T/F NYC

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

The True/False Film Festival is heading to New York City for two days of screenings, discussions and parties at the IFC Center in Manhattan. The fest will present screenings of Mike Akel's "Chalk" (Mon. Aug 21 at 7 p.m.) and Marc Isaacs' "Someday My Prince Will Come" with Mats Bigert's "The Last Supper" (Tue, Aug 22 at 7 p.m.). Get the latest information on the festival's website. 
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SF360: Seventeen reasons why "Seventeen" might be the greatest movie about teenagers ever made

Children, do you know what your parents are watching? School's (still) out for summer, and curator Kathy Geritz has done her part to provide some viewing material with "Screenagers: Documents from the Teenage Years," an ongoing Tuesday night series at Pacific Film Archive. Focusing on works that strive for realism, rather than mainstream pap, Geritz has already shown a pair of movies titled "Thirteen" (I prefer David Williams's quiet Southern story to Catherine Hardwicke's hyped-up SoCal one), and next week brings "Seventeen" -- Jeff Kreines's and Jole DeMott's legendary and obscure 1982 documentary set in Muncie, Indiana, which was suppressed from PBS by outraged corporate sponsor Xerox. Johnny Ray Huston reports in SF360. 
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AFP: Spike Lee's Katrina documentary debuts in New Orleans

As many as 12,000 people, many of them Hurricane Katrina survivors, jammed the New Orleans Arena for the premiere of filmmaker Spike Lee's four-hour documentary about the deadly storm. The free showing of "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" took place just a stone's throw from the Louisiana Superdome, which became a sweltering pit of human misery after Katrina, and which figures prominently in the film's first hour. The film begins with the days leading up to August 29, 2005, when Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,300, rendering tens of thousands more homeless and inundating 80 percent of New Orleans with fetid floodwater. Told almost exclusively through interviews with hurricane survivors and the officials charged with rescuing them, Lee has said his documentary, which will air August 21 on the cable channel Home Box Office (HBO), was an effort to give a voice to the people most affected by the storm. Russell McCulley reports. 
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MoMA to Fete the Huston Family in Film Series

The Museum of Modern Art will present a 40-film series, "The Huston Family: 75 Years on Film," a survey of the work of Walter, John, Anjelica, and Danny Huston, a family of writers, directors, and actors whose cinematic dynasty stretches from the birth of sound film to the present day August 18 - September 22 at The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters. Among the titles in the series are the iconic family collaborations "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1948), "Prizzi's Honor" (1985), and "The Dead" (1987), plus the rarely screened titles "Abraham Lincoln" (1930), which is receiving its premiere here in a print restored by MoMA, "A House Divided" (1931), "Freud" (1962), "The Cardinal" (1963), "Reflections in a Golden Eye" (1967), "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" (1972), and "Wise Blood" (1979). For more information, visit the MoMA website. [Brian Brooks] 
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IFC Buys "Barley"

IFC Entertainment has nabbed rights to Ken Loach's Cannes winner, "The Wind That Shakes The Barley." The company plans to release the movie via its new IFC First Take day-and-date distribution initiative that takes films simultaneously to theaters and on-demand cable television. The film will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions ]

Film Independent's Producers Lab deadline

Film Independent is now accepting submissions for its annual Producers Lab that will take place in Los Angeles during October and November 2006. The deadline for submissions is August 28, 2006 (postmarked). Sponsored by Technicolor, Film Independen's Producers Lab is an intensive seven-week program designed to help filmmakers develop skills as creative independent producers. A maximum of ten producers are accepted into the program each year. For more information and an application, visit Film Independent's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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Ganis Re-Elected President of the Academy

Sid Ganis was re-elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesTuesday night (8/15) by the organization's Board of Governors, his second consecutive term in the office. In other post developments at the Academy, Robert Rehme, an Executives Branch governor and past Academy president, was re-elected first vice president; Music Branch governor Arthur Hamilton was re-elected to a vice president post; Sound Branch governor Donald C. Rogers was elected to a vice president post; Actors Branch governor Tom Hanks was elected treasurer and Actors Branch governor Kathy Bates was re-elected secretary. Ganis is now in his 20th year as a governor representing the Public Relations Branch. He founded Out of the Blue... Entertainment, which is housed on the Sony lot, in 1996. The company's "Akeelah and the Bee" was released earlier this year. [Brian Brooks]  
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SF Chronicle: Multiple Maggies

