Opening this year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival is Michael Imperioli’s directorial debut, The Hungry Ghosts, a gripping look at five New Yorkers all struggling to satisfy their physical and spiritual needs while facing down their own – and society’s – flaws. Best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of Christopher on The Sopranos, Imperioli has over the course of his 20-year career worked with such top directors as Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee. He’s also built a sub-career as a screenwriter, having penned numerous episodes of The Sopranos and Lee’s Summer of Sam, which originally Imperioli was going to direct. For …

To get the latest news on this year’s Sundance Film Festival, go to our Sundance page which will be updated daily.

Only a few days out from Sundance 2009, I’m still soaking in all the moments from film festivals of 2008, the collision of ideas and ideals. Documentary festivals have become my favorite expeditions the past couple years, where films with from social and artistic conscience are captured from inspired perspectives. And, in almost every instance, the great to half-decent filmmakers who take up even the most serious, even severe subjects, hold a wry smile toward the world. It’s halfway across the world, but the pair of events that impress me the most each year are in the north of Greece, …

MORE FACES IN GREECE: At a reception in honor of he and his gone-missing brother, Luc Dardenne toasts publicist Tatiana Detlefson… …joined shortly after by festival president Georges Corraface and actress Nandita Das, presenting her directorial debut, Firaaq, with U. S. Consul General Hoyt Brian Yee. Geoff Andrew, former Time Out film editor and National Film Theatre programmer, on closing night before accepting an award on behalf of the his friend Terence Davies. Takeshi Kitano listens for the translation of an impertinent challenge to his premiere of Achilles and the Tortoise. Diablo Cody is amused by a monologuing manifesto by …

Early bird deadline for the 2009 CineVegas Film Festival is next Thursday (Jan. 15). Final deadline: March 1. Learn how to submit your film here.

Always an indication of the imminent onset of awards season, AFI Fest typically gets ahead of the curve with world and local premieres of would-be contenders. For some films, it’s a prestigious Hollywood launching pad to build momentum toward the Golden Globes, guild honors and the Oscars, while for others it’s a brief moment in the spotlight before getting eclipsed by higher-profile titles. This year’s fest (Oct. 30 – Nov. 9) hit a significant snag even before kicking off, when Paramount pulled opener The Soloist, which will now premiere in theaters in March, 2009, from opening night. AFI Fest fortuitously …

The Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival (Oct. 9-19) prides itself on being a bridge between “East and West,” but this year’s edition found its greatest strength in films even closer to home (or as close to home as Hawaii can get, considering it’s the most geographically isolated populated landmass in the world). Festival programmer Anderson Le and director Chuck Boller brought in the usual dizzying array of films and filmmakers from around the Pacific Rim, with Chinese melodramas, Japanese comedies, and Korean thrillers among the many choices on offer this year, but also spotlighted low-budget works from Hawaii and …

Some film festivals are film and some are festival; the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 49 this year, manages to be both. For instance, here’s but one day from my notebook, November 22: 1130am Willem Dafoe masterclass; 1300 Richard Jobson’s “digital is the new punk”; 1500 Theo Angelopoulos press conference; 1600 Just Talking panel, Azazel Jacobs, Gerardo Naranjo, the Zellner brothers, Mimi Brody, me; 1800 Michael Ondaatje reading; 1930 Gustavo Santaololla tribute; 2000 Claire Denis’ 35 Rhums; 2300 Greek Film party. A festival in motion… My overview coverage is in the January issue of Filmmaker; here’s a few glimpses via video. …

Faces in Greece: jury president Michael Ondaatje before a reading at the Chamber of Commerce. David Zellner (Goliath) on the Provlita, or pier, after a Just Talking panel. Theo Angelopoulos debates a questioner’s premise about his latest, Dust of Time. At a Just Talking panel, programmer Mimi Brody and director (and priceless actor in Azazel Jacobs’ GoodTimesKid) Gerardo Naranjo. Latecomer Azazel Jacobs apologies to his panel. Before a masterclass that included the central Bobby Peru scene from Wild At Heart, Willem Dafoe gets flashed. Emir Kusturica’s No Smoking Band is a local favorite; the warehouse on the pier was packed …

Doc/Fest ran from November 5-9 this year. [Here's their site.] From hundreds of moments, a few glimpses beyond the screen by photographer Ray Pride.Michael Tucker, co-director of Bulletproof Salesman.Margaret Brown, after receiving a John Grierson award for The Order of Myths, with Astra Taylor, director of Examined Life.Nick Broomfield takes questions during his masterclass.Naomi Wolf signs copies of “The End of America” before the screening of The End of America. Simon Kilmurry, executive director of P.O.V., with Geoffrey Smith, director of The English Surgeon.Sean McAllister, director of Japan, A Story of Love and Hate, and Rebecca Frankel, FourDocs Editor at …