February––particularly its third week––is all about romance. Accordingly the Criterion Channel got creative with their monthly programming and, in a few weeks, will debut Interdimensional Romance, a series of films wherein “passion conquers time and space, age and memory, and even death and the afterlife.” For every title you might’ve guessed there’s a wilder companion: Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven, Soderbergh’s remake, and Resnais’ Love Unto Death. Mostly I’m excited to revisit Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, a likely essential viewing before Megalopolis.
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
February also marks Black History Month, and Criterion’s series will include work by Shirley Clarke (also subject of a standalone series), Garrett Bradley, Cheryl Dunye, and Julie Dash, while movies by Sirk, Minnelli, King Vidor, and Lang play in “Gothic Noir.” Greta Gerwig gets an “Adventures in Moviegoing” and can be seen in Mary Bronstein’s Yeast,...
- 1/11/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Stephen Fry-led doc ‘Willem & Frieda’ to world premiere at BFI Flare; full festival line-up unveiled
The Lgbtqia+ festival takes place March 15-26.
The BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 37th edition which takes place March 15 – 26.
The programme features 58 features, six of which are world premieres, spread across three thematic strands – Hearts, Bodies and Minds.
Scroll down for full line-up
World premiering at the festival is John Hay’s documentary Willem & Frieda which is presented by Stephen Fry and explores how a gay man and a lesbian woman led the anti-Nazi resistance in Holland.
The other world premieres are Timothy Harris’ documentary Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn about the...
The BFI Flare: London Lgbtqia+ Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 37th edition which takes place March 15 – 26.
The programme features 58 features, six of which are world premieres, spread across three thematic strands – Hearts, Bodies and Minds.
Scroll down for full line-up
World premiering at the festival is John Hay’s documentary Willem & Frieda which is presented by Stephen Fry and explores how a gay man and a lesbian woman led the anti-Nazi resistance in Holland.
The other world premieres are Timothy Harris’ documentary Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn about the...
- 2/15/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
‘Swallow’ takes best international feature; ‘My Name Is Andrea’ wins best documentary.
Michael Morris’ debut feature To Leslie and Moshe Rosenthal’s Israeli comedy Karaoke were the big winners at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival, which announced the prizes for its 30th edition in London today (November 4).
US drama To Leslie won the film of the festival award and best performance for Andrea Riseborough, who plays a Texan single mother who attempts to rebuild her life after squandering a lottery win. It premiered at SXSW in March. Morris was formerly director of London’s Old Vic Theatre and has...
Michael Morris’ debut feature To Leslie and Moshe Rosenthal’s Israeli comedy Karaoke were the big winners at the UK’s Raindance Film Festival, which announced the prizes for its 30th edition in London today (November 4).
US drama To Leslie won the film of the festival award and best performance for Andrea Riseborough, who plays a Texan single mother who attempts to rebuild her life after squandering a lottery win. It premiered at SXSW in March. Morris was formerly director of London’s Old Vic Theatre and has...
- 11/4/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
‘Swallow’ takes best international feature; ‘My Name Is Andrea’ wins best documentary.
Michael Morris’ debut feature To Leslie and Moshe Rosenthal’s Israeli comedy Karaoke were the big winners at Raindance Film Festival, which announced the prizes for its 30th edition at a ceremony in Covent Garden, London today (November 4).
US drama To Leslie won Film of the Festival and best performance for Andrea Riseborough, who plays a Texan single mother who attempts to rebuild her life after squandering a lottery win. It premiered at SXSW in March. Morris was formerly director of London’s Old Vic Theatre and previously...
Michael Morris’ debut feature To Leslie and Moshe Rosenthal’s Israeli comedy Karaoke were the big winners at Raindance Film Festival, which announced the prizes for its 30th edition at a ceremony in Covent Garden, London today (November 4).
US drama To Leslie won Film of the Festival and best performance for Andrea Riseborough, who plays a Texan single mother who attempts to rebuild her life after squandering a lottery win. It premiered at SXSW in March. Morris was formerly director of London’s Old Vic Theatre and previously...
- 11/4/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Michael Morris’ debut feature “To Leslie” has won Film of the Festival at the 30th Raindance Film Festival in London and Andrea Riseborough won Best Performance for the film.
Israel’s Moshe Rosenthal won Best Director and Best Screenplay for “Karaoke.” Korean director Hee-il Leesong’s “Swallow,” starring actor and musician Woo Ji-hyun, which had its world premiere at Raindance, won Best International Feature. Pratibha Parmar’s hybrid documentary drama “My Name is Andrea,” with a cast including Ashley Judd, Soko and Andrea Riseborough, won Best Documentary Feature. Selected as the U.K. entry to the Oscars’ international feature film category, “Winners” was named Raindance’s Best U.K. Feature.
Raindance Film Festival 2022 Award Winners
Film Of The Festival: “To Leslie”
Best Performance: Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
Best International Feature: “Swallow”
Best U.K. Feature: “Winners”
Best Documentary Feature: “My Name Is Andrea”
Best Director: Moshe Rosenthal, “Karaoke” (Israel)
Best Screenplay: Moshe Rosenthal,...
Israel’s Moshe Rosenthal won Best Director and Best Screenplay for “Karaoke.” Korean director Hee-il Leesong’s “Swallow,” starring actor and musician Woo Ji-hyun, which had its world premiere at Raindance, won Best International Feature. Pratibha Parmar’s hybrid documentary drama “My Name is Andrea,” with a cast including Ashley Judd, Soko and Andrea Riseborough, won Best Documentary Feature. Selected as the U.K. entry to the Oscars’ international feature film category, “Winners” was named Raindance’s Best U.K. Feature.
Raindance Film Festival 2022 Award Winners
Film Of The Festival: “To Leslie”
Best Performance: Andrea Riseborough, “To Leslie”
Best International Feature: “Swallow”
Best U.K. Feature: “Winners”
Best Documentary Feature: “My Name Is Andrea”
Best Director: Moshe Rosenthal, “Karaoke” (Israel)
Best Screenplay: Moshe Rosenthal,...
- 11/4/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The term “feminist icon” certainly applies to Andrea Dworkin, but like most such capsule descriptions (especially ones that use the I-word), there’s something limiting and frozen about it. Pratibha Parmar, a British writer-director who works in both nonfiction film and episodic TV, breaks through the labels with I Am Andrea, a portrait that’s shaped by Dworkin’s experiences, some of them horrific, and fueled by her radical intellect and incisive words. As Gloria Steinem (one of the documentary’s executive producers) once said, “In every century, there are a handful of writers who help the human race to evolve. Andrea was one of them.” Parmar etches a sympathetic profile that acknowledges the complexity and divisiveness of her subject and argues for the continued relevance of her work.
Like many revolutionary thinkers, Dworkin was often mischaracterized, usually as a “man-hater”; never mind...
The term “feminist icon” certainly applies to Andrea Dworkin, but like most such capsule descriptions (especially ones that use the I-word), there’s something limiting and frozen about it. Pratibha Parmar, a British writer-director who works in both nonfiction film and episodic TV, breaks through the labels with I Am Andrea, a portrait that’s shaped by Dworkin’s experiences, some of them horrific, and fueled by her radical intellect and incisive words. As Gloria Steinem (one of the documentary’s executive producers) once said, “In every century, there are a handful of writers who help the human race to evolve. Andrea was one of them.” Parmar etches a sympathetic profile that acknowledges the complexity and divisiveness of her subject and argues for the continued relevance of her work.
Like many revolutionary thinkers, Dworkin was often mischaracterized, usually as a “man-hater”; never mind...
