After nearly eight hours of programming and in front of a capacity crowd of more than 10,000 people, Tropfest – the world’s largest short film festival - concluded in New York with Josh Leake of Portland, Oregon claiming the top prize for a film called “Emptys,” made for merely $1,300 dollars. The aspiring filmmaker beat out seven other hopefuls in the first ever U.S. Tropfest competition, and earned $20,000 from the Motion Picture Association (MPA).  Alexander Poe came in second and Ma...

  SHAME (UK, Steve McQueen) Although it began rather slowly, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) which just concluded on Sunday, saw a good degree of sales and acquisition activity, with many more deals to be announced in the coming weeks. Although it does not have an official market sidebar like Cannes or Berlin, there is a good amount of informal rubbing of shoulders between members of the international film community who were in attendance in force. According to ...

  A DANGEROUS METHOD (David Cronenberg, Canada)  The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) enters its middle stretch this week, offering attending buyers, critics and film lovers a dizzying feast of film treats. Planning what to see is a definite must, since even at 5 films per day (my personal max), there are many that are missed. While here, one must adapt a strategy and raison d’etre……do you attend the highly buzzed titles in the largest cinemas (the ones by name dire...

  Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen in A DANGEROUS METHOD  The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) enters its middle stretch this week, offering attending buyers, critics and film lovers a dizzying feast of film treats. Planning what to see is a definite must, since even at 5 films per day (my personal max), there are many that are missed. While here, one must adapt a strategy and raison d’etre……do you attend the highly buzzed titles in the largest cinemas (the on...

For most of the planet, the official end of summer does not come until the autumn equinox on September 21. However, for people in the film industry, the Fall season begins in only a few weeks, with the beginning of the autumn film festival cycle. Kicking off (startingly early this year) in Montreal on August 18 with the Montreal World Film Festival and then dashing across the pond to the Venice Film Festival, which begins on August 28, and then back across to the Toronto Film Festival, ...

By: Maria Esteves – May 22, 2010 The 55th Annual 2010 Village Voice OBIE Awards honoring Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway theater exceptional achievements of 2009-2010, co-hosted by Tony Award winners Michael Cerveris and Anika Noni Rose (2001 OBIE Award winner, Eli's Comin') were held at the historical Webster Hall ballroom, New York, Monday, May 17, 8:00 pm. This year’s award presenters were J. Smith Cameron, Viola Davis, Marin Ireland, Linda Lavin, Hamish Linklater, Sam Rockwell, ...

The 55th Annual 2010 OBIE Awards presented by The Village Voice honoring Off-Broadway's theater achievements of 2009-2010 will commence on Monday, May 17, 2010 at Webster Hall, New York.  This year's OBIE Awards co-hosted by Michael Cerveris (In the Next Room) and Anika Noni Rose (2001 OBIE winner, Eli's Comin' ) will be announced by J. Smith Cameron, Viola Davis, Marin Ireland, Linda Lavin, Sam Rockwell, Michael Shannon, Kerry Washington, and Jennifer Westfeldt. The ceremony will feature a liv...

The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), presented awards to films today in three competition categories: Documentary Features, Ibero-American Dramatic Features, and World Cinema Features. Jurors in the three categories, along with the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), awarded prizes to films in competition during the 2007 Festival. The ceremony, which took place at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts, was hosted by Mexican actress Gabriela Ribero and from Burkina F...

The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), presented by Miami Dade College (MDC), closes the 24th annual Festival Sunday, March 11 with the World Premiere of The Heart of the Earth (Spain/UK/Portugal) from director Antonio Cuadri and starring Actress Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace). Scheduled to attend the 8:30 p.m. screening at the Gusman Center for the Performing Arts are director Antonio Cuadri, actress Catalina Sandino Moreno, executive producer William Dietrich, producers L...

Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) festival director Nicole Guillemet announced today that three films screening at MIFF received North American distribution deals. "The films truly celebrate the spirit of the festival and is another step towards growth for the festival further establishing it as a marketplace where filmmakers have the opportunity to seek and find distribution,” said Guillemet. “This has always been a part of my vision for the festival and to see it come to fruition is...

The 24th Annual Miami International Film Festival will take placeMarch 2 - 11, 2007112 Films—92 Features and 20 Shorts—Highlight 2007 FestivalIncluding 7 World Premieres, 32 International, North American& U.S. Premieres, and 45 East Coast PremieresThe Miami International Film Festival (MIFF), presented by Miami Dade College (MDC), announced today the full schedule of films for the 24th annual festival to be held March 2-11, 2007. The Opening Night film this year will be “Black Book” from...

The audience at this year’s Boston Jewish Film Festival has voted its favorites. In total, the Festival screened more than 55 films from 16 countries. The Festival’s audience of more than 12,500 voted in three categories. Given the number of sold-out screenings (20) and World, North American, and U.S. premieres (11), the competition was particularly stiff.Award-winners are as follows:- Best Feature Fiction: Ira and Abby, directed by Robert Cary (2006, USA,100 minutes, English), screening...

Opening November 1 and continuing through November 12, The Boston Jewish Film Festival is the arbiter of film trends, especially for viewers in their 20s and 30s. The 18th annual Festival presents the most innovative film programs from around the world on Jewish themes. Films are accentuated by panel discussions; visits by directors, actors, and subjects; and musical events.The Festival is New England’s largest Jewish cultural event, with last year’s record-setting attendance of over 13,60...