Film Festival

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22 days ago

AFI Dallas Drops AFI

There is certainly more to this story, but both AFI and the Dallas Film Society jointly announced “completion of their... more

jlichman
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AFI Fest: News for 09 festival

Big buzz about AFI's new free screening format. “SEE A FILM ON US” is the Theme of the 2009 fest, the Film... more

saskia
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Documentary Dos & Don’ts From a Vet Programmer

There will be exceptions to virtually everything I say. Some things will seem incredibly obvious or basic, but if I’ve... more

slagface
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Il web produce film

Parte su KinemaZOne la campagna di raccolta fondi per la realizzazione di un cortometraggio.

kinemazone
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Mile High Mutiny: Major Shakeup Hits Denver Fest; Mass Resignations

A dramatic mass exodus is underway at the Denver Film Society, organizer of the three decade old Denver International Film... more

jlichman
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Moviecrossing a Napoli

Napoletani!! E' arrivato il momento di dare un valore a tutti i DVD orrendi che vi hanno regalato o che avete comprato... more

kinemazone
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There are no hard times on the red carpet at Cannes

Here's another viewpoint that sees the silver lining:

"CANNES, France — Economic downturn? What economic downturn? There are no hard times on the red carpet at Cannes, where they know how to party like it’s 1788 or at least like the prerecessionary days of 2008. On Wednesday the 62nd Cannes Film Festival opened with the customary smiles and patrician waves as the stars and auteurs promenaded into the world premiere of Pixar’s “Up.” It was all très chic, if very de rigueur, save for the awe-inspiring moment when the 80-year-old French director Agnès Varda, busy photographing the photographers, nimbly dodged being knocked over by a posing and blissfully oblivious Tilda Swinton.

Given the throb of bad news preceding the festival (“Economic Woes at Cannes” read a typical headline), you might even think that Pixar’s latest, a 3-D charmer directed by Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”), about an old man who takes literal and emotional flight with the help of a child, had been chosen for its title alone, as a way to buoy the down attendees. At least for the first few days, there were more empty seats at the press screenings and breathing room in the hallways. But the mood in the Palais, the festival’s headquarters, was cautiously optimistic, or perhaps just realistic. You couldn’t help wondering, Is this thinned population the recession or a sign of a correction — an indication that there might be fewer movies clogging screens?

It’s too early to tell, of course, though the idea that there might be a silver lining to the dark clouds, particularly for the kinds of nonstudio movies that make their way from Cannes to American specialty screens, was a theme that emerged from a highly unscientific poll I conducted by e-mail before the festival kicked off. James Schamus, the chief executive of Focus Features, a specialty division of NBC Universal that recently released Jim Jarmusch’s “Limits of Control,” put the larger economic woes into pragmatic, film-world perspective.

“In some ways,” Mr. Schamus wrote, “the bad news is good news for film buffs — the drying up of hedge fund money means that while there will be fewer art-house films opening every weekend this fall, the ones that do open will have a better shot at gaining some kind of attention and audience. That means specialized film as a business will make a lot more sense than it has the past few years....” "Here's another viewpoint that sees the silver lining: "CANNES, France — Economic downturn? What economic... more

vistapoint
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1 month ago

The Credit Crunch in Cannes

With the Credit Crunch and a glut of film product affecting both film financing and distribution everywhere, Cannes is not immune...

"The Cannes Credit Crunch
Too many films, too little financing put the squeeze on the presale market.

CANNES, FRANCE -- With an oversupply of films, a paucity of risk takers and an uncertain economy, the market for movies is taking a nosedive at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival. The champagne may be flowing, but funding is another story. Not only are distributors less interested in deals requiring upfront funding for production in the first place, but they're also more cautious about completed films.

"Like any market, it's a matter of supply and demand," says Jonathan Wolf, executive vice president of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, the trade association for independent distributors and producers. "Film is more elastic than other products and services, but you can't double the supply of films and expect the market to absorb it."

Hardest hit: The "presale" market, a staple of movie moneymen, where distributors finance productions by paying upfront for the right to distribute films after completion. When times were good, buyers flocked and price tags ballooned. The credit crunch dried up that game. Would-be investors are now shopping for finished movies, a far less risky bet.