- 6/11/2022
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There aren’t too many figures in feminist history more controversial than Andrea Dworkin. The radical feminist writer and activist, whose work spanned the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, has become synonymous with a stringent sect of anti-pornography, sex-negative conservative feminism that seeks to limit sexual freedoms, including LGBTQ and sex worker rights. But you wouldn’t know any of that from “My Name Is Andrea,” a hagiographic documentary shaped only by Dworkin’s writing and words from British filmmaker Pratibha Parmar.
Using a series of dramatic recreations with various actresses playing Dworkin at different ages, “My Name Is Andrea” seeks to recast the author as some misunderstood literary prophet — devoid of any of the historical context that might have persuaded her many detractors. Her writing is powerful, even beautiful at times, and the likes of Ashley Judd, Amandla Stenberg, Christine Lahti, Soko, and Andrea Riseborough do it justice in lyrical monologues.
Using a series of dramatic recreations with various actresses playing Dworkin at different ages, “My Name Is Andrea” seeks to recast the author as some misunderstood literary prophet — devoid of any of the historical context that might have persuaded her many detractors. Her writing is powerful, even beautiful at times, and the likes of Ashley Judd, Amandla Stenberg, Christine Lahti, Soko, and Andrea Riseborough do it justice in lyrical monologues.
- 6/11/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The documentary festival will include 38 world premieres.
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest (June 23-28) has unveiled its 2022 line-up, including the world premiere of Werner Herzog’s The Fire Within: Requiem For Katia And Maurice Krafft.
The documentary festival will host 38 world premieres, 22 international premieres and 11 European premieres.
The Fire Within, which is written, narrated and directed by Herzog, will feature in DocFest’s Memories strand. It chronicles the French volcanologists who died in a volcanic eruption on Japan’s Mount Uzen in 1991, leaving an archive of more than 200 hours of footage that makes up the film.
Herzog previously explored the...
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest (June 23-28) has unveiled its 2022 line-up, including the world premiere of Werner Herzog’s The Fire Within: Requiem For Katia And Maurice Krafft.
The documentary festival will host 38 world premieres, 22 international premieres and 11 European premieres.
The Fire Within, which is written, narrated and directed by Herzog, will feature in DocFest’s Memories strand. It chronicles the French volcanologists who died in a volcanic eruption on Japan’s Mount Uzen in 1991, leaving an archive of more than 200 hours of footage that makes up the film.
Herzog previously explored the...
- 5/31/2022
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Moonage Daydream will open DocFest Photo: Courtesy of Sheffield DocFest Sheffield DocFest has announced the full programme of this year's festival, which will run from June 23 to 28.
This year's line-up will feature 38 world premieres.
In addition to film screenings, there will be talks from guest curator Asif Kapadia with editor Chris King; Brett Morgen (Moonage Daydream), Pratibha Parmar (My Name Is Andrea) and David Olusoga: (StoryTrails).
BBC news journalist Clive Myrie will also feature as an interview, along with singer Will Young, who will discuss documentary Losing My Twin Rupert, and British Olympian Ellie Simmonds.
Alex Cooke, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: “There has never been a more important time for documentaries. They take us into worlds and lives and help us understand, they let us empathise, and they hold those in power to account. This special festival affords us a community, one to find real comfort in.
This year's line-up will feature 38 world premieres.
In addition to film screenings, there will be talks from guest curator Asif Kapadia with editor Chris King; Brett Morgen (Moonage Daydream), Pratibha Parmar (My Name Is Andrea) and David Olusoga: (StoryTrails).
BBC news journalist Clive Myrie will also feature as an interview, along with singer Will Young, who will discuss documentary Losing My Twin Rupert, and British Olympian Ellie Simmonds.
Alex Cooke, Chair of the Board of Trustees, says: “There has never been a more important time for documentaries. They take us into worlds and lives and help us understand, they let us empathise, and they hold those in power to account. This special festival affords us a community, one to find real comfort in.
- 5/31/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Five docs making their world premiere at the fesitival
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest has selected nine films for its International Competition, with five of the documentaries making their world premiere at the festival. It runs from June 23-28.
The docs come from a broad span of countries - Australia, Brazil, Lebanon, Mexico, Poland, Spain, UK, US, and Ukraine.
The films in selection reflect the full spectrum of documentary production, from collective filmmaking on the frontline of war in the world premiere of Volodymyr Tykhyy’s One Day In Ukraine to the experimental exchange of video letters during the pandemic...
The UK’s Sheffield DocFest has selected nine films for its International Competition, with five of the documentaries making their world premiere at the festival. It runs from June 23-28.
The docs come from a broad span of countries - Australia, Brazil, Lebanon, Mexico, Poland, Spain, UK, US, and Ukraine.
The films in selection reflect the full spectrum of documentary production, from collective filmmaking on the frontline of war in the world premiere of Volodymyr Tykhyy’s One Day In Ukraine to the experimental exchange of video letters during the pandemic...
- 5/26/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Casting
Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming 2 America”) is set to star in period drama “Shaka Ilembe” about the iconic African king. The series is set in 1700s and will also star Lemogang Tsipa and newcomer Ntando Zondi, who will both play Shaka at different ages, Thembinkosi Mthembu as King Dingiswayo and Senzo Radebe as King Senzangakhona.
Mbatha, who will play Queen Nandi, Shaka’s mother, will also executive produce. “I am honoured to bring the giant that is Queen Nandi to life,” she said. “History will remember those who informed its people of where we come from, to better understand who we are. I am fortunate to be part of a project that is much bigger than ourselves and to tell this story in our own language. Impi iyeza!”
The series comes from MultiChoice and Bomb Productions.
Screen Summit
Wales is set to host an inaugural screen summit showcasing the film...
Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming 2 America”) is set to star in period drama “Shaka Ilembe” about the iconic African king. The series is set in 1700s and will also star Lemogang Tsipa and newcomer Ntando Zondi, who will both play Shaka at different ages, Thembinkosi Mthembu as King Dingiswayo and Senzo Radebe as King Senzangakhona.
Mbatha, who will play Queen Nandi, Shaka’s mother, will also executive produce. “I am honoured to bring the giant that is Queen Nandi to life,” she said. “History will remember those who informed its people of where we come from, to better understand who we are. I am fortunate to be part of a project that is much bigger than ourselves and to tell this story in our own language. Impi iyeza!”
The series comes from MultiChoice and Bomb Productions.
Screen Summit
Wales is set to host an inaugural screen summit showcasing the film...
- 5/26/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Jewish Story Partners, the non-profit film fund that launched six months ago, announced its second round of grant recipients on Monday. The winners came after an open submissions call that saw a 226% increase in participation from the first round.
An additional $280,000 has been awarded this year, bringing Jsp’s 2021 spend to $500,000 as they identify nonfiction work telling diverse Jewish stories. International filmmakers and fiction projects will be sought in the future. The group anticipates to hand out $800,000 in 2022 and $1 million by 2023.
New funders include the Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Films, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Kronhill Pletka Foundation and Koret Foundation.
Monday’s grants will fund noted documentary filmmakers including: Kate Amend, Marilyn Ness, Pratibha Parmar, Dan Sturman and Ondi Timoner.
“Jewish documentary films are a window into the richness and complexity of the arc of Jewish history and Jewish lives today,” said Lynn and...
An additional $280,000 has been awarded this year, bringing Jsp’s 2021 spend to $500,000 as they identify nonfiction work telling diverse Jewish stories. International filmmakers and fiction projects will be sought in the future. The group anticipates to hand out $800,000 in 2022 and $1 million by 2023.
New funders include the Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Films, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, Kronhill Pletka Foundation and Koret Foundation.
Monday’s grants will fund noted documentary filmmakers including: Kate Amend, Marilyn Ness, Pratibha Parmar, Dan Sturman and Ondi Timoner.
“Jewish documentary films are a window into the richness and complexity of the arc of Jewish history and Jewish lives today,” said Lynn and...
