After 36 years, most of them spent behind bars, the man whose seven successful prison escapes earned him the nickname of Florida's "Prison Houdini" was granted parole by a state board on Thursday. But Mark DeFriest is far from free. Although the Florida Commission on Offender Review granted his parole effective July 26, DeFriest next must report to prison in California, where a four-year sentence awaits for infractions he committed while housed in that state's correctional system. Still, his attorney John Middleton tells People, "My hat's off to the commission for recognizing and doing the right thing." He says DeFriest is a...
- 7/15/2016
- by Jeff Truesdell, @ jhtruesdell
- PEOPLE.com
After 36 years, most of them spent behind bars, the man whose seven successful prison escapes earned him the nickname of Florida's "Prison Houdini" was granted parole by a state board on Thursday. But Mark DeFriest is far from free. Although the Florida Commission on Offender Review granted his parole effective July 26, DeFriest next must report to prison in California, where a four-year sentence awaits for infractions he committed while housed in that state's correctional system. Still, his attorney John Middleton tells People, "My hat's off to the commission for recognizing and doing the right thing." He says DeFriest is a...
- 7/15/2016
- by Jeff Truesdell, @ jhtruesdell
- PEOPLE.com
Read More: International Documentary Association Announces 3rd Annual Documentary Screening Series, Including 'Amy,' 'Meru' and More Director Gabriel London recently joined the International Documentary Association to discuss his newest film, "The Mind of Mark DeFriest." The conversation was the latest entry in Ida's discussion series, in which the organization interviews filmmakers behind the year's most important documentaries about their process and finished product. The official synopsis for "The Mind of Mark DeFriest" reads: "Once known as Houdini for his multiple and improbable jailbreaks, Mark DeFriest was condemned to Florida’s worst prison after a lone psychiatrist reversed four court appointed psychiatrists and declared Mark was faking mental illness. Over 30 years later, Mark is still struggling to understand how to survive a rigid and unforgiving system, while his remaining supporters forge an unlikely alliance to argue for...
- 11/17/2015
- by Sonya Saepoff
- Indiewire
Titles include Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary, Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next and Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land.
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .
The submitted features in alphabetical order are:
Above And Beyond
All Things Must Pass
Amy
The Armor Of Light
Ballet 422
Batkid Begins
Becoming Bulletproof
Being Evel
Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery
Best Of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution
Bolshoi Babylon
[link...
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .
The submitted features in alphabetical order are:
Above And Beyond
All Things Must Pass
Amy
The Armor Of Light
Ballet 422
Batkid Begins
Becoming Bulletproof
Being Evel
Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery
Best Of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution
Bolshoi Babylon
[link...
- 10/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on...
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on...
- 10/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
One hundred twenty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 88th Academy Awards.
Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Above and Beyond”
“All Things Must Pass”
“Amy”
“The Armor of Light”
“Ballet 422”
“Batkid Begins”
“Becoming Bulletproof”
“Being Evel”
“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”
“Best of Enemies”
“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”
“Bolshoi Babylon”
“Brand: A Second Coming”
“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”
“Call Me Lucky”
“Cartel Land”
“Censored Voices”
“Champs”
“CodeGirl”
“Coming Home”
“Dark Horse”
“Deli Man”
“Dior and I”
“The Diplomat”
“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”
“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”
“Dreamcatcher”
“dream/killer”
“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
“Eating Happiness”
“Every Last Child”
“Evidence of Harm”
“Farewell to Hollywood...
Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Above and Beyond”
“All Things Must Pass”
“Amy”
“The Armor of Light”
“Ballet 422”
“Batkid Begins”
“Becoming Bulletproof”
“Being Evel”
“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”
“Best of Enemies”
“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”
“Bolshoi Babylon”
“Brand: A Second Coming”
“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”
“Call Me Lucky”
“Cartel Land”
“Censored Voices”
“Champs”
“CodeGirl”
“Coming Home”
“Dark Horse”
“Deli Man”
“Dior and I”
“The Diplomat”
“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”
“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”
“Dreamcatcher”
“dream/killer”
“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
“Eating Happiness”
“Every Last Child”
“Evidence of Harm”
“Farewell to Hollywood...
