Justin Simien’s Hollywood Black, an edifying if focus-challenged four-part docuseries about the central yet under-appreciated African American contributions to cinema history, comes with a couple of semi-contradictions.
The documentary’s entire premise is based on the inadequacy of how film schools address the topic, yet it’s inspired by the book by Donald Bogle, whose Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks has been indispensable in cultural studies classes for 50 years. It presumably aims to bring its topic to the widest possible modern audience, but does so on a streaming service — MGM+ — whose footprint is rooted in the past and nearly negligible in the present.
Full of fascinating conversations with fascinating people and packed with interest-piquing clips, Hollywood Black nevertheless falls well short of resembling a definitive documentary on the subject. But even well-informed viewers are bound to come away with several insights and a few overlooked texts to seek out.
The documentary’s entire premise is based on the inadequacy of how film schools address the topic, yet it’s inspired by the book by Donald Bogle, whose Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks has been indispensable in cultural studies classes for 50 years. It presumably aims to bring its topic to the widest possible modern audience, but does so on a streaming service — MGM+ — whose footprint is rooted in the past and nearly negligible in the present.
Full of fascinating conversations with fascinating people and packed with interest-piquing clips, Hollywood Black nevertheless falls well short of resembling a definitive documentary on the subject. But even well-informed viewers are bound to come away with several insights and a few overlooked texts to seek out.
- 8/8/2024
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sffilm has announced the winners of the juried Golden Gate Awards competition and the Audience Awards at the 67th San Francisco International Film Festival (Sffilm Festival). The awards serve as a launching pad for internationally renowned filmmakers who are early in their careers, and they qualify films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Past Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs, Céline Sciamma, Jia Zhang-ke, Stanley Nelson, and Tasha Van Zandt.
This year, the 2024 Sffilm Festival ran five days from April 24 – 28 rather than its usual sprawling two weeks. The Sffilm board opted to pull back conservatively where others would have gone bigger to keep a more expansive footprint. Altogether they brought in 130 filmmakers this year, an excellent global selection of films despite the calendar disadvantage of being caught between Sundance and Cannes.
The big talk at this year’s Sffilm was the news that San...
This year, the 2024 Sffilm Festival ran five days from April 24 – 28 rather than its usual sprawling two weeks. The Sffilm board opted to pull back conservatively where others would have gone bigger to keep a more expansive footprint. Altogether they brought in 130 filmmakers this year, an excellent global selection of films despite the calendar disadvantage of being caught between Sundance and Cannes.
The big talk at this year’s Sffilm was the news that San...
- 4/30/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Last King of Scotland.In 2007, Forest Whitaker won the Academy Award for his performance as Ugandan dictator and army general Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland (2006), becoming only the fourth Black man to win Best Actor. Lauded as the role of his career, critics praised his “full-throated, technically accomplished” performance, and his ability to “seize the space and show us how he can rage”.“Full-throated” the performance was indeed, but it was a throat filled with an accent that neither sounded like Amin’s nor any person from Koboko, northern Uganda, where the general was born. “Technically accomplished,” but the accent, directed by dialect coach Robert Easton, was neither technical, nor accomplished. Linguistically speaking, Whitaker’s accent is riddled with instances of the US English rhotic R pronunciation (which is pronounced at the back of the throat without a trill), and a combination of vowel pronunciations from across East Africa,...
- 11/9/2023
- MUBI
Seven years ago this month, in the aftermath of the attack on Orlando’s Pulse nightclub, one call to action rose above the din: “Say their names.” New Yorkers chanted it steps from the Stonewall Inn. The mother of a child gunned down at Sandy Hook penned it in an open letter. The Orlando Sentinel printed the names. Anderson Cooper recited them. A gunman, 29-year-old Omar Mateen, murdered 49 people and wounded 53 others in the wee hours of that awful Sunday, massacring LGBTQ people of color and their allies in the middle of Pride Month, and the commemoration of the dead demanded knowing who they were. “These,” as MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell urged his viewers, “are the names to remember.”
The titles on our list of the best LGBTQ movies of all time are a globe-spanning, multigenerational testament to our existence in a world where our erasure is no abstraction. From...
The titles on our list of the best LGBTQ movies of all time are a globe-spanning, multigenerational testament to our existence in a world where our erasure is no abstraction. From...
- 6/12/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
Just in time for Succession‘s end, let’s look at method acting. The Criterion Channel are highlighting the controversial practice in a 27-film series centered on Brando, Newman, Nicholson, and many other’s embodiment of “an intensely personal, internalized, and naturalistic approach to performance.” That series makes mention of Marilyn Monroe, who gets her own, 11-title highlight––the iconic commingling with deeper cuts.
Pride Month offers “Masc,” a consideration of “trans men, butch lesbians, and gender-nonconforming heroes” onscreen; the Michael Koresky-curated Queersighted returning with a study of the gay best friend; and the 20-film “LGBTQ+ Favorites.” Louis Garrel’s delightful The Innocent (about which I talked to him here), the director’s cut of Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation, and Stanley Kwan’s hugely underseen Lan Yu make streaming premieres, while Araki’s Totally F***ed Up and Mysterious Skin also get a run. Criterion Editions include Five Easy Pieces,...
Pride Month offers “Masc,” a consideration of “trans men, butch lesbians, and gender-nonconforming heroes” onscreen; the Michael Koresky-curated Queersighted returning with a study of the gay best friend; and the 20-film “LGBTQ+ Favorites.” Louis Garrel’s delightful The Innocent (about which I talked to him here), the director’s cut of Gregg Araki’s The Doom Generation, and Stanley Kwan’s hugely underseen Lan Yu make streaming premieres, while Araki’s Totally F***ed Up and Mysterious Skin also get a run. Criterion Editions include Five Easy Pieces,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Savanah Leaf’s feature debut “Earth Mama” is starting to look like an early awards season prospect for distributor A24. After successful premieres at both Sundance and New Directors/New Films, the drama about a young Black mother’s fight to wrest her kids from the foster care system just won the Audience Award at Sffilm, also known as the San Francisco International Film Festival. “Earth Mama” is notably a Bay Area-grown production, with former Olympian athlete turned filmmaker Leaf casting non-professional actors for the feature.
IndieWire shares the full list of Golden Gate Award winners out of Sffilm, now in its 66th year and which ran from April 12 through 23, below.
The prize winners range from narrative features to documentaries and shorts. The awards are also notable as a qualifier for films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Previous Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs,...
IndieWire shares the full list of Golden Gate Award winners out of Sffilm, now in its 66th year and which ran from April 12 through 23, below.
The prize winners range from narrative features to documentaries and shorts. The awards are also notable as a qualifier for films under 40 minutes for the Oscars. Previous Golden Gate Award winners include Panah Panahi, Reid Davenport, Nadav Lapid, Marlon Riggs,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
In a major shift one of the nation’s premier arthouses, Karen Cooper will be exiting as director on June 30 after 50 years running the Film Forum in New York City. Deputy Director Sonya Chung will assume the role.
