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Bruce Willis is celebrating his 70th birthday, and his daughter, Rumer Willis, has provided a positive update on her father's health amid his ongoing dementia battle. The Die Hard actor and ex-wife Demi Moore's eldest child, who is now 36, took to her Instagram Stories for a Q&a with fans, where, according to Daily Mail, she addressed how her dad is doing, more than two years on from his frontotemporal dementia (Ftd) diagnosis.

The Hollywood star, widely known for his roles in action films, particularly his portrayal of John McClane in the Die Hard franchise, as well as memorable turns in movies of different genres, such as Pulp Fiction and The Fifth Element, announced he was stepping away from acting in 2022 after initially being diagnosed with aphasia. There have been few updates on his condition since, so one fan took the opportunity to ask Rumer how her dad was doing,...

Bruce Willis is arguably one of the best action stars ever to be featured on the big screen. Before he retired from acting in 2022, Willis demonstrated himself to be a diverse talent by taking roles in comedies, dramas, and even movies that bordered on musicals (Hudson Hawk), proving his talents over and over again.

Toward the end of his career, Willis made movies that critics chided and audiences scoffed at. Despite poor reviews and low scores on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, several of these movies are not as bad as they appear to be. Additionally, they should be viewed within the context they were made and with all the information.

Assassin is one of these movies. Here's what Assassin is about, how it was received, and, ultimately, why its harsh treatment was unwarranted.

'Assassin' Was Based on a Short Film Called 'Let Them Die Like Others'

Director Jesse Atlas and...

Bruce Willis is one of the all-time great movie stars, a guy who could fill theater seats with a sarcastic one-liner and a charming but grumpy grin. Over the years he starred in all kinds of films, from zany dark comedies like "The Whole Nine Yards" to the Christmas action classic "Die Hard," but towards the end of his career, it seemed as if he was just putting out as much as he could without paying much attention to quality. It was a move that initially came under fire from fans before Willis's family announced his retirement in March of 2022 due to a diagnosis of aphasia, a condition that causes progressive cognitive decline. Though there were some questions as to whether Willis wanted to do these films to save up for retirement and help his family or whether he was being taken advantage of, otherwise the movies from this...

Bruce Willis' 2010 action movie Red is highly celebrated and trending on Netflix, offering a blend of action, thriller, and comedy. Red boasts an incredibly talented cast including Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, and John Malkovich, earning it positive reviews and a 72% Rt score. Despite the success of Red, its sequel, Red 2, received more negative reviews and had lower box office performance, preventing a third installment.

Bruce Willis' popular 2010 action movie is one of his best action franchises after Die Hard. Willis remains one of the biggest stars in Hollywood history, having appeared in some of the most iconic movies ever made, such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, M. Night Shyamalan's The Sixth Sense, and Frank Miller's Sin City. Willis has maintained his status as a staple of the modern action genre through his widely celebrated Die Hard franchise, which began with the celebrated 1988 original directed by John McTiernan.

Emma Heming shares important message about frontotemporal dementia during Ftd awareness week on NBC's Today Show. Heming emphasizes the importance of explaining the disease to their daughters to avoid stigma or shame attached to their dad's diagnosis. Heming praises Bruce Willis' willpower and resilience in dealing with the disease, stating that he is the gift that keeps on giving for their family.

Emma Heming, wife of the popular and highly praised actor Bruce Willis, shares an important message about frontotemporal dementia during Ftd awareness week. Earlier this year, Willis announced to the world that he would be retiring from acting as he was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia. On September 24, Ftd Awareness week began, so Emma Heming appeared on NBC's Today Show to talk about how her family is dealing with the actor's illness:

"The most important thing was to be able, for us, to say what the disease was,...

Last year, Hollywood icon Bruce Willis retired from acting, putting an end to a career starring in many memorable films that helped make the Die Hard star one of cinema history's most beloved actors. The announcement followed Willis getting diagnosed with aphasia, a neurological condition that affects memory and communication, making it much more difficult for the actor to work. Willis' daughter, Rumer Willis, announced in February that her father's condition had since progressed to frontotemporal dementia.

Fans have been offering a lot of support to the Willis family and have supported his retirement, though his presence on the big screen is now missed by many. Other Hollywood stars, especially those who also shined in the best action movies of the 80s and 90s, have also offered some support. Arnold Schwarzenegger formerly competed with Willis as two actors trying to be the best in the action genre, though they later became good friends.

The high-tech, high concept thriller Assassin is out now on DVD and digital platforms in the UK and Ireland.

A-list superstar Bruce Willis (the Die Hard legend in one of his final roles before retirement) teams up with Nomzamo Mbatha (Coming 2 America) for a futuristic tale of hired killers, lethal drones, and wriggly worm-bots injected into people’s heads!

The feature debut of writer/director Jesse Atlas (Sundance nominee for the sci-fi short Record/Play), the film also stars Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, superb as the villainous ‘fixer’ Adrian, Mustafa Shakir and Andy Allo (Pitch Perfect 3).

