AFI DOCS presented by Audi ANNOUNCES GALA SCREENING

 HERBLOCK: THE BLACK & THE WHITE
Directed by Michael Stevens and Produced by George Stevens, Jr.

Traces Career and Influence of Washington Post Cartoonist Herb Block

AFI DOCS presented by Audi announced today its gala presentation at the Newseum of the Washington, DC premiere of HERBLOCK: THE BLACK & THE WHITE written and directed by Michael Stevens and produced by George Stevens Jr.  The film, traces the career and influence of the most influential political cartoonist of the 20th century and the people who became his subjects during his 55 years at the Washington Post.  His work spanned thirteen presidents, contributed to the downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy and President Richard Nixon and garnered three Pulitzer Prizes and the Medal of Freedom.

In the film, Ben Bradlee, Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Jules Feiffer, Ted Koppel, Eugene Robinson, Tom Friedman, David Brooks, Gwen Ifill, Rick Hertzberg, Victor Navasky and Richard Cohen give first-hand accounts of Block’s life and work.  Jon Stewart and Lewis Black explore the place of political satire in American life.  The filmmakers and many subjects are expected to be in attendance at the screening.

“It is an honor to celebrate HERBLOCK in the city he called home,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. “AFI DOCS goal is to catalyze change through art, and this film is a powerful portrait of a man who symbolized this power across decades.”

In addition to the gala screening, AFI DOCS will be hosting a Catalyst Session on the subject of Humor in Politics inspired by the film. George Stevens Jr., Co-Chair of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Founder of AFI in the White House Rose Garden in 1968, Oscar and Emmy winning filmmaker and long-time producer of the Kennedy Center Honors will be among the featured panelists.

 As previously announced, AFI DOCS presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) returns for its 11th edition June 19-23, 2013.  After a decade at the celebrated AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, the festival will build upon the success of Silverdocs with a presentation of screenings and events at iconic venues on the National Mall and in the Penn Quarter area, as well as continue its full slate of programming at the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

 Info on full programming, screening schedules, registration and passes will be released in the coming days and posted at AFI.com/AFIDOCS. 

21 May Permalink

Martin Scorsese to present Mel Brooks with American Film Institute Life Achievement Award

Brooks to be Honored at AFI Gala Tribute at the Dolby Theatre on Thursday, June 6, 2013

Special Broadcast Will Air Saturday, June 15 at 9:00 P.M. ET/PT on TNT and
Wednesday, July 24 on TCM as Part of an All-Night Tribute to Brooks

Los Angeles, CA, Monday May 20, 2013 – Martin Scorsese will present Mel Brooks with the American Film Institute’s 41st Life Achievement Award – America’s highest honor for a career in film. The private black tie gala will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on June 6 and will air on TNT Saturday, June 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT and as part of an all-night tribute to Brooks on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Wednesday, July 24, at 8 p.m. ET. Brooks will be recognized for his range of mastery as a director, producer, writer, actor and composer.

Martin Scorsese is widely regarded as one of the greatest directors of all time having received the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to cinema, two AFI Awards, an Academy^® Award, a Palme d’Or, Grammy^® Award, two Emmys^®, four Golden Globes^®, a BAFTA and three DGA Awards. Scorsese’s body of work includes films such as THE DEPARTED, GANGS OF NEW YORK, GOODFELLAS, HUGO, MEAN STREETS, RAGING BULL, TAXI DRIVER and the upcoming WOLF OF WALL STREET, which will be released in Fall 2013.

“For over 50 years, Mel Brooks has given the world its greatest gift - laughter,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. “At the American Film Institute, we also want to shine a proper light on his contributions to the art form as writer, producer, director and actor - and who better to bestow this honor than one of the masters of American film, Martin Scorsese.”

In addition to airing the AFI Life Achievement Award special, TCM’s July 24 celebration of Mel Brooks will include two of his classic films: the rarely shown THE TWELVE CHAIRS (1970), making its TCM debut, and THE PRODUCERS (1968), the wild comedy that earned Brooks an Oscar^® for Best Original Screenplay. Also included with TCM’s presentation will be classic interviews with Brooks by television legends Johnny Carson and Dick Cavett.

Proceeds from the AFI Life Achievement Award gala event directly support the Institute’s national education programs and the preservation of American film history. Sponsors of the 2013 AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Mel Brooks include Audi of America, Deloitte, HP and American Airlines, the official airline of the American Film Institute.

About Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks, director, producer, writer, actor and composer, is in an elite group as one of the few creative individuals to earn all four major entertainment prizes – the Tony^®, Emmy^®, Grammy^® and Oscar^®. His career began in the borscht belt and then television, writing for YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS. He teamed up with Carl Reiner to write and perform the Grammy^®-winning “2000 Year Old Man” comedy albums and books. Brooks and Buck Henry created the long running TV series GET SMART. Brooks won his first Oscar^® in 1964 for writing and narrating the animated short THE CRITIC and his second for the screenplay of his first feature film THE PRODUCERS in 1968. Many hit comedy films followed including BLAZING SADDLES, DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT, HIGH ANXIETY, HISTORY OF THE WORLD PART I, LIFE STINKS, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS, SILENT MOVIE, SPACEBALLS, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, THE TWELVE CHAIRS and YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. His film company, Brooksfilms Limited, also produced critically acclaimed films such as 84 CHARRING CROSS ROAD, THE ELEPHANT MAN, THE FLY, FRANCES and MY FAVORITE YEAR. For three successive seasons, 1997-1999, Mel Brooks won Emmy Awards^® for his role as Uncle Phil on the hit sitcom MAD ABOUT YOU. Brooks received three 2001 Tony Awards^® and two Grammy Awards^® for “The Producers: the New Mel Brooks Musical,” which ran on Broadway from 2001 to 2006. He followed that success with “The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein,” which ran on Broadway from 2007 to 2009, and both musicals continue to be performed and enjoyed by audiences all over the world. In 2009 Mel Brooks also received The Kennedy Center Honors, recognizing a lifetime of extraordinary contributions to American culture. His most recent projects include the Emmy^®-nominated HBO comedy special MEL BROOKS AND DICK CAVETT TOGETHER AGAIN and a career retrospective DVD box set titled “The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection Of Unhinged Comedy.”

About the AFI Life Achievement Award
The highest honor given for a career in film, the AFI Life Achievement Award was established by the AFI Board of Trustees on February 26, 1973. It is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following criteria as mandated through a resolution passed by the AFI Board of Trustees:

“The recipient should be one whose talent has in a fundamental way advanced the film art; whose accomplishment has been acknowledged by scholars, critics, professional peers and the general public; and whose work has stood the test of time.”

AFI Life Achievement Award Recipients
Mel Brooks joins an esteemed group of individuals who have been chosen for this distinguished honor since its inception in 1973.

1973   John Ford
1974   James Cagney
1975   Orson Welles
1976   William Wyler
1977   Bette Davis
1978   Henry Fonda
1979   Alfred Hitchcock
1980   James Stewart
1981   Fred Astaire
1982   Frank Capra
1983   John Huston
1984   Lillian Gish
1985   Gene Kelly
1986   Billy Wilder
1987   Barbara Stanwyck
1988   Jack Lemmon
1989   Gregory Peck
1990   David Lean
1991   Kirk Douglas
1992   Sidney Poitier
1993   Elizabeth Taylor

1994   Jack Nicholson
1995   Steven Spielberg
1996   Clint Eastwood
1997   Martin Scorsese
1998   Robert Wise
1999   Dustin Hoffman
2000   Harrison Ford
2001   Barbra Streisand
2002   Tom Hanks
2003   Robert De Niro
2004   Meryl Streep
2005   George Lucas
2006   Sean Connery
2007   Al Pacino
2008   Warren Beatty
2009   Michael Douglas
2010   Mike Nichols
2011   Morgan Freeman
2012   Shirley MacLaine
2013   Mel Brooks

About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the history of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI provides leadership in film, television and digital media and is dedicated to initiatives that engage the past, the present and the future of the moving image arts.

AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award – the highest honor for a career in film – now in its 41st year; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI Fest presented by Audi, AFI Docs presented by Audi and the AFI Silver Theatre; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world renowned AFI Conservatory, recognized for the quality of its instructors and speakers and its notable alumni.

For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, twitter.com/AmericanFilm and youtube.com/AFI.