Cooper has led the nonprofit cinema since its first iteration in 1972 as a 50-seat loft space on the Upper West Side open only weekends, to a multi-million dollar operation with four screens and 500 seats in lower Manhattan. She’ll remain an advisor to Chung with a focus on programming premieres and fundraising
“To say this is a transitional moment would be a vast understatement – for virtually all of its history, Film Forum has been energetically and most ably guided by Karen, not least during the very challenging pandemic period from which we are emerging. My board colleagues and I are extremely grateful for her tenure, and excited that in Sonya we have...
Cooper has led the nonprofit cinema since its first iteration in 1972 as a 50-seat loft space on the Upper West Side open only weekends, to a multi-million dollar operation with four screens and 500 seats in lower Manhattan. She’ll remain an advisor to Chung with a focus on programming premieres and fundraising
“To say this is a transitional moment would be a vast understatement – for virtually all of its history, Film Forum has been energetically and most ably guided by Karen, not least during the very challenging pandemic period from which we are emerging. My board colleagues and I are extremely grateful for her tenure, and excited that in Sonya we have...
- 1/9/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Library of Congress has unveiled its list of 25 films that have been chosen to be preserved in the National Film Registry this year.
In order to qualify, films must be at least 10 years old and “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
The organization made the selections after conferring with the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board and a small group of Library specialists. Additionally, 6,865 titles nominated by the public were considered.
Also Read:
Patty Jenkins Denies Walking Away From ‘Wonder Woman 3’
One of the most notable 2022 inductees is Marvel Studios’ 2008 film “Iron Man,” which kicked off the now popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said a statement.
In order to qualify, films must be at least 10 years old and “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.
The organization made the selections after conferring with the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board and a small group of Library specialists. Additionally, 6,865 titles nominated by the public were considered.
Also Read:
Patty Jenkins Denies Walking Away From ‘Wonder Woman 3’
One of the most notable 2022 inductees is Marvel Studios’ 2008 film “Iron Man,” which kicked off the now popular Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“Iron Man was the very first film Marvel Studios independently produced. It was the first film that we had all of the creative control and oversight on and it was really make or break for the studio,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said a statement.
- 12/14/2022
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
When discussing representation, we emphasize the necessity of Black people living in this moment and seeing themselves onscreen. But in the past, Black audiences had a much stronger need to visualize a different, more prosperous future in the wake of the violent realities of Jim Crow, segregation, and the Civil Rights movement. They needed to see a world where Black people were allowed to meet their full potential as artists, thinkers, and craftspeople.
In the opening lines of the new documentary “Is That Black Enough for You?!?,” director Elvis Mitchell speaks of his grandmother, remarking that “movies changed the way she dreamed.” For people in her generation, those dreams could be life-changing.
But most of the faces she saw onscreen at the movies were white. For the Black cinephile in the early years of Hollywood, projecting oneself onto characters was necessary. And yet, there were filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux and,...
In the opening lines of the new documentary “Is That Black Enough for You?!?,” director Elvis Mitchell speaks of his grandmother, remarking that “movies changed the way she dreamed.” For people in her generation, those dreams could be life-changing.
But most of the faces she saw onscreen at the movies were white. For the Black cinephile in the early years of Hollywood, projecting oneself onto characters was necessary. And yet, there were filmmakers like Oscar Micheaux and,...
- 10/11/2022
- by Jourdain Searles
- Indiewire
Coined by the film historian and critic B. Ruby Rich in 1992 to give voice to the explosion in queer film she was witnessing on the burgeoning film festival circuit, the New Queer Cinema’s influence on independent film cannot be overstated. The ‘80s saw films like Jim Jarmusch’s “Stranger Than Paradise” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” explode the idea of what film could be, in turn inspiring a new generation of radical queer filmmakers to pick up the camera and crack the whole thing wide open.
As Hollywood churned out blockbusters like “Terminator 2” and “Jurassic Park,” anyone paying attention could see that the real fun was being had way below budget. Sundance was still a new little gathering in Park City, where someone fresh out of film school could show a film and meet likeminded artists. Throughout the decade, Sundance gradually established itself as the...
As Hollywood churned out blockbusters like “Terminator 2” and “Jurassic Park,” anyone paying attention could see that the real fun was being had way below budget. Sundance was still a new little gathering in Park City, where someone fresh out of film school could show a film and meet likeminded artists. Throughout the decade, Sundance gradually established itself as the...
- 8/17/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
With fears our winter travel will need a, let’s say, reconsideration, the Criterion Channel’s monthly programming could hardly come at a better moment. High on list of highlights is Louis Feuillade’s delightful Les Vampires, which I suggest soundtracking to Coil, instrumental Nine Inch Nails, and Jóhann Jóhannson’s Mandy score. Notable too is a Sundance ’92 retrospective running the gamut from Paul Schrader to Derek Jarman to Jean-Pierre Gorin, and I’m especially excited for their look at one of America’s greatest actors, Sterling Hayden.
Special notice to Criterion editions of The Killing, The Last Days of Disco, All About Eve, and The Asphalt Jungle, and programming of Ognjen Glavonić’s The Load, among the better debuts in recent years.
See the full list of January titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
-Ship: A Visual Poem, Terrance Day, 2020
5 Fingers, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1952
After Migration: Calabria,...
Special notice to Criterion editions of The Killing, The Last Days of Disco, All About Eve, and The Asphalt Jungle, and programming of Ognjen Glavonić’s The Load, among the better debuts in recent years.
See the full list of January titles below and more on the Criterion Channel.
-Ship: A Visual Poem, Terrance Day, 2020
5 Fingers, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1952
After Migration: Calabria,...
- 12/20/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The holidays are upon us, so whether you looking for film-related gifts or simply want to pick up some of the finest the year had to offer in the category for yourself, we have a gift guide for you. Including must-have books on filmmaking, the best from the Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, and more home-video picks, subscriptions, magazines, music, and more, dive in below.
4K & Blu-ray Box Sets
There’s no better gift for a cinephile than a beautiful Blu-ray box set. Leading the pack in this regard is a collection that actually arrived much earlier this year: World of Wong Kar-wai, the long-awaited Criterion release that features the Hong Kong master’s most celebrated works, along with the first U.S. release of his short The Hand. Another must-own trio of sets from Criterion: Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, featuring four bold films from the late director, The...
4K & Blu-ray Box Sets
There’s no better gift for a cinephile than a beautiful Blu-ray box set. Leading the pack in this regard is a collection that actually arrived much earlier this year: World of Wong Kar-wai, the long-awaited Criterion release that features the Hong Kong master’s most celebrated works, along with the first U.S. release of his short The Hand. Another must-own trio of sets from Criterion: Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, featuring four bold films from the late director, The...
- 11/29/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Rushes: Abel Ferrara's Cinema Village Festival, "The Lighthouse" Manga, Romina Paula & Lázaro Gabino
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Kinuyo Tanaka. Courtesy of Nikkatsu / Carlotta. The Cannes Film Festival has announced the titles of its Cannes Classics section, which includes restored films by Kinuyo Tanaka, Bill Duke, Peter Wollen, and Oscar Micheaux. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mélanie Laurent, Mati Diop, Jessica Hausner, Mylene Farmer, Tahar Rahim, Song Kang-ho and Kleber Mendonça Filho will join director Spike Lee on the Cannes 2021 Competition jury.The Toronto International Film Festival is starting to announce its lineup for this year's edition, from an Alanis Morissette documentary and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast to Edgar Wright's Last Night in Soho and Denis Villeneuve's Dune.In a special episode of New Beverly's Pure Cinema Podcast, Quentin Tarantino has announced he will work with Sony on a new, boutique Blu-Ray label "Tarantino Archives," taking inspiration from Twilight Time and reissuing films from their catalogue.
