MIMI'S FILM FESTIVALS 2008

PART 2

June - September / Jackson Hole - New York

Mimi Spotlights Important Film Festival's with Links to Official Sites and More!

Film Festivals 2008 Part 1

(January - May / Palm Springs - Cannes)

[Mimi's Film Festival Page 2007] Highlights and winners from last year.

THE COMPANIONS TO THIS PAGE ARE MY 2009 and 2008 AWARDS PAGES. Other Hot Links below.

Also, check latest postings for festivals, awards and other movie info on my MIMI AT THE MOVIES blog, and Mimi's Foreign Movie Page.

and

UPCOMING

[Already Completed]

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46th NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL

26 September - 12 October 2008

Ziegfeld Theater

New York, New York; or NYC

The Film Society of Lincoln Center was founded in 1969 to focus on American and international cinema, new directors and public awareness of film. This year's New York Film Festival will be held at the Ziegfeld Theater instead of it's usual home, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, due to ongoing renovations at the event's traditional home. This festival does not give awards, it is noncompetitive. It takes pride in showcasing a select group of movies. For instance, one showcase scheduled this year is a tribute to the Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima. The 46th has selected 28 films from 18 countried.

17 July - Daniel H. Stern, president of the Film Society of Lincoln Center announced that Mara Manus, the Public Theater’s top financial executive for the last six years, will take over as executive director of the Film Society. She succeeds Joanne Koch, who held the position for 37 years. Manus will begin work in mid-September.

The Public Theater is the live theater, but Ms. Manus has paid her dues in the movie business. She has also been a production executive at MCA Universal, at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures and at Trans-Pacific Films. Her position prior to joining Public Theater was that of project manager at the Ford Foundation.

No awards given at this noncompetitive Festival. The applause is for the people who bring us this great Festival.

FULL PROGRAM ANNOUNCED.

FILM FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT: Winner of the Palme d'Or (best film) at this year's Cannes Film Festival, THE CLASS (Entre les murs). This is French director Laurent Cantet's first film to open the NYC Festival, but his acclaimed TIME OUT appeared at the Festival in 2001.

CLASS is based on an autobiographical novel by François Begaudeau who plays himself as a young French teacher facing a sometimes rebellious class [Surprised?]. It is classified as a "docudrama" because it was filmed with real students and teachers in a raw, improvisational style to chronicle the drama that unfolds over one school year. Cantet is considered the innovator of this new kind of social cinema. For more about THE CLASS, and winners at this year's Cannes Film Festival, see Mimi at the Movies blog. [Anyone remember Francois Truffaut's FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS?]

FILM FESTIVAL CLOSING NIGHT: Darren Aronofsky’s THE WRESTLER, starring actor Mickey Rourke, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei. There is already Oscar buzz for Rourke portrayal of a once-popular wrestling pro who now ekes out a living performing for diehard wrestling fans in small-town venues throughout New Jersey. A headliner in the Festival's 28-film main slate, screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre.

CENTERPIECE MOVIE: The North American premiere of Clint Eastwood’s CHANGELING, starring Angelina Jolie and John Malkovich. Another headliner in the Festival's 28-film main slate, screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre.

SPOTLIGHT RESTRSPECTIVE. A newly restored print of Max Ophuls’s final masterwork LOLA MONTÈS (1955) will be featured. Another headliner in the Festival's 28-film main slate, screening at the Ziegfeld Theatre.

The Film Society welcomes back directors, who have ties to the Festival, with new features including: Jia Zhangke 24 CITY (Er shi si cheng ji), Wong Kar Wai ASHES OF TIME REDUX (1994 / 2008) [Yes, he did MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS, and he has completely re-done his original 1994 ASHES.], and Mike Leigh HAPPY-GO-LUCKY .

Steven Soderbergh also returns to the Festival with CHE, a controversial two-part biography. Star Benicio del Toro won the Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for his protrayal of the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. Other prominent Cannes prizewinners in the slate include Matteo Garrone’s GOMORRAH (Grand Prize), Steve McQueen’s HUNGER (Camera d’Or) [No, this is not the dead American actor. This McQueen was born in the UK in 1969.], Sergey Dvortsevoy’s TULPAN (Un Certain Regard Prize) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s TOKYO SONATA (Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard). [Don't confuse him with the late, great Akira Kurosawa, and there is no relation.]

Other American productions, or co-productions, include: Antonio Campos’s AFTERSCHOOL, Kelly Reichardt’s WENDY and LUCY, and Alexander Olch’s THE WINDMILL MOVIE.

Besides THE CLASS, French entries include Arnaud Desplechin’s star-studded family drama A CHRISTMAS TALE, Agnès Jaoui’s story of aspiring filmmakers following a rising female politician LET IT RAIN, Olivier Assayas’s moving introspection on time and mortality SUMMER HOURS, and Israeli director Ari Folman’s animated wartime autobiography WALTZ WITH BASHIR, an Israeli - French co-production.

Read more about the above films!

9 - September - Is film criticism in crisis? Jonathan Rosenbaum, Kent Jones, David Hudson, Emmanuel Burdeau, and other luminary scribes discuss the future of film criticism, and their own livelihoods. The panel discussion, "Film Criticism in Crisis?" will take place Saturday, 27 September, at the Walter Reade Theater.

[FILM SOCIETY OFFICIAL SITE] [Direct FF Link Now Open]

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27th VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

25 September - 10 October 2008

Vancouver, British Columbia

The VIFF will present films from 60 countries. The online film Program catalogue goes live 6 September, and the comprehensive 200-page Program Catalog 13 September. For those of you in British Columbia, look for the printed sneak preview guide 3 September.

AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

The majority of the awards went to Canadian films. Feature Film Award: FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING, directed by Kari Skogland of British Columbia (B.C.).

Nonfiction Feature Film: BORN WITHOUT, directed by the late Eva Norvind, Mexico. Special Mention was given Canada's FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION directed by Velcrow Ripper.

Most Promising Director of a Canadian Short Film: Drew McCreadie of Vancouver for the film THE VALET.

Women in Film & Television Vancouver Artistic Merit Award AND Most Popular Canadian Film: Tantoo Cardinal for MOTHERS & DAUGHTERS.

New This Year! International Film Guide Inspiration Award for “unique visual style, daring content and expansive execution by an emerging filmmaker” to Cameron Labine of B.C. for the film CONTROL ALT DELETE.

Rogers People's Choice Award for the Most Popular Film: I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, France), directed by Philippe Claudel.

New This Year! Documentary Audience Award: THROW DOWN YOUR HEART. The American doc was directed by Sascha Paladino, and is about banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck's musical journey to Africa.

National Film Board of Canada's Most Popular Canadian Documentary Award:
FIERCE LIGHT: WHEN SPIRIT MEETS ACTION, by Velcrow Ripper.

VIFF Environmental Film Audience Award: BLUE GOLD: WORLD WATER WARS, a documentary directed by Sam Bozzo that had its world-premiere at the VIFF.

Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema (previously announced)

The $10,000 Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema, which is sponsored by Brad Birarda, went to Emily Tang for PERFECT LIFE (Hong Kong/China).

Before and during the Festival

The VIFF 08 Online Film Guide, complete with notes, credits, scheduled screenings and internet ticket sales, is now available.

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Galas are primarily invitational but a limited supply of tickets is available for purchase. Film only = $115 Package (film, party, +) = $110.

OPENING NIGHT: BLINDNESS ( Brazil/ Canada / Japan, 2008, 128 mins). Don McKellar's adaptation of Nobel prize-winner José Saramago's masterful novel features Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, and Gael García Bernal, dealing with a plague that renders inhabitants of an unamed city blind. Fernando Meirelles (CITY OF GOD) directs.

ANNIVERSARY NIGHT (4 Oct.): RACHEL GETTING MARRIED ( USA, 2008, 114 mins): Jonathan Demme's latest take on family dysfunction stars Anne Hathaway, in a role against type, as a self-destructive force of nature returned home in time to wreak havoc on her sister's wedding. It is getting great buzz.

CLOSING NIGHT: THE CLASS ( France, 2008, 128 mins)

Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes earlier this year, Laurent Cantet's classroom drama garnered a standing ovation. A young teacher in a Parisian inner-city middle school seeks to inspire his feisty, uncooperative students. Based on the novel by François Bégaudeau, who ostensibly plays himself in the film.

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BALLAST ( USA, 2007, 96 mins): A rock-ribbed sense of committed, personal cinema and a core belief in people being able to pull themselves out of misery supports [this] extraordinary debut by Lance Hammer, Following a Mississippi Delta family, the film runs a course from wrenching death to possible uplift that seems real every second. Winner, best director, Sundance 08. Winner of the Jury Prize, Deauville.

CAFÉ DE LOS MAESTROS ( Argentina/ Brazil/ USA, 2007, 90 mins): Delicious tango music, alternately exhilarating and heartbreaking, anchors Miguel Kohan's moving documentary that focuses on the reunion of an aging group of legendary Argentinean tango players in Buenos Aires. Think BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB set in the Paris of the South.

CAPTAIN ABU RAED ( Jordan/USA, 2007, 110 mins): Winner of the Audience Award in the World Cinema competition at Sundance, this first-ever independent film from Jordan, directed by Amin Matalqa, makes fantastic use of the city of Amman as a backdrop for a winning tale about a wise old airport janitor mistaken for a jet-setting pilot by the kids in his neighbourhood.

CELIA THE QUEEN ( USA, 2008, 86 mins): The life of one of Cuba's greatest musical exports, legendary salsa singer Celia Cruz, serves as the focus of Joe Cardona and Mario de Varona's vibrant, performance-laden documentary. Wyclef Jean, Quincy Jones, David Byrne, Gloria Estefan and Johnny Pacheco, among others, pay tribute to the Queen of salsa.
HAPPPY-G0-LUCKY( United Kingdom, 2008, 118 mins): Director Mike Leigh (VERA DRAKE) turns the tables on his audience with a film that more than lives up to its title. Lead Sally Hawkins copped the Best Actress prize at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. Leigh challenges our assumptions about realism, pessimism and irony.

