Think you’ve already thought of the next best film idea? Pitch it! Filmmaker magazine is happy to be co-presenting the Pitch Panels at this year’s IFP Independent Film Week and Filmmaker Conference. Five days of panels and presentations meant to educate and energize emerging filmmakers, the Filmmaker Conference is your place for inspiration, action and community, September 15-19, at Lincoln Center in New York City. Impressing your friends and family at the dinner table with your pitch is one thing, but with these exciting sessions, filmmakers of all stripes have the chance to dazzle a panel of industry experts who […]
As the summer draws to a close, another year of Rooftop Films grants is upon us. The New York-based nonprofit, though perhaps best known for its alfresco screenings across the four major boroughs, also functions as a dedicated support system to independent filmmakers in various stages of the production process. Beyond the traditional cash grants, Rooftop offers assistance in the form of equipment, workshops and post-production services. Those who have previously screened at the festival are exclusively eligible for grants through the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund, ensuring a continued, symbiotic partnership between exhibitor and artist. As such, this year’s recipients feature […]
The 66th edition of the Locarno Film Festival came to a close Saturday with the handing out of the Palmarès during an evening ceremony in the Piazza Grande, and thankfully this year’s awards were congruent with critical consensus. Lav Diaz, the Filopino master whose films regularly clock in at five and six hours, presided over this year’s jury, which, perhaps coincidentally, bestowed top prizes to the two competition films with the longest running times. The big winners of the Concorso Internazionale (International Competiton) were Catalan auteur Albert Serra, whose challenging but ultimately rewarding historical drama Historia de la meva mort […]
The Locarno Film Festival is characterized by its relaxed atmosphere and by its expansive programming. One can meander easily from a George Cukor classic on 35mm (he’s receiving a complete retrospective here), to the latest Ben Rivers and Ben Russell experimental narrative (part of the “Signs of Life” series, named after the Herzog film), to Jeremy Saulnier’s Blue Ruin screening in the 8,000 seat Piazza Grande. And in between, you can take a dip in the lake. It’s the kind of festival where you never have to wait in line for a press screening. This exceptional experience is in part […]
I’m flying to Tacoma, Wa. tomorrow for the annual 25 New Faces event at the Grand Cinema, but before I depart I’m posting here a quick, video-driven guide to the talented people I’ll be hanging out with over the coming days. (Thanks to Nathan Jones and Dante Pilkington for helping to put this post together.) There’s a lot to dig into below, so enjoy. Anahita Ghazvinizadeh Below is the trailer for Ghazvinizadeh’s most recent Cannes-winning short, Needle, and you can watch her 2011 short When the Kid was a Kid here. Rodrigo Reyes Here’s the trailer for Purgatorio; you can […]
The Locarno Film Festival opened Wednesday with a bang — or two, to be exact. There was the bombastic Opening Night selection in the Piazza Grande, which was the Mark Wahlberg/Denzel Washington vehicle 2 Guns — what one fellow critic called Lethal Weapon for 2013 (and seemingly a bizarre choice incongruous with the rest of the programming) — and there was the massive summer storm that stole the film’s thunder and literally dampened the affair. The Piazza, one of the largest outdoor screening venues in Europe, is where Locarno the town and Locarno the international festival literally come together — and […]
Tangerine Entertainment, Anne Hubbell and Amy Hobby’s start-up production company focusing on women directors, has announced the Juice Fund, “a donation-based initiative focused on changing the landscape for women filmmakers.” The Juice Fund’s financing will be crowdsourced. Those interested in Tangerine’s goal of supporting women directors and increasing their presence in the film industry can make tax-deductible donations via New York Women in Film and Television. From the press release: The initial $25,000 raise for the Juice Fund will be used to instigate concrete change in three ways: Rewarding – Ten participating U.S. festivals will present cash Juice Awards to […]
The day after the first trailer for Spike Jonze’s much anticipated, futuristic romance Her was released, the New York Film Festival has announced that the film will close their 2013 edition on October 13. In a press release, Kent Jones, the NYFF’s Director of Programming and Selection Committee Chair, said, “Like many people I’ve come to expect great and surprising things from Spike Jonze, but Her is something altogether new in cinema. To discuss even a little bit of the plot – let’s just say that it’s about lonely people and artificial intelligence – is to deprive first-time viewers of the opportunity […]
IFP announced today that the Gotham Awards will honor this December the Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Katherine Oliver. Every year, the Gothams honors four individuals who have made a considerable contribution, in one capacity or another, to the world of independent film; in 2012, the honorees were actors Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard, writer/director David O. Russell and Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll. IFP’s Executive Director Joana Vicente said of the announcement, “We are honored to dedicate our 2013 Gotham Industry Tribute to Katherine Oliver, who has made an indelible impact in the […]
IFP, Filmmaker’s publisher, announced this morning details of this year’s edition of its annual awards show, the Gotham Awards. The 2013 event will take place at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City on December 2, and will feature a number of changes. The most significant change is the addition of Best Actor and Actress categories, which are now in addition to awards for Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble. (The latter award, according to the press release, will now “be presented on occasion as a special award.”) Additionally, the Breakthrough Director award has this year be renamed in honor of Bingham […]