With superbly staged action-sequences, and a twist-packed plot, Assassin is an exciting and innovative debut that fans of bold sci-fi thrillers like Possessor and Inception will love.

Synopsis: A private military operation invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert,...

Assassin is a sci-fi thriller directed by Jesse Atlas starring Bruce Willis and Dominic Purcell.

Assassin leads us, admittedly poignantly, to the terrible conclusion that a science fiction film can be anything but pedestrian.

And this one has that terrible flaw – that it contains no new ideas other than in its initial premise.

The rest, scenes strung together are more or less well done.

Assassin Film Review

It starts out from a good idea that, carried forward with absolutely no originality, limits itself to ticking off the passing minutes and burning itself up upon the assumptions of a thriller that, scene by scene, is not bad, but lacks substance when viewed as a whole.

A film that does not want to, does not know how to – or just simply fails to – stand out and make an impact, a film shot with the lightness of a professional who performs a routine,...

To mark the release of Assassin starring Bruce Willis on DVD we are giving away copies to 2 lucky winners!

Assassin is available on DVD, and digital platforms including Google, iTunes, Sky, Amazon, Rakuten and Virgin from 3rd April.

The feature debut of writer/director Jesse Atlas (Sundance nominee for the sci-fi short Record/Play), the film also stars Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, superb as the villainous ‘fixer’ Adrian, Mustafa Shakir and Andy Allo (Pitch Perfect 3).

A private military operation invents futuristic microchip tech that enables the mind of an agent to inhabit the body of another person to carry out covert, deadly missions. But when an agent is killed during a secret mission, his wife takes his place in an attempt to bring the man responsible to justice.

Please note: This competition is open to UK residents only

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The Small Print

Open to UK residents only...

It has been rather bewildering to witness no less than two dozen low-budget action movies involving Bruce Willis being churned out over the last three years. That legacy-dimming run ends with “Assassin,” which arrives almost exactly one annum after his family announced a retirement due to diagnosis of cognitive disorder aphasia. Like nearly every preceding opus featuring the erstwhile global superstar in roles of prominent billing but little screentime, this rote genre exercise is little more than a time-killer, and as such a regrettable close to a significant career. Saban Films is releasing it to U.S. theaters, digital and VOD platforms on March 31.

It is … um, sometime in the near future, somewhere or other. Alexa (Nomzamo Mbatha) and Sebastian (Mustafa Shakir) are a married couple both in the U.S. Army, though they get to see each other less than they’d like between separate tours of duty. An unhappy...

Screen Rant is thrilled to present an exclusive clip from Bruce Willis' final film, Assassin, which will be available in select theaters as well as on digital platforms on March 31. The espionage adventure is directed by Jesse Atlas from a screenplay by Atlas and Aaron Wolfe, with whom the director has previously collaborated on a few shorts. Assassin takes place in a futuristic timeline that has given birth to technology allowing people to take over someone else's body.

Willis plays Valmora in Assassin, and he is the man in charge of the high-tech, undercover operation associated with the microchip technology. Alexa, meanwhile, is the wife of an agent who was killed during a mission. Seeking justice against the person responsible, she agrees to take his place and swap bodies herself. Assassin also stars Upload's Andy Allo as the mission-ready Alexa, Legends of Tomorrow's Dominic Purcell, and Moon Knight's Fernanda Andrade.

Stars: Bruce Willis, Nomzamo Mbatha, Mustafa Shakir, Dominic Purcell, Andy Allo | Written by Jesse Atlas, Aaron Wolfe | Directed by Jesse Atlas

It’s finally here, unless there’s something stashed away and kept secret, Assassin is the last film featuring Bruce Willis. Given the quality or lack thereof, of most of his later career output it seemed almost pointless to hope that he would go out on a high note, working with Jesse V. Johnson on White Elephant was probably his last chance of that. But could we at least hope that his last on-screen appearance wouldn’t be another embarrassment?

Alexa is angry and wants answers. Her husband Sebastian was a drone pilot until a work-related accident put him in a coma. She demands answers from his boss Valmora, the head of a private military operation.

Despite starting the meeting with a gun levelled at his head, Alexa ends...

Assassin, the final previously announced film starring Bruce Willis, has received an official release date. The actor, who first rose to fame thanks to his role in the sitcom Moonlighting, has been an action and drama star since his lead role in the smash hit 1988 film Die Hard, holding roles in popular films including Pulp Fiction and The Sixth Sense. Last March, Willis' family announced that he had retired from acting after a diagnosis of aphasia, and a health update last week revealed that he had also been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.

Per Collider, Assassin is now set to release on March 31. The release will be day-and-date, so the film will be available in certain theaters and VOD on the same day. This is the same weekend as the release of the fantasy epic Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, so it could provide some solid counter-programming for the more family-friendly outing.

With his legendary career soon coming to an end, Bruce Willis is once again starring in an upcoming action-packed film. With Nomzamo Mbatha starring opposite him, the two are gearing up for an epic futuristic thrill ride from director Jesse Atlas as Saban Films has released the official trailer for Assassin, which showcases the two actors in the midst of an intense science fiction story.