- 6/30/2021
- MUBI
After decades of toiling in relative obscurity, Jenni Olson is finally receiving the industry recognition she deserves. Her collection of rare 35mm and 16mm queer film prints was acquired by Harvard’s Film Archive last summer. Her films “The Joy of Life” (2005) and “The Royal Road” (2015), which both premiered at Sundance, recently became available on the Criterion Channel alongside her many short films. She was a 2018 MacDowell fellow, and is in development on her third feature-length essay film, “The Quiet World,” which received funding from the Catapult Film Fund and Field of Vision.
Now, she’s the latest recipient of a special Teddy Award from the Berlinale, which recognizes a figure “whose work has made an exceptional contribution…to queer perspectives in art, culture and the media.” Past recipients include Tilda Swinton, Christine Vachon, John Hurt, and Udo Kier.
Anyone involved in queer film over the last three decades will know Olson.
Now, she’s the latest recipient of a special Teddy Award from the Berlinale, which recognizes a figure “whose work has made an exceptional contribution…to queer perspectives in art, culture and the media.” Past recipients include Tilda Swinton, Christine Vachon, John Hurt, and Udo Kier.
Anyone involved in queer film over the last three decades will know Olson.
- 6/25/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Must of the Month
A great way to celebrate Pride this year is with The Signifyin’ Works of Marlon Riggs, a Criterion Collection box set that pays tribute to an essential voice in LGBTQ+ cinema and Black filmmaking. Before his death of HIV/AIDS complications in 1994, Riggs created a vital body of work that includes the sensual and poetic “Tongues Untied” — a film decried on the senate floor by Jesse Helms, and recommendations don’t come much higher — the incisive documentary “Color Adjustment,” about the history of Black characters on American TV, and brilliantly moving personal and experimental films like “Black Is… Black Ain’t” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets).” This compilation of a singular artistic voice belongs in every library.
New Indie
Carrie Coon and Jude Law gave firecracker performances in the under-seen “The Nest” (IFC/Shout Factory) from director Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene...
A great way to celebrate Pride this year is with The Signifyin’ Works of Marlon Riggs, a Criterion Collection box set that pays tribute to an essential voice in LGBTQ+ cinema and Black filmmaking. Before his death of HIV/AIDS complications in 1994, Riggs created a vital body of work that includes the sensual and poetic “Tongues Untied” — a film decried on the senate floor by Jesse Helms, and recommendations don’t come much higher — the incisive documentary “Color Adjustment,” about the history of Black characters on American TV, and brilliantly moving personal and experimental films like “Black Is… Black Ain’t” and “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien (No Regrets).” This compilation of a singular artistic voice belongs in every library.
New Indie
Carrie Coon and Jude Law gave firecracker performances in the under-seen “The Nest” (IFC/Shout Factory) from director Sean Durkin (“Martha Marcy May Marlene...
- 6/2/2021
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The Criterion Collection’s June 2021 lineup has been unveiled, led by Masaki Kobayashi’s staggering, 9.5-hour epic The Human Condition, a seven-film set dedicated to poignant, incisive works of Marlon Riggs, best known for Tongues Untied, and Dee Rees’ acclaimed debut Pariah.
One of the greatest film noirs, Samuel Fuller’s immensely entertaining Pickup on South Street, will also get a release, along with Martin Bell’s two-film series Streetwise and Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell, and the Munich 1972 Olympics feature Visions of Eight, with contributions by Miloš Forman, Kon Ichikawa, Claude Lelouch, Juri Ozerov, Arthur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, and Mai Zetterling.
Check out the cover art for each below and see more here.
The post The Criterion Collection's June Lineup Includes The Human Condition, Marlon Riggs, Pariah & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
One of the greatest film noirs, Samuel Fuller’s immensely entertaining Pickup on South Street, will also get a release, along with Martin Bell’s two-film series Streetwise and Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell, and the Munich 1972 Olympics feature Visions of Eight, with contributions by Miloš Forman, Kon Ichikawa, Claude Lelouch, Juri Ozerov, Arthur Penn, Michael Pfleghar, John Schlesinger, and Mai Zetterling.
Check out the cover art for each below and see more here.
The post The Criterion Collection's June Lineup Includes The Human Condition, Marlon Riggs, Pariah & More first appeared on The Film Stage.
- 3/15/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
From its first edition 24 years ago, the Jihlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, running Oct. 27-Nov. 8, has always gone its own way — largely thanks to director Marek Hovorka and his team, who never wanted to run just another venue for screening docs.
These days, the Czech Republic’s prime doc event continues that mission even as it’s been forced by government Covid-19 safety restrictions to go fully online. A digital version will in fact be a permanent Jihlava feature going forward, Hovorka says, but after this year it will be balanced with live events to create a hybrid fest format.
For 2020, rather than simply streaming films, he says, Jihlava will create a rich experience online and on the ground with top doc makers and leading thinkers visiting the central Bohemian town for talks to be aired live from the Lighthouse. This glassed-in shipping container converted into a studio is installed on Masarykovo namesti,...
These days, the Czech Republic’s prime doc event continues that mission even as it’s been forced by government Covid-19 safety restrictions to go fully online. A digital version will in fact be a permanent Jihlava feature going forward, Hovorka says, but after this year it will be balanced with live events to create a hybrid fest format.
For 2020, rather than simply streaming films, he says, Jihlava will create a rich experience online and on the ground with top doc makers and leading thinkers visiting the central Bohemian town for talks to be aired live from the Lighthouse. This glassed-in shipping container converted into a studio is installed on Masarykovo namesti,...
- 10/27/2020
- by Will Tizard
- Variety Film + TV
With a Republican president running for re-election, leading Black activists and artists assemble to map out political challenges and to demand representation from the two major parties. The year in question, however, is 1972, as a new 4K restoration of William Greaves’ documentary “Nationtime” arrives in virtual theaters via Kino Marquee.
Filmed at the 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana (and unseen at its complete length for decades), this documentary captures a specific moment in time and a political struggle that continues to this day. The war in Vietnam may be long finished, but the governmental clout of corporations that profit off the subjugation of poor communities of color remains as strong today as it ever was.
Assembled as a response to having Black issues overlooked by both parties in an election year, the convention sought to establish a national unity platform in advance of the 1972 Republican and Democratic conventions.
Filmed at the 1972 National Black Political Convention in Gary, Indiana (and unseen at its complete length for decades), this documentary captures a specific moment in time and a political struggle that continues to this day. The war in Vietnam may be long finished, but the governmental clout of corporations that profit off the subjugation of poor communities of color remains as strong today as it ever was.
Assembled as a response to having Black issues overlooked by both parties in an election year, the convention sought to establish a national unity platform in advance of the 1972 Republican and Democratic conventions.
