"Iraq In Fragments" Wins IDA Prize

Documentary coverage sponsored by SnagFilms.

James Longley's "Iraq In Fragments" won the best film prize at the 2006 International Documentary Association (IDA) Distinguished Documentary Achievement Awards Gala on Friday night in Los Angeles. The film, a big winner at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, is a doc looking at the lives of Iraqis. In other awards, "An Inconvenient Truth" director Davis Guggenheim received the Pare Lorentz Award, an activist prize, while the IDA Career Achievement Award went to Haskell Wexler. The Courage Under Fire Award went to Andrew Berends for "The Blood of My Brother," and Christopher Quinn received the Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for "God Grew Tired of Us." Stanley Nelson received the ABCNEWS VideoSource Award for "Jonestown: The Life and Death of the Peoples Temple" and the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Achievement Award went to Carrie Lozano for "Reporter Zero." [Eugene Hernandez] 
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AFP: Aboriginal language film sweeps Australian film awards

Australia's first Aboriginal language movie has dominated the country's top cinema awards, winning best film and best direction at a star-studded ceremony in Melbourne. "Ten Canoes," the first feature to depict life in an Aboriginal community in the days before European invasion, won six awards at the 48th annual Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards on Thursday night. The film, which won awards for best original screenplay, best cinematography, best editing and best sound, will be entered in the foreign language film category at next year's Oscars. AFP reports. 
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AFP: Second Iwo Jima film to offer Japan's view

Two months after the saga of US troops who raised the flag on Iwo Jima hit theaters, director Clint Eastwood this weekend releases another film on the bloody World War II battle--this time from the Japanese perspective. "Letters from Iwo Jima," which has already won a key award, stars Ken Watanabe as the commander who lost the strategic Pacific island in 1945. It opens in Japan on Saturday and in the US on December 20. The movie covers the same battle as the US-oriented "Flags of Our Fathers," but from the other side's perspective. In one scene, hidden Japanese troops watch US soldiers hoist the [US flag]--a picture that would symbolize the Pacific campaign for many Americans. AFP reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies, World Cinema ]

Tribeca Film Festival and ESPN to Launch Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival

ESPN Inc. and Tribeca Enterprises, the parent company of the Tribeca Film Festival, will launch The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival, a multi-platform showcase for independent sports films, the two groups have announced. In a multi-year arrangement, The Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival will be programmed and operated by the Tribeca Film Festival with on-air support from ESPN. Targeted at both the film industry and sports film fans, the festival will feature a complete program of film screenings, live events, online interactivity, and media extensions. The festival will debut at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival (April 25 - May 5, 2007) and feature premiere screenings of sports-related narrative and documentary feature and short films, industry events and will include user generated online content curated by the festival's programmers. At the core of the festival will be the premiere screenings of independent feature films that will be seeking commercial distribution. An advisory board, comprised of established figures in sports and film, is currently in formation. ESPN will dedicate television, radio, print and online resources to support and promote the festival. "Filmmakers have long been captivated by the compelling storytelling inspired by sports," said Jane Rosenthal, Tribeca Film Festival co-founder in a statement. "By combining forces with ESPN, the world's leading sports media brand, we will not only serve passionate sports fans but build new audiences for sports filmmakers and their films, on a national and international basis, at the festival as well as on a year-round basis." [Brian Brooks] 
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NY Times: Stalking Oscar, With Carnage and Mayhem Galore

The fight for the Oscar is often a bloody one, filled with subplots, capers, and strategic stabs to the back, metaphorically speaking. But this year an unusual amount of mayhem is showing up in the movies themselves. Academy members in the thick of screenings for the Oscars could be forgiven for wishing they had donned surgical scrubs for what has become a very bloody year. In part this year's Oscar race is simply reflecting a long, but steady trend toward more frank violence in movies that still manage to get an R rating... So the 6,000 or so members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences-- which often seems to lack a funny bone, as comedies rarely do well come Oscar time--have a real taste for the macabre, despite conventional wisdom that says concern about industry standards and the senior status of many voters puts violent films at a disadvantage. David Carr reports. 
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AFP: Jakarta festival showcases growing Indonesian film industry

The Jakarta International Film Festival opens Friday hoping to showcase the fledgling Indonesian movie industry which is starting to make an impact abroad. Now in its eighth year--it was founded after dictator Suharto stepped down in 1998 and censorship was relaxed--the increasingly popular festival is for the first time holding a competition for best Indonesian movie. Some 29 local feature films released since the end of 2005 are in the running with prizes of 5,000 dollars each for best film and best director. Competing movies include "Love For Share" by Nia Dinata, which was Indonesia's entry for the 2006 foreign language Oscar and recently won the Golden Orchid prize for best feature at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Nabiha Shahab reports. 
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SF360: "Radical Closure" at the PFA