About TNT and TCM
TNT is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households and ranking among cable’s top networks, TNT is home to such original drama series as DALLAS, FALLING SKIES, FRANKLIN & BASH, MAJOR CRIMES, PERCEPTION and RIZZOLI & ISLES, as well as the upcoming KING & MAXWELL and THE LAST SHIP. The network also features dramatic unscripted originals like the upcoming 72 HOURS, COLD JUSTICE and THE HERO. In addition, TNT is the cable home to popular dramas like BONES, CASTLE, THE MENTALIST and SUPERNATURAL; primetime specials, such as THE SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS; blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT’s website is located at tntdrama.com.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world. Currently seen in more than 85 million homes, TCM features the insights of hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests. As the foremost authority in classic films, TCM offers critically acclaimed original documentaries and specials, along with regular programming events that include THE ESSENTIALS, hosted by Robert Osborne and Drew Barrymore, and the month-long 31 DAYS OF OSCAR^® in February and Summer Under the Stars in August. TCM also stages special events and screenings, such as the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood and the TCM Classic Cruise; produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs; and hosts a wealth of materials at its website, tcm.com.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

Contact:
Liza deVilla Ameen, American Film Institute, 323.856.7885, LAmeen@AFI.com
Louise Heseltine, American Film Institute, 323.856.7871, LHeseltine@AFI.com
Eileen Quast, TNT, 818.729.7353, Eileen.Quast@turner.com
Heather Sautter, Turner Entertainment, 404.885.0746, Heather.Sautter@turner.com

Credentialing for the event is now open and will close on Thursday, May 30. Media interested in applying for credentials to cover the gala should contact Andy Gelb and Stephanie Samson of Slate PR at (310) 461-0111 or andy@slate-pr.com / stephanie@slate-pr.com

20 May 1 Permalink

Catching Up With Kim Ki-duk

Kim Ki-duk’s ARIRANG was an official selection at AFI FEST 2011 and he was a guest of AFI FEST in 2012, where he presented his new film PIETA. We caught up with him in anticipation of the film’s theatrical release this month.

Your last film, ARIRANG was a documentary about how you dealt with the guilt from an incident in your life, and PIETA, similarly, deals with characters who are seeking redemption for acts that they have committed in the past. Did making this film feel like a cathartic experience for you?

I think that ARIRANG was a film about how people lose their faith in a money-centric society. No matter how good a relationship you may have with your fellow man when faced with the prospect of fame or money, even deep relationships can become quite fragile. PIETA also raises this question of how human relationships can be cruelly affected by the involvement of money. PIETA was not an act of catharsis. I did not make a vindictive movie to force people to repent their actions.  It’s just a shame that we are living in an era where money is destroying human values. 

What made you want to frame this story in such a religious sense? Why did you title it PIETA?

I think religion in the lives of human beings stems from the fervent prayer of those suffering from events outside of their control. I think we can see the Catholic “Pieta” for many people associated with the intense image of the Virgin Mary in times of sadness or suffering. I felt his image of “Pieta” sadly looking out over the heartless money-centric modern society was perfect for the PIETA movie concept. 

The maternal relationship in this film is unconventional to say the least, can you talk about some of the other mother-son relationships that you’ve explored in your other films?

This is certainly not the first time I’ve explored mother-son relationships in this way in my movies. My first film ADDRESS UNKNOWN was a story about the relationship between a mixed-race son of a U.S. soldier and his Korean mother. In Korean society what is called “motherhood” is a mother’s love. For Korean people, especially Korean sons, this love is the driving force in their lives. I wanted to face the reality of the violence perpetrated on the mother as a hostage of the events happening to her sons, I hoped to show this in PIETA.  

Do you think its harder or easier to get films made that include graphic violence?

This is not the case. Violence is easy. You can shock both the physical and mental aspects of someone. I think violence can be personal between individuals, or larger groups, or entire populations, or even between countries. Currently, the most dreadful violence that can be perpetrated is war. Even now, the aura, the potential, of war still hangs across the Korean peninsula. Even now North Korea and the United States continue to puff themselves up with Nationalistic pride and fight with each other. Why don’t the leaders of both Nations just meet with each other? I don’t know. I hope they can abandon their egos long enough to meet and listen to each others point of view. Perhaps, even though human beings are aware that reconciliation is that simple, we enjoy the tension and violence. 

What will you be working on next?

Now I’m in the midst of shooting the second half of my film MOBIUS If possible, I’d like to make it a movie that overcomes the tensions between the United States and North Korea.

17 May 1 Permalink

Jon Avnet, Kathryn Bigelow & Anne V. Coates To Receive Honorary Degrees From The American Film Institute

2013 COMMENCEMENT TO BE HELD ON JUNE 12, 2013 AT 10:00 A.M.
AT THE HISTORIC EL CAPITAN THEATRE

LOS ANGELES, CA, TUESDAY MAY 14, 2013 – The American Film Institute (AFI) announced it will confer a Doctorate of Communication Arts degree honoris causa upon director/producer/writer Jon Avnet, and a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa upon Academy Award^®-winning director Kathryn Bigelow and Academy Award^®-winning editor Anne V. Coates. Avnet will be recognized for his contributions to the Institute, and Bigelow and Coates for their contributions of distinction to the art of the moving image. The honors will be given during AFI Conservatory’s commencement ceremony on June 12, 2013 at the historic El Capitan Theatre.