- 10/23/2020
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
The Criterion Channel’s stellar offerings are continuing next month with a selection of new releases, retrospective, series, and more. Leading the pack is, of course, a horror lineup perfectly timed for Halloween, featuring ’70s classics and underseen gems, including Abel Ferrara’s The Driller Killer (pictured above), Tobe Hopper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, early films by David Cronenberg, Wes Craven, and Brian De Palma, Bill Gunn’s Ganja & Hess, and more.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
Also of note is a New Korean Cinema retrospective, featuring a new introduction by critic Grady Hendrix and a conversation between directors Bong Joon Ho and Park Chan-wook, whose Barking Dogs Never Bite, The Host, Mother, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance are part of the lineup, as well as Lee Myung-se’s Nowhere to Hide, and more titles to be announced. Bong’s short Influenza will also arrive, paired with Michael Haneke’s Caché.
- 9/29/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The Bentonville Film Festival set the lineup for its sixth edition Tuesday, with the festival co-founded by Geena Davis unveiling its spotlight and competition program of indie feature films, shorts and episodic titles.
The fest is set to run August 10-16 in the Arkansas city and is being engineered as a hybrid event because of coronavirus concerns, with digital screenings, panels and events to run alongside some on-the-ground premieres and conversations.
This year’s lineup includes four Spotlight pics including the U.S. premiere of Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which tells the true story of protest and controversy at 1970 Miss World contest, and Parkland Rising, a documentary that looks at the students of Parkland, Fl, who started an international movement to call attention to the need for better gun laws.
As per usual, this year’s lineup focuses on underrepresented voices in film. Of the 68 titles, more...
The fest is set to run August 10-16 in the Arkansas city and is being engineered as a hybrid event because of coronavirus concerns, with digital screenings, panels and events to run alongside some on-the-ground premieres and conversations.
This year’s lineup includes four Spotlight pics including the U.S. premiere of Misbehaviour, starring Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, which tells the true story of protest and controversy at 1970 Miss World contest, and Parkland Rising, a documentary that looks at the students of Parkland, Fl, who started an international movement to call attention to the need for better gun laws.
As per usual, this year’s lineup focuses on underrepresented voices in film. Of the 68 titles, more...
- 7/22/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Cybill Shepherd’s “Being Rose” gets acquired, Booboo Steward gets a lead role, Itvs reaches a Sundance milestone, and oilfields drama “The Iron Orchard” gets a release.
Acquisition
Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Rod McCall’s romance “Being Rose,” starring Cybill Shepherd, James Brolin, and Pam Grier, Variety has learned exclusively.
The film will be available in theaters and on demand on Jan. 4. Shepherd plays an ex-cop diagnosed with serious health issues who goes on a road trip in a wheelchair to search for her estranged son. Along the way, she falls in love with Brolin’s cowboy character, who has come to a crossroads of his own.
“I consider ‘Being Rose’ the crown jewel of my career,” Shepherd said. “Rod McCall, who wrote and directed the film is one of the finest directors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.
Acquisition
Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to Rod McCall’s romance “Being Rose,” starring Cybill Shepherd, James Brolin, and Pam Grier, Variety has learned exclusively.
The film will be available in theaters and on demand on Jan. 4. Shepherd plays an ex-cop diagnosed with serious health issues who goes on a road trip in a wheelchair to search for her estranged son. Along the way, she falls in love with Brolin’s cowboy character, who has come to a crossroads of his own.
“I consider ‘Being Rose’ the crown jewel of my career,” Shepherd said. “Rod McCall, who wrote and directed the film is one of the finest directors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.
- 12/1/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Twenty years ago, Cheryl Dunye made history as the first African-American lesbian to direct a feature-length film. Now that film, The Watermelon Woman, has finally been given a proper DVD release, courtesy of First Run Features. To mark the occasion, we spoke on the phone with Dunye about the film, history, performance, and authenticity.
The Film Stage: Both The Watermelon Woman and the short that’s included on the new DVD, Black Is Blue, express a high level of commitment and detail in the recreation of documentary form. What documentaries and / or mockumentaries influenced you?
Cheryl Dunye: I’ve been working in this practice since the late ‘80s. I went to Rutgers and had a studio practice there, got my Mfa, and that’s where I discovered what was becoming the queer film world. There was a lack of identity, representation — in the work that was being seen — by,...
The Film Stage: Both The Watermelon Woman and the short that’s included on the new DVD, Black Is Blue, express a high level of commitment and detail in the recreation of documentary form. What documentaries and / or mockumentaries influenced you?
Cheryl Dunye: I’ve been working in this practice since the late ‘80s. I went to Rutgers and had a studio practice there, got my Mfa, and that’s where I discovered what was becoming the queer film world. There was a lack of identity, representation — in the work that was being seen — by,...
- 2/6/2017
- by Daniel Schindel
- The Film Stage
Director Barry Jenkins’ second feature film “Moonlight,” about the life of a young black male coming to terms with his environment and sexuality, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and has grossed over $9 million since its release. Before “Moonlight,” Jenkins has only directed one other feature film, but he has also directed a little-seen student film before that. Watch his 2003 short film “My Josephine” below, courtesy of Jenkins and Vimeo. According to Jenkins, it was written and directed shortly after 9/11 and it functions as a reminder to channel “this energy” to create.
Read More: ‘Moonlight’ Review: Barry Jenkins Delivers a Mesmerizing Look at Black Life in America
Jenkins’ first film “Medicine for Melancholy” follows the one-day romance between two black twenty-somethings Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Jo (Tracey Heggins) as they discuss racial identity and gentrification in San Francisco. It premiered at SXSW in 2008 and Jenkins won the Marlon Riggs Award from...
Read More: ‘Moonlight’ Review: Barry Jenkins Delivers a Mesmerizing Look at Black Life in America
Jenkins’ first film “Medicine for Melancholy” follows the one-day romance between two black twenty-somethings Micah (Wyatt Cenac) and Jo (Tracey Heggins) as they discuss racial identity and gentrification in San Francisco. It premiered at SXSW in 2008 and Jenkins won the Marlon Riggs Award from...
- 12/5/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.
– Annette Bening will be honored with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America in Los Angeles on January 19, 2017. Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for “The Kids Are All Right,” “Being Julia,” “American Beauty” and “The Grifters.” She is a two-time Golden Globe winner for “Being Julia” and “The Kids Are All Right,” a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner for best actress in “American Beauty” and a 2006 Emmy Award nominee for her role in “Mrs. Harris.”
“Annette has taken on roles which have changed cultural conversations,” Richard Hicks, president of Csa, said in a statement. “She is an actress of great bravery and passion, and her work shows what’s possible when a remarkable actress meets the right opportunity.” This year,...
– Annette Bening will be honored with the Lynn Stalmaster Award for Career Achievement at the Annual Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America in Los Angeles on January 19, 2017. Bening is a four-time Academy Award nominee for “The Kids Are All Right,” “Being Julia,” “American Beauty” and “The Grifters.” She is a two-time Golden Globe winner for “Being Julia” and “The Kids Are All Right,” a BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner for best actress in “American Beauty” and a 2006 Emmy Award nominee for her role in “Mrs. Harris.”