- 10/23/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The third annual First Time Fest took place in New York City this past weekend; a film festival that celebrates first time filmmakers, whether they are first time directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, composers and producers. The festival holds a competition for filmmakers all over the world to submit their film and win theatrical distribution as well as international sales. The festival is also the only festival to boast that sixteen of its eighteen competition films have garnered theatrical distribution in an international audience, something no other festival can claim. With such a great track record, it’s no doubt that these films are sure to exceed expectations and are worthy of viewing. Here are the films and what awards they won.
The Intruder (Infiltrant) is a film from Holland directed by Shariff Korver and written by him as well as Rogier de Blok. The film follows a Dutch-Moroccan undercover police...
The Intruder (Infiltrant) is a film from Holland directed by Shariff Korver and written by him as well as Rogier de Blok. The film follows a Dutch-Moroccan undercover police...
- 3/13/2015
- by Catherina Gioino
- Nerdly
The Third Annual First Time Fest took place over the past weekend in New York City, from March 5th to March 9th. The festival, which celebrates first time filmmakers, had numerous panels that discussed topics such as financing films to getting the right marketing for the film to even talks from established filmmakers sharing their advice. The festival concluded with the honoring of Harvey Weinstein, as a tribute for “his support of first time filmmakers.”
A purely New York City centric film festival, the festival’s founders of Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward chose to show the films at the Core Club, the Village East Cinema, and the Wild Project, while the discussions and panels were featured at the B Bar and Grill. The festival allows for a five day competition among films that were completed by first time filmmakers for the chance to win international sales and theatrical distribution.
A purely New York City centric film festival, the festival’s founders of Johanna Bennett and Mandy Ward chose to show the films at the Core Club, the Village East Cinema, and the Wild Project, while the discussions and panels were featured at the B Bar and Grill. The festival allows for a five day competition among films that were completed by first time filmmakers for the chance to win international sales and theatrical distribution.
- 3/13/2015
- by Catherina Gioino
- Nerdly
In the late 1970s, a 19-year-old Mark DeFriest caught four years in jail for picking up some tools before his father’s will was probated. His stepmother called the police and Mark made a run for it, landing him in jail. Mark’s tendency to run has kept him there ever since. A compulsive (and talented) escape artist, DeFriest’s constant disciplinary infractions have extended his sentence to nearly 2080. The documentary, “The Life And Mind of Mark DeFriest,” the result of a 13-year effort by director Gabriel London, documents the horrific odyssey that DeFriest has made through the Florida prison system, a journey with no end in sight. A sort of American Charles Bronson (the prisoner), DeFriest’s antics have a mythic quality to them, and he is notorious in the prison system for his ballsy jailbreaks and mechanical skill, garnering himself the nickname “Houdini.” The son of a WWII Oss officer,...
- 3/6/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
A chilling, timely, often darkly and unexpectedly humorous look at one man's brutal experiences in the American prison system, the documentary The Mind of Mark DeFriest is the adage "truth is stranger than fiction" writ large. If it were a Hollywood fiction, the film would strain credulity at almost every turn. (Don't be surprised if it's one day turned into an Oscar-bait biopic.) After his father dies, nineteen-year-old DeFriest — ignorant about the terms of probate — goes to the family home to retrieve the valuable work tools bequeathed him in the elder man's will. His stepmother calls the cops, setting into motion a years-long trek through the justice system that includes several impressive jailbreaks that embarrassed the powers that be and tacked...
