Festival International du Film Oriental de Genève 2017
du 1 au 9 avril 2017

The Best Short Documentary Award won by "Through the Pane" in the Athens International Digital Film Fest in Greece on February 8th, 2017 was received in Los Angeles by producer/director Dawn Westlake on March 1st. Since her cast and crew are spread around the globe in Barcelona, Chicago and Los Angeles, she photoshopped them into a "group" picture with the Greek trophy.

https://twitter.com/dawn_westlake/status/837838106942328832/photo/1

This is the 8th nomination and 5th award for "Through the Pane" which is based on Donald G. Westlake's memoir chapter about his acceptance of his wife's death. They were very happily married for 62 years.

For more info on "Through the Pane" and to see a trailer, please visit: http://dawnwestlake.com/rondecana/films/throughthepane/index.html

The IndieFEST is proud to announce the latest winners. Congratulations to all the filmmakers who participated in the current season!The awards go to those filmmakers who produce fresh, standout entertainment and compelling documentaries. The IndieFEST is a top-tier international awards competition. It honors professionals, established and emerging, who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity. The goal of The IndieFEST is to help the winners of this coveted award achieve the recognition they deserve. Additionally, each year IndieFEST also bestows a special award to productions that make significant contributions to social change or a humanitarian effort. Please visit www.TheIndieFEST.com to learn more about the IndieFEST Humanitarian Award.

Best of Show

KROTOA - Roberta Durrant, Penguin Productions 

Roberta Durrant, Krotoa, (South Africa) Film Feature – Krotoa is a drama inspired by historical fact about a feisty, bright, young 11 year old girl who is removed from her close-knit Khoi tribe to serve Jan van Riebeeck, her uncle’s trading partner from the original Dutch settlement on the Cape. She is brought into the first Fort established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652. There she grows into a visionary young woman who assimilates the Dutch language and culture so well that she rises to become an influential interpreter for van Riebeeck. As such Krotoa ends up being rejected by her own Khoi people and eventually destroyed by the Dutch when she tries to find the middle way between the two cultures. Torn between cultures and loyalties, this film explores her tumultuous life with beautiful cinematography, expert story-telling and both nuanced and powerful performances by the entire cast. From award winning team Roberta Durrant, Kay Ann Williams, Uwe Jansch at Penguin Films. (International Emmy-nominated Sokhulu and Partners, Home Affairs). Stars Crystal Donna-Roberts, Armand Aucamp and Deon Lotz.

Award of Excellence Special Mention

 
Agustin Castaneda (USA/Mexico), Ruta Madre, Film Feature – A young broken hearted singer leaves California for an epic road trip through Baja to reconnect with his roots and find himself. Comic actor Paul Rodriguez (Quicksilver, Blood work), David Castro (Shadowhunters, Blue Bloods),  William Miller (Rottweiler) and Cermen Salinas (The Popcorn Chronicles).

Nancy Colleton, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication (USA), Nature for All, Nature/Environment/Wildlife – #NatureForAll is a global movement to inspire a new generation of thinkers and doers across all sectors of society to connect with nature and take action to support its conservation. This beautiful and moving short flows with the music and inspires the viewers with artful simplicity.

Bertram Verhaag (Germany), Code of Survival, Doc Feature – Three sustainable, achievable and trend setting agricultural projects in India, Egypt and Germany are highlighted as alternatives to the health and environmental destruction caused by pesticides used in the USA and elsewhere. With a personal and impactful narrative, tight editing and striking cinematography.

Fabien Colas (Luxembourg), Roxy, Film Short – Roxy is an aging prostitute, working in a lovemobile on the German-Luxembourgish border. After being rescued from a brutal rape, she meets Jeff, a young man, whose intentions seem unclear to her. With nuanced, authentic and touching performances by Milli Schlesser and Christiane Rausch.

Melinda Janko, Fire in the Belly Productions (USA), 100 Years: One Woman’s Fight for Justice, Doc Feature – The David vs. Goliath story of a petite Native American woman who took on the United States Government and WON a $3.4 billion settlement for some of the poorest people in America. A shocking expose on the treatment of Native peoples in the USA.

David Naglieri (USA), The Face of Mercy, Doc Feature – Narrated by Jim Caviezel, The Face of Mercy explores the history and relevance of Divine Mercy in our turbulent times. Filmed in stunning 4K and seamlessly weaving together theology and history with modern testimonials and visual effects, this stirring film creates a remarkable tapestry of what constitutes the face of mercy in our modern world.

Ilana Trachtman & WHYY (USA), The Pursuit, Doc Feature – A thoughtful retrospective of the last 50 years is combined with an intimate look at the present and the fight for LGBT rights. Emmy award-winner Trachtman takes us on a journey that is poignant, tragic, and often fun and reminds us that while there have been momentous changes, the fight for rights continues.

Nicholas Kalikow (USA), Carter & June, Film Feature – Inventive blackmail schemes, flamboyant gangsters, power politics, greed, evangelicals and sex collide in this action packed dark comedy heist. Stars Michael Raymond-James (Once Upon a Time, Jack Reacher) Samaire Armstrong (It’s a Boy Girl Thing, The Mentalist) and Timothy Omundson (Galavant, Supernatural).

Award of Excellence

Agustin Castaneda (USA), Ruta Madre, Latin / Hispanic

Daryn Wakasa (USA), Seppuku, Asian

David Ash (USA), Twin Cities, Film Feature, Actress Leading (Bethany Ford Binkley as Emily / Emma)

Debi Lang (USA), CORNERSTONE, Women Filmmakers

Dekel Aizen (Israel), The picture on the fridge, Film Short

Gary Null  (USA), Saving the Planet, One Bite At A Time, Documentary Feature, Nature / Environment / Wildlife

Jennifer Perrott (Australia), The Ravens, Women Filmmakers

Jonathan Hofmeyer (South Africa), Pop Lock ‘n Roll, Film Feature

Josh Tickell  and Rebecca Harrell Tickell (USA), Down To Earth, Documentary Short

Julio Vincent Gambuto (USA), The Julie Stories, Actor: Leading (Student) (Joseph Callari as Big Julie)

LaTeace Towns – Cuellar and Fred Cuellar (USA), Charlie’s Gift, Actress: Leading (Dee Wallace as Evelyn Benson ), Film Short, Women Filmmakers

Maria Teresa Larrain (Canada), Shadow Girl, Disability Issues

Mei-yi Cheng, Educational Television Unit, Education Bureau (Hong Kong), The Mid-Autumn Festival, Educational / Instructional / Training

Michael Fallavollita (USA), TALE of the KITE, Film Short, Direction, Sound Editing / Sound Mixing, Actor: Leading (John Schuck as Grandpa), Editing, Original Score

Michael Zapolin and Laurent Levy (USA), The Reality Of Truth, Documentary Feature

PCI Media Impact and Chocolate Moose Media (USA and Canada), Violence Against Children in Malawi, Animation, Contemporary Issues / Awareness Raising

Philip Leung, Folkstar Productions (Canada), The Suitcase, Asian

Rich Jackson (USA), Stuck In Traffic, Modern-Day Slavery In Michigan, Documentary Short