“Annette has taken on roles which have changed cultural conversations,” Richard Hicks, president of Csa, said in a statement. “She is an actress of great bravery and passion, and her work shows what’s possible when a remarkable actress meets the right opportunity.” This year,...
- 12/2/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The following essay was written by a participant in the 2016 New York Film Festival Critics Academy, a workshop for aspiring critics co-produced by IndieWire, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Film Comment.
There is a moment in “Toni Erdmann” when a man looks at his daughter after she has ignored him during a marathon shopping trip with her boss’s wife. “Are you really human,” he asks? The line’s earnest delivery draws laughs, channeling the film’s successful pitting of a career-obsessed daughter against her prankster father in the most embarrassing situations. But the question strikes an anxious nerve running through several recent films, a number of which were featured in the New York Film Festival this fall. All of them are propelled by questions about the fate of the millennial in a challenging world.
The answer, the films tell us as they grapple with possible futures for the young,...
There is a moment in “Toni Erdmann” when a man looks at his daughter after she has ignored him during a marathon shopping trip with her boss’s wife. “Are you really human,” he asks? The line’s earnest delivery draws laughs, channeling the film’s successful pitting of a career-obsessed daughter against her prankster father in the most embarrassing situations. But the question strikes an anxious nerve running through several recent films, a number of which were featured in the New York Film Festival this fall. All of them are propelled by questions about the fate of the millennial in a challenging world.
The answer, the films tell us as they grapple with possible futures for the young,...
- 10/24/2016
- by Aaron Boalick
- Indiewire
Films include Shepherds and Butchers with Steve Coogan; Don’t Call Me Son from Anna Muylaert; and a documentary about a director and actress who were kidnapped by Kim Jong-il.
The Berlinale (Feb 11-21) has completed the selection for this year’s Panorama strand, comprising 51 films from 33 countries. A total of 34 fiction features comprise the main programme and Panorama Special while a further 17 titles will screen in Panorama Dokumente.
A total of 33 films are world premieres, nine are international premieres and nine European premieres. The 30th Teddy Award is also being celebrated with an anniversary series of 17 films.
Notable titles include Shepherds and Butchers from South Africa, which is set toward the end of Apartheid and stars Steve Coogan as a hotshot lawyer who faces his biggest test when he agrees to defend a white prison guard who has killed seven black men. What ensues is a charge against the death penalty itself, in a case...
The Berlinale (Feb 11-21) has completed the selection for this year’s Panorama strand, comprising 51 films from 33 countries. A total of 34 fiction features comprise the main programme and Panorama Special while a further 17 titles will screen in Panorama Dokumente.
A total of 33 films are world premieres, nine are international premieres and nine European premieres. The 30th Teddy Award is also being celebrated with an anniversary series of 17 films.
Notable titles include Shepherds and Butchers from South Africa, which is set toward the end of Apartheid and stars Steve Coogan as a hotshot lawyer who faces his biggest test when he agrees to defend a white prison guard who has killed seven black men. What ensues is a charge against the death penalty itself, in a case...
- 1/21/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Films include Shepherds and Butchers, starring Steve Coogan; Don’t Call Me Son from Anna Muylaert; and a documentary about a director and actress who were kidnapped by Kim Jong-il and forced to make films.
The Berlinale (Feb 11-21) has completed the selection for this year’s Panorama strand, comprising 51 films from 33 countries. A total of 34 fiction features comprise the main programme and Panorama Special while a further 17 titles will screen in Panorama Dokumente.
A total of 33 films are world premieres, nine are international premieres and nine European premieres. The 30th Teddy Award is also being celebrated with an anniversary series of 17 films.
Notable titles include Shepherds and Butchers from South Africa, which is set toward the end of Apartheid and stars Steve Coogan as a hotshot lawyer faces his biggest test when he agrees to defend a white prison guard who has killed seven black men. What ensues is a charge against the death penalty itself...
The Berlinale (Feb 11-21) has completed the selection for this year’s Panorama strand, comprising 51 films from 33 countries. A total of 34 fiction features comprise the main programme and Panorama Special while a further 17 titles will screen in Panorama Dokumente.
A total of 33 films are world premieres, nine are international premieres and nine European premieres. The 30th Teddy Award is also being celebrated with an anniversary series of 17 films.
Notable titles include Shepherds and Butchers from South Africa, which is set toward the end of Apartheid and stars Steve Coogan as a hotshot lawyer faces his biggest test when he agrees to defend a white prison guard who has killed seven black men. What ensues is a charge against the death penalty itself...
- 1/21/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Other titles include Rebecca Miller’s Maggie’s Plan, starring Greta Gerwig, and David Farr’s The Ones Below, starring David Morrissey.Scroll down for full lists
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) has announced the first titles in Panorama – its strand that comprises new independent and arthouse films that deal with controversial subjects or unconventional aesthetic styles.
The initial features include three from the UK, with John Michael McDonagh returning to Berlin for the world premiere of War On Everyone.
The film, a satire centred on two corrupt cops in New Mexico, stars Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña, Theo James and Tessa Thompson.
McDonagh was previously in Panorama in 2011 with The Guard and 2013 with Calvary.
Also from the UK is David Farr’s The Ones Below, which revolves around a couple expecting their first child who discover an unnerving difference between themselves and the couple living in the flat below. Receiving its European...
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 11-21) has announced the first titles in Panorama – its strand that comprises new independent and arthouse films that deal with controversial subjects or unconventional aesthetic styles.
The initial features include three from the UK, with John Michael McDonagh returning to Berlin for the world premiere of War On Everyone.
The film, a satire centred on two corrupt cops in New Mexico, stars Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña, Theo James and Tessa Thompson.
McDonagh was previously in Panorama in 2011 with The Guard and 2013 with Calvary.
Also from the UK is David Farr’s The Ones Below, which revolves around a couple expecting their first child who discover an unnerving difference between themselves and the couple living in the flat below. Receiving its European...
- 12/17/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Panorama program has not only announced a first round of titles for the 66th Berlinale, including Rebecca Miller's Maggie's Plan with Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph, it's also unveiled revival screenings celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Award, the "only official Lgbtiq (in short, queer) film prize at an A-festival in the world." Among the highlights are Chantal Akerman's Je, tu, il, elle and Toute une nuit, Mary Harron's I Shot Andy Warhol, Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston, Barbara Hammer's Nitrate Kisses, Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman and Marlon Riggs's Tongues Untied. » - David Hudson...
- 12/17/2015
- Keyframe
The Panorama program has not only announced a first round of titles for the 66th Berlinale, including Rebecca Miller's Maggie's Plan with Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke, Julianne Moore, Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph, it's also unveiled revival screenings celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Award, the "only official Lgbtiq (in short, queer) film prize at an A-festival in the world." Among the highlights are Chantal Akerman's Je, tu, il, elle and Toute une nuit, Mary Harron's I Shot Andy Warhol, Isaac Julien's Looking for Langston, Barbara Hammer's Nitrate Kisses, Cheryl Dunye's The Watermelon Woman and Marlon Riggs's Tongues Untied. » - David Hudson...
