
Sam Foster
Stephen Gall
Bruce Garland
Warren Germishuys
Liam Gherlenda
Paul Goodwin
Dane Grant
Scott Gregory
Steve Griffen
Tad Griffith
Peter Hill
Daniel Himschoot
Katja Hopkins
Natascha Hopkins
John Iles
Russell Ingram
Olivia Jackson
Rob Jones
Ingrid Kleining
Nathan Lawson
Schalk Louw
Cody Mackie
Craig Macrae
Monelisi Magadia
Eduardo Marques
Rob Marshall
Russ McCarol
Rocky McDonald
Ian Meiring
Roland Melville
Darren Mitchell
Tomoki Miyamoto
Craig Morgan
Malibongwe Mqamelo
Aaron Muchanya
Anneli Muller
Stephen Murdoch
Guy Norris
Harlan Norris
Harrison Norris
Richard Norton
Chris Patton
Brett Praed
Thapelo Ramatlhodi
Mark Rayner
Greg Robinson
Mick Roughan
Vince Roxburgh
Inge Sildnik
Yasca Sinigaglia
Ben Smith-Petersen
Michael Soloman
Gillian Statham
Tyrone Stevenson
Ian Stock
Greg Stuart
Glenn Suter
Riley Suter
Matt Taylor
Mark Tearle
Jacob Tomuri
Reon Van Der Watt
Fleur Van Eden
Matthew Van Leeve
Annette Van Moorsel
Karl Van Moorsel
Mick Van Moorsel
John Walton
Mark Wickham
Judd Wild
James Wilkey
Vernon Willemse
Stuart Williamson
Tim Wong
Lawrence Woodward
Avril Wynne

“MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – ROGUE NATION” (Paramount Pictures)
Scott Armstrong
George Bailey
Oliver Bailey
Randy Beckman
Kieran Clarke
Lucy Cork
Ben Dimmock
Wade Eastwood
Rick English
Chris Gordon
Rob Hunt
David Knight
Mike Li
Adrian McGaw
Robert Nagle
Jorian Ponomareff
Jimmy Roberts
Nik Schodel
Wolfgang Stegemann
Mens-Sana Tamakloe
Jenny Tinmouth
David Van Zeyl
Marlow Warrington-Mattei

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series

“THE BLACKLIST” (NBC)
Airon Armstrong
Kevin Ball
Chris Barnes
Nitasha Bhambree
Michael Brennan
Bryce Burke
Jared Burke
Kachina Dechert
Neimah Djourabchi
Paul Drechsler-Martell
Stefanie Flores
Ed Gabree
Christopher Gombos
Tony Guida
Gene Harrison
Greg Harvey
Chad Hessler
Cort L. Hessler III
Donald Hewitt
Scott Kelly
Pete Klein
Drew Leary
Luke Lesko
Roberto Lopez
Terence Lorino
Stephen Mann
Mike Matera
Chazz Menendez
Luis Moco
Declan Mulvey
James Newman
Josiah Nolan
Christopher Parke
Ashley Pynn
Jodi Pynn
Bob Roseman
Akos Schenek
Hannah Scott
Derrick Simmons
Brian Smyj
Matt Triplett
Thad Turner
Aaron Vexler

“GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
Boian Anev
Richard Bradshaw
Jonathan Cohen
Christopher Cox
Jacob Cox
Matt Crook
Rob DeGroot
Levan Doran
Clint Elvy
James Embree
Bradley Farmer
Richard Hansen
Bobby Holland-Hanton
Radoslav Ignatov
Borislav Iliev
Rowley Irlam
Erol Ismail
Milen Kaleychev
Paul Lowe
Jonathan McBride
Sian Milne
David Newton
Radoslav Parvanov
Ian Pead
Jan Petrina
Rashid Phoenix
Andy Pilgrim
Dominic Preece
Marc Redmond
Paul Shapcott
Ryan Stuart
Pablo Verdejo
Calvin Warrington-Heasman
Annabel E Wood
Danko Yordanov
Lewis Young

“HOMELAND” (Showtime)
Marco Albrecht
Boris Backes
Georg Ebinal
Jörg Ellmer
Wanja Götz
Matthias Günther
Ralf Haeger
Florian Hotz
Niklas Kinzel
Alrik Kreemke
Charlene Kreemke
Stefan Langel
Wolfgang Lindner
Bruno Montani
Piet Paes
Leo Plank
Markus Ranglack
Asuka Tovazzi

“MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL” (Netflix)
Airon Armstrong
Bryce Biederman
Damien Bray
Chris Brewster
Timothy Thomas Brown
Scott Burik
Bryce Burke
Jared Burke
Mike Burke
Chris Cenatiempo
Gui DaSilva Greene
Steve DeCastro
Jake Eavey
Pete Epstein
Roy Farfel
Mark Fichera
Aja Frary
Tim Garris
Shane Geraghty
Samuel Glen
Roberto Gutierrez
Greg Harris
Craig Henningsen
Donald Hewitt
Don Hewitt, Sr.
Alex Huynh
Steve Izzi
Aaron Joshua
Mindy Kelly
Aidan Kennedy
Pete Klein
Thomas LaMarche
Danny Le Boyer
Drew Leary
Matt Leonard
Luke Lesko
James Lew
Eric Linden
Carlos Lopez
Roberto Lopez
Samantha MacIvor
Hans Marrero
Ian McLaughlin
Jason Mello
Luis Moco
Declan Mulvey
Panuvat Anthony Nanakornpanom
Jason Ng
Jim Ng
Josiah Nolan
Victor Paguia
Chris Place
Tom Place
Stephen Pope
Simon Rhee
JC Robaina
Joe Ross
Philip J. Silvera
Canine Sinclair
Evan Taylor
Shawnna Thidodeau
Trampas Thompson
Aaron Vexler
Luke Vexler
Jen Weissenberg
Adam Wood

“THE WALKING DEAD” (AMC)
Laura Beamer
Marcelle Colletti
Stephan Conroy
Raven Daniel
Elizabeth Davidovich
Keith Davis
Nick Dekay
Greg Dela Riva
Anthony Dirocca
Ian Eyer
Rachel Gelfeld
Damita Jane Howard
Duke Jackson
Cal Johnson
Ashley Martin
Marque Ohmes
Ryan Olsen
Meredith Richardson
Baylin Ripenkroger
Andy Rusk
Felipe Savahge
Dalton Simons
Savannah Simons
Chris Tardieau
Nikki Tomlinson
Casey Zeller

NOTE: Credits for the Stunt Ensemble Nominees are not final.  All names are subject to verification. 

For more information about the SAG Awards®, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about.

THE 2016 OXFORD FILM FESTIVAL (FEBRUARY 17-21) ANNOUNCES FULL SCHEDULE

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The 2016 Oxford Film Festival announced the full schedule and complete slate of films for this year’s edition. A record breaking 144 films (25 features, 119 shorts and music videos) representing 14 countries were selected for the film festival taking place February 17-21 in Oxford, Mississippi. A series of special filmmaker panels including a talk with film and television star Joey Lawrence will be offered for Mississippi filmgoers to attend, 21 short films will screen for the first time anywhere, and 21 alumni filmmakers will see their latest work screen at Oxford with as many as 80 filmmakers planning to attend the popular film festival.
 
Narrative feature films in competition this year include; Claire Carré’sEMBERS; A.D. Calvo’s THE MISSING GIRL; Kostadin Bonev’s THE SINKING OF SOZOPOL; John W. Mann and Jon Gunn’s THE WEEK; and Rupert Glasson’s WHAT LOLA WANTS. Documentary features in competition are; Gerald Peary’s ARCHIE’S BETTY; Nick Brandestini’s CHILDREN OF THE ATTIC; Ryan Kelley’s DIXIE; Neal Broffman’s HELP US FIND SUNIL TRIPATHI; and Sara Kaye Larson and Joann Self Selvidge’s THE KEEPERS. The presentation of the Oxford Film Festival’s Hoka Awards will take place on Saturday, February 20 at The Lyric (1006 Van Buren Avenue).
 
Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Melanie Addington said, “The Oxford Film Festival continues to grow and this year’s selections – both in subject matter, representation from around the world, and the sheer number of films chosen – reflects that. As always, we are celebrating our ‘home grown’ filmmakers and their work, but we are also screening films with provocative subjects, from different cultures and a myriad of genres in our effort to deliver a broad spectrum of experiences in the theater to our eager Mississippi film fans. We also are thrilled at the idea of having so many filmmakers attend the festival this year to be here in-person, see their work screened, and be available to talk to the public about their movies.”
 
Highlights among the feature film selections include “can’t-miss” documentaries like; Amy Berg’s devastating documentary AN OPEN SECRET about the sexual abuse of minors in Hollywood; Les Blank’s A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON, his long-awaited profile of musician Leon Russell; Abigail Disney’s THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, which takes a look at an evangelical preacher’s efforts to discuss gun control; the world premiere of local filmmaker Rex Jones’ LONGLEAF: THE HEAR OF PINE, which traces the history and current status of the South’s primeval forest; and Joanne Grant’s Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker, which looks at the life of the civil rights figure.
 
On the narrative front, standouts include; Tony Bloodworth’s thriller FORCED MOVE  and Mark Potts’ superhero comedy SPAGHETTI MAN which will both make their world premieres; 5-Second Films’ 80’s slasher films parody DUDE BRO PARTY MASSACRE III which is sure to be a crowd pleaser; Johnny Remo’s SAVED BY GRACE stars Joey Lawrence as a bitter ex-cop trying to come to terms with a tragic past with the help of a new relationship which brings some grace into his life; Max Myers’ SLIP, TUMBLE, AND SLIDE features Scott Wilson and Katherine Ross in a story about overcoming addiction through faith, music and love; an encore screening of John Stuart Wildman’s critically acclaimed grindhouse genre film THE LADIES OF THE HOUSE starring Anime voice talent Brina Palencia and former adult film star Michelle ‘Belladonna’ Sinclair; and a special presentation of the restored JONATHAN DEMME PRESENTS MADE IN TEXAS short film compilation about the punk rock scene of the 70s and early 80s, originally screened in 1981.
 
The series of panels offered are headed by a “Conversation with…Joey Lawrence” where he will discuss his career including his experiences being a teen idol and his new faith-based film SAVED BY GRACE, and include additional compelling panel subjects subjects such as “Casting Character Actors”, “Producing Films in Mississippi”, “Casting Child Actors”, “Dissecting Hollywood’s Diversity Problem”, “How to Get Film Critics to review Your Film”, and “Independent Black Film Collective”.
 
World premieres and star wattage dot the ambitious slate of short films screening at Oxford this year. Among the 21 world premieres are; Michaela O’Brien’s Anatomical Gifts; Jeremy Jensen’s Araignee; George Gross’ BOOKER WRIGHT’S MASHUP; Damein Wash’s Bottle of Sunshine; G.B. Shannon’s  Broke Dick Dog; Kimberly Burleigh’s CANNOT PREDICT NOW; Eileen Myers’ THE FAVOR; Thad Lee’s FIDDLER’S GREEN; Jordan Liebwitz’s Hit & RUN; Sajad Abbas’ THE IRAQI SUPERMAN; Tate Moore’s Kudzu Kings 20th Anniversary; Michael Jackson Chaney’s LITTLE STICKER; Tim O'Grady’s MO’ BOUT JOE; James Martin’s THE NEW ORLEANS SAZERAC; Nancy Maria Balach and Katie McLaughlin’s Ole Miss Rebel Blues; Alice Walker’s Once A Month; Jason Rochelle’s One Star Delta Night; Calum Macdiarmid’s PREACHERMAN; Gloria Chung’s River Moon Black Birds; Roberta Munroe’s THE SIBLING CODE; and Gloria Chung’s Take the Bus on a Hot Summer Day.
 
Recognizable faces popping up among the short film selections include; Alex Karpovsky in Michael Tyburski’s Actor Seeks Role; Alvaro Ron’s THE RED THUNDER features the trio of television stars Allie Grant (“Weeds”), Miles Heizer (“Parenthood”), and Karen Strassman (“Silicon Valley”); Jeff Tan’s MOTHER’S DAY stars Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo; and Ridley Scott and Michael Fassbender are producers of David Victori’s ZERO.
 
2016 will mark a banner year for Oxford filmmaking alumni. Among the seemingly countless local filmmakers seeing their work screen at the festival for the second or third, etc. time are; ARCHIE’S BETTY director Gerald Peary Archie’s Betty (FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES/2010); BROKE DICK DOG director G.B. Shannon (FRESH SKWEEZED/2012, PRETTY MONSTERS/2012, SONGS IN THE KEY OF DEATH/2013 and more); (Down Down Down director Coop Cooper (The Best Day/2012); Fallen Star AJC & The Envelope Pushers director Clay Hardwick; Fiddler’s Green director Thad Lee (Bill Lilly Builds a Greenhouse/2011); Fitting the Description in North Portland director Jarratt Taylor (THE NEW DEBUTANTES/2012); The Happy Song director Coop Cooper (The Best Day/2012); Hit & Run director Jordan Liebowitz (BINGO NIGHT/2015); THE HOUSE IS INNOCENT director: Nicholas Coles (TOWN PLANNER/2005);  INTERSECTION director Brendan Beachman (STASIS/2009); Life is Super Gr8 director: Wade Vanover (REPEATER/2015); LIVING WITH H.I.V. director Kathryn A. Rodenmeyer (UPROOTED/2005); Nirvana: A Short Film About Lung Cancer director J. Michael Hicks (PICTURE SHOW/2014); River Moon Black Birds and TAKE THE BUS ON A HOT SUMMER DAY director Gloria Chung (TAKE 5 WITH MEMORY V/2015); Rock Me Slow director Edward Valibus (Songs in the Key of Death/2014); Snow Day director: Drew Smith (BOOK OF NOAH/2008 and BEING AWESOME/2014); STAGRASSLE PARANORMAL director Glenn Payne (A HORROR MOVIE/2015); and ’Til Death director Matthew Graves (Dummy/2007, The Show Must Go On/2012, Barry/2015).
 
Tickets and passes are available for purchase to attend the 2016 Oxford Film Festival.

For more information please visit: http://www.oxfordfilmfest.com.
 

FILMS AND DESCRIPTIONS

 
Feature Films
 
A Poem is a Naked Person (2015)
Director: Les Blank
Country: USA, Running Time: 90 min
An ineffable mix of unbridled joy and vérité realism, A Poem Is a Naked Person presents the beloved singer-songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Leon Russell as filmed by documentarian Les Blank between 1972 and 1974. This singular film about an artist and his community never got an official theatrical release and has attained legendary status. Now, after more than forty years, it can finally be seen and heard in all its rough beauty.
 
An Open Secret (2015)
Director: Amy J. Berg
Country: USA, Running Time: 98 min
An Open Secret is an expose of the systemic and ongoing sexual abuse of minors in Hollywood and the investigation into the now infamous Digital Entertainment Network (DEN).
 
Archie’s Betty (2015)
Director: Gerald Peary
Country: USA, Running Time: 79 min
An independent documentary search for the real-life characters behind Archie comics.
 
THE ARMOR OF LIGHT (2015)
Director: Abigail Disney
Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min
What price conscience? Abigail Disney's directorial debut, The Armor of Light, follows the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America.
 
Babysitter (2015)
Director: Morgan Krantz
Country: USA, Running Time: 80 min
A dysfunctional L.A. family hires a mysterious babysitter who changes their lives.
 
Children of the Arctic (2015)
Director: Nick Brandestini
Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 93 min
Children of the Arctic is a portrait of Native Alaskan teenagers coming of age at America's northernmost edge. As their climate and culture undergo profound changes, they strive to be both modern American kids and the inheritors of an ancient whaling culture.
 
Dixie (2015)
Director: Ryan Kelley
Country: USA, Running Time: 93 min
The song “Dixie” has haunted the United States for over 150 years. Written in 1859 by a blackface minstrel, the song became the national anthem for the confederacy during the American Civil War. Modern musicians, both black and white, have reinterpreted the song and offered new insights into what it means to be an American, and what the future holds for America's most dangerous song.
 
Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015)
Directors: Tomm Jacobsen, Michael Rousselet, Jon Salmon
Country: USA, Running Time: 102 min
Behold comedy troupe 5-Second Films’ hysterical twist on 1980’s slasher flicks. In the wake of two back-to-back mass murders on Chico’s frat row, loner Brent Chirino must infiltrate the ranks of a popular fraternity to investigate his twin brother's murder at the hands of the serial killer known as Motherface.
 
Embers (2015)
Director: Claire Carré
Country: USA, Running Time: 85 min
After a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory. Five interwoven stories explore how we might learn, love and communicate in a future that has no past.
 
FORCED MOVE (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Tony Bloodworth
Country: USA, Running Time: 79 min
A man discovers a series of brutal murders while on his daily jog.  Realizing his home is next in the path of the killers, he races against time to save his family.
 
Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker (2015)
Director: Joanne Grant
Country: USA; Running Time: 63 min
Documentary reveals the instrumental role that Ella Baker, a friend and advisor to Martin Luther King, played in shaping the American civil rights movement. By looking at the 1960s from the perspective of Baker, the "godmother of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee," Fundi adds an essential understanding of the U.S. civil rights movement.
 
Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi (2015)
Director: Neal Broffman
Country: USA; Running Time: 75 min
A family's search for their missing son and the hunt for suspects in a terror attack tragically converge in Help Us Find Sunil Tripathi, a film about truth and community in the age of social media.
 
Jonathan Demme Presents Made in Texas (2015)
Country: USA; Running Time: 103 min
The film presentation is a series of six restored short films from Austin, Texas made during the high energy, punk rock ‘70s and ‘80s. Demme originally curated this program in 1981 and the films have been restored and presented as they were from the original screening.
 
THE KEEPERS (2015)
Directors: Sara Kaye Larson, Joann Self Selvidge
Country: USA, Running Time: 70 min
The Keepers is a portrait of the personalities and work of zookeepers shot with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access at the Memphis Zoo. A bittersweet, nonjudgmental look at what it means to find a place for yourself, working a job that you love.
 
Ladies of the House (2015)
Director: John Wildman
Country: USA; Running Time: 93 min
Film follows the events surrounding a birthday outing with two brothers and a friend which turns into a horrific fight for survival after they become trapped in a house with a "family" of malevolent women who enjoy a pin-up lifestyle and a special diet.
 
LongLeaf: The Heart of Pine (2015) – World Premiere
Director: Rex Jones
Country: USA; Running Time: 54 min
A cultural and natural history of the South's ancient primeval forest. Towering stands of old-growth longleaf pine (pinus palustris) once covered over 90 million acres while stretching from southern Virginia to eastern Texas. Today, the total acreage is about two million, with only about two thousand of that considered old growth.
 