Guts-and-glory war movies remain a perennial at the cineplex, but genuine cinematic responses to war are a different matter entirely. If the former have all the critical force of an army recruitment poster, the latter (as the broad range of approaches in the Radical Closure series make clear) open up serious possibilities for re-imagining the dehumanized landscape of violence even as physical options are closed down. This is the import of the film and video series curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari, originally presented as part of the 2006 Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, which continues through December 12 at UC Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive. Robert Avila reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events, Shorts ]

Retuers: Chinese love story dominates Asian film awards

A love story about a mismatched Chinese couple was the big winner at an Asian film festival for first-time filmmakers in Singapore on Wednesday, scooping up three awards including best film and best screenplay. "The Road," which traces the difficult love affair between an elderly bus driver and a young, attractive, female bus conductor in China, also picked up a special film award. "The movie focuses on why the emotional lives of mainland Chinese are in tatters, and the problems of putting material pursuits before emotional needs," said scriptwriter Yuan Da Ju. The Vietnamese film, "Journey from the Fall," and the Indian movie, "Dombivli Fast," both won best director. Reuters reports. 
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Reuters: Eastwood film wins first award in Oscar season

The Clint Eastwood film "Letters from Iwo Jima" was named best film of 2006 by the National Board of Review on Wednesday in the first major award of the Oscar season. Helen Mirren was named best actress for her portrayal of Britain's ruling Queen Elizabeth in "The Queen," while Forest Whitaker won the best actor award for his role in "The Last King Of Scotland." The awards were voted on by 120 film professionals who viewed more than 250 movies and can be an indicator of what to expect for the world's top film honors, the Academy Awards, held in February. Reuters reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Awards Watch, Movies ]

AFP: Daniel Pearl film to premiere at Pakistan festival

A movie based on the murder of US reporter Daniel Pearl will premiere at a film festival in the Pakistani city where he was abducted nearly five years ago. "Infinite Justice," by British-Pakistani filmmaker Jamil Dehlavi, is the star attraction at the sixth Kara Film Festival in the southern port city of Karachi, which runs from December 7. The movie stars Kevin Collins as the Jewish-American investigative reporter and Raza Jaffery as a terror mastermind who kidnapped him to secure the release of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. AFP reports. 
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INDUSTRY MOVES: Kasell Leaving Hamptons Fest Post

After nine years at the helm of the Hamptons International Film Festival, executive director Denise Kasell has decided to leave the organization effective early next year. Her tenure with the event led to considerable growth for the popular fall festival, held each October on the east end of New York's Long Island. Kasell joined the Hamptons fest in 1998 after running the Hudson Valley Film Festival (which launched in the mid-90s). She was joined at the Hamptons fest nearly five years ago by Rajendra Roy, who was recently named Artistic Director of the event. While the Hamptons International Film Festival board of directors has yet to determine its succession plan, organizers have announced that the 15th annual installment of the festival will take place from October 17 - 21, 2007. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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SF Int'l Fest to Honor Lucas at 50th Anniversary Celebration

Filmmaker George Lucas will be honored by the San Francisco International Film Festival at its 50th anniversary event next year (April 26 - May 10, 2007). Lucas will be honored with the one-time-only Irving "Bud" Levin Award, named for the founder of the festival. The award will be presented at the Film Society Awards Night on Thursday, May 3 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. The black-tie fundraiser will benefit the San Francisco Film Society's Education Program. In a statement, Film Society executive director Graham Leggat said:

"Independent and visionary, George Lucas has created characters, films and technologies that have gripped audiences and changed the face of filmmaking, distribution, and licensing. No one is more deserving of the Levin Award for his entrepreneurial acumen, love for the art of film and passion for community than George Lucas and we are honored that he has accepted this award."

 
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INDUSTRY MOVES: Marblestone Joins Picturehouse as Marketing/Distribution Head

Arthur Marblestone has joined Picturehouse as the company's Sr. EVP of Marketing and Distribution. A 25 year veteran of the business, Marblestone was a partner at Media First International, working with Picturehouse president Bob Berney on campaigns for "Memento" and "The Passion of the Christ" (at Newmarket), "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" (at IFC Films), and "A Prairie Home Companion" (at Picturehouse). He will report directly to Berney in the company's New York office. In a statement, Berney said about Marblestone:

"I've known and worked with Arthur for many years. He is a talented professional who instinctually knows what's best for a film. I am thrilled that he has joined my team in house and look forward to many future successes."