- 11/22/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Directors Guild of America announced its new Women’s Steering Committee Squad Mentorship Program along with its first class of mentees. In the program, 10 mid-career directors are each paired with filmmakers that are well established in the field.
The Wsc Squad will last for six months. Mentors will not only discuss craft and artistic opportunities with their mentees, but will also provide guidance on the unique challenges involved with navigating the film industry as women. A second round of the Wsc Squad will begin in Jan. 2022.
“We started this program because the need for mentorship and community never goes away, even when you are working at very high levels in the industry. Women-identifying directors deal with particular situations and it was our goal to forge a sort of sisterhood of mid-career directors,” said Amber Sealey, co-chair of the program. “We purposely paired them with mentors who can offer advice...
The Wsc Squad will last for six months. Mentors will not only discuss craft and artistic opportunities with their mentees, but will also provide guidance on the unique challenges involved with navigating the film industry as women. A second round of the Wsc Squad will begin in Jan. 2022.
“We started this program because the need for mentorship and community never goes away, even when you are working at very high levels in the industry. Women-identifying directors deal with particular situations and it was our goal to forge a sort of sisterhood of mid-career directors,” said Amber Sealey, co-chair of the program. “We purposely paired them with mentors who can offer advice...
- 8/4/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
In the face of numerous challenges, the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival delivered a hybrid event in London, with the sister Birmingham Indian Film Festival coming back to cinemas and the launch of the Manchester Indian Film Festival, which saw an all female programme.
Supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) using funds from the National Lottery, and the London title sponsor the Bagri Foundation, the festival successfully took place in some of the capital’s top cinemas including BFI Southbank, Barbican and Ciné Lumière, attracting a healthy number of audiences, in spite of strict social distancing controls, which also worked extremely well in cinemas like Mac in Birmingham and Everyman in Manchester.
Executive & Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It’s a testament to a strong team that we have been able to pull off a dynamic festival online and back in cinemas against considerable challenges and we...
Supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) using funds from the National Lottery, and the London title sponsor the Bagri Foundation, the festival successfully took place in some of the capital’s top cinemas including BFI Southbank, Barbican and Ciné Lumière, attracting a healthy number of audiences, in spite of strict social distancing controls, which also worked extremely well in cinemas like Mac in Birmingham and Everyman in Manchester.
Executive & Programming Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It’s a testament to a strong team that we have been able to pull off a dynamic festival online and back in cinemas against considerable challenges and we...
- 7/13/2021
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The esteemed London Indian Film Festival is ready to entertain, inspire and make people think with their special line-up of films, and guests this June. Titled To India With Love, this year the festival will be presented in a special hybrid format!
In a challenging year for India and South Asia, the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival and its sister festivals in Birmingham and Manchester will be a love letter to the homelands, continuing to premiere the very best of new indie films from the Indian subcontinent and diaspora, from 17th June to 4th July 2021. As always it goes Beyond Bollywood!
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says: “Last year we grew our audiences quite substantially by going online and UK-wide. With the UK scene improving, we are delighted to not only offer a strong high definition online experience on LoveLIFFatHome.com, but to also welcome our audiences back...
In a challenging year for India and South Asia, the Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival and its sister festivals in Birmingham and Manchester will be a love letter to the homelands, continuing to premiere the very best of new indie films from the Indian subcontinent and diaspora, from 17th June to 4th July 2021. As always it goes Beyond Bollywood!
Festival Director Cary Rajinder Sawhney MBE says: “Last year we grew our audiences quite substantially by going online and UK-wide. With the UK scene improving, we are delighted to not only offer a strong high definition online experience on LoveLIFFatHome.com, but to also welcome our audiences back...
- 5/20/2021
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
The London Indian Film Festival is back in cinemas this summer after an all-virtual effort in 2020.
In a challenging year for India and South Asia, the Bagri Foundation-run London festival and sister events in Birmingham and Manchester will premiere new indie films from the Indian subcontinent and diaspora, running from June 17-July 4. The fest will also have a virtual component via LoveLIFFatHome.com.
The festival is supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) using funds from the National Lottery.
The festival’s opening night U.K. gala premiere is feature documentary “W.O.M.B. (Women of My Billion),” which tells the story of one woman, Shrishti Bakshi, who walks the entire length of India over 240 days to explore the experiences of other women in its one billion-plus population.
Another highlight of the festival is a special focus on British Asian filmmakers and their continued contribution to British cinema, which...
In a challenging year for India and South Asia, the Bagri Foundation-run London festival and sister events in Birmingham and Manchester will premiere new indie films from the Indian subcontinent and diaspora, running from June 17-July 4. The fest will also have a virtual component via LoveLIFFatHome.com.
The festival is supported by the British Film Institute (BFI) using funds from the National Lottery.
The festival’s opening night U.K. gala premiere is feature documentary “W.O.M.B. (Women of My Billion),” which tells the story of one woman, Shrishti Bakshi, who walks the entire length of India over 240 days to explore the experiences of other women in its one billion-plus population.
Another highlight of the festival is a special focus on British Asian filmmakers and their continued contribution to British cinema, which...
- 5/13/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
NBCUniversal has selected the directed the 2020-2021 classes for the Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program. The scripted directing initiatives aim to increase representation of female and ethnically diverse male and non-binary directors, respectively, by creating a pipeline into scripted television. The announcement was made by Janine Jones-Clark as Executive Vice President, Inclusion – Talent & Content, NBCUniversal Film, Television and Streaming.
Both initiatives remain unique within the industry in that they are the only network programs to guarantee that participating directors will helm an episode of primetime television by the conclusion of the program. Program directors shadow on up to two episodes of their assigned NBC scripted series before receiving an in-season assignment to helm an episode of the same series.
Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the Global Talent Development & Inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group,...
Both initiatives remain unique within the industry in that they are the only network programs to guarantee that participating directors will helm an episode of primetime television by the conclusion of the program. Program directors shadow on up to two episodes of their assigned NBC scripted series before receiving an in-season assignment to helm an episode of the same series.
Female Forward and the Emerging Director Program will become building blocks for a cross-functional directors initiative under the Global Talent Development & Inclusion team that will service the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group,...
- 10/22/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Mississippi Masala wins at the online London Indian Film Festival
Freida Pinto, Adil Hussain & Vidya Balan win Outstanding Achievement awards; Icon awards go to Oscar nominee Deepa Mehta & Indian stalwart Shabana Azmi
The 11th anniversary of the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, supported by the Bagri Foundation and the British Film Institute (BFI) opened online, during the global pandemic, with with Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana in conversation on 25th June, and closed with Hollywood star Freida Pinto, in conversation, on 5th July, peppered with an array of free films and talks, at www.loveliffathome.com
The festival included several LGBTQ+ films, women helmed films, films from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as the buzzing Satyajit Ray Short Film competition, with a jury of high profile film pundits, who deliberated over Zoom.
The festival went online with www.loveliffathome.com in May with the Satyajit Ray Competition prize winning shorts,...
Freida Pinto, Adil Hussain & Vidya Balan win Outstanding Achievement awards; Icon awards go to Oscar nominee Deepa Mehta & Indian stalwart Shabana Azmi
The 11th anniversary of the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, supported by the Bagri Foundation and the British Film Institute (BFI) opened online, during the global pandemic, with with Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana in conversation on 25th June, and closed with Hollywood star Freida Pinto, in conversation, on 5th July, peppered with an array of free films and talks, at www.loveliffathome.com
The festival included several LGBTQ+ films, women helmed films, films from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as the buzzing Satyajit Ray Short Film competition, with a jury of high profile film pundits, who deliberated over Zoom.
The festival went online with www.loveliffathome.com in May with the Satyajit Ray Competition prize winning shorts,...
