iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Girl," "Mistress" Lead iW BOT

Patricia Rozema's "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" looks to again lead the specialty-focused iW BOT in its second weekend, according to those films that submitted numbers to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. The Picturehouse release grossed $106,000 on 5 screens in its second weekend for a $21,200 average. Just behind was the opening weekend of Catherine Breillat's "The Last Mistress," which averaged an impressive $17,596 on 2 screens for IFC Films. The other reporting opener was IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films' doc "Trumbo," which garnered a decent $28,500 on 3 screens for a $9,500 average. And both Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World" and Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" held up well in expansion. "Encounters" averaged $6,011 on 9 screens for ThinkFilm while "Mongol" averaged $4,043 on 209 screens for Picturehouse, taking its total to $2,320,247. indieWIRE will publish its weekly box office column Monday night and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesday. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt] 
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VAR | Tartan Shuts Down

UK-based distributor Tartan Films has closed for business, Variety reports. Sources told Variety that "Tartan employees found the London office doors closed Thursday June 26 and were then informed later in the day by Tartan topper Hamish McAlpine the company was closed for business."  
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INSIDE WORD | Kino Getting "Momma's Man" From ThinkFilm

Azazel Jacobs's "Momma's Man," a hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival, is instead being released by Kino International after the filmmakers' deal with ThinkFilm evaporated in the wake of financial problems at Think. According to insiders, without a signed contract, the filmmakers returned to Kino, a company that pursued the movie back in Park City. Kino is intending to stick with the film's original August 22nd release date at the Angelika Film Center and other NYC theaters. A formal announcement is expected tomorrow (Friday). Meanwhile, a ThinkFilm email message to journalists today referred inquiries about the film to Kino. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | First Independent Takes "Beautiful"

First Independent Pictures has announced the acquisition of selected US theatrical rights to Darryl Roberts' "America the Beautiful." The film, which recently completed a run in Chicago, is a documentary that looks at America's unhealthy obsession with physical perfection. "Beautiful" made its debut in 2007 at the AFI Dallas Film Festival before going on the win Best Documentary at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film will open in New York on August 6th and expand throughout the month. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

iW NEWS | Desplechin, Egoyan, and 25 Others Set For Toronto

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced 27 international selections that will screen at the 33rd edition of the festival this September. Among them are the North American premieres of Kim Jee-woon's "The Good, The Bad, The Weird," which will screen as a Gala Presentation, Atom Egoyan's "Adoration," Arnaud Desplechin's "Un conte de Noel," Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," Jia Zhang-ke's "24 City," Terence Davies' "Of Time and the City," Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne's "Le Silence de Lorna," Nuri Bilge Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," Ari Folman's "Waltz with Bashir," Steve McQueen's "Hunger" and Bent Hamer's "O'Horten." The festival runs September 4-13, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Toronto ]

HR | IFC Handling Weinstein's "Elite Squad"

Jose Padilha's "Elite Squad" will be released in theaters and on VOD through IFC Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Weinstein Company title, winner of the Golden Bear at this year's Berlinale, was produced by the TWC and Costantini Films' Latin Film Fund.  
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iW NEWS | London Fest To Open With "Frost/Nixon"

The Times BFI London Film Festival announced that their 2008 edition will open on October 15 with the world premiere of Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon." The film, adapted by Peter Morgan from his own award winning stage play, stars Michael Sheen and Frank Langella as journalist David Frost and former President Richard Nixon. The film also stars Kevin Bacon, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen. "I've been so fortunate with 'Frost/Nixon,' working with two world-class directors in theatre and film and watching two lead actors at the top of their games," said screenwriter Morgan in a statement. "Now, having the film premiere at my hometown just completes a thrilling, fairy-tale ride for me." The full programme for the festival will be announced on September 10th. The festival runs from October 15-30, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | Focus Establishes Program For African Filmmakers

Focus Features has announced an initiative exclusively for emerging filmmakers of African nationality and residence. The Africa First Program is offering participating filmmakers the chance to be awarded $10,000 in financing for production and/or post-production on their narrative short film made in continental Africa and utilizing the resources of the film industry there. Complete details on Africa First - including application information - here. "It's about time the American film industry took a more active interest in the enormous filmmaking talents emerging in Africa," said Focus CEO James Schamus. "Everyone at Focus is excited to be a part of this initiative." [Peter Knegt]  
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iW NEWS | MSNBC Launches New Film Division with "Dear Zachary"