- 3/4/2015
- Village Voice
Some great news for documentary fans: “The Mind of Mark DeFriest,” one of our favorite films from last year’s La Film Fest, will be released in theaters next month by City Drive Films on March 6th and will air on Showtime March 19th. We’ve got the exclusive full length trailer for the film (we brought you the teaser last fall). The film traces one man’s inexplicable decades-long journey through the Florida prison system and is a remarkable and artful representation of his life. In our review, we called it “a curious, infuriating and haunting tale, and an accomplishment of documentary filmmaking.” The trailer features incredible animation from Thought Café that brings to life DeFriest’s wild exploits and escapes, as well as interviews with DeFriest and the psychologist whose assessment greatly affected his journey. The film has been instrumental in bringing awareness to DeFriest’s unjust incarceration.
- 2/11/2015
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
City Drive Films proudly announced that they have acquired Us rights to the multiple-award winning documentary, "The Mind of Mark DeFriest." Directed by Gabriel London, the critically acclaimed film chronicles the life of erstwhile Florida prison escape artist Mark DeFriest, as well as the terrifying abuse he experienced during his decades in Florida’s prison system.
"The Mind of Mark DeFriest" will open theatrically in select cities beginning on March 6, 2015, and will air on Showtime® on March 19.
The film follows is the true story of a brilliant young man’s descent into an unforgiving and brutal prison system that sought to break him. Originally found ‘incompetent to be sentenced’ by five of six psychiatrists, DeFriest, like many prisoners with mental illness, spent an incredible amount of time in solitary confinement – 27 of the last 34 years. His crimes? Taking the tools his father, who was recently deceased, had willed to him before the will was probated – and a string of ‘Houdini’ escapes in the early 1980s that earned him the unending ire of the system.
As the film screened at festivals in 2014, audiences began to rally around the injustice in DeFriest’s case and members of the Florida Commission on Offender Review were compelled to see the film and the story in a new light.
"The Mind of Mark DeFriest" is a testament to how powerful a film can be in righting social justice. “For me, the dream has always been that both the film and the man would see the light of day,” said director London. “With the support of City Drive and the platform Showtime offers, we will reach a wide audience with the power to write a happier ending for Mark and the thousands of others like him in our prison system.”
“We are beyond excited to be associated with and working on such an important Film. Gabriel dedicated many years of his life to bring to light this fascinating story and help secure Mark’s freedom. People need to see this Film and help reform our prison system. ” said City Drive’s Founder/ President Daniel E Catullo III.
The film was produced by London, Daniel J. Chalfen and Charlie Sadoff. It premiered internationally at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival in 2014 and in the Us at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival. It has continued to play multiple festivals nationwide and winning awards including Best Documentary Feature Award at the Lone Star Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Naples International Film Festival, and best Florida feature at the Key West International Film Festival.
For more information visit Here...
"The Mind of Mark DeFriest" will open theatrically in select cities beginning on March 6, 2015, and will air on Showtime® on March 19.
The film follows is the true story of a brilliant young man’s descent into an unforgiving and brutal prison system that sought to break him. Originally found ‘incompetent to be sentenced’ by five of six psychiatrists, DeFriest, like many prisoners with mental illness, spent an incredible amount of time in solitary confinement – 27 of the last 34 years. His crimes? Taking the tools his father, who was recently deceased, had willed to him before the will was probated – and a string of ‘Houdini’ escapes in the early 1980s that earned him the unending ire of the system.
As the film screened at festivals in 2014, audiences began to rally around the injustice in DeFriest’s case and members of the Florida Commission on Offender Review were compelled to see the film and the story in a new light.
"The Mind of Mark DeFriest" is a testament to how powerful a film can be in righting social justice. “For me, the dream has always been that both the film and the man would see the light of day,” said director London. “With the support of City Drive and the platform Showtime offers, we will reach a wide audience with the power to write a happier ending for Mark and the thousands of others like him in our prison system.”
“We are beyond excited to be associated with and working on such an important Film. Gabriel dedicated many years of his life to bring to light this fascinating story and help secure Mark’s freedom. People need to see this Film and help reform our prison system. ” said City Drive’s Founder/ President Daniel E Catullo III.