Sampson Yuen, JK Holdings (Hong Kong / Canada), Million Loves in Me, Actress: Leading (Lo Koon Lan as Mami)

Sean Southey, PCI Media Inc (USA), This is Who We Are (St. Vincent and the Grenadines), Music Video, Contemporary Issues / Awareness Raising

Sophie Black (United Kingdom), Night Owls, Actor: Leading (Jonny McPherson as Kent), Film Short

Stephanie Jackson (USA), Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat – Season 3, Women Filmmaker, Actress Leading (Stephanie Jackson as Stephanie), Webisode / Web series, Humor / Humorist

Swati Srivastava (USA), Peace of Mind Guaranteed, Film Short

Trent McGee and Josh Berman (USA), Angels Of The Sky, Documentary Feature

Victoria Harwood Butler-Sloss (USA), A Flock of Birds, Film Short

Award of Merit Special Mention

Ashton Bracciodieta (USA), The Reacher, Film Short

Babis Galanakis (Greece), A Journey, Film Short

Chris Kousouros, What Took You So Long? (USA), Waynak: Where Are You?, Web Series

Coréon Dú (Angola), Bangaologia – The science of style, Documentary Feature

David Tyson Lam (USA), Viral Beauty, Film Feature

Gary Null (USA), Plant Codes, Unleashing Nature’s Healing Power, Documentary Feature

James L. Perry (USA), The Cursed Man, Actor: Leading (Brahm Gallagher as Alister Kunkle)

Justin Ward, Brad Wilson, Casey Bond, Higher Purpose Entertainment, (USA), The Meanest Man In Texas, Actor: Leading (Mateus Ward as Clyde Thompson), Actress: Leading (Alexandra Bard as Julia Perryman), Film Feature, Actor: Supporting (Anthony Guerino as Barney)

Max Bartoli  (USA), The Secret of Joy, Special Purpose Productions

Michael Hilf (USA), The Candidate, Film Short

Mischa Marcus and Stephanie Bell (USA), I Am Still Here, Women Filmmakers

Rob Zazzali (USA), Right Hand Man, Actor: Leading (Rob Zazzali as Danny), Web Series

Ronald Marquisee (USA), The Play Within Documentary, Documentary Feature

Ryan Boyko (Canada), The Camps, Web Series

Sampson Yuen, JK Holdings (Hong Kong/ Canada), Million Loves in Me, Actor: Leading (John Y as Katy), Direction, Sound: Overall Impact

Sandra Luckow (USA), That Way Madness Lies…, Documentary Feature

Sherry Malone (USA), What’s My Price?, Original Song (A League of Your Own composed by Gary Lynn Floyd)

Steven Molony (USA), Oxenfree, Actor: Leading (Steven Molony as Aaron), Direction, Film, Script / Writer, Actor: Supporting (Paul Vonasek as Roy)

Swati Srivastava (USA), Remember When, Film Short

Award of Merit

Adolfo Doring (USA), ROSE & ROY, Documentary Feature
 

Alberto Martín-Aragón (Spain), Interference, Experimental
 

Alejandro Figarella Osorio (USA), Hidden Memory, Film Short (Student)
 

Andrei Stefan Rautu (Romania), Perseids, Actress: Leading (Olimpia Melinte as Ioana)
 

Ben Reicher (USA), Valor Cat: First Scratch, Animation
 

Betsy L Ross (USA), Looking for David, Women Filmmakers
 

Brian Barsuglia (USA), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Actor: Leading (Gianni Capaldi as Mr. Hyde), Film Feature, Actor: Supporting (Jed Rowen as Dr. Lanyon)
 

Campbell Dalglish (USA), Road Kill, Film Short
 

Daniel Hayes (USA), The Honey Badger, Documentary Short, Sports, Fitness / Nutrition
 

Danielle Kronenberg and Jay Palmieri Jr. (USA), Taste, LGBT
 

Darnell Lamont Walker (USA), Outside The House, African American
 

Dave Rodkey (USA), The Race, Film Feature
 

David Swift, Scott Owen and Mike Cooley (USA), MINE IS THE SUNLIGHT: Refugee Youth in Germany, Documentary Short
 

Dieter Grohmann (Belgium), The girl with the flute (Das Mädchen mit der Querflöte), Film Short and  follow me, Experimental
 

Dylan Brody and Brent Carpenter (USA), Dylan Brody’s Driving Hollywood, Arts / Cultural / Performance / Plays, Humor / Humorist, Script / Writer
 

Edgar Baghdasaryan (Armenia), The Simon’s way, Film Short
 

Emma Barrett (USA), Take the Reins, Film Short
 

Freddy Rodriguez (USA), You’ll Never Know, Music Video
 

Greg Leslie (USA), The Mender, Documentary Short
 

Ian Hendry (United Kingdom), The Last Equinox, Film Short
 

Jack Nordstrom (USA), Puget Sound, Young Filmmaker – 17 and younger
 

James L. Perry (USA), The Cursed Man, Actress: Leading (Brinna Locke as Dr. Anna Lee), Film Feature, Actress: Supporting (Ruth Connell as Bonnie)
 

Jamie Rea (Canada), A Letter To Those Who Have Given Up On Love (A Love Letter To Love), Script / Writer
 

JD Cohen (Australia), Ravenswood, Actress: Leading (Madeline Marie Dona as Sofia), Film Feature
 

Jenness Rouse (USA), Becca on Call, Television – Pilot Program, Webisode, Women Filmmakers
 

Jo Meuris (USA), Marydean Martin Library and Why Use Animation?, Educational / Instructional / Training
 

Joel Souza (USA), Veracruz, Film Feature
 

Justin Ward, Brad Wilson, Casey Bond, Higher Purpose Entertainment, (USA), The Meanest Man In Texas, Christian
 

Kantarama Gahigiri (Switzerland), Lost Angel Less, Music Video
 

Kent Williamson, Paladin Pictures (USA), By War & By God, Documentary Short
 

Kerry Mondragon, UNINFLECTED PICTURES (USA), Meet Me At A Funeral, Film Short
 

Lauren Hoekstra (USA), Kiss ‘N’ Fly, Women Filmmakers (Student)
 

Lawrence Bucher and Kiyano La’Vin (USA), Under The Radar, Actor: Leading (Kiyano La’Vin as Miles Bentley)
 

Louie Rosa Alicea (USA), A Beautiful Trip, Children / Family Programming (Student)
 

Maia Porter, NatuReal Balance MK & Dr. Khalid White, Blkmpwr, LLC (USA), Black Fatherhood: Trials & Tribulations, Testimony & Triumph, African American
 

Maritza Brikisak (USA), The Lurking Man – FEATURE, Actor: Leading (Daniel Lench as Sariel), Actor: Supporting (Frank Krueger as Wilson)
 

Max Bartoli  (USA), The Secret of Joy, Film Short
 

Michael Fallavollita (USA), TALE of the KITE, Actor: Leading (Kevin DeSimone as Kevin)
 

