Looking for bold new work from first- and second-time feature filmmakers? Look no further than New Directors/New Films, the premier New York City festival that annually highlights them.
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
Now in its 53rd edition, New Directors/New Films returns to New York April 3 through 14 from Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, bringing the best of the fests so far to audiences eager for discovery. This year’s festival is bookended by Aaron Schimberg’s opening night entry “A Different Man,” starring Sebastian Stan as an actor who unravels after a facial reconstruction surgery, and Theda Hammel’s “Stress Positions,” an anxiety-inducing Covid lockdown comedy starring John Early. Both films premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, whose Dramatic Competition gem “Good One,” a coming-of-age drama set around a derailed camping trip and directed by India Donaldson, also features at New Directors.
Also premiering at the festival is Sundance favorite “Exhibiting Forgiveness,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
A slight but sensitive and fantastically assured debut that unfolds with the pointillistic detail of a great short story, India Donaldson’s “Good One” is a coming-of-age story that jettisons all of the genre’s most familiar trappings in favor of a long walk in the woods.
There were supposed to be four people on the upstate New York camping trip, but one of the teens dropped out because he didn’t want to spend one of their last pre-college weekends sleeping in a polyester tent with his dad. That leaves anxious divorcee Chris, his avuncular best friend Matt, and Chris’ queer 17-year-old daughter Sam (extraordinary newcomer Lily Collias), who dutifully comes along because she’s always seen it as her job to keep what little peace is left in her family. To not be a burden. To make her parents feel like they still know her, even if they...
There were supposed to be four people on the upstate New York camping trip, but one of the teens dropped out because he didn’t want to spend one of their last pre-college weekends sleeping in a polyester tent with his dad. That leaves anxious divorcee Chris, his avuncular best friend Matt, and Chris’ queer 17-year-old daughter Sam (extraordinary newcomer Lily Collias), who dutifully comes along because she’s always seen it as her job to keep what little peace is left in her family. To not be a burden. To make her parents feel like they still know her, even if they...
- 1/22/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
In director Roger Ross Williams’ Cassandro, we first meet Saúl Armendáriz — the real-life luchador portrayed by Gael García Bernal — when he’s still scraping his way through the amateur circuit. He’s got an uphill battle ahead: Not only is he smaller and lighter than most of his brawny opponents, he’s also openly gay and the subject of taunts and jeers from his leotard-clad colleagues.
And then, about 20 minutes in, Cassandro arrives. Armendáriz decides to embrace a new identity as one of lucha libre’s exoticos, extravagant male fighters...
And then, about 20 minutes in, Cassandro arrives. Armendáriz decides to embrace a new identity as one of lucha libre’s exoticos, extravagant male fighters...
- 1/5/2024
- by Julyssa Lopez
- Rollingstone.com
No two people feel the same exact way about any film. Thus, Team Experience is pairing up to debate the merits of each of the big awards season movies this year. Here’s Nathaniel R and Cláudio Alves getting shipwrecked...
CLÁUDIO: Like many international cinephiles, my first encounter with the work of Swedish director Ruben Östlund was his 2014's breakthrough hit Force Majeure. Unlike others, however, I was mildly disappointed by what I encountered. Don't get me wrong, the main set piece that ignites the narrative's conflicts is astounding, the acting marvelous, and the staging coldly precise. My main issue was with the screenplay, which I found to be shallower than the film's reputation suggested, smugly superior, inflated with airs of self-importance without much to show for it. Comparisons to the similarly structured The Loneliest Planet didn't help, though I admit I might be one of the only ardent fans of that Julia Loktev picture.
CLÁUDIO: Like many international cinephiles, my first encounter with the work of Swedish director Ruben Östlund was his 2014's breakthrough hit Force Majeure. Unlike others, however, I was mildly disappointed by what I encountered. Don't get me wrong, the main set piece that ignites the narrative's conflicts is astounding, the acting marvelous, and the staging coldly precise. My main issue was with the screenplay, which I found to be shallower than the film's reputation suggested, smugly superior, inflated with airs of self-importance without much to show for it. Comparisons to the similarly structured The Loneliest Planet didn't help, though I admit I might be one of the only ardent fans of that Julia Loktev picture.
- 1/13/2023
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Francine Prose will join Roger Berkowitz, head of the Hannah Arendt Center, Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker for a conversation on Doc NYC Facebook Live this Monday at 2:00pm (Est) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s kaleidoscopic investigation into the past and our future takes us on the road of history and the state of the world at this moment in time, featuring interviews with Saul Friedländer and Francine Prose on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph Of The Will, Martin Amis on political tactics and characterology, Deborah Lipstadt, Beate Klarsfeld, Serge Klarsfeld, and 94-year-old Yehuda Bauer getting the last word. We enter with books by Timothy Snyder, Hannah Arendt, George Orwell, Klaus Theweleit, and the one by Sebastian Haffner that gives the film its name.
Clips from Mel Brooks’s The Producers to Bruno Ganz in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall to Anthony Hopkins in George Schaefer’s...
Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker’s kaleidoscopic investigation into the past and our future takes us on the road of history and the state of the world at this moment in time, featuring interviews with Saul Friedländer and Francine Prose on Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph Of The Will, Martin Amis on political tactics and characterology, Deborah Lipstadt, Beate Klarsfeld, Serge Klarsfeld, and 94-year-old Yehuda Bauer getting the last word. We enter with books by Timothy Snyder, Hannah Arendt, George Orwell, Klaus Theweleit, and the one by Sebastian Haffner that gives the film its name.
Clips from Mel Brooks’s The Producers to Bruno Ganz in Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall to Anthony Hopkins in George Schaefer’s...
- 11/15/2020
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Julia Loktev's Day Night Day Night (2006) and The Loneliest Planet (2011) are showing in July and August, 2019 on Mubi in the United States.Julia LoktevMidway through our conversation, Julia Loktev asked to go off the record. The plots of her two narrative features, Day Night Day Night (2006) and The Loneliest Planet (2011), turn on sudden, unexpected, transformative events, and while she’s happy to talk about the twists—“We're so attached to this notion of spoiling, which I find a bit strange”—she’s cagier about her own points of entry into the stories, mostly for fear of ruining anyone’s fun. We agreed to keep the published interview spoiler-free.Loktev was born in St. Petersburg (then still Leningrad) and immigrated to the United States as a child. Her family settled in Colorado, where she lived until college, when she moved to Montreal to study English and film at McGill University.
- 7/23/2019
- MUBI
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez)
Alita lives and dies by its eponymous creation, and to the credit of director Robert Rodriguez, producers James Cameron and Jon Landau, and the visual effects house Weta Digital, the character represents an impressive technical feat. More so than the Na’vi in Avatar, which always had extraterrestrial origins as an out for any inhuman qualities, Alita’s humanoid nature requires a certain 1:1 realism, a sustained suspension of any and all disbelief. Alita’s eyes might be affectedly large in a manga sort of way, but they persuasively project a young person’s earnestness and vulnerability, which is no easy feat.