The film was produced by London, Daniel J. Chalfen and Charlie Sadoff. It premiered internationally at Toronto’s Hot Docs Film Festival in 2014 and in the Us at the 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival. It has continued to play multiple festivals nationwide and winning awards including Best Documentary Feature Award at the Lone Star Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Naples International Film Festival, and best Florida feature at the Key West International Film Festival.
For more information visit Here...
- 2/11/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Cinema Guild has acquired all rights to Jem Cohen’s documentary Counting ahead of its world premiere in Berlin on Monday (February 9).
The film (pictured) comprises 15 chapters shot around the world. Cinema Guild negotiated the deal with Jem Cohen.
Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights from Le Pacte to Jean-Jacques Zilbermann’s French drama To Life (À La Vie) and has set a September theatrical release. Julie Depardieu, Suzanne Clément and Johanna ter Steege star in the story of three women who reunite 15 years after surviving Auschwitz. The film premiered in Locarno.City Drive Films has acquired Us rights to documentary The Mind Of Mark Defriest, about abuse suffered by the escape artist in the prison system. The film will open theatrically on March 6 and air on Showtime on March 19.
The film (pictured) comprises 15 chapters shot around the world. Cinema Guild negotiated the deal with Jem Cohen.
Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights from Le Pacte to Jean-Jacques Zilbermann’s French drama To Life (À La Vie) and has set a September theatrical release. Julie Depardieu, Suzanne Clément and Johanna ter Steege star in the story of three women who reunite 15 years after surviving Auschwitz. The film premiered in Locarno.City Drive Films has acquired Us rights to documentary The Mind Of Mark Defriest, about abuse suffered by the escape artist in the prison system. The film will open theatrically on March 6 and air on Showtime on March 19.
- 2/6/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The truth is always stranger, and scarier, than fiction, and that's evidenced in the true-life story of Florida prisoner Mark DeFriest. We've got the exclusive teaser for the documentary about him, "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest" from director Gabriel London. We caught the film at the L.A. Film Fest this summer, and it's a truly harrowing story, telling the tale of one man inexplicably trapped in the criminal justice system (despite his best escape efforts), confronting those who have kept him there for too long. Our review of the film said, "there’s simply no way to come out of this film feeling that justice exists in any way in this man’s life. It’s a curious, infuriating and haunting tale, and an accomplishment of documentary filmmaking." While it focuses on just one man's odyssey, the film is a damning portrait of the entire misbegotten criminal justice system.
- 10/30/2014
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
‘Doctor Who’ actor Bill Kerr, also featured in Peter Weir’s ‘Gallipoli’ and ‘The Year of Living Dangerously,’ dead at 92 (photo: Bill Kerr and Patrick Troughton in ‘Doctor Who’) Australian actor Bill Kerr, best known internationally for a guest spot in the 1960s TV series Doctor Who, and for his supporting roles in the Peter Weir movies Gallipoli and The Year of Living Dangerously, died on August 28 (or 29, according to some sources), 2014, while watching the TV show Seinfeld at his home in Perth, West Australia. Kerr, whose exact cause of death is unclear, was 92. Born William Kerr on June 10, 1922, in Capetown, South Africa, to Australian vaudevillian parents touring the country, Bill Kerr grew up in Australia, where he became a popular television, stage, and film personality. His show business career began at an early age. “My mother took about 10 weeks off to have me, and when she returned to the...
- 8/29/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
In the late 1970s, a 19-year-old Mark DeFriest caught four years in jail for picking up some tools before his father’s will was probated. His stepmother called the police, and Mark made a run for it, landing him in jail. Mark’s tendency to run has kept him there ever since. A compulsive (and talented) escape artist, DeFriest’s constant disciplinary infractions have extended his sentence to nearly 2080. The documentary “The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest,” the result of a 13-year effort by director Gabriel London, documents the horrific odyssey that DeFriest has made through the Florida prison system, a journey with no end in sight. A sort of American Charles Bronson (the prisoner), DeFriest’s antics have a mythic quality to them, and he is notorious in the prison system for his ballsy jailbreaks and mechanical skill, garnering himself the nickname “Houdini.” The son of a WWII Oss officer,...