Avnet, Bigelow and Coates join an esteemed group of filmmakers who are previous recipients of an AFI Honorary Degree: Robert Altman, Maya Angelou, Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, Roger Ebert, James Earl Jones, Nora Ephron, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Kathleen Kennedy, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, David Lynch, Helen Mirren, Haskell Wexler and John Williams.

Jon Avnet has been a guiding force of AFI for 25 years. He is an AFI Conservatory alumnus and currently serves as Vice Chair of the AFI Board of Trustees. As a Fellow in AFI Conservatory’s Directing program, Avnet’s thesis film CONFUSION’S CORNER featured then unknown Richard Gere. Since then Avnet has directed, written and produced nearly 60 motion pictures, television movies and Broadway plays over the last 30 years. Among them are BLACK SWAN, THE BURNING BED, FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, “The History Boys”, RISKY BUSINESS, “Spamalot” and UPRISING. His work has won or been nominated for multiple Oscars^®, Emmys^®, Golden Globes^®, Directors Guild of America Awards, as well as Writers Guild of America Awards, the Peabody and the Tonys^® (35 nominations and 12 wins). 
In 1995, Avnet was awarded AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal, which celebrates extraordinary creative talents and artistic achievements.

Kathryn Bigelow made film history with THE HURT LOCKER as the first woman to win the Academy Award^® for Best Director, the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing, the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Director. In April 2010, Bigelow was named on the Time 100 list of the most influential people of the year. Her films include K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER, NEAR DARK, POINT BREAK, STRANGE DAYS and ZERO DARK THIRTY. Bigelow won AFI Awards for both THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY.

Anne V. Coates’ career spans over 40 years. She is best known as the editor of David Lean’s epic film, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA in 1962, for which she won the Oscar^® for Best Film Editing and ranks #7 on AFI’s list of the top 100 movies. Coates has been nominated another four times for the Academy Award^® for Film Editing for BECKET, THE ELEPHANT MAN, IN THE LINE OF FIRE and OUT OF SIGHT. Among her films are CHAPLIN; CONGO; ERIN BROCKOVICH; GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES; THE GOLDEN COMPASS; OUT TO SEA; STRIPTEASE; WHAT ABOUT BOB? and UNFAITHFUL. In February 2007, she was awarded BAFTA’s highest honor, The Academy Fellowship.

Full bios of Avnet, Bigelow and Coates are available here.

AFI Conservatory, named one of the top film schools in the world, offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in six filmmaking disciplines: Cinematography, Directing, Editing, Producing, Production Design and Screenwriting. Aspiring artists learn from the masters in a collaborative, hands-on production environment with an emphasis on storytelling. Sony is a proud supporter of the AFI Conservatory.

14 May Permalink

Catching up with Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Filmmaker Jordan Vogt-Roberts’ short film SUCCESSFUL ALCOHOLICS was an official selection at AFI FEST 2010.  His feature film debut THE KINGS OF SUMMER premiered at Sundance earlier this year.  We caught up with Jordan in anticipation of his new film’s upcoming theatrical release.

You’ve had such success with your short films, and such talented casts in your short work as well, what were some of the biggest challenges that you encountered in making your first feature film?

I think filmmakers spend so much time thinking about their first feature because everyone from peers, media and executives put such incredible weight on it. So inevitably you run through the infinite possibilities of “Am I ready?”, “What if I mess this up?”, “Am I a hack?”, “What if it’s just okay and not a masterpiece?”, “Orson Welles made CITIZEN KANE in his twenties, where does that put me?”. I think it’s too easy to get caught up in those anxieties and forget that you’re there because you have a job to do. The whole prep period on this movie basically didn’t exist for me because it overlapped with the post production schedule on my TV series MASH UP for Comedy Central. That was a really crazy time and it didn’t help that we had some people involved with the movie who basically proved to be pretty incompetent which meant that you need to step up and carry extra weight. In a weird way this was a blessing because my brain couldn’t run crazy with the aforementioned anxieties because I was too busy throwing myself at it whether I was awake or asleep. It consumes you and that’s almost it’s own challenge to deal with in itself. I had a sit down with my DP, friend and frequent collaborator Ross Riege when he showed up to Ohio where I basically said “Right now, we either make every part of this movie better than anything we’ve done before…or we go home…forever”, we just sort of had this mantra of fail boldly and fail bravely. We saw it as being fortunate enough to be making a feature film, which was ultimately the entire reason we got into this business and moved to L.A., so we just felt a responsibility to ourselves to go for it at all times – I’m sure there’s a sports cliché about leaving it all on the court and that’s probably applicable. There were camera moves and set ups that we didn’t know if they would work, but dammit we wanted to try and push things for ourselves. Production is production so ideally you’ve trained yourself in the art of trusting your instincts, being a leader and executing well enough that when you show up to the first day on the set of your first feature it doesn’t feel any different from another day on set. I know that’s not a very romantic answer but that’s how it felt. The biggest new challenges were just adjusting to the length of the shoot and really keeping track of the big picture in terms of plotting and characters. Making sure the whole thing unfolds properly when you shoot it out of order. That was the new muscle so to speak.