Alita: Battle Angel (Robert Rodriguez)
Alita lives and dies by its eponymous creation, and to the credit of director Robert Rodriguez, producers James Cameron and Jon Landau, and the visual effects house Weta Digital, the character represents an impressive technical feat. More so than the Na’vi in Avatar, which always had extraterrestrial origins as an out for any inhuman qualities, Alita’s humanoid nature requires a certain 1:1 realism, a sustained suspension of any and all disbelief. Alita’s eyes might be affectedly large in a manga sort of way, but they persuasively project a young person’s earnestness and vulnerability, which is no easy feat.
- 7/12/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Alison Klayman at Magnolia Pictures on The Brink: "I hope it can be both, very contemporary and also kind of evergreen." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Highly aware of the camera, Steve Bannon taunts and teases the filmmaker and us in The Brink. For a little longer than a year, Alison Klayman had access to business meetings and lunches all over the world and flew with her subject and his associates on private planes to various speaking engagements. Fall 2017 to fall 2018 was particularly eventful in the news and what unfolds on screen vérité style is a fascinating portrait of a man observed.
The Brink, produced by Marie Therese Guirgis, shows the concrete, not to say banal, quotidian business of this controversial figure. Politics do not fade into the background, quite the opposite. With clever editing by Brian Goetz and Marina Katz and aware choices of what to highlight, Klayman...
Highly aware of the camera, Steve Bannon taunts and teases the filmmaker and us in The Brink. For a little longer than a year, Alison Klayman had access to business meetings and lunches all over the world and flew with her subject and his associates on private planes to various speaking engagements. Fall 2017 to fall 2018 was particularly eventful in the news and what unfolds on screen vérité style is a fascinating portrait of a man observed.
The Brink, produced by Marie Therese Guirgis, shows the concrete, not to say banal, quotidian business of this controversial figure. Politics do not fade into the background, quite the opposite. With clever editing by Brian Goetz and Marina Katz and aware choices of what to highlight, Klayman...
- 3/28/2019
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Simone Baumann to replace new Berlinale director Mariette Rissenbeek at German Films.
After months of speculation in the German film industry, independent producers Simone Baumann and Helge Albers have now been appointed as the new managing directors of German Films Service + Marketing and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, respectively.
Baumann, who has been representing German Films in Central and Eastern Europe since 2003 in addition to her role overseeing documentary production at Leipzig-based Saxonia Entertainment, was confirmed as the successor to the present incumbent Mariette Rissenbeek at a meeting of the promotion agency’s supervisory board in Munich yesterday (3 December).
55-year-old Baumann will...
After months of speculation in the German film industry, independent producers Simone Baumann and Helge Albers have now been appointed as the new managing directors of German Films Service + Marketing and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, respectively.
Baumann, who has been representing German Films in Central and Eastern Europe since 2003 in addition to her role overseeing documentary production at Leipzig-based Saxonia Entertainment, was confirmed as the successor to the present incumbent Mariette Rissenbeek at a meeting of the promotion agency’s supervisory board in Munich yesterday (3 December).
55-year-old Baumann will...
- 12/4/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Simone Baumann to replace new Berlinale director Mariette Rissenbeek at German Films.
After months of speculation in the German film industry, independent producers Simone Baumann and Helge Albers have now been appointed as the new managing directors of German Films Service + Marketing and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, respectively.
Baumann, who has been representing German Films in Central and Eastern Europe since 2003 in addition to her role overseeing documentary production at Leipzig-based Saxonia Entertainment, was confirmed as the successor to the present incumbent Mariette Rissenbeek at a meeting of the promotion agency’s supervisory board in Munich yesterday (3 December).
55-year-old Baumann will...
After months of speculation in the German film industry, independent producers Simone Baumann and Helge Albers have now been appointed as the new managing directors of German Films Service + Marketing and Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, respectively.
Baumann, who has been representing German Films in Central and Eastern Europe since 2003 in addition to her role overseeing documentary production at Leipzig-based Saxonia Entertainment, was confirmed as the successor to the present incumbent Mariette Rissenbeek at a meeting of the promotion agency’s supervisory board in Munich yesterday (3 December).
55-year-old Baumann will...
- 12/4/2018
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Michael Taylor has been editing the work of America’s independent filmmakers since 2004. Taylor has cut films for Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange), Rick Alverson (Entertainment) and Julia Loktev (The Loneliest Planet), to name a few. In 2017, he edited two films to appear at the Sundance Film Festival: Elvis & Nixon and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train. He returns to the festival this year having edited A Kid Like Jake, a New York-set drama starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons and Octavia Spencer. In the interview below, Taylor goes in depth on how he broke into editing, his love of New […]...
- 1/28/2018
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
There have been a lot of lists about the best films of the 21st century. IndieWire has been digging through the last two decades one genre at a time; meanwhile, the New York Times’ top movie critics provided their own takes. J. Hoberman, the longtime Village Voice film critic who now works as a freelancer, decided to join the fray. Here’s his take, also available at his site, and republished here with permission.
People have been asking me, so I thought I might as well join (or crash) the party initiated by the New York Times and put in my two cents regarding the 25 Best Films of the 21st Century (so far). I don’t see “everything” anymore and I haven’t been to Cannes since 2011.
There is some overlap but this is not the same as the proposed 21-film syllabus of 21st Century cinema included in my book “Film After Film.” Those were all in their way pedagogical choices. Begging the question of what “best” means, these are all movies that I really like, that I’m happy to see multiple times, that are strongly of their moment and that I think will stand the test of time.
My single “best” film-object is followed by a list of 11 filmmakers and one academic production company (in order of “best-ness”) responsible for two or more “best films,” these followed by another eight individual movies (again in order) and finally four more tentatively advanced films (these alphabetical). I’m sure I’m forgetting some but that’s the nature of the beast.
Christian Marclay: “The Clock”
Lars von Trier: “Dogville” & “Melancholia” (and none of his others)
Hou Hsiao Hsien: “The Assassin” & “Flight of the Red Balloon”
Jean-Luc Godard: “In Praise of Love” & “Goodbye to Language”
David Cronenberg: “Spider,” “A History of Violence,” “Eastern Promises,” & “A Dangerous Method”
David Lynch: “Mulholland Drive” & “Inland Empire”
Ken Jacobs: “Seeking the Monkey King,” “The Guests” (and more)
Cristi Puiu: “The Death of Mr Lazarescu” & “Aurora”
Chantal Akerman: “No Home Movie” & “La Captive” (assuming that 2000 is part of the 21st Century)
Paul Thomas Anderson: “The Master” & “There Will Be Blood”
Kathryn Bigelow: “The Hurt Locker” & “Zero Dark Thirty”
Alfonso Cuarón: “Gravity” & “Children of Men”
Sensory Ethnology Lab: “Leviathan,” “Manakamana,” & “People’s Park”
“The Strange Case of Angelica” — Manoel de Oliviera
“Corpus Callosum” — Michael Snow
“West of the Tracks” — Wang Bing
“Carlos” — Olivier Assayas
“Che” — Steven Soderbergh
“Ten” — Abbas Kariostami
“Russian Ark” — Aleksandr Sokurov
“The World” — Jia Zhangke
“Citizenfour” — Laura Poitras
“Day Night Day Night” — Julia Loktev
“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” — Nuri Bilge Ceylan
“Wall-e” — Andrew Stanton
Related stories'Transformers: The Last Knight' Review: Here's the Most Ridiculous Hollywood Movie of the Year'En El Séptimo Dia' Review: Jim McKay's First Movie in a Decade is the Summer's Surprise Crowdpleaser'All Eyez on Me' Review: Tupac Shakur's Complicated Life Deserves More Than This Sprawling Biopic...