THE MISSING GIRL (2015)
Director: A.D. Calvo
Country: USA, Running Time: 89 min
The Missing Girl tells the story of Mort, the lonely and disillusioned owner of a comic book shop, and Ellen, the emotionally disruptive, aspiring graphic novelist he's hired. The story involves the search for a girl who isn’t missing and the discovery that it's never too late for late bloomers.
 
Saved by Grace (2015)
Director: Johnny Remo
Country: USA, Running Time: 82 min
A retired police officer (Joey Lawrence), despondent over the loss of his family, contemplates a dramatic decision which will change his life forever, until he meets a mysterious woman who, through her personal stories, gives him a reason to re-examine what is most important to him.
 
Searching for Hell (2015)
Directors: Pawel Nazaruk, Tomasz Adamski, Darek Barecki, Yuki Nakamura, Gloria Kurnik, James Kenney
Country: USA, Running Time: 77 min
Hell exists. It’s just not what you think it is. The world’s first full-length documentary film in virtual reality cinema.
 
THE SINKING OF SOZOPOL (2015)
Director: Kostadin Bonev
Country: Bulgaria, Running Time: 100 min
An aging man goes back to Sozopol and brings along his memories and ten bottles of vodka. It is clear that when the vodka is over, something must happen. Something that will change his life forever. Because when hope is gone, a miracle is the last resort.
 
Slip, Tumble and Slide (2015)
Director: Max Myers
Country: USA; Running Time: 96 min
A family struggles to help the father (Scott Wilson) stop drinking and regain the close ties he once had to his sons and to his wife (Katherine Ross). With love, faith and music the come together as a family.
 
Spaghetti Man (2015) - World Premiere
Director: Mark Potts
Country: USA, Running Time: 88 min
Clark doesn't care about you. He doesn't care about the world. He barely cares about himself. But after an incident with an old bowl of spaghetti and a malfunctioning microwave, he becomes a superhero that can fight crime with the power of spaghetti. However, you have to pay him.
 
Texas Heart (2015)
Director: Mark David
Country: USA, Running Time: 100 min
Film tells the story of Peter Franklin, a crooked lawyer who's caught up in a loveless existence, loses a critical case for the mob, and runs off to hide out in a backwoods Texas town. There he encounters a compelling story involving a mentally-challenged young man who is accused of killing a beautiful girl. Frank soon faces an agonizing choice:  ignore the case in order to remain anonymous and far from the prying eyes of the mob or reach out and try to save the young man.
 
THE WEEK (2015)
Directors:  John W. Mann, Jon Gunn
Country: USA, Running Time: 97 min
Dick Romans is a washed up TV host whose wife leaves him the day before their ten-year anniversary celebration. Alone with his thoughts, his dog, and a ton of booze, Dick decides to go through with the week-long party... by himself. The seven event-filled days become his reluctant vision quest, filled with odd characters, awkward romance, and some long-overdue self-examination.
 
WHAT LOLA WANTS (2015)
Director: Rupert Glasson
Country: USA, Running Time: 81 min
17-year old Lola Franklin runs away from home but allows the world to believe she has been kidnapped. Intent on making her way across country, she meets a boy her age in a New Mexico diner. They fall instantly in love. But when Marlo learns of the reward for Lola's safe return, he must confront his own past and decide whether to take Lola back home to collect the reward or help her continue her mysterious journey.

Short Films and Music Videos

 
A King’s Betrayal (2015)
Director: David A Bornstein
Country: USA; Running Time: 8:27 min
The final 24 hours in the life of a Piñata, as told from the Piñata's perspective.
 
A Place Within a Place (2015)
Director: Edward Ramsay-Morin
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:22 min
Starting as a study in form and variability, this film soon developed into a meditation on isolation, transformation, presence and absence. It is composed from photographs of 400 exit holes from cicada nymph tunnels.
 
Actor Seeks Role (2015)
Director: Michael Tyburski
Country: USA; Running Time: 19 min
An aspiring method actor (Alex Karpovsky) in New York City resorts to medical acting, a part-time gig performing the symptoms of various illnesses for student doctors.
 
Affections (2015)
Director: Bridey Elliott
Country: USA; Running Time: 16:08 min
A comedy about isolation and loneliness, Affections follows a young woman, adrift, seeking intimacy in the most unlikely places.
 
American Virgin (2015)
Director: Tamzin Merchant
Country: USA; Running Time: 16:44 min
Allie is desperate to attend Juilliard summer school but her family can't afford it. With the help of her older cousin Ty, she decides to sell her most valuable asset…her virginity.
 
Anatomical Gifts (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Michaela O'Brien
Country: USA; Running Time: 5:58 min
An intensely patterned silent film spanning three generations of palpable minds. All medical imagining is sourced from the related grandmother, mother, and filmmaker.
 
Araignee (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Jeremy Jensen
Country: USA; Running Time: 1:22 min
Two talented spiders compete against each other. Who will be the best weaving master?
 
Atchafalaya (2015)
Director: Brian C Miller Richard
Country: USA; Running Time: 21 min
With his marriage on the rocks, Game Warden Henri Judice is forced to investigate a mysterious call-out deep in the Louisiana swamp before a devastating hurricane tears through the area.
 
THE BESPOKE TAILORING OF MISTER BELLAMY (2015)
Director: Alexander Jeffery
Country: USA, Running Time: 16:14 min
At the integration of the job market in 1964 Louisiana, a posting for a janitorial position at a local law firm and the discovery of an old sewing machine ignites a buried passion in old Mister Bellamy.
 
THE BLACK DEFINITION (2016)
Director: Michael Fant
Country: USA, Running Time: 11:03 min
Seven black male students discuss the racial climate in America today, including stereotypes, police brutality and progression.
 
Blazing Sun (2015)
Director: Fred Castadot
Country: Belgium; Running Time: 24 min
Under the leaden sky of a summer day, Eric goes to work to defend a great issue. But, blinded by stress, Eric is forgetting the most important thing...
 
BOOKER WRIGHT’S MASHUP (2016) - World Premiere
Director: George Gross
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:50 min
A musical video mashup of Booker Wright's infamous 1966 monologue on NBC News' TV documentary, Mississippi: A Self Portrait.
 
Bookin' (2015)
Directors: John Kirkscey and Billie Worley
Country: USA, Running Time: 18:03 min
Two Memphis jookers and two ballet dancers fuse their distinct dance styles to a soundtrack that mixes hip-hop beats and cello at a famous Memphis juke joint.  Shot in Memphis, Tennessee at the historic Earnestine & Hazel's.
 
Borrowed Time (2015)
Director: Lou Hamou-Lhadj, Andrew Coats
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:45 min
A weathered Sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on.
 
Bottle of Sunshine (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Damein Wash
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:58 min
A boy, all clean and dressed up, is denied ice cream and forbidden to get dirty by his mother. She leaves him on the bench as she goes into a shop. Then, a little girl appears.
 
Bottomless (2015)
Director: Véronique Vanblaere
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:03 min
A Belgian woman seeks citizenship in the United States, and finds that her experiences are bottomless.
 
THE BRAVEST, THE BOLDEST (2015)
Director: Moon Molson
Country: USA, Running Time: 16:53 min
A young mother in a Harlem housing project realizes the arrival of two uniformed soldiers brings news she can't bring herself to accept.
 
Broke Dick Dog (2016) - World Premiere
Director: G.B. Shannon
Country: USA, Running Time: 11 min
Three newly acquainted brothers confront their long absent and indifferent father.
 
THE BUTTON KING (2015)
Director: Ava Lowrey
Country: USA, Running Time: 8:04 min
Dalton Stevens is a folk artist from Bishopville, South Carolina. An insomniac, he stumbled on his art by accident – developing a hobby of covering things with buttons when unable to sleep late at night. Now in his late 80’s, Stevens has been creating folk art with buttons for over 20 years, becoming known as “The Button King.”
 
Call Me Cappy (2015)
Director: Maja Holzinger
Country: USA, Running Time: 17:34 min
Wally, a bowling alley manager in his 60s, leads a perfectly uneventful life. One day, he receives a piece junk of mail informing him that he has won a tropical cruise. Wally slowly becomes more and more intrigued by the idea of seeing the ocean for the first time.
 
Cannot Predict Now (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Kimberly Burleigh
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:38 min
Cannot Predict Now is a short experimental 3D computer animation.  It features a spherical form that continuously evolves to perform its function as a predictor of the future.
 
THE CUT (2016) - North American Premiere
Director: Jeroen Pool
Countries: UK, Netherlands, Running Time: 5:22 min
The Italian hairdresser Rodrigo has outspoken views on hairdressing and beauty. For him outer beauty, the sculpture, is inextricably linked with inner beauty, the soul. Anyone can cut hair, but hairdressing is about truly understanding and connecting with the person whose hair you are cutting.
 
Cut/Chop/Cook (2015)
Director: Joe York
Country: USA, Running Time: 13:37 min
CUT/CHOP/COOK profiles Rodney Scott of Scott's Bar-B-Q in Hemingway, South Carolina. Says Scott, "We only cook with wood and I'm so sure that we only cook with wood because we go out and chop it ourselves." This film was produced by the University of Mississippi's Media & Documentary Projects Center & the Southern Foodways Alliance, with funding from the Union Square Hospitality Group.
 
cyberGenesis (2015)
Director: André Silva
Country: USA, Running Time: 13 min
CYBERGENESIS is a fantastical, animated journey (segments of which have been creatively crowd-sourced) that imagines a future creation myth, crafted by cyber consciousness from bits and pieces of humanity's online legacy.
 
Delta Flavor (2015)
Director: Alison Fast
Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min
Artisan ice cream maker Hugh Balthrop of Sweet Magnolia Ice Cream Co. invents small-batch recipes like Delta Pecan, Muscadine Gelato and Sweet Tea Sorbet, linking small farmers with major markets, and mentoring youth into first time apprenticeships.
 
Down Down Down (2016)
Director: Coop Cooper
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:25 min
A music video by Steve Kolbus and the Clarksdale Blues Revue. Shot on location, live at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
 
El Portal (2015)
Director: J. Robinson
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:52 min
EL PORTAL is an experimental documentary about the Cedar Motor Lodge in El Portal, California (population: 474). Combining vintage analog home videos with footage shot this summer, the film spans twenty-five years, weaving together the complicated and tragic story of the lodge with the filmmaker’s family history.
 
Fallen Star AJC & THE ENVELPE PUSHERS (2016)
Director: Clay Hardwick
Country: USA, Running Time: 8 min
FALLEN STAR is what happens when you make it to the top. This music video combines three original songs into a cinematic narrative, following AJC into a world of bitter famedom. Of course, making a deal at the crossroads has its costs.
 
The Faucet (2016) - U.S. Premiere
Directors: Danny Klimetz, Samip Raval
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:28 min
A gentleman just wants to wash his hands…
 
THE FAVOR (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Eileen Myers
Country: USA, Running Time: 10:36 min
The film explores what it means to be a daughter, a husband and ultimately a partner. Ellen and Ralph have differing views on how to handle Ellen's dying mother's imminent passing. Finding a weathered photograph of her mother in happier times, Ellen is convinced this youthful love is what her mother needs to make her death easier.
 
FIDDLER’S GREEN (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Thad Lee
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:55 min
A song about a mysterious afterworld for people who are too bad for Heaven and too good for Hell.
 
FINDING CLEVELAND (2016)
Director: Larissa Lam
Country: USA, Running Time 12:24 min
Finding Cleveland is a documentary short film that follows Charles Chiu and his family on an emotional journey as they take a trip to Cleveland, Mississippi to visit the grave site of Charles’ father, KC Lou.
 
Fitting the Description in North Portland (2015)
Director: Jarratt Taylor (OFF Alum: The New Debutantes, 2012)
Country: USA, Running Time: 25:44
Recently, the students of Roosevelt High School received a wake up call after a fellow student was tased by the police in the St. John's neighborhood of Portland, Oregon. The stories they had been hearing about police violence weren't just news stories from another town about people they didn't know. These events were now happening in their backyard.
 
Flash (2015)
Director: Alberto Ruiz Rojo
Country: Spain, Running Time: 7 min
When a man looks at the photo strip he just took of himself in a photo booth, he cannot believe what he sees
 
Freedom Fighters (2016)
Director: Wade Patterson
Country: USA, Running Time: 16:53 min
The newest recruit of a right-wing militia finds himself at odds with the charismatic leader when the group tries to take a government official hostage.
 
Fulfilament (2015)
Director: Rhiannon Evans
Country: UK, Running Time: 7:33 min
Travel around the brain with a little, lost thought and discover what it takes to make a great idea.
 
The Gift (2016)
Director: Gabriel Robertson
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:48 min
To celebrate his eleventh birthday, a young boy selects his gift - little knowing that his choice will change the world.
 
Golden Shot (2015)
Director: Gokalp Gonen
Country: Turkey, Running Time: 8:40 min
Rusty machines, living in their small houses, imagine that the sun will come and take them to the sky someday. A small light keeps them alive and dreaming. But one of the machines wants to see the sun itself and has a plan for that.
 
THE GUESTS (2015)
Director: Shane Danielsen
Country: Australia, Running Time: 10:31 min
Alone in a strange new city, awaiting her husband’s return, a new mother has some unexpected visitors.
 
The Happy Song (2016)
Director: Coop Cooper
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:25 min
A music video by Blackwater Trio. Three lonely people having a bad day receive a mysterious invitation to an event which will change their lives.
 
Helen Turner, Pitmaster (2015)
Director: Joe York
Country: USA, Running Time: 14:01 min
Some folks think barbecue is a man’s world. But in Brownsville, Tennessee, it’s synonymous with a woman named Helen Turner. Mrs. Turner was the winner of the SFA’s 2012 Ruth Fertel Keeper of the Flame Award.
 
High Water Mark (2015)
Director: Tom Varisco
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:12
This short film contrasts sound recordings of the media’s dire Hurricane Katrina coverage with stunning views of a rebuilt New Orleans 10 years after.
 
Hit & Run (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Jordan Liebowitz
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:40 min
After a car accident disrupts their plans, two low level drug dealers scramble to dispose of the evidence only to discover their unwitting victim may be far more dangerous than they first imagined.
 
Honey and the Hive (2015)
Director:  Austin Alward
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
An adopted child uses her imagination to carve out a place for herself in the family where she feels she doesn’t belong.
 
THE HOUSE IS INNOCENT (2015)
Director: Nicholas Coles (OFF Alum: Town Planner 2005)
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:15 min
Meet Tom and Barbara, the proud new owners of a serial killer’s house — the most infamous residence in Sacramento, California. The middle-age couple soon realizes it's going to take more than a fresh coat of paint to whitewash their home's macabre history.
 
Hum (2015)
Director: Tom Teller
Country: USA, Running Time: 8:30 min
A solitary dish-washing robot living out his life in the back room of a restaurant is enlightened to the world that exists beyond his four walls. With the help of a small friend he breaks free of confinement to pursue his dream of exploration.
 
Hut Hut (2015)
Directors: Michael Allmon and Courtney Sandifer
Country: USA, Running Time: ???
Mike, a pre-teen scruffy loner, meets his neighbor, Bubba, who interrupts his solitude with unexpected companionship and life lessons.
 
Intersection (2015)
Director: Brendan Beachman
Country: USA, Running Time: 19:40 min
Two road construction workers flag for non existent vehicles on a remote intersection. The monotony of their day is smashed by the violent arrival of an object from the sky.
 
The Iraqi Superman (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Sajad Abbas
Country: Iraq, Running Time: 6 min
A tormented young man constructs an ingenious device to rescue his father from Abu Ghraib prison. What he finds there is far from his expectations, revealing the mistreatment and torture of prisoners. His hopes and dreams for a brighter future are dashed upon finding his father.
 
Jackdaw (2015)
Director: Travis Champagne
Country: USA, Running Time: 14:50 min
A father mourns on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s disappearance.
 
Kingdom of Garbage (2015)
Director: Yasir Kareem
Country: Iraq, Running Time: 9 min
Zahraa dreams of going to school. Instead she and her brother, Hassan, must scour a landfill site for valuable materials to provide for their poor family, competing against the other scavengers. When a trade between Zahraa and the self proclaimed ‘King of Garbage’ goes wrong, the sibling’s relationship is tested to breaking point – can the two overcome Zahraa’s innocent mistake?
 
Kudzu Kings 20th Anniversary (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Tate Moore
Country: USA, Running Time: 17:34 min
Kudzu Kings celebrate 20 years as a band at a special one night show at the Lyric Oxford.
 
Last Night (2016)
Director: Michael Ewing
Country: USA, Running Time: 13:42 min
A late night bar “conversation” among three friends reveals, in surprising ways, that actions have consequences.
 
LAYERS (2016)
Director: Christina Huff
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:45 min
Two Mississippians talk about their lives as artists. Claire Whitehurst talks about her art and her stylistic choices, while Jonathan Kent Adams talks about his struggles with his homosexual identity within his art. Using layers within their art is a very big theme for both artists, connecting these two talented artist's stories into one narrative.
 
Life is Super Gr8 (2015)
Director: Wade Vanover
Country: USA, Running Time: 14:58 min
LIFE IS SUPER GR8 provides a glimpse into the history and workings of the Super Gr8 Film Festival in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The first festival of its kind, each year Super Gr8 gives over 40 local filmmakers the rare opportunity to shoot either a color or black/white super 8mm film using vintages cameras. Features interviews with festival founders and a diverse cast of filmmakers, including Elwood "Trip" Madison, the poster designer for the 2016 Oxford Film Festival.
 
THE LIGHT THIEF (2015)
Director: Eva Daoud
Country: Spain, Running Time: 19 min
What’s left of love if its soul is stolen? What’s left of a person if love is stolen? The bitter tale of victims and their executioners, as they all exchange turns.
 
THE LIONS MOUTH OPENS (2015)
Director: Lucy Walker
Country: USA, Running Time: 28 min
A courageous young Scottish actress takes the boldest step imaginable to confront her risk of having inherited the fatal, incurable Huntington's Disease.
 
Little Sticker (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Michael Jackson Chaney
Country: USA, Running Time: 5 min
A couple arrives home after a tragic loss. As they process their situation they engage in very different methods of grieving and struggle over how to address the remnants of a kitschy family icon. Ultimately they come to terms with the possibility of reconciliation and remembrance.
 
LIVING WITH HIV (2014)
Director: Kathryn A. Rodenmeyer
Country: USA, Running Time: 28:09 min
Mississippi, the 'buckle' of the Bible Belt, ranks 7th in the U.S. for prevalence of HIV infection. Young African American men are the fastest growing group to become infected with HIV. In "Living with HIV," those infected with HIV share their stories and how they are living with this incurable condition.
 
LOCKED OUT: A MISSISSIPPI SUCCESS STORY (2015)
Director: Sean W. Malone
Country: USA, Running Time: 26:53 min
Locked Out chronicles the struggles and success of Melony Armstrong, an entrepreneur who fought state restrictions to become the first professional African hair braider in Mississippi. Her victory struck down laws which required aspiring natural hair professionals to endure years of expensive licensing that only benefited the cosmetology schools and didn't teach anything about hair braiding or natural hair.
 