This film is infused with such a nostalgia for childhood, specifically male adolescence; is it at all similar to your childhood?

I was always a dreamer and a troublemaker. I wasn’t a bad kid, I was just always instigating and hatching plans or schemes. I’m a really nostalgic person but I feel like even at a young age I recognized the duality of that age. Incredible freedom and incredible pain that comes from not knowing your place in the world. I remember the dichotomy of not wanting to grow up yet wanting to be taken seriously. Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes has a quote where he says “People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children” and I’ve always found it fascinating that someone who created such an incredibly earnest look at adolescence could be so jaded about it. I think myself and the movie very much reflect that idea. I think the people I find most fascinating in the world from Shel Silverstein to Shigeru Miyamoto or Steve Jobs are people who were able to keep the child inside them alive yet transition into adult life. Once that kid inside you dies I don’t think there’s any bringing it back to life.  I’m also just really obsessed with what masculinity is in 2013 considering we’re basically a generation of wusses raised on technology and video games. 

People traditionally think child actors can be difficult to work with, what do you think is more difficult, children or celebrities?

It was really important to me that the kids in the movie be actual teenagers below the age of 18 as opposed to twenty five year olds playing 15. They needed to be real and authentic as opposed to movie stars. The kids in my movie were incredible to work with and it was important to me that I wasn’t their boss but their friend. We tried to run a set where there wasn’t a separation between kids and adults, they were all actors there to do a job because they were invested in a project. 

This film has such a powerful and unusual script, you never can tell where the narrative is going to take you.  What attracted you to working with (screenwriter) Chris Galleta?

Chris is amazing and we immediately clicked. Him and I have very similar sensibilities but I knew that I could take his script and really push it to a place that was perfect for my first feature. He laid the groundwork that allowed me to create an indie comedy that had the heart of John Hughes movies mixed with the cinematic scope and technique of early Amblin films and fuse that with extremely contemporary alt comedy and add in some lyrical terrance Malick Homages. I fell in love with the script because I knew I could push all of those things and effectively shout “HEY! Comedy doesn’t have to be this boring thing we’ve turned it into over the last 20 years. Remember when films weren’t as disposable?” Chris gave me such an incredible base to build off of and really that’s all I could ever ask for.

Like a lot of other independent directors, you’ve had a lot of success working in television lately, do you see yourself returning to that or doing more features in the future?

I love all mediums of filmmaking. Commercials, TV, Web. They all of their own quirks. The internet is the wild west and super fascinating. I love commercials because it’s the rare time you actually have a budget to play with and I love the challenge of knowing your exact parameters in terms of message and length and then trying to make something awesome. I have my own TV show which we might do a second season of and I’ve done some for hire stuff but I’m really still trying to figure out what my place in TV is. Features on the other hand… that’s why i’m here. I grew up falling in love with movies and the worlds they created. That’s my priority and that’s where I want to be.  

THE KINGS OF SUMMER opens in theaters May 31.

13 May Permalink

Catching up with Filmmaker Ben Wheatley

Director Ben Wheatley’s last film KILL LIST was an official selection at AFI FEST 2011.  We caught up with the director for a few questions in anticipation of the upcoming release of his latest film SIGHTSEERS.

This film while still very violent has a decidedly lighter and more humorous tone than your last film, are you moving in that direction or do you intend to return to darker material with your future work?

I think I’d like to keep my options open. I think I’ll make another horror film at some point, but I wouldn’t rule out a rom com.

What was it like to have your film premiere in Cannes last year?

It’s was nerve-racking , and in retrospect, it was a lot of fun. 

Your two leads have such amazing chemistry, can you tell us a little about how your found them and put them together?