People have been asking me, so I thought I might as well join (or crash) the party initiated by the New York Times and put in my two cents regarding the 25 Best Films of the 21st Century (so far). I don’t see “everything” anymore and I haven’t been to Cannes since 2011.
There is some overlap but this is not the same as the proposed 21-film syllabus of 21st Century cinema included in my book “Film After Film.” Those were all in their way pedagogical choices. Begging the question of what “best” means, these are all movies that I really like, that I’m happy to see multiple times, that are strongly of their moment and that I think will stand the test of time.
My single “best” film-object is followed by a list of 11 filmmakers and one academic production company (in order of “best-ness”) responsible for two or more “best films,” these followed by another eight individual movies (again in order) and finally four more tentatively advanced films (these alphabetical). I’m sure I’m forgetting some but that’s the nature of the beast.
Christian Marclay: “The Clock”
Lars von Trier: “Dogville” & “Melancholia” (and none of his others)
Hou Hsiao Hsien: “The Assassin” & “Flight of the Red Balloon”
Jean-Luc Godard: “In Praise of Love” & “Goodbye to Language”
David Cronenberg: “Spider,” “A History of Violence,” “Eastern Promises,” & “A Dangerous Method”
David Lynch: “Mulholland Drive” & “Inland Empire”
Ken Jacobs: “Seeking the Monkey King,” “The Guests” (and more)
Cristi Puiu: “The Death of Mr Lazarescu” & “Aurora”
Chantal Akerman: “No Home Movie” & “La Captive” (assuming that 2000 is part of the 21st Century)
Paul Thomas Anderson: “The Master” & “There Will Be Blood”
Kathryn Bigelow: “The Hurt Locker” & “Zero Dark Thirty”
Alfonso Cuarón: “Gravity” & “Children of Men”
Sensory Ethnology Lab: “Leviathan,” “Manakamana,” & “People’s Park”
“The Strange Case of Angelica” — Manoel de Oliviera
“Corpus Callosum” — Michael Snow
“West of the Tracks” — Wang Bing
“Carlos” — Olivier Assayas
“Che” — Steven Soderbergh
“Ten” — Abbas Kariostami
“Russian Ark” — Aleksandr Sokurov
“The World” — Jia Zhangke
“Citizenfour” — Laura Poitras
“Day Night Day Night” — Julia Loktev
“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia” — Nuri Bilge Ceylan
“Wall-e” — Andrew Stanton
Related stories'Transformers: The Last Knight' Review: Here's the Most Ridiculous Hollywood Movie of the Year'En El Séptimo Dia' Review: Jim McKay's First Movie in a Decade is the Summer's Surprise Crowdpleaser'All Eyez on Me' Review: Tupac Shakur's Complicated Life Deserves More Than This Sprawling Biopic...
- 6/20/2017
- by J. Hoberman
- Indiewire
Roger Ebert once observed that Werner Herzog “has never created a single film that is compromised, shameful, made for pragmatic reasons, or uninteresting,” that “even his failures are spectacular.” Ebert died in 2013, just before Herzog would start to prove him wrong.
“Salt and Fire” isn’t compromised or shameful, it isn’t always uninteresting, and it certainly isn’t made for pragmatic reasons, but there’s nothing the least bit spectacular about the filmmaker’s latest attempt to humble us before nature. Even the landscape feels mundane, as the dreamlike infinity of Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni — the world’s largest salt flat — has already been commercialized by a zillion different car commercials. There’s no doubt that Herzog’s quixotic flair for adventure remains intact (his recent documentary work is proof enough of that), but it’s dispiriting all the same to see him boldly go where several Kias have gone before.
“Salt and Fire” isn’t compromised or shameful, it isn’t always uninteresting, and it certainly isn’t made for pragmatic reasons, but there’s nothing the least bit spectacular about the filmmaker’s latest attempt to humble us before nature. Even the landscape feels mundane, as the dreamlike infinity of Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni — the world’s largest salt flat — has already been commercialized by a zillion different car commercials. There’s no doubt that Herzog’s quixotic flair for adventure remains intact (his recent documentary work is proof enough of that), but it’s dispiriting all the same to see him boldly go where several Kias have gone before.
- 4/5/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
July: a time for backyard cookouts, fireworks displays, and tipsy, tearful declarations of how you — sniff — just love America so much. And streaming addicts will have plenty to salute in the month to come, whether that's Netflix trotting out a new Goonies-style mystery series and reviving a certified cult animation sensation, or tempting new film options from the folks at Amazon Prime and Hulu. No better way to beat the heat than a retreat into the safety of an air-conditioned living room, and no better way to turn that space...
- 7/1/2016
- Rollingstone.com
Era el Cielo
Director: Marco Dutra
Writers: Lucia Puenzo, Caetano Gotardo, Sergio Bizzio
Brazilian director Marco Dutra‘s first feature (review), 2011’s Hard Labor (co-directed by Juliana Rojas) premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and finally reached theatrical release in the Us several months ago courtesy of Kino Lorber. Since then, he directed the solo feature Era el Cielo (When I Was Alive), and will be ready with his third film, It Was Heaven in 2016. Dutra directs from a script co-authored by Hard Labor writer Caetano Gotardo and the team behind Xxy (2007), Sergio Bizzio and Argentinean director Lucia Puenzo. His first Spanish language production concerns “questioning masculinity roles, sexuality, and barriers of intimacy,” in a narrative about a man who comes home to see his wife violated by two strangers. Paralyzed, he doesn’t come to her rescue and she doesn’t realize he’s witnessed the attack. She...
Director: Marco Dutra
Writers: Lucia Puenzo, Caetano Gotardo, Sergio Bizzio
Brazilian director Marco Dutra‘s first feature (review), 2011’s Hard Labor (co-directed by Juliana Rojas) premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes and finally reached theatrical release in the Us several months ago courtesy of Kino Lorber. Since then, he directed the solo feature Era el Cielo (When I Was Alive), and will be ready with his third film, It Was Heaven in 2016. Dutra directs from a script co-authored by Hard Labor writer Caetano Gotardo and the team behind Xxy (2007), Sergio Bizzio and Argentinean director Lucia Puenzo. His first Spanish language production concerns “questioning masculinity roles, sexuality, and barriers of intimacy,” in a narrative about a man who comes home to see his wife violated by two strangers. Paralyzed, he doesn’t come to her rescue and she doesn’t realize he’s witnessed the attack. She...