Cable news network MSNBC has opened a new doc division dubbed MSNBC Films. The initiative will give MSNBC a platform to present and produce films on television, while also "supporting films during their festival run and theatrical release," according to a company statement. Kurt Kuenne's "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" will be the first film tied to the new venture. Josh Braun of Submarine Entertainment represents the film and negotiated and structured the partnership with MSNBC. The Slamdance film began as a memorial to Kuenne's life-long friend Dr. Andrew Bagby, but it took on a whole new meaning when it was revealed that Bagby's ex-girlfriend and suspected murderer was pregnant with his child. Kuenne travels to dozens of cities in three countries where he meets with virtually every person who ever touched and was touched by Bagby, while Bagby's parents fight for custody of the baby. "MSNBC Films is another way for NBC News to partner with great independent filmmakers, who bring different takes on the world, commented Michael Rubin, Vice President, Long-form Programming at MSNBC. "We're doing cartwheels over 'Dear Zachary.'" The film will premiere on MSNBC following a theatrical release that is currently in negotiations and expected to be announced in the coming weeks. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz, Documentary ]

iW NEWS | Liberation Takes "Eden"

Liberation Entertainment announced today the acquisition of North American rights to the award-winning Irish drama, "Eden." Directed by Declan Recks, the film is adaptation of Eugene O'Brien's Play that follows a troubled marriage in a small provincial town. The film had its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival last month where Eileen Walsh won the Best Actress Award. "This is a film that grabs hold of you and won't let go," commented Liberation CEO Jay Boberg. "We were completely taken by the power of the performances and Declan Recks' unique take on the material." The deal was negotiated by Josh Braun of Submarine on behalf of the filmmakers and Jay Boberg, CEO and Rob Williams, VP Acquisitions for Liberation Entertainment. Liberation plans a theatrical release in the fall of 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW BOT UPDATE | "An American Girl" On Top

Patricia Rozema's "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl." from Picturehouse is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart, which was published this afternoon. The film earned $220,297 on 5 screens over the weekend, for a $44,059 average. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW NEWS | CineVegas Goes For "She Unfolds"

The 10th Annual CineVegas Film Festival concluded this weekend, and winners were announced in a variety of categories. They included Rolf Belgum's "She Unfolds By Day," which received the Grand Jury Prize; Rachel Samuels' "Dark Streets," which was acknowledged with a Special Jury Award; and Bill Pullman, who received a Special Jury Award for his role in Matthew Wilder's "Your Name Here." Additionally, the Jury Prize for the Festival's special section, Pioneer Documentaries, was awarded to Aaron Rose and Joshua Leonard's "Beautiful Losers," with Paul Eagleston and Stephen Rose's "Hi My Name is Ryan" garnering a Special Documentary Jury Prize. Jonas Cuaron's "Ano una" (Year of the Nail) received the La Proxima Ola Grand Jury Prize. John Corey's "Lost in the Fog" and Jared Drake's "Visioneers" picked up the Audience Awards for Documentary and Narrative Features. "We have seen a considerable amount of filmmaker talent at the Festival over the past decade, and this year is no exception," said Artistic Director Trevor Groth in a statement. "In addition, CineVegas had record number of attendees this year. From our groundbreaking films, to our extravagant parties, this has by far been our most well-attended Festival to date." indieWIRE published two dispatches from CineVegas, which you can check out here and here. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | "Garden" Leads SILVERDOCS Winners

SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announced its award winners Sunday, culminating the weeklong Festival activities that included screening 108 films representing 63 countries. Winning filmmakers received over $70,000 in combined cash and in-kind prizes. The Audience Award winners will be announced Monday. SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a US Feature went to Scott Hamilton Kennedy's "The Garden." The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. This year's inaugural SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a World Feature went to Geoffrey Smith's "The English Surgeon," while the award for a Short Film was given to Jan Zabeil's "What Would The Drop Know About That?" The Music Documentary Award went to Sascha Paladino's "Throw Down Your Heart," and the Cinematic Vision Award went to Margaret Brown for "The Order of Myths." "Our greatest goal in joining with AFI to produce SILVERDOCS was to celebrate and honor the creativity of independent filmmakers and the documentary art form," said Carrie Passmore, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility, in a statement. " With these awards, we are honoring those filmmakers from around the world whose vision and storytelling truly excel." Check out indieWIRE's first dispatch from SILVERDOCS here. A second will be posted this evening. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Documentary, Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Nantucket Awards Burnstein, Schechter, Marsh