HEAVEN ON EARTH ( Canada, 2008, 106 mins): This latest feature from Deepa Mehta (FIRE, WATER) delivers a textured and emotional drama. Chand, a young bride, leaves her home in India for Ontario, her new husband Rocky, and his very traditional family. As the lines between her fantasy and harsh reality converge, Chand and Rocky come face to face with each other and themselves.

RELIGULOUS ( USA, 2008, 101 mins): Bill Maher and Larry Charles (Borat) join forces to put the boots to organized religion in whatever shape and form they find it. No one is spared -- not even God himself. Continuing in the tradition of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens (but actually funny), this scathing film serves up subversion and good sense in equal measure.

LIVING GODDESS, THE ( United Kingdom, 2007, 87 mins): The best of several new nonfiction films about Nepal. Eight-year-old Sajani is the living embodiment of the Goddess Kali. She's also an ordinary kid who likes candy and video games, and only wears the third eye of the Goddess when her mother makes her. Set against the violence of Nepalese civil war, this ancient tradition is on a crash course with contemporary politics, with a small goddess caught in the middle.

PACHAMAMA ( Bolivia/ Japan/ USA, 2008, 104 mins): A superb ethnographic drama from director Toshifumi Matsushita about the Quecha people of Bolivia who have lived close to the land for centuries (the term "Pachamama" means Mother Earth). When a young boy undertakes a traditional journey with his father and a troop of llamas along the Salt Trail (Ruta de la Sal), he must confront the complexities of adult life.

REC ( Spain, 2007, 75 mins): Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza are rapidly carving a name for themselves as Spain's leading horrormeisters. Their propulsive new scarefest features a female TV presenter, a gaggle of cops and firefighters and the residents of a Barcelona apartment trying to stave off the flesh-eating victims of a virus. Smart and fast-paced, with moments of genuine shock and horror. It has been picked up for a big-budget Hollywood remake.

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This year, six Film Series:

The Ark: Elements and Animals (Environmental films, documentary and fiction).
Canadian Images: Features, documentaries and shorts from all regions of Canada.
Cinema of Our Time: International Section screening some 30 films.
Dragons & Tigers: The Cinema of East Asia.
Nonfiction Features: 100 features, 1/3 of the films to be shown at VIFF.
Spotlight on France: 10 to 12 films from France's film culture, alive and well.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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56th SAN SEBASTIÁN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

18 - 27 September 2008

San Sebastián, Spain

The Festival is now officially known as the Donastia Zinemaldia Festival Internacionál de San Sebastián. Donastia is the Basque word for San Sebastián and this year's main color is fuchsia, even the previous red carpet. Hence I have changed the color of the text from red to fuchsia.

AWARDS PRESENTED! Here is the FULL LIST!

View of San Sebastián and Festival Office

Before and During the Festival:

OPENING NIGHT - Out of Competition - - THE OTHER MAN (UK), stars Liam Neeson (SCHLINDER'S LIST), Antonio Banderas (SHREK, SPY KIDS, ZORRO - all with sequels, and EVITA), Laura Linney (SAVAGES, KINSEY), and Romola Garai (ATONEMENT). Directed by Richard Eyre (NOTES ON A SCANDAL, 2006), it is based on the German author Bernard Schlink's book, FLIGHTS OF LOVE (Liebesfluchten). The film shot in the UK and Italy, concerns a love triangle and a romantic obsession with elements of intrigue.

The opening night carpet WILL NOT BE red. It will be a dark fuchsia carpet on which Antonio Banderas, Richard Eyre, Woody Allen, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Hall, and the likes will be walking. Belén Rueda and Edurne Ormazabal will be hosting.

The opening gala will be broadcast live on the Festival's Official Video Site, on Telefestival, on the Screen of Plaza Oquendo, and on Spanish Television on the 2nd channel at 21.35. This is the widest coverage the SSIFF has ever garnered. The General Coordinator is my buddy Diego Galán and Manuel Palacios will direct the operation.

Previously, twelve-time Oscar-nominated actress Meryl Streep, and Spanish actor Antonio Banderas, received San Sebastian Festival’s Donostia Award for career achievement.

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American director Paul Thomas Anderson will receive the FIPRESCI Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year for THERE WILL BE BLOOD at the Festival's opening gala in the Kursaal Auditorium on September 18. The award is decided by the International Federation of Film Critics with 242 members, representing 36 countries, voting for this year's award. San Sebastiàn has hosted the FIPRESCI Grand Prix since it was established in 1999. THERE WILL BE BLOOD will be shown at a special screening in the Victoria Eugenia Theatre.

In order to be considered for the Grand Prix, a film must receive a major award from an International Film Festival during the same calandar year. Anderson received a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year for Best Director of THERE WILL BE BLOOD. The movie also won two Oscars: Daniel Day-Lewis (actor) and Robert Elswit (cinematography).

Anderson's MAGNOLIA (1999) won a FIPRESCI Grand Prix in 2000. Two of Anderson's movies include PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE (2002), and BOOGIE NIGHTS (1997). This award has gone in recent years to directors including Nuri Bilge Ceylan (UZAK), Jean-Luc Godard (NOTRE MUSIQUE), Kim Ki-Duk (3-IRON), Pedro Almodóvar (VOLVER) and Cristian Mungiu (4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS).

CLOSING NIGHT - Out of Competition - - THE BROTHERS BLOOM, a comedy in a surprising mixture of genres leads the swindling Bloom brothers on a peculiar adventure all over the world. It is the second feature from the writer / director Rian Johnson (BRICK, 2005). Oscar winners Adrien Brody (THE PIANIST), Rachel Weisz (THE CONSTANT GARDENER), Mark Ruffalo (BLINDNESS, COLLATERAL) and Oscar nominated Rinku Kikuchi (BABEL), star.

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The official 56th San Sebastian Festival Website is "live"!

Last year's Zinemaldia received 9 million visits, 4,000,000 of those were made during the month of September 2007. In addition, 142,990 videos were downloaded and every day an average of 1,200 users followed the Festival broadcasts. This year the site (link below) has added many new features - -

Photo galleries: updated by the minute, of what's on at the Festival; News: Information including last minute news of the everyday Festival activities; Donostia Awards: Information on this year's Awards and news of the visits of those receiving them at the Festival; Juries and awards: Information on all of the jury members. Live broadcast of the award announcements and presentation ceremony. Detailed information of the winners in each category; Festival newspaper: Digital version of the Festival newspaper, which can be consulted and downloaded in pdf; Program and Ticket Sales: and all of the Festival screenings, connected with the ticket sales, including information on ticket availability.

In addition, there is Information on all of the films at the Festival, with synopses, technical information and photographs, and the screenings corresponding to each title and all of its related videos; Data and photo archives on the history of the Festival, the Donostia Awards and other aspects of the different editions; plus, Information on hotels, cinemas and other aspects of the city related to the Film Festival

Virtual Press Box: Add to features brought over from last year for the press. It's a new space containing all of the promotional material for the films made available to the media by production companies and distributors. There are RSS feeds for up-to-the-minute notification of new content on the site.

Sale Office: Accredited film industry members will find valuable information for the carrying out of their work at the Festival, the professional agenda, film contacts, lists of purchasers, etc.

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JURY CHAIR

Jonathan Demme, winner of an Oscar for best director for THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991), and director of films including SOMETHING WILD (1986), PHILADELPHIA (1993), the remake of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004) and NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD (2006), will chair the Official Jury. The jury will decide the winners of the Golden Schell (Concha de oro / cáscara dorada), Silver Shell (Concha de plata / cáscara plata), and other awards.

Demme will present his latest, RACHEL GETTING MARRIED,starring Anne Hathaway in an unconventional role for her, along with his yet-to-be-released, NEIL YOUNG TRUNK SHOW: Scenes From a Concert. His 2006, NEIL YOUNG: Heart of Gold (2006) will also screen.

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Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), the boy in the striped pajamas, and Bruno (Asa Butterfield) who knows nothing about the meaning of the Final Solution.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS (UK, USA), directed by Mark Herman and based on a novel by John Boyne, will have its international premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It will be presented as part of the Official Selection, but out of competition.

The movie is based on a 2006 best-selling novel by Irish writer John Boyne. He wrote the screenplay with director Herman whose previous films include BRASSED OFF (1996), LITTLE VOICE (1998), PURELY BELTER (2000) and HOPE SPRINGS (2003). The film was produced for Miramax by David Heyman, producer of the Harry Potter saga.

Set in 1942 Germany, it is the the gripping story of a friendship between two boys who live on either side of a fence, one on the outside and one inside a concentration camp. The crew from THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS will be in San Sebastián for the film’s international premiere, following its local London and Dublin premieres.

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TROPIC THUNDER - Ensemble Cast

Stiller (front center), Downey (right)

Writer / Director / Producer Ben Stiller, who also acts in the movie, and Actor Robert Downey Jr. will present the comedy TROPIC THUNDER at the Festival. Ben Stiller wears many hats for this DreamWorks production to be presented out of competition as part of the Official Selection. The movie is distributed in Spain by Paramount Pictures Spain, and is now open-wide in the U.S.

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Director Woody Allen, will be at the Festival with some of those appearing in his latest, VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, a.k.a. VCB, filmed in Barcelona, Spain, starring Javier Bardém with his "love triangle" in the movie: Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. VCB, in English, had its premiere in Cannes in May, screening out of competition. I is now open in the U.S. A MUST READ: Woody Allen's recent article, uh, diary, in the NY Times (24 August 2008) about the making of VCB, "Excerpts From the Spanish Diary". It's a hoot!.

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Three retrospectives for upcoming Festival:

CLASSIC RETROSPECTIVE: MARIO MONICELLI - The Italian filmmaker (b. 1915), whose latest movie is THE ROSES OF THE DESERT (Le rose del deserto, 2006), will be honored with a retrospective of 41 of his feature films.

Monicelli has participated four times in the San Sebastian Festival Official Selection. In 1958, I soliti ignoti shared the Silver Shell with Alfred Hitchcock’s VERTIGO. His CASANOVA 70, 1965, garnered the awards for best director and best actor for Marcello Mastroianni. Monica Vitti won the best actress award for her role in his 1968 movie THE GIRL WITH THE GUN (La ragazza con la pistola), and his 1971 Brancaleone garnered the best actor for Vittorio Gassman.