- 1/8/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Hosts of Michel Hazanavicius’s The Search and Transporter 3 set to add rebates; Ukraine to join Creative Europe framework.
Georgia and Ukraine are set to become the latest countries to introduce tax incentives in order to attract foreign productions to shoot in their locations.
Speaking at this week’s Film Industry Office forum in Odessa, David Vashadze, head of export and distribution at the Georgian National Film Center (Gnfc), revealed that a tax rebate scheme will be launched from next January.
Foreign producers wishing to benefit from the scheme will be required to reach a minimum of spend of $300,000 in Georgia and fulfil a minimum of three days of shooting in the country.
The minimum spend will be reduced to $150,000 for documentary projects.
The rebate would be 20% of the qualifying expenses and an additional 2% could be paid if there are more Georgian elements such as the hiring of local cast or the promotion of Georgian culture...
Georgia and Ukraine are set to become the latest countries to introduce tax incentives in order to attract foreign productions to shoot in their locations.
Speaking at this week’s Film Industry Office forum in Odessa, David Vashadze, head of export and distribution at the Georgian National Film Center (Gnfc), revealed that a tax rebate scheme will be launched from next January.
Foreign producers wishing to benefit from the scheme will be required to reach a minimum of spend of $300,000 in Georgia and fulfil a minimum of three days of shooting in the country.
The minimum spend will be reduced to $150,000 for documentary projects.
The rebate would be 20% of the qualifying expenses and an additional 2% could be paid if there are more Georgian elements such as the hiring of local cast or the promotion of Georgian culture...
- 7/17/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Maris Curran’s directorial debut might be a longshot for Sundance….at least for the 2015 edition. The drama which has its character set wrestle with isolation, grief and loss went into production late summer in the titular north-eastern state with a cast comprised of Dianne Wiest, Rosie Perez and career-year actor David Oyelowo toplining with a supporting players in the shape of Teyonah Parris, Stephen Henderson and Hani Furstenberg (seek her out in Julia Loktev’s The Loneliest Planet). Five Nights in Maine has found early supporters from the likes of San Francisco Film Society/Kenneth Rainin Foundation Filmmaking Grant, Cinereach and found some tender loving care from Kickstarter back in 2011. If the project is sprinter speed force in the post-production phase then we might not have to wait until 2016.
Gist: This follows Sherwin (Oyelowo), a man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to...
Gist: This follows Sherwin (Oyelowo), a man reeling from the tragic loss of his wife, travels to rural Maine to...
- 11/12/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Force Majeure
Written and directed by Ruben Östlund
Sweden/Denmark/Norway, 2014
The folly and arrogance of masculinity is harshly scrutinized in Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure, an intense and intelligent domestic drama that asks some cutting questions about modern gender roles. High up in the French Alps, a family of four slowly crumbles after an instance of cowardice manifests itself and continues to marinate over the course of five days. That the act takes places in just the first ten minutes and slowly festers up until the last few scenes speaks volumes about Östlund as a stylist. While only sporadically involving as an unsettling study of race and class in contemporary Sweden, the director’s last film, Play (2011), hinted at what the director could accomplish with a tighter and more absorbing project. While Force Majeure isn’t a perfect film by any stretch, it should instantly make Östlund a household name.
Written and directed by Ruben Östlund
Sweden/Denmark/Norway, 2014
The folly and arrogance of masculinity is harshly scrutinized in Swedish director Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure, an intense and intelligent domestic drama that asks some cutting questions about modern gender roles. High up in the French Alps, a family of four slowly crumbles after an instance of cowardice manifests itself and continues to marinate over the course of five days. That the act takes places in just the first ten minutes and slowly festers up until the last few scenes speaks volumes about Östlund as a stylist. While only sporadically involving as an unsettling study of race and class in contemporary Sweden, the director’s last film, Play (2011), hinted at what the director could accomplish with a tighter and more absorbing project. While Force Majeure isn’t a perfect film by any stretch, it should instantly make Östlund a household name.
- 9/6/2014
- by Ty Landis
- SoundOnSight
Ruben Östlund's Play was the last film I saw in Cannes in 2011, and I found it startling. The Swedish filmmaker has ping ponged a bit around Cannes; his second feature, Involuntary, was in 2009's Un Certain Regard; and Play was programmed in and sang through the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, a section still trying to find its identity and acuteness after the departure of Olivier Père. Östlund's newest film, Force Majeure (also known as Turist), brings him back to Un Certain Regard, but the film is so assured and of such an impactful scope that it seems an insult to keep it out of Competition. Problematic as the movie may be, it reveals Östlund as one of the major international filmmakers.
The premise we have seen before. In fact, just a few years ago Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet also imagined a couple on spectacular vacation during which a small...
The premise we have seen before. In fact, just a few years ago Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet also imagined a couple on spectacular vacation during which a small...
- 5/22/2014
- by Daniel Kasman
- MUBI
Alexander Payne accepting Eastman House Lifetime Achievement in Film award: "I've been an ardent film watcher since age five." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
On a beautiful spring evening in New York City, the second annual George Eastman House Light & Motion Gala celebrated preservation & restoration in Tribeca at Three Sixty°, a black and white affair. The 2014 honorees were film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, filmmakers Alexander Payne and Julia Loktev, photographers Mary Ellen Mark and Chris McCaw and self-publishing platform Blurb.
Film historian and critic, Leonard Maltin Light & Motion Award for Advocacy: "It's so vital to keep these films alive." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Paul Giamatti and Steven Soderbergh came to present awards. The honorary chairs of the Light & Motion Gala were Ken Burns, Richard Gere, and Howard Greenberg.
At the cocktail reception before the dinner and awards ceremony, I spoke briefly with Alexander Payne, Paul Giamatti and the Chair of the Board for George Eastman House,...
On a beautiful spring evening in New York City, the second annual George Eastman House Light & Motion Gala celebrated preservation & restoration in Tribeca at Three Sixty°, a black and white affair. The 2014 honorees were film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, filmmakers Alexander Payne and Julia Loktev, photographers Mary Ellen Mark and Chris McCaw and self-publishing platform Blurb.
Film historian and critic, Leonard Maltin Light & Motion Award for Advocacy: "It's so vital to keep these films alive." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Paul Giamatti and Steven Soderbergh came to present awards. The honorary chairs of the Light & Motion Gala were Ken Burns, Richard Gere, and Howard Greenberg.
At the cocktail reception before the dinner and awards ceremony, I spoke briefly with Alexander Payne, Paul Giamatti and the Chair of the Board for George Eastman House,...