Losing It (2015)
Director: Nathaniel Katzma
Country: USA, Running Time: 19:32 min
Mackenzie and Alexander discover they are pregnant while on tour with their band and are forced to make a decision that feels far beyond their years.
 
MO' BOUT JOE (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Tim O'Grady
Country: USA, Running Time: 24:51 min
"Outsider" artist Joe Wrenn of Charleston, Mississippi is featured in this 25-minute documentary. We glimpse into his life and his amazing and storied paintings.
 
Mother’s Day (2015)
Director: Jeff Tan
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:51 min
Tragedy forces Mary (Academy Award Winner Melissa Leo) and her son Jay (Gabriel Furman) to say goodbye forever.
 
Needle Town (2015)
Director: Kaspar Synnevåg, Henrik Hylland Uhlving
Country: Norway, Running Time: 3 min
Heroin addict Cato is stealing books to fund his drug habit. He has fallen in love with Goth Girl, who works at the local book shop. But the mall cop Crab Claw is about to make his life difficult.
 
THE NEW ORLEANS SAZERAC (2016) - World Premiere
Director: James Martin
Country: USA, Running Time: 20:28 min
Film is a short documentary that explores the expansive history and modern applications of the classic cocktail through interviews with historians, authors, experts, and bartenders.
 
Night of the Slasher (2015)
Director: Shant Hamassian
Country: USA, Running Time: 11:16 min
A 'shot-in-one-take' slasher film about a teenage girl who must commit horror movie sins by drinking alcohol, doing drugs, and having sex in order to lure a masked killer and exact revenge.
 
Nirvana: A Short Film About Lung Cancer (2015)
Director: J. Michael Hicks
Country: USA, Running Time: 15:54 min
Inspired by the director's own personal journey.  After running away from her home, a young cancer patient meets a grieving widower in a dilapidated cemetery. Lost in their own tragedies, the two converse about life, death and the spiritual self.
 
Ole Miss Rebel Blues (2016) - World Premiere
Directors: Nancy Maria Balach, Katie McLaughlin
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:52 min
The “Ole Miss Rebel Blues” celebrates music, football, and the social culture of Oxford, Mississippi. This Mississippi music video was created, produced, and performed by established artists (University of Mississippi faculty and alumni), who worked side by side with current UM students and children from the Oxford community.
 
Olilo (2015)
Director: Ao Li
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:40 min
Olilo is a 2D animation that tells the story of an introverted girl held captive by her own semi-transparent personal space. Created through a combination of traditional frame-by-frame and digital drawing as well as key frame animation, the film focuses on love and its capacity to transform all things.
 
On Surgery (2015)
Directors: Russell Sheaffer, Aaron Michael Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:36 min
The visuals for On Surgery are an attempt to replicate the physical process of bone surgery on the body of 16mm film stock.  By wetting raw, unprocessed 16mm color negative film and then separating out the photosensitive emulsion from the base of the film using a medical scalpel and then reapplying the layers, the only images visible are representative of the scars left on the film.
 
Once A Month (and Behind the Scenes documentary) (2015) - World Premiere
Director: Alice Walker
Country: USA, Running Time: 25 min
Tom and Tina have their friends Bob and Betty over once a month for dinner, but this is the first time they have gotten together since Bob's death. When Betty arrives, Tom and Tina realize that the evening may be a little more "lively" than expected.
 
One Minute for Katrina (2015)
Directors: Serafima Serafimova, Max Halley
Country: UK, Running Time: 1 min
One Minute for Katrina marks the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The animation offers people a chance to reflect and remember those who lost their lives and many who continue to be affected.
 
One Star Delta Night (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Jason Rochelle
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:40 min
A love story in the heart of the Mississippi Delta. A night where everything is just right. Where a romantic night turns into a beautiful relationship.
 
Oxford Canteen (2015)
Directors: Brett Mizelle and Heather Richie
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:44 min
Oxford Canteen profiles the Oxford eatery of the same name. Working in a 10×15-foot kitchen (a converted storage closet) in the Lyric Theater, chef-owner Corbin Evans turns out lunch specials like brisket grilled cheese, seasonal salads, and New Orleans–style ya-ka-mein. He serves the fare through a window, and diners can take their orders to go or sit at cantilevered tables drilled into the exterior wall of the building.
 
Paperous (2015)
Director: Miles Carby
Country: USA, Running Time: 8:11 min
Michael, unnoticed, but ever-observant, is going through a transformation brought on by the divorce of his parents. In this coming of age adventure, he fights to preserve the only life he knows.
 
Perfect Houseguest (2015)
Directors: Ru Kuwahata, Max Porter
Country: USA, Running Time: 1:35 min
A house is visited by a clean, organized, well-mannered guest.
 
Phantom Limbs (2015)
Director: Reed O'Beirne
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:44 min
A cameraless film created from animated MRI scans to evoke an enveloping world of light breaking upon the mind. Peering deep into our psychic home, Phantom Limbs engineers a link between inner space and the human spirit. Set to music by Seattle band, St. Kilda.
 
THE PLASTIC BAG (2016) - US Premiere
Director: Jørgen Johansen
Country: Norway, Running Time: 1 min
Two strangers share a moment with a plastic bag.
 
Preacherman (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Calum Macdiarmid
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:04 min
Music video featuring Melody Gardot, based on the story of civil rights hero Emmett Till.
 
PREGGO (2015)
Director: Kristin Slaysman
Country: USA, Running Time 7:52 min
Sam is thirty, single, broke and nine months pregnant in NYC. So... everything is fine.
 
THE PRESENT (2015)
Director: Jacob Frey
Country: Germany, Running Time: 4:20 min
Jake spends most of his time playing video games indoors until his mum decides to give him a present.
 
THE PUDDLE (2015)
Director: Serdar Yilmaz
Country: Turkey, Running Time: 9:51 min
A man in the flea market (Mihran Tomasyan) walks while checking walls covered with old posters and counters full of stuff with prying eyes. Due to the incarnating object that he sees on one of the counters just carries him away into another reality.
 
Put Down (2015)
Director: Rick Limentani
Country: UK, Running Time: 10 min
John is a socially awkward man in a downward spiral of debt, until a lucky accident propels him into a new career as a black-market pet exterminator. In these difficult times, some families can no longer afford a pet. John has some inventive ways to help them.
 
Ready to Roll (2015)
Directors: Molly Nemer and Alexandra Lampert
Country: USA, Running Time: 1:39 min
In READY TO ROLL you’ll meet Earline Hall, formerly of the beloved Biscuit Pit in Grenada, Mississippi, and now the biscuit maven at My Guys in Oxford. It’s hard to describe Ms. Hall’s biscuits except to say that they are just right in every way, albeit petite enough that you’re going to want at least two. She attributes their taste to a mixture of sweet milk and buttermilk.
 
THE RED THUNDER (2015)
Director: Alvaro Ron
Country: Spain, Running Time: 6:26 min
Sarah (Allie Grant), a nerdy teenager, needs her mom's brand new car to go on a date with Danny (Miles Heizer), the boy she is in love with. Her mom, Dr. Thun (Karen Strassman), an absent minded podiatrist, is concerned about Sarah driving by the dangerous streets of downtown Los Angeles. She tells her daughter she may need her car if one of her patients has an emergency, but Sarah decides to disobey her mom and steal the car. Little does she know the vehicle is actually part of a secret Dr. Thun keeps and this discovery will change Sarah's life forever.
 
River Moon Black Birds (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Gloria Chung
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:20 min
An experimental documentary on recent hurricane landfalls (2009-2014, eastern seaboard of the United States).  "An alarm sounds over a quiet river.  Supermoons are burning.  Blackouts across the city.  Storm winds carry tropical birds."
 
Rock Me Slow (2016)
Director: Edward Valibus
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:40 min
Alone with her just her thoughts, a bottle of bourbon, and her music, Faith Evans Ruch dwells on heartbreak and sorrow.
 
Roots (2015)
Director: Alison Fast
Country: USA, Running Time: 12 min
Holly Springs conservationists awaken magic, history and a sense of "place" during the Strawberry Plains Audubon Hummingbird Festival, only to uncover the startling roots of ecological resilience in the heart of community.
 
Roubado (2015)
Director: Erica A. Watson
Countries: France, USA, Running Time 18 min
ROUBADO tells the story of Alain Castelo, an introverted Afro-Portuguese teen growing up in the south of France. As he suffers his parents' recent breakup, the only solace he can muster is his penchant for photography.  When his mother's new live-in boyfriend crosses the line, his eyes are opened to the world and he can no longer hide behind the viewfinder of his vintage camera.
 
Ruremarm (2016)
Directors: Melvin Robinson (Theca Jones), Joecephus Martin
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:12 min
Skipp Coon makes the street his congregation. 
 
SCRABBLE (2015)
Director: Cristian Sulser
Country: Switzerland, Running Time: 11:25 min
Scrabble addresses the secret desire to break out of the routine of a loveless relationship and illuminates with irony the depths of humanity behind a traditional façade – using a simple board game.
 
THE SEAFARER AND THE MOONLIGHT (2015)
Director: James Dastoli
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:30 min
An ancient mariner does battle with a behemoth from the deep.
 
SI (2015)
Director: Samantha Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:34 min
A magical tale that follows Si, a temperamental 6-year old, who gets a goldfish from her parents after begging for a puppy.
 
THE SIBLING CODE (2015) – World Premiere
Director: Roberta Munroe
Country: USA, Running Time: 6:45 min
In the midst of choosing between a traditional Miyazaki funeral and letting the ashes be one with the wind, Austin and Sheryl duke it out.
 
Snow Day (2015)
Director: Drew Smith
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:06
Nothing's more exciting to a kid in Memphis than the one snow day they get a year. But when a bully tries to ruin it for one five-year old, he decides to get even.
 
Spare Rooms (2015)
Director: Matthew T. Bowden
Country: USA, Running Time: 17 min
1985. The rural Midwest. When a same-sex family's teenage son, Will, invites his friend Walker to stay overnight, Will's parents, Rae and Marie, create elaborate plans to appear in the closet. But when those plans backfire, they discover the key to a good lie is in its details.
 
Spearhunter (2015)
Directors: Adam Roffman, Luke Poling
Country: USA, Running Time: 13:50 min
Deep in the wilds of rural Alabama, a spear-hunter proclaims himself the world's greatest and erects a museum dedicated to his own obsession. In this atmospheric and darkly funny documentary, an offbeat cast of lovers, acolytes, and critics of the megalomaniacal spear-hunter remember his distinctive tactics both for killing and for leaving a legacy.
 
Stargrassle Paranormal (2016)
Director: Glenn Payne
Country: USA, Running Time: 27:50 min
Welcome to Stagrassle! Meet the Colonel, Penny, Enzo and Bernice, their friends and foes, the ghosts that haunt them and Larry, the man that documents their misadventures.
 
Stitch (2014)
Director: Alison Fast
Country: USA, Running Time: 9 min
An Oxford-Tupelo company specializing in bespoke, custom-raw-denim, helps to revive the garment industry in northeast Mississippi, tapping local talent, and promising growth and job creation for Mississippi.
 
Stockholm (2015)
Director: Álvaro Martín
Country: Spain, Running Time: 9 min
Writing a school report about your father’s occupation can be a challenge, especially when his work is disturbing.
 
Swallowed Whole (2015)
Director: Heidi Kumao
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:06 min
Swallowed Whole is a somber, animated, experimental film about surviving extreme isolation and physical limitations as a result of traumatic injury.
 
Sweetly Broken (2015)
Director: Chung Lam
Country: Czech Republic, Running Time: 5:25 min
It's what happens when a boy puppet gets separated from the girl puppet of his love and the lengths he goes to to reunite with her.
 
Take the Bus on a Hot Summer Day (2016) - World Premiere
Director: Gloria Chung
Country: USA, Running Time: 4:40 min
A bus ride through Midtown. A reverie of blurred colors, kaleidoscopic movements and muffled sounds on a hot summer day in the city.
 
Take with Water (2015)
Director: Tara O'Sullivan
Country: USA, Running Time: 9:55 min
After her first one night stand, Emma navigates the awkward and unfamiliar world of casual sex and learns to embrace her sexuality.
 
THEY CRAWL AMONG US! (2015)
Director: Sihanouk Mariona
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:30 min
A stop-motion documentary about life in New York City — as told by its pests!
 
THREE FINGERS (2015)
Director: Paul D. Hart
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:30 min
A young female Marine war veteran navigates her disintegrating life until there is nothing left but to make a choice.
 
Til Death (2016)
Director: Matthew Graves
Country: USA, Running Time: 10:05 min
On the dark and stormy night of his fiancée's funeral, a grieving man, so overwhelmed at the thought of never seeing the love of his life again, decides to bring her home.
 
TUMBLE DRY LOW (2015)
Director: Jefferson Stein
Country: USA, Running Time: 7 min
A little girl and her father deal with loss in East Texas.
 
TWISTED (2015)
Director: Stuart Bowen
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:53 min
The Good, The Bad and the Inflatable.  School reunions are strange for anyone, but especially our socially awkward hero. When the girl of his middle school dreams makes her appearance known, he will stop at nothing to win her over...even if it means going into a unique and totally bonkers balloon battle with his old bully and school nemesis one last time.
 
VANCOUVER ZOETROPE (2016) - North American Premiere
Director: Jeffery Chong
Country: Canada, Running Time: 5 min
Vancouver’s iconic Burrard Bridge is recognized for its monumental design and aesthetic details. This film reveals a hidden architectural feature of the bridge that is only visible to motorists.
 
VIOLA: A MOTHER’S STORY OF JUVENILE JUSTICE (2015)
Directors: Sarah Fleming, Joann Self Selvidge
Country: USA, Running Time: 7:55 min
A mother shares personal stories about her life and her struggles with her son Edward, who has been involved with the juvenile justice system in Memphis, Tennessee.
 
VISH (2015)
Director: Danny Klimetz
Country: USA, Running Time: 5:30 min
Vish was shot and edited by Danny Klimetz. Danny is a photographer based in Oxford, Mississippi and his skills transferred impressively to video in this profile of chef Vishwesh Bhatt of Snackbar.
 
WEST OF ELVIS (2015) -  Audience Awards Winner
Director: Louis Bourgeois
Country: USA, Running Time: 8:05 min
West of Elvis is the last documentary made of Paul MaCleod, the curator of Graceland Too, arguably the largest and strangest collection of Elvis memorabilia in the world.
 
WHAT’S IN A NAME (2015)
Director: Daniel Robin
Country: USA, Running Time: 12:15 min
What's in a Name is about sculpting identities, both in terms of how the world sees us and how we view ourselves. These themes are woven into the juxtaposition of two stories that form a dialogue across generations. The question of Jewish identity and authenticity of culture is examined through home movies, archival footage, interviews and abstract recreations.
 
Women and Work (2016)
Director: Jonathan Pekar
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:23 min
A music video that celebrates the great Southern band Lucero’s music and character.
 
XO (2015)
Director: Brian Ratigan
Country: USA, Running Time: 3:30 min
Fearing her own memories, a girl begins the cerebral journey of longing for escape before completely fading away.
 
YALO (2015)
Director: Alison Fast
Country: USA, Running Time: 10 min
A small town craft brewery hits it big, producing bold new tastes like Miss-iss-IPA, River Ale and small-batch, bourbon barrel-aged stout, in what is formerly a dry county. YALO showcases the persistent rise of creative entrepreneurs in Water Valley, and the importance of small businesses to revitalize Main Street.
 
YOU CAN STAY HERE (2016)
Director: John Veron
Country: USA, Running Time: 2:59 min
In a school that is no longer a school, a man is pursued by a boy who is no longer a boy.
 
ZERO (2015)
Director: David Victori
Country: Spain, Running Time: 29 min
A boy and his father are emotionally and physically separated on the day earth intermittently loses gravity. The boy is wrestling with questions about his mother's death, while his father desperately tries to find his son as the world is rising and collapsing around him.

SEX IN PUBLIC AT OUTsider 2016 FESTIVAL REVEALS UPCOMING EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

OUTsider, Queer Multi-Arts Festival and Conference,

 Returns to Austin on February 17-21, 2016

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Austin, TX — OUTsider, a mischievous non-profit queer multi-arts festival and conference, celebrating creative nonconformity and cross-disciplinary play, will take place February 17-21, 2016 in Austin, TX. OUTsider ventures into its second edition with a bold new theme: “Sex in Public.” Following the legalization of gay marriage, this theme promises an imaginatively “undomesticated” spectacle of multi-disciplinary art that puts the sex back in homosexuality, while friskily queering bodies, bedrooms and behaviors.

OUTsider will honor erotic icon and self-proclaimed “post-porn modernist” Annie Sprinkle and her partner, ecological sex (“eco-sex”) artist Beth Stephens, with the second annual OUTsider Legacy Award. For the festivities, Sprinkle and Stephens will deliver a performative lecture on their sinsational work, spanning porn, performance, activism and visual art. This lecture will be followed by an ECOSEX WALKING TOUR: Sprinkle and Stephen’s guided tour of the ecosexy sites of Manor Road, inviting audience members to experience the fun as they shift the metaphor from “Earth as mother,” to “Earth as lover!,” learning 25 ways to make love to the Earth, finding the e-spot and exploring the eroticism of nature through the senses.

“OUTsider is delighted to honor Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens with our 2016 Legacy Award,” states Curran Nault, OUTsider Artistic Director. “The playful daring and oddball charm of their work champions the same spirit that drives OUTsider. We’re tickled pink to have them here in Austin, sharing their boldly uncommon work with our festival audience.” 

Opening Night of OUTsider 2016 will feature a glitter-tasseled array of burlesque, headlined by the electrifying Oakland-based artist La Chica Boom, who evokes hyper-raciality/sexuality/gender to arouse provocative questions about coloniality, compulsory whiteness and Mexicanidad. Opening Night will also witness the unveiling of this year’s Installation Centerpiece, THE NEW RULES OF FLAGGING, a multi- screen video installation and exhibition conceived and curated by Los Angeles garage-aesthetic artist Jonesy. FLAGGING pays interactive homage to the infamous “gay hanky code”: a color coded system of handkerchiefs used among gay male casual sex-seekers in the 1970s to indicate preferred sexual activities, fetishes and positions.

“La Chica Boom and Jonesy are two of the most provocative queer artists working today, particularly on matters of sex and sexuality,” says Nault. “La Chica Boom effectively wows audiences with her spectacular, bodily performances, while also managing to make them think deeply about race, politics and culture. And, Jonesy seduces audiences into sexy and surreal landscapes that allow them to experience the world anew. These two remarkable talents fearlessly embody this year’s ‘Sex in Public’ theme.”