The 13th Annual Nantucket Film Festival closed things off this Sunday, after screening over 50 features and shorts and holding a variety of events, including tributes and awards to Judd Apatow and Meg Ryan. "We're thrilled about the wonderful turnout for this year's festival from loyal supporters and new visitors alike" said Jill Burkhart, Co-Founder and Executive Director in a statement. On Sunday afternoon, a ceremony was held to award the winner of Showtime's Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, which recognizes an emerging screenwriter. A jury comprised of Doug Liman, Chris Eigeman, and Liz Tucillo chose FM Strype for his script "Anna Down East" out of hundreds of submissions. Also presented was the Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award, to Nanette Burstein ("American Teen"), Showtime's Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting, given to Daniel Schechter for the movie "Goodbye Baby," the Audience Award for Best Feature was awarded to "Of All the Things," written and directed by Jody Lambert, and an award for Best Storytelling in a Documentary Film, to James Marsh ("Man on Wire") . [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Academy Invites 105 For Membership

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 105 artists and executives who have "distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2008 to the Academy's roster of voting members. "These individuals are all incredibly talented and a credit to the world of filmmaking," said Academy President Sid Ganis in a statement. "They exemplify the high standards of the Academy and I welcome each and every one of them to our ranks." Invitees include actors Sacha Baron Cohen, Josh Brolin, Marion Cotillard and Ruby Dee, directors Sergei Bodrov, James Gray, Michael Haneke, Kimberly Peirce and Jason Reitman, documentarians Nanette Burstein, Heidi Ewing, Liz Garbus, Michele Ohayon and Deborah Shaffer, and writers Judd Apatow, Diablo Cody, Jean-Claude Carriere, Nancy Oliver and Tamara Jenkins. New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception at the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills in September. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

iW NEWS | Zeitgeist Gets "Stranded"

As it prepares to celebrates its 20th anniversary with a retrospective at MoMA this week, Zeitgeist Films has announced a deal for U.S. theatrical and home video rights to Gonzalo Arijon's "Stranded: I've Come From a Plane the Crashed in the Mountains." Uruguayan director Arijon's film is the story the story of the survivors of a plane crash in the South American Andes 35 years ago, profiling the survivors, who subsisted the ten weeks in the freezing weather by consuming the remains of those who died after the plane went down. Winner of the jury prize at last year's International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (where indieWIRE first reported on the film), the doc had its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year. "This is truly one of the most remarkable stories turned into one of the most haunting films we've ever encountered," Zeitgeist co-president Emily Russo (who negotiated the deal with Emmanuelle Erbsmann at ARTE France) and co-president Nancy Gerstman said today in a statement, "We expect it to have a great theatrical life and beyond, as this films provides a truly an indelible experience." After releasing its recent acquisition, Sundance Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner "Trouble The Water," Zeitgeist will open the movie at New York City's Film Forum on October 22, 2008, followed by a national roll-out. [Eugene Hernandez]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Documentary ]

iW NEWS | "Frozen River" and "Flow" Take Top Provincetown Audience Prizes

The Provincetown International Film Festival capped its 10th edition with director Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River" taking the audience award for best feature, while Irena Salina's "Flow: For the Love of Water" received the audience prize for best doc. Best short went to "Who I Am" by Whitney Peters and Lance Hammer won the John Schlesinger Award for "Ballast" (given to a first time filmmaker). Celebs being feted at the fest included Quentin Tarantino who received the fest's "Filmmaker on the Edge Award," while Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal was honored with the "Excellence in Acting Award" and Jane Lynch received the Faith Hubley Memoiral Award. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | Weekend Estimates: "Encounters" Impresses

Werner Herzog's "Encounters at the End of the World" found itself atop the specialty-focused iW BOT in its second weekend, according to those films that submitted numbers to indieWIRE Box Office Tracking (iW BOT) estimates from Rentrak this afternoon. Remaining exclusively at New York's Film Forum, the ThinkFilm release impressively lost under one percent of its gross from last weekend, taking in $17,575 and bring its total to $59,386. Last week's leader, Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol," expanded from 5 to 94 screens this weekend, and held on to a very good $7,919 average. The Picturehouse release grossed $744,368 and now has taken in $1,115,165 as it continues to expand over the next few weekends. The only reporting opener was Sarah Gavron's "Brick Lane." The film grossed a decent $50,470 on 7 screens for Sony Pictures Classics, averaging $7,210. indieWIRE will publish its weekly box office column Monday night and final weekend numbers for specialty and limited release films on Tuesday. Get the latest in the indieWIRE Box Office section. [Peter Knegt]  
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LAT | Documentaries lose box office muscle