- 5/7/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
April Showers Returns! (Most nights @ 11)
When I reviewed The Loneliest Planet last year, I puposely avoided the one true spoiler that the whole movie pivots on -- "the incident" as the director calls it. But my aversion to spoilers was so pronounced that I got a little carried away. I didn't even reveal what the first scene of the film entailed. But by now, since this returning series is all about film showers, you've surely guessed it.
I began my review this way:
The first of the senses that writer/director Julia Loktev hits us with over the opening black screen is hearing. The sound is a rhythmic pounding / creaking / breathing that's hard to place (sex scene? construction work?). When the fade-up happens, you'd never guess what image is waiting for you! It's something both utterly mundane and alien and strange. This is only the first of the surprises that...
When I reviewed The Loneliest Planet last year, I puposely avoided the one true spoiler that the whole movie pivots on -- "the incident" as the director calls it. But my aversion to spoilers was so pronounced that I got a little carried away. I didn't even reveal what the first scene of the film entailed. But by now, since this returning series is all about film showers, you've surely guessed it.
I began my review this way:
The first of the senses that writer/director Julia Loktev hits us with over the opening black screen is hearing. The sound is a rhythmic pounding / creaking / breathing that's hard to place (sex scene? construction work?). When the fade-up happens, you'd never guess what image is waiting for you! It's something both utterly mundane and alien and strange. This is only the first of the surprises that...
- 4/18/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Chicago – “The Loneliest Planet,” recently released on DVD, will try even the most patient and adoring of art movie lovers as its deliberate, plodding pace pushes out all possibilities of character involvement. To be blunt, by the time I felt like I was asked to care, it was too late. There’s some stunning cinematography and Gael Garcia Bernal is simply one of the most interesting actors of his generation but this effort is dull to the nth degree.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
The first hour of “The Loneliest Planet” is clearly designed to create realism that will allow us to emotionally invest in the characters and the inner turmoil they face in a barren landscape in the second hour. While the cinematography is stunning and the natural, unforced interplay between the stars feels genuine, the film drags in unacceptable ways (especially at home…on the big screen, the striking imagery might have...
Rating: 2.5/5.0
The first hour of “The Loneliest Planet” is clearly designed to create realism that will allow us to emotionally invest in the characters and the inner turmoil they face in a barren landscape in the second hour. While the cinematography is stunning and the natural, unforced interplay between the stars feels genuine, the film drags in unacceptable ways (especially at home…on the big screen, the striking imagery might have...
- 3/15/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
‘Life is good, but good life is better.”
The Loneliest Planet (2012) is bookended by one of the strangest openings and unsatisfying endings I’ve ever seen. Based on the short story “Expensive Trips Nowhere” by Tom Bissell, never was a story more aptly named in the source material. Writer/director Julia Loktev has created a very odd feeling movie. Alex (Gael García Bernal) and his fiancé Nica (Hani Furstenberg) are backpacking around Georgia and the Caucus Mountains with their guide Dato (Bidzina Gujabidze). Everything is going by beautifully and boringly until three natives cross their path and things turn sharply. Cowardice. Contemplate that.
Read more...
The Loneliest Planet (2012) is bookended by one of the strangest openings and unsatisfying endings I’ve ever seen. Based on the short story “Expensive Trips Nowhere” by Tom Bissell, never was a story more aptly named in the source material. Writer/director Julia Loktev has created a very odd feeling movie. Alex (Gael García Bernal) and his fiancé Nica (Hani Furstenberg) are backpacking around Georgia and the Caucus Mountains with their guide Dato (Bidzina Gujabidze). Everything is going by beautifully and boringly until three natives cross their path and things turn sharply. Cowardice. Contemplate that.
Read more...
- 3/7/2013
- by Jason Ratigan
- JustPressPlay.net
This Week’s Must Read is actually a few weeks old, but I’ve been skipping these links posts a lot. Anyway… The Brooklyn Rail got a bunch of big names, such as P. Adams Sitney and Ken Jacobs, to discuss the legacy of their friend, Jonas Mekas. That legacy, of course, can never be summed up in just one article, but this is good.Media artist Clint Enns interviewed media artist Sabrina Ratté about her working process. Clint’s probably one of the most insightful people regarding our world of experimental media I know, so this is a must read.Filmmaker Magazine interviewed one of our favorite underground comedy directors, Zach Clark, about his new Christmas movie White Reindeer, which, of course, we’re dying to see.Our pal J.J. Murphy recently posted his annual “Best of 2012″ indie films list, as he traditionally does around this time of year.
- 3/3/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
This week on DVD/Blu-ray: Indiewire's top film of 2012; one of the most harrowing documentaries of last year; Julia Loktev's haunting follow-up to "Day Night Day Night"; Paul Thomas Anderson's most ambitious film to date; and the live action debut the filmmakers behind "Persepolis." #1. "Holy Motors" "Holy Motors," the film that topped Indiewire's 2012 year-end critics' poll, marks Leos Carax's first feature in 13 years. Beloved at Cannes, where many pundits thought it had a shot at the Palme d’Or (Michael Haneke’s "Amour" won out), "Holy Motors" proves that the French auteur has lost none of his verve or ingenuity, but maybe some of his mind. In the odyssey that is "Holy Motors," Carax's longtime collaborator Denis Lavant plays a rich man named Oscar who, with the help of his trusty female chauffeur, inhabits 11 different characters over the course of one...
- 2/26/2013
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Each year, the awards season comes to a close with two of the biggest ceremonies in the Us. Tonight is of course the best known, with the Academy Awards being the most prestigious handed out in the industry. But every year, the previous night is reserved for recognising the achievements in filmmaking outside of the studio system with the Independent Spirit Awards.
I’m a big fan of the Independent Spirit Awards, and look forward to their results every year. Last night, some of the finest talents across the independent industry were recognised, and Silver Linings Playbook came away on top with an impressive four category wins.
David O. Russell’s latest feature took home the Best Feature award, it won him personally the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards, and Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkable performance in it won her the Best Female Lead award.
Derek Connolly’s script in...
I’m a big fan of the Independent Spirit Awards, and look forward to their results every year. Last night, some of the finest talents across the independent industry were recognised, and Silver Linings Playbook came away on top with an impressive four category wins.
David O. Russell’s latest feature took home the Best Feature award, it won him personally the Best Director and Best Screenplay awards, and Jennifer Lawrence’s remarkable performance in it won her the Best Female Lead award.
Derek Connolly’s script in...
- 2/24/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Although there rarely seems to be much (if any) overlap between the Independent Spirit Awards and the Oscars when it comes to the winners, it's always nice to see some of these movies getting recognition when they will likely be ignored by the Academy. Silver Linings Playbook does not seem to have much of a shot at winning anything tonight (with the exception of Jennifer Lawrence for Best Actress), but it dominated the competition last night winning 4 out of the 5 categories it was nominated in including Best Picture. Jennifer Lawrence also won for Best Female Lead and David O. Russell won Best Director and Best Screenplay. Other winners included The Sessions co-stars John Hawkes for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt for Best Supporting Female, while Matthew McConaughey won Best Supporting Male for his performance in Magic Mike. Amour took home the Best Foreign Film Award and The Invisible War won Best Documentary.