The announcement comes following the departure of Dennis O'Connor, Picturehouse's LA-based EVP of Marketing, as the company consolidates its marketing leadership in New York, according to an insider. O'Connor has served in the Marketing post since Picturehouse was launched by New Line and HBO in April of 2005. [Eugene Hernandez] 
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H'Wood Reporter: Jimmy Carter talking "Peace" in new documentar

President Jimmy Carter is the subject of a documentary that will follow him across the United States as he promotes his latest tome. "He Comes in Peace" from "The Silence of the Lambs" director Jonathan Demme, is being produced by Participant Prods., the socially conscious firm behind the hit Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." Demme and his crew will join Carter on his book tour for Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, which hit shelves November 14. At the same time, Carter, who has written more than 20 books, will speak about how to achieve peace in the Mideast and his lifelong philosophy of human compassion. Borys Kit and Nicole Sperling report. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Production ]

The Guardian: Almodovar and Cruz to join forces again

Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz are set to join forces again, following their acclaimed collaboration on "Volver." The Spanish director is to work on a vengeance drama entitled "La Piel Que Habito" (The Skin I Live In) and is considering Cruz for a starring role. The plot centres on a plastic surgeon who exacts revenge on the men who have raped her daughter. It is based on a 1995 novel entitled Mygale (Tarantula) by French crime writer Thierry Jonquet, although it will retain just one scene from the book. According to Variety, Almodovar was talking enthusiastically about the project at the European Film Awards in Warsaw at the weekend. However, the screenplay has yet to be finalised and so it is unclear when filming will begin. The Guardian reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

National Geographic Television Opens offices in New York and LA to Meet Growth

National Geographic Television (NGT) has opened offices in New York City and Los Angeles due to a "significant and sustained increase in production," the television and documentary production arm of the National Geographic Society, NGT president Michael Rosenfeld announced Tuesday. Nina Weinstein, formerly of the Dicovery Production Group, has been named vice president, West Coast production, for NGT and will head the Los Angeles office, while Kim Woodard, has worked on award-winning programs for National Geographic Channel, PBS and The History Channel, heads the New York office. "This expansion is a reflection of NGT's dramatic growth - we've doubled our production in less than two years - and will give us access to the great talent in New York and Los Angeles," said Rosenfeld in a statement. "We are looking for producers, writers and editors to help us continue that growth, and with Nina Weinstein and Kim Woodard on board, we will be reaching out to the creative communities in both these cities." [Brian Brooks]  
[permalink]   [ filed under Biz ]

NY Times: Untold Stories, Abandoned Films

Thom Powers's documentary "Mr. Apology" is an artful rumination on guilt and forgiveness. Its subject is the New York City artist Allan Bridge, who ran a confessional phone message line from 1980 until his death in 1995. Callers would use this now-dated technology to leave or listen to anonymously recorded apologies for everything from marital infidelity to murder. "For 15 years you could tune in at any given time and hear the most profound storytelling on that line," Mr. Powers now says. "For a documentary filmmaker that’s an inspiration." Some would call the film a must-see, and yet it is a can't-see. It exists only as some raw footage and proposals in a box on Mr. Powers's shelf. Paul Vandecarr reports. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Movies ]

INDUSTRY MOVES: Poyser Joins Austin Film Society

Filmmaker Bryan Poyser ("Dear Pillow") is joining the staff of the Austin Film Society (AFS) as the new director of artist services. He will run AFS programs and services supporting Austin's filmmaking community, according to an announcement, including workshops and film events, grants and fiscal sponsorship, advice and referrals. He will also administer the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund. 
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Digital Sales Agent

Business Week writes about inDplay. For an 8% commission the new startup will connect films with film buyers through a process somewhere between eBay and iMDB.

On inDplay's Web site, slated for official launch at the end of the year, anyone who owns rights to a video can register as a seller and upload relevant information, from trailer clips to available rights. Buyers representing theaters, DVD, TV, cable, Internet sites, and wireless channels search the online listings, which range from Lars von Trier's arty Nicole Kidman flick Dogville to Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys.

 
[permalink]   [ filed under Acquisitions, Biz ]

Film Society of Lincoln Center to Celebrate Arkin

Alan Arkin will be in the spotlight at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater later this month for an evening celebration of his work. On December 19th at 7 p.m., the Film Society will feature and on-stage conversation between the actor and associate director of programming Kent Jones. The chat will feature clips from Arkin's work, including a screening of his recent work, "Little Miss Sunshine." In a statement, Jones said:

Alan Arkin is, quite simply, one of our very best actors. He has a special genius for zeroing on the idiosyncrasies and oddities of his characters, for bringing them to life with all their anxieties and quirks. His timing is always razor-sharp, his moves are mesmerizing, and I could listen to his voice forever. He's a national treasure.

For more information, please visit the Film Society website. 
[permalink]   [ filed under Events ]

Changes at Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival

The founding director of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Eric Jambor, has resigned after spending eight years at the Alabama event. Jambor told The Birmingham News that he was against changes being impelmented by the event's board of directors. In an email published on IMAGE head Gabe Wardell's blog, Jambor says that he plans "to move on to pursue other projects and jump back into the world of creative content creation." 
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