THEMATIC RETROSPECTIVE: JAPAN IN BLACK - Japanese criminal (gangster) and film noir features from 1949 through 1997, from directors such as Takeshi Kitano, Takashi Miike, Takashi Ikii and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 41 features in all.

RETROSPECTIVE: TERENCE DAVIES - Showcasing many of the films from this British writer / director from his first short in 1976, CHILDREN, to his current release TIME AND THE CITY, a documentary on everyday life in the Liverpool of the 50s and 60s, his native city. He writes all his films, is an occasional novelist and actor, and music plays a big part in his films. He will attend the Festival, which will publish a complete study of his work, coordinated by Quim Casas, with the participation of various experts.

For full list of features in the retrospectives, and more, see link for official site below.

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Recent Goya award winner for best director and best film for LA SOLEDAD (Spain, 2007), Barcelona native Jaime Rosales will compete at San Sebastián with his new film, TIRO EN LA CABEZA (Throw in the Head, Spain, 2008), for which he is writer and producer as well as director. Courtney Hunt, USA, will compete in the Official Selection with FROZEN RIVER, which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2008.

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The VII International Film School Meeting will take place Thursday and Friday, 25 -26 September 2008, at the Festival. A total of 12 schools will be chosen to participate in the Festival, and each school may present three short films. Students will show their short films, attend meetings with professionals, and discover some of the latest aspects offered by audiovisual technology. A special jury will select the winning film, and the director will receive €6,000 in post-production services. The Jury will also choose three directors who will have the opportunity to participate with their works in the next Cannes Festival Short Film Corner.

Festival sections: Cinema in Motion is an aid program for filmmakers organized by San Sebastian Festival in collaboration with the Amiens (France) and Fribourg (Switzerland) Festivals. Films in Progress is a joint initiative between San Sebastian Festival and the Rencontres Ciné mas d’ Amé rique Latine in Toulouse, France.

Five films from last year's Films in Progress and Cinema in Motion sections participated in different sections of this year's 61st Cannes International Film Festival. They were: ACNÉ, by Federico Veiroj (Uruguay), Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Won Spanish Television’s TVE Award at San Sebastian in 2007; A FESTA DA EMINA MORTA, by Mattheus Nachtergaele (Brazil), Un Certain Regard. Selected for Films in Progress 12, San Sebastian 2007: TONY MANERO, by Pablo Larrain (Chile), Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and the Films in Progress 13 Award, Toulouse 2008; and LA EXTRANJERA, by Fernando Díaz (Argentina), which was selected for Films in Progress 12 (San Sebastián 2007). EXTRANJERA also participated in the Cannes Pavillion des Ciné mas du Sud.

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LIST OF 2007 AWARD WINNERS (.pdf)

[OFFICIAL SITE - English]

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6th SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL

25 - 28 September 2008

San Diego, California

(Gaslamp Quarter)

Okay, this is not a major film festival, but I happen to love San Diego. So, there. All screenings are at the Pacific Gaslamp 15 multiplex, except for the Film Rocks Music Videos program at the House of Blues. This is a PARTY festival. No awards given.

Passes now on sale, $70 - limited to all screening to $300 all-inclusive, and day passes are $50 per day. On-line film program with pictures.

There is an abundance of documentaries and shorts this year. Festival is short on fiction features, but many are this year because of the writers strike last year.

OPENING NIGHT: THE LUCKY ONES (2008), Directed by Neil Burger (co-written with Dirk Wittenborn). The cast is Rachel McAdams, Michael Pena, and Tim Robbins. A humorous and timely movie about three very different U.S. soliders on a spontaneous road trip across American.

When three very road trip across America, they form a deep bond that may be the closest thing any of them has to real family. A humorous and timely

Walk the red carpet at the Opening Night Feature Film Premiere at the Gaslamp Theater. Then slip past the velvet rope for the 944 Opening Night Premiere Party, Westfield Horton Plaza - Sun Deck. Parking at the Horton Plaza Parking Garage will be validated for passholders attending the 944 Opening Night After-Party. Validation stickers will be distributed at the after-party, and are valid for six hours of parking. Complimentary parking courtesy of Westfield Horton Plaza. Open to Platinum, VIP, Festival and Thursday
Day Pass holders only.

CLOSING NIGHT: MORNING LIGHT (documentary feature), directed by Mark Monroe (2008). A great sailing race movie. Perfect of San Diego. At 09:00 p.m., it's time to had for the Exy Restaurant & Lounge for the Heineken Closing Night Wrap Party to learn who the audience choice award winners are. However, it is open to Platinum, VIP, Festival and Sunday Day Pass holders only.

A feature documntary from Spain, THE MATADOR , follows David Fandila's quest to become the world's top-ranked bullfighter. Heart-wrenching setbacks and thrilling successes dramatize 'El Fandi's' three-year journey across Spain and Latin America.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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Old South Church, Boston, MA - - - www.freefoto.com

24th BOSTON FILM FESTIVAL

12 - 18 September 2008

Landmark Theater, Kendall Square Center

Boston, Massachusetts

The 2008 Boston Film Festival program will include a unique selection of feature films, documentaries and shorts. Question and Answer sessions with directors and actors follow each screening, giving moviegoers a first-hand access to the filmmaking process. Additionally, a selection of roundtable panel discussions with industry executives will be offered on opening weekend.

Evening Filmmaker receptions are hosted by Boston's signature restaurants. These are an ideal setting for talent, directors and sponsors to network, as well as celebrate the daily premieres.

The Festival does NOT give awards.

Can't purchase tickets online, only at the Landmark, Kendall Square Center.

Contact information: http://www.landmarktheaters.com
One Kendall Square
Cambridge, MA 02139
617-621-1202

OPENING NIGHT: APPALOOSA. Director and Co-Screenwriter Ed Harris, with Co-Screenwriter and Producer *Robert Knott. Stars Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Timothy V. Murphy and Daniel T. Parker. Based on the novel by *Robert Parker. Opening Night Party TBA.

CLOSING NIGHT: FLASH OF GENIUS, Directed by *Marc Abraham, starring *Greg Kinnear, Lauren Graham, Dermot Mulroney, and Alan Alda. Closing Night Party TBA.

* Denotes Attendance. Q&A following every screening. Additional talent appearances to be added. Shorts TBA.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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34th AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL of DEAUVILLE

5 - 14 September 2008

Deauville, France

America in Paris, no. Deauville, yes. This French Film Festival is devoted wholly to American Cinema. Who started that nasty rumor that the French don't like us, anyway? Over 100 will screen this year.

Also, this year, the C.I.D. (Deauville International Centre) has re-done the terraces of the Festival, turning them into a real meeting point for some 200,000 people who, every year, wont miss a show or are trying to spot a celebrity. As an extension of the red carpet and its spotlights, which have witnessed the visit of the greatest stars of the American cinema for 34 years, the terraces of the festival, set between the CID and the sea, offer open space alongside the screenings. The access to these terraces is open and free of charge.

AWARDS PRESENTED!

GRAND PRIX (Grand Prize): THE VISITOR (France, 2007), Directed by Tom McCarty.

Sixty-two-year-old Walter Vale has lost his passion for teaching and writing. He fills the void by trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to New York to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young illegal immigrant couple living in his apartment.

PRIX DU JURY (Jury Prize): BALLAST (USA, 2008), Lance Hammer.

Lawrence and his brother live together in a small Mississippi delta town next to Marlee, a single mother and her 12-year-old son James. When Lawrence's brother unexpectedly dies, the event causes a profound ripple effect in their lives.

PRIX DE LA CRITIQUE INTERNATIONALE (International Film Critics Prize, FIPRESCI):
GARDENS OF THE NIGHT (USA, 2008), Damian Harris. Main cast: Tom Arnold, John Malkovich, Gillian Jacobs, Evan Ross, Ryan Simpkins, and Kevin Zegers.

Seventeen-year-old Leslie struggles with a hand to mouth existence on the streets of San Diego with only her childhood friend Donnie to look after her. Both of them are trying to cope with the trauma they suffered nine years earlier.

PRIX MICHEL D'ORNANO (Michel D'Ornano Prize): JOHNNY MAD DOG (France, 2008), Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire.

In Africa today, Johnny, a fifteen-year-old child-soldier, armed to the hilt, is inhabited by the mad dog he dreams of becoming. He robs, pillages, and slays everything in his path. Is there anything or anyone who can redeem Johnny? A cast of unknown actors heightens the realism.

PRIX DU JURY DE LA FONDATION CARTIER (Cartier Foundation Jury Prize): BALLAST (USA, 2008), Lance Hammer.

Before and during the Festival

The President of the Jury of Feature Films of the American Film Festival of Deauville will be French actress, Carole Bouquet. Complete Jury.

OPENING NIGHT: MAMA MIA! With reception by invitation only.

MAMMA MIA is the feature movie adaptation of the Broadway musical comedy. Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried and Dominic Cooper join Meryl Streep on an idyllic Greek island. There, a mother, a daughter and three possible dads. An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island. The mother, Donna (Streep), is about to let go of Sophie (Seyfried), the spirited daughter she has raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends—practical and no-nonsense Rosie (Walters) and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya (Baranski)—from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own (Brosnan, Cooper and Firth). Director Phyllida Lloyd, writer Catherine Johnson, and producer Judy Craymer.

CLOSING NIGHT: THEN SHE FOUND ME (Une histoire de famille), awards, by invitation only. Actress Helen Hunt, directs, stars, and wrote the screenplay with Victor Levin and Alice Arlen. Including Hunt, the cast is: Helen Hunt (April Epner); Colin Firth (Frank); Bette Midler (Bernice Graves); Ben Shenkman (Freddy); Matthew Broderick (Ben);
and Lynn Cohen (Trudy).

Tribute screenings of some of their films for: Director Spike Lee, actress Parker Posey, actor Ed Harris, and the late director Mitchell Leisen (1898 - 1972) who is known for his romantic movies.

PRIX MICHEL D'ORNANO: JOHNNY MAD DOG, directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire. In Africa today, Johnny, a fifteen-year-old child-soldier, armed to the hilt, is inhabited by the mad dog he dreams of becoming. He robs, pillages, and slays everything in his path. Is there anything or anyone who can redeem Johnny?