Michael Hilf (USA), A Game of Chicken, Film Short
 

Michael Satzinger (Austria), MUXE, LGBT
 

Myra Rivera, Brightside Productions (USA), Anomie, Television – Pilot Program (Student)
 

Ned Farr (USA), THE DIRNDL, Film Short
 

Norman Greg McGuire (USA), The Lucky Man, Film Feature
 

Robert Shannon (United Kingdom), The Information, Film Short
 

Roberta Staley (Canada), Mightier Than the Sword, Documentary Short
 

Sampson Yuen, JK Holdings (Hong Kong/ Canada), Million Loves in Me, Film Feature, Viewer Impact: Content / Message Delivery, Actor: Supporting (Wilson Lee as James), Actress: Supporting (Ruby Yap as Cindy), Script / Writer, Contemporary Issues /Awareness Raising
 

Shakti Bhagchandani (United Arab Emirates), LostFound, Film Short
 

Sherry Malone (USA), What’s My Price?, Documentary Feature, Women Filmmaker
 

Simmer Bhatia, Path To Origin (India), The Conversations…A Journey to Path to Origin, Women Filmmaker, Creativity / Originality, Script / Writer
 

Stefano Ferrari and Michael Beltrami, RSI (Switzerland), Me, sexual assistant, Documentary Short
 

Stephen Riscica (USA), It Gets Better?, LGBT
 

Tash Ann (USA), Glass Ceiling, Film Short, Women Filmmakers
 

Teresa Vélez (Ecuador), Forbidden Melody, Film Short, Women Filmmaker, Contemporary Issues / Awareness Raising
 

Thomas Fink (Denmark), Save Mom – ALSO in Africa, Documentary Short
 

Tom Wilton (USA), Luna Park, Film Short, Actor: Leading (Freddie Connor as Jimmy), Actress: Leading (Fiona Graham as Carly)
 

Turner Baietto (USA), Someday, Film Short
 

Tyler  Moore (USA), Finding Max, Film Short
 

Wes Hager, Triple Seven Pictures (USA), Little West 12th Street, LGBT (Student)
 

Yves Beneche (USA), Fortunate Son, Film Short

Award of Recognition

Aakaansha Das, Nashaat, Sanjana Das, Sukanya Das (India), HOPE, Documentary Short (Student)
 

Adam Rosenberg (USA), The Real Drakoolavs, Web Series (Student) and Here and Now, Film Short
 

Ades Zabel, Biggy van Blond and Nicolai Tegeler (Germany), When Edith´s Bells Toll, LGBT
 

Adrian Nuno, Andrew Nuno (USA), Don’t Be Afraid, Film Short
 

Andre Perez (USA), America in Transition:  A Family Matter, Web / Internet Programming
 

Anthony Bradford (USA), Greenlit, Pilot Program / Series, Actor: Leading (Anthony Bradford as Daniel Evans)
 

bellopropello (Switzerland), cupid is not a terrorist, Film Short
 

Brian Marvin (USA), RUN, African American, Web Series
 

Cary Anderson (USA), Red Shirts, Film Short
 

Corine Colors (Lebanon), Bittersweet, Women Filmmaker
 

Daniel Chein (USA), Basha Man, Native American / Aboriginal Peoples (Student)
 

Derek Osinski (USA), Homeless Finds a Heart, Documentary Short (Student)
 

Dylan Brody and Brent Carpenter (USA), Dylan Brody’s Driving Hollywood, Documentary Feature, Comedy Program / Series
 

Edwin Dejesus Jr. (USA), The Great Griffin, Film Short (Student)
 

Elizabeth Boston (USA), Frenemies, Film Short
 

Eric McClanahan (USA), 66 & NOWHERE, Film Feature
 

Jamie Rea (Canada), A Letter To Those Who Have Given Up On Love (A Love Letter To Love), Film Short
 

Jason Morris (USA), Collapse, Film Feature
 

Jennifer Miller (USA), Hair Therapy, Documentary Short
 

Joachim Waibel (Canada), Grey Pain, Film Short
 

Joe Diamand (USA), The IBUR Connection, Jewish
 

Larry Rosen (USA), Into the Outbreak, Actor: Supporting (Larry Rosen as John), Script / Writer
 

Lyle Kash (USA), f * ck tr * mp, Liberation / Social Justice / Protest (Student)
 

Madison Durand (USA), Eyes in the Back of Her Head, Music Video (Student)
 

Mahmoud Kamel (USA), Triangles, Film Feature
 

Marcelo Mayen (USA), Bullock the Bruiser, Film Short
 

Maritza Brikisak (USA), The Lurking Man – FEATURE, Actress: Leading (Maritza Brikisak as Cailean / Orthon), Women Filmmakers
 

Michael Benni Pierce (USA), The Haunting of Lester House, Film Short
 

Miroslav Nincic (USA), Departing, Documentary Feature
 

Mitch Hooks (USA), Dreams Reality & Pragmatism, Film Short
 

Mukee Okan (USA), The Pussy Talks, Documentary Short
 

Pascal Pernix (Cayman Islands), Unwritten, Film Short
 

Ramin Eshraghi-Yazdi (Canada), Brother by Jesse and the Dandelions, Music Video
 

Ray Zomerfeld (USA), Dugout Bros, Web Tube Length Video
 

Robert Hensley (USA), The Taste of Salt, Film Short
 

Shaine Greenwood and Taylor Fry (USA), Mistaken, Film Short
 

Sonia Suvagau (Canada), WHY ?, Film Short
 

Ted Leger (USA), Kilted Lions, Documentary Short
 

Waley Wang (USA), Coquette, Film Short
 

William Buerkel (USA), Mark of the Baxter II: Hipster Scourge, Web Tube Length Video
 

Yihui “Cece”  Jiao (USA), Blank, the Bird, Animation (Student)

Now live on our website is the 2017 NYC Independent Film Festival lineup! Check out all of this year's films, music videos, scripts, and more now at http://bit.ly/2mBBAkg and join us in May for the festival!

Join us for our March Indie Night, Art Doc Friday! This month we're screening short documentaries from past festivals focused on the arts, from music to graphic design. Indulge in a drink while you watch, your first one on us with your admission ticket, and get inspired! 

Neil Goetz Founder & Executive Creative Director The Engine Room

Those of us who work in the entertainment marketing industry know all too well that creating a successful movie trailer or TV promo is an inexact science. When I’m working with a studio or TV network client to create a new piece of marketing for an upcoming campaign, I’m often reminded of my late mother, Marian. Not only was my mother an incredible cook and a master baker, but she knew that cooking was an art and that baking was a science. She was very instinctual as well as very methodical in her approach to everything she did in the kitchen. My mother’s talents were the perfect blend of art and craft, and she remains an inspiration to me when I’m working on a brand new marketing campaign.

Undertaking any new marketing campaign without a pre-conceived, upfront creative strategy, strategic message, and a clear understanding of the intended blend of “art + science,” is like taking a walk at night through the forest without a flashlight. You’re going to stumble along the way and the campaign is going to stumble.