- 2/24/2013
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
It would be the film with the juju in David O. Russell’s zany black comedy that was the toast of the 28th Independent Spirit Awards beating Beasts Of The Southern Wild – its fiercest rival in all major categories. Silver Linings Playbook cleaned up, grabbing Best Feature, Director, Screenplay and Best Actress went to Jennifer Lawrence – the heavy favorite for tomorrow’s Oscar. Fox Searchlight might have grabbed only one award for Beasts in the Cinematography category, but it’s other Sundance pick-up The Sessions managed to nab a pair of acting prizes for Helen Hunt and Oscar snubbed John Hawkes for Best Male Lead. In our favorite grant categories, Adam Leon (Gimme the Loot) nabbed the Someone to Watch Award (last year it went to Mark Jackson), the Piaget Producers Award went to Mynette Louie (she produced Tze Chun’s sophomore film Eye of Winter which we are keeping...
- 2/24/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
It's one of the biggest night's in the independent film industry, and as the 2013 Spirit Awards come to an end, we grant you with the complete list of winners!
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities flocked to Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best and brightest from the world of independent film.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes (The Sessions) and Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey ("Magic Mike") scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt (The Sessions) took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the John Cassavetes award, which pays homage to the best film created...
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities flocked to Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best and brightest from the world of independent film.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes (The Sessions) and Jennifer Lawrence ("Silver Linings Playbook") took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey ("Magic Mike") scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt (The Sessions) took home the prize for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the John Cassavetes award, which pays homage to the best film created...
- 2/24/2013
- GossipCenter
It's one of the biggest night's in the independent film industry, and as the 2013 Spirit Awards come to an end, we are granting you with the complete list of victors!
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities headed over to the Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best Indie films from the past year.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt took was honored with a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the honor of the John Cassavetes, which pays homage to the best film created with a budget under $500,000.
Take a look...
Earlier this evening (February 23), celebrities headed over to the Santa Monica Beach for a night of celebrations honoring the best Indie films from the past year.
Taking home the prize for Best Feature was the cast and crew of "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes and Jennifer Lawrence took home the awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
In addition, Matthew McConaughey scored a win for Best Supporting Actor, while Helen Hunt took was honored with a nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Meanwhile, David O. Russell proved victorious in the Best Director category and "Middle of Nowhere" received the honor of the John Cassavetes, which pays homage to the best film created with a budget under $500,000.
Take a look...
- 2/24/2013
- GossipCenter
David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" was the big winner at the 28th annual Independent Spirit Awards held in Santa Monica, CA this afternoon and hosted by Andy Samberg. "Silver Linings" took home the Best Feature, Actress (Jennifer Lawrence), Director, and Screenplay trophies.
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
McConaughey, who nearly stole the show in Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike," won the Best Supporting Male award for a performance that was largely ignored by the Academy Awards. As Samberg astutely observed, "We've got Matthew McConaughey...Hollywood fuck you!"
Jennifer Lawrence won the Best Female Lead award for "Silver Linings Playbook," while John Hawkes took home the Best Male Lead trophy for "Sessions." His co-star, Helen Hunt, won the Best Supporting Female award.
Michael Haneke's "Amour," a darling of the 85th Academy Awards, deservingly won Best International Film.
The awards show can be seen on IFC tonight at 10 pm (Est).
Here's the full list...
- 2/24/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook" had a heyday at the 28th Independent Spirit Awards, taking home four prizes out of five nominations, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence.
"The Sessions" also got its due after being shut out at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. John Hawkes beat out "Silver Linings'" Bradley Cooper for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt won Best Supporting Female. Also worth noting? Matthew McCounaghey's Best Supporting Male win for "Magic Mike," and his Best Male Lead loss for "Killer Joe."
Here is the full list of Independent Spirit Awards 2013 winners:
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Ira Sachs, "Keep the Lights On"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
David O. Russell,...
"The Sessions" also got its due after being shut out at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards. John Hawkes beat out "Silver Linings'" Bradley Cooper for Best Male Lead and Helen Hunt won Best Supporting Female. Also worth noting? Matthew McCounaghey's Best Supporting Male win for "Magic Mike," and his Best Male Lead loss for "Killer Joe."
Here is the full list of Independent Spirit Awards 2013 winners:
Best Feature
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
"Bernie"
"Keep the Lights On"
"Moonrise Kingdom"
"Silver Linings Playbook"
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, "Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Ira Sachs, "Keep the Lights On"
Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet"
Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom"
David O. Russell,...
- 2/24/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
The weekend’s other big movie awards ceremony—the Independent Spirit Awards—was held this afternoon in Santa Monica, Calif., with Andy Samberg on board as host. The big winner was David O. Russell’s romantic dramedy Silver Linings Playbook, which took home four prizes: best feature, best director, best actress, and best screenplay. But there was plenty of love spread around the year’s top indies. Here’s the full list of winners:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook – Winner
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ira Sachs,...
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook – Winner
Best Director
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ira Sachs,...
- 2/24/2013
- by Josh Rottenberg
- EW - Inside Movies
The 2013 Film Independent Spirits Awards were handed out in Santa Monica, CA today and lots of Oscar frontrunners cemented their status by dominating in their categories once more.
Check out all the winners below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Female Lead
Linda Cardellini, Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smashed
Best Male Lead
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Thure Lindhardt, Keep the Lights On
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce, Four
Best Supporting Female
Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister's Sister
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Brit Marling, Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere
Best Supporting Male
Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
David Oyelowo, Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena, End of Watch
Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths
[link...
Check out all the winners below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights On
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Female Lead
Linda Cardellini, Return
Emayatzy Corinealdi, Middle of Nowhere
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Smashed
Best Male Lead
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Thure Lindhardt, Keep the Lights On
Matthew McConaughey, Killer Joe
Wendell Pierce, Four
Best Supporting Female
Rosemarie DeWitt, Your Sister's Sister
Ann Dowd, Compliance
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Brit Marling, Sound of My Voice
Lorraine Toussaint, Middle of Nowhere
Best Supporting Male
Matthew McConaughey, Magic Mike
David Oyelowo, Middle of Nowhere
Michael Pena, End of Watch
Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths
[link...