- 7/12/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The 11th anniversary of the UK and Europe’s largest South Asian film festival, London Indian Film Festival supported by the Bagri Foundation and the British Film Institute (BFI) opened online, during the global pandemic, full of an array of free amazing films and special In Conversations. It all began with Bollywood star Ayushmann Khurrana in conversation on 25th June, and closed with Hollywood star Freida Pinto on 5th July, The in conversation talks also included acclaimed Indian cinema actor, multiple Indian National Award, Filmfare winner, Padma Bhushan Shabana Azmi in conversation with British director Pratibha Parmar. Oscar nominee Deepa Mehta, BAFTA, Oscar, Golden Globe nominee Mira Nair, Indian National Award winning actor Adil Hussain with BAFTA, Academy nominated director Peter Webber.
The festival included several LGBTQ+ films, women helmed films, films from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as the buzzing Satyajit Ray Short Film competition, with a jury of high profile film pundits,...
The festival included several LGBTQ+ films, women helmed films, films from Sri Lanka and Pakistan, as well as the buzzing Satyajit Ray Short Film competition, with a jury of high profile film pundits,...
- 7/11/2020
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Exclusive: Ahead of next week’s Season 4 premiere of Queen Sugar, the Own drama has announced five more directors and a pair of guest stars for the upcoming run.
Lacey Duke, C. Fitz, Pratibha Parmar, Deborah Kampmeier and Stacey Muhammad are set as helmers for S4, bringing the total number of female filmmakers to make their U.S. scripted television directing debuts on the series to 32.
Meanwhile, Cree Summer (A Different World) and Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton) are set to appear during the fourth season of the series from creator/executive producer Ava DuVernay. Summer will play Octavia Laurent, a professor and fiery past love of Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley) who surprises Nova while in Atlanta during her cross-country book tour. Clark is set as the new love interest for Darla (Bianca Lawson).
In the upcoming fourth season of Queen Sugar, the Bordelons find themselves continuing their fight to save...
Lacey Duke, C. Fitz, Pratibha Parmar, Deborah Kampmeier and Stacey Muhammad are set as helmers for S4, bringing the total number of female filmmakers to make their U.S. scripted television directing debuts on the series to 32.
Meanwhile, Cree Summer (A Different World) and Bryan Terrell Clark (Hamilton) are set to appear during the fourth season of the series from creator/executive producer Ava DuVernay. Summer will play Octavia Laurent, a professor and fiery past love of Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley) who surprises Nova while in Atlanta during her cross-country book tour. Clark is set as the new love interest for Darla (Bianca Lawson).
In the upcoming fourth season of Queen Sugar, the Bordelons find themselves continuing their fight to save...
- 6/6/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Events include a panel on crowdfunding.
The BFI Flare Lgbtq+ Film Festival has announced the industry programme for its 2019 edition, which runs from March 21-31.
‘The Makers’, a series of one-to-one interviews with individuals who have made a major contribution to Lgbtq+ film and television, will feature sessions with Israeli filmmaker Tomer Heymann (Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life), and the UK’s Pratibha Parmar (Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth) and Kristiene Clarke (The Truth About Gay Sex).
Panel events include ‘Standing out from the Crowd(fund)’, a discussion about how crowdfunding can be used for Lgbtq+ work, with filmmakers...
The BFI Flare Lgbtq+ Film Festival has announced the industry programme for its 2019 edition, which runs from March 21-31.
‘The Makers’, a series of one-to-one interviews with individuals who have made a major contribution to Lgbtq+ film and television, will feature sessions with Israeli filmmaker Tomer Heymann (Jonathan Agassi Saved My Life), and the UK’s Pratibha Parmar (Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth) and Kristiene Clarke (The Truth About Gay Sex).
Panel events include ‘Standing out from the Crowd(fund)’, a discussion about how crowdfunding can be used for Lgbtq+ work, with filmmakers...
- 3/19/2019
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The fabulous Bagri Foundation London Indian Film Festival in London and Birmingham, is UK and Europe’s largest platform of independent cinema from the Indian subcontinent. The brilliant London festival has closed but the amazing movies continue in Birmingham until July 2nd.
The festival has grown significantly in stature and reputation, with pan-Indian and Indian sub continental cinema in several languages, all subtitled in English, Bsl (British Sign Language) incorporated in some talks, and this year attracted major award winning films including Newton, Hotel Salvation and The Cinema Travellers, as well as world premieres like the Tamil comedy, Ticket – The Movie.
Festival executive and programming director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It is wonderful that the festival continues to lead the debate and not simply reflect the changing shape of Indian cinema; from this year’s Indian virtual reality showcases to bringing carefully curated important new talent to the world stage...
The festival has grown significantly in stature and reputation, with pan-Indian and Indian sub continental cinema in several languages, all subtitled in English, Bsl (British Sign Language) incorporated in some talks, and this year attracted major award winning films including Newton, Hotel Salvation and The Cinema Travellers, as well as world premieres like the Tamil comedy, Ticket – The Movie.
Festival executive and programming director Cary Rajinder Sawhney said: “It is wonderful that the festival continues to lead the debate and not simply reflect the changing shape of Indian cinema; from this year’s Indian virtual reality showcases to bringing carefully curated important new talent to the world stage...
- 7/1/2017
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Drama takes top prize at 8th edition of festival.
A Billion Colour Story has walked away with the top prize, the audience award, at the 8th edition of the London Indian Film Festival.
The festival, which is held in Birmingham as well as London, showcases independent cinema from the Indian subcontinent.
Directed by Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy and produced by Satish Kaushik, A Billion Colour Story follows an 11-year-old boy living in Mumbai whose parents are forced to downsize their house as they struggle with the financial burden of trying to complete a feature film.
Narasimhamurthy and Kaushik commented: “We’re thrilled and truly, absolutely honoured, to receive this award.
“It’s incredibly special for us that A Billion Colour Story resonates with audiences across countries and continents. It continues to vindicate our faith that people and their hearts are the same across cultures and horizons. We dedicate this award to the victims of the recent lynchings, in India.”
The...
A Billion Colour Story has walked away with the top prize, the audience award, at the 8th edition of the London Indian Film Festival.
The festival, which is held in Birmingham as well as London, showcases independent cinema from the Indian subcontinent.
Directed by Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy and produced by Satish Kaushik, A Billion Colour Story follows an 11-year-old boy living in Mumbai whose parents are forced to downsize their house as they struggle with the financial burden of trying to complete a feature film.
Narasimhamurthy and Kaushik commented: “We’re thrilled and truly, absolutely honoured, to receive this award.
“It’s incredibly special for us that A Billion Colour Story resonates with audiences across countries and continents. It continues to vindicate our faith that people and their hearts are the same across cultures and horizons. We dedicate this award to the victims of the recent lynchings, in India.”
The...
- 6/30/2017
- ScreenDaily
As we told you the renowned London Indian Film Festival is back for another year with a new and exciting selection of fabulous cutting-edge films that reaffirm the festival’s position as the ‘punk-rock of Indian cinema’. With films that range from subjects covering stories of gangsters, comedy themes, horror elements, thrillers, immigration and diaspora issues, environment, economics, religion, politics, and the lives of Indian royalty this year’s festival that runs from 22-29 June is not to be missed.
Check out this totally cool trailer (created by Parag Sankhe) to get an idea for what is in store for you! It has some amazing clips of the films that you must see!
The Black Prince opens the festival on 22nd June at the BFI Southbank with the red carpet premiere of the historical epic. The screening will also include a Q and A with the cast and director. Directed by Kavi Raz,...
Check out this totally cool trailer (created by Parag Sankhe) to get an idea for what is in store for you! It has some amazing clips of the films that you must see!
The Black Prince opens the festival on 22nd June at the BFI Southbank with the red carpet premiere of the historical epic. The screening will also include a Q and A with the cast and director. Directed by Kavi Raz,...