I came into this entertainment marketing industry universe through one of the 4-A’s ad agencies, where we learned to sell products through the method of “USP” or “Unique Selling Proposition.” I began my career there as a copywriter, where I quickly learned how to communicate the main selling points of an ad campaign through the use of words and ideas. The ad industry’s focus on USP always involved story as well…what is the “story” about this product? How will this product improve my life and those of my friends and loved ones? How will using this product make me happy?”

I think those of us in entertainment marketing today should consider looking back at this old school advertising approach, and spend more of our time developing the clear and compelling STORY that our film or television show is all about. Unfortunately today, many marketing campaigns include very few, or even no, “words” by which to convey the intent of their project. In my opinion, this might be a mistake. Once when I was working with Jeffrey Katzenberg, he wanted to just HEAR THE WORDS that were included in a trailer, so he’d know why he made that movie in the first place!    

I’d like to offer five tips on Creative Strategy for entertainment marketers to keep in mind while developing a new campaign:

** WHAT IS THE STORY?  An effective trailer or promo should let the audience know and understand right away who the characters are. Are the characters being properly introduced? Is the sequence of events shown in the trailer constructed properly? Would I be able to convey the storyline of the film based on the trailer to my friends the next day? Today, many trailers and promos have lost the art of storytelling – they have become overtaken by style at the expense of message.

** WHAT GENRE IS THIS? Is your film or TV show a comedy? A thriller? A tear-jerking drama? An action/shoot ‘em up? A cross-blend of several genres? The trailer or promo needs to establish the framework for the visual messaging that’s being presented and what’s to come.

** WHAT’S THE TONE? Once the genre has been clearly identified, we need to evaluate the “tone.” For example, a comedy can have a sophisticated tone or a raunchy tone. The question here is: How does the film make you feel?” Is your horror film more of a thriller or gore-fest? Does the trailer make you laugh? Terrify you? Convey big, incredible dramatic moments that grab your heart and soul immediately? When properly developed, the trailer or promo will instantly capture and express the tonality of the piece. This is where the “art” comes into play – because you are relying on your gut response to elicit the proper feeling from your target audience/viewer.

** WHO IS THIS SHOW FOR? Who is your target audience or audiences? The marketing campaign needs to be designed to impact each of your key demos in powerful and effective ways. This is where the “science” of marketing comes into play, as your research results should guide you to the audience to whom your film plays best. You can then develop and create appropriate marketing elements and materials that best serve these demographics.

** DO THE FLASH AND SIZZLE OVERPOWER THE MESSAGE? Given the extraordinary digital tools editors have at their fingertips today, many trailers and promos have become overpowered by flashy graphics and visual effects. The question needs to be asked: Are the music and graphics in this trailer in synch with the tone and genre and story we are hoping to tell? It’s always better in my opinion to have less flash but tell a stronger story. Too much sizzle can suck the life out of the message, something we call “Vampire Video.” Many marketers, hoping to reach today’s younger audiences, tend to over-rely on too much digital “art,” often at the expense of telling the story in the best possible way.

If marketers concentrate too much of their attention on Creative Tactics instead of the bigger picture of Creative Strategy, they are making a mistake. The “message” of your film or TV show is everything – you need to determine what’s the most powerful way possible to get this messaging out there. Before a marketer tailors a suit, he or she should think, “Is this even the suit I want to buy in the first place?”

When a studio or network marketing executive decides to bring in an entertainment marketing agency vendor to work on a new campaign, ideally, that vendor should be brought onto the team when the new project first gets green lit on day one. The vendor agency then has a good deal of time to assess the marketability of the project, and to determine the best ways in which to sell it to the public. The agency can arrange for the best unit photography, whether on set or on location or staged, can test and re-test the right copy lines, and has the benefit of time to nail down all of the right, and most powerful, marketing materials which will ultimately be delivered across multiple media platforms.

Bottom line: If the foundation of a marketing campaign itself is shabby, there’s no reason to become obsessed with the small details featured within the trailer or promo. The house itself needs to be re-designed, revamped, or torn to the ground, and a new one constructed in its place. If the campaign you’re working on appears to be on shaky ground, my advice is take a step back and re-evaluate it from an “Art + Science” POV, and ensure that both are being handled properly.

As my mother used to say, “Anyone can bake a cake, but it won’t taste good unless the right ingredients – measured in the right quantities – are blended together perfectly!”  

by Neil Goetz

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Neil Goetz is an award winning motion picture and television marketing executive who partnered in 2016 with renowned entertainment industry research firm Screen Engine/ASI (SE/ASI) to launch The Engine Room as a strategic creative agency and think tank. Neil has an expansive career conceiving, developing and producing creative advertising campaigns for domestic and international theatrical movies and television shows. He has held such senior creative advertising executive positions as Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing for Sony Pictures Entertainment; VP and Worldwide Creative Director for The Samuel Goldwyn Company; Director of On-Air Promotions for Movies and Mini-Series for CBS Television Network; and Worldwide VP of Creative Marketing for First Look Pictures.  During the course of his career, Neil has worked on the marketing campaigns for over 200 films, including both major and independent studio releases, as well as TV shows, reaching across all genres and designed to entertain a variety of audiences. See: http://www.theengineroomla.com/

October 17 – 21, 2017

Among the most important Italian Fantastic film festivals, TOHORROR FILM FEST starts from cinema and then explores all possible means of communication, with the purpose of analysing contemporary society through the deforming lenses provided by the fantastic and horror culture. Thus, through the young authors’ videos and the films made by more expert directors, the meetings, the theatrical performances, the concerts, the art and comics exhibitions, we are enabled to interpret reality, filtering it through a most wild imagination.

After Master Dario Argento, godfather of our first edition, other famous guests have honoured us with their presence in the last years: namely, Massimo Picozzi, Ruggero Deodato, Jean Rollin, Richard Stanley, Aldo Lado, Andreas Marchall, Richard Cherrington, Claudio Simonetti, Sergio Stivaletti, Antonio Caronia, John Duncan, Federico Zampaglione, Ivan Zuccon, Alda Teodorani, Claudio Chiaverotti, Alessandra C., John Carr, Lorenzo Bianchini, Forzani&Cattet and many others...

Awards & Prizes

Rules & Terms

January 22 – 28, 2018

Michael Resin

FESTIVAL VICE PRESIDENT

Eric Feig

PRESIDENT

March 31, 2017 Earlybird Deadline I August 1, 2017 Regular Deadline I October 1, 2017 Late Deadline

Awards & Prizes

Rules & Terms

Revival of the international Fantastic Festival in Avoriaz (France) in January 2018 
Screenings at Cinema "Portes du soleil" from 22 to 28 january 2018 
Fantastic,Horror,Gore,Fantasy,music,video games 
28 January is prizes day. 