OUTsider’s full festival program, sexy and otherwise, will be announced in early January, and will include everything from a multi-disciplinary art event exploring stories of queer Southern migration from diverse perspectives of gender, geography and race (Y’ALL COME BACK), to an early career retrospective of renowned Chicana performance artist, and famed WORK OF ART contestant, Nao Bustamante. OUTsider 2016 will also mark the return of the enormously popular academic-cum-artist series “Conference on the Couch,” featuring panels on such things as queer art and gentrification, the often thin line between art and porn, and much more.

Badges for OUTsider go on sale on Tuesday, November 17th, as part of a crowdfunding campaign on Generosity by Indiegogo. Aiming to raise $10,000 to cover the high costs associated with artist travel, lodging and operational fees for a DIY non-profit without corporate sponsors, OUTsider has enlisted the help of wacky “televangelist” duo Reverie and Randee—played by local performance artist Paul Soileau (CHRISTEENE) and filmmaker PJ Raval (BEFORE YOU KNOW IT). Reverie and Randee will release a series of wild videos in conjunction with the campaign, and will host a live telethon at the campaign’s end: Sunday, December 6th at Salvage Vanguard Theater (2803 E. Manor Road, Austin, TX). This telethon will also be broadcast live online.  

HIGHLIGHTED ARTIST BIOS

Annie Sprinkle was a NYC prostitute and porn star for twenty years, then morphed into an artist and sexologist. She has passionately explored sexuality for over forty years, sharing her experiences through making her own unique brand of feminist sex films, writing books and articles, visual art making, creating theater performances, and teaching. Annie has consistently championed sex worker rights and health care and was one of the pivotal players of the Sex Positive Movement of the 1980’s. She got her BFA at School of Visual Arts in NYC was the first porn star to earn a Ph.D. She’s a popular lecturer whose work is studied in many colleges and Universities. For the past 12 years she has been collaborating on art projects with her partner, artist and UCSC professor, Elizabeth Stephens. They are movers and shakers in the new “ecosex movement,” committed to making environmentalism more sexy, fun and diverse. In 2013, Sprinkle proudly received the Artist/Activist/Scholar Award from Performance Studies International at Stanford, and was awarded the Acker Award for Excellence in the Avant Garde. 

Elizabeth M. "Beth" Stephens is an American artist, sculptor, filmmaker, photographer, professor and former Chair of the Art Department at UC Santa Cruz. Stephens, who describes herself as "ecosexual", collaborates with her partner since 2002, ecosexual artist, radical sex educator, and performer Annie Sprinkle. In 2013, Stephens produced and directed Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story, a film addressing Mountaintop removal mining near her birthplace and its effects on the environment and nearby communities. Her work has been shown internationally, including at Museum Kunstpalast (Düsseldorf), El Ojo Atomico Antimuseo de Arte Contemporáneo (Spain) and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. 

Xandra Ibarra is an Oakland-based performance artist from the El Paso/Juarez border who performs and works under the alias of La Chica Boom. She uses hyper-raciality/sexuality/gender as an experience based mode of inquiry into her relationship with coloniality, compulsory whiteness and Mexicanidad. Ibarra uses video, objects, photography and sex acts to evoke comedic and melancholic racial and sexual expectation. Her aim is to amplify gendered and racialized iconography and make such problematic constructions via spectacle more transparent to the spectator—what she calls spictacles—camp spectacles of degeneracy and power. As a community organizer, Ibarra’s work is located within immigrant, anti-rape and prison abolitionist movements. Since 2003, she has actively participated in organizing with INCITE!, a national feminist of color organization dedicated to creating interventions at the intersection of state and interpersonal violence. She currently organizes with FUSE, a national grassroots collective founded by sex workers of color. She lectures courses at San Francisco Art Institute and presents her academic and performance work at various bars, theaters, hole in the wall places, Universities and institutions. Ibarra’s work has been featured at El Museo de Arte Contemporañeo (Bogotá, Colombia), Popa Gallery (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Joe’s Pub (NYC), PPOW Gallery (NYC), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF), and The Burlesque Hall of Fame (Las Vegas) to name a few.

Jonesy lives in Los Angeles. He studied photography and video at Tyler School of Art and while at Tyler fell under the spell of punk rock and started making music. In 2009 at Basso in Berlin, Germany, he did a collaborative multimedia installation and performance with former bandmates from the seminal San Francisco band Fagbash chronicling their rise as a band amidst the queer rock movement of the 1990's. Since 2008, he has been creating a series of animated short films that have screened internationally at the Oberhausen Film festival, the Toronto Film Festival, MIX NYC, aGLIFF, Outfest Los Angeles and others. Recent screenings and exhibitions have taken place at Yale University, the Hammer Museum, POPA Buenos Aires, an Outfest commissioned live piece in 2013 and the headline program at the Portland Experimental Film Festival. His work has been reviewed in Artforum, Frieze, Art Review, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and X-tra magazine. 

Nao Bustamante is a Chicana multimedia and performance artist, from the San Joaquin Valley in California, Her work largely explores issues of ethnicity, class, gender, performativity, and the body. She first trained in postmodern dance before moving into the realm of performance in the mid-1980s. She has been called "the doyenne of the Bay Area’s underground cultural scene.” She holds a BFA/MA from the San Francisco Art Institute and currently serves as Associate Professor of New Media and Live Art at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

She has exhibited, among other locales, at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London, the New York Museum of Modern Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Sundance International Film Festival, Outfest International Film Festival, El Museo del Barrio Museum of Contemporary Art, First International Performance Biennial, Deformes in Santiago, Chile and the Kiasma Museum of Helsinki. In 2001 she received the prestigious Anonymous Was a Woman fellowship and in 2007 named a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellow, as well as a Lambent Fellow. In 2014/15 Bustamante was the Queer Artist in Residence at UC Riverside and in 2015 she was a UC MEXUS Scholar in Residence preparing for a solo exhibit at Vincent Price Art Museum in Los Angeles. Bustamante competed in the first season of Bravo's Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. 

OUTSIDER INFORMATION

OUTsider is an Austin-based 501c(3) non-profit that celebrates the bold originality and creative nonconformity of the LGBTQI and Ally communities through the presentation of provocative, overlooked and out-of-the-box film, theater, dance, performance art, music, writing and visual art. Through its annual festival and conference, OUTsider brings together queer artists, audiences and scholars from around the globe to exchange ideas, ignite conversations, transcend boundaries and experience new pleasures through artistic discovery. 

The second annual OUTsider will take place February 17-21, 2016 at the Salvage Vanguard Theater (2803 E. Manor Road, Austin, TX), as well as other venues on and around Manor Road in Austin.

Badges for the festival can be purchased through Generosity by Indiegogo: bit.ly/OUTsider2016. 

Badges will be on discount, starting at $35 ($25 for students), until the end of the campaign: December 6, 2015. Badges grant access to all performances at the festival. Tickets for individual shows will be available at the festival on a case-by-case basis, pending seat availability.

OUTsider

info@outsiderfest.org

www.outsiderfest.org

bit.ly/OUTsider2016

FSLC and The Jewish Museum announce 25th annual New York Jewish Film Festival main slate

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Jewish Museum will present the 25th annual New York Jewish Film Festival (NYJFF) at the Film Society’s Walter Reade Theater and Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, January 13-26, 2016. The festival is one of the oldest and most influential Jewish film festivals worldwide, unique in New York City, and one of the longest running partnerships of two major New York cultural institutions. Since its founding in 1992, the NYJFF has presented more than 675 films from 43 countries, of which 320 were world, U.S., or New York premieres, and many have gone on to win awards and gain wider distribution.


This year’s lineup includes 38 features and shorts from 12 countries—21 screening in their world, U.S., or New York premieres—providing a diverse global perspective on the Jewish experience. The 25th edition will feature a retrospective of film highlights from previous festivals, a poster exhibition, a panel discussion, and other special programming in honor of the New York Jewish Film Festival’s silver anniversary to be announced shortly along with the complete festival schedule.

The New York Jewish Film Festival opens on Wednesday, January 13 with the U.S. premiere of Yared Zeleke’s Lamb, the first Ethiopian film to be an Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. This feature debut focuses on young Ephraim, who is sent by his father to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death. But when his beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, the boy will do anything to save the animal and return home.

Closing Night on January 26 will feature A Tale of Love and Darkness, Academy Award winner Natalie Portman’s debut as screenwriter and director. Based on Amos Oz’s international best-seller, the film recounts the time Oz spent with his mother, Fania (Portman), who struggled to raise her son in Jerusalem at the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel.

Screening in its U.S. premiere is a special presentation of Amos Gitai’s Rabin, the Last Day, a thought-provoking thriller investigating the brutal 1995 assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin through a masterful combination of dramatized scenes and news footage of the shooting and its aftermath, shedding light on an ever-growing crisis of the impunity of hate crimes in Israel today.

Catherine Tambini’s documentary Art and Heart: The World of Isaiah Shefferreceives its world premiere, celebrating founder and artistic director of Symphony Space Isaiah Sheffer and his indelible influence on music, theater, television, and culture across three decades in New York. Also receiving its world premiere is Sarah Kramer’s short Period. New Paragraph., a loving portrait of a father by his daughter, as well as an homage to a past era.

Sam Ball’s The Rifleman’s Violin will receive its New York premiere as part of a special musical event. In this documentary short, violinist Stuart Canin recalls the private performance he gave at the request of Harry Truman to break the tension at post-World War II negotiations with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin. Following the film, Canin will recreate his performance with pianist Thomas Sauer before an on-stage discussion with Canin, producer Abraham Sofaer, director Sam Ball, and Stanford University historian Norman Naimark.

A trio of documentaries receiving New York or U.S. premieres examine three individuals whose lives intersected with the world of film. Marianne Lambert’s documentary I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman, a U.S. premiere, dives into the 40-film oeuvre of the late Jewish Belgian pioneer, who traced a worldwide path of rugged avant-garde and political art from Brussels to Tel Aviv, Paris to New York. Barry Avrich’s The Man Who Shot Hollywoodexplores the life of Yasha Pashkovsky, a Jewish Russian immigrant photographer who practiced his art anonymously during Hollywood’s golden age and amassed 400 portraits of movie stars, including Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gary Cooper, and Shirley Temple. Tatiana Brandrup’s Cinema: A Public Affair charts the rise and fall of the Moscow State Central Cinema Museum under the leadership of Russian film historian Naum Kleiman, who founded the institution in 1989 as the Soviet Union was collapsed and gave rise to the perestroika reform movement.

See below for the full lineup.

This year’s New York Jewish Film Festival was selected by Florence Almozini, Associate Director of Programming, Film Society of Lincoln Center; Rachel Chanoff, THE OFFICE performing arts + film; Jaron Gandelman, Curatorial Assistant for Media, Jewish Museum and Coordinator, New York Jewish Film Festival; Jens Hoffmann, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Public Programs, Jewish Museum and Curator for Special Programs, New York Jewish Film Festival; Dennis Lim, Director of Programming, Film Society of Lincoln Center; and Aviva Weintraub, Associate Curator, Jewish Museum and Director, New York Jewish Film Festival.

The New York Jewish Film Festival is made possible by the Martin and Doris Payson Fund for Film and Media. Generous support is also provided by Mimi and Barry Alperin, The Liman Foundation, Sara and Axel Schupf, Monica and Andrew Weinberg, and through public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Most of the New York Jewish Film Festival’s screenings will be held at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, located at 165 West 65th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway. Some of the special programs will take place at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 West 65th Street, between Amsterdam Avenue and Broadway.
NYJFF tickets will go on sale Tuesday, December 22. A pre-sale to Film Society and Jewish Museum members will begin Thursday, December 17 at noon. Tickets are $14; $11 for students and seniors (62+); and $9 for Film Society and Jewish Museum members. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the Film Society's Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center and Walter Reade Theater box offices, 144 & 165 West 65th Street. For our free event ticket policy and complete festival information, visit www.NYJFF.org.



FILM DESCRIPTIONS & SCHEDULE



Opening Night
Lamb
Yared Zeleke, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway, 2015, DCP, 94m
Amharic with English subtitles   
Yared Zeleke’s remarkable feature debut tells the story of young Ephraim, who is sent by his father to live among distant relatives after his mother’s death. Ephraim uses his cooking skills to carve out a place among his cousins, but when his uncle decides that Ephraim’s beloved sheep must be sacrificed for the next religious feast, the boy will do anything to save the animal and return home. Lamb is the first film from Ethiopia to be included in the Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival and the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, January 13, 3:30pm & 8:00pm

Closing Night
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Natalie Portman, Israel/USA, DCP, 98m
Hebrew with English subtitles
Based on Amos Oz’s international best-seller, A Tale of Love and Darknessrecounts the time Oz spent with his mother, Fania (Natalie Portman), who struggles with raising her son in Jerusalem at the end of the British Mandate for Palestine and the early years of the State of Israel. Dealing with a married life of unfulfilled promises and integration in a foreign land, Fania battles her inner demons and longs for a better world for her son. 
Tuesday, January 26, 3:30pm & 8:45pm

Art and Heart: The World of Isaiah Sheffer
Catherine Tambini, USA, 2015, HDCAM, 52m
One of New York’s great Renaissance men, Isaiah Sheffer left an indelible mark on music, theater, television, and culture across three decades in the Big Apple. He was the founder and artistic director of Symphony Space, the originator of Bloomsday on Broadway, and the comic genius behind the Thalia Follies. He hosted the popular WNYC Radio program Selected Shorts and earned an Emmy nomination for his Road to the White House series on NBC. He was a husband and a father, and a mentor to many. Art and Heart: The World of Isaiah Sheffercelebrates his life through interviews with Morgan Freeman, Stephen Colbert, Leonard Nimoy, and many others. World Premiere

Screening with:
The Man Who Shot Hollywood
Barry Avrich, Canada, 2015, DCP, 12m
Yasha Pashkovsky was a Jewish Russian immigrant and photographer who practiced his art anonymously during Hollywood’s golden age. Unable to keep up with the swift business pace of the West Coast, Pashkovsky photographed movie stars and stored the prints under his bed. By 1950 he had amassed 400 portraits of movies stars, including Clark Gable, Judy Garland, Gary Cooper, and Shirley Temple, which went undiscovered until 2001, the year of his death at age 89. This short compiles and releases these gems as part of an inquiry into Pashkovsky’s motivations and the glamour of anonymity. New York Premiere
Thursday, January 14, 1:30pm & 6:30pm

Ben Zaken
Efrat Corem, Israel, 2014, DCP, 85m
Hebrew with English subtitles
Shlomi Ben Zaken lives with his mother, brother, and 11-year-old daughter on a run-down housing estate in the small Israeli city of Ashkelon. As a single parent of a troubled child, he confronts a series of hardships and difficult decisions: space is tight in the apartment, work life is stagnant, and social services threaten to break up the family. Efrat Corem’s remarkable debut feature is a sensitive and austere portrait of a father and family attempting to redefine themselves against all odds.New York Premiere
Monday, January 18, 6:45pm
Wednesday, January 20, 1:30pm

Carvalho’s Journey
Steve Rivo, USA, 2015, DCP, 85m
Carvalho’s Journey tells the extraordinary story of Solomon Nunes Carvalho, an explorer and artist who photographed the sweeping vistas and treacherous terrain of the American West in the mid-19th century. Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Carvalho was a middle-class portrait painter and an observant Sephardic Jew who had never saddled a horse. Everything changed in 1853 when he joined the famed explorer John C. Frémont on his Fifth Westward Expedition, a 2,400-mile journey from New York City to California. Carvalho’s experience as a Jew on the Western trail was unprecedented, and his photography provides a clear window into the interethnic cultural exchanges that shaped America in the era of Manifest Destiny.New York Premiere
Monday, January 25, 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Cinema: A Public Affair
Tatiana Brandrup, Germany, 2015, DCP, 100m
Russian, German, and Hebrew with English subtitles
In 1989, as the Soviet Union was collapsing and giving rise to the perestroika reform movement, Russian film historian Naum Kleiman founded the Moscow State Central Cinema Museum. Within a decade, the museum accrued more than 150,000 titles in its electronic catalog and became a haven for artistic and intellectual discourse in the new political era. It was a tragic and symbolic gesture, then, when the cultural ministry scandalously closed the museum and dismissed Kleiman amid nationwide censorship. Tatiana Brandrup’s new documentary charts the rise and fall of the museum under Kleiman’s legendary leadership. New York Premiere
Tuesday, January 19, 8:45pm
Wednesday, January 20, 4:00pm

Hot Sugar’s Cold World
Adam Bhala Lough, USA, 2015, DCP, 87m
Hot Sugar’s Cold World is a fly-on-the-wall portrait of Nick Koenig, a New York–based record producer who works under the name Hot Sugar. He constructs beats using only sounds from the world around him, and many of his days are spent in search of new and exotic samples. After his girlfriend, the rapper Kitty, goes on tour and they break up, Koenig heads to Paris, where he stays in the apartment of his late grandmother, a Holocaust survivor. Featuring appearances by the legendary filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, and former members of Das Racist.
Saturday, January 23, 9:30pm

How to Win Enemies
Gabriel Lichtmann, Argentina, 2015, DCP, 78m
Spanish with English subtitles
In Argentinean filmmaker Gabriel Lichtmann’s zany caper about betrayal and revenge, Lucas, a young Jewish lawyer and an avid consumer of detective fiction, meets Bárbara in a café, and is instantly smitten. She is smart, beautiful, and shares his taste in literature. But the morning after the two go home together, Lucas wakes up to find Bárbara—and his financial savings—gone. Inspired by the heroes of his favorite crime novels, Lucas sets out to crack the case with just a few clues but no shortage of wits. New York Premiere
Thursday, January 21, 3:30pm & 8:30pm

I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman
Marianne Lambert, Belgium, 2015, DCP, 67m
French with English subtitles
From Brussels to Tel Aviv, Paris to New York, the late experimental filmmaker Chantal Akerman traced a worldwide path of rugged avant-garde and political art. Her celebrated 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelleswas declared by The New York Times upon its release as the “first masterpiece of the feminine in the history of the cinema.” Now, the documentary I Don’t Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman dives into the 40-film oeuvre of the Jewish Belgian pioneer. U.S. Premiere
Wednesday, January 20, 6:30pm

The Law
Christian Faure, France, 2015, DCP, 90m
French with English subtitles
In the fall of 1974, the French health minister Simone Veil was in charge of a daunting task: to pass a law legalizing abortion in France. Christian Faure’s riveting courtroom drama follows Veil, an Auschwitz survivor, in her heroic battle on behalf of her country’s women. She faces fierce resistance from the Catholic Church and the opposing party, but refuses to back down even in the face of increasingly aggressive personal attacks. Emmanuelle Devos delivers a brilliant performance in the lead role. New York Premiere