- 2/23/2013
- Entertainment Tonight
Today the 2013 Spirit Awards were handed out and it was a dominating effort from Silver Linings Playbook as it won Best Picture, Director (David O. Russell), Actress (Jennifer Lawrence) and Screenplay (Russell). The only award it was nominated for and didn't win was Best Actor where Bradley Cooper lost to John Hawkes for The Sessions, but that's only a minor blip on the radar when you win this big. Among the early awards handed out, Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower won for Best First Feature while Derek Connolly won for Best First Screenplay for the romantic sci-fi film Safety Not Guaranteed. Then the Twitterverse exploded with a Best Supporting Actor win for Matthew McConaughey and his work in Magic Mike, which, for a time, seemed like it may be able to eek into that last Supporting slot at the Oscars. No dice, a Spirit Award it will have to be.
- 2/23/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Some of the best movies from this year are being celebrated on Feb. 23 at the Independent Spirit Awards — and HollywoodLife.com is live streaming the red carpet just for you!
Andy Samberg will host the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23, the awards show that celebrates independent films and showcases the best of the year to a bigger audience. While some A-Listers are such as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are nominated, other actors and films that are also nominated will surely be added to your must-see list! Keep reading to watch the live red carpet now!
The Independent Spirit Awards air on Feb. 23 at 10Pm Et on IFC. See the full list of nominations below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights on
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
Andy Samberg will host the Independent Spirit Awards on Feb. 23, the awards show that celebrates independent films and showcases the best of the year to a bigger audience. While some A-Listers are such as Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper are nominated, other actors and films that are also nominated will surely be added to your must-see list! Keep reading to watch the live red carpet now!
The Independent Spirit Awards air on Feb. 23 at 10Pm Et on IFC. See the full list of nominations below:
Best Feature
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Bernie
Keep the Lights on
Moonrise Kingdom
Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director
Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev, The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ira Sachs,...
- 2/23/2013
- by Christopher Rogers
- HollywoodLife
R American feature film nominees, culled from entries with budgets of under $20 million, were determined by a committee while winners will be chosen by members of Film Independent. The prizes were handed out on Feb. 23, one day before the Oscars during an afternoon ceremony on Santa Monica beach. A 2 p.m. start means that only a taped version of the show will air on IFC. Best Feature "Beasts of the Southern Wild" "Bernie" "Keep the Lights On" "Moonrise Kingdom" X - "Silver Linings Playbook" -Insertgroups:8- Best Director Wes Anderson, "Moonrise Kingdom" Julia Loktev, "The Loneliest Planet" X - David O. Russell, "Silver Linings Playbook" Ira Sachs, "Keep the LIghts On" Martin McDonagh, "Seven Psychopaths" Best Female Lead Linda Cardellini, "Return" Emayatzy Corinealdi, "Middle of Nowhere" X - Jennifer Lawrence...
- 2/23/2013
- Gold Derby
DVD Release Date: Feb. 26, 2013
Price: DVD $24.98
Studio: IFC
Gael Garcia Bernal and Hani Furstenberg are the picture of happiness--at first--in The Loneliest Planet.
The 2011 thriller The Loneliest Planet starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Letters to Juliet) is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s 1936 short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
A happily engaged couple (Bernal and Israel-based actress Hani Furstenberg) arrive in the Caucasus Mountains in the former Soviet republic of Georgia for a backpacking trip. They engage a villager (Bidzina Gujabidze) to act as guide and the three venture into the stunning wilderness. The trio’s peaceful adventure takes a dark turn when they encounter an armed man and his two sons, prompting a momentary misstep by Alex which creates a subtle rift between himself and Nica. The rift quickly widens until it threatens to destroy everything the couple believed about each other and themselves.
Written and directed by Russian-American filmmaker Julia Loktev,...
Price: DVD $24.98
Studio: IFC
Gael Garcia Bernal and Hani Furstenberg are the picture of happiness--at first--in The Loneliest Planet.
The 2011 thriller The Loneliest Planet starring Gael Garcia Bernal (Letters to Juliet) is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s 1936 short story The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.
A happily engaged couple (Bernal and Israel-based actress Hani Furstenberg) arrive in the Caucasus Mountains in the former Soviet republic of Georgia for a backpacking trip. They engage a villager (Bidzina Gujabidze) to act as guide and the three venture into the stunning wilderness. The trio’s peaceful adventure takes a dark turn when they encounter an armed man and his two sons, prompting a momentary misstep by Alex which creates a subtle rift between himself and Nica. The rift quickly widens until it threatens to destroy everything the couple believed about each other and themselves.
Written and directed by Russian-American filmmaker Julia Loktev,...
- 1/28/2013
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Film Independent's 12th edition of their Directors Close-Up series will feature Ben Affleck ("Argo"), David O. Russell ("Silver Linings Playbook") and Benh Zeitlin ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), director Ruben Fleischer ("Gangster Squad"), and writer/directors Ira Sachs ("Keep the Lights On"), Julia Loktev ("The Loneliest Planet") and Jill Soloway ("Afternoon Delight"). The panels will take place every Wednesday from February 6 - March 6 at Los Angeles' Landmark theater. Film Independent's Maria Bozzi states, “From the fresh approach of first time directors Benh Zeitlin and Jill Solloway, to the distinctive style of seasoned artists like David O. Russell and Ben Affleck, who will address how their work has evolved, the Directors Close-Up offers a variety of creative perspectives. There's always something unique coming out of each one of these sessions." ...
- 1/15/2013
- by Sophia Savage
- Thompson on Hollywood
Ben Affleck, David O. Russell and Benh Zeitlin will take part as guest speakers in Film Independent’s 12th annual Directors Close-Up series, which will be held every Wednesday from Feb. 6-March 6 at the Landmark Theaters in West Los Angeles. Also scheduled to take part in the series of panels are director Ruben Fleischer (Gangster Squad), and writer/directors Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On), Julia Loktev (The Loneliest Planet) and Jill Soloway (Afternoon Delight). Photos: THR's Director Roundtable: 6 Hollywood Auteurs on Tantrums, Dealing With Actors and When They'll Quit Additional guests on Zeitlin’s panel are Steve
read more...
read more...
- 1/15/2013
- by Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gael Garcia Bernal's Alex character snaps a photo of himself and Nica (Hani Furstenberg) in this new poster for Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet thriller. Loktev helms and writes the script based on the short story by Tom Bissell. IFC Films distributes The Loneliest Planet, which opened in theaters on October 26th last year. In The Loneliest Planet, Alex and Nica are young, in love and engaged to be married. The summer before their wedding, they are backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The couple hire a local guide to lead them on a camping trek, and the three set off into a stunning wilderness, a landscape that is both overwhelmingly open and frighteningly closed...
- 1/10/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Gael Garcia Bernal's Alex character snaps a photo of himself and Nica (Hani Furstenberg) in this new poster for Julia Loktev's The Loneliest Planet thriller. Loktev helms and writes the script based on the short story by Tom Bissell. IFC Films distributes The Loneliest Planet, which opened in theaters on October 26th last year. In The Loneliest Planet, Alex and Nica are young, in love and engaged to be married. The summer before their wedding, they are backpacking in the Caucasus Mountains in Georgia. The couple hire a local guide to lead them on a camping trek, and the three set off into a stunning wilderness, a landscape that is both overwhelmingly open and frighteningly closed...