"Despite critical acclaim, such films as 'Bigger, Faster, Stronger*' and 'Young@Heart' can't draw moviegoers," reports the LA Times, "Critically acclaimed films about provocative subjects struggle to make money all the time, but rarely have so many lauded documentaries consistently failed to connect at the box office. The recent nonfiction returns have been so bleak that several distributors are growing wary about taking on such highbrow works..." 
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VAR | IFC loses Lance Hammer's 'Ballast'

"Lance Hammer has backed out of a domestic deal with IFC Films for his Sundance drama 'Ballast' and has instead made a deal with Strand's Marcus Hu and Required Viewing's Steven Raphael to release it," Variety reports. "Both parties called the parting amicable." 
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LAW | Indie Remix: Los Angeles Film Festival 2008

"The time may indeed be nigh for a certain pressing of the indie-film reset button, and there are ample indications at LAFF of which filmmakers might be the ones to do it," writes Scott Foundas in a Los Angeles Film Festival preview for the LA Weekly, "A festival like LAFF can lead the way, but it's up to the audience -- and the industry -- to follow."  
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REU | Film company Roadside opens new "window" for films

Neil Young's "CSNY: Deja Vu" is set for a unique release that will put the film in theaters, on VOD and online late next month, Reuters reports. "Roadside Attractions, 40 percent-owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, is in 'final negotiations' to release the film July 25 in theaters, on TV video-on-demand services and via Netflix Inc's 'Watch Instantly' Web streaming, said Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside."  
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MULTI | IFC & Sundance Channel Chart Leadership

Scooping news that insiders are expected to officially reveal on Thursday, cable TV trade Multichannel News reported today that former Sundance Channel head Larry Aidem will become the president of Cablevision‘s Rainbow Ventures, a strategy post at the company, while Laura Michalchyshyn will become General Manager of Sundance Channel and Jennifer Caserta will serve as the new GM at IFC. Both will report to former IFC GM Evan Shapiro, who will oversee the likeminded IFC and Sundance Channel as separate networks. The move comes in the wake of Cablevision’s Rainbow Media Holdings closing a nearly $500 million deal for Sundance Channel, buying the network from NBC Universal, Showtime Networks and Robert Redford.  
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iW NEWS | IFC Takes "Medicine"

IFC Films has acquired the worldwide rights to writer-director Barry Jenkins' "Medicine for Melancholy." The film is in competition at this week's Los Angeles Film Festival, and will be released in theaters by IFC in 2009. "Medicine for Melancholy is one of the great American discoveries of the year," said Jonathan Sehring, President of IFC Entertainment in a statement. "Barry Jenkins has delivered an intelligent, heartfelt and often funny universal love story and introduced two brilliant performers to the feature film world - Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins. The film will not only inspire and ignite great discussions among the African-American community, but is sure to engage audiences across the globe." The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, IFC Entertainment's Vice President of Acquisitions and Jeff Deutchman, Manager of Acquisitions for IFC Entertainment with George Rush, who represents the film. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

iW NEWS | Filmmaker Pan Launches Slew Pictures

Filmmaker Bertha Bay-Sa Pan has launched Slew Pictures Inc., a New York-based production company with a focus on developing and producing "universal stories that will both entertain and inspire." "We are dedicated to telling stories with heart and intelligence that cross international borders, and making the collaborative process as fun as the results," said Pan in a statement. The company announced it will co-produce "Almost Perfect" with Cineric, which Pan will write and direct. The film will star Will Yun Lee. Slew Pictures is also in pre-production on Annette Apitz's family drama "Fighting Fish." [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

iW NEWS | "Choke" Leads Maui Winners

Clark Gregg's "Choke" won the award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2008 Maui Film Festival, which wrapped this past weekend. The festival, held in Wailea, saw more than 20,000 people attend the festival, which honored Pierce Brosnan, Dennis Quaid, Virginia Madsen and Felicity Huffman with previous announced awards. Other winners include Jacob Medjuck's "Summerhood" for Best Comedy Feature, Amin Matalqa's "Captain Abu Raed" for Best Narrative Feature, World Cinema, Christian Karim Chrobog's "War Child" for Best Documentary Feature, World Cinema, and a tie between "The Great Buck Howard" and "Bottle Shock" for Best Ensemble Cast. Check out indieWIRE's dispatch from Maui here. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | "Sixty-Six" Added To LAFF