Screen Rant is excited to exclusively present the trailer for Saban's new sci-fi action movie Assassin. The pulse-pounding thriller is set in a future where drone technology has moved beyond simple machines, allowing the mind of a person to take over and inhabit the body of someone else. However, when this technology falls into enemy hands after an agent is killed on a mission, his wife steps in to take his place in an attempt to bring her husband's killer to justice.

Assassin will be Bruce Willis' final movie after the actor retired in 2022 due to aphasia. Fans were shocked and saddened to learn of Willis' neurological condition, which impacts his speech. Willis plays the hardened leader of the private military group that is using the human drone project. Assassin will be released in select theaters, On Demand, and on digital March 31.

Related: Why Bruce Willis Didn't Return For...

Best-known for her action roles in “Skyscraper,” with Dwayne Johnson, and Simon West’s “Skyfire,” Asian star Hannah Quinlivan has joined director Jesse Atlas’s sci-fi feature “Soul Assassin.”

The film’s ensemble cast also includes Bruce Willis, Andy Allo, Nomzamo Mbatha, Dominic Purcell and Mustafa Shakir.

Atlas’ feature debut, “Soul Assassin” is described as a female-led, mind-bending sci-fi thriller. In it, a female former black ops soldier joins an experimental drone warfare program to hunt down her husband’s killer. When the technology is stolen, however, the hunter becomes the hunted.

“This is a groundbreaking genre film bound to be an audience favorite and an international dream cast of both veterans and rising stars adds even more appeal,” said Atlas, who wrote “Soul Assassin” along with Aaron Wolfe, based on their short film “Let Them Die Like Lovers.”

Quinlivan’s casting news comes as “Soul Assassin,” which is financed...

The revenge thriller is the latest collaboration between Saban and star Bruce Willis.

Saban Films has acquired Bruce Willis revenge thriller Soul Assassin for North America as well as Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, South Africa and Scandinavia.

Willis stars with Nomzamo Mbatha and Barry Jay Minoff in the film, directed by Jesse Atlas and written by Atlas and Aaron Wolfe, based on their short Let Them Die Like Lovers.

The feature, about a former black ops soldier who takes the place of a man killed in an experimental military programme, recently wrapped principal photography and is...

Saban Films has acquired North American rights to “Soul Assassin” starring Bruce Willis, Nomzamo Mbatha and Barry Jay Minoff, the company announced on Friday.

Jesse Atlas both directed and wrote the revenge thriller alongside Aaron Wolfe, based on their short “Let Them Die Like Lovers.” Jeff Elliott produced, and 120dB Films co-financed the film with Elliott’s Brickell and Broadbridge.

The deal also includes rights for “Soul Assassin” in Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, South Africa and Scandinavia.

“We love working with Bruce and are particularly excited for Soul Assassin,” Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley said in a statement. “Jesse’s ‘Let Them Die Like Lovers’ was such a high-concept, character-driven thriller and we can’t wait for audiences to see this revenge story.”

“Soul Assassin,” which is set to release in 2022, recently wrapped principal photography.

“Soul Assassin” centers on a former black-ops soldier who takes the place...

In a statement buy, Saban Films has acquired rights to North America – along with Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France, South Africa and Scandinavia – on Bruce Willis starrer “Soul Assassin.”

Directed by Jesse Atlas, the revenge thriller also stars Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming 2 America”) and Barry Jay Minoff (“Exposure”). Atlas wrote “Soul Assassin” along with Aaron Wolfe, based on their short film, “Let Them Die Like Lovers.” Jeff Elliott produced; 120dB Films co-financed the film with Elliott’s Brickell & Broadbridge.

Set to release in 2022, “Soul Assassin” recently wrapped principal photography. It turns on a former black-ops soldier who takes the place of a man who died as part of an experimental military program, in order to find out who killed him.

Saban Films have boarded multiple Willis movies of late such as Chuck Russell’s recently announced “Paradise City,” Jared Cohn’s “Reactor,” and the recently released “Cosmic Sin” and the “Breach.

Exclusive: La-based Endless Media and Hong Kong’s The Laundromatte are prepping sci-fi series Invasian, based on the short film from writer/director Joshua Wong. The English-language project’s development has been fast-tracked and plans are to shoot in Hong Kong when coronavirus stoppages have eased. Producers are Endless’ Najeeb Khuda and Gavin Lurie with Joshua Wong and Sofaye Wong of The Laundromatte. Check out the short film’s teaser below.

Invasian kicks off after a mysterious signal is transmitted through cellular devices across Hong Kong, subduing and immobilizing the population, and leaving only a group of ragtag kids — with no phones — and a bunch of technophobic senior citizens to rally together against the robot invasion.

More from DeadlineSeed&Spark Launches Platform To Boost Film Festivals Affected By Covid-19; Mark Duplass, Lena Waithe, Olivia Wilde And More To Participate In Virtual Q&AsWarnerMedia Sets HBO Max Distribution Deal With CharterLeonardo...