Alice and Steve had been developing the characters for years together before I got involved. 

You’re pretty much finished with your next film A FIELD IN ENGLAND, and it sounds very different from your previous films, can you tell us a little about what we can expect?

Expect magic mushrooms, big hats, shoot-outs and freak-outs. It’s half period piece, half Roger Corman’s THE TRIP.

SIGHTSEERS opens in theaters on May 10  in New York at Landmark’s Sunshine Cinema and in Los Angeles at Landmark’s Nuart Theater in West L.A.  SIGHTSEERS will alsol be available on VOD May 13.

8 May Permalink

Ulrich Seidl’s PARADISE Trilogy begins a one week run at Cinefamily this Friday

The controversial director’s latest trilogy begins a one week run at Los Angeles’ Cinefmaily theater this Friday.  PARADISE FAITH and PARADISE LOVE were both official selections at AFI FEST 2012.  Click here for more information.

2 May Permalink

AFI Introduces Eight Promising New Women Directors

LOS ANGELES, CA, May 2, 2013 – The American Film Institute’s elite AFI Directing Workshop for Women (DWW) program will screen eight short films at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 6, 2013 at the Director’s Guild in Los Angeles. The films are the end result of an immersive year long tuition-free fellowship conducted each year at AFI. On average, only eight percent of applicants are selected to participate in this prestigious program. The program’s emphasis is on women, who have had at least seven years experience within the film industry and are transitioning into the role of director. The eight new directors are Shaz Bennett, Catherine Dent, Antoneta Kastrati, Lauren Ludwig, Stephanie Martin, Juliana Peñaranda-Loftus, Lisanne Sartor and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro.

The keynote address will be delivered by Ava DuVernay, winner of the Best Director Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. DuVernay, who transitioned from publicity to directing, is currently in post-production on her documentary about Venus Williams for ESPN Films and has just completed a film for Prada.

Actors featured in the DWW films who are expected to attend include Shohreh Aghdashloo, Anna Camp, Frances Conroy, Ashley Williams and Rumer Willis. Also attending is Academy^® Award-winning cinematographer and AFI alumnus Robert Richardson who shot Stephanie Martin’s WILD HORSES.

Introducing the AFI Directing Workshop for Women Class of 2012
Shaz Bennett’s ALASKA IS A DRAG is the story of a boy whose dreams of being an international superstar are hard fought working in a small town fish cannery. Bennett currently works on THE GLADES on A&E. She wrote and performed four critically acclaimed one-woman shows. The New York Post described her as “the Mormon Dennis Leary.” Bennett performs regularly in Los Angeles at Sit N Spin at the Comedy Central Stage, and The Moth. Radio listeners can hear her on KCRW’s “UnFictional.” Presently, Bennett is developing a television series and raising money to shoot the feature-length version of ALASKA IS A DRAG.

Catherine Dent has been a successful actress in film and television for over 20 years and is known widely for her role on the award-winning FX series, THE SHIELD. Her film SILK is about a woman portrayed by Oscar^® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo, who is given away by her family and forced to marry at age 10, is currently garnering attention in film festivals around the world.

Antoneta Kastrati is a Los Angeles-based filmmaker from Kosovo. After surviving the war in the late 1990s, she became a documentarian and her award-winning films have addressed unexplored issues of postwar society. Her AFI DWW film SHE COMES IN SPRING tells the story of a young woman who visits a middle-aged father in a Serbian village, compelling him to uncover a dark secret buried in his wartime past.

Lauren Ludwig is a multi-media director and writer based in LA and hailing from upstate New York. Her past work has earned a Hollywood Fringe Festival Best of Comedy Award, an LA Weekly Best of the Fringe Award and a Chicago Reader Critics Choice distinction. She regularly directs videos and live shows for the underground comedy group Lost Moon Radio. Her original play exploring the life and work of Charlie Chaplin “15 Tramps,” was the recipient of numerous honors in Chicago. Ludwig’s AFI DWW film is BURN BRIGHTLY, an off-beat love story about a boy allergic to the sun.

Stephanie Martin co-wrote and directed WILD HORSES starring Mireille Enos, Brooke Shields and Barbara Tarbuck in an effort to tackle the emotional and political subject of the U.S. Government involvement in wild horse roundups. With this in mind, Martin is currently developing a feature-length project about the wild horse issue. Born in Sao Paulo and raised mostly in Buenos Aires, Martin discovered her passion for film while at Wellesley College. She earned her MFA from AFI Conservatory and has since been working successfully as a cinematographer on features, shorts, documentaries and commercials. WILD HORSES has been selected to premiere at the Palm Springs Shorts Fest. 