- 1/10/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
For all the dire talk about whether arthouse theaters can survive all the shifts in the industry and the dreaded conversion to digital projection, there sure are a lot of indie cinemas opening. The latest is the $21-million, 20,000-square-foot Mist Harlem, which opened its doors Nov. 30 on West 116th St. in New York City. The minority-owned entertainment center includes a restaurant, called Harvist, and three theater spaces that can screen movies or house other types of live performance — music, spoken word and/or comedy — seven days a week. Read More: Why Brooklyn Is Suddenly New York's Best Moviegoing Borough Cinema programming will be focused on black and Latino filmmakers, with Sara Belcher’s “Otelo Burning,” Marette Monpierre’s “Elza” and Julia Loktev’s “The Loneliest Planet” among the first films on display at the new theaters. Pre-opening film screenings included scenes from Lisa and Rob...
- 12/4/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Before you can take a breath after the Gotham awards, the Independent Spirit Award nominations have rolled out (here’s the official list), and not without some notable parallels. For the most part, the Best Feature lineup is hardly surprising, perhaps with the exception of Bernie, which was an entertaining film from an excellent director, but this is a slot that could have been filled by something more deserving. The other selections are a bit more typical, with Moonrise Kingdom, The Silver Linings Playbook, and Beasts of the Southern Wild all critical darlings from the past year (though Beasts should really be in the Best First Feature category, but this has more to do with producer credits than director Benh Zeitlin). It’s great to see Ira Sachs’ latest, Keep the Lights On receiving the continued attention as well, one of the very few significant Lgbt related films this year.
- 11/29/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Chicago – Two acclaimed crowd-pleasers led the nominees for the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards, which were announced November 27th. The quirky ensemble comedies “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Moonrise Kingdom” snagged five nominations apiece. The latter picture recently garnered a Best Feature accolade from the Gotham Independent Film Awards.
At the Indie Spirit Awards, David O. Russell’s “Playbook” and Wes Anderson’s “Kingdom” were joined in the Best Feature category by Ira Sachs’ “Keep the Lights On,” Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” and Benh Zeitlin’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” All of the directors whose films were nominated in the top category also received Best Director nominations, with the exception of Linklater, who was replaced by Julia Loktev (“The Loneliest Planet”). Earning nominations for Best First Feature were Rama Burshtein’s “Fill the Void,” Adam Leon’s “Gimmie the Loot,” Colin Trevorrow’s “Safety Not Guaranteed,” Zal Batmanglij’s “Sound of my Voice...
At the Indie Spirit Awards, David O. Russell’s “Playbook” and Wes Anderson’s “Kingdom” were joined in the Best Feature category by Ira Sachs’ “Keep the Lights On,” Richard Linklater’s “Bernie” and Benh Zeitlin’s “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” All of the directors whose films were nominated in the top category also received Best Director nominations, with the exception of Linklater, who was replaced by Julia Loktev (“The Loneliest Planet”). Earning nominations for Best First Feature were Rama Burshtein’s “Fill the Void,” Adam Leon’s “Gimmie the Loot,” Colin Trevorrow’s “Safety Not Guaranteed,” Zal Batmanglij’s “Sound of my Voice...
- 11/28/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
On Monday night, the Ifp Gotham Independent Film Awards were handed out and then yesterday, the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards announced their nominations with many familiar names and movies being mentioned between them, but also a few new ones. Four movies were nominated in the three main categories- Feature, director and screenplay: Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom , Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild , David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook and the entry that wasn't mentioned at the Gothams, Ira Sachs' Keep the Light On . Julia Loktev received a nomination for directing The Loneliest Planet , which was a surprise entry into the Best Feature category at the Gothams. As far as the acting categories, three of the movies above received lead acting...
- 11/28/2012
- Comingsoon.net
And just like that, awards season is upon us. I'd like to say that it's a time of year when your chances of seeing a great film in theatres are significantly increased, but I don't know if that's entirely true. Either way, the Independent Spirit Awards kicked things off today with their full list of nominations, which could potentially influence Oscar chances for some filmmakers and actors. I'm guessing that at least a few of these folks will be in the running. David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook and Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom led the way with 5 nominations each, while Beasts of the Southern Wild and Keep the Lights On both earned 4. It's awesome to see Matthew McConaughey recognized for both Magic Mike and Killer Joe, but a little disappointing that The Imposter was overlooked for Best Documentary. What do you think of this year's Spirit Award nominees?...
- 11/27/2012
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
And, with that, awards seasons is off with a major bang. On the heels of last night’s Gotham Awards announcements, the Film Independent has now announced their nominations for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards (best known to most as just “the Independent Spirits”). Per usual, the nominations are rounded out with a number of strong showers from the festival circuit, along with a peppering of studio fare that still manages to meet their independent guidelines. But, rest assured, there are still a number of fresh picks among the noms, and a hearty helping of up-and-comers to watch closely. The big winners (uh, big nominees?) include Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, and Safety Not Guaranteed. Some other (somewhat surprising, in a number of cases) nominations worth mentioning include a Best Feature nod for Keep the Lights On, a Best Director nomination for Julia Loktev for her The Loneliest Planet, a...
- 11/27/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The 28th Annual Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced eaelier today and while Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook both grabbed five noms a piece, it is Bernie, Keep The Lights On and Beasts of the Southern Wild who are glowing with their four noms each. Our jeers, cheers and snubs commentary shall be coming soon. Here are the entire list of nominees for the 2013 Film Independent Spirit Awards:
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
Best Feature:
Beasts of the Southern Wild – Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey & Josh Penn
Bernie – Producers: Liz Glotzer, Richard Linklater, David McFadzean, Dete Meserve, Judd Payne, Celine Rattray, Martin Shafer, Ginger Sledge, Matt Williams
Keep the Lights On – Producers: Marie Therese Guirgis, Lucas Joaquin, Ira Sachs
Moonrise Kingdom – Producers: Wes Anderson, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales, Scott Rudin
Silver Linings Playbook – Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
Best Director
Wes Anderson – Moonrise Kingdom
Julia Loktev – The Loneliest Planet
David O. Russell...
- 11/27/2012
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Moonrise Kingdom and Silver Linings Playbook have both earned multiple Independent Spirit Award nominations. The critically-acclaimed movies are nominated against each other as well as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie and Keep the Lights On for 'Best Feature'. Silver Linings Playbook director David O Russell and Moonrise Kingdom's Wes Anderson are up for 'Best Director' with Julia Loktev (The Loneliest Planet), Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On) and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild) Russell and Anderson will also compete for 'Best Screenplay' as well. Other nominees include Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks), Martin McDonagh (Seven Psychopaths) and Ira Sachs (Keep the Lights On). Safety Not Guaranteed, Middle of Nowhere and End of (more)...
- 11/27/2012
- by By Justin Harp
- Digital Spy
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