Exclusive: Fox 2000’s The Hate U Give has been selected as the closing night film at the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival, which runs from September 19-23 in New York. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Ava DuVernay with director George Tillman Jr. and stars Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith in attendance.

In addition, Steve McQueen’s Viola Davis-starring heist thriller, Widows has been added to the fest’s screening lineup, as well as the Bet original film Running Out of Time, and Smallfoot, the Warner Bros animated film that features the voices of Channing Tatum, James Corden, Zendaya, Common, LeBron James, Danny DeVito, Gina Rodriguez, and Yara Shahidi.

The festival will also be celebrating the 30th anniversal of the John Landis-directed cult classic Coming to America with a special spotlight screening of the film Friday, September 21 and a Q&A moderated...

Universal Pictures’ “Night School,” starring Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, will open the 22nd annual Urbanworld Film Festival.

“Night School” is one of more than 60 films and TV shows being screened at the fest — an annual showcase of diverse culture — including the debut of the Fox show “Rel.” “Get Out’s” Lil Rel Howery stars in the series and will take part in a Q&A following the screening at New York City’s AMC Empire 25.

HBO will also screen two spotlight selections: first-time filmmaker Rudy Valdez’s “The Sentence,” a documentary about mandatory minimum sentencing, and Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown’s “United Skates,” a doc about some of America’s last standing roller rinks.

Passes for the festival, which runs from Sept. 19 to Sept. 23, are available at the Urbanworld website, and tickets for official selections and spotlights will be available in September.

Here’s the full list of...

The next generation of talented filmmakers has grown up in a time in which cameras are more easily available than ever before. Their relationship to the moving image is incredibly interactive and natural. The YouTube generation shoots everything, edits, shares, and expresses its opinions on virtual global platforms. Therefore, it's not surprising to see very young filmmakers creating works of great quality with the tools at their disposal, which are also rapidly becoming more and more professional while still affordable.

I had the great pleasure of watching numerous examples of this type of talent as a juror for the Fifth Annual Los Angeles Student Film Festival. After receiving nearly 200 submissions from Los Angeles County high school students, the jury, which also included Sasheen Artis, Jesse Atlas, Christopher Coppola, Armen Harootun, Jeffrey David Harvey, Larry Laboe, Patricia Richardson, Tatiana Grace Simonian and Anahid Yahjian, selected 37 short films that will be screened on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at the beautiful El Portal Theatre in the NoHo Arts District.

The show begins at 6:30 p.m. and is preceded by an exciting career fair that starts at 5:00 p.m. Come early to meeting industry professionals, take photos on the exclusive red carpet, and enjoy free food and entertainment! Festival tickets are now available for purchase by clicking here.This year, tickets will be offered for a modest fee of $2.50 to offset event costs.

Here are the finalists in each of the 8 different categories, some of the schools that feature more prominently include Burbank High School, Providence High School, Van Nuys High School, El Camino Real Charter High School, and Harvard-Westlake School.

Animation

"24 Karat"

By Shannon Hoang, Ariana Hernandez, Kristen Broderick and Kayla Hebert

Burbank High School

"Crane"

By Kendra Sazon

Burbank High School

"Destiny Key"

By Evelyna Nazari

Burbank High School

"The Slug Apocalypse"

By Alex Garza

North Hollywood High School

"Life is Your Dream"

By Sandra Elhachem, Kirsten Stoner, and Jennifer Minasyan

Burbank High School

"Stitch Garden"

By Ahdenae Khodaverdian and Elaine Morales

Burbank High School

"Toy Tank"

By Sabrinna Bates

Burbank High School

Comedy

"Lady Kaller"

By Milo Borsuk

Wildwood Forsythe

"Spooky Business"

By Tino Dimperio and J.C. Castro

Providence High School

"Triforce of Desire"

By Lauralee Harper, Brad Pickens, Isaac Sage, and Zara Schuster

Harvard-Westlake School

Commercial

"J&R Drum Sticks!"

By Robert Lugo

John Muir High School

"The Hike"

By Cristian De Jesus and Vicente Tirado

Van Nuys High School

"Colgate"

By Saidakhon Abdullaeva

Van Nuys High School

"Fashion Lookbook"

By Olga Herrera

Van Nuys High School

Documentary / PSA

"A Sockumentary"

By Riley Beres

Port of Los Angeles

"Children of the Genocide"

By Nina Milligan

Harvard-Westlake School

"Cut the Tall Trees: The Killing Power of Words"

By Noah Bennett and Max Cho

Harvard-Westlake School

"Emergency Stop (The Cycle of Violence)"

By Juli Freedman, Becca Frischling, Jess Grody, and Karenina Juarez

Harvard-Westlake School

"Go Make a Difference!"

By Isaiah Ferguson

Providence High School

"Trauma You Don't See"

By Phillip Ahn, Erin Lee, Su Jin Nam. Sean On, and Will Park

Harvard-Westlake School

"What's in Your Food?"