Like the British actor who starred in so many films in so little time that Chris Rock teased him about it at the Academy Awards, the 28-year-old actress Maggie Gyllenhaal suddenly has five movies hitting theaters in just three months. "I didn't make them all at once," she says, laughing, propping her bare feet on a chair as she sips a glass of orange juice. "I made them over 2 1/2 years, but it's actually kind of interesting to see all my work over that time come out at once." But "Sherrybaby" is the picture most likely to remind moviegoers of "Secretary," the 2002 sadomasochism-themed drama that put Gyllenhaal on the map as an actress willing to take big risks onscreen. Hugh Hart speaks with Gyllenhaal. 
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NY Times: A New Film Documents One Town's Automotive Version of Graffiti

Deer Isle and the town of Stonington, at its southern tip, have long served as both muse and home for storied American artists. Visitors to the island in recent seasons may have noticed that a new artist is making his mark as well: Chuggy, a k a Chuck Proper. That mark usually involves a long strip of angry-looking scalded rubber, which can be seen on many of the island's twisting roads. And while the work of Chuggy and the native tribe of so-called burners may never hang in one of the dozens of galleries in and near Stonington, their handiwork is being memorialized in "Tire Tracks," a 40-minute documentary. David Carr reports. 
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Reuters: Iran cinema booms as people crave romantic comedy

International audiences have come to know Iranian cinema as a lyrical but slow-paced genre where horses slog through snowy Kurdish mountain passes and children spend two hours looking for a lost bank note. Such art house films may win plaudits at festivals like Cannes, but they are not the sort of movies that break box office records in Tehran. This summer's top film in the Islamic Republic was "Ceasefire," a saccharine comedy in which two sexy newly-weds get so competitive with each other that they have to consult a psychologist to avoid divorce. Reuters reports. 
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IFP Unveils Independent Film Week Plans

IFP's Independent Film Week, a four-day New York City promotion aimed at bringing independent films to local audiences, will kick off on September 18th with the NYC premiere of Dito Montiel's "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints". The public event, which coincides with the annual IFP Market and conference, will also include a new DIY "Do It Yourself" Indie screening series, featuring a screening of Todd Rohal's "The Guatemalan Handshake", Lance Weiler's "Head Trauma" and Susan Buice and Arin Crumley's "Four Eyed Monsters". Other programs include an evening NY Times panel discussion on September 13th, and a special four-day reduced ticket price at ten NYC movie theaters: $6 for all shows at Anthology Film Archives, BAM Rose Cinemas, Cinema Village, ImaginAsian, Landmark's Sunshine Cinema, Museum of Modern Art, Walter Reade Theater, Brooklyn Heights Cinema, Cobble Hill Cinemas, and Kew Gardens Cinemas from Sept. 18 - 21. More information will be available on the Independent Film Week website. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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MGM Pursues Screen to Stage Projects

Under the MGM On Stage label, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is pursing a plan to bring a slate of plays to theaters, projects for the stage adapted from movies. Among them are "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" (opening soon in L.A.), a stage adaptation of "Midnight Cowboy" that is playing at the Edinburgh Festival, a version of "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" opening in Australia this fall, a stage edition of "Legally Blonde" opening in San Francisco in February, and a version of Carl Reiner's 1970 film, "Where's Poppa". [Eugene Hernandez] 
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A sweet "Quinceanera" vs. the greed of MTV's "My Super Sweet 16"

Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland's "Quinceanera" is made up of little moments. One of them shows Magdalena (Emily Rios) and a younger sibling as they watch TV -- specifically, America's Next Top Model. "Congratulations, you're on your way to becoming America's next top model," Tyra Banks repeatedly half-whispers to the remaining contestants, as Magdalena watches from her couch. Her younger male companion's fascination with the screen may or may not mean that he'll follow in the footsteps of cousin Carlos (Jesse Garcia) and become a "gay." As for Magdalena, she seems detached from, maybe even unimpressed by, the beauty pageant. She has other things on her mind -- she'd like to be able to celebrate her 15th birthday, but she's pregnant. Johnny Ray Huston reports in SF360. 
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Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Appoints Coombes as Fest Director

Jaie Laplante, the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival's co-director and director of festival operations will be leaving his posts to take a position with the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, while program director Carol Coombes will assume the title of festival director. With Laplante's departure -- though he will remain on the festival's board of directors and remain an active member of the programming committee -- a new position of managing director was created by the MGLFF board to assume leadership of the administrative, marketing and development aspects of the festival and a candidate search is now on the way. A complete job posting for MGLFF's new managing director can be found on the festival's website. The 9th annual festival will be held April 27 - May 6, 2007 in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. [Brian Brooks] 
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AFI Awards call for entries

The American Film Institute will present the AFI Awards 2006 on December 10th. The honorees are selected by jury -- one for motion pictures and one for television. The 13 members of each jury will discuss, debate and determine the 10 most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year, which will be announced in alphabetical order. Deadline for all television and motion picture submissions is Friday, November 3, 2006. Details about the selection process, submission forms and lists of past AFI Awards honorees are available on AFI's website. [Brian Brooks] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Honors ]

Toronto Adds Arctic Doc, Childrens Program and Mozart Movies for Upcoming Fest

Theirry Piantanido and Thierry Ragobert's "The White Planet" has been added as a gala presentation at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. The film, made in collaboration with Jean Lemire, is a documentary that explores thte Arctic. In other fest news, organizers announed a new Sprockets Family Zone program, featuring moves for children, and also announced that they will present seven film commissioned for Vienna's upcoming New Crowned Hope Festival celebrating the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth. Participating filmmakers include Bahman Ghobadi with "Half Moon", Apichatpong Weerasethakul with "Syndromes and a Century", Tsai Ming-Liang with "I Don't Want to Sleep Alone", Paz Encina with "Hamaca Paraguaya", Garin Nugroho with "Opera Jawa", Mahamat-Saleh Haroun with "Daratt" and Teboho Mahlatsi with "Moegko and the Stickfighter." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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The Top Ten So Far...

Each week, indieWIRE receives the final weekend numbers for specialty releases in theaters. This is our top ten for the past weekend so far, with most numbers already in. The top ten is subject to change before the final chart is published tomorrow and the weekly box office column is written. Weekend box office data provided by Rentrak as of Monday, 6:00 p.m. EST. 1. "Half Nelson" (ThinkFilm) $53,983 wknd ($26,992 per scrn) 2. "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" (Yash Raj Films) $1,351,786 wknd ($21,122 per scrn) 3. "Little Miss Sunshine" (Fox Searchlight) $ $2,603,168 wknd ($ $17,014 per scrn) 4. "Viva Pedro! (Sony Pictures Classics) $13,399 wknd ($13,399 per scrn) 5. "Sukob (ABS-CBN) $62,219 wknd ($10,370 per scrn) 6. "House of Sand" (Sony Pictures Classics) $31,405 wknd ($6,281 per scrn) 7. "Changing Times" (Koch Lober Films) $39,252 wknd ($5,607 per scrn) 8. "Conversations with Other Women (Fabrication Films) $66,157 wknd ($5,513 per scrn) 9. "13 (Tzameti) (Palm Pictures) $10,227 wknd ($5,114 per scrn) 10. "Quinceanera" (Sony Pictures Classics) $134,457 wknd ($4,980 per scrn) 
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Del Toro and Almodovar in Key NYFF Slots