Juliana Penaranda-Loftus’ film studies have included prestigious schools on several continents. After September 11, she traveled to Afghanistan to direct and produce a documentary about Aid Afghanistan, an organization fighting for the right to educate women. Since then she has produced three independent feature films: KALAMITY, WILD 7 and TRIP OUT. Her AFI DWW short film LEARNING TO FLY is about the innocence and imagination of a child in contrast with the harsh reality of life in urban America. She is currently producing the upcoming documentary LANDFILL HARMONIC to be released in 2014.

Lisanne Sartor began in the entertainment industry as a Directors Guild trainee and then became a DGA assistant director. She left production to get an MFA in screenwriting from UCLA. Sartor’s original screenplay CLEAVERVILLE was produced by Don Enright of Alexander/Enright, and aired as a Lifetime Television movie of the week. Her AFI DWW film SIX LETTER WORD stars Rumer Willis and will screen at the American Pavilion at the Cannes Emerging Filmmaker Showcase and the Cannes Short Film Corner later this month. She is currently polishing the feature-length version of SIX LETTER WORD.

Sarah Gertrude Shapiro’s critically acclaimed short film SEQUIN RAZE, starring Ashley Williams, Frances Conroy and Anna Camp, took home Honorable Mention at SXSW this year and was the only U.S. short to be invited to New Directors/New Films at MoMA/Lincoln Center. She then sold SEQUIN RAZE to a major cable network and is currently writing the pilot episode of that television series while simultaneously developing her feature film TREMBLE. Shapiro has worked at a variety of noteworthy day-jobs, including a substantial tenure at renowned ad agency Wieden+Kennedy - all the while producing her own works, which have garnered acclaim at festivals world-wide, including her comedy short 2ND BEST, which premiered at Frameline 2012.

About AFI Directing Workshop for Women
The AFI Directing Workshop for Women at the American Film Institute is a remarkable, one of a kind program. Since 1974, AFI has offered this tuition-free training workshop and opportunity to direct a digital short that has launched the career of many working directors. Among the remarkable past participants of this program are Maya Angelou, Ellen Burstyn, Dyan Cannon (whose film earned her an Oscar^® nomination), Lesli Linka Glatter (whose film earned her an Oscar^® nomination), and Rhanda Haines and Joanne Woodward who have steered major Hollywood films, as well as acclaimed television directors Tricia Brock, Hanelle Culpepper, Jennifer Getzinger and Nancy Malone, among many others. National statistics published by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) lists the percentage of working female directors as seven percent in film and 11 percent in television. The AFI Directing Workshop for Women can proudly claim that 25 percent of alumnae have professional directing credits since participating in the workshop.

The AFI Directing Workshop for Women is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the American Film Institute, The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, Sony Corporation of America, Jean Picker Firstenberg, Nancy Malone and Roz Wyman. More information can be found at AFI.com/showcase/dww/films.aspx.

2 May Permalink

AFI Alumni at the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival - Updated

We are proud to announce that the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival will feature 15 films from AFI Conservatory Alumni. The festival will begin May 15 and will run until May 26.

Competition

THE IMMIGRANT                                                                                                   Kayla Emter (AFI Class of 2008), Editor

ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE
Affonso Gonçalves (AFI Class of 1993), Editor

Director’s Fortnight

THE CONGRESS
Paul Van Zyl (AFI Class of 1984), Production Staff

Un Certain Regard

FRUITVALE
Rachel Morrison (AFI Class of 2006), Cinematographer

LA JAULA DE ORO
Diego Quemada-Diez (AFI Class of 2001), Producer/Director/Screenwriter

Short Films Competition

HVALGJORDUR (WHALE VALLEY)
Darin Mercado (AFI Class of 2001), Producer
Magnús Viðar Sigurðsson (AFI Class of 1992), Executive Producer

Short Film Corner

FOUR DAYS
Jack Swanstrom (AFI Class of 1995), Director

GOLDENSTATE
Deniese Davis (AFI Class of 2012), Producer
Moshe Sayada (AFI Class of 2012), Director/Screenwriter
Cami Starkman (AFI Class of 2012), Screenwriter/Editor
Stefan Weinberger (AFI Class of 2012), Cinematographer
Lavinia DeCastro-Walsh (AFI Class of 2012), Production Designer

HONOR SOCIETY
Tiffany Laufer (AFI Class of 2003), Director/Screenwriter/Editor

HOPSCOTCH
Sheena McCann (AFI Class of 2011), Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Petr Cikhart (AFI Class of 2012), Cinematographer