Providence High School

"The Monster Within"

By Angela Soyean Chon, George Khabbaz, Dora Schoenberg, and Jordan Seibel

Harvard-Westlake School

Drama

"15"

By Ben Tan and Luka Joncich

El Camino Real Charter High School

"Pride"

By Rory McClellan

El Camino Real Charter High School

"The Crickets Have Arthritis"

By Shane Koyczan

Providence High School

Experimental

"An Irish Airman Foresees His Death"

By Javier Arango

Harvard-Westlake School

"Grace"

By Ricki Herrera

John F. Kennedy Filmmaking Magnet

"Mask"

By Katie Speare

Harvard-Westlake School

"Psychoanalysis"

By Efren Lopez

John F. Kennedy Filmmaking Magnet

"The First Responder"

By Chris Bredin

Taft Charter High School

Horror

"CA Horror Stories"

By Eduardo Encina, Dennise Mojica, Sylvia Balcaceres, and Anika Kokatay

Van Nuys High School

"Late Night Report"

By Keaton Applebaum

Champs Charter High School

"Delirium"

By Noah Kentis

El Camino Real Charter High School

Music Video

"Human After All"

Providence High School

"I Care"

Providence High School

"Life Developments"

Providence High School

"Street Photography"

By Nickon Mirsepassi and Alberto Kersh

Santa Monica High School...

Oscar 2014 predictions: From ‘Gravity’ to ‘The Great Gatsby’ (photo: George Clooney in ‘Gravity’) See previous post: "Oscar 2014 Predictions: From ‘American Hustle’ to ‘The Hunt.’" Among those listed are Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell, Jared Leto, Matthew McConaughey, Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Steve McQueen, Bruce Dern, June Squibb, James Gandolfini, Alfonso Cuarón, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, and Emma Thompson. Below is the follow up list to our last-minute Oscar 2014 predictions. All lists are in alphabetical order. The only categories that feature runners-up and long shots are the two screenplay categories. Curiously, several major movies and/or widely touted potential Oscar contenders have been completely shut out of our Oscar 2014 predictions (top five films). Among these are Zack Snyder-Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel; Lee Daniels-Forest Whitaker’s The Butler; Denis Villeneuve-...

Best Live Action Short Film semi-finalists: Oscar 2014 (Tom Hollander and Martin Freeman in ‘The Voorman Problem’) Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that 10 live action short films remained in the running for the 2014 Academy Awards. Among the semi-finalists, topics and characters include African child soldiers (That Wasn’t Me), a troubled Italian boy who refuses to take off a wrestler’s mask (Tiger Boy), romance and time travel (Sundance entry Record/Play, slated to become a feature), an abused Inuit wife (Throat Song), and a (possible) lunatic who believes he’s god (The Voorman Problem). One hundred and twenty shorts had originally qualified for the Best Live Action Short Film category. The 10 short films still in contention for the 2014 Oscar in the Best Live Action Short Film category are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), Esteban Crespo,...

A short film that's been short-listed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to advance in the Oscar race, in the Best Live-Action Short Film category, as announced on this blog this morning, here's your chance to finally see Jesse Atlas' 11-minute short film, Record/Play, which, after gaining notoriety on the film festival circuit (its USA premiere was at the 2012 Urbanworld Film Festival), got Hollywood's attention, and is on its way to a feature-length film adaptation. A month ago, Universal Pictures inked a deal to adapt Record/Play, with Aaron Wolfe, who wrote the screenplay for the short film, attached to...

The last 12 months for Jesse Atlas' 11-minute short film, Record/Play, have been the dream for many-a-filmmaker. You make a short film; it gets lots of festival play; wins awards; gets the attention of a Hollywood studio executive or creative, who loves it so much (at least the idea of it) that they want to see it as a feature-length film; and finally, as I found out over the weekend, is one of 10 short films selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to advance in the Oscar race, in the Best Live-Action Short Film category! A month ago, Universal Pictures inked a deal to adapt Record/Play, into feature film length, with Aaron Wolfe, who wrote...

One of the most confounding things about following the non-marquee categories at the Oscars is that not every category operates by the same rules. For example they released the super long eligibility list for Best Documentary Feature but not the super long eligibility lists for the live action shorts. To further complicate matters, this doesn't seem to be the same strategy each year.

Tim recently shared the finalist list for Best Animated Short nominations and now we have the ten Live Action hopefuls from which Academy members will nominate three to five. I personally hate it when categories have a fluctuating amount of nominees. Commit AMPAS! There's no excuse for it really in short films since there are thousands made each year and certainly at least 5 of them would have to be great.

10 Finalists For Best Live Action Short

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me) Esteban Crespo (Producciones...

Still from Kush

Shubhashish Bhutiani’s Kush is one among the ten short live action films to be shortlisted for the 86thAcademy Awards. The list will be further reviewed and up to 5 films will be finally nominated for the Oscars. The final list of nominees will be announced on January 16, 2014.