- 12/17/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Right after the Critics' Choice Awards nominations were announced, two more critic groups revealed their picks and Tom McCarthy's "Spotlight" emerged as the top winner of both the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Southeast Film Critics Association. "Spotlight" is the film to beat this awards season.
Here's the complete list of winners of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle:
Best Picture: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actor: Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Best Supporting Actress: Mya Taylor, Tangerine
Best Screenplay, Original: Love & Mercy, Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner
Best Screenplay, Adapted: Brooklyn, Nick Hornby
Best Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale
Best Production Design: Carol, Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler
Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Best Animated Feature: Anomalisa
Best Foreign Language Picture: Son of...
Here's the complete list of winners of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle:
Best Picture: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actor: Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Best Supporting Actress: Mya Taylor, Tangerine
Best Screenplay, Original: Love & Mercy, Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner
Best Screenplay, Adapted: Brooklyn, Nick Hornby
Best Cinematography: Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale
Best Production Design: Carol, Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler
Best Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel
Best Animated Feature: Anomalisa
Best Foreign Language Picture: Son of...
- 12/14/2015
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Full list of 2015 San Francisco Film Critics winners and nominations Marlon Riggs Award (“for courage & innovation in the Bay Area film community”). Frank Lee. “For his lifelong dedication to film culture in San Francisco – in particular his twenty-plus-year film stewardship of the 4 Star Theatre in the tradition of the family-run independent art house and his attention to Hong Kong film, both marked by his astute taste and knowledge.” Special Mention (“for underappreciated independent cinema”). The Forbidden Room. “Guy Maddin's haunted scream, full of artfully recreated, vinegar-eaten celluloid, is a rat's nest of affairs too strange to recall and too troubling to forget.” Best Cinematography The Assassin, Ping Bing Lee. Carol, Edward Lachman. * Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale. The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezski. Sicario, Roger Deakins. Best Editing The Big Short, Hank Corwin. Love & Mercy, Dino Jonsater. * Mad Max: Fury Road, Jason Ballantine; Margaret Sixel. The Revenant, Stephen Mirrione. Sicario,...
- 12/14/2015
- by Mont. Steve
- Alt Film Guide
Jenni Olson begins The Royal Road, her latest emotional excavation of Hollywood nostalgia via Benning-esque 16mm landscape portraiture, by self-referentially quoting Michel Chion on the shadowy pretext of off screen voiceover after reflecting in her own dryly articulated voiceover on the monologue that opens Billy Wilder’s classic allegory of broken La dreams, Sunset Boulevard. Though Olson’s film revolves around another stretch of California highway, the 600-mile El Camino Real strip, the cinematic reference leads us down a winding poetic path on which Hollywood history, the neglected record of the Mexican American War and Olson’s own unrequited romantic pursuits come together with the same sort of mannered meditation that won her San Francisco Film Critics Circle’s Marlon Riggs Award for The Joy of Life back in 2005.
Pitting rigorously composed images of modern day Los Angeles and San Francisco against her own gender dysphoric voice, she explicates an...
Pitting rigorously composed images of modern day Los Angeles and San Francisco against her own gender dysphoric voice, she explicates an...
- 10/26/2015
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
The Cinema Eye Honors have released the 25 nonfiction features that have been named to the 2016 edition of its annual The Influentials list. The titles represent films that have inspired the directors of the documentaries that are eligible for the 2016 awards. Read More: 'Citizenfour' Sweeps the 8th Annual Cinema Eye Honors Among the films on this year’s list are five that have been named Cinema Eye Legacy Award winners: "Sherman’s March," "Grey Gardens," "Titticut Follies," "Harlan County USA" and "Paris is Burning." Several films are making their first appearance on the list this year, including Ross McElwee’s "Six O’Clock News," Steve James’ "Stevie," Marlon Riggs’ "Tongues Tied" and Frederick Wiseman’s "Welfare." "Each year, we ask filmmakers to name the classic documentaries that were on their minds while they were working on their films," said Cinema Eye Lead Producer Will...
- 10/14/2015
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Also announcing awards Sunday was the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. Staples of the season were awarded: Richard Linklater, Michael Keaton, Julianne Moore, Edward Norton, Patricia Arquette, etc. And "Boyhood" was crowned the year's best film. Check out the nominees here, the winners below and, as ever: The Circuit. Best Picture "Boyhood" Best Director Richard Linklater, "Boyhood" Best Actor Michael Keaton, "Birdman" Best Actress Julianne Moore, "Still Alice" Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton, "Birdman" Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood" Best Adapted Screenplay "Inherent Vice" Best Original Screenplay "Birdman" Best Cinematography "Ida" Best Editing "Boyhood" Best Production Design "The Grand Budapest Hotel" Best Animated Film "The Lego Movie" Best Foreign Language Film "Ida" Best Documentary "Citizenfour" Special Citation "The One I Love" Marlon Riggs Award Joel Shepard...
- 12/14/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
With the premiere of HBO’s Looking still over a week away, this is the perfect time to remember another TV series about a group of gay (and straight) friends in San Francisco. It was 20 years ago today that Tales Of the City made its American television debut.
Based on the newspaper column–later book series–by Armistead Maupin, Tales centers around a found family living together in a boarding house at 28 Barbary Lane. Tenants include Mary Anne Singleton, a naive girl fresh off the bus from Cleveland, Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, a gay emigré from Florida, his best friend Mona Ramsey, a frustrated feminist copywriter, and Brian Hawkins, a leftie lawyer who dropped out and became a waiter. They all live under the eye of enigmatic landlady Anna Madrigal. Tales stars Laura Linney as Mary Anne, Marcus D’Amico as Mouse, Chloe Webb as Mona, Paul Gross as Brian and Olympia Dukakis as Mrs.
Based on the newspaper column–later book series–by Armistead Maupin, Tales centers around a found family living together in a boarding house at 28 Barbary Lane. Tenants include Mary Anne Singleton, a naive girl fresh off the bus from Cleveland, Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, a gay emigré from Florida, his best friend Mona Ramsey, a frustrated feminist copywriter, and Brian Hawkins, a leftie lawyer who dropped out and became a waiter. They all live under the eye of enigmatic landlady Anna Madrigal. Tales stars Laura Linney as Mary Anne, Marcus D’Amico as Mouse, Chloe Webb as Mona, Paul Gross as Brian and Olympia Dukakis as Mrs.
- 1/10/2014
- by John
- The Backlot
San Francisco Film Critics Awards 2013: ’12 Years a Slave,’ Chiwetel Ejiofor win (photo: Michael Fassbender and Chiwetel Ejiofor in ’12 Years a Slave’) The 2013 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards were announced this past Sunday, December 15, at a gathering of 31 Bay Area film critics at the Variety Club Preview Room on Market Street. Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave was chosen as the Best Picture of 2013; additionally, the slavery drama earned John Ridley the Best Adapted Screenplay Award, while Chiwetel Ejiofor was voted Best Actor for his performance as free man Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and forced into slave work at a Southern plantation in the 1850s. However, Gravity received the most awards from the San Francisco Film Critics: four in all, namely, Best Director for Alfonso Cuarón, Best Film Editing (Cuarón and Mark Sanger), Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki), and Best Production Design (Andy Nicholson). Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney,...