- 6/3/2017
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Academy invitee Eddie Redmayne in 'The Theory of Everything.' Academy invites 322 new members: 'More diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before' The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has offered membership to 322 individuals "who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures." According to the Academy's press release, "those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2015." In case all 322 potential new members say an enthusiastic Yes, that means an injection of new blood representing about 5 percent of the Academy's current membership. In the words of Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs (as quoted in the press release), in 2015 "our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization." In recent years, the Academy membership has...
- 7/1/2015
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
©Renzo Piano Building Workshop/©Studio Pali Fekete architects/©A.M.P.A.S.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.
“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”
“We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Building this museum has been an Academy...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced this week that the Los Angeles City Council, in a unanimous vote, approved plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. Construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.
“I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”
“We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s CEO. “Building this museum has been an Academy...
- 6/27/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Strangely dropping a press release on a historic day where the nation's attention is elsewhere, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed their annual list of new member invitees this morning. For those who criticize the makeup of the Academy there was some good news and the stark realization the organization still has a long way to go. The Academy has spent the last eight to 10 years attempting to diversify its membership and this year's class mostly reflects that. There are significantly more invitees of Asian and African-American descent, but the male to female disparity is still depressing. Out of the 25 potential new members of the Actor's Branch only seven are women. And, no, there isn't really an acceptable way for the Academy to spin that sad fact. Additionally, It's important to realize the 322 people noted in the release have only been invited to join Hollywood's most exclusive club.
- 6/26/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
Get ready London film fans! The fabulous London Indian Film Festival, running July 10th – 17th, will bring you an eclectic and cool mix of films! Now Europe’s largest platform for Indian cinema, the London Indian Film Festival returns to the Capital, in association with Pure Heaven, the British Film Institute, and official Hotel Partner Grange Hotels, celebrating the exploding movement of Indian Independent cinema and bringing to UK audiences a rare selection of cutting-edge films from some of the Indian subcontinent’s hottest independent talents. Going way beyond Bollywood, the festival presents a kaleidoscope of new films that challenge, shock, generate debate and present a more realistic view of India and the subcontinent today, in all its diversity.
The festival has many highlights and will showcase Emma Thompson’s Sold and Million Dollar Arm, which stars Jon Hamm and also boasts a bevy of Bollywood stars! The festival will stretch citywide,...
The festival has many highlights and will showcase Emma Thompson’s Sold and Million Dollar Arm, which stars Jon Hamm and also boasts a bevy of Bollywood stars! The festival will stretch citywide,...
- 6/12/2014
- by Stacey Yount
- Bollyspice
Kali 8 Productions/Kali Films, the production company behind the critically acclaimed documentary Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth and directed by UK raised, Kenyan born director Pratibha Parmar, have joined forces with Dexter Davis' D Street Pictures to co-produce the romantic comedy G.P.S….I Love You written my Ellen Gavin. G.P.S…I love you is set to start production in Los Angeles in early 2015. It tells the story of Liberty Sanchez, an Irish/Latin American radio traffic reporter who sees her job as dead-end until she meets a charming, successful and socially conscious British entrepreneur who motivates her to do more, whilst having to deal with an...
- 6/2/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Alice Walker knew that she had to do well to make her mother proud.
Imagine how proud she would have been when her daughter became the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, for "The Color Purple."
Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar draws from multiple interviews with Walker, historic documents, news footage and clips to create "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth," airing on PBS' "American Masters" Friday, Feb. 7 (check local listings).
Parmar met the activist and author of more than 30 books in 1991 and began interviewing her eight years later.
"I did an interview outside the shack in which her mother grew up out in the country," Parmar tells Zap2it.
Walker's voice-over explains how her mother made even this ramshackle shack a home. She bought scraps of wallpaper for the kids' room, but when she could get no more, she ironed brown paper bags to line the walls in other rooms.
Imagine how proud she would have been when her daughter became the first black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, for "The Color Purple."
Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar draws from multiple interviews with Walker, historic documents, news footage and clips to create "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth," airing on PBS' "American Masters" Friday, Feb. 7 (check local listings).
Parmar met the activist and author of more than 30 books in 1991 and began interviewing her eight years later.
"I did an interview outside the shack in which her mother grew up out in the country," Parmar tells Zap2it.
Walker's voice-over explains how her mother made even this ramshackle shack a home. She bought scraps of wallpaper for the kids' room, but when she could get no more, she ironed brown paper bags to line the walls in other rooms.
- 2/7/2014
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Writeractivist Alice Walker b. Feb. 9, 1944 made History as the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her seminal novel The Color Purple 1982, for which she won the National Book Award. Thirteen's American Masters presents Alice Walker Beauty in Truth, premiering nationally tonight, February 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS in honor of Walker's 70th birthday and Black History Month. Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar's new documentary tells Walker's dramatic life story with poetry and lyricism, and features new interviews with Walker, Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Gloria Steinem, Sapphire and the late Howard Zinn in one of his final interviews. Watch the trailer below...
- 2/7/2014
- by TV News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Award-winning British filmmaker, Pratibha Parmar's documentary feature film on writer and activist Alice Walker, titled Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth, premieres nationally Friday, February 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The film, which includes contributions from Danny Glover and Steven Spielberg, among others, was in the making for some 5 years, with a rough cut completed after the filmmaker was able to raise a whopping $55,000 via IndieGoGo in 2011. This film looks at key moments in the life of artist, self-confessed renegade and outlaw, Alice Walker, and follows the extraordinary journey of Walker from a childhood of poverty and racist...
- 2/3/2014
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
We have no doubt done some extensive reporting on this essential new documentary by filmmaker Pratibha Parmar, about acclaimed (and controversial) novelist and activist Alice Walker.Just last month, we reposted with Jana Sante’s review of the film (Here), when it was shown at a special event at the African Diaspora International Film Festival in December.Now, if you have been waiting for your chance to see it, you’ll have your chance very soon. The long running PBS series American Masters will broadcast the documentary on Friday Feb. 7 at 9Pm Eastern Time (though, of course, make sure to check your local listings).Not only is the documentary being presented for Black History...
- 1/16/2014
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Writeractivist Alice Walker b. Feb. 9, 1944 made history as the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her seminal novel The Color Purple 1982, for which she won the National Book Award. Thirteen's American Masters presents Alice Walker Beauty in Truth, premiering nationally Friday, February 7 at 9 p.m. on PBS in honor of Walker's 70th birthday and Black History Month. Filmmaker Pratibha Parmar's new documentary tells Walker's dramatic life story with poetry and lyricism, and features new interviews with Walker, Steven Spielberg, Danny Glover, Quincy Jones, Gloria Steinem, Sapphire and the late Howard Zinn in one of his final interviews. Watch the trailer below...
- 1/11/2014
- by TV News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Belle
The 2014 Athena Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of narrative, documentary and short films.
The New York Premiere of Belle, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and directed by Amma Asante, is the Athena Film Festival’s Opening Film, screening on Thursday evening. Decoding Annie Parker, starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton and directed by Steven Bernstein, is the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and will be screened on Friday evening. Geraldine Ferraro: Paving The Way, directed by her daughter, Donna Zaccaro, is the festival’s Closing Film, screening on Sunday evening.
The festival honors extraordinary women in the film industry and showcases films that address women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world. Now in its fourth year, the festival runs from Thursday, February 6 through Sunday, February 9 on the Barnard College campus in Morningside Heights. Artemis Rising Foundation is the Founding Sponsor of the Festival.
The Book Thief
Among...
The 2014 Athena Film Festival has unveiled its lineup of narrative, documentary and short films.
The New York Premiere of Belle, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw and directed by Amma Asante, is the Athena Film Festival’s Opening Film, screening on Thursday evening. Decoding Annie Parker, starring Helen Hunt and Samantha Morton and directed by Steven Bernstein, is the festival’s Centerpiece Film, and will be screened on Friday evening. Geraldine Ferraro: Paving The Way, directed by her daughter, Donna Zaccaro, is the festival’s Closing Film, screening on Sunday evening.