Kush is based on the Sikhs riots of 1984 post the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. A class of ten year old students are returning from a field trip with their teacher. They take up the task to protect the only Sikh student in the class from the rioters. The film is produced by Red Carpet Moving Pictures, a company based in Mumbai, India.

Read interview with Shubhashish Bhutiani

Full list:

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)

Dir.: Esteban Crespo

Production Company: Producciones Africanauan

Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)

Dir.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards. One hundred twenty pictures had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan)

“Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions)

“Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch)

“Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions)

“Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) Trailer

“Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) Trailer

“Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory) Trailer

“Throat Song,...

Ten live-action short films have advanced to the will voting process for the 86th Academy Awards from a poll of 120 qualifiers.

The 10 films listed in alphabetical order are:

Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me), dir Esteban Crespo;

Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything), dir Xavier Legrand;

Dva (Two), dir Mickey Nedimovic;

Helium, dir Anders Walter;

Kush, dir Shubhashish Bhutiani;

Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?), dir Selma Vilhunen;

Record/Play, dir Jesse Atlas;

Throat Song, dir Miranda de Pencier;

Tiger Boy, dir Gabriele Mainetti; and

The Voorman Problem, dir Mark Gill.

The short films and feature animation branch reviewing committee viewed all eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in Los Angeles.

Branch members will now select three to five nominees at screenings to be held in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco in December.

The 86th Academy...

The Oscars have whittled down the 120 contenders for Best Live Action Short Film to a short list of 10. "Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)," Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) "Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)," Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) "Dva (Two)," Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) "Helium," Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) -Break- "Kush," Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) "Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)," Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) "Record/Play," Jesse Atlas, director, and Thom Fennessey, executive producer (Collaboration Factory) "Throat Song,"...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has set the 10 live action short films that will advance in the voting process for the 86th Academy Awards. One hundred and twenty films had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me),” Esteban Crespo, director (Producciones Africanauan) “Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything),” Xavier Legrand, director, and Alexandre Gavras, producer (Kg Productions) “Dva (Two),” Mickey Nedimovic, director, and Henner Besuch, director of photography (Filoufilm Dani Barsch) “Helium,” Anders Walter, director, and Kim Magnusson, producer (M & M Productions) “Kush,” Shubhashish Bhutiani, director (Red Carpet Moving Pictures) “Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?),” Selma Vilhunen, director, and Kirsikka Saari, screenwriter (Tuffi Films) “Record/Play,” Jesse Atlas,...

This than 24 hours after news broke that James Schamus got the boot, we got a glimpse at the kind of material that might define the new Focus label – and if this short to feature adaptation tells us anything it’s that cinephiles might feel just as spoiled as they did with the Brokeback Mountains commonly associated with Universal’s indie division. Having caught Jesse Atlas’ short (part of program #3 at Sundance this past January) which I liken to a Looper-esque type world, THR report that Atlas will direct, Aaron Wolfe will write and Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven will produce Record/Play.

Gist: Described as tragic love story wrapped in a complex time-travel scenario. The time travel is achieved by manipulating a Walkman to transport to the source of a cassette recording.

Worth Noting: This won the Best Short (Fantasy) at Austin’s Fantastic Fest.

Do We Care?: An...

Focus Features has closed a deal for a feature-length adaptation of Jesse Atlas' 11-minute Sundance short "Record/Play".

The tragic love story deals with time travel achieved by manipulating a Walkman to transport the user to the source of a cassette recording.

Atlas and Aaron Wolfe will co-write the script with Atlas attached to direct. Richard Suckle will produce and Charles Roven is executive producing.

Source: THR...

Wow!  This is the dream for many-a-filmmaker. You make a short film; it gets the attention of a Hollywood studio executive or creative, eventually, who loves it so much (at least the idea of it) that they want to see it as a feature-length film.  That's happened to several filmmakers in the past, and clearly, despite an industry that's wrestling with change, is still one proven pathway for up-and-comers to consider. A day after news of James Schamus' exit from Focus Features, the Universal Pictures subsidiary has inked a deal to adapt Jesse Atlas' 11-minute short film, Record/Play, into feature film length, with Aaron Wolfe, who wrote the screenplay for the short...

Despite an executive shake-up Wednesday that saw CEO James Schamus out and Peter Schlessel taking the reins, it's back to business at Focus Features. The specialty label has closed a deal to make a feature-length adaptation of Jesse Atlas' short Record/Play with Charles Roven's (Man of Steel) Atlas Entertainment producing. Atlas is writing the screenplay with Aaron Wolfe and is attached to direct. The 11-minute short, which screened at Sundance in January, is described as tragic love story wrapped in a complex time-travel scenario. The time travel is achieved by manipulating a Walkman to transport to the source of a

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Monsters is a low-budget indie extraterrestrial invasion drama that put filmmaker Gareth Edwards’ name on the map, leading to him securing a job as director on the Hollywood Godzilla franchise reboot (which began principal photography this month).

Shooting has commenced on the followup to Edwards’ breakout project, which is going under the title Monsters: Dark Continent. Edwards never intended to write and/or direct either the sequel or any potential spinoffs, but is still executive producing the venture alongside producer-distributor Vertigo Films (which was also a backer on the original movie) and management/production company 42.