- 12/18/2013
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" took home the Best Picture prize at the annual awards of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle while Alfonso Cuaron's "Gravity" won best director, cinematography, film editing, and production design.
Here's the full list of winners:
Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Best Supporting Actor: James Franco, "Spring Breakers"
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Best Adapted Screenplay: "12 Years a Slave"
Best Original Screenplay: "American Hustle"
Best Cinematography: "Gravity"
Best Film Editing: "Gravity"
Best Production Design: "Gravity"
Best Animated Film: "Frozen"
Best Foreign Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing"
Marlon Riggs Award: Chris Slatton (Roxie Theater) and Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station")
Special Citation: "Computer Chess"...
Here's the full list of winners:
Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave"
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity"
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine"
Best Supporting Actor: James Franco, "Spring Breakers"
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"
Best Adapted Screenplay: "12 Years a Slave"
Best Original Screenplay: "American Hustle"
Best Cinematography: "Gravity"
Best Film Editing: "Gravity"
Best Production Design: "Gravity"
Best Animated Film: "Frozen"
Best Foreign Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color"
Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing"
Marlon Riggs Award: Chris Slatton (Roxie Theater) and Ryan Coogler ("Fruitvale Station")
Special Citation: "Computer Chess"...
- 12/16/2013
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Steve McQueen's "12 Years a Slave" picked up another critics prize today, with the San Francisco Film Critics Circle honoring it as their best picture. The film also won best actor and best adapted screenplay, though Alfonso Cuarón's "Gravity" won more. Cuarón's film won best director, best cinematography, best film editing and best production design. Full list of winners: Best Picture: "12 Years a Slave" Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, "Gravity" Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave" Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" Best Supporting Actor: James Franco, "Spring Breakers" Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle" Best Adapted Screenplay: "12 Years a Slave" Best Original Screenplay: "American Hustle" Best Cinematography: "Gravity" Best Film Editing: "Gravity" Best Production Design: "Gravity" Best Animated Film: "Frozen" Best Foreign Film: "Blue is the Warmest Color" Best Documentary: "The Act of Killing" Marlon Riggs Award: Chris...
- 12/16/2013
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Starting today, here in NYC - Documentary Fortnight 2013: MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media. It runs through March 4, and includes an international, eclectic list of documentary films that should edutain, and that I'll be checking out - including a focus on Cuban cinema, a Marlon Riggs special tribute (which I already alerted you to), Pov films, and more. Since 2001, each February has marked the return of Documentary Fortnight, MoMA's annual showcase of recent nonfiction film and media. The festival includes an International Selection of 23 films, along with three thematic programs, that examine the relationship between contemporary art and...
- 2/15/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
MoMA (the Museum of Modern Art) here in NYC is presenting a special 1-day tribute to Marlon Riggs, taking place on Wednesday, February 27. The tribute, which will include 3 feature-length films by Riggs, will, according to a MoMA press release... ... exemplify his insightful investigations into the ways racism and homophobia were embedded in American television, film, and popular culture in the 19th and 20th centuries. Riggs’s personal and intellectual commitment to frank discussions of the black, gay experience thrust him into the center of the “culture wars” of the 1990s, and revealed him to be an influential proponent for independent voices on television...
- 2/1/2013
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
"The Master," an enigmatic drama about a soul-searching America just after World War II and a complicated relationship that develops between two men, was awarded the best picture prize of 2012 on Sunday by the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. The intense Paul Thomas Anderson film also netted Joaquin Phoenix, who played a troubled former Navy man taken under the wing of a charismatic faith leader (Philip Seymour Hoffman), with best actor honors.
The group, composed of film critics from Bay Area publications and websites, also bestowed two accolades on East Bay filmmaker Peter Nicks and his topical nonfiction film "The Waiting Room," a fly-on-the-wall documentary that takes you inside Oakland's Highland Hospital overburdened emergency room.
Nicks' revealing film won best documentary, while he was bestowed with the group's annual Marlon Riggs Award, which honors courage and innovation in the world of cinema.
While no film clearly dominated the group's picks,...
The group, composed of film critics from Bay Area publications and websites, also bestowed two accolades on East Bay filmmaker Peter Nicks and his topical nonfiction film "The Waiting Room," a fly-on-the-wall documentary that takes you inside Oakland's Highland Hospital overburdened emergency room.
Nicks' revealing film won best documentary, while he was bestowed with the group's annual Marlon Riggs Award, which honors courage and innovation in the world of cinema.
While no film clearly dominated the group's picks,...
- 12/17/2012
- by The Contra Costa Times
- Huffington Post
Both the Kansas City Film Critics Circle and the San Francisco Film Critics Circle announced their annual awards this evening, naming Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master the best picture of 2012. The film also received Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay from Kansas City, while also taking Best Actor from San Francisco.
Kansas City didn’t really hold any other surprises other than an award that we don’t see much among critics groups, one awarded to the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror Film of the Year. The recipient was the outstanding The Cabin in the Woods.
San Francisco spread their awards out quite a bit, giving two to several films including Zero Dark Thirty (Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), Lincoln (Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay), and Amour (Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film).
It’s very interesting how Zero Dark Thirty‘s reign...
Kansas City didn’t really hold any other surprises other than an award that we don’t see much among critics groups, one awarded to the Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, or Horror Film of the Year. The recipient was the outstanding The Cabin in the Woods.
San Francisco spread their awards out quite a bit, giving two to several films including Zero Dark Thirty (Best Director and Best Original Screenplay), Lincoln (Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay), and Amour (Best Actress and Best Foreign Language Film).
It’s very interesting how Zero Dark Thirty‘s reign...
- 12/17/2012
- by Jeff Beck
- We Got This Covered
I've long been saying that if Oscar voters actually see Ralph Fiennes Shakespearean adaptation Coriolanus -- it's an "if" because 80% of the contenders, even the teensy tiny ones, chose December as their best Oscar strategy -- it'll be tough to stop Vanessa Redgrave from crushing her Best Supporting Actress competition. Though Fiennes is the actor/director it's the legendary Oscar winner who walks away with the movie as his proud, fierce, monster mom, so proud of her son's battle scars she comes across as yet more bloodthirsty than he.
So today she picks up her second precursor after the British Independent Film Awards. San Francisco apparently likes their moms all sticky with a violent son's blood. See also their best actress winner: Tilda Swinton
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Winners
Picture The Tree of Life
Director Terrence Malick, the Tree of Life
Actress Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Actor.
So today she picks up her second precursor after the British Independent Film Awards. San Francisco apparently likes their moms all sticky with a violent son's blood. See also their best actress winner: Tilda Swinton
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Winners
Picture The Tree of Life
Director Terrence Malick, the Tree of Life
Actress Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Actor.
- 12/12/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Terrance Malick's "The Tree of Life" was the big winner at the San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography prizes.
In the acting category, Gary Oldman won Best Actor for his subtle performance in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Tilda Swinton was honored the Best Actress award for her portrayal of a grieving mother in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."
Albert Brooks received the Best Supporting Actor award for "Drive" while Vanessa Redgrave was named Best Supporting Actress for "Coriolanus."