The festival honors extraordinary women in the film industry and showcases films that address women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world. Now in its fourth year, the festival runs from Thursday, February 6 through Sunday, February 9 on the Barnard College campus in Morningside Heights. Artemis Rising Foundation is the Founding Sponsor of the Festival.
The Book Thief
Among...
- 1/7/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"People really had a problem with my disinterest in submission," says Alice Walker about her four decades as a public figure. "They had a problem with my intellect, and they had a problem with my choice of lovers. They had a problem with my choice of everything."
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple is a controlled maelstrom in Pratibha Parmar's admiring overview of her life and work. Parmar presents her subject as a pioneer in black feminist thought, a wholly accurate emphasis that nevertheless detracts from Walker's considerable literary achievements.
The documentary also excludes critics who have legitimate disagreements with Walker, such as those who say she propagates notions of gender essentialism. But Walker's life is so eventful &m...
The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple is a controlled maelstrom in Pratibha Parmar's admiring overview of her life and work. Parmar presents her subject as a pioneer in black feminist thought, a wholly accurate emphasis that nevertheless detracts from Walker's considerable literary achievements.
The documentary also excludes critics who have legitimate disagreements with Walker, such as those who say she propagates notions of gender essentialism. But Walker's life is so eventful &m...
- 12/4/2013
- Village Voice
I was happy to be invited for the second year to serve on the jury for narrative features with Dan Mirvisch, indie filmmaker and founder of Slamdance, Dana Harris, editor in chief of Indiewire, Morrie Warchawski, author of Shaking the Money Tree and former Executive Director of the Bay Area Video Coalition and The Media Project. We had a spirited discussion about the films we saw, drank a lot of great wine at marvelous receptions and had a superb dinner in the dining room of the Black Stallion Winery which is on the former site of the famous Napa Valley Equestrian Center and has been owned by three generations of the Indelicato family. Chef Misty Phelps prepared a wonderful meal which we shared with invited guests, Hollywood Foreign Press members Patricial Danaher from Ireland and Dierk Sindermann who was on the doc jury and is a correspondent for 10 European publications. It was the second great dinner I had with Hfp folks, the previous one being at Spago after the screening of Japan's Like Father Like Son. These Hollywood Foreign Press people live a nice life because they love films so much! Their love of film is proven because the small indies, foreign language and doc films are not what their employers pay them to see or review. Their love of film brings them to see these films in addition to the star studded blockbusters. I digress because I am beginning to love the Hfp members, sharing dinners as we do, there are always interesting conversations as well. Other filmmakers and jury members were served equally special dinners at the Alpha Omega and Chappellet Reserve, Beaulieu Vineyards, Bello Family Vineyards and Cardinale. Films, food and wine truly served as catalysts for conversation.
We awarded The Best Narrative Feature Prize to Hank and Asha (www.hankandasha.com) directed by James E. Duff. It had previously won the Audience Award at Slamdance and won at Portland, Brooklyn, Rhode Island and Woods Hole Film Festivals. It was a beautifully shot near-romance of an Indian film student in Prague who connects via webcam with a New York based filmmaker whose film she admired when she was the the Prague Film Festival. Their intercultural exchange leads to a love and affection which is never culminated by a meeting.
The Audience Favorite for Documentary Feature went to Finding Hillywood (www.findinghillywood.com) directed by Christopher Towey and Leah Warshawski (the daughter of our own jury member, Morrie Warchawski). This film has played in numerous festivals and garnered many awards and much attention as it shows the fledgling Rwandan filmmaking community.
Here are the other awards!
Juried Awards
Best Narrative Feature: Hank and Asha directed by James E. Duff
Best Feature Documentary: Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth directed by Pratibha Parmar
Best Short Documentary: Sky Burial directed by Tad Fettig
Best Animated Short: Sleight of Hand directed by Michael Cusack
> Honorable Mention: The Right Place directed by Jamie Gallant
> Honorable Mention: Horsepower directed by Olivia Lai Shetler
Best Narrative Short: King of Norway directed by Sylvia Sether
> Honorable Mention: The Romantics directed by Ryan Daniel Dobson
> Honorable Mention: The Listing Agent directed by Matthew Helfgott & Jared Hillman
Special Jury Prize for Most Thought Provoking Film: The Last White Knight directed by Paul Saltzman
Audience Awards
Favorite Narrative Feature : The Little Tin Man directed by Matthew Perkins
Favorite Actor : Andrew Pastides, Hank & Asha
Favorite Actress : Mahira Kakkar, Hank & Asha
Favorite Documentary Feature : Finding Hillywood directed by Christopher Towey and Leah Warshawski
Favorite Documentary Short : Make Haste Slowly: The Kikkoman Story directed by Lucy Walker
Favorite Narrative Short : The Listing Agent directed by Mathew Helfgott and Jared Hillman
Favorite Animated Short : Horsepower directed by Olivia Lai Shetler
Favorite Lounge Feature : Starring Adam West directed by James Tooley
Favorite Lounge Short : The Romantics directed by Ryan Daniel Dobson
Next year's Napa Valley Film Festival will take place on 12-16 November 2014. To buy passes visit Here...
We awarded The Best Narrative Feature Prize to Hank and Asha (www.hankandasha.com) directed by James E. Duff. It had previously won the Audience Award at Slamdance and won at Portland, Brooklyn, Rhode Island and Woods Hole Film Festivals. It was a beautifully shot near-romance of an Indian film student in Prague who connects via webcam with a New York based filmmaker whose film she admired when she was the the Prague Film Festival. Their intercultural exchange leads to a love and affection which is never culminated by a meeting.
The Audience Favorite for Documentary Feature went to Finding Hillywood (www.findinghillywood.com) directed by Christopher Towey and Leah Warshawski (the daughter of our own jury member, Morrie Warchawski). This film has played in numerous festivals and garnered many awards and much attention as it shows the fledgling Rwandan filmmaking community.
Here are the other awards!
Juried Awards
Best Narrative Feature: Hank and Asha directed by James E. Duff
Best Feature Documentary: Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth directed by Pratibha Parmar
Best Short Documentary: Sky Burial directed by Tad Fettig
Best Animated Short: Sleight of Hand directed by Michael Cusack
> Honorable Mention: The Right Place directed by Jamie Gallant
> Honorable Mention: Horsepower directed by Olivia Lai Shetler
Best Narrative Short: King of Norway directed by Sylvia Sether
> Honorable Mention: The Romantics directed by Ryan Daniel Dobson
> Honorable Mention: The Listing Agent directed by Matthew Helfgott & Jared Hillman
Special Jury Prize for Most Thought Provoking Film: The Last White Knight directed by Paul Saltzman
Audience Awards
Favorite Narrative Feature : The Little Tin Man directed by Matthew Perkins
Favorite Actor : Andrew Pastides, Hank & Asha
Favorite Actress : Mahira Kakkar, Hank & Asha
Favorite Documentary Feature : Finding Hillywood directed by Christopher Towey and Leah Warshawski
Favorite Documentary Short : Make Haste Slowly: The Kikkoman Story directed by Lucy Walker
Favorite Narrative Short : The Listing Agent directed by Mathew Helfgott and Jared Hillman
Favorite Animated Short : Horsepower directed by Olivia Lai Shetler
Favorite Lounge Feature : Starring Adam West directed by James Tooley
Favorite Lounge Short : The Romantics directed by Ryan Daniel Dobson
Next year's Napa Valley Film Festival will take place on 12-16 November 2014. To buy passes visit Here...