The personnel lineup has changed, since the last time we reported on the Monsters sequel nearly two years ago. Directing duties are no longer being handled by Jesse Atlas and Brent Bonacorso (the short “Now and Nowhere”), ...

Click to continue reading ‘Monsters’ Sequel Begins Filming; ‘Godzilla’ Director Gareth Edwards Producing...

For a while it didn't look like a sequel to Monsters was going to happen. Brent Bonacorso and Jesse Atlas were attached to direct the film but there hasn't been any movement on the project since. Gareth Edwards had moved on to direct the Godzilla reboot and it seemed like the project had stalled. Well it turns out that the newly titled Monsters: Dark Continent is in fact filming in Jordon and Tom Green is now directing the sequel. Tom Green (not to be confused with the Razzie Award winning...

Here is a complete listing of the films that were shown/covered by the Ioncinema.com team comprised of Nicholas Bell (Nb), Jordan M. Smith (Js) and Eric Lavallee (El). We’ll be populating this page up until March.

U.S. Dramatic Competition

Afternoon Delight – Jill Soloway: Nb (★★ 1/2): Review

Ain’T Them Bodies Saints – David Lowery: El (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review // Interview

Austenland- Jerusha Hess: Nb (★): Review

C.O.G.- Kyle Patrick Alvarez: Js (★★ 1/2), Nb (★★ 1/2): Review

Concussion – Stacie Passon: El (★★★), Js (★★★ 1/2), Nb (★★★): Review // Interview

Emanuel And The Truth About Fishes – Francesca Gregorini: Js (★★★), Nb (★★★ 1/2): Review

Fruitvale – Ryan Coogler: El (★★★), Js (★★★★★), Nb (★★★★): Review // Interview // Video

In A World… – Lake Bell: El (★★★): Review

Kill Your Darlings – John Krokidas: El (★★★), Nb (★★★): Review

The Lifeguard – Liz W. Garcia: El (★★ 1/2): Review

May In The Summer...

Tons of notable entries from established auteurs, documentarians and the next generation of filmmakers to watch out for are the make-up of Sundance’s 2013 Short Film program. A total of 65 short films were selected from a whopping 8000 plus entries and among the notable names/shorts to look out for we find The Captain – from the Blue Tongue Films gang of Nash Edgerton and Spencer Susser (Hesher) a project penned with Taika Waititi (Eagle vs Shark), Goran Dukic who brought The Wristcutters to the fest several years back, brings us What Do We Have in Our Pockets?, while Damien Chazelle who directed the feature Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, brings us Whiplash and Guillermo Arriaga (The Burning Plain) let’s us feast on Broken Night.

Andrew Renzi makes it back to back years at the fest, he was invited last year for The Fort (here’s our interview with him) returns with Karaoke!

The world premiere of FilmDistrict’s Red Dawn reboot will close The Austin-based genre fest today. Well, if you didn’t already hear, Lithuanian sci-fi romantic thriller Vanishing Waves was the big winner by picking up four awards including Best Feature, Best Director (Kristina Buozyte), Best Screenplay (Bruno Samper, Buozyte), and Best Actress (Jurga Jutaite).

Have you ever dreamed of being inside the head of another person – a beloved one or your rival ? Have you ever wished to experience the ideal relationship, where two minds come into total fusion? “Vanishing waves” – a sci-fi melodrama. Following solid scientific experiment, based on the neural transfer, a young inhibited man will live an astonishing journey in the comatose woman anonymous mind. This contemporary tale is exploring the nature of desire by exposing links and contradictions between the human body and the mind.

Here Comes the Devil, Adrian Garcia Bogliano‘s homage to 70s horror films,...

Photo by David Hill

Fantastic Fest is almost at its end, which means it’s of course time for the one and only Fantastic Awards!

Now I could waste your time for a few paragraphs on the apparent ridiculousness of holding an Award Ceremony at the half-way point of a festival, but instead I’m going to save my tirades for more important matters, and just assume that Festival Organizers worldwide know what they’re doing. What I Will give you though is a list of this years Award Winners!

As you look through the list of winners, you may want to take note of a few key films and add them to your “To Screen” list. One of them is Adrian Garcia Bogliano’s homage to 70’s horror film’s Here Comes The Devil, which became the first film in Fantastic Fest history to completely Sweep the Horror Features...

Fantastic Fest has announced the 2012 Fantastic Fest Award winners. With all the great films screening at the Fest, they had quite a time choosing the best and most striking films of the festival.

Look for more coverage from Travis Keune in the coming days. Check out his Fantastic Fest review of Frankenweenie here and Dredd 3D here.