Preceded by:
Period. New Paragraph.
Sarah Kramer, USA, 2015, Digital projection, 14m
Period. New Paragraph. is a loving portrait of a father by his daughter. It’s also an homage to a past era and an encounter with someone who has to let go of what they love. Technology can change; the tools of our work can change; and yet nothing can change our passion for the things we love to do. In the case of 85-year-old Herb Kramer, he is forced to confront the end of his career and his mortality as he winds down his legal practice, closing the office he has worked in for the last 40 years. World Premiere
Monday, January 18, 4:00pm
Tuesday, January 19, 4:00pm

Natasha
David Bezmozgis, Canada, 2015, DCP, 93m
Russian and English with English subtitles    
Mark Berman is the son of Russian immigrants and a typical teenager: hormone-fueled, mischievous, and prone to slacking. One fateful summer, his uncle’s Russian fiancée moves to Canada with her daughter, Natasha, and Mark is tasked with introducing her to the new neighborhood. Before long, the two teenagers fall for each other and a forbidden summer romance begins. Mark learns of Natasha’s troubled and promiscuous life in Moscow, and together they build a web of secrecy that ultimately leads to tragedy. Adapted from the director David Bezmozgis’s award-winning book Natasha and Other Stories. New York Premiere
Thursday, January 14, 4:00pm
Saturday, January 16, 7:00pm

Projections of America
Peter Miller, Germany/USA/France, DCP, 2015, 52m
English, French, and German with English subtitles
During the darkest hour of World War II, a team of idealistic filmmakers were commissioned by the American government to create 26 short propaganda pieces about life in the United States. The Projections of America series presents stories of cowboys and oilmen, farmers and window washers, immigrants and schoolchildren, capturing both the optimism and the messiness of American democracy. The creation and dissemination of these works is the subject of this documentary, which includes pristine new transfers of the films, as well as interviews with their directors, audience members, and critics. New York Premiere

Preceded by:
The Autobiography of a Jeep
Irving Lerner, USA, 1943, Digital projection, 9m
This 1943 propaganda film was produced by the U.S. Office of War Information as part of their series of documentaries released throughout World War II. Told from the perspective of a jeep, the utilitarian military vehicle that exemplified America’s can-do attitude, the film received a particularly enthusiastic response in France, where it had its first screenings soon after D-Day. The Autobiography of a Jeepwas directed by documentarian Irving Lerner, a left-leaning filmmaker who would eventually be caught up in the Hollywood blacklist, and written by Newbery Award winner Joseph Krumgold.
Wednesday, January 13, 1:30pm & 6:00pm

Special Presentation:
Rabin, the Last Day
Amos Gitai, Israel/France, 2015, DCP, 153m
Hebrew with English subtitles
On the evening of November 4, 1995, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was shot down at the end of a huge political rally in Tel Aviv. The killer apprehended at the scene turned out to be a 25-year-old student and observant Jew. Investigation into this brutal murder reveals a dark and frightening world—a subculture of hate fueled by hysterical rhetoric, paranoia, and political intrigue, made up of extremist rabbis who condemned Rabin by invoking an obscure Talmudic ruling, prominent right-wing politicians who joined in a campaign of incitement against Rabin, militant Israeli settlers for whom peace meant betrayal, and the security agents who saw what was coming and failed to prevent it. Twenty years after the death of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, acclaimed filmmaker Amos Gitai sheds light on an ever-growing crisis of the impunity of hate crimes in Israel today with this thought-provoking political thriller, which masterfully combines dramatized scenes with actual news footage of the shooting and its aftermath. U.S. Premiere
Saturday, January 16, 9:30pm
Sunday, January 17, 12:45pm

Musical Event:
The Rifleman’s Violin
Sam Ball, USA, 2014, Digital projection, 14m
In July 1945, Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin convened in Berlin to negotiate the fate of the world in the aftermath of World War II. The agenda included the division of Europe between East and West and the ongoing war with Japan (which would end less than a month later with America’s nuclear strike). To break the ice in these tense discussions, Truman requested a private performance by the young virtuoso violinist Stuart Canin, who had fought as a GI on the front lines earlier that year. In Sam Ball’s short documentary, a 90-year-old Canin recalls his performance with wit and verve. The Rifleman’s Violin was produced by Abraham D. Sofaer for the Potsdam Revisited: Overture to the Cold War multimedia project created by Citizen Film in partnership with the Hoover Institution Archive at Stanford University - www.potsdamrevisited.org.
The screening of The Rifleman’s Violin will be followed by a reconstruction of the performance by violinist Stuart Canin and pianist Thomas Sauer as well as an on-stage discussion with Canin; the film’s producer Abraham Sofaer; director Sam Ball; and Stanford University historian Norman Naimark.
Sunday, January 24, 1:00pm
   
Song of Songs    
Eva Neymann, Ukraine, 2015, DCP, 76m
Russian with English subtitles
This exceptional Ukrainian feature tells a story that begins with the blossoming of simple childhood love in a shtetl in 1905. Shimek and Buzya’s bond is pure and uncomplicated, but Shimek leaves it behind to seek a life outside his father’s house. When he hears years later that Buzya is to be married, he comes home to find that nothing—in the town or in his heart—has changed, and yet everything somehow seems different. Song of Songs is a poignant tale of love, return, and the transience of youth. New York Premiere
Thursday, January 21, 1:00pm & 6:00pm

Those People
Joey Kuhn, USA, 2015, DCP, 89m
On Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a young painter, Charlie, has spent much of his life in unrequited love with his best friend, Sebastian, a charismatic and reckless partier who lives alone in his family’s townhouse now that his father has been imprisoned for Bernie Madoff–esque crimes and his mother abandoned them both in the wake of the scandal. Joey Kuhn’s feature debut vividly depicts a social circle in crisis, set against the glorious backdrop of autumnal New York.
Sunday, January 24, 6:00pm

Tito’s Glasses
Regina Schilling, Germany, 2014, DCP, 90m
German, Italian, and Croatian with English subtitles
In the documentary adaptation of Adriana Altaras’s best-selling autobiography,Altaras, the daughter of Jewish Croats who fought the Nazis alongside Tito finds herself leading a normal, if somewhat frazzled, domestic existence in Berlin with her husband and two soccer-crazed sons. When her parents die, she inherits their apartment and begins to sort through decades of letters and photographs, revealing a gold mine of family secrets, persecution, and political heroism. Past and present meld as Altaras compassionately narrates the small details of life and family as a 20th-century European Jew. New York Premiere
Tuesday, January 19, 1:00pm & 6:15pm

Wedding Doll
Nitzan Gilady, Israel, 2015, DCP, 82m
Hebrew with English subtitles
Hagit, a young woman with a mild mental deficiency, works in a toilet-paper factory and lives with her mother, Sarah, a divorcée who gave up her life for her daughter. When Hagit embarks on her first romantic relationship, she keeps it a secret from her overbearing mom. Israeli director Nitzan Gilady sparkles in his feature debut, a richly detailed family drama for which Asi Levi’s performance as Sarah earned her the Best Actress prize at the 2015 Jerusalem Film Festival. U.S. Premiere
Monday, January 25, 3:30pm & 8:30pm

For more information, visit:

NewFest, the New York LGBT Film Festival, Announces 2015 Audience Award Winners

NewFest, in Partnership with Outfest and HBO, Concludes their 27th Annual Festival And Announces Audience Award Winners – THOSE PEOPLE (Narrative Feature), THE SAME DIFFERENCE (Documentary Feature), TREMULO (Narrative Short) and IN THE HOLLOW (Documentary Short).

The 2015 NewFest, New York’s LGBT Film Festival, concluded its 27th anniversary year at the Bow Tie Chelsea Theater - and the recently completed screening room at the LGBT Community Center - with a sold-out screening of GIRLS LOST. The highly successful six-day festival screened nearly 100 films to a number of sold-out audiences and included a centerpiece gala screening of Todd Haynes' CAROL, a star-studded World Premiere of new trans series "Her Story" followed by a discussion moderated by Laverne Cox, a MasterClass discussion with award-winning filmmaker Ira Sachs, NewFest's first ever Queer Horror Night, and an enlightening panel discussion on the evolution of transgender representation in modern media.

Following the Closing Night Gala screening, NewFest announced the 2015 Audience Award winning films:

THOSE PEOPLE, directed by Joey Kuhn, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Feature Film for its crowd-pleasing depiction of a complicated romance between two young men in the gilded halls of Manhattan's high society. Those People will be distributed by Wolfe Releasing in 2016.

THE SAME DIFFERENCE, directed by Nneka Onuorah, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Feature. The film, which shines a light on the all-too-often ignored problem of homophobia and gender discrimination within the African-American lesbian community, broke NewFest records, selling out four screenings to audiences eager to finally see the issue addressed onscreen and within the lively panels that followed each screening. The Same Difference will be distributed by Women Make Movies in 2016.

TREMULO, directed by Roberto Fiesco, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Narrative Short, thanks to its tender and beautifully realized depiction of a brief encounter between two young men in Mexico. A feature version is currently in the works.

IN THE HOLLOW, directed by Austin Bunn, won the Audience Award for Outstanding Documentary Short. Bunn, the screenwriter of last year's Kill Your Darlings, masterfully combined documentary and narrative techniques to place audiences at the center of a horrific crime against two gay women.
 
Speaking on behalf of the programming team, NewFest's senior programmer Adam Baran also singled out Martin Edralin's narrative short HOLE and Blair Fukumura's documentary short BEDDING ANDREW for special recognition, for using brave, emotionally stirring methods to tell the often-overlooked stories of gay men with disability and their need for physical and emotional support.
 
“Our 27th annual festival marked a year of huge growth for NewFest,” noted NewFest Executive Director Robert Kushner. “As a new generation of filmmakers comes through with exciting new stories and means of telling them, it's clear that LGBT audiences continue to seek community through shared experiences onscreen. We're extraordinarily happy that NewFest can play a role in that.”

For more information, please visit: http: outfest.org

THE HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY HALEKULANI CELEBRATES ITS 35th ANNIVERSARY

Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) presented by Halekulani will celebrate its 35th anniversary. The festival dates take place from November 12 through November 22, primarily all on the island of Oahu.

HIFF will present 181 films, with 17 US, 14 International and 32 world premieres from 41 countries this year. The Festival, which is to be held during mid-November, serves as a festival of discovery for new talent in the Pacific Rim; a “yearbook” of the very best films that have played on the festival circuit; and a new destination to present awards buzz titles that are vying for industry attention during the height of “awards season.”

Anderson Le, Director of Programming, said “The 35th HIFF continues the tradition of symbolizing the best from East and West by presenting high profile films in our Opening, Centerpiece and Closing Night galas.”

The 35th HIFF kicks off with South Korea’s official entry to the Oscar Foreign Language category with award winning director Lee Joo-ick’s THE THRONE. The story at the center of this lush historical drama is the struggle between the long-ruling King Yeongjo (Song Kang-ho from SNOWPIERCER) and his son, Sado (Yoo Ah-in) and the real life incident of the king’s decision to lock up his son in a wooden barrel — in which the royal heir died after eight days.

Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds (Rooney Mara as a young shop clerk and Cate Blanchett as a sophisticated, but unhappy housewife) find themselves in the throes of love in CAROL, the Festival’s Centerpiece Film. World premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where Mara won Best Actress, the Todd Haynes drama will assuredly generate awards buzz this season.

The Festival closes with a romantic drama based on real events, the U.S. premiere of Mabel Cheung’s A TALE OF THREE CITIES, an epic period drama about individuals overwhelmed by the times, their trajectories shaped by rapidly changing circumstances beyond their control. Lau Ching-wan and Tang Wei (LUST, CAUTION) play ill-fated lovebirds who meet during the backdrop of the final days leading into WWII. The film is based on the epic love story of Jackie Chan’s parents. 

Halekulani Corporation, HIFF’s key presenting sponsor, will again present the Festival’s coveted HALEKULANI GOLDEN ORCHID AWARDS for Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and for the first, time, Best Narrative Short Film. This year’s crop of nominated films consist of exciting new perspectives from emerging filmmakers in the Asia Pacific and award-worthy socially conscious documentaries that have premiered at major film festivals including Sundance, Cannes, Venice and Toronto. Also new is an attached $5000 cash prize for both the Best Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature categories.

“We are honored to continue our partnership with Halekulani, as presenting sponsor, as well as title sponsor of the Golden Orchid Awards,” says Robert Lambeth, the Festival’s Executive Director. “Once again, the best in filmmaking from around the world is represented in the nominated films. For example, we are honored to screen the U.S. premiere of AMERICAN EPIC, a new series by executive producers Robert Redford, T Bone Burnett, and Jack White. Mixed together with films from the Pacific Rim by emerging and established directors, we are honored to celebrate the power of cinema, from its rich tradition to its cutting edge innovation.”

NARRATIVE FEATURE NOMINEES: 

HONOR THY FATHER (Philippines)

Director: Erik Matti

Kaye and Edgar is a pair of married white-collar swindlers, who have cashed in on promoting an investment scheme to their friends and fellow Pentecostal parishioners. But when they run afoul of their latest victims, their devout investors turn on them. When the tension erupts into violence, Edgar decides to seek the aid of his criminally inclined family.

THE KIDS (Taiwan)

Director: Sunny Yu

Bao-Li has just started 8th grade when he comes to the rescue of Jia-Jia, an older girl he immediately falls in love with, and soon enough they are in a relationship. When Jia-Jia becomes pregnant, Bao-Li drops out of school to support his new family and become the breadwinner, sometimes by any means necessary. But when he discovers that his mother has gambled away all of their savings, the young family heads toward a path of self-destruction. 

MADONNA (South Korea)

Director: Shin Su-won

Nurse’s aide Hae-rim and Doctor Hyuk-gyu are ordered to keep hospital CEO Chul-ho on life support and wait for a donor match. On one of her daily rounds, Hae-rim discovers a comatose patient named Mi-Na who, miraculously, is a match. The CEO’s cold-blooded son makes a deal with Hae-rim to go find Mi-Na’s family and bribe them to sign the consent form. Through her search, Hae-rim unravels Mi-Na’s tragic life and a dark secret that reflects her own past.  

MIDORI IN HAWAII (USA)

Director: John Hill

Midori is a struggling wedding photographer living in Hawaii. When Seiko and Kyo-chan, Midori’s judgmental sister and brother in-law visit from Japan, Midori’s small world is thrown off balance. As the sisters travel the Big Island together, old grudges and long forgotten psychological scars begin to resurface. The tension builds until the true reason for Seiko’s visit is finally revealed, forcing Midori to choose between family responsibilities or continuing to pursue her dream.

PALI ROAD (USA)

Director: Jonathan Lim

A young doctor wakes up from a car accident and discovers she is married to another man and living a life she can't remember. Her search for the truth to her past life will lead her to question everyone around her and her entire existence. Shot entirely in Hawaii and starring Chinese superstar Michelle Chen, TWILIGHT’s Jackson Rathbone and Sung Kang (FAST FIVE), PALI ROAD is a story for the search for true love between two worlds. A US-China co-production shot entirely on location in Hawaii. 

ROBBERY (Hong Kong)

Director: Fire Lee

A twenty-something punk fancies himself a total player, but the best job he can find is overnight clerk at a convenience store. The other clerk is a cute chick and you’re thinking “rom com,” but then there’s a robbery, a gangster, a shoot-out and a night they won’t forget, if they survive it! An anarcho-absurdist blood-soaked grand guignol indie flick with attitude to burn, this is the perfect high paced youth movie from Hong Kong.

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE NOMINEES:

AMERICAN EPIC (USA)

Director: Bernard MacMahon

AMERICAN EPIC is the extraordinary story of 1920s record companies that toured America with a recording machine, to capture the emerging and diverse music known as American roots. The filmmakers retrace this journey today, to rediscover the families whose music was recorded long ago; music that would lead to the development of Hopi, Hawaiian slack key, Tejano, Cajun and Delta Blues. These seminal musicians are revealed through previously unseen film footage, unpublished photographs, and exclusive interviews.

CROCODILE GENNADIY (USA)

Director: Steve Hoover

Gennadiy calls himself 'Pastor Crocodile.' He's known throughout Ukraine for his years working to rehabilitate drug-addicted kids. But he's also a vigilante who uses any force necessary to carry out his moral vision. Gennadiy believes he has made Mariupol a better place, but now, the violence in Ukraine threatens everything.

HEBEI TAIPEI (Taiwan)

Director: Li Nien Hsiu

Born in China, drifting from place to place since childhood, Li Chung-Hsiao has survived war and poverty. War robbed him of him returning to his hometown and his dreams are filled with only scenes of violence in the streets of his youth. With these memories as a guide, his daughter sets out to retrace his tumultuous life. This is the dramatic memoir of a foul-mouthed, insolent, yet somehow lovable man.

IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST (USA)

Director(s): Tony Vainuku, Erika Cohn

A contemporary American story, IN FOOTBALL WE TRUST transports viewers deep inside the tightly-knit and complex Polynesian community in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the chief sources for the modern influx of Pacific Islander NFLers. With unprecedented access and shot over a four-year time period, the film intimately portrays four young Polynesian men striving to overcome gang violence and near poverty through the promise of American football.

REMAKE REMIX RIP-OFF (Turkey)

Director: Cem Kaya

Turkey in the 1960s and 70s was one of the world’s biggest film producers even though its industry was vastly unknown internationally. In order to keep up with demand, screenwriters and directors were copying scripts and remaking movies from across the globe. Name any Western hit film; there is a Turkish version to it, from THE WIZARD OF OZ to STAR TREK. What they lacked in equipment and budget they compensated for with sheer zeal and excessive use of manpower.

THE SEVENTH FIRE (USA)

Director: Jack Pettibone Riccobono

When Rob Brown, a Native American gang leader on a remote Minnesota reservation, is sentenced to prison for a fifth time, he must confront his role in bringing violent drug culture into his beloved Ojibwe community. As Rob reckons with his past, his seventeen-year-old protégé, Kevin, dreams of the future - becoming the biggest drug dealer on the reservation. Terrence Malick presents this haunting and visually arresting nonfiction film about the gang crisis in Indian Country.

“There’s a wealth of award winning and critically acclaimed films that we are honored to present across a broad cross-section of our festival program, especially in our European Spotlight, Awards Buzz, and Gala Presentations.” says Anna Page, HIFF’s Associate Director of Programming. “As a film festival close to the end of the calendar year, we are fortunate to present the very best films from Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Toronto.”

Awards favorites and the most acclaimed films from the film festival circuit include the following:

45 YEARS (UK)

Director: Andrew Haigh

Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay turn in award winning performances as a couple in trouble. There is just one week until Kate Mercer’s forty-fifth wedding anniversary and planning for the party is going well, until a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. Jealousy and what ifs plague the couple. By the time the party is upon them, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate.

DHEEPAN (UK)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Dheepan is a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to France, along with a young woman and little girl, as they pose as a family (this allows easier asylum). Soon, the makeshift family is sent to live in a housing block outside Paris, where Dheepan earns a job as the local caretaker. But violence continues to follow him when he realizes the block is territory for a drug gang. Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes.  