The Los Angeles Film Festival, running June 19-29, 2008, has added Paul Welland's "Sixty-Six" to its line-up. "Six," which stars Eddie Marsan, Helena Bonham Carter and Stephen Rea, is based on the real life experiences of director Welland. The film is summer of 1966 as England is about to be consumed by World Cup Fever. [Peter Knegt] 
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iW BOT UPDATE | "Mongol" Tops iW BOT Again

Sergei Bodrov's "Mongol" from Picturehouse is atop the weekly iW BOT box office chart for the second week in a row, which was published this afternoon. The film earned $112,212 on 5 screens over the weekend, for a $22,442 average. More in this week's box office column, which was published last night. 
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iW NEWS | "New Year" Wins deadCENTER's Top Prize

The 2008 deadCENTER Film Festival in Oklahoma City has announced the winners of their awards, with Tom Quinn's "The New Year Parade" winning Best Narrative Feature. All winners received trophies designed by Oklahoma Artist Joe Bohrer. The winner in Best Narrative Feature also won an additional $2500. Other winners included Adam Zucker's "Greensboro: Closer To The Truth" for Best Documentary Feature and Kevin Ely and Beau Leland's "Rainbow Around The Sun" for Best Oklahoma Film. Attendance numbers are still being calculated, but early estimates put the attendance at well over the projected 6000. "We had several sold-out screenings. 850 people saw 'Rainbow Around the Sun,'" said deadCENTER Film Festival chief operating officer Kim Haywood. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Locarno To Honor Anjelica Huston

The 61st Locarno International Film Festival has announced it will give its Excellence Award 2008 to actress Anjelica Huston. The presentation of the award on August 9, 2008, will be followed by the European Premiere of "Choke", which Huston co-stars in. Every year Locarno's Excellence Award distinguishes an internationally renowned actor or actress. Previous recipients of this award include Oleg Menchikov, Susan Sarandon, John Malkovich, Willem Dafoe and, most recently in 2007, Michel Piccoli and Carmen Maura.The Locarno International Film Festival will take place on August 6 - 16, 2008. [Peter Knegt]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors ]

iW NEWS | Gaines Leaving AFI for Festival Directorship at Withoutabox

Christian Gaines is leaving his post as director of festivals at the American Film Institute (AFI) and will join The Internet Movie Database's (IMDb) Withoutabox team as film festival director. In the position, Gaines will oversee Withoutabox's film festival business, including relations and business development on the festival circuit worldwide. As director of festivals at AFI, Gaines spearheaded the annual AFI Fest in Los Angeles. He was also involved with the establishment of Silverdocs, taking place June 16 - 23 in Silver Springs, MD, in addition to the establishment of the AFI Dallas International Film Festival in March. Founded eight years ago, Withoutabox launched the submission system with one of the largest communities of indie films and festivals on the Internet. IMDb acquired the company last January. "One of the reasons I feel confident in leaving AFI is that it is in capable hands," Gaines told indieWIRE by phone Tuesday afternoon. "I'm impressed and proud how capable the team is and its ability to carry on..." [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

HR | Gay pride abounds, but indie gay films tank

"So why are so many indie gay films doing worse than ever at the boxoffice and among critics?" asks The Hollywood Reporter's Gregg Goldstein, in a new commentary pegged to the busy Queer fest season. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

VAR | Shaye, Lynne sign deal with WB

"Former New Line toppers Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne have signed a first-look deal with Warner Bros.," reports Variety. 
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iW NEWS | Evans Named Executive VP at Focus

Jane Evans has been elevated to the new position of executive vice president, physical production. Evans will report directly to Andrew Karpen, president of Focus and co-president of Rogue Pictures, who made the announcement today. In her position, Evans will "oversee physical production and post-production on all in-house film productions and outside acquisitions for the sibling Focus and Rogue labels." She will continue to be based at Focus' Manhattan offices, having joined the company as senior vice president of physical production in December 2004. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Industry Moves ]