Audience Award (Presented by Maxwell Locke & Ritter)

I Declare War (dir. Robert Wilson & Jason Lapeyre)

Amd “Next Wave” Spotlight Competition

Best Picture: Flicker (dir. Patrik Eklund)

Best Director: Charles de Lauzirika (Crave)

Best Screenplay: Max Porcelijn (Plan C)

Best Actor: Michael Eklund (Errors of the Human Body)

Best Actress: Alina Levshin (Combat Girls)

Fantastic Features

Best Picture: Vanishing Waves (dir. Kristina Buozyte)

Best Director: Kristina Buozyte (Vanishing Waves)

Best Screenplay: Bruno Samper, Kristina Buozyte (Vanishing Waves)

Best Actor: Rene Bitorajac (Vegetarian Cannibal)

Best Actress: Jurga Jutaite (Vanishing Waves)

Horror Features

Best Picture: Here Comes the Devil (dir.

One of the greatest film festivals on the face of the planet, Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas, has unveiled their award winners for 2012, and it's quite an impressive list to say the least. Read on to see who's taking home some fantastic memories!

From the Press Release

Fantastic Fest is thrilled to announce this year's Fantastic Fest Award winners. It's a terrible task to pick favorites and single out any of the magnificent films that played at this year's festival, but our esteemed team of jurors have done the nearly impossible and chosen the best and most striking films of the festival.

The audience awards are presented by accounting firm Maxwell Locke & Ritter, who provided the certified tabulation of ballots this year and are the exclusive accounting sponsor of Fantastic Fest. Amd is the presenter of the prestigious "Next Wave" Awards, which honors emerging filmmakers. The winner of the "Next...

Fantastic Fest recently announced their selection of more than 40 short films slated to slither and crawl into all the various orifices of this annual extravaganza of genre film. The biopsy of the best genre short films from around the globe will showcase works from several countries, including Spain, South Korea, Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands and more.

38-39°C (2011)

Regional Premiere

Director: Jason Hong, South Korea, 8 minutes

A father and son confront the emotional divide that separates them in the intimate setting of a Korean bathhouse.

88:88 (2012)

Regional Premiere

Director: Joey Ciccoline, USA, 14 minutes

Val has lost control of her life. Those around her deny the reality of the extraordinary experiences she feels powerless against. Realizing she must stand alone, she has only one remaining option – to find a way to fight back.

Advantageous (2012)

Regional Premiere

Director: Jennifer Phang, USA 23 minutes

Gwen is the spokesperson for a radical technology...

Teaser for one of the short films in competition at the Urbanworld Film Festival this year (making its USA premiere), titled Record/Play, directed by Jesse Atlas, starring Mustafa Shakir and Deepti Gupta. In the drama/sci-fi/thriller, a malfunctioning cassette tape captures more than just audio.  I've screened the film, and it explores an intriguing idea that you probably won't immediately, completely grasp in the teaser below. I can always appreciate a filmmaker pushing for something beyond the usual, expected fare. But those attending the festival will get to see it in full, and I'm sure the filmmaker will eventually make the entire film...

The official lineup of short films playing this year's Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas, has been announced, and let's just say that there are lots of reasons why you should be packing your bags and heading to the Longhorn State!

From the Press Release:

Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the short film lineup for the eighth edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 20th-27th in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest loves its short films - they provide a fertile ground for new and exciting filmmaking talent to show off their genre goods in an unrestrained format. Here is the lineup for Fantastic Fest 2012:

38-39°C (2011)

Regional Premiere

Director: Jason Hong, South Korea, 8 minutes

A father and son confront the emotional divide that separates them in the intimate setting of a Korean bathhouse.

88:88 (2012)

Regional Premiere

Director: Joey Ciccoline, USA, 14 minutes

Val has lost control of her life. Those around...

For their 5th annual edition, the Minneapolis Underground Film Festival is heating up by returning to the summer after being a winter event for the past three years. The fest will run on Aug. 17-19 with a killer lineup of films from all over the world — most of which probably will not be able to be seen in Minnesota except at this 3-day event.

Plus, there are two programming blocks of short films all made by local filmmakers, including Pam Colby’s Fertile Ashes, Ryan Becken’s Buffalo Shampoo, Janelle Sorenson & Melany Joy Beck’s Bring It 2 Peter, Jl Sosa’s Some of Angela and more.

The feature films screening this year cover an extremely diverse swath of subject matter, from every day people’s murder fantasies fulfilled — cinematically, at least — in Michal Koskowski’s German documentary Zero Killed; a tattoo comes to live to torment its wearer in...

Gareth Edwards’ 2010 film “Monsters” was the sort of sci-fi film you don’t see every day, and the critical reaction was appropriately positive. While many focused on the fact that Edwards was able to not break the bank creating fully realized worlds and creatures literally on his own computer, the film was also a pretty engaging story, featuring a standout performance by actor Scoot McNairy. Edwards has since moved on too Much bigger fare with the Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures-produced “Godzilla” reboot, but he’s also carved out time to get another smaller independent film that’s akin to a “robot 'Star Wars' ” titled “Forever.” However, interest in his debut “Monsters” still resides, with news first hitting around the middle of 2011 that a sequel was in the works, and an announcement arriving earlier this month that the newly coined "Monsters: The Dark Continent" would be heading our way soon.