- 6/18/2014
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
When the title subject of Gabriel London’s “The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest” is ushered into view in the opening moments of the film, the lifelong inmate is sporting sunglasses, aloof in the face of his impending questioning. After sitting down in a chair and the receiving the first round of on-camera questions, the transition lenses inside his glasses turn clear, revealing the eyes of a man who, even more than the typical enigmatic criminal, defies a simple characterization. Yet, within the annals of the American penitentiary system, DeFriest’s reputation has been solidified exponentially faster than an alternate one could emerge. Such is the challenge for both London and his subjects: to reconstruct a narrative already cemented by an entire institution. Mark DeFriest is infamous in an environment while notoriety quickly becomes a giant bullseye at the very least and a death knell at its worst. After...
- 6/18/2014
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
There are a few ways you can spend your time in prison: putting your head down and doing the time, fighting the system that put you there in the first place or simply trying to find a way to survive. But for Mark DeFriest, he spent his time behind bars concocting ways to break out. And his fascinating story is coming in the documentary "The Life And Mind Of Mark DeFriest." Directed by Gabriel London, and featuring the participation of Scoot McNairy and Shea Whigham, the film recounts the eighteen escape attempts by DeFriest from various institutions, with schemes ranging from using homemade zip guns to giving medical staff LSD. But why did he want to flee? As this exclusive clip highlights, life behind bars can be brutal, particularly in Florida State Prison, where even seeing daylight and breathing fresh air might be something you do only once per week.
- 5/22/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Vote below for this week's Project of the Week. The winning filmmaker will receive a digital distribution consultation from SnagFilms and will become a candidate for Project of the Month. That winner will be awarded with a creative consultation from the fine folks at the Tribeca Film Institute! The four projects up for the prize: "Dancing in Jaffa," "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest," "The Virgins" and "The Fitzroy." Voting will end on Monday December 24, at 11Am Eastern. Note: Votes are confirmed by email. After voting, please look for an email from Poll Daddy and confirm your vote. Indiewire nor PollDaddy use your email address after the confirmation, but if you do want to sign up for our newsletter, why Don't you mosey on over here and do so! Which project do you most want to see?...
- 12/21/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Here's your daily dose of an indie film in progress; at the end of the week, you'll have the chance to vote for your favorite. In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments. "The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest" Tweetable Logline: After 27 years enduring the brutality of solitary confinement, a renowned prison escape artist faces his last chance for legitimate freedom. Elevator Pitch: The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest exposes the story of a non-violent offender who has spent 27 years in solitary confinement and is known as the “Houdini of Florida” for his multiple prison escapes. Forced to adapt to life in a 6x9 cell directly above the electric chair, where he could smell the burning flesh of executions, Mark DeFriest’s story...
- 12/18/2012
- by Indiewire
- Indiewire
Hello blog readers. I’m Rebecca Richman Cohen, a relapsed documentary filmmaker. I say relapsed because I tried to quit this industry once already to no avail. After swearing off assistant editing, I went to law school and became passionate about indigent criminal defense. But alas, I wound up filmmaking again. I’m a doc addict. So it goes. I’m representing two films in Independent Film Week. Both are directly criminal justice related, though perhaps not sufficiently so to justify three years of law school. The Life and Mind of Mark DeFriest (directed by Gabriel London, produced by me) deals with a mentally ill prison escape artist in North Florida. And War Don Don (directed by me, produced by Francisco Bello) profiles a controversial...
- 9/18/2009
- by Rebecca Richman Cohen
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.