Authors — Sarah Salovaara
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“If You Want Something to Exist, Figure Out How to Do It”: Ian Clark on Eastern Oregon Film Festival and A Morning Light
As both a programmer and filmmaker, Ian Clark has had a long-standing relationship with Filmmaker. Named a 25 New Face in 2012, Clark is also a co-founder of the Eastern Oregon Film Festival (EOFF), which hosts its annual online program on this very website. I’ve attended EOFF for three years, and every time I am amazed by the sense of community Clark fosters and his prowess as a programmer, a curatorial mindset that feels like a direct extension of his person. Clark and I had a conversation about the festival’s origins, his relationship to his hometown of La Grande, and his […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Dec 7, 2018 -
Watch: Lauren Minnerath’s Short, The Morning After
In The Morning After an interracial lesbian couple wake up the day after the 2016 general election to find their world changed. They drag their tired bodies out of bed to have brunch with one of the women’s fathers, who presents a charming, welcoming veneer despite his soon-to-be revealed political leanings. Written and directed by Lauren Minnerath, and starring Taylor Hess (a Filmmaker contributing editor) and Adenike Thomas, the short film methodically dissects an already tense instance of “meet the parents,” made all the more trying by the present circumstance. Check it out above.
by Sarah Salovaara on Dec 6, 2018 -
Watch: David Call’s Short Film Cole
One of the very best shorts of the year has made its way online. Actor David Call wrote, directed and stars in Cole, an elliptical drama about a combat veteran who’s suffered a traumatic brain injury and is struggling to reintegrate himself into the working world. With a steady, almost minimalist approach, Call relays the quotidian rejection that his character faces to heartbreaking effect. Check it out above.
by Sarah Salovaara on Dec 5, 2018 -
AFI Names Its Top 10 Films and TV Shows of the Year
‘Tis the season for top ten lists and the American Film Institute has just released their top television and film picks for the year. Decided upon by two discrete juries of academics, critics and filmmakers, these lists are meant to highlight the best US productions of 2018. The film award body elected to extend a special honor to Alfonso Cuarón’s Mexico City-shot Roma. Read on for the full list. AFI FILMS OF THE YEAR BlackKklansman Black Panther Eighth Grade The Favourite First Reformed Green Book If Beale Street Could Talk Mary Poppins Returns A Star Is Born A Quiet Place AFI TELEVISION […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Dec 4, 2018 -
SFFILM Announces Winners of Fall 2018 Rainin Grants
SFFILM, in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, has announced the seven narrative feature projects that will receive a total of $240,000 in funding as part of the biannual Rainin Grants. The funds are awarded to teams whose films will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community and/or pressing social issues. Previous recipients include Sorry to Bother You, Monsters and Men, Short Term 12, and Fruitvale Station. Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2019 round of SFFILM Rainin Grants; the deadline to apply is February 20. For further information visit sffilm.org/makers. FALL 2018 SFFILM RAININ GRANT […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 30, 2018 -
New York Film Critics Circle Announce 2018 Award Winners
The New York Film Critics Circle announced their 2018 award winners this afternoon, with three of the top prizes going to Alfonso Cuarón for his autobiographical epic Roma. First Reformed scooped up Best Actor and Best Screenplay, repeating its Gotham haul, and Regina Hall became the first Black performer to win Best Actress for her excellent turn in Support the Girls. The full list of winners is below. Best Picture: Roma Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed Best Actress: Regina Hall, Support the Girls Best Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 29, 2018 -
Sundance Film Festival Announces 2019 Features Line-Up
The Sundance Film Festival has just announced the 112 feature films set to hit Park City next January 24- February 3. From a record breaking 14,259 submissions, these selections represent 33 countries. 40% of the films were directed by one or more women; 36% were directed by one or more filmmaker of color; and 13% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA. Highlights include new films from Joanna Hogg, Kim Longinotto, Alma Har’el, Martha Stephens, Penny Layne and Joe Berlinger, as well as the first features from former 25 New Faces Michael Tyburski, Joe Talbot and Pippa Bianco. Scroll […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 28, 2018 -
The Rider Tops the 2018 Gotham Awards
The 2018 Gotham Independent Film Awards are in the can and The Rider, Chloe Zhao’s stunning second feature, emerged at the top of the heap, beating out the more bookie friendly bets in The Favourite and First Reformed. Those films did not go home empty handed: Ethan Hawke and Paul Schrader won Best Actor and Best Screenplay, respectively, and Rachel Weisz was on hand to accept her Actress Tribute and an Ensemble Award for The Favourite. Read on for the full list of winners. Best Feature “First Reformed” “The Favourite” “Madeline’s Madeline” “If Beale Street Could Talk” “The Rider” Best Documentary “Bisbee ‘17” “Hale […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 26, 2018 -
Bernardo Bertolucci (1941-2018)
On the heels of Nicolas Roeg and Ricky Jay, the movies lost another major figure today with the passing of the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci. Bertolucci leaves behind something of complicated legacy, especially given Hollywood’s current sociopolitical climate. His treatment of Maria Schneider on the set of The Last Tango in Paris has led some to decry his standing, while others lament that such indiscretions are “in danger of [overshadowing]” his work. Whichever side of the aisle you may fall on, it’s hard to deny his eye for staging a scene. Above is one of the most memorable sequences from one of […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 26, 2018 -
SFFILM Announces Westridge Grant Winners
Earlier today, SFFilm announced the five recipients of their Westridge Grant, a biannual funding initiative that awards $100,000 to US-based filmmakers who are in the development stage of social justice related projects. This round’s panel of judges was comprised of Lauren Kushner, SFFILM Senior Manager of Artist Development; Alana Mayo, Head of Production at Outlier Society; Shelby Rachleff, Westridge Foundation Program Manager; Shira Rockowitz, Associate Director, Feature Film Program, Sundance; Jenny Slattery, SFFILM Associate Director of Artist Development and Foundations; and Caroline von Kühn, SFFILM Director of Artist Development. The next application cycle will open later this month. Read on to […]
by Sarah Salovaara on Nov 20, 2018