Awards & Prizes

Rules & Terms

Young Juries Across Europe Screen Nominees GOODBYE BERLIN, MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI and THE GIRL DOWN LOCH ÄNZI

The European Film Academy (EFA) proudly announces and congratulates the three nominees for the EFA Young Audience Award 2017: 

The nominations were chosen by an international committee consisting of Illia Dyadik (Children KinoFest /Ukraine), Michael Habauer (Sächsischer Kinder- und Jugendfilmdienst e.V. /Germany), Selma Mehadžić (Zagreb Film Festival/Croatia), Marta Nieto Postigo (Drac Màgic/Spain) and Hilde Steenssens (Filemon/Belgium).

On Young Audience Film Day on 7 May, the three nominated films will be screened to audiences of 12 – 14 year-olds in the following 31 countries across Europe:

And it is the young audience that will act as a jury and vote for the winner right after the screenings. In a truly European vote, jury speakers will then transmit the national results live via video conference to Erfurt (Germany) where the winner will be announced in an award ceremony streamed live on yaa.europeanfilmawards.eu, a special website that offers further information about the nominated films and the participating cities.

As a response to the current situation in Europe and a contribution to integration, this year’s sixth edition of the EFA Young Audience Award again specifically includes refugee kids. It is the second time that Berlin participates in the initiative and it is here that the European Film Academy will bring together Berlin pupils and “welcome classes” for refugee children. Together they will watch the nominated films, discuss them with each other, and, as members of the pan-European jury, vote for the winner. This special event is organised in co-operation with Yorck Kinogruppe.

The EFA Young Audience Award 2017 is realised with the following partners:
AUSTRIA – St. Pölten & Vienna: Austrian Film Academy, BELGIUM - Brussels: Filem’On & Bozar, BOSNIA 6 HERZEGOVINA – Sarajevo: Sarajevo Film Festival & Meeting Point cinema, BULGARIA – Sofia: Art Fest, CROATIA – Zagreb: Zagreb Film Festival, CZECH REPUBLIC – Prague: Krutón, DENMARK  - Aalborg:  UCN, Centre for Educational Resources, ESTONIA – Tallinn: NGO Kinobuss, FINLAND – Helsinki: Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy, GERMANY – Berlin: Yorck Kinogruppe & Erfurt: German Children’s Media Foundation Golden Sparrow, GREECE – Athens: Hellenic Film Academy, HUNGARY – Budapest: Hungarian National Film Fund, ISRAEL - Tel Aviv:  Tel Aviv Cinematheque,  ITALY – Florence: Niels Stensen Cultural Foundation, Rome: Alice nella città in agreement with Fondazione Cinema per Roma & Turin: National Cinema Museum, KOSOVO – Prizren:  DokuFest, LATVIA – Riga: National Film Centre of Latvia, Lithuania – Vilnius: Lithuanian Film Center, LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg City Film Festival, FYR MACEDONIA – Skopje: Macedonian Film Agency, MALTA – Valletta: Creative Europe Desk Malta, MONTENEGRO – Podgorica: NGO Avvantura Montenegro & Podgorica Film Festival, NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam: EYE Film Museum, POLAND – Warsaw & Wrocław: New Horizons Association, PORTUGAL – Lisbon: Portuguese Academy of Film & ICA, ROMANIA - Cluj-Napoca: EducaTIFF, SERBIA – Belgrade: Free Zone Festival, SLOVAKIA – Bratislava: Boiler NGO, SLOVENIA – Izola: Otok, SPAIN –Barcelona: Filmoteca de Catalunya, TURKEY, Istanbul: Yapimlab, UK – London: BFI.
The EFA Young Audience Award is organised and presented by the European Film Academy and EFA Productions with the support of the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung (MDM). The national Young Audience Film Day events are organised with the support of the respective national partners. 

The San Francisco Film Society today announced the films in competition for the Golden Gate Awards (GGAs), which will distribute nearly $40,000 in total prizes this year in various narrative and documentary categories. Among the most significant awards for emerging global film artists in the United States, the Golden Gate Awards, first presented at the San Francisco International Film Festival (April 5–19) in its inaugural year in 1957, represent a signature feature of the SF Film Society's commitment to global filmmaking and storytelling. Films are selected with an emphasis on bringing attention to innovative and quality filmmaking regardless of participation in other festivals.

“The SF Film Society has been a champion of emerging and international filmmakers since its first edition 60 years ago,“ said Rachel Rosen, SF Film Society Director of Programming. “We continue to believe that festivals are in a unique position to advocate for films from a variety of cultures and viewpoints, often in languages other than our own. The Golden Gate Awards provide an opportunity to bring additional exposure and awareness to these artists and their work.”

The GGA New Directors Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, the GGA McBaine Documentary Feature winner will receive $10,000 and the GGA McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature winner will receive $5,000. In addition to the narrative and documentary features in contention, the Golden Gate Awards will include competitors in six short film categories. These films will be announced at the Festival press conference on Wednesday, March 15. Independent juries will select the winners in all categories, which will be announced at the Golden Gate Awards, Sunday, April 16.

2017 GGA NEW DIRECTORS (NARRATIVE FEATURE) COMPETITION

Duet, Navid Danesh, Iran (North American Premiere)
After a Tehran musician instigates an encounter with his college girlfriend in an attempt to address the poor end their relationship suffered, their lives and the equilibrium of their spouses are thrown into existential crisis. Navid Danesh's resonant and moving depiction of the impact the past has on the present lives of its protagonists is both culturally specific and universal in its reach.
 
Everything Else, Natalia Almada, Mexico/USA/France
Academy Award-nominee Adriana Barraza (Babel) gives a masterfully controlled performance as Doña Flor, a solitary bureaucrat whose lifelong service in a government office has left her markedly unsympathetic towards her clients. Shot with an attentive and deeply empathetic lens, documentarian Natalia Almada’s narrative debut is a starkly intimate portrait of a woman at odds with her life who may still have a chance to escape her isolation.
 
God’s Own Country, Francis Lee, UK
Filmed on the Yorkshire hillside where he grew up, Francis Lee's debut feature tells the rich and sexy story of John Saxby, a hard-drinking lad who keeps his emotions in check until an irrepressible Romanian immigrant comes to help out on the family farm and upends the young man's life. Full of gloriously captured details about the care and breeding of animals, God's Own Country is one of the year's most moving romantic dramas.
 
Godless, Ralitza Petrova, Bulgaria/Denmark/France
In post-Communist era Bulgaria, where the shadow of oppression drives selfish behavior and hidden economies, outwardly impassive Gana works as a home care nurse—a job which provides ample opportunity to supplement her income with stolen ID cards to maintain the morphine habit she shares with her boyfriend. When Gana’s actions threaten the one glimmer of hope in her fatalistic world, will she break the cycle of corruption or spiral deeper? Godless is a bold first feature from Ralitza Petrova.
 
Heaven Sent, Wissam Charaf, France/Lebanon
Absurdly funny sequences punctuate this stylized comedy drama from Lebanon. Omar is a heavyset bodyguard who gets the assignment of his dreams, protecting a gorgeous TV personality, though matters are complicated when his brother Omar, a former militiaman presumed dead, magically reappears. Charaf's surprising and inventive debut reflects on a country rife with absurdities and still reeling from its fraught history.
 
