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The lineup of films premiering in the narrative, documentary, short film and episodic selections at the 2022 Bentonville Film Festival’s competition program have been released today, the Bentonville Film Foundation announced. The annual festival is set to run in-person from June 22-26 in Bentonville, Ark, with a virtual component having an extended run from June 22 to July 3.

Led by “Thelma and Louise” star and vocal feminist Geena Davis, the festival aims to amplify female, non-binary, LGBTQ, Bipoc and people with disabilities’ voices in entertainment. In collaboration with founding partner, Walmart, and presenting sponsor, Coca-Cola, this year’s programming includes a wide array of storytelling with more than 82 of the competition program from creators who identify as female or gender non-conforming. Additionally, 65 of the creators identify as Bipoc, Asian, or Pacific Islander and 62 identify as LGBTQ. The vast majority of onscreen leads — 90, to be exact — are women or gender non-conforming.

“We...

Chicago – The 9th Chicago Critics Film Festival (Ccff) is on Day Five, and will feature two significant films from women directors … “Straighten Up and Fly Right” by Kristen Abate (with co-director Steven Tanenbaum) and “Palm Trees and Power Lines” by Jamie Back. The Fest continues through May 19th, click Ccff for schedule and ticket info.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

”Straighten Up and Fly Right” creates a space for a disabled character to seek a sense of herself, while breaking a cycle of loneliness and desperation within her own skin. Kristen Abate is also featured as Kristen, a young women with a permanent stoop (bent over) style of walking due to Ankylosing Spondylitis (As), a crippling arthritis. Isolated in her own world as a dog walker (naturally) she is given a hand up just as her self criticism and loathing is at its worse. Steven (Steven Tanenbaum), a fellow sufferer of As, allows Kristen to move into his apartment,...

Remaining independent, and being seen and valued for their personalities instead of their appearance, are vital qualities that everyone strives to maintain, no matter what circumstances they’re facing in life. That’s certainly the case for filmmakers Kristen Abate and Steven Tanenbaum, who are infusing their own personal medical experiences into their new comedy-drama, ‘Straighten Up […]

The post 2022 Slamdance Film Festival: Actress Kristen Abate Nervously Meets a New Client in Straighten Up and Fly Right Exclusive Clip appeared first on Shockya.com.

The 2022 Slamdance Film Festival has announced the winners of their annual Sparky Awards.

The film festival focused on the works of emerging artists began its 28th edition on Jan. 27, hosting 23 premieres of films chosen from over 8,000 submissions. The awards were announced at a virtual awards ceremony on Friday, with the winning films available for viewing on the official virtual Slamdance channel until midnight on Feb. 6.

The Slamdance Jury awarded the best narrative feature prize to “Hannah Ha Ha,” from directors Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky, and the best documentary feature prize to “Forget Me Not” from director Olivier Bernier. In addition to winning one of the top overall prizes, “Hannah Ha Ha” star Hannah Lee Thompson also nabbed the festival’s acting award. The other two grand jury prizes for features were presented to “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (in the unstoppables category) and “Killing the Eunuch Khan” (in the...

The 28th Slamdance Film Festival today announced its winners, with the Audience Awards going to The Civil Dead, directed by Clay Tatum, for Narrative Feature; Iron Family, directed by Patrick Longstreth winning the Audience Award for Documentary Feature and The Ember Knight Show: “Getting Mad” directed by Bobby McCoy taking home the Audience Award in the Episodes subcategory.

The Narrative Feature Grand Jury prize was awarded to Hannah Ha Ha (USA) directed by Joshua Pikovsky and Jordan Tetewsky. A statement from the jury called it “a beautiful film in the vein of the American working-class cinema from the ’70s and ’80s…chosen for its incredible lead actor and its sensitive portrayal of the quiet eradication of a community by powers beyond their control.”

The Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize was awarded to director Olivier Bernier’s Forget Me Not which the jury said used “intimate moments in a family’s...

All winners will continue to play on Slamdance Channel until midnight February 6.

Hannah Ha Ha directed by Joshua Pikovsky and Jordan Tetewsky earned the Narrative Feature Grand Jury prize, while the Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Olivier Bernier’s Forget Me Not.

In other awards announced on Friday (4) the 2022 Slamdance Unstoppable Grand Jury Prize was awarded to Straighten Up And Fly Right by Steven Tanenbaum and Kristen Abate and the George Starks Spirit of Slamdance Award, voted on by filmmakers and given to the filmmaker who best embodies the spirit of the Festival, went to Sasha Levinson,...

Like its Park City counterpart, the Slamdance Film Festival has pivoted to an all-virtual affair this year, but it will now get underway Jan. 27, one week after Sundance, its proudly DIY spirit intact. The 28th edition of Slamdance boasts 23 premieres — 13 world, six North American and four U.S. debuts — and sections such as Department of Anarchy and Experimental Shorts, along with Blockchain Fairy Tales, a collaborative storytelling experiment.

“On one hand you can say it’s bad and disappointing when we cannot gather in Park City, but we see the good — the opportunity to reenvision what a festival can be, what Slamdance can be,” says Peter Baxter, Slamdance president and co-founder. “Our new Slamdance Channel, which will host the festival this year, fits into the bigger picture of a decentralized media future.”

Buzzy titles include Clay Tatum’s comedy “The Civil Dead” and Kristen Abate and Steven Tanenbaum’s existential...