Special Event: Thursday, 6 September the Literary Jury will award this year's Literary Book Prize to Jay McInerney for his novel, The Beautiful Life (La Belle Vie), published by Olivier's Editions, and Mr. McInerney will receive the prize in person.

On the Deauville Boardwalk, so far: John Malcovich will present Clint Eastwood's CHANGLING.

France Bleu Normandie will broadcast a daily program from Saturday 6th to Saturday 13th, from 6 - 8:00 p.m. Interviews, backstage coverage of the Festival, debates, etc.

Also Ouest France will distribute the supplement of the newspaper especially published for this 34th edition of the Festival, as well as give many opportunities for winning screenings tickets for the Festival each day.

Screening Schedule (Word)

Screening Schedule (.pdf)

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33rd TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (TIFF)

4 - 13 September 2008

Toronto, Canada

Where the race for the Oscar begins.

The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG) is a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization, which is often dubbed Hollywood North, and ranks with Cannes, Sundance, Berlin and Venice as one of the world's most influential film festivals. The organization's mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Their vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image. The TIFF is now considered the kick-off to the Hollywood awards season. This year, the festival will screen 312 films from 62 countries.

AWARDS PRESENTED!

Winner of the 2008 Cadillac People's Choice Award is

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

This HDCAM movie was directed by Manchester-born Danny Boyle (TRAINSPOTTING, 1996, SUNSHINE, 2007) and his co-director Loveleen Tandan in India. They will split a $15,000 prize for this colorful movie shot in modern-day Mumbai, and Maharashtra, India. Can Jamal, an orphaned street kid (slumdog), win the jackpot on the Indian verstion of the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Cast includes: Dev Patel (Jamal), Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE was written by Simon Beaufoy, who earned an Oscar nomination for THE FULL MONTY. Beaufoy's script is adapted from the international best-selling novel Q & A, by Indian diplomat and novelist Vikas Swarup. The distributor in the U.S. and Canada is Warner Bros. / Fox Searchlight Pictures. The movie is scheduled to release in the U.S. (limited) 28 November 2008.

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery - Derick Martini's LYMELIFE (USA). Set in late-seventies Long Island, this follow-up to screenwriters Derick and Steven Martini's GOAT ON FIRE AND SMILING FISH, which won the 1999 Festival's Discovery Award, is an engaging and authentic coming-of-age story.

The Prize of the International Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Special Presentations - Steve Jacobs' DISGRACE (Australia), based on J. M. Coetzee's Booker Prize-winning novel of the same title adapted for the screen by director Jacobs. John Malkovich stars in this unflinching look at the lingering demons of apartheid.

The Citytv Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film to Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Piujuq Ivalu's BEFORE TOMORROW. Based on the novel by Danish author Jørn Riel. BEFORE TOMORROW is a moving drama about a strong Inuit woman and her beloved grandson, who become trapped on a remote island as they face the ultimate challenge of survival. A special citation to Lyne Charlebois' BORDERLINE.

More awards to Canadian films.

Before and during the Festival

Some possible Oscar contenders at Toronto that caught my eye:

APPALOOSA. Directed by and starring Ed Harris. The western features Renée Zellweger and Viggo Mortensen.

RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Jonathan Demme directs and Anne Hathaway plays aginst type as an out-of-rehab drama queen at her sister's wedding. Hollywood loves drama queens and Hathaway. Plus, they can relate to the rehab thing in a big way.

GOODBYE SOLO. Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the recently-wraped Venice Festival, it is the latest from New York writer / director Ramin Bahrani. African actor Souléymane Sy Savané plays Solo, a Senegalese taxi driver living in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, whose ingratiating smile and gentle manner makes him instinctively want to get involved in the personal lives of his passengers. Veteran actor Red West plays his 70-year-old passenger, a man with a dark family secret contemplating suicide, and Solo decides to convince him to change his mind.

SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK: Philip Seymour Hoffman is a theater director moving to Broadway. The cast includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener and Hope Davis. Why Oscar buzz? Philip Seymour Hoffman.

BURN AFTER READING. Can the Coen brothers repeat their Oscar-wins last year (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN)? This dark spy-comedy stars Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton (best supporting actress last year for MICHAEL CLAYTON) and Frances McDormand. Why Oscar buzz? Coen brothers, Pitt, Clooney, Swinton, McDormand.

MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA. Spike Lee's story of black soldiers trapped behind enemy lines in WW II Italy, based on the novel by James McBride. Why Oscar buzz? Spike Lee, director & black folks.

RELIGULOUS. Bill Maher's documentary about the current state of religion, directed by Larry Charles, who also directed BORAT. Caution, spoiler alert: Members of the religious right, your blood pressure may rise. Why Oscar buzz? It's as irreverent as only Maher can be.

Also, look for one or two best acting awards from Saul Dibb's THE DUCHESS (UK). Principal cast: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney.

There is Oscar buzz for THE DUCHESS because each year Oscar must make a bow to at least one movie coming out of the UK, and this year it will be this movie. What's not to like when Knightley plays a character based on a real-life ancestor of the late Princess Diana who exhibited much of the same behavior in her life as did Diana. Plus, this movie is rampart with beauty and lust.

There is Oscar buzz for Greg Kinnear for FLASH OF GENIUS. Why? Greg Kinnear playing a man who fought the Ford Automobile Company who tried to rob him of his invention, and he does a darn good job of it, too. Yeah!

THE WRESTLER, which won the Golden Lion as best film at Venice, directed by Darren Aronofsky, and starring Mickey Rourke as a wrestler looking for a comeback, screened Sunday the 7th at TIFF. The next day, Fox Searchlight Pictures announced a distribution deal for an estimated $4M. Markets at festivals have generally been lackluster this year, mainly due to a surplus of films and scarcity of buyers. Why OSCAR buzz? Again, Mickey Rourke playing a wrestler, the underdog, looking for a comeback. What's not to like, especially among the male demographic.

OPENING MOVIE. The Festival traditionally opens with a Canadian film, and this year it will be PASSCHENDAELE, starring and directed by Paul Gross, which tells the story of an injured World War One Canadian soldier who returns to the battlefields of Ypres, Belgium, after his brother signs up to fight. The area where the movie is set is still sometimes called Flanders, as was the area in WW I.

Actually, there were three major battles at Ypres lasting almost three years. Passchendaele was the third and final one, July 1917. More than 15,000 Canadians lost their lives at Passchendaele. Australians, British and French also fought in the third battle.

Cameron Bailey, co-director of the Festival, is quoted as saying the viewer goes from a pastoral romance into the hell of the trenches of WW I. He classifies it as, ". . . a big, sweeping, epic movie."

Does anyone remember Peter Weir's GALLIPOLI (1981)? Australian soldiers in Turkey during WW I experience a catastrophic loss in the battle of Gallipoli. Mel Gibson and Mark Lee headline this one.

CLOSING MOVIE: The North American premiere Gala Presentation of STONE OF DESTINY, written and directed by Charles Martin Smith (THE SNOW WALKER). Based on a true story, STONE OF DESTINY stars Robert Carlyle (ANGELA'S ASHES, THE FULL MONTY), Billy Boyd (THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY), Brenda Fricker (MY LEFT FOOT), Charlie Cox (STARDUST, THE MERCHANT OF VENICE) and Kate Mara (SHOOTER, WE ARE MARSHALL).

The feature film jury consists of actress / director Sarah Polley (AWAY FROM HER), director / producer Ann Marie Fleming (THE MAGICAL LIFE OF LONG TACK SAM), Co-Director of the World Cinema Fund Vincenzo Bugno and producer Michael Burns.

There's a great line up of Spanish-language movies, most from Spain. Daniel Burman's EMPTY NEST (El nido vacio, Argentina/ Spain/ France/ Italy) heads this section with a gala international premiere. Lensed in Buenos Aires, it stars (Cecilia Roth, All About My Mother), and Oscar Martinez. This is Burman's sixth feature.

Also receiving an international premiere is BLIND SUNFLOWERS (Spain), directed by Spaniard José Luis Cuerda. It is based on Alberto Méndez's novel of the same name, and stars Javier Cámara (TALK TO HER) and Maribel Verdú (PAN'S LABYRINTH).

Full list and more info on all 10.

There are 13 Asian Films. Full list and more info.

Films in the Wavelengths, Sprockets Family Zone and Midnight Madness programs have been announced.

One very interesting project is NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU - - 12 short films from 12 directors about love in the Big Apple. The directors include Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner; the enormous cast includes Shia LaBeouf, Rachel Bilson, Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Olivia Thirlby, James Caan and Portman.

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) will hold an exclusive reception at the Festival 16 September, to bring together film executives from the international community, and introduce them to the various initiatives at DIFF that aim to increase the presence of emerging cinema markets on a global level.

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65th VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Also known as,The Mostra

(La Biennale di Venezia at The Lido)

27 August - 6 September 2008

Venice, Italy

The world's oldest film festival was founded in 1932. The festival was dark during WW II for obvious reasons. The top award is the Golden Lion. The Director of the Cinema section, Marco Müller, continues the work he began in 2004. This year, German Filmmaker Wim Wenders will head the seven-member jury. Americans Valeria Golino (actress, RAIN MAN) and John Landis (director, THE BLUES BROTHERS) will be on the jury.

AWARDS PRESENTED!

The American movie, THE WRESTLER received the Golden Lion (Leone dorato) for Best Feature Film. Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Robert D. Siegel, it was also a triumphant night for it's star, Mickey Rourke, whose last box office hit was in the 1980s.

The Silver Cup (Coppa volpi) for Best Director went to Russia's Aleksey German Jr. for PAPER SOLDIER (Bumažnyj Soldat), which also won the OSELLA for Best Cinematography for Alisher Khamidhodjaev and Maxim Drozdov.

Dominique Blanc, France, won the best-actress Silver Cup for L'AUTRE (The Other), directed by Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic.

The best actor Silver Cup went to Italy's Silvio Orlando for IL PAPA DI GIOVANNA (Giovanna's Father), directed by Pupi Avati.

Haile Gerima received the OSELLA for Best Screenplay for TEZA (Ethiopia, Germany, France), which was also directed by Gerima.

The MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD for Best Young Actor or Actress went to American actress, Jennifer Lawrence for The Burning Plain by Guillermo Arriaga (USA).

FIPRESCI International Critics Prize went to GOODBYE SOLO, the latest from New York writer / director Ramin Bahrani.

ALL AWARDS

Before and during the Festival

New Section added or films added to the section:

Venezia 65 - Out of Competition - Orizzonti (Horizons) - Corto Cortissimo (short films).
These Phantoms: Italian Cinema Rediscovered (1946-1975) - retrospective screenings and restorations.

In addition to the official selection, there are two autonomous and collateral sections:

International Critics’ Week: a series of seven or eight films –debut works– independently organized.
Giornate degli Autori – Venice Days: a series of 10-12 films independently organized.

For links to all the section, all the juries, and more CLICK.

29 July - Festival Program announced, and only five U.S. films in the 21-film competition will compete for the top prize for a movie, the Golden Lion. They are: Jonathan Demme's RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, starring Anne Hathaway and Debra Winger in the story of a woman returning home for her sister's wedding after spending 10 years in and out of rehabilitation centers; THE BURNING PLAIN starring Kim Basinger and Charlize Theron; HURT LOCKER, starring Ralph Fiennes; THE WRESTLER, with Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood; and VEGAS: BASED ON A TRUE STORY.

All the competition features, except Deeme's movie, are by first-time or lesser-known directors and, frankly, after reviewing the list, I didn't see any of the other movies anything to crow about. Look for yourself (list below article). However, anyone of the actresses mentioned above could come home with the Volpe Cup for best actress, and Rourke might bring one home for the guys.

Festival director Marco Mueller blamed the lighter than usual Hollywood movies on the 14-day writers strike this past winter. Some movies expected at the Festival did not meet their completion dates.

OPENING MOVIE - World Premiere of Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen's newest, a dark comedy, BURN AFTER READING, screening out of competition, with it's stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt expected to attend, bringing some Hollywood glitz to the Venice red carpet.

The unofficial prize for the longest film will go to Filipino director Lav Diaz, whose MELANCOLIA runs for seven-and-one-half hours.

Acclaimed German director Wim Wenders (THE BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, 1998 and PARIS TEXAS, 1984), will chair the jury. Wenders' first movie at The Lido was GOLDKEEPER'S FEAR OF THE PENALTY KICK in 1972, and he received a Venice Golden Lion in 1982 for his movie THE STATE OF THINGS. The first Wenders movie I saw was THE AMERICAN FRIEND (Der Amerikanische Freund, 1977) at the Berlin Film Festival. It was obvious a unique talent had entered the cinema scene. No word as yet as to whether his latest PALERMO SHOOTING (2008) will screen at the Biennale.

Joining Wenders on the jury are: John Landis (BLUES BROTHERS); Hong Kong-based filmmaker Johnnie To; Russian screenwriter Juriy Arabov; Italian actress Valeria Golino; Argentine director Lucrecia Martel; and Scottish visual artist Douglas Gordon.

The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in cinema will be presented to to Italian filmmaker Ermanno Olmi.

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35th TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL

29 August - 1 September 2008

Telluride, Colorado

"Sundance has swag, Cannes has yachts, Toronto has stars. Telluride has class." L.A. Times. This Festival (TFF) does not give awards. Its specialty is up-close and personal networking anfd dealmaking. It releases little information beforehand, and opens its Web site only a few days beforehand. Because the upcoming festival usually sells out every year shortly after a Festival closes, returning patrons get first dibs.

8 July - ALL PASSES SOLD OUT! BOX OFFICE CLOSED!

If you want to attend next year, act now! Here's the info:

CONTACT (non-Internet) and order poster:
800 Jones Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
Telephone: 510.665.9494
Fax: 510.665.9589

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26 August - - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has awarded a $50,000 grant to underwrite the Telluride Film Festival's Guest Director program. SLAVOJ ZIZEK, the Slovenian political philosopher and cultural critic, will preside as guest director of the Festival's 35th show when it kicks off this week.

For more than two decades, Telluride has welcomed numerous prominent filmmakers and personalities as guest directors, including two-time Academy Award®-nominated writer-director Peter Bogdanovich, director J.P. Gorin, film curator and archivist Edith Kramer, Oscar®-winning documentarian Errol Morris, author Salman Rushdie, Oscar-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.

“Making the world of film more accessible is central to the Academy’s mission,” said Academy President Sid Ganis. “Telluride’s Guest Director program does just that by sharing the experience and vision of some of the world’s foremost creative thinkers.”

“We are thrilled with this partnership and look forward to working with the Academy for many years to come,” said Festival Co-director Gary Meyer. “It is the enthusiastic support of organizations like the Academy that allows Telluride Film Festival to thrive, and create a rich and diverse program.

The Academy’s cultural and educational wing – the Academy Foundation – annually grants more than $1 million to film scholars, cultural organizations and film festivals throughout the U.S. and abroad. It is also through the Foundation that the Academy presents a rich assortment of screenings and other public programs each year.

There is a link for a full program guide (.pdf) on the Web site, but it doesn't work. I even tried copying the link from the page source. No luck.

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32nd MONTREAL'S WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (Festival des films du monde)

21 August - 1 September 2008

Montreal, Canada, Québec

The mandate of Montreal's Festival of the World (WFF) is to promote cultural and cinematic diversity will be amply fulfilled, with 230 features and 215 shorts from 70 countries on display in its 2007 program. Among the 230 features, 53 were world premieres, 56 were international premieres (premieres outside the country of origin), 59 were North American premieres, and 42 Canadian.

Academy Award-nominated director, classically trained actor, and an accomplished jazz pianist, Mark Rydell (USA) will preside over the competition Jury. The 20 features chosen for the Official Competition are all world or international premieres.

AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Grand prix of the Americas: OKURIBITO (DEPARTURES) by Yojiro Takita (Japan).
Special Grand Prix of the jury: THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE (Ce Qu'il faut pour Vivre) by Benoît Pilon (Canada).
Best Director: GORAN MARKOVIC for THE TOUR (Turneja)(Serbia/Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Best Actress: BARBARA SUKOWA for the THE INVENTION OF THE CURRIED SAUSAGE (Die Entdeckung der Currywurst) by Ulla Wagner (Germany).
Best Actor: ERI CAÑETE for the TEO'S VOYAGE (EL viaje de Teo) by Walter Doehner (Mexico).
Best Screenplay (tie): WELCOME TO FAREWELL - GUTMANN (BIENVENIDO A FAREWELL - GUTMANN) by Xavi Puebla, screenplay by Xavi Puebla and Jesús Gil (Spain).
NOBODY TO WATCH OVER ME by Riyoichi Kimizuka, screenplay by Riyoichi Kimizuka and Satoshi Suzuki (Japan).
FIPRESCI PRIZE (INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS): THE TOUR Turneja by Goran Markovic (Serbia/Bosnia and Herzegovina).
Glauber Rocha Award for the Best Latin American Film: DON'T LOOK DOWN No mires para abajo by Eliseo Subiela (Argentina-France).
Award for Best documentary: CHILDREN OF THE PYRE by Rajesh S. Jala (India).
Award for Best Short Film and Best Canadian Short Film: THE NECKTIE (Le Cravate) by Jean-François Lévesque (Canada).
Public Award for the most popular film of the Festival and Canadian Feature Film: THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE (Ce Qu'il faut pour Vivre) by Benoît Pilon (Canada).
Special Awards for their exceptional contribution to the cinematographic art: ALAN LADD JR., TONY CURTIS, and ISABELLE HUPPERT.

COMPLETE AWARDS LIST.

Before and during the Festival

Homages and special awards for actor Tony Curtis and actress Isabelle Huppert, and executive Allan Ladd, Jr. for life-time achievements and contribution to the cinematic art; Bavarian Cinema and an important delegation will be present during the Festival ; Mrs. Kashiko Kawakita, founder of the Kawakita Memorial Film Institute, founded to promote Japanese cinema abroad and protect Japanese Film, on its 100th anniversary; and RUSSIAN MUSICAL COMEDIES OF THE SOVIET ERA, in which seven of the best Russian musicals of the Soviet era will be presented with the collaboration of Mosfilm Studios. Director Brian De Palma will conduct a Masterclass.

PARIS 36, directed by Christophe Barratier, and scheduled for release this fall, will open the Festival. Barratier's last film, the Oscar-nominated hit "LES CHORISTES (The Chorus)," closed the Festival in 2004.

28th August - Awards of the 39th Canadian Student Film Festival announced - view list.

The International Film Market is running concurrently with the Festival.

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14th SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL

15 - 23 August 2008

Sarajevo, Bosnia

The Sarajevo Film Festival " (SFF) was launched near the end of the 1992-95 Bosnian War as an act of resistance by a group of enthusiasts. It grew into the biggest regional film competition. The Festival award is the Heart of Sarajevo. It is one of the biggest cultural events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the one with the most attendance. In 2007 its thirteen programs were visited by 100,000 people. This year's Festival offers 12 Programs, 174 films from 32 countries, 1,500 accredited guests, 650 media representative, and over 100,000 visitors.
AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film - - BUICK RIVIERA. Director: Goran Rušinovic - Croatia, BiH*, Germany, USA (25,000 €).
Special Jury Award - - MARCH. Director: Handl Klaus, Austria (10,000 €).
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Actress and Best Actor went to performances in MY MARLON AND BRANDO, Turkey, each (2,500 €).
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Short Film - - TOLERANTIA. Director: Ivan Ramadan, BiH (3,000 €).
Heart of Sarajevo for Best Documentary Film - - CORRIDOR #8. Director: Boris Despodov, Bulgaria (3.000 €).
Human Rights Award - - DIVORCE ALBANIAN STYLE. Director: Adela Peeva, Bulgaria.
Special Mention, Human Rights - - FABULOUS FAIRIES. Director: Marko Jeftic, Serbia.
FIPRESCI (International Federation of Cinema Critics) - - BUICK RIVIERA.
Prix UIP - - TOLERANTIA.
AUDIENCE AWARD - - THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995), directed by Bryan Singer, USA, Germany.

*BiH = Bosnia-Herzegovina.

For more on these awards, additional awards, and complete Festival closing report, CLICK.
The 15th Sarajevo Film Festival will take place from 14th to 22nd August 2009.