JAFAR PANAHI’S TAXI (Iran)

Director: Jafar Panahi

Taxi passengers express their views and opinions as filmmaker Jafar Panahi (currently under house arrest and charged for conspiring to create anti-Islamic propaganda) drives through the streets of Tehran. Thus the stage is set for a series of deft seriocomic episodes that bring Panahi (who exudes a warm presence) into contact with a diverse cross-section of Tehran society, all captured from the fixed p.o.v. of the taxi’s dash-cam.  

KRISHA (USA)

Director: Trey Edward Schultz

After years of absence, Krisha (played to the hilt by former Hawaii resident Krisha Fairchild) reunites with her family for a holiday gathering. She sees it as an opportunity to fix her past mistakes, cook the family turkey, and prove to her loved ones that she has changed for the better. Only Krisha’s delirium takes her family on a dizzying holiday that no one will forget. The film won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards at SXSW this year.

MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART (China)

Director: Jia Zhang-ke

Jia Zhang-ke’s latest is an epic tale about Tao and the men who come in and out of her life. We begin in 1999, where Tao finds herself pursued by two young men. We jump to 2014, where Tao is a divorcee and trying to come to make peace with the fact that her young son may be better off with his rich father, who intends to immigrate to Australia. We end in 2025, centering on Tao’s now college-age son.

MUSTANG (France, Germany, Turkey)

Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Early summer. In a village in northern Turkey, Lale and her four sisters are walking home from school, playing innocently with some boys. The immorality of their play sets off a scandal that has unexpected consequences. The family home is progressively transformed into a prison; instruction in homemaking replaces school and marriages start being arranged. The five sisters who share a common passion for freedom, find ways of getting around the constraints imposed on them.

RIGHT NOW WRONG THEN (South Korea)

Director: Hong Sang-soo

The delightful new film from Festival favorite Hong Sang-soo (IN ANOTHER COUNTRY) presents two variations on a potentially fateful romantic encounter between a filmmaker and a painter, tracing each to its own very distinct outcome. The film won the Golden Leopard at this year’s Locarno Film Festival.

SON OF SAUL (Hungary)

Director: László Nemes

Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes, and one of the most talked about films of the year, SON OF SAUL is an excoriating look at evil in Auschwitz. During World War II, a Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper burial. Grim and unyielding, this explosive film is also Hungary’s official entry to the Academy Awards.  

YELLOW FLOWERS ON THE GREEN GRASS (Vietnam)

Director: Victor Vu

A coming of age story set in the Vietnamese countryside during the late 1980s — Thieu and Tuong are brothers that share a strong bond. Unbeknownst to Tuong, Thieu is constantly jealous of his younger brother’s personal and academic achievements. This leads to an act of violence, which leaves Tuong paralyzed and bedridden. In coming to terms with his own conscience, Thieu attempts to redeem himself and discovers the true meaning of brotherhood. 

YOUTH (Italy, France, Switzerland, UK)

Director: Paulo Sorrentino

Oscar winning actor Michael Caine plays Fred, an acclaimed composer and conductor, who brings along his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and best friend Mick (Harvey Keitel), a renowned filmmaker on holiday.  While Mick scrambles to finish the screenplay for what he imagines will be his last important film, Fred has no intention of resuming his musical career.  The two men reflect on their past, each finding that some of the most important experiences can come later in life.

The Festival is celebrating the life and legacy of one of the greatest directors of all time and the maestro of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The HITCHCOCK SPOTLIGHT presented by the Vilcek Foundation will encompass a 70th anniversary presentation of SPELLBOUND starring Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. After the screening, there will be an extended Q&A session with the late director’s granddaughters, Tere Carubba and Mary Stone, who will discuss their grandfather’s familial legacy and a personal and intimate perspective on one of the most famous film directors of the 20th century, who defined cinema. In addition, HIFF will present the Hawaii premiere of Kent Jones’ documentary HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.

“In honor of the contributions that so many immigrants have made to American cinema over the years, HIFF 2015 will spotlight one of the most influential immigrant filmmakers, Alfred Hitchcock,” says Robert Lambeth, HIFF’s Executive Director. This spotlight is a special sidebar of the New American Filmmakers program presented by the Vilcek Foundation, which highlights the contributions of gifted immigrant filmmakers to contemporary American cinema. HIFF is proud to once again partner with the Vilcek Foundation to present the 9th annual New American Filmmakers program. 

SPELLBOUND (1945) w/ Tere Carubba and Mary Stone (Hitchcock’s granddaughters)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

In this special 70th anniversary screening, SPELLBOUND tells the story of a psychiatrist protects the identity of an amnesia patient accused of murder while attempting to recover his memory.

HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT (2015)

Director: Kent Jones

In 1962, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut locked themselves away in Hollywood for a week to excavate the secrets behind the mise-en-scène in cinema. Based on the original recordings of this meeting—used to produce the mythical book “Hitchcock/Truffaut”—this film illustrates the greatest cinema lesson of all time. Director Kent Jones also interviews the top filmmakers working today as they discuss how this seminal book influences their work. 

CREATIVE LAB and Creative Lab at HIFF provide a rich environment for international creative collaboration and building new business relationships through a global lens. In the past, HIFF and Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Creative Industries Division, have developed key relationships with industry partners including the Writers Guild of America-West (WGAW), Producers Guild of America (PGA), Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts (HARA) and Screen Actors Guild/AFTRA (SAG-AFTRA). Creative Lab furthers the professional development of creative entrepreneurs and increases the growth of commercially viable content for acquisition/distribution.

“Passionately dedicated to the success of filmmakers, I am happy to announce three new programs launched under the aegis of Creative Lab at HIFF -- The Ebert Foundation Young Critic’s Program in honor of Roger Ebert’s legacy support of HIFF, the Oscar Documentary Lab lead by Oscar winning filmmakers Freida Lee Mock and James Moll, and the 1st Annual Asia Pacific Entertainment Finance Forum presented by Winston Baker,” says Robert Lambeth, HIFF’s Executive Director.

In association with Winston Baker, the leading producer of film finance forum around the world, HIFF is launching the new Asia Pacific Entertainment Finance Forum (APEFF) in Honolulu during the Festival with networking and kickoff reception on November 18, the full-day conference on November 19, and ending activities and sessions on November 20.

The PEFF s omprehensive rogram nlike ny inance onference eing ffered oday! hrough ombination f eynotes, resentations, nd anel iscussions, ndustry eaders ill ddress nvestment, inancing nd rowth trategies ithin he ilm, V nd aming ectors, as well as a focus on breaking into the China market and co-production packaging with the intent to shoot on location in Hawaii. The conference will be held at one of HIFF’s major sponsors, The Modern Honolulu Hotel.

Registration for APEFF is currently open, with special discounts for Hawaii residents. To register for the conference (limited seating only), head over to http://www.hiff.org/asian-pacific-entertainment-finance-forum-apeff/

Oscar Documentary Lab: Anatomy of Oscar Docs

Presented by two Oscar-winning documentarians, Freida Lee Mock (MAYA LIN, ANITA) and James Moll (THE LAST DAYS, FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH), this four-hour lab offers an in-depth analysis of recent Academy Award-winning documentaries to reveal what makes them great and what we might apply to our own films.

Roger Ebert Foundation Young Film Critics Program

In a swiftly changing media environment, informed writing and criticism on cinema is vital to a strong film culture and industry. This program’s mandate is to broaden and strengthen film criticism culture in Hawaii and teach young writers classical, as well as current methods and tasks in critical thinking and writing by reviewing films and interviewing filmmakers in a live film festival setting. Chicago-based film critic, academic and filmmaker Kevin B. Lee will mentor eight local young writers. 

HIFF’s Executive Director Robert Lambeth concludes, “Set against the stunning backdrop of the cosmopolitan crossroads of the Pacific, the 35th Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani will once again present an array of compelling programs, glamorous parties, and the best of international cinema.” 

Tickets go on sale on October 16 for HIFF Ohana members and on October 19 to the general public.

What: 35th Hawaii International Film Festival presented by Halekulani

When:  November 12 – 22, 2015

Where: Regal Dole Cannery Stadium 18 Theatres & IMAX, Consolidated Koko Marina at Koko Marina Shopping Center, Courtyard Cinema at Ward Villages, Consolidated Ward 16

Ticket Prices:  $14 general public, $12 seniors, military, students, children, $10 HIFF Ohana members (HIFF’s film membership body)

Ticket Purchases: Online at Hiff.org, in person – HIFF box office, phone: (808) 447-0577

For more details, please visit: hiff.org

The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival Announces Upcoming Program

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The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival showcases Korea doing what it does best: the crime thriller, the romantic fantasy, and feverish erotica. The Peninsula’s filmmakers bend genre cinema to a uniquely Korean pulse and purpose, making the country’s national film industry the most vibrant in East Asia. The thrilling complications of love and crime steal the show in this year’s lineup, as partnerships go south and fickle passions lead to betrayal. Resistance fighters navigate the intrigue of colonial-era Korea, love affairs are smothered as quickly as they are kindled, and hard-boiled cops dig at the ugly truth in a collection of both massive blockbusters and favorites from the international festival circuit, with five New York premieres and one international premiere.

The 13th Annual New York Korean Festival will run from November 6-November 11, 2015, at the Museum of the Moving Image. This will be the first year Museum of the Moving Image will serve as a partner and the venue for the New York Korean Film Festival, building on past collaborations with the Korea Society and Subway Cinema.

The Korea Society has also invited an exceptional group of Korean guests, including star director Ryoo Seung-Wan and producers Kang Hye-jung and Park Jung (Veteran); directors Shin Suwon (Madonna), Lee Do-yun (Confession), Kang Hyo-jin (Wonderful Nightmare), Oh Seung-uk (The Shameless), and Hong Won-chan (Office); and actress Koh Ah-Sung.

The New York Korean Film Festival is a program of The Korea Society, the Museum of the Moving Image, and Subway Cinema.

Major support is provided by the Korea Foundation.

ALL SCREENINGS WILL BE HELD AT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE

The Museum is located at 36-01 35 Ave, Astoria, Queens, NY, 11106.

Opening Night tickets: $20 ($12 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

All other NYKFF tickets are $12 ($7 for TKS members, MOMI Film Lover and Dual members / free for Silver Screen members and above).

Advance tickets will be available online at movingimage.us beginning October 21.

OPENING NIGHT

Office (오피스)

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 6:30 P.M.

New York Premiere

With director Hong Won-chan and star Ko Ah-sung in person

Followed by a reception in the Museum lobby and cafe

Dir. Hong Won-chan. 2015, 111 mins. B.R. With: Ko Ah-sung, Park Seong-woong, Bae Seong-woo. After gruesomely murdering his family, a midlevel manager (Bae Seong-woo) dutifully returns to the office, haunting the building like a vengeful ghost and turning the otherwise bland workspace into a house of terror. Legitimately alarmed, his colleagues nonetheless sing his praises to the police—a hint that there’s more to the matter than a disgruntled employee suddenly snapping. Described as “hearty genre entertainment” by Variety, this Cannes “Midnight Madness” selection is a perfect outlet for young leading actress Ko Ah-sung.

“Workplace blues wrought large and crimson red.” — Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter
“Razor-sharp satire on petty politics in the corporate world [...] laced with wickedly bitchy dialogue” — Maggie Lee, Variety
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Hong Won-chan was the screenwriter for Confession of Murder (2012), The Yellow Sea(2010), The Scam (2009), and The Chaser (2007—a selection at Cannes), before making his directorial debut with Office.

The youngest of three sisters, Ko Ah-sung started acting at an early age and played the memorable role of the daughter in Bong Joon-ho’s The Host (2006). Her film credits includeThe Beauty Inside (2015), Thread of Lies (2014), Snowpiercer (2013), Duet (2012), After the Banquet (2009), A Brand New Life (2009), Radio Dayz (2008), and The Happy Life (2007). 

Trap (덫, 치명적인 유혹)

International Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1:00 P.M.

Dir. Bong Man-Dae. 2015, 107 mins. DCP. With Yoo Ha-joon, Han Je-in, Kang Yong-gyoo.

Maladjusted screenwriter Jeong-min (Yoo Ha-joon) travels to the countryside to rethink his life and concentrate on his career. But instead of working on his screenwriting, he finds transgressive distraction in the person of temptress Yumi (Han Je-in). The frontier between reality and fantasy blurs as Jeong-min’s mind and body are engulfed in a fatal attraction to the innocent-faced but dangerous Lolita, leading him to increasingly poor life decisions. A standout entry in the filmography of softcore erotic meister “Playboy” Bong Man-Dae. 

Confession (좋은 친구들)

With director Lee Do-yun in person

New York Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 3:15 P.M.

Dir. Lee Do-yun. 2014, 114 mins. DCP. With Ji Sung, Ju Ji-hoon. Since a tragic mountain incident in high school, Min-soo (Lee Kwang-soo), Hyun-tae (Ji Sung) and In-chul (Ju Ji-hoon) have remained best friends through thick and thin. But when two of them agree to burn down an illegal gambling hall for the insurance payout, the spilt blood of loved ones unearths the bitter ghosts of a dark past. Soon, the group of childhood friends turn on each other in the bleakest of fallouts. Lee Do-yun’s debut feature has been compared with the slow-burning noir of Sidney Lumet’s final film, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

“The film’s stupendous execution and the compelling characters successfully drive the film forward.” -Jason Bechervaise, Screen International

Lee Do-yun was born in South Korea. He directed the short films We. Trippers and Neighbor.Confession, his first feature, had its international premiere in Toronto last year. 

The Shameless (무뢰한)

With director Oh Seung-uk in person

New York Premiere

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 6:00 P.M.

Dir. Oh Seung-uk. 118 mins. DCP. With Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Nam-gil, Park Sung-Woong. In Oh Seung-uk’s highly anticipated return to the director’s chair since his debut masterpieceKilimanjaro in 2000, Cannes award-winning actress Jeon Do-yeon plays a bar hostess in love with a suspected murderer. Kim Nam-gil (The Pirates) is outstanding as a detective who plays a game of seduction with a dangerous woman. Selected for the Un Certain Regard program at the Cannes Film Festival, The Shameless is an unforgettably stylish noir.

“A mellow pleasure to be slowly savored, this polished work should be welcomed at festivals” — Maggie Lee, Variety

Oh Seung-uk (b.1963) began his career as an assistant director of Lee Chang-dong, co-writing his debut feature Green Fish. In the late '90s, he co-wrote the landmark romanceChristmas in August and Park Kwang-su's ambitious historical drama The Uprising. Oh made his debut as a director with the crime thriller Killimanjaro in 2000. The Shameless is his long-awaited second feature.

Assassination (암살)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 8:55 P.M.

Dir. Choi Dong-hoon. 2015, 140 mins. B.R. With Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-hae, Ha Jung-woo. Choi Dong-hoon's follow-up to his 2012 hit The Thieves was Korea’s biggest box office hit of the year. Drawing inspiration from 1980s Hong Kong action comedies and South Korea's little-known 1960s Manchurian Westerns, Assassination follows the journey of three resistance fighters as their mission takes them to the Manchurian countryside, pre-war Shanghai, and Japanese-occupied Seoul to assassinate an evil Japanese governor and his Korean acolyte. Boasting an all-star cast led by screen-goddess Jeon Ji-hyun and superstar Lee Jung-jae,Assassination is “a sensationally entertaining mash-up of historical drama, Dirty Dozen style shoot-‘em-up, spaghetti Western-flavored flamboyance, and extended action set pieces that suggest a dream-team collaboration of Sergio Leone, John Woo and Steven Spielberg” according to Variety’s Joe Leydon.

Madonna (마돈나)

With director Shin Su-Won in person

New York Premiere

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2:00 P.M.

Dir. Shin Su-won. 2015, 121 mins. DCP. With Seo Young-hee, Kwon So-hyun, Kim Young-min.

After her festival hit Pluto (2012), a critically acclaimed high-school drama about bullying and murder which won a Special Mention at the 2013 Berlinale, director Shin Su-won delivers a shocking, noir-tinged tale of privilege and poverty: a nurse's aide uncovers and tries to prevent the horrific use of a brain dead pregnant street-walker for a heart transplant to a rich patient.

Director Shin Su-Won was a middle school teacher before she began a directing career. Her short, Circle Line, won the Canal+ Prize for Best Short Film at Cannes 2012, and her debut feature, Passerby #3 (2010), won awards at the Tokyo International Film Festival and Jeonju International Film Festival. Her films include Modern Family (2012) and Pluto (2013).

The Beauty Inside (뷰티 인사이드)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 5:00 P.M.

Dir. Baik (Baek Jong-yeol), 2015, 127 mins. B.R. With Han Hyo-joo, Park Seo-jun, Mun Suk, Lee Dong-hwi, Lee Mi-do. Since his 18th birthday, Woo-jin wakes up each morning as a different person in a new body. Sometimes he’s old, sometimes he’s young, sometimes he’s not Korean…or even a man. But inside, he remains the same down-to-earth, honest cabinet maker devoted to his craft. And each day he fights to connect with the woman he loves (Han Hyo-joo, in a luminous, standout performance). Beneath the slick romantic fantasy and the gorgeous cinematography, the film asks real questions about identity and true love.

“Blessed with a MLB roster’s worth of veteran character players (Kim Sang-ho, Kim Min-jae, Jo Dal-hwan), and buzzy young stars”—Elizabeth Kerr, The Hollywood Reporter

Veteran (베테랑)

With director Ryoo Seung-wan in person

U.S. Festival Premiere

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 7:45 P.M.

Dir. Ryoo Seung-wan. 2015, 123 mins. DCP. With Hwang Jung-min, Yoo Ah-in, Yoo Hae-jin. In this instant action/comedy classic—a massive theatrical hit earlier this summer—hardboiled detective Seo Do-cheol (top actor Hwang Jung-min can throw—and take—a punch) and his misfit team defend the powerless against the vicious scion of a prominent family (played with villainous delight by heartthrob Yoo Ah-in, in a widely acclaimed performance).

Ryoo Seung-wan was born in Onyang, South Korea. His films include The Berlin File (2013),The Unjust (2010), Dachimawa Lee (2008), The City of Violence (2006), Crying Fist (2005),Arahan (2004), No Blood No Tears (2002), and Die Bad (2000). He won “Best Director” at the Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2011.

Wonderful Nightmare (미쓰 와이프)

With director Kang Hyo-jin in person
New York Premiere

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 P.M.

Dir. Kang Hyo-jin. 2015, 125 mins. DCP. With Uhm Jung-hwa, Song Seung-heon, Seo Shin-Ae. Heaven makes a clerical error, so ambitious lawyer Yeon-woo (played by superstar Uhm Jung-hwa) returns to Earth to find herself married to a salaryman and mother to a rebellious teenager and know-it-all six-year-old. A sharp, hilarious satire about the shift in gender roles in contemporary Korean society that struck a deep chord with local audiences.