The House of Tomorrow, Peter Livolsi, USA (World Premiere)
When a sheltered teen named Sebastian meets an aspiring punk rocker and falls for the boy's older sister, the stage is set for a cheerful and energetic comedy that tackles matters of friendship, young love, and musical dreams with equal aplomb. Ellen Burstyn is once again wondrous as Sebastian's grandmother who is devoted to the life and scientific work of Buckminster Fuller.
 
The Human Surge, Eduardo Williams, Argentina/Brazil/Portugal
Eduardo Williams has steadily made a name for himself with a series of indelible shorts featuring young protagonists adrift in strange environments. In his debut feature, a prizewinner at Locarno, he takes the premise further, crafting a dreamlike three-part drama where youths from Argentina, Mozambique, and the Philippines are connected by invisible, electronic, or even subterranean means. Consistently inventive, The Human Surge burrows into three continents and finds surprising associations.
 
Life After Life, Zhang Hanyi, China
As the inexorable progress of industrialization in China makes its way into the lives of village residents Mingchun and his son Leilei, a surprise haunting by Leilei's dead mother, who has an impassioned plea for her husband, points to a time when more attention was paid to the earth and its bounty. Produced by Jia Zhang Ke, this evocative and poetic debut depicts a rapidly disappearing way of life with a gorgeous visual sensibility and a subtly wry humor.
 
Park, Sofia Exarchou, Greece/Poland
The formerly grand stadiums and swimming pools of the 2004 Athens Olympics have become modern-day Greek ruins, a place for disaffected kids who've come of age since the Games to run wild. First-time director Exarchou, working mostly with non-professional actors, develops a compellingly anarchic style where the threat of violence and socio-economic troubles are omnipresent and the young characters act out their frustrations through boisterous, sometimes dangerous, horseplay.
 
The Wedding Ring, Rahmatou Keïta, Niger/Burkina Faso/France (US Premiere)
The Wedding Ring is a rare achievement, a wondrously complex dramatic feature directed by an African woman that explores female desires and empowerment in a traditional Muslim society. Rahmatou Keïta tells the story of Tiyaa who returns to Niger with lingering romantic feelings for the handsome man she left behind in France while grappling with family members who wish to arrange her marriage.

2017 GOLDEN GATE AWARDS MCBAINE DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION

Brimstone & Glory, Viktor Jakovleski, USA
Burning Man has nothing on Tultepec’s charging toritos and exploding castillos. Mexico’s weeklong National Pyrotechnic Festival is sheer unbridled madness. Scars that tourists take away from fireworks-exploding bulls and towering infernos are earned with pleasure, apparently, as this dynamic documentary keeps explanation to a minimum while maximizing the experiential through GoPro camera POVs and gorgeous abstractions. Filmmaker Viktor Jakovleski has created a visually rapturous, immersive, sensory experience of this extraordinary event, capturing the danger and mayhem in all its glory.
 
The Cage Fighter, Jeff Unay, USA (World Premiere)
With the emotional force and power of a Bruce Springsteen song, Jeff Unay's cinema vérité portrait of Joe Carman packs an emotional wallop. A family man who has promised not to return to competitive mixed martial arts fighting, the dangerous sport that gives him the most complete sense of purpose he's been able to find, Joe risks everything for one more chance in the ring.
 
The Challenge, Yuri Ancarani, France/Italy
Italian artist Yuri Ancarani melds his luminous cinematic vision with the ancient sport of Arab falconry in The Challenge, an evocative and visually dazzling portrait of a celebrated hunting competition set in the coastal deserts of Qatar. Modern technology, such as GPS, augments a practice dating to antiquity as participants track their prized raptors across the austere plains, reconnecting with desert custom in the shadow of a falcon’s wing.
 
The Cinema Travellers, Shirley Abraham, Amit Madheshiya, India
A moving homage to the bygone era of celluloid, The Cinema Travellers exquisitely captures the splendor of the moving image through India’s traveling movie caravans. Shot over five years, this intimate documentary takes the viewer on a cinematic journey joining the undaunted technicians, the projectionists who create movie magic, and the boisterous, overflowing crowd that await at each stop.
 
Donkeyote, Chico Pereira, Spain/Germany/UK 
A Spanish man’s quest to defy barriers and borders in search of the American West by planning a journey on the Trail of Tears with his donkey by his side is its own quixotic trail of laughter and tears. The understanding between man and animal has rarely been so intimately conveyed as it is in Chico Pereira’s winning tale, a stunningly photographed film that hovers between documentary and fiction, one inspired and performed by a real-life character with outsized dreams.
 
The Force, Peter Nicks, USA
For the powerful second film in his trilogy concerning the relationship between public institutions and the communities they serve, Peter Nicks (The Waiting Room) takes a powerful, immersive look at the Oakland Police Department. Filming from 2014-2016 with astonishing access, Nicks captures a particularly turbulent time in Bay Area law enforcement history. Intended as a catalyst for conversation and change, Nicks’ empathetic and observational style avoids easy generalizations and upends expectations, resulting in a rich, thought provoking real-time conversation about social justice and the mutual responsibilities of police officers and those they serve and protect.
 
Half-Life in Fukushima, Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi, Switzerland/France
Five years after the devastating 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, elderly farmer Naoto Matsumura struggles to restore his life in the radioactive red zone, wandering through an empty dystopian nightmare of concrete ruins; abandoned, weed-filled facilities; contamination cleanup crews; and the haunting fragments of a city swept away by tsunami.  With minimal commentary and a graceful and sympathetic eye, Half-Life in Fukushima underlines the danger inherent in nuclear power in its depiction of Fukushima’s sinister remnants and Matsumura’s lonely last stand.
 
In Loco Parentis, Neasa Ní Chianáin, David Rane, Ireland/Spain
Irish filmmaker Neasa Nî Chianáin and David Rane present a charming and deeply intimate portrait of a year at Headfort boarding school in picturesque Kells, Ireland. Following devoted and wryly funny educators John and Amanda Leyden as they battle through another season of Latin, Shakespeare, and kids playing "Wild Thing,"In Loco Parentis shows how the level of attention and concern the teachers have for their students lead to remarkable transformations in everyone's lives.
 
Muhi – Generally Temporary, Rina Castelnuovo-Hollander, Tamir Elterman, Israel/Germany
(World Premiere)
Muhi, a cherubic Palestinian toddler with a life-threatening immune disorder, was transported to an Israeli hospital as a baby for emergency treatment. He and his devoted grandfather have lived there ever since, stuck in a bizarre no man’s land, with their extended family living on the other side of a fiercely guarded checkpoint. Their unique and moving story takes place within the crucible of the relentless Israeli-Palestinian conflict that impacts everyone in its orbit.
 
Serenade for Haiti, Owlsley Brown, USA
“Music is our refuge,” says a student at the Sainte Trinité Music School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Shot over a seven-year period both before and after Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, this vibrant tribute to the students and teachers of Sainte Trinité testifies to the role that art can play in creating community and sustaining hope under the most difficult of circumstances.
 