Before and during the Festival

The Festival will salute U.S. director Todd Haynes (I’M NOT THERE) with a tribute and retrospective of his films.

Jury: President of this year's SFF FIPRESCI (International Film Critics) Jury is Howard Feinstein, film critic from New York, who is the selector of Sarajevo Film Festival Programs Panorama and Panorama Documentaries. Members of the Jury are: Lisa Nesselson (France), Joao Antunes (Portugal), Mohammed Rouda (Great Britain), Kirill Razlogov (Russia), Christian Monggard (Denmark), Dana Linssen (Netherlands), Barbara Lorey de Lacharriere (France), and Dinko Tucakovic (Serbia).

Features and short films competition programs announced - - -

Some of the ten features have intriguing titles such as: BUICK RIVIERA (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina), KINO LIKA (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina), MY MARLON AND BRANDO (Turkey), THE FOURTH MAN (Serbia) and DELTA (Hungary, Germany). LIST (pdf).

The shorts include 8 live action and 2 animated. LIST (pdf).

Opening Movie: Aida Begic’s feature debut, SNOW (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, France, Iran, 2008), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and won the Grand Prix of the Semaine de la critique program, will open the 14th SFF. She co-wrote the screenplay with Elma Tataragic’. It is in the "In Focus" section and is the keystone movie for the Heineken Open Air Program. The cast and crew are expected to attend.

SNOW is a story in post-war Bosnia, in 1997. Six women, one granddad, one boy and four girls live in the village of Slavno [the glorious], destroyed by the war. Their fathers, sons and husbands were killed in the war and their bodies have never been found.

The first snowfall cuts the village off and threatens the villagers. An unexpected visit by two businessmen and their proposal – that the villagers all leave and receive money in return – causes a dilemma. Should they accept the offer which may save their lives but destroy their soul?

Other movies in the Heineken Open Air Program with the guest(s) espected to attend are: HAPPY-GO-LUCKY (UK, 2008), guest: Mike Leigh, writer / director; WALTZ WITH BASHIR (Israel, France, Germany, 2008), guest: Ari Folman, writer/ director; and THREE MONKEYS (Turkey, France, Italy, 2008), guest: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director.

Also, two-time Oscar winner actor Kevin Spacey, will be a guest of the Festival, and this will be his first visit with a gala screening of THE USUAL SUSPECTS in the Heineken Open Air Program. He won his first Academy Award for his role in this film, and begins his 5th season as director of the London Old Vic Theatre in September.

Oscar-winner screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND) will present his directing debut SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK within the Panorama Program, featuring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Michelle Wiliams.

The other films in the "In Focus" section besides SNOW: BOOGIE (Romania), which wins the most fascinating title; CORRECTIONS (Greece); FOREVER (Slovenia); REVANCHE (Austria), which wins the "I have no idea what that means" title; SUMMER BOOK (Turkey); and THE WORLD IS BIG AND SALVATION LURKS AROUND THE CORNER (Bulgaria, Germany, Slovenia, Hungary), wins the longest title of the Festival.

Here are the film-list links for the Panorama Documentaries 2008 and the Film Panorama 2008. You can download the full programs with pictures an information from these list pages. The opening film for the Film Panrama is 24 CITY (China), Jia Zhang-Ke, director, who will attend. Closing: A CHRISTMAS TALE (France), director, Arnaud Desplechin.

DOCUMENTARIES IN COMPETITION. All of the docs in competition are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, etc.

The Selection Committee has decided upon the Talents who will participate in the 2nd Sarajevo Talent Campus, from August 17 to 23, during the Festival. The selection was made after a month of intensive reading of application forms, and viewing the 3-min films submitted by over 250 applicants from all 13 countries of the region (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Monte Negro, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia and Turkey). Sarajevo Talent Campus is organised in co-operation with the Berlinale [Berlin] Talent Campus and Berlinale International Film Festival.

The main goal of the Campus is to provide young talented authors with a unique opportunity to learn from and have discussions with renowned film professionals, mingle with regional and international stars and colleagues, build international networks, share ideas and create together.

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Traverse City Film Festival

(Also known as Michael Moore's Film Festival)

Michael Moore in SIKO

29 July - 3 August 2008

State Theatre, Traverse City, Michigan

The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable, educational, nonprofit organization committed to showing "Just Great Movies" and helping to save one of America's few indigenous art forms -- the cinema. The Festival also owns and operates a year-round, community-based, mission driven art house movie theater, the State Theatre. Founded by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore and co-founders local photographer John Robert Williams and New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton, with filmmakers Larry Charles and Terry George rounding out the Board of Directors, the festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to northern Michigan.

Full Schedule Announced! You can see it all on their official site including links to view some trailers, (see below for link). Also, see Mimi at the Movies.

2008 AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Best American Historical Document - TROUBLE THE WATER
Best Non-Fiction Film by a New Filmmaker - THE YOUNGEST CANDIDATE;
Best Documentary - BODY OF WAR;
Best Storytelling, Fiction Film - THE POPE'S TOILET;
Best American Indie, Fiction Film - FROZEN RIVER;
Best Foreign Indie, Fiction Film - THE GROCER'S SON;
Best of Fest, Fiction Film - CAPTAIN ABU RAED;
Audience Award, Best Non-Fiction Film - BODY OF WAR;
Audience Award, Best Fiction Film - CAPTAIN ABU RAED;
Fiction Feature (The Bamboozler Award) - KENNY;
Michigan Film Incentive Award- France's TELL NO ONE, (Should Have Been Shot Here in TC);
Firefighters Award for Excellence in Humor - HAMLET 2;
Special Founders Prize for Shorter than Feature Length Film - PROFIT MOTIVE AND THE WHISPERING WIND;
Founders Prize - BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF SHAME.
Stanley Kubrick Prize for Bold and Innovative Filmmaking - THEATER OF WAR;
Special Jury Prize for Amazing Non-Fiction Film Construction - BIGGER, STROGER, FASTER;
Special Jury Prize for Non-Fiction Filmmaking - PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL.

See the TCFF Blog about the awards, Anvil, and more.

Before and During the Festival

OPENING NIGHT: Woody Allen's VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, filmed in Barcelona, Spain, and starring Javier Bardém with his "love triangle" in the movie, Scarlett Johansson, Penélope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. Party follows.

CLOSING NIGHT: HAMLET 2. Written and directed by Andrew Fleming (DICK). British comedian Steve Coogan stars as Dana, a failed actor-turned-high-school-drama-teacher whose class is facing elimination by the school board. So, Dana, decides to write an original script: a sequel to Hamlet featuring a time machine, appearances by Einstein and Hillary Clinton, and musical numbers like "Rock Me Sexy Jesus." Coogan's supporting cast: Catherine Keener, David Arquette, Amy Poehler, and Elisabeth Shue (as herself). Described as a irreverent but brainy comedy. Party follows.

FULL ALPHABETICAL MOVIE LIST and order tickets!

Singer / actress / and producer Madonna who, like Michael Moore, is a Michigan native, will appear during the Festival for a screening of her documentary, I AM BECAUSE WE ARE, on 2 August. Tickets for the screening with Madonna went on sale to the public Saturday, 7 June, a limit of two tickets per person for the public. Half of tickets available were allotted to the public and half were sold by lottery to members of the Friends of the Traverse City Film Festival. The event was SOLD OUT that day, but they are trying to add additional screenings. Any available tickets will be $25, and all ticket money will go to the Raising Malawi Foundation, Madonna's project to help orphans in one of the world's poorest countries.

I AM BECAUSE WE ARE is Madonna's personal journey and meditation about the African country of Malawi, a nation devastated by poverty and disease but filled with a desire to overcome all that it faces. The documentary has been described as "searing," "thoughtful," and "powerful." The film features Bishop Desmund Tutu, President Bill Clinton, and author / activist Jeffrey Sachs.

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Co-directors Ellen Spiro and television legend Phil Donahue will be in attendance for the screenings of their documentary BOY OF WAR, 31 July and 2 August. The documentary follows Iraq war veteran Tomas Young, a 25-year-old soldier who was shot after only five days in Iraq. Paralyzed from the legs down by the bullet wound, Young goes on to campaign against the failures of government as a member of Iraqi Veterans Against the War. The body in the title of this documentary refers not only to Tomas, but also to the U.S. Congress -- the body whose decisions got Young into the war. [This festival's main sponsor is, after all, Michael Moore!]

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BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF SHAME is another powerful documentary screening at the Festival the 2nd and 3rd of August, the debut of 18-year-old Iranian director Hana Makhmalbaf. The movie is set in Bamian, a small town in Afghanistan where the Taliban destroyed giant Buddha statues in 2001. It offers an a document of life in a war-torn nation and the effects of daily devastation on the minds of children.

Michael Moore says about this film, "A wonderful celebration of the human spirit. My second-favorite film of the Festival." Hmmmm. Is he going to tell me his favorite?

BUDDHA is one of the five films in the section titled, "Movies from People Who Want to Kill us." They are from Muslim countries and half of the directors are women. Surprised? However, Michael tells me he is concerned about the title of this section, because the people involved in these films definitely do not want to kill us. They want us to see their movies. Michael has this to say about two other films in this important section:

BAGHDAD HIGH - "A group of kids secretly record their life at a Baghdad high school. This is gripping filmmaking. Nothing you see on the nightly news can match this inside look at what life in Iraq is really like. It's funny, sad, sweet, and fresh. The director and one of the kids will be here in TC for the screening, and they're doing a student workshop,
too."

MY DINNER WITH THE PRESIDENT - "A [Pakistani] woman decides to invite a dictator to dinner. He accepts. She asks to film it. He agrees. A modern-day MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, this film is a fascinating look at what's going on in Pakistan. I thought I understood the Pakistani situation, but I left this movie with a much clearer picture. This is an amazing documentary every American should see."

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Michael is also concerned that people will stay away from the documentary ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, "because it is about
a heavy metal band and perhaps there aren't that many metalheads among you. You do NOT need to like heavy metal to love this film. Anvil is the band that essentially invented heavy metal -- but they were a couple years too soon. Other bands were inspired by them and went on to fame and fortune. The band who invented the genre? Well, the lead singer delivers school lunches to elementary schools these days, but he and his bandmates haven't given up.