- 11/26/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
A screening update on a project we've been following for about 2 years now since its Indiegogo campaign was posted here - award-winning British filmmaker, Pratibha Parmar's documentary feature film about writer and activist Alice Walker, titled Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth, will be a Gala screening at the 2013 installment of the African Diaspora International Film Festival (Adiff) in NYC, which runs from November 29 to December 15, presented by ArtMattan Productions. The film, which includes contributions from Danny Glover and Steven Spielberg, among others, was in the making for some 5 years with a rough cut completed after the...
- 10/29/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Atlanta – Producers of the 2013 BronzeLens Film Festival will celebrate the life and legacy of Alice Walker, Pulitzer Prize recipient and significant author of the 20th century, through its screening of the award winning documentary, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth. The screening will take place on Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 6:00 Pm at Georgia Tech’s Ferst Center located at 349 Ferst. Both Alice Walker and director, Pratibha Parmar will participate in a post screening Talkback, moderated by Valerie Boyd, author of Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neal Hurston and the editor of Gathering...
- 10/22/2013
- by Natasha Greeves
- ShadowAndAct
Gajendra Ahire’s Marathi film Touring Talkies will open the Indian Film Festival, The Hague 2013.
The festival that will be held from October 2-6, 2013 in The Netherlands will host art-house films, documentaries and popular Hindi films from India.
Full Line up:
Asha 80 by Henk Schepers and Mahindra Goercharan
B.A. Pass by Ajay Bahl
Ballad of Rustom by Ajita Suchitra Veera
Bombay Talkies by Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap
Celluloid Man by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
Commando – A One Man Army by Dilip Ghosh
Fukrey by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba
Gangoobai by Priya Krishnaswamy
Jadoo by Amit Gupta
Kai Po Che by Abhishek Kapoor
Mumbai Cha Raja by Manjeet Singh
Nina’s Heavenly Delights by Pratibha Parmar
Oass – The Dew Drop by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari
Omg – Oh My God! by Umesh Shukla
Ramaiya Vastavaiya by Prabhudeva
Shahid by Hansal Mehta
Special 26 by Neeraj Pandey
Mine – Story of a...
The festival that will be held from October 2-6, 2013 in The Netherlands will host art-house films, documentaries and popular Hindi films from India.
Full Line up:
Asha 80 by Henk Schepers and Mahindra Goercharan
B.A. Pass by Ajay Bahl
Ballad of Rustom by Ajita Suchitra Veera
Bombay Talkies by Zoya Akhtar, Dibakar Banerjee, Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap
Celluloid Man by Shivendra Singh Dungarpur
Commando – A One Man Army by Dilip Ghosh
Fukrey by Mrigdeep Singh Lamba
Gangoobai by Priya Krishnaswamy
Jadoo by Amit Gupta
Kai Po Che by Abhishek Kapoor
Mumbai Cha Raja by Manjeet Singh
Nina’s Heavenly Delights by Pratibha Parmar
Oass – The Dew Drop by Abhinav Shiv Tiwari
Omg – Oh My God! by Umesh Shukla
Ramaiya Vastavaiya by Prabhudeva
Shahid by Hansal Mehta
Special 26 by Neeraj Pandey
Mine – Story of a...
- 9/24/2013
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Exclusive: Eva Sorhaug, Sharon Horgan and Pratibha Parmar to direct for new UK production outfit.
Fledgling London-based production company Salon Pictures has announced three new female directors for its projects. Salon founders Nick Taussig and Paul Van Carter will produce all three films.
Norwegian director Eva Sørhaug (90 Minutes) will adapt the script and direct Lenny, a biopic of bareknuckle fighter Lenny McLean. Originally set up by Taussig and Van Carter at Revolver, Salon has now acquired the underlying book rights.
Actor/writer/director Sharon Horgan, known for UK TV shows like Pulling, is attached to direct feature Meet Me in Ten Years, written by Student Oscar-winner Frances Poletti.
Finally, Pratibha Parmar will direct Intercourse, a theatrical documentary about the life and work of radical feminist writer and activist Andrea Dworkin. A number of actresses will portray Dworkin in the project. Parmar’s credits include Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth.
Fledgling London-based production company Salon Pictures has announced three new female directors for its projects. Salon founders Nick Taussig and Paul Van Carter will produce all three films.
Norwegian director Eva Sørhaug (90 Minutes) will adapt the script and direct Lenny, a biopic of bareknuckle fighter Lenny McLean. Originally set up by Taussig and Van Carter at Revolver, Salon has now acquired the underlying book rights.
Actor/writer/director Sharon Horgan, known for UK TV shows like Pulling, is attached to direct feature Meet Me in Ten Years, written by Student Oscar-winner Frances Poletti.
Finally, Pratibha Parmar will direct Intercourse, a theatrical documentary about the life and work of radical feminist writer and activist Andrea Dworkin. A number of actresses will portray Dworkin in the project. Parmar’s credits include Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth.
- 9/9/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Tags: Alice WalkerBeauty in TruthPratibha Parmarmoviesmovie interviewswomen of colorIMDbactivism
The Color Purple, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about black communities and interpersonal relations between men and women of color in the South, catapulted Alice Walker to fame as a writer. But beyond this work (actually her tenth novel) many of us do not know the complexity and richness of her life, not only as a writer but as a global activist.
True to her artistic career, filmmaker Pratibha Parmar is continuing her efforts to make history through her latest film, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 31. In this inspiring and informative documentary, Parmar tells the story of Alice Walker, from poverty-stricken child of the unbearably racist South to acclaimed writer and activist. Through a blend of archival footage that recreates the political and social contexts of Walker’s life from the mid...
The Color Purple, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about black communities and interpersonal relations between men and women of color in the South, catapulted Alice Walker to fame as a writer. But beyond this work (actually her tenth novel) many of us do not know the complexity and richness of her life, not only as a writer but as a global activist.
True to her artistic career, filmmaker Pratibha Parmar is continuing her efforts to make history through her latest film, Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth, which premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival on May 31. In this inspiring and informative documentary, Parmar tells the story of Alice Walker, from poverty-stricken child of the unbearably racist South to acclaimed writer and activist. Through a blend of archival footage that recreates the political and social contexts of Walker’s life from the mid...
- 6/21/2013
- by MBHauteWriter
- AfterEllen.com
Emir Baigazin’s Harmony Lessons won the 39th Seattle International Film Festival’s Best New Director grand jury prize on Sunday [9] as top brass handed out jury and audience awards.Scroll down for full list of winners
The Siff 2013 Best Documentary grand jury prize went to Penny Lane’s Our Nixon and Lucy Walker earned a special jury prize for The Crash Reel, while Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the Best New American Cinema grand jury prize for C.O.G.
In the audience awards, Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom took the corresponding documentary prize.
The Best Director Golden Space Needle Award went to Nabil Ayouch for Horses Of God, while best actor was awarded to James Cromwell for Still Mine and best actress to Samantha Morton for Decoding Annie Parker.
The Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award was presented to [link...
The Siff 2013 Best Documentary grand jury prize went to Penny Lane’s Our Nixon and Lucy Walker earned a special jury prize for The Crash Reel, while Kyle Patrick Alvarez took the Best New American Cinema grand jury prize for C.O.G.
In the audience awards, Henk Pretorius’ Fanie Fourie’s Lobola won the Best Film Golden Space Needle Award and Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom took the corresponding documentary prize.
The Best Director Golden Space Needle Award went to Nabil Ayouch for Horses Of God, while best actor was awarded to James Cromwell for Still Mine and best actress to Samantha Morton for Decoding Annie Parker.
The Best Short Film Golden Space Needle Award was presented to [link...