For general information visit sffs.org/festival
To request interviews or screeners, contact your Festival Press Office contact.
For photos and press materials visit sffs.org/press

Major exhibition on Martin Scorsese illuminates his work, life and passion for cinema

 

 2017 ReelAbilities Film Festival Celebrates Determination and Unique Perspectives

Official Selections Announced - March 29-April 6, 2017 Festival

The Sixth Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival, Boston has announced the official selections for this year’s festival. Ten films have been selected and will be screened between March 29-April 6, 2017. 

ReelAbilities strives for the inclusion of all people and is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different abilities from a variety of communities. 

“The line-up for this year’s ReelAbilities Film Festival is one of the best we’ve ever had in Boston due to the number of high quality documentary films produced about people with disabilities,” said Mara Bresnahan, Festival Director.  “Each documentary challenges our audience to think differently about people with disabilities in a time when conversations about diversity are crucial. In addition to the variety of perspectives represented in the films, their stories unfold on the screen in a unique and beautiful way.”     

The films selected for the 2017 Festival include:

·       Life, Animated  – Directed by Roger Ross Williams, Life, Animated is an Oscar-nominated documentary that introduces us to Own Suskind, a young man with autism who, as a child, was unable to speak until he and his family discovered a unique way to communicate – immersing themselves in the world of classic Disney animated films. Ron Suskind, Owen’s father and author of the New York Times bestseller that inspired the film, will lead a discussion on how these stories helped his family find their way through hard times.  

·       The Rebound– Directed by Shaina Allen, The Rebound follows the underdog journey of the Miami Heat Wheels wheelchair basketball team in their quest for a national championship. The screening will be followed by a discussion with members of the Boston Blazers, a local wheelchair basketball team.  

·       Asperger’s Are Us– Co-presented with the Bright Light Series, Asperger’s Are Us is a documentary about the first comedy troupe consisting of openly autistic people.  The film follows four friends from the North Shore of Boston as they prepare for their final, ambitious comedy show before going their separate way.  A discussion will follow with director Alex Lehmann and members of the comedy troupe.

·       True Smile– Directed by Juan Rayos, True Smile is an astonishing journey as seen through the eyes of 26-year-old Sergio Aznárez Rosado, who was born both blind and with autism, yet lives a life packed with adventure. Over the course of 30 days, Sergio embarks on a 1,300-kilometer tandem bike ride across Spain and Morocco with his brother, Juan Manuel, who pilots the bicycle. This screening is co-presented with Waypoint Adventure.

·       That Which is Possible– Directed by Michael Gitlin, That Which is Possible follows a community of painters, sculptors, musicians, and writers who create art at the Living Museum, an art space on the grounds of a large state-run psychiatric facility in Queens, NY. A discussion with artists from Gateway Arts will follow the screening.

·       My Hero Brother– Directed by Yonatan Nir, My Hero Brother follows a group of young Israelis with Down syndrome and their siblings as they embark on a demanding trip through the Indian Himalayas, where the conflicts and the complexities of their relationships come to the surface. My Hero Brother is co-presented with The Boston Jewish Film Festival.

·       Notes on Blindness – In 1983, after many decades of deterioration, writer and theologian John Hull became totally blind. To help him make sense of the upheaval in his life, he documented his experiences on audio cassette and in this film, actors lip-sync to the voices, resulting in a poetic and intimate story. A Skype Q&A with directors James Spinney and Peter Middleton will follow the screening.  This screening is co-presented with The DocYard.

·       Rachel Is – Directed by Charlotte Glynn, Rachel Is explores the relationship between Jane and Rachel, her daughter with a developmental disability as each seeks independence from the other.  A discussion will follow with Ms. Glynn, along with Susan Senator, author of Autism Adulthood: Strategies and Insights for a Fulfilling Life.

·       Gabe– Gabe Weil is a 27-year-old who was born with the most severe form of muscular dystrophy who was told he would be lucky to live past 25. The news that he was misdiagnosed, and might live well into his 50s, forces him to rethink his life from scratch.  Following the screening, a discussion will be held with director Luke Terrell.

·       Marathon:  The Patriots Day Bombing – Directed by Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, this gripping documentary focuses on the emotional and physical recovery of the individuals whose lives were forever changed by the Boston Marathon bombing. Discussion to follow with film subjects Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky, moderated by Boston Globe reporter Eric Moskowitz. This screening is co-presented with GlobeDocs and Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

The 2017 ReelAbilities Film Festival Boston is co-presented by The Boston Jewish Film Festival and sponsored by the Ruderman Family Foundation. 

“Issues of inclusion continue to be a challenge in the entertainment world,” said Sharon Shapiro, Trustee of the Ruderman Family Foundation.  “The ReelAbilities Film Festival in Boston showcases the accomplishments of those with differing abilities and reminds us of the value of including these individuals in mainstream films.”

The Ruderman Family Foundation has announced last month that they will be awarding their prestigious Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion (MER) to Oscar winning actress, Marlee Matlin, who is the only deaf performer to ever win the Oscar for acting and only one of three people with disabilities in Oscar history.

“We are so glad to be awarding Marlee Matlin with the $100,000 MER,” said Shapiro. “She has been a powerful force for inclusion throughout her career and especially in the film and television world. She is a lovely example of the fact that disabilities do not stand in the way of acting talent.”

Additional sponsors include the J.E. & Z.B. Butler Foundation, Nancy Lune Marks Family Foundation, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, Special Needs Financial Planning, Emerson College, Mass Cultural Council, Jewish Community Day School, El Al Airlines, , Peapod by Stop & Shop, PLAN of Massachusetts & Rhode Island, Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Family Foundation, and Rockland Trust Bank.

The ReelAbilities Film Festival, Boston will take place at 11 theaters in and around  Boston, including Brattle Theatre, Cambridge Public Library, The Cotting School, Emerson College Bright Family Screening Room, JCC Greater Boston Riemer-Goldstein Theater, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Museum of Science Boston, Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children, and the Somerville Theatre.  

All of the screenings, with the exception of Notes on Blindness and the Closing Night screening of Marathon: The Patriot’s Day Bombing are free, however advance registration is recommended.  All venues are wheelchair accessible.  Registration and tickets for individual screenings can be found online at reelboston.org. For the full film schedule or for additional information, visit reelboston.org.

History Film Festival is a unique international festival which brings together and appraises the production of historical documentary films, a genre which lately attracts more and more followers. The first edition of History Film Festival will take place in Rijeka (Croatia, Europe) from September 6 to 9, 2017. History Film Festival aims at offering viewers and film experts an insight into contemporary film and TV production of historical documentary films, at the same time providing a place where film professionals can meet and share their creative ideas for future projects. Among thousands of film festivals around the world, History Film Festival is one of a kind because no other festival deals exclusively with historical documentary films.

One day of the festival will be dedicated to the presentations of TV companies and their documentary production. By introducing the themes and the production methods used, it will offer an opportunity for both TV companies and independent producers to present their projects and possibly establish valuable business relations. Moreover, films in competition will be divided in two main categories: independent production documentaries and documentaries produced by TV companies. All films are submitted online through Film Freeway:

                                                                                                            https://filmfreeway.com/festival/HistoryFilmFestival

The Official Deadline for submissions ends on April 18, 2017.