MAE AND ASH
Shuchi Talati (AFI Class of 2011), Director/Screenwriter
Jaspar Granderath (AFI Class of 2011), Cinematographer

SCHOOL’S OUT: LESSONS FROM A FOREST KINDERGARTEN
Lisa Molomot (AFI Class of 1998), Director

SIX LETTER WORD
Lisanne Sartor (AFI Directing Workshop for Women, Class of 2012), Producer/Director/Screenwriter
Samuel Kim (AFI Class of 2011), Cinematographer
Sevdije Kastrati (AFI Class of 2011), Camera Operator

SWIMMING IN AIR

Justin Tipping (AFI Class of 2011), Director

THE TRESTLE AT POPE LICK CREEK
Hannah Chipman (AFI Class of 2012), Producer
Vuk Mitrovic (AFI Class of 2012), Director/Screenwriter
Rahel Grunder (AFI Class of 2012), Screenwriter
Yong Jin Kim (AFI Class of 2012), Cinematographer
Cami Starkman (AFI Class of 2012), Editor

Special Screenings

SEDUCED AND ABANDONED
Nicolas Emiliani (AFI Class of 2007), Line Producer: Napa Valley
Dwjuan Fox (AFI Class of 2007), Line Producer: Los Angeles

22 April 1 Permalink

AFI DOCS presented by Audi ANNOUNCES OPENING NIGHT AND CENTERPIECE PREMIERES

Opening Gala LETTERS TO JACKIE written and directed by Bill Couturié
Embraces the Nation’s Mourning of President Kennedy’s Assassination Fifty Years Ago

Centerpiece Gala DOCUMENTED written and directed by Jose Antonio Vargas
Further Raises Immigration to the Forefront of our Country’s Dialogue

APRIL 22, 2013, WASHINGTON, DC – AFI Docs presented by Audi announced today the AFI Docs opening night gala at the Newseum will be the theatrical premiere of LETTERS TO JACKIE written and directed by Oscar^®-winning filmmaker Bill Couturié. The film, presented by TLC and co-produced by Amblin TV and The Couturie Co., features letters from the public written to Mrs. Kennedy in the dark shadow of the President’s assassination fifty years ago. The letters are read by 20 of today’s top actors including Bérénice Bejo, Demián Bichir, Jessica Chastain, Chris Cooper, Viola Davis, Zooey Deschanel, Kirsten Dunst, Anne Hathaway, Allison Janney, John Krasinski, Melissa Leo, Laura Linney, Frances McDormand, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mark Ruffalo, Octavia Spencer, Hailee Steinfeld, Channing Tatum, Betty White and Michelle Williams. TLC will premiere LETTERS TO JACKIE as a special television event in November 2013. Timothy Kuryak, Howard Lee, Eileen O’Neill and Amy Winter serve as executive producers for TLC. Amblin/DreamWorks Television co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank executive produced the film.

Also having its world premiere is DOCUMENTED, written and directed by Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and founder of Define American and co-directed by Ann Lupo. The film explores immigration in America through the lens of Vargas’ personal story as one of the country’s most prominent undocumented immigrants who himself is documenting America’s growing undocumented immigrant movement. The topic of immigration will also be explored as part of the AFI Catalyst Sessions: The Art of Moving Reality, a forum for national conversations with filmmakers, thought leaders, policy-makers and engaged audiences held as part of AFI Docs. More information about the AFI Catalyst Sessions will be announced in May.

“Some issues and emotions are so powerful that they must find expression in the public square and in our case, the National Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue,” said AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale. “LETTERS TO JACKIE and DOCUMENTED will prompt essential national conversations that are at the heart of AFI Docs.”

“We are honored to present these exceptional films as our Opening Night and Centerpiece screenings,” said Sky Sitney, Festival Director. “Both touch deeply on the emotional core of our country’s identity – LETTERS TO JACKIE looks back at a pivotal time in our history, while DOCUMENTED confronts a critical issue that could not be more timely and relevant.”

As previously announced, AFI Docs presented by Audi (formerly Silverdocs) returns for its 11th edition June 19-23, 2013. After a decade at the celebrated AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, MD, the festival will build upon the success of Silverdocs with screenings and events at iconic venues on the National Mall and in the Penn Quarter area, as well as continue at the American Film Institute’s AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

Information on programming, screening schedules, registration and passes will be released in the coming weeks and posted at AFI.com/AFIDOCS.

22 April Permalink