Guillermo Del Toro's "Pan's Labryinth" will close the 2006 New York Film Festival and Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" will screen as the festival's centerpiece, organizers announced late today. Both were among the most acclaimed titles at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, the Film Society of Lincoln Center announced that this year's fest retrospective will feature a special 25th anniversary screening of Warren Beatty's epic "Reds," including in a newly restored print. Del Toro's "Pan's Labryinth", from Picturehouse, is a gothic fairy tale set amidst the repression of postwar Spain, while Almodovar's "Volver", from Sony Pictures Classics, is the story of a group of modern Spanish women featuring Penelope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Duenas, Blanca Portillo, Yohana Cobo and Chus Lampreave. The NYFF will run from September 29 - October 15, 2006 at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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The Guardian Interview: Pedro Almodovar

"Sex was my way of coping with death." From paedophile priests to psychotic transsexuals, Spain's most outrageous director has tackled ever more raucous themes as he captured the dark underbelly of his country. Now, in the highly acclaimed "Volver," Pedro Almodovar confronts the one topic that had eluded him - death. But, asks Peter Conrad. 
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DCTV Secures Nearly $2.4 Million For Indie Cinema and Cultural Community Center

New York City's DCTV has locked up $2.375 million for its independent film cinema and cultural center. The organization, founded in 1972, is creating a public cinema and media community site at its 110-year old firehouse facility in Lower Manhattan. The organization indicated that it will create for residents from the local areas including Chinatown, Tribeca, the Lower East Side and the Financial District, as well as for New Yorkers at-large. The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation initially committed $800,000 to the project, and $1.4 million is coming from the City of New York, with more money from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council and the office of the Manhattan Borough President. In a statement today, DCTV said, "These developments will set in motion the creation of New York’s only full-service Independent Media Center. The goal is to support the growing needs of the independent film community and bring thousands of individuals Downtown for exciting new cultural events, screenings, community forums and workshops..." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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New York Korean Film Festival Readies for 10-day Event

With the theme, "Wounding and Healing," the New York Korean Film Festival will open its sixth event with an opening gala at the Samsung Experience in Columbus Circle, with special guest, mega-star Korean actor Han Suk-kyu. The festival will run from August 25 to September 3 at the ImaginAsian Theater in Manhattan and the BAM Rose Cinemas in Brooklyn. Romantic comedies like "Rules of Dating" and "Wedding Campaign" will screen along with socially conscious thrillers like "The Aggressives" and "Grain in Ear." The festival will also host a retrospective of director Lee Man-hee's work ("The Water Mill," "Devil's Stairway"). For a full line up and other information, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] 
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INDUSTRY MOVES: Moeller Leaving Sheffield Fest Post

Sirkka Moeller is leaving her post as programmer of the International Documentary Festival Sheffield to pursue other projects. Announcing her departure, she indicated that she will be replaced at the festival by David Teigeler. Moeller indicated that she will be moving back to Germany next month. 
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Toronto Fest Sets Industry Awards

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced the launch of the CFTPA Producer's Award, a juried prize honoring a producer with a film screening at the festival. The winner will receive a $10,000 CAD cash award. In a statement, Kelley Alexander, Director of Industry Initiatives, said, "The CFTPA created this Award to recognize the hard work and dedication that making films represents, and to encourage further success. The CFTPA Producer Award gives much deserved profile to producers in this country. Also on tap this year is the annual Telefilm Canada Pitch This! competition. Six finalists are vying for $10,000 CAD cash award to help develop a new project. This year's finalists are: Steven N. Bray and Jessie Wallace for "Widow's Row", Anthony Del Col for "Outsourced", Sheldon Inkol for "Once Upon a Revolution", Kerry Elizabeth McPherson for "The Year of the Moth", David Miller and Marcus Robinson for "The Innocents", and Mark Montefiore for "Litte Red Turnbuckle". [Eugene Hernandez] 
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Big Numbers for "Half Nelson" Debut

In one of the biggest box office openings (per screen) for an indie or specialty title this year, Ryan Fleck's "Half Nelson" earned an estimated $54,450 on just two screens (for an estimated average of $27,475), according to the film's distributor ThinkFilm. The film will expand to other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. on August 25th. [Eugene Hernandez] 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]