We would be grateful if you could submit one of the documentaries from your historical documentary production to our festival. We are also inviting you to attend the first edition of History Film Festival where you will be given a chance to present your projects, share ideas and establish new connections with filmmakers from all over the world.

For further information regarding History Film Festival please visit our web site at http://www.historyfilmfestival.com/ , follow us on social networks or contact us anytime. See you in Rijeka!

Last week, we were joined by award-winning directors and producers such as Neal Moritz, Cathy Schulman, Don Hahn, Penney Finkelman Cox, Ted Hope, Rob Minkoff, entertainment executives such as Lionsgate’s Jen Hollingsworth and Laura Kennedy, OddLot’s Rachel Shane, Skybound’s David Alpert, and many more.

We would like to extend a special thanks to our sponsors and partners: Akin Gump, EP Financial Solutions, FTI Consulting, Hogan Lovells, Vine Alternative Investments, Fifth Third Bank, Media Funding Partners, The Hollywood Reporter and FilmFestivals.com.

Our next conference will be in New York where financiers representing billions in capital dedicated to investment allocation in film and television will be participating.

From a powerful and personal script by screenwriter Chris Roessner who was inspired by his experiences in Iraq, the film is an honest and candid depiction of the Second Gulf War told through the eyes of a group of American soldiers on the front lines. Sand Castle is the second feature film from acclaimed Brazilian director Fernando Coimbra (A Wolf at the Door), who also directed episodes from Season One of the Netflix global-hit series "Narcos."

 Watch the trailer

Set in Iraq in 2003, Sand Castle follows a group of American soldiers in the early days of the second Gulf War. Bearing witness to the heat and the horror is the inexperienced Private Matt Ocre (Nicholas Hoult), who together with several fellow soldiers is ordered to the outskirts of Baqubah to repair a water pumping station damaged by U.S. bombs. But as Ocre discovers, in an atmosphere where resentment and anger fester, trying to win the hearts and minds of the locals is a task fraught with danger. It's here, in the streets, squares and schools that he discovers the true cost of war.

Directed by: Fernando Coimbra

Written by: Chris Roessner

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Henry Cavill, Logan Marshall-Green, Glen Powell, Beau Knapp and Neil Brown Jr.

Produced by: Justin Nappi (Treehouse Pictures) and Ben Pugh (42) 

Launch Date: April 21, 2017

Run Time: 112 minutes

Materials: media.netflix.com

The first edition of the Frontières Finance & Packaging Forum successfully concluded after 3 days of meetings, strategy sessions and networking from February 16-18 in Amsterdam. This collaborative initiative between the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes, and hosted in Amsterdam with the support of the Netherlands Film Fund, served as an invitational incubator for genre film projects in the late stages of financing. It officially marked the launch of the major partnership between the Marché du Film and Fantasia, as the first joint event in a 3-stop slate of networking and market opportunities for genre film projects at various stages in development & financing.

Doreen Boonekamp, CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund: We are pleased that the Frontieres Financing and Packaging Forum has been successful to all participants and experts and very happy that Amsterdam turned out to be a perfect location!

12 genre projects from across Europe and North America in the final stages of financing participated in the Amsterdam-based Forum. Project helmers included producers Julie Baines (DETOUR), Katie Holly (LOVE & FRIENDSHIP), Sophia Lin (COMPLIANCE, TAKE SHELTER), Magnus Paulsson (SHELLEY), and Casey Walker (THE VOID). 25 industry leaders from across Europe and North America specializing in finance, packaging & distribution were invited to meet with the projects via group strategy sessions, one to one meetings, and a proof of concept development lab. Represented organizations included experts from CBS Films, Creativity Capital, Epic Pictures, IFC Films, Magnolia Pictures, Motion Picture Capital, MPI Media Group, Soda Pictures, Vertigo Releasing, Universal Pictures International, and XYZ Films. The Forum also featured a case study of past Frontières project RAW (dir. Julia Ducournau), with producers Jean Des Forêts (Petit Film) and Jean Yves Roubin (Frakas Productions), who met at the 2014 edition of the Frontières market in Brussels, followed by a Dutch Avant-Premiere screening of the film RAW at the EYE Institute.

Jérôme Paillard, Executive Director, Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes: The Amsterdam Forum brought together a very high level of expertise within the group of 60 professionals present for 3 days. The projects all in advanced stage of development took advantage of the participation of these seasoned experts invited to focus on this qualitative selection of projects. We look forward to welcoming them all at the Marché du Film next May.

Next step for Frontières will be in May in Cannes at the Marché du Film where the 12 Forum projects will unveil their completed proofs of concept to the international market during a screening on Saturday May 20. The proof of concept presentation will be a featured activity in the Frontières Platform in Cannes, a dedicated section of networking activities and presentations geared towards the genre film industry.

Other Frontières Platform events in Cannes include Frontières Goes to Cannes, a screening of footage from 4 work-in-progress films on Sunday May 21, and participation in the Fantastic Fanatics Mixer.

Julie Bergeron, Head of Industry Programs at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes: The Amsterdam Frontières Forum, our first joint initiative with Fantasia, proved to be a good moment for the projects in-between Frontières in Montreal in July and the Marché du Film next May in Cannes. The event gathered a selective group of seasoned experts to meet and discuss in-depth with the projects to prepare them better for their pitching in Cannes. We are very excited to present, for the first time in Cannes, a “proof of concept” screening of high quality genre films. Mark your agenda for the morning of Saturday May 20!

Lindsay Peters, director of Frontières & industry director at the Fantasia International Film Festival: After 8 editions of our co-production market, this collaboration with the Marché du Film will bring Frontières to a new level and provide expanded networking opportunities for the genre community. The Forum in Amsterdam is our first step in creating a new format for collaborative development and financing strategies for genre films, which will continue in Cannes at the Platform events, as well as at the Fantasia market in July.

The Frontières Finance & Packaging Forum is co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union, and was made possible thanks to the support of the Netherlands Film Fund, Wallimage, the Imagine Film Festival and the Eye Film Institute.

The Frontières Platform in Cannes will take place May 20-21 at the Marché du Film - Festival de Cannes; submissions are open until March 1 for the work-in-progress presentation Frontières Goes to Cannes. The 9th edition of the Frontières International Co-Production Market will take place July 20-23 at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.

Submissions for projects in development and early financing are open until March 24. 

Here's the apology, official. But why is PWC still the accounting firm of record. Award Season''s 2017 wrong *wow finish* (Humphrey Bogart uses the wow finish line to Bergman in Casablanca.)...

STATEMENT FROM PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS
 

We sincerely apologize to "Moonlight,""La La Land," Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, and Oscar viewers for the error that was made during the award announcement for Best Picture. The presenters had mistakenly been given the wrong category envelope and when discovered, was immediately corrected. We are currently investigating how this could have happened, and deeply regret that this occurred.

We appreciate the grace with which the nominees, the Academy, ABC, and Jimmy Kimmel handled the situation.
 
---PwC