"ANVIL is at times hilarious (these guys are the real life Spinal Tap) and
bittersweet (meeting with record companies in the hopes of finally, after 30 years, getting a break). This film has everything you hope to get from a movie, and I can't recommend it enough.

"And here's the bonus: as the movie ends on Friday and Saturday nights at Lars Hockstad, Anvil itself will take the stage and play a set live for the audience. You'll get the movie that just won the L.A. Film Festival and the Galway Film Festival award for 'Best Documentary' and a live, brief rock concert -- all for 9 bucks!"

Actually, Michael, ANVIL, won the Audience Award as Best Documentary at the LA FF. However, that proves how popular it is. The movie, directed by Sacha Gervasi, features Steven "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner. Not the same as Rob Reiner, the actor known as "Meathead" from TV's All in the Family, director of the movie, THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984), and son of the legendary, Carl Reiner. The documentary follows the obscure Canadian heavy metal band Anvil on a last-stint effort to gain much-belated stardom, proving it is never too late to chase your dream.

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Anyone can join the Friends of the Festival online at the Festival's Official Site (link below), or in person at the State Theatre box office. More details about Festival, membership, Madonna's film and her personal appearance schedule are also available on their Official Site. For other articles related to Madonna and the documentary, see post on my "Mimi at the Movies" blog.

[OFFICIAL SITE] [TCFF Official Blog]

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30th MOSCOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Moscow, Russia

19 - 28 June 2008

The Moscow International Film Festival is held under support of the Russian Ministry of culture and mass communications, and the Federal Agency on culture and cinematography. [Got that, comrades?]

Complete Film List

AWARDS PRESENTED!

Golden George (St. George) for Best Film - AS SIMPLE AS THAT (Be hamin sadegi, Iran, 2008), directed by Reza Mir Karimi.

Best Film of the "Perspectives" competition - CUMBIA CONNECTION (Cumbia callera, Mexico, 2007), directed by dir. Rene U Villareal. Prize includes 32,808 feet of Kodak video tape.

Best Director- Javor Gardev (ZIFT, Bulgaria, 2008); Best Actress - Margherita Buy (DAYS AND CLOUDS, Giorni e nuvole, 2007, Italy, / Switzerland); and Best Actor - Richard Jenkins (THE VISITOR, 2007, USA).

Special Jury Prize – THE SIMPLE HEART (Un coeur simple, France, 2008), directed by Marion Laine, and based on a novel by Gustave Flaubert.

Stanislavsky Prize for outstanding achievement in her acting career - Isabelle Huppert (France).

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL

19 - 29 June 2008

Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California

The flagship film festival honoring independent filmmakers and their films. The Festival (LAFF) that claims the audience is King.

Opening night movie: WANTED, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, and Angelina Jolie.

Closing night movie: Guillermo del Toro's HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY, starring Ron Perlman, Selma Blair, Doug Jones, Jeffrey Tambor, Luke Goss, Anna Walton, and John Hurt.

Centerpiece Premiere: ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, directed by Sacha Gervasi. Featuring Steven "Lips" Kudlow and Robb Reiner, the documentary follows the obscure Canadian heavy metal band Anvil on a last-stint effort to gain much-belated stardom, proving it is never too late to chase your dream. Don't confuse this Robb Reiner with Rob Reiner, the actor who played "Meathead" on "All in the Family," and directed THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984).

AWARDS PRESENTED!
Target Filmmaker Award for Best Narrative Feature - PRINCE OF BROADWAY, written by Sean Baker and Darren Dean, and directed by Sean Baker; Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition - Jennifer Lawrence for THE POKER HOUSE; and Best Narrative Short Film -
MAGIC PARIS, by Alice Winocour.

Target Documentary Award for Best Documentary Feature - LOOT, written and directed by Darius Marder; Special Documentary Jury Commendation - PRESSURE COOKER, directed by Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker; and Best Documentary Short Film - CITY OF CRANES, by Eva Weber.

Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature - THE WACKNESS, written and directed by Jonathan Levine; Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature - ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, directed by Sacha Gervasi; Audience Award for Best International Feature - MAN ON WIRE, directed by James Marsh; and Audience Award for Best Short Film - FRANKIE, by Darren Thornton.

Best Animated / Experimental Short Film - I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE, by Cam Christiansen; and Audience Award for Best Music Video - "Run," by Melanie Mandl.

Before and during the Festival

Tribute screenings include one to actor Charlton Heston (1923 - 2008), with a screening of PLANET OF THE APES (1968).

MIMI NOTES: The Web site states that APES is the perfect tribute to Heston. I disagree. I think BEN-HUR (1959) would have been better. Of course, the films are mostly macho hard stuff. The audience is king? Only the male audience is referenced as they do say, "King." Why didn't they use the gender neutral, the audience "rules?" Individual tickets are $12.00.

Full program list.

Here's one of my picks from the Festival:

COYOTE (Guilty Pleasures, Mexico / USA, 2008, Side Street Productions). Directed by Brian Petersen, and co-written by Petersen and Brett Spackman. Also starring Petersen and Spackman, along with Marina Valle, Carley Adams and David C. Thompson.

READ MORE about this microbudget movie that tells the story of best friends, J and Steve, who stumble into an opportunity when a Mexican pal gets deported and needs their help to get back across the border. Described as a south-of-the-border thriller from a uniquely American point of view imbued with gringo wit and style.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

Also in Los Angeles (L.A.) you will find:

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62nd EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

18 - 29 June 2008

Edinburgh, Scotland

This festival (EIFF) screens new films, gives out awards, holds symposiums, but unlike most major festivals, it screens many more older films separately and within retrospective series. The emphasis is on British cinema.

Program launched 7 May. The Festival will screen 142 features from 29 countries and host a staggering 15 World Premieres. Read more and watch Hannah's highlight video. Film, seminars, and special program list. Tickets are on sale now.

Opening Night Movie: THE EDGE OF LOVE (U.K., 2008), which Stars Keira Knightley and Sienna Miller are expected to join director John Maybury on the red carpet for the Opening Night Gala. The movie centers around two feisty, free-spirited women who are connected by the brilliant, charismatic poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys). Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley) and Dylan were childhood sweethearts, who reignite their romance in wartime London, where she is working as a singer and he is churning out government propaganda scripts in aid of the war effort. However, Thomas is married to the adventurous Caitlin (Sienna Miller). The two women form a surprising friendship. Cillian Murphy completes the starry line-up as Vera's devoted admirer and would-be husband.

Closing Night Movie: Vito Rocco’s comedy, FAINTHEART (UK, 2008)

AWARDS PRESENTED BY SIR SEAN CONNERY!

Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film sponsored by the UK Film Council - SOMERS TOWN (dir. Shane Meadows); Best Documentary Award - ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD (dir. Werner Herzog).

PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film - Robert Carlyle for SUMMER; Skillset New Directors Award - Marianna Palka for GOOD DICK; and Standard Life Audience Award - MAN ON WIRE (dir. James Marsh).

UK Film Council Award for Best British Short Film - SON (dir. Daniel Mulloy); European Film Academy Short Film 2008 – PRIX UIP 2 BIRDS (dir. Rúnar Rúnarsson); and Mirrorball Best British Music Video Award -
HAPPINESS BY GOLDFRAPP (dir. Dougal Wilson).

Scottish Short Documentary Award supported by Baillie Gifford - CHRISTMAS WITH DAD (dir. Conor McCormack); and the McLaren Award for New British Animation in partnership with BBC Film Network -
SPACE TRAVEL ACCORDING TO JOHN (dir. Jamie Stone & Anders Jedenfors).

Before and During the Festival

It is a special year at the Festival, with 142 features from 29 countries and an incredible 15 World Premieres, so the competition for the EIFF Awards will be stiff. Patron Sir Sean Connery will be among the luminaries at the awards ceremony on Sunday 29 June at Filmhouse, with a very limited number of tickets still available.

The prestigious Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature has previously been the catalyst for success around the globe, with previous winners including CONTROL and Gavin Hood's Oscar-winner TSOTSI.

The Standard Life Audience Award has proven the EIFF audience is an astute judge of quality with previous winners including 2007's WE ARE TOGETHER and RABBIT-PROOF FENCE. Other prizes include the Skillset New Directors Award, while the PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature enters its second year, proving to be the launchpad to success for CONTROL actor Sam Riley following his victory in 2007.

EIFF is now on Facebook.

In Person interviews announced so far for this year are:
Brian Cox - Scotland’s best-loved and most authoritative acting export.
Brian Tufano - From QUADROPHENIA to TRAINSPOTTING, Britain’s most punk rock cinematographer.
Errol Morris - Documentarian.
Ray Harryhausen - Special effects.
Roger Deakins & Seamus McGarvey - Cinematography.
Shane Meadows - Britain's favorite homegrown director.

"Best of the Festival," 26 films, will screen Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., giving fest goers a second chance to see the ones they missed. Here's the impressive list.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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6th SILVERDOCS FILM FESTIVAL

16 - 23 June 2008

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

Silver Spring, Maryland

SILVERDOCS is an international film festival, sponsored by the American Film Institute, that honors excellence in filmmaking, supports the diverse voices and free expression of independent storytellers, and celebrates the power of documentary to improve our understanding of the world.

Now in its sixth year, the 2008 Festival runs June 16-23, has expanded by two days to meet growing demand, and will present 108 films representing 63 countries selected from 1,861 submissions with six World, eight North American, six U.S., and seven East Coast premieres, plus two retrospectives.

Silver docs on Facebook || Silver docs on MySpace || Silver docs on YouTube

AWARDS PRESENTED!

Audience Awards - -
Feature: HERB AND DOROTHY
Short: THE TAILOR

Sterling US Feature Award: THE GARDEN

Special Jury Mention: TROUBLE THE WATER

Sterling World Feature Award: THE ENGLISH SURGEON

Special Jury Mention: THE RED RACE

Sterling Short Award: WHAT WOULD THE DROP KNOW ABOUT THAT?