Variety | Fest can't compete with one-armed bandits

As CineVegas' big opening weekend comes to a close - much of the industry folk left this morning - The Circuit walks the floor of the Palms Casino Resort, looking for buzz. 
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iW NEWS | Philly Gay Fest To Honor Lynch, Mapa

The 14th Annual Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival has announced that Jane Lynch will be recipient of the 2008 Artistic Achievement Award for Acting and Alec Mapa will receive the 2008 Entertainer of the Year Award. Lynch will be presented with the award June 12th, and Mapa June 18th. The Festival runs from July 10-23, 2008. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Honors, Queer Cinema ]

Stan Winston Dies

Visual effects guru Stan Winston died yesterday in Los Angeles, according to multiple news reports this afternoon. "The Oscar-winning visual effects artist died at his home Sunday evening surrounded by family after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a representative from Stan Winston Studio," Variety reported. And the LA Times reported, "Winston won four visual effects Oscars and earned multiple nominations. His first Oscar was for James Cameron's 'Aliens' (1986). Winston later won two Oscars for 'Terminator 2: Judgment Day' (1992) (visual effects and makeup) and 1993's 'Jurassic Park'." For more on Winston and his work, visit the Stan Winston Studio website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under People ]

iW NEWS | Nantucket Adds "Elegy"

The 13th Nantucket Film Festival has added Isabel Coixet's "Elegy" to its lineup. Based on the "The Dying Animal" by Philip Roth," the film stars Penelope Cruz, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson and Peter Sarsgaard. It will receive its East Coast Premiere in Nantucket on June 21, 2008, where it will be screening as a Sneak Preview. [Peter Knegt] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]

iW NEWS | "Lost Coast" Wins NewFest Narrative Prize; "Queen Racquela" Takes Two

Gabriel Fleming's "The Lost Coast," the story of a group of old friends who reunite on Halloween in San Francisco, won the narrative jury prize as the 20th NewFest, New York's LGBT Film Festival, came to a close on Sunday night in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Olaf De Fleur's "The Amazing Truth About Queen Raquela" -- a narrative/doc hybrid about a transsexual Filipina prostitute -- won a pair of awards at NewFest, named the jury's best international feature and also winner of the Showtime Vanguard prize for abreakthrough or visionary achievement. The festival's documentary feature award went to Tanaz Eshaghian's "Be Like Others," about homosexuality in Iran. Audience awards went to Ron Davis and Stewart Halpern's " "Pageant." Short film prizes went to Charlotte Hoogakker's "Odd One Out, Very Normal Really: From Lucas to Luus" (documentary jury prize), Claudia Morgado Escanilla's "No Bikini" (narrative jury prize), and Till Kleinert's "Cowboy" (audience prize). Winners of the festival's first NewDraft script competition and reading series were Rodney Evans' "Day Dream" and Soman Chainani's "Love Marriage." [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals, Queer Cinema ]

iW NEWS | Barbieri's "Em" Wins at Seattle Fest; "Derek" Takes Doc Prize

The nearly one month long Seattle International Film Festival wraps up today in the Pacific Northwest. Tony Barbieri's "Em" won the Grand Jury Prize in the festival's New American Cinema competition, the film praised by the jury both for its focus on love and mental illness and for the lead performances by Stef Willen and Nathan Wetherington. In the festival's New Directors Showcase, Canadian Yves-Christian Fournier was honored with the grand jury prize for "Everything is Fine," while Isaac Julien's "Derek" won the grand jury award in the festival's documentary competition. German filmmaker Doris Dorrie's "Hanami" won the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for best film, while other Golden Space Needles went to Danny Tedesco's "The Wrecking Crew" (best documetary), Amin Matalqa for "Captain Abu Raed" (best director), Alan Rickman for "Bottle Shock" (best actor), Jessica Chastain for "Jolene" (best actress), and Andreas Utta's "Felix" (best short film). Short film jury awards went to Atul Taishete's "Rewind" (narrative grand jury prize), Rebecca Dreyfus's "Self Portrait With Cows Going Home and Other Works: A Portrait of Sylvia Plachy" (documentary grand jury prize), and Luis Cook's "The Pearce Sisters" (animation grand jury prize). Earlier this month, indieWIRE published a dispatch from the Seattle festival. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Festivals ]