- 6/9/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
“Part of the problem with Western feminists, I find, is that they take after their brothers and their fathers. And that’s a real problem.” – Alice WalkerUnabashed and unadulterated. This was Alice Walker; poised, decisively concise and fielding audience questions at the world premier of ‘Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth’ at London’s ‘Women Of the World’ Festival 2013.The muted gasp that coursed through the packed auditorium that evening as Alice Walker; revered Muse of the American feminist movement, offered her unflinching take on the inconsistencies of ‘Western feminists’ reverberates bold and clear throughout director Pratibha Parmar’s feature length documentary on the life of one Alice...
- 3/18/2013
- by Jana Sante
- ShadowAndAct
Updates on a project we've been following for about 2 years now since its IndieGoGo campaign was posted here... award-winning British filmmaker, Pratibha Parmar's documentary feature film by about writer and activist Alice Walker, titled Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth. The film, which includes contributions from Danny Glover and Steven Spielberg, among others, has been in the making for some 5 years with a rough cut completed after the filmmaker was able to raise a whopping $55,000 via IndieGoGo in 2011. Skip ahead to this week, when I was informed by UK-based reader & journalist EC Forde that the completed film made its world premier on...
- 3/13/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Tags: Morning BrewToni BraxtonEllen DeGeneresGLEEIsoleeChristopher DornerTegan and SaraCynthia NixonIMDbPratibha ParmarAlice WalkerJillian Michaels
Good morning! Remember when Santana said "AfterEllen" on Glee? I was all like:
Are you wanting to watch an aesthetically pleasing yet weird and lesbianish video? Perfect, try Isolee's "Allowance."
An Lapd officer that's accused of murder left a few messages for celebrities as a bizarre sort of goodbye. One of those he left was for Ellen DeGeneres:
Ellen Degeneres, continue your excellent contribution to entertaining America and bringing the human factor to entertainment. You changed the perception of your gay community and how we as Americans view the Lgbt community. I congratulate you on your success and opening my eyes as a young adult, and my generation to the fact that you are know different from us other than who you choose to love. Oh, and you Prop 8 supporters, why the f*ck do you care who your neighbor marries.
Good morning! Remember when Santana said "AfterEllen" on Glee? I was all like:
Are you wanting to watch an aesthetically pleasing yet weird and lesbianish video? Perfect, try Isolee's "Allowance."
An Lapd officer that's accused of murder left a few messages for celebrities as a bizarre sort of goodbye. One of those he left was for Ellen DeGeneres:
Ellen Degeneres, continue your excellent contribution to entertaining America and bringing the human factor to entertainment. You changed the perception of your gay community and how we as Americans view the Lgbt community. I congratulate you on your success and opening my eyes as a young adult, and my generation to the fact that you are know different from us other than who you choose to love. Oh, and you Prop 8 supporters, why the f*ck do you care who your neighbor marries.
- 2/8/2013
- by trishbendix
- AfterEllen.com
Tags: Morning BrewNEWNOWNEXT Vote with Wanda SykesWanda SykesIMDbLady GagaPink ListLauren RussellNicola Adams
Good morning!
Great news! The Independent's annual Pink List has come out and two women are at the top. Bisexual Olympian Nicola Adams is at number one, with out sports presenter Clare Balding right behind her.
Nicola Adams
Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images
Also on the list: Heather Peace came in at number 7, Sue Perkins at 13, Jessie J at 18, Carol Ann Duffy at 25, Mary Portas at 27, Pratibha Parmar at 28, Val McDermid at 38, Jane Hill at 40, Stella Duffy at 41 and Phyllida Lloyd at 74,
Also on the list: Lucy Spraggan, who just quit X-Factor this past weekend because she was ill. Such a bummer!
Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images
Model/actress Mink Brar is a guest in the Big Boss house, which is like a Bollywood Big Brother. Apparently Mink was a lesbian that later denied it, so she's perfect for reality TV.
Good morning!
Great news! The Independent's annual Pink List has come out and two women are at the top. Bisexual Olympian Nicola Adams is at number one, with out sports presenter Clare Balding right behind her.
Nicola Adams
Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images
Also on the list: Heather Peace came in at number 7, Sue Perkins at 13, Jessie J at 18, Carol Ann Duffy at 25, Mary Portas at 27, Pratibha Parmar at 28, Val McDermid at 38, Jane Hill at 40, Stella Duffy at 41 and Phyllida Lloyd at 74,
Also on the list: Lucy Spraggan, who just quit X-Factor this past weekend because she was ill. Such a bummer!
Photo by Jo Hale/Getty Images
Model/actress Mink Brar is a guest in the Big Boss house, which is like a Bollywood Big Brother. Apparently Mink was a lesbian that later denied it, so she's perfect for reality TV.
- 11/5/2012
- by trishbendix
- AfterEllen.com
Thanks to your votes, the doc profile of the famed author "Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth" won this weekend's Project of the Week contest. Congratulations to director Pratibha Parmar! The filmmaker will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms and is now officially a candidate for Project of the Month. That winner will be awarded with a consultation from the Sundance Institute. Here's what the project's about: "Alice Walker: Beauty In Truth" is a feature documentary film about life and times of American writer, Alice Walker who made history as the first black woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for Literature for her ground breaking novel The Color Purple, made into a successful film by Steven Spielberg. We all know well-behaved women rarely make history, but what of the rebels and writers, artists and activists who refuse to behave? They are the women who take the risks that change society.
- 1/9/2012
- Indiewire
Regent Releasing/here!
You would think that food, sex, songs and cross-cultural comedy would make for a winning cinematic recipe, but in Nina's Heavenly Delights the tasty ingredients add up to an indigestible whole. This tale of an Indian woman's efforts to save her family's Glasgow restaurant is so overly cutesy and precious that it squanders audience goodwill long before its conclusion.
The title character (Shelley Conn) fled her native Glasgow, as well as the fiance (Raji James) she ditched right before her wedding three years earlier. She returns for her father's funeral, only to find the family's Indian restaurant, the New Taj, on the verge of being lost thanks to an ill-advised bet. Determined to save the day, she enters the restaurant in a televised curry cooking contest, with predictably madcap results.
Featuring Bollywood-style musical numbers courtesy of Nina's drag queen best friend Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti); a lesbian romance between Nina and another chef (Laura Fraser) that is depicted in a decorous, fade-to-black manner; recurring appearances by the ghost of Nina's father; family conflict courtesy of her sternly disapproving mother and other plot elements too numerous to mention, the film from writer Andrea Gibb and director Pratibha Parmar, displays undeniable heart but little finesse.
The female leads are gorgeous, and the sheer exoticism of the setting provides some interest. But this combination of melodrama, comedy, music and romance eventually falls under the weight of its endlessly stereotypical characters, dialogue and situations.
You would think that food, sex, songs and cross-cultural comedy would make for a winning cinematic recipe, but in Nina's Heavenly Delights the tasty ingredients add up to an indigestible whole. This tale of an Indian woman's efforts to save her family's Glasgow restaurant is so overly cutesy and precious that it squanders audience goodwill long before its conclusion.
The title character (Shelley Conn) fled her native Glasgow, as well as the fiance (Raji James) she ditched right before her wedding three years earlier. She returns for her father's funeral, only to find the family's Indian restaurant, the New Taj, on the verge of being lost thanks to an ill-advised bet. Determined to save the day, she enters the restaurant in a televised curry cooking contest, with predictably madcap results.
Featuring Bollywood-style musical numbers courtesy of Nina's drag queen best friend Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti); a lesbian romance between Nina and another chef (Laura Fraser) that is depicted in a decorous, fade-to-black manner; recurring appearances by the ghost of Nina's father; family conflict courtesy of her sternly disapproving mother and other plot elements too numerous to mention, the film from writer Andrea Gibb and director Pratibha Parmar, displays undeniable heart but little finesse.
The female leads are gorgeous, and the sheer exoticism of the setting provides some interest. But this combination of melodrama, comedy, music and romance eventually falls under the weight of its endlessly stereotypical characters, dialogue and situations.
- 12/5/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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