Director Kang Hyo-jin’s independent feature, Kill’em with Bare Hands (2004), won the audience award at the Seoul Independent Film Festival. His films include Dirty Blood (2012),Twilight Gangsters (2010), and Punch Lady (2007).

For more information, please visit

9TH ANNUAL OTHER ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES COMPLETE LINE-UP

Other Israel Film Festival Nov. 5-12, 2015 Films screen at JCC Manhattan and around New York The Other Israel Film Festival is back! Premiere films from Israel's edgy film industry and engage in conversation on hot topics that illuminate the diversity of Israeli culture.

The 9th Annual Other Israel Film Festival announced its complete line-up of feature and short films. The Festival, which provides a platform to engage with some of the challenges within Israeli society through films and conversations with special guests, runs from November 5 – 12, 2015 at the JCC Manhattan on 76th St and Amsterdam Ave, as well as at Cinema Village and other locations throughout the city. 

Censored Voices, recently recognized with the award for Best Documentary at the Ophir Awards (Israel’s equivalent of the Academy Awards), was previously announced as the festival’s opening night film, with acclaimed documentary Women in Sink closing the festival on November 12. Following screenings at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals, Dégradé, directed by twin brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser, will also have a Special Feature screening on closing night, marking the film’s New York premiere.

“From the candid conversations of Arab/Israeli women in a Haifa beauty shop, to the refugee crisis in Tel Aviv and the hopeful business collaboration of an Israeli and a Palestinian woman, this year’s slate ranges from provocative genre films to surprising documentaries and everything in between.” commented festival founder Carol Zabar.  “These extraordinary films reveal the fullest spectrum of Israeli and Palestinian life and culture and will spark a frank, vital dialog.”

To view a trailer containing footage from this year’s films, please visit: https://youtu.be/niHNZya86Jo

Tickets for the Other Israel Film Festival go on sale on October 8th. For additional information, please visit: www.OtherIsrael.org.

The complete line-up for this year’s festival includes:

ARAB MOVIE
New York Premiere
Dir. Eyal Sagui Bizawe & Sara Tsifroni
(60 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew & Arabic w/ English subtitles)

A nostalgic look back at that old Friday afternoon ritual, when Israeli families of all backgrounds would gather to watch the week’s “Egyptian Movie” on Israel’s official TV station. Arab Movie takes us back to that fleeting moment when Israelis shared the same cultural heroes as everyone else in the Middle East, even as it raises disturbing questions about their relationship to their neighbors across the border.

http://www.censoredvoices.com/ Censored Voices is coming soon to cinemas in the UK. One week after the 1967 'Six-Day War', a group of young kibbutzinks, led by renowned author Amos Oz and Editor Avraham Shapira, recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published.

CENSORED VOICES
East Coast Premiere
Dir. Mor Lushi
(84 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew & English w/ English subtitles)

One week after the Six Day War, a group of soldiers, led by renowned author Amos Oz, recorded intimate conversations with fellow soldiers returning from war. In these recordings, the men wrestled with their fears, taking an honest look at the moment Israel turned occupier. These recordings, censored by the Israeli army until now, are played back to the men 50 years later, revealing their confessions for the first time.

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh0Z1VfYPcE 
Censored Voices opens in theaters on November 20, via Music Box Films

COLLIDING DREAMS
Special Sneak Preview
Dir. Oren Rudavsky & Joseph Dorman
(135 min, Documentary, US, English, Hebrew, Arabic w/English subtitles)

A feature-length exploration of one of the most influential, controversial, and urgently relevant political ideologies of the modern era. With origins in Europe in the late 19th century, Zionism was born out of the Jewish confrontation with modernity and persecution. Yet early on, Zionism faced opposition from Palestine’s Arab inhabitants, who saw it depriving them of their own national rights in a land they had inhabited for centuries. Now, amid unceasing religious conflict and tragic bloodshed, it is more crucial than ever for Americans to better understand the meaning, history and future of the movement.
Colliding Dreams will open in New York at Lincoln Plaza in January 2016. 

DÉGRADÉ

NEW YORK PREMIERE
Dir. Tarzan & Arab Nasser
83 min, Narrative, France / Palestine, Arabic w/English subtitles

In this Cannes film festival favorite, we take a look into the lives of a diverse group of women visiting a beauty salon on a hot summer’s day in the Gaza Strip. A bride-to-be, a pregnant woman, a bitter divorcée, a devout woman and a pill-popping addict all meet for some leisure time and pampering. But all is disrupted when a gang war erupts between Hamas and a local group, right in front of the salon, trapping the woman and raising the temperature and anxiety. Starring Hiam Abbass, Maisa Abdelhadi, and Manal Award.

JERUSALEM BOXING CLUB
United States Premiere
Dir. Helen Yanovsky
(65 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew, Russian, & Arabic w/ English subtitles)

The Jerusalem Boxing Club, which operates out of a bomb shelter in Jerusalem's Katamon neighborhood, is a meeting point for teens from all around the city. For many of these young people, the desire to excel and to win is nourished by the tough training and boundless love of Gershon Luxemburg, the club's manager and trainer, for whom boxing is not just another sport, but a way of life.
Jerusalem Boxing Club was supported by the Other Israel Film Fund.

JERUZALEM
New York Premiere
Dir. Doron & Yoav Paz
(81 min, Narrative, Israel, English)

JeruZalem (Israel: 2015), directed by Doron & Yoav Paz (TIFF and Berlinale's Phobidilia) Starring: Yael Grobglas (JANE THE VIRGIN, REIGN, RABIES) Yon Tumarkin (Berlinale's Panorama Award winner ROCK BA-CASBA) Tom Graziani (A PLACE IN HEAVEN) Danielle Jadelyn Synopsis: Two American girls on vacation follow a mysterious and handsome anthropology student on a trip to Jerusalem.

A horror film that takes us to Jerusalem, where two vacationing American teenagers decide to follow a mysterious archaeologist to the Old City. Their party is cut short when Jerusalem’s ancient gate to hell is opened, releasing a biblical apocalypse. Trapped between the city’s walls, the three travelers must survive long enough to find a way out, as the fury of hell is unleashed upon them.
Trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTIwfN-4hZ4

MUSSA
New York Premiere
Dir. Anat Goren
(65 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew, Amharic, Arabic, & English w/ English subtitles)

Hot Docs has received filmmaker permission to upload this trailer to the HotDocsFest YouTube channel.

A moving documentary that tells the story of Mussa, a 12-year-old African refugee living in one of Tel Aviv’s worst neighborhoods. Every day, Mussa is bussed to an upscale private school, where he silently navigates a privileged world, connecting with friends but refusing to speak. When Mussa’s mother is threatened with deportation, Mussa is left devastated, compelled to leave his father and friends behind.: 
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8bIFoMXKjM

ORIENTED
Dir. Jake Witzenfeld
(81 min, Documentary, UK, Hebrew, Arabic, & English w/ English subtitles)

ORIENTED is a documentary following the lives of three gay Palestinian friends in Tel Aviv confronting their national and sexual identity. We premiere at the Sheffield Doc Fest on June 6 and at the LA Film Fest on June 11! Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orientedthemovie?fref=ts Twitter: https://twitter.com/orientedfilm Instagram: https://instagram.com/orientedfilm For more info: https://www.orientedfilm.com

The story of three gay Palestinian friends confronting their national and sexual identity in Tel Aviv. Khader is a “darling” from a prominent Muslim family living with David, his Jewish boyfriend. Fadi is an ardent Palestinian nationalist, in love with a Zionist. Naim yearns to confront his family with the truth about his sexuality. Determined to make a change, the three best friends form a group to fight for gender and national equality.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/129449012

PARTNER WITH THE ENEMY
New York Premiere
Dir. Duki Dror, Chen Shelach
(56 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew, Arabic, & English w/ English subtitles)

Two women, an Israeli and a Palestinian, are trying to build a business partnership. Brought together by a shared business acumen and knowledge of the logistics industry, the two combine forces to help Palestinian businessmen navigate the everyday absurdities of Israeli control of the West Bank.

In the midst of an ever-fraught political landscape, two women, one Israeli and one Palestinian, attempt the seemingly impossible: to build a business together. Fighting against anti-normalization currents and a male-dominated industry, the two combine forces to create a logistics company which helps Palestinian businessmen navigate the Israeli occupation. But while they help their clients, the divisions between the two threaten to tear their partnership apart. Can the bond between them overcome the impossible?
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NxuiYisaLw
Partner With The Enemy was supported by the Other Israel Film Fund.

ROCK IN THE RED ZONE
New York Premiere
Dir. Laura Bialis
(90 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew w/ English subtitles)

An intimate portrayal of life on the edge in the war-torn city of Sderot. Known for its prolific rock scene that revolutionized Israeli music, Sderot has been the target of ongoing rocket fire from the Gaza Strip for the past thirteen years. Through the personal lives of Sderot’s diverse musicians and a personal love story, this film chronicles the town’s enduring spirit.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48_4dAOWa7U

TEACHING IGNORANCE
United States Premiere
Dir. Tamara Erde
(52 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew & Arabic w/ English subtitles)

This powerful film follows several Israeli and Palestinian teachers and asks: How do the Palestinian and Israeli (Arab and Jewish) education systems teach the history of their peoples and the other? Through observing these teachers’ exchanges and confrontations with students, as well as their debates with the official curriculum, viewers are granted an intimate glimpse into the profound effects that the Israeli/Palestinian conflict transmits to the next generation.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/72800391

THE VOICE OF PEACE – THE DREAM OF ABIE NATHAN
United States Premiere
Dir. Eric Friedler
(90 min, Documentary, Germany, English, Hebrew w/English subtitles)

A radical dreamer and a rebellious visionary, the Israeli peace activist Abie Nathan was the man behind “The Voice of Peace,” a pirate radio station broadcasting from a ship off the coast of Tel Aviv. During the 70’s, the station had more than 20 million enthusiastic listeners from all over the Middle East. This fascinating documentary follows Nathan’s humanitarian work over 4 decades, combining rarely-seen archival footage with interviews with former Israeli President Shimon Peres, Yoko Ono, Sir Michael Caine and other world-renowned individuals who believed in Nathan’s vision of a more peaceful Middle East.

WOMEN IN SINK
New York City Premiere
Dir. Iris Zaki
(36 min, Documentary, Israel, Hebrew w/ English subtitles)

Trailer of the film Women in Sink (Documentary Films - Competition) / Trailer k filmu Ženy v umyvadle (Soutěž dokumentárních filmů)

At “Fifi’s”, a hair salon in the heart of Haifa’s Arab community, Iris Zaki installs a mini film set over the washbasin. While she washes their hair, Zaki speaks candidly and freely with the salon’s Arab and Jewish clients, who share their views on politics, history, and love. What emerges from these conversations is an honest and nuanced portrait of contemporary Israel.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9lHX_l4DJ8
Women In Sink was supported by the Other Israel Film Fund.

New Voices – Short Film Selection
THE ARREST (Dir. Yair Agmon, 10 min, Narrative)
BOYS OF NITZANA (Dir. Tamir Elterman, 9 min, Documentary)
DIRTY BUSINESS (Dir. Vadim Dumesh, 15 min, Documentary)
TILL DAY’S END) (Dir. Amitai Ashkenazi, 19 min, Narrative)

(#NYAFF15) |NYAFF Announces 2015 Program and New Teaser Trailer | @subwaycinema

Opening Night film is the North American Premiere of Philip Yung’s crime-thriller Port of Call and Centerpiece Presentation is the North American Premiere of Sabu’sChasuke’s Journey

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Other notable films include the World Premiere of Fire Lee’s Robbery; the International Premiere of Anh Sang-hoon’s Empire of Lust; the North American Premieres of Chen Jiabin’s directorial debut A Fool and Lau Ho-leung’s Two Thumbs Up; and the U.S. Premiere of Daihachi Yoshida’s Pale Moon

***

Special focus programs include Hong Kong Panorama; New Cinema from Japan (with a spotlight on director Daihachi Yoshida); Taiwan Cinema Now!; Myung Films: Pioneers and Women Behind the Camera in Korean Film; and The Last Men in Japanese Film, a joint Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara Tribute

*** 

Welcome to the 14th edition of the New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF). We're back with over 50 new feature films from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and South East Asia, featuring 1 World, 3 International, and 13 North American premieres, as well as an exceptional, all-star lineup of guests from all across Asia, including Hong Kong's superstar thesp Aaron Kwok, legendary director Ringo Lam, and Japan's rising star Shota Sometani.

The Film Society of Lincoln Center and Subway Cinema announced the lineup for the 2015 New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), which will take place from June 26 to July 8 at the Film Society and July 9 to 11 at SVA Theatre (333 W. 23rd Street). The Closing Night selection will be announced at a later date. North America’s leading festival of popular Asian cinema will showcase 52 feature films, including 1 World Premiere, 3 International Premieres, 13 North American Premieres, 5 U.S. Premieres, and 14 films making their New York City debuts. The festival will be attended by 18 international filmmakers and celebrity guests traveling from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and the U.S.

NYAFF’s Opening Night presentation will be the North American Premiere of Philip Yung’s Port of Call. The film centers on the brutal murder of a 16-year-old Hunan girl who moves to Hong Kong with her family and falls into prostitution. Winding through time and grounded by Christopher Doyle’s gauzy cinematography, the film follows both the story of the young girl’s descent into sex work and the grizzled detective (Aaron Kwok) who obsessively works to solve the murder. Kwok is astonishing here in a career-best performance, with all the tics and haggard body language of a man beaten down by the violence that threatens to drown him at every turn.

The Centerpiece Presentation will be the North American premiere of Sabu’s Chasuke’s Journey, which was in Competition at this year’s Berlin Film Festival. According to Variety, the film finds “Sabu in his most fun-loving element, stirring Okinawa’s magical folk art into a Capraesque yarn that flirts with ideas of fate and self-determination, but really just revels in a rich tapestry of human experience. [The film is also] full of whimsical twists and high-octane action.”

The lineup also includes the World Premiere of Fire Lee’s black comedy Robbery; the International Premiere of Anh Sang-hoon’s erotic period actioner Empire of Lust; the North American Premieres of Chen Jiabin’s directorial debut A Fool, Daihachi Yoshida’s fantasy-drama Pale Moon, Lau Ho-leung’s action-comedy Two Thumbs Up, and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s slacker/rock drama La La La at Rock Bottom (previously announced); and the U.S. premiere of Yee Chih-yen’s high-school noirMeeting Dr. Sun. Other exciting highlights include Kulikar Sotho’s gorgeous meditation on Cambodia’s tragic Khmer Rouge past and its impact on the present, The Last Reel; Ryuichi Hiroki’s ensemble love-and-sex drama Kabukicho Love Hotel; Boo Ji-young’s superb labor-rights underdog drama Cart; and Sion Sono’s berserk rap musical Tokyo Tribe.   

The 14th edition of the NYAFF will feature five focus programs: “Hong Kong Panorama”; “New Cinema from Japan”; “Taiwan Cinema Now!”; the previously announced “Myung Films: Pioneers and Women Behind the Camera in Korean Film”; and “The Last Men in Japanese Film,” a joint tribute to Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara, both of whom passed away last November.

Though the festival is traditionally rooted in genre film and faithful to popular cinema, NYAFF 2015 continues to feature ambitious pieces of realistic storytelling that delineate themes that unite, rather than isolate, the nations and their cinemas by suggesting what they have in common. The design of this year’s program is to look in both directions: the present and the controversial past, with the inclusion of a number of movies that cast an unblinking eye on the wounds of history (the Khmer Rouge inThe Last Reel or the Cultural Revolution in Red Amnesia). In an age when nationalism has taken firm root in many East Asian countries and political control has spread far and wide, denying cinema its freedom and jeopardizing the existence of some of the most established festivals, this year’s lineup also offers emotional morality tales (Little Big Master, Cart,Socialphobia) and films that speak truth to power (The Whistleblower,Solomon’s Perjury Part 1 & 2, A Fool).

Women come to the fore with both a program highlighting directors and producers currently working behind the scenes in the Korean peninsula, and films from Japan that offer superb female portraits: defiant, fierce… free. The festival also celebrates the beauty of Asian masculinity on screen, with a tribute to the two iconic Japanese actors who set the blueprint for Japanese manhood and cool, praised beyond the archipelago’s borders—Ken Takakura’s death was widely lamented on Weibo (China’s most popular social-media site) and even on state-run China Central Television (CCTV).

After eight successful years of partnership with Japan Society’s Japan Cuts: Festival of New Japanese Films, this year’s diverse selection of Japanese films have been fully integrated with the rest of the Festival’s program, and SVA Theatre’s Silas and Beatrice Theatres has been added to the list of venues. With three days of screenings at the SVA Theatre (June 9-11), we are able to bring downtown audiences the biggest and boldest of Asian cinema’s grand spectacles—sensory feasts that deserve to be experienced on the silver screen (such asBrotherhood of Blades, The Royal Tailor, The Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D, and Vengeance of an Assassin).

In addition, five bold focus programs highlight East Asia’s crucial role in today’s ever-changing world of film. And at a time when many major film festivals are more Eurocentric and West-dominated than ever, NYAFF continues to show that the life of cinema is out there.

HONG KONG PANORAMA

Hong Kong cinema’s renewed confidence of the past couple of years shows no signs of abating in 2015. While leading Hong Kong filmmakers continue to deliver blockbusters in Mainland China (such as Tsui Hark’sThe Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D), there’s now even more variety in Hong Kong–focused films, as they continue to look for inspiration in the heydey of 1980s and 1990s local cinema, as evidenced by the crime-thriller Port of Call, the pulpy action-comedy Two Thumbs Up, and the touching contemporary drama Little Big Master. The city of Hong Kong also remains a popular filming location, and is also providing inspiration to Asian-American filmmakers, as can be seen in Emily Ting’s romanceIt’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong. This focus will include Full Strike,Insanity, It’s Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong, Little Big Master, Port of Call, Robbery, The Taking of Tiger Mountain 3D, Two Thumbs Up, and retro screenings of City on Fire, Full Alert and Cold War.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

MYUNG FILMS: PIONEERS AND WOMEN BEHIND THE CAMERA IN KOREAN FILM

Korean cinema has been known internationally primarily through the works of a small group of male directors (Hong Sangsoo, Kim Ki-duk, Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee-woon, and others), but one of its key film production companies, Myung Films, is led by a woman: producer Shim Jae-myung. Myung Films has spearheaded the transformation of the Korean film culture and industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s by establishing new genres and discovering new talent. We are proud to showcase a couple of their recent productions (Cart and Revivre), as well as some of their masterworks (The President’s Last Bang, The Isle, andWaikiki Brothers)as part of a greater focus on women who work behind the scenes. Shim Jae-myung will be in attendance and will be joined by top female directors Yim Soon-rye (The Whistleblower)and Boo Ji-young (Cart), who are known for their uncompromising films dealing with issues of social justice. For these women behind the camera, it’s not just about standing up against patriarchy, oppression, or power but about telling stories of real people and real lives—struggling, folding and sometimes collapsing—perhaps showing that the human condition might be best expressed by women.  

Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Service New York.

Co-presented with The Korea Society.

NEW CINEMA FROM JAPAN

Japanese cinema continues to surprise with its consistent range and quality of adult stories and excels in its portrayals of female characters. This is certainly true of the works of award-winning filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida (Funuke, Show Some Love You Losers!, Pale Moon, Permanent Nobara). The imaginative genre exercises are also represented, and resplendently so with Sion Sono delivering the wild fun in spades with the hip-hop musical Tokyo Tribes, and the two-part crime mystery Solomon’s Perjury. This focus will consist of Chasuke’s Journey, Kabukicho Love Hotel, La La La at Rock Bottom, Solomon’s Perjury Part 1: Suspicion,Solomon’s Perjury Part 2: Judgement, Taksu, Tokyo Tribe, and a special spotlight on the award-winning filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida, consisting ofFunuke, Show Some Love You Losers!, Pale Moon, and Permanent Nobara.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

TAIWAN CINEMA NOW!

While Taiwan’s domestic film market is relatively small when compared to those of Mainland China, Japan, and South Korea, Taiwan’s creative talent continues to play a vital role in the context of Asian cinema by continuing to deliver smaller quirky local films with distinct Taiwanese flavor and strong appeal to local audiences and the international festival circuit, the latter of which will be highlighted in this focus. The films will include Café. Waiting. Love, Meeting Dr. Sun, Partners in Crime, andSecond Chance.

Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York.

THE LAST MEN IN JAPANESE FILM – A Ken Takakura/Bunta Sugawara Tribute

Japanese film legends Ken Takakura and Bunta Sugawara, both of whom passed away last November, will be the subject of the first joint tribute outside of Japan, which will feature the brand-new 2K remaster of Kinji Fukasaku’s 1973 classic Battles Without Honor and Humanity, screened for the first time in North America. Other titles will includeAbashiri Prison, Cops vs. Thugs, The Man Who Stole the Sun, Nihon Kyokaku-den (Tales of Chivalry in Japan), and Wolves, Pigs and Men—all made with honor and humor by civilized craftsmen, in sharp contrast to prefabricated conveyor-belts products that have conquered Japanese screens.

In the same way that the archetype of American masculinity was defined by the post–World War II generation of tough-guy actors (James Coburn, Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood), “Ken-san” and “Bun-chan” have set the blueprint for what it meant to be a man in defeated postwar Japan. Their performances invented Japanese cool, decades before the government figured “cool” was a marketable concept for its soft power ambitions.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

Battles Without Honor and Humanity co-presented with Arrow Video.

The 2015 New York Asian Film Festival Award Honorees

Previously announced NYAFF award recipients include Hong Kong’s legendary director Ringo Lam (Lifetime Achievement Award), Hong Kong superstar actor-singer Aaron Kwok (Star Asia Award), and Japanese actor Shota Sometani (Screen International Rising Star Award).

Sponsors: The Kitano Hotel, Hotel Beacon, Møsefund Farm, Manhattan Portage, Well Go USA Entertainment, Arrow Video, China Lion Film Distribution, FlaskingtreeMarketing Group, Epic Proportions, Kirin, and Mizu Shochu; and our media partners: Screen International and Chopsticks NY.

Tickets: will go on sale on June 9 for Film Society Members and June 11 for general public, both at the box office and online.Discounts are available for Film Society members. Read more about the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Screenings will be held at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th Street, between Amsterdam and Broadway), and SVA Theatre (333 West 23rd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues).

Press Screening Schedule

Screening Venue:

Film Society of Lincoln Center

Walter Reade Theater, 165 West 65th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam

Tuesday, June 9

10:00am PORT OF CALL (121 min)

Thursday, June 11

10:00am A FOOL (105 min)

12:00pm CART (103 min)


The 2015 New York Asian Film Festival Guests include:

Ringo Lam (CITY ON FIRE, FULL ALERT)

Aaron Kwok (PORT OF CALL)

Shota Sometani (KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL, TOKYO TRIBE)

Shim Jae-myung (CART, WAIKIKI BROTHERS)

Daihachi Yoshida(FUNUKE, SHOW SOME LOVE YOU LOSERS!, PALE MOON)

Ryuichi Hiroki (KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL)

Sabu (CHASUKE'S JOURNEY)

Yim Soon-rye (THE WHISTLEBLOWER, WAIKIKI BROTHERS)

Boo Ji-young (CART)

Philip Yung (PORT OF CALL)

Yee Chih-Yen (MEETING DR. SUN)

Lee Won-suk (THE ROYAL TAILOR)

Namewee (BANGLASIA)

Kulikar Sotho (THE LAST REEL)

Lau Ho-Leung (TWO THUMBS UP)

Emily Ting (IT’S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG)

Jamie Chung (IT’S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG)

Bryan Greenberg (IT’S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG)



The 2015 New York Asian Film Festival lineup

OPENING NIGHT FILM

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

PORT OF CALL | 踏血尋梅

PHILIP YUNG, 2015 | CAST: AARON KWOK, MICHAEL NING, JESSIE LI

HONG KONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 121 MINUTES

A police detective (Aaron Kwok, in a career-defining role) tracks down the murderer of a young prostitute in this brutal thriller directed by Philip Yung and shot by master cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

Director Philip Yung and star Aaron Kwok will attend the screening. Aaron Kwok will be presented with Star Asia Award on June 26.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

CENTERPIECE PRESENTATION

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

CHASUKE'S JOURNEY | 天の茶助

SABU, 2015 | CAST: KENICHI MATSUYAMA, ITO OHNO, REN OHSUGI, YUSUKE ISEYA

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 105 MINUTES

A celestial tea server descends to Okinawa in order to save a young girl, falls in with a gang of losers, enjoys ramen, finds unwarranted celebrity, and fights against predestination written by heavenly hacks who copy Hollywood blockbusters.

Director Sabu will attend the screening.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

To be announced

ABASHIRI PRISON | 網走番外地

TERUO ISHII, 1965 | CAST: KEN TAKAKURA, KOJI NANBARA, TETSURO TAMBA, TORU ABE

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH LIVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35MM | 92 MINUTES

The first entry in Toei’s hugely successful Abashiri Prison yakuza film series, directed by Teruo Ishii, established Ken Takakura’s superstar status. If you want to understand Ken's enormous popularity, this is the film that started it all. In many ways, this is the invention of the Japanese man.

Print courtesy of Toei Co., Ltd.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

BANGLASIA 孟加拉殺手
NAMEWEE, 2015 | CAST: NIRAB HOSSAIN, SAIFUL APEK, NAMEWEE, ATIKAH SUHAIME

MALAYSIA | MALAY, ENGLISH, MANDARIN, AND HOKKIEN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 91 MINUTES

From the director of festival fave foodie flick Nasi Lemak 2.0 comes this wild and crazy Western full of musical numbers and humor so slaphappy it’ll leave your head spinning. It was banned in Malaysia for being too political, so we’re proud to screen it.

Director/actor/singer Namewee will attend the screening.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE OF THE NEW DIGITAL REMASTER

BATTLES WITHOUT HONOR AND HUMANITY | 仁義なき戦い

KINJI FUKASAKU, 1973 | CAST: BUNTA SUGAWARA, HIROKI MATSUKATA, NOBUO KANEKO, KUNIE TANAKA, GORO IBUKI

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH LIVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES | DCP | 99 MINUTES

Quite possibly the ultimate yakuza movie, Kinji Fukasaku’s dark, gritty classic stars Bunta Sugawara (in the role that made his career) as a former soldier who turns to organized crime and claws his way up the yakuza underworld in postwar Hiroshima.     .

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

Co-presented with Arrow Video.

BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES | 繡春刀

LU YANG, 2014 | CAST: CHANG CHEN, CECILIA LIU, WANG QIANYUAN, ETHAN LI, NIE YUAN

CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DIGITAL PROJECTION | 106 MINUTES

One of the best Chinese period action films in recent memory, this overlooked blood-red gem is packed with superbly choreographed fight scenes, riveting drama, and performances to match.

Film courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

CAFÉ. WAITING. LOVE | 等一個人咖啡

CHIANG CHIN-LIN, 2014 | CAST: VIVIAN SUNG, BRUCE, MEGAN LAI, MARCUS CHANG

TAIWAN | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 120 MINUTES

Three years after his record-breaking debut, You Are the Apple of My Eye, writer-director Giddens Ko penned this irresistibly zany romantic comedy, based on his book of the same name—but this time with Chiang Chin-lin in the director’s seat.

Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York.

NEW YORK PREMIERE

CART | 카트

BOO JI-YOUNG, 2014 | CAST: YUM JUNG-AH, MOON JUNG-HEE, KIM YOUNG-AE, KIM KANG-WOO, HWANG JEONG-MIN, CHUN WOO-HEE

SOUTH KOREA | KOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 103 MINUTES

In this pro-union flick, the 99% rise up after a bunch of female employees at a chain retail giant (think Wal-Mart) get laid off via text message. When they decide to go on strike, management calls in the thugs...

Director Boo Ji-young and producer Shim Jae-myung will attend the screening.

Presented with the support of the Korean Cultural Service New York.

Co-presented with The Korea Society.

CITY ON FIRE | 龍虎風雲

RINGO LAM, 1987 | CAST: CHOW YUN-FAT, DANNY LEE, SUEN YUET, ROY CHEUNG

HONG KONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35mm | 100 MINUTES

Ringo Lam’s classic heist-gone-bad flick is the movie that made Chow Yun-fat (playing an undercover cop) a star and provided Quentin Tarantino with the basis for Reservoir Dogs. The film features heartbreak to spare for the little people trying to eke out a living at the end of a gun.

Director Ringo Lam will attend the screening and will be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Print Courtesy of Academy Film Archive.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

COLD WAR | 寒戰
LONGMAN LEUNG, SUNNY LUK, 2012 | CAST: AARON KWOK, TONY LEUNG KAR-FAI, ANDY LAU
HONG KONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | DCP | 102 MINUTES
Winner of nine Hong Kong Film Awards, including “Best Film,” Best Director,” “Best Screenplay,” “Best Actor,” and “Best New Performer,” COLD WAR was Hong Kong’s 2012 box office sensation. This cop thriller stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Kar-Fai as two high-ranking officers whose rivalry leads to an intense power struggle over an explosive rescue operation.
Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

COPS VS. THUGS | 県警対組織暴力
KINJI FUKASAKU, 1975 | CAST: BUNTA SUGAWARA, HIROKI MATSUKATA, KEN TAKAKURA, MIKIO NARITA, NOBUO KANEKO
JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 35MM | 100 MINUTES 
Bunta Sugawara plays a cop so corrupt he’s basically a member of the yakuza—delivering witnesses to his criminal buddies and looking the other way when they murder rivals. But now a war is breaking out and this bad lieutenant is going to have to choose sides.
Print courtesy of the Japan Foundation
Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

EMPIRE OF LUST | 순수의시대

AHN SANG-HOON, 2015 | CAST: SHIN HA-KYUN, JANG HYUK, KANG HANNA, KANG HA-NEUL

SOUTH KOREA | KOREAN WITH LIVE ENGLISH SUBTITLES | DCP | 113 MINUTES

A gorgeous period actioner set during the founding days of Joseon Dynasty in the early 14th century, Empire of Lust follows three men who engage in a power struggle within the palace walls, caught in the whirlwind of love, lust, greed, betrayal, and revenge.

Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Service New York.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

A FOOL | 一個勺子

CHEN JIANBIN, 2014 | CAST: CHEN JIAN BIN, WANG XUEBING, JIN SHIJIA

CHINA | MANDARIN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 105 MINUTES

Chen Jianbin’s directorial debut is a harsh noir about an honest farmer’s efforts to help a young homeless man that instead set off a chain of disasters, serving as a reminder of man’s inhumanity when faced with greed.

China Lion Film Distribution (www.chinalionentertainment.com) has acquired North American rights to A Fool. The release date is yet to be announced. The film is expected to receive a Greater China release in late 2015.

FULL ALERT | 高度戒備

RINGO LAM, 1997 | CAST: LAU CHING-WAN, FRANCIS NG, AMANDA LEE, MONICA CHAN, JACK KAO

HONG KONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35MM | 98 MINUTES

Ringo Lam’s last great movie before his 12-year retirement is a dark, glittering gem of a police procedural that works both as a heist flick and as a tombstone for both pre-Handover Hong Kong and the action genre.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

U.S. PREMIERE

FULL STRIKE | 全力扣殺

DEREK KWOK & HENRI WONG, 2015 | CAST: JOSIE HO, EKIN CHENG, RONALD CHENG, TSE KWAN-HO, ANDREW LAM, WILFRED LAU

HONG KONG/CHINA | CANTONESE, HAKKA, AND ENGLISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 108 MINUTES

Racquet sport becomes martial art when a down-and-out gang of has-beens form a badminton team to win back their self-respect in this hyperactive, totally surreal comedy from Derek Kwok, the co-director of Stephen Chow’s Journey to the West.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

FUNUKE, SHOW SOME LOVE YOU LOSERS! | 腑抜けども、悲しみの愛を見せろ

DAIHACHI YOSHIDA, 2007 | CAST: ERIKA SATO, MASATOSHI NAGASE, HIROMI NAGASAKU

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35MM | 112 MINUTES

Seduction, persecution, prostitution, suicide, and more greet the Wago family’s three siblings who return home for their parent’s funeral after they’re killed while trying to save a kitten. Yoshida’s twisted, smart, and deftly handled first film is as black as a comedy can get, yet wrapped in a lighthearted exterior.

Director Daihachi Yoshida will attend the screening.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

INSANITY | 暴瘋語

DAVID LEE, 2014 | CAST: LAU CHING-WAN, HUANG XIAOMING, ALEX FONG, FIONA SIT, NINA PAW

HONG KONG | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 99 MINUTES

In this psychological thriller produced by Derek Yee (The Great Magician,One Night in Mongkok), a psychiatrist (Huang Xiaoming) is lured to the dark side of the mind by his patient and convicted murderer (Lau Ching-Wan).

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

THE ISLE | 섬

KIM KI-DUK, 2000 | CAST: CHO JAE-HYUN, SUH JUNG, PARK SEONG-HEE, JANG HANG-SEON

SOUTH KOREA | KOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35MM | 85 MINUTES

Kim Ki-duk helped put Korean cinema on the map with this art-house exploitation shocker about a cop on the run who winds up at a floating hotel owned by a woman who might be insane, or just really in love. You are not prepared.

Presented with the support of Korean Cultural Service New York.

NEW YORK PREMIERE

IT’S ALREADY TOMORROW IN HONG KONG

EMILY TING, 2014 | CAST: JAMIE CHUNG, BRYAN GREENBERG, RICHARD NG

HONG KONG/USA | ENGLISH | FORMAT: DCP | 78 MINUTES

This compelling walk-and-talk romance à laRichard Linklater, centered on two Hong Kong expats who randomly cross paths one night, is as much about the attraction between the leads as it is about the love of Hong Kong.

Director Emily Ting and actors Jamie Chung and Bryan Greenberg will attend the screening.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

NEW YORK PREMIERE

KABUKICHO LOVE HOTEL | さよなら歌舞伎町

RYUICHI HIROKI, 2014 | CAST: SHOTA SOMETANI, ATSUKO MAEDA, LEE EUN-WOO, ROY (SON IL-KWON)

JAPAN | JAPANESE AND KOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 136 MINUTES

Taking place over 24 hours in a Tokyo love hotel, this steamy and poignant character-driven ensemble drama from director Ryuichi Hiroki (Vibrator) looks at ordinary people as they experience life-changing events.

Director Ryuichi Hiroki and star Shota Sometani will attend the screening. Shota Sometani will be presented with the Screen International Rising Star Award.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

LA LA LA AT ROCK BOTTOM | 味園ユニバース

NOBUHIRO YAMASHITA, 2015 | CAST: SUBARU SHIBUTANI, FUMI NIKAIDO, SARINA SUZUKI, KATSUMI KAWAHARA

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 103 MINUTES

From Nobuhiro Yamashita (director of Linda Linda Linda and Tamako in Moratorium) comes this romantic comedy about an amnesiac man who, as the memory of his criminal past slowly returns, tries to find redemption and love through rock music.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

NEW YORK PREMIERE

THE LAST REEL |ដុំហ្វីលចុងកាាយ

KULIKAR SOTHO, 2014 | CAST: MA RYNET, ROUS MONY, DY SAVETH, HUN SOPHY

CAMBODIA | KHMER WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 106 MINUTES

This gorgeous and engaging drama about a rebellious Cambodian girl determined to shoot the missing ending of a 40-year-old movie starring her mother is a meditation on Cambodia’s past and present, and the power of art.

Director Kulikar Sotho will attend the screening.    

LITTLE BIG MASTER | 五個小孩的校長

ADRIAN KWAN, 2015 | CAST: MIRIAM YEUNG, LOUIS KOO, WINNIE HO

HONG KONG/CHINA | CANTONESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 112 MINUTES

Hong Kong’s runaway box-office hit is a powerful drama based on the true story of a principal assigned to a failing rural kindergarten with only five students: if one of them drops out, the school closes.

Presented with the support of Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office New York.

THE MAN WHO STOLE THE SUN | 太陽を盗んだ男

KAZUHIKO HASEGAWA, 1979 | CAST: BUNTA SUGAWARA, KENJI SAWADA

JAPAN | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: 35MM | 147 MINUTES

A ballsy satire about a high-school science teacher (rock-star Kenji Sawada) who builds an atomic bomb at home and uses it to try to get The Rolling Stones to play in Japan, all the while playing cat and mouse with a police detective sporting a buzz cut (Bunta Sugawara).

Print courtesy of the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute.

Presented with the support of Japan Foundation New York.

U.S. PREMIERE

MEETING DR. SUN | 行動代號孫中山

YEE CHIH-YEN, 2014 | CAST: ZHAN HUAI-TING, MATTHEW WEI, JOSEPH CHANG, BRYAN CHANG

TAIWAN | MANDARIN AND TAIWANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 94 MINUTES

A deadpan high-school noir about two gangs of impoverished boys competing to steal a statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen (the founding father of the Republic of China) so they can sell it as scrap metal. Schoolyard slapstick becomes a call for Taiwan’s youth to wake up.

Director Yee Chih-Yen will attend the screening.

Presented with the support of the Taipei Cultural Center of TECO in New York.

NEW YORK PREMIERE

MY LOVE, DON’T CROSS THAT RIVER | 님아, 그강을건너지마오

JIN MO-YOUNG, 2014 | CAST: JO BYEONG-MAN, KANG KYE-YEOL

KOREA | KOREAN WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES | FORMAT: DCP | 85 MINUTES