Honorable Mention: GROUND FLOOR RIGHT and ONE DAY

Music Documentary Award: THROW DOWN YOUR HEART

Cinematic Vision Award: THE ORDER OF MYTHS

WITNESS Award: PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL

American Film Market/SILVERDOCS Award: KASSIM THE DREAM

Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award: FORBIDDEN LIE$

ACE Grant Winner: THE ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM

Festival before the Awards

Filmmaker Spike Lee will be honored at the Festival’s signature program, the Charles Guggenheim Symposium.

OPENING NIGHT - ALL TOGETHER NOW (U.S. premiere). The music of the Beatles, the magic of the Cirque du Soleil and a powerful panoply of creative talent all come together to make LOVE a fantastical stage production at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The film features Sir Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono, Olivia Harrison, Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, LOVE director Dominique Champagne and producers Sir George Martin and his son Giles Martin.
Director Adrian Wills is scheduled to attend.

CLOSING NIGHT - THEATER OF WAR, USA, directed by John Walter (HOW TO DRAW A BUNNY), is an examination of the intersection of art and politics in the creation of The Public Theater’s 2006 outdoor performance of Bertolt Brecht’s anti-war play Mother Courage and Her Children. The play, directed by The Public Theater’s George C. Wolfe from a new translation by Tony Kushner, features Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline. Walter is scheduled to attend.

<< Click image to download Quick Guide to the Festival (.pdf).

SILVERDOCS 2009, 7th Annual: 15 - 22 June.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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11th SHANGHAI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

14 - 22 June 2008

Shanghai, China

The sudden death on 18 March of Oscar-winning British director Anthony Minghella, age 54, made it necessary for the Festival (SIFF) to seek a new jury chairperson. Minghella, who won an Oscar for THE ENGLISH PATIENT, also directed COLD MOUNTAIN and THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. He died of a hemorrhage following surgery. There will be a tribute to Minghella during the Festival. Shanghai-born Wong Kar Wai (MY BLUBERRY NIGHTS) has been selected to head this year’s Shanghai Film Festival.

JIN JUE AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Best Feature Film: MUKHA (Russia), and it is Vladimir Kott feature debut;
Jury Grand Prix: OLD FISH (China), directed by Gao Qunshu;
Best Director: Maris Martinsons, LOSS (Lithuania);
Best Actor: Ma Guowei, OLD FISH (China);
Best Actress: Emilia Vasaryova, VACLAV (Czech Republic);
Best Screenplay: Marek Epstein, VACLAV(Czech Republic);
Best Cinematography: Florian Schilling, MY MOTHER’S TEARS (Germany);
Best Music: Andrius Mamontovas, LOSS (Lithuania).

New Asian Talent Awards:
Best Film: WINDS OF SEPTEMBER (Taiwan) by Tom Shu-Yu Lin; and
Best Director: Hyeon-gi Hong, THIRSTY, THIRSTY (Korea).

Festival before the Awards

The opening and closing ceremonies will be held in the Shanghai Grand Theatre (above).

The FOCUS GERMANY film program will open 16 June with a cocktail reception and a screening of BLIND SPOT by Tom Zenker. The German General Consul and German Films, in cooperation with Swiss Films, will invite German, Swiss and Chinese filmmakers to attend the cocktail reception.

CLOSING NIGHT MOVIE: Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas, France), directed by Christian Carion, in keeping with the French Film Week. The movie was a nominee for Best Foreign Language Oscar® in 2006, but lost to South African Gavin Hood's Tsotsi.

Other films to be screened as part of Focus Germany include AND ALONG COME TOURISTS by Robert Thalheim, RUNAWAY HORSE by Rainer Kaufmann, COUNTERPARTS by Jan Bonny, RABBITS WITHOUT EARS by Til Schweiger, LISSI AND THE WILD EMPEROR by Bully Herbig, LITTLE PARIS by Miriam Dehne, MELODIES OF SPRING by Martin Waltz, NOTHING BUT GHOSTS by Martin Gypkens, TRADE by Marco Kreuzpaintner, and FAMILY RULES by Marc Meyer. [Read More]

Tony Leung with Tang Wei, who was named China's number one actress for 2007. Wei, a newcomer turned famous overnight after going bare in director Ang Lee's award-winning movie LUST, CAUTION (Se, jie, China, 2007), which is also China’s most talked about film this year. Tang Wei was awarded a Golden Horse for Best New Performer at last years Taipei, Taiwan's Golden Horse Film Festival. How will she, and the movie, fare at this Festival?

Jury for Jin Jue award announced.

Films for the Jin Jue Award, International Film Panorama, French Film Week, International Student Shorts, Asia New Film Talent, Retrospectives, etc., have been announced.

[OFFICIAL SITE]

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5th JACKSON HOLE FILM FESTIVAL

5 - 9 June 2008

Jackson, Wyoming

One of the programs of the Jackson Hole Film Institute, the Festival (JHFF) will screen independent films competing in seven competitive program categories. There will be forums and special events. The Institute is a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower independent filmmakers and global audiences through film and new media.

This year's Festival will screen approximately 80 independent films, representing more than 20 countries, competing in seven program categories including: Independent Features; Independent Shorts; Documentaries; World Program: Spotlight Latin America; Global Insight; Sports Action; and Student Voices. Screening schedule.

COWBOY AWARDS ANNOUNCED!

Best Feature - THE SECRETS, Avi Nesher; Best Documentary -PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, Weijun Chin; Best Global Insight - WHERE THE WATER MEETS THE SKY, David Eberts and Helen Cotton; Best World Program Spotlight: Latin America - AÑO UÑA (Year of the Nail), Jonás Cuarón; and Best Short - DARK YELLOW, director Glen Luchford.

Best Director: Feature - PERRO COME PERRO (Dog Eat Dog), Carlos Moreno; Best Director: Short - PARIAH, Dee Rees; Best Screenwriter -
THE SECRETS,The Secrets, writers Avi Nesher and David Silber; Best Editor - THE BUTCHER'S DAUGHTER, editor Terry Walters; Best Cinematographer - DAS GEFRORENE MEER (The Frozen Sea), cinematographer Martin Gschlacht; and Best Composer - EVERYONE BUT YOU, composer Eric Shiveley.

Audience Choice: Feature - THE FLYBOYS, Rocco Devilliers; Audience Choice: Documentary - PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL, Gini Reticker; and Audience Choice: Short - CUTE COUPLE, Courtney Moorehead Balaker.

Online 2 Onscreen (Presented with MovieHatch.com): Best Live Action - VOICE MAIL, Matthew Merkovich; Best Documentary - SAL MOSCA: UNSUNG, James Lester; and Best Animation - ATTACK OF THE GIANT VEGETABLE MONSTERS, Ken Turner. See below for more.

Best Student Voices - CLEAR CUT, SIMPLE, director Vineet Dewan.
Wyoming Short Film Contest Winner (Sponsored by the Wyoming Film Office) - FOUR FLICK FROM THE SNAZ, David Gonzales.

Complete list of winners.

OPENING NIGHT: North American Premiere of Luigi Falorni’s HEART OF FIRE (Kenya, Germany), which explores a childhood lost to war and violence, opens at the Center For the Arts on Thursday, 5 June at 5:00 p.m. More about movie.

Following the opening screening we will continue the celebration with out Fifth Anniversary Party, at Spring Creek Ranch beginning at 7:00pm. Local rock stars Mandatory Air, featuring the Miller Sisters, will play the bash, no doubt attracting more attention from the high-power Hollywood honchos who are expected to attend. Tickets are $85.00 each.

Closing Night Movie (9 June) - THE PROMOTION, the directorial debut of writer Steve Conrad, starring John C. Reilly, Seann William Scott, Jenna Fischer, Lili Taylor and Gil Bellows. The comedy will screen Monday, 9 June, the night after the Awards Ceremony 8 June, at 8:00 pm, at the Center for the Arts.

The Awards Ceremony and Reception will be Sunday, 8 June at the Center for the Arts. Meantime, a panel of actors, producers, and entertainment executives will decide who will ride into the sunset with a 2008 Cowboy Award, the top award in each category.

Individual screening and event tickets are now on sale. Festival passes, from two-day ($75) to Patron ($1,000) go on sale June 2.

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The Global Insight Summit 2008 is an effort by the United Nations and the Jackson Hole Film Institute to work with the entertainment community to highlight critical international concerns. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will give the welcoming address 6 June.

Actors, writers, producers and directors from film and television will join the Secretary-General and other senior UN officials to discuss important global issues and the role of film and television media in raising public awareness of these problems and of the UN’s role in addressing them.

Complementing the Summit will be a selection of films. Through a juried selection process, the Global Insight Film Award will be given to the film that best demonstrates the use of film to help highlight an important global issue.

Jackson, Wyoming, is going green and The 2008 Jackson Hole Film Festival is partnering with Jackson Hole’ RRR (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Campaign and Zero JH to help create a cleaner planet. Zero JH supports the development of renewable energy sources by offering businesses, individuals and organizations the opportunity to offset their carbon emissions.

The Festival will offset carbon emissions for all Festival activities and offer attendees the opportunity to purchase green tags to their offset travel emissions. The net revenues generated by green tag sales in the Zero JH program will go towards The Solar 4R Schools Program, educational solar installations in our local schools. Learn more at www.zerojh.org.

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Moviehatch.com and Jackson Hole Film Festival joined forces to create another avenue for filmmakers to “break into the business,” the Moviehatch.com and Jackson Hole Film Festival Short Film Competition. In American Idol fashion, the general public had the opportunity to vote on all shorts submitted for this competition. Then, the top five per category were screened by the Jackson Hole Film Festival programming team and Moviehatch.com to determine the winner in each category.

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[OFFICIAL SITE][FILM INSTITUTE]

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To check for a festival not here go to the Internet Movie Data Base.

PART III

October through December 2008 (Hollywood Artivist - Dubai)

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Festival Watch for next summer:

44th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, July 2009. List of 43rd, 2008, winners.

"MIMI AT THE MOVIES" Blog

MIMI'S HOME PAGE It all begins here!	MIMI'S FOREIGN MOVIE PAGE
FILM AWARDS 2008 - 2009	Film Festivals 2008
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Film Awards 2006 - 2007	Film Festivals 2006
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Film Awards 2004 - 2005	Film Festivals 2004
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Last Updated October 2008

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