Here's the complete list of the 2011 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
"The Tree of Life"
Best Director
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Screenplay
J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O.Connor & Peter Straughan, .Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actor
Gary Oldman, .Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actress
Tilda Swinton, .We Need to Talk...
In the acting category, Gary Oldman won Best Actor for his subtle performance in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" and Tilda Swinton was honored the Best Actress award for her portrayal of a grieving mother in "We Need to Talk About Kevin."
Albert Brooks received the Best Supporting Actor award for "Drive" while Vanessa Redgrave was named Best Supporting Actress for "Coriolanus."
Here's the complete list of the 2011 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
"The Tree of Life"
Best Director
Terrence Malick, "The Tree of Life"
Best Original Screenplay
J.C. Chandor, "Margin Call"
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O.Connor & Peter Straughan, .Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actor
Gary Oldman, .Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actress
Tilda Swinton, .We Need to Talk...
- 12/12/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
San Francisco, the city that's launched a couple of dotcom booms and busts — home of Twitter, for heaven's sake — has a Critics Circle that did not live-tweet the results of their votes for all that's best in 2011, but rather, has made their announcement the old-fashioned way. They've posted it on a Web page. They've made up for it, though, with a pretty fine round of choices:
Best Picture: The Tree of Life.
Best Director: Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life.
Best Original Screenplay: Jc Chandor for Margin Call.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actor: Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for Drive.
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus.
Best Animated Feature: Gore Verbinski's Rango.
Best Foreign Language Film: Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy.
Best Picture: The Tree of Life.
Best Director: Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life.
Best Original Screenplay: Jc Chandor for Margin Call.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actor: Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
Best Actress: Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin.
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks for Drive.
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus.
Best Animated Feature: Gore Verbinski's Rango.
Best Foreign Language Film: Abbas Kiarostami's Certified Copy.
- 12/12/2011
- MUBI
Brad Pitt, Cole Cockburn, The Tree of Life
Best Picture
The Tree of Life
Best Foreign Language Film
Certified Copy
Best Director
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
Best Actor
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Actress
Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks for Drive
Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus
Best Original Screenplay
J. C. Chandor for Margin Call
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Animated Feature
Rango
Best Documentary
Tabloid
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
National Film Preservation Foundation, in recognition of its work in the preservation and dissemination of endangered, culturally significant films
Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema
The Mill and the Cross
The Tree of Life picture: Merie Wallace / 20th...
Best Picture
The Tree of Life
Best Foreign Language Film
Certified Copy
Best Director
Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life
Best Actor
Gary Oldman for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Actress
Tilda Swinton for We Need to Talk About Kevin
Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks for Drive
Best Supporting Actress
Vanessa Redgrave for Coriolanus
Best Original Screenplay
J. C. Chandor for Margin Call
Best Adapted Screenplay
Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Best Animated Feature
Rango
Best Documentary
Tabloid
Best Cinematography
Emmanuel Lubezki for The Tree of Life
Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community
National Film Preservation Foundation, in recognition of its work in the preservation and dissemination of endangered, culturally significant films
Special Citation for under-appreciated independent cinema
The Mill and the Cross
The Tree of Life picture: Merie Wallace / 20th...
- 12/12/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
After a few words about "ice cream that's supposed to taste like movies" (no, really), editor Gary Morris introduces the latest edition of one of our favorite film journals, Bright Lights:
Matt Brennan leads off this issue with a deep-sea dive into the "body politic/body politics" trope, in the process giving readers something in short supply today: hope. Lesley Chow also shows a bold optimism in mining culture for its treasures in a provocative piece on cinema experimentalists Chris Marker, Alexander Sokurov, and José Luis Guerín. Our buddy Dave Saunders reminds us of the pleasures of Buñuel in Mexico and Béla Tarrin Edinburgh in a rather enchanting piece.
If Boris Barnet is not a household word in your house, you should consider moving. The brilliant Boris is the subject of a lengthy, authoritative profile by new contributor Giuliano Vivaldi, and you'll be running to the nearest Russian cinematheque after you've read this one.
Matt Brennan leads off this issue with a deep-sea dive into the "body politic/body politics" trope, in the process giving readers something in short supply today: hope. Lesley Chow also shows a bold optimism in mining culture for its treasures in a provocative piece on cinema experimentalists Chris Marker, Alexander Sokurov, and José Luis Guerín. Our buddy Dave Saunders reminds us of the pleasures of Buñuel in Mexico and Béla Tarrin Edinburgh in a rather enchanting piece.
If Boris Barnet is not a household word in your house, you should consider moving. The brilliant Boris is the subject of a lengthy, authoritative profile by new contributor Giuliano Vivaldi, and you'll be running to the nearest Russian cinematheque after you've read this one.
- 8/10/2011
- MUBI
This is becoming to sound like a broken record, "The Social Network" topping all award-giving bodies. The David Fincher film won three awards at the 2010 San Francisco Film Critics Circle including Best Picture, Best Director for Fincher (he tied with Darren Aronofsky for "Black Swan"), and Best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin.
Here's the full list of winners for the 2010 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
.The Social Network.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, .Black Swan. and David Fincher, .The Social Network. (Tie)
Best Original Screenplay
David Seidler, .The King.s Speech.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, .The Social Network.
Best Actor
Colin Firth, .The King.s Speech.
Best Actress
Michelle Williams, .Blue Valentine.
Best Supporting Actor
John Hawkes, .Winter.s Bone.
Best Supporting Actress
Jacki Weaver, .Animal Kingdom.
Best Animated Feature
.Toy Story 3.
Best Foreign Language Film
.Mother. (South Korea)
Best Documentary
.The Tillman Story.
Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique,...
Here's the full list of winners for the 2010 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards:
Best Picture
.The Social Network.
Best Director
Darren Aronofsky, .Black Swan. and David Fincher, .The Social Network. (Tie)
Best Original Screenplay
David Seidler, .The King.s Speech.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin, .The Social Network.
Best Actor
Colin Firth, .The King.s Speech.
Best Actress
Michelle Williams, .Blue Valentine.
Best Supporting Actor
John Hawkes, .Winter.s Bone.
Best Supporting Actress
Jacki Weaver, .Animal Kingdom.
Best Animated Feature
.Toy Story 3.
Best Foreign Language Film
.Mother. (South Korea)
Best Documentary
.The Tillman Story.
Best Cinematography
Matthew Libatique,...
- 12/14/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Andrew Garfield, The Social Network Michelle Williams, John Hawkes, The Tillman Story: San Francisco Critics' Unusual Winners Best Picture: The Social Network Best Foreign Language Film: Mother (South Korea) Best Director (tie): Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan, and David Fincher, The Social Network Best Actor: Colin Firth, The King's Speech Best Actress: Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine Best Supporting Actor: John Hawkes, Winter's Bone Best Supporting Actress: Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom Best Original Screenplay: David Seidler, The King's Speech Best Adapted Screenplay: Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3 Best Documentary: The Tillman Story Best Cinematography: Matthew Libatique, Black Swan Marlon Riggs Award for courage & vision in the Bay Area film community: Elliot Lavine — teacher, exhibitor, and repertory curator — for Bay Area programming over the last two decades. His revival of rare archival studio, independent, and exploitation titles has particularly played a major role in the...
- 12/14/2010
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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