"In the '90s, the marketplace would come up with up to 100% of the budget." explains Carl Clifton, managing director of The Works International, whose international launch of Anvil! The story of Anvil, a heavy metal documentary film, caused a stir at this years' festival. Clifton estimates funding from presale has dropped below 40%. Others say it's even lower. "Presales still exist for the right product." Clifton explains, "But the risk appetite is lower, and there is more purchasing of completed films."

Buyers "have come to Cannes with specific projects in mind and are finalizing deals which were already in the pipeline," says Peter Carlton, senior commissioning executive of Film4, which scored success backing the breakout hit Slumdog Millionaire.

The presale meltdown is driving filmmakers to "gap" financing, highly risky and priced that way. Gap lenders retain rights to collect ahead of other lenders, charge interest rates north of 8%, plus legal fees, and may also take a back-end piece. If on the maturity date the producers haven't made adequate sales to return money to the super gap lender, this party steps in and acquires equity in the production.

It isn't all gloom. Film4 is actively building a pipeline of projects including festival selection Looking for Eric, which received major buzz on the Croisette red carpet, and Hunger, which took the Golden Camera Award at the festival in 2008.

And "sooner or later people will need product," says Barry S. Babok, of Babok & Levin LLP, a Cannes regular and attorney who specializes in gap lending. "There may have been a glut, but once the credit market gets better, people will be more comfortable spending money, and will again demand product." And Hollywood endings."With the Credit Crunch and a glut of film product affecting both film financing and distribution everywhere, Cannes is not... more

vistapoint
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1 month ago

Redford brings Sundance to New Mexico

Wow. Kudos to the New Mexico Film Office for bringing something like this to their state. "Redford launches... more

vistapoint
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1 month ago

Recession = free film festival tickets

"In an unprecented move for a major U.S. film festival, AFI Fest in Los Angeles will offer free tickets to all screenings at... more

vistapoint
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2 months ago

WOMEN IN FILM: Tribeca Film Fest '09

TRIBECA FEMALE DIRECTORS 2009 Watch 9 great trailers and read the mini bios of the female directors @ Tribeca this year, at... more

MEnglish
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2 months ago

"The Broken Hearts Club" A Romantic Comedy for Regular People - Trailer

"The Broken Hearts Club" A Romantic Comedy for Regular People - the indie film is now an official selection of the... more

hollywoodcity
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3 responses

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2 months ago

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia

NEW from Dickhouse! The Creators of JACKASS -- A new documentary about a legendary American family. Shoot-outs, robberies,... more

Pericles_Lewnes
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11 responses

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2 months ago

New Movie 'American Violet' Depicts Drug War Racism

Movie description>>"Based on true events during the 2000 election, AMERICAN VIOLET tells the astonishing story of Dee Roberts (critically hailed newcomer Nicole Beharie), a 24 year-old African American single mother of four young girls living in a small Texas town who is barely able to make ends meet.

While police drag Dee from work in handcuffs, dumping her in the squalor of the women’s county prison, the powerful local district attorney (Academy Award® nominee Michael O’Keefe) leads an extensive drug bust, sweeping her housing project with military precision. Dee soon discovers she has been charged as a drug dealer.

Even though Dee has no prior drug record and no drugs were found on her in the raid, she is offered a hellish choice: plead guilty and go home as a convicted felon or remain in prison, jeopardizing her custody and risking a long prison sentence.

She chooses to fight the district attorney and the unyielding criminal justice system, risking everything in a battle that forever changes her life and the Texas justice system. AMERICAN VIOLET also stars Academy Award® nominee Alfre Woodard, Emmy Award® winner Charles S. Dutton, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton and Xzibit.

NOTE: American Violet was initially inspired by an NPR story by Wade Goodwyn.

That was six years ago. Much of the film was informed by thousands of pages of information provided on a range of stories by the ACLU among others. A variety of media reports and legal documents, including sworn testimony, depositions and affidavits, all of which can be found on the public record also helped us find authentic patterns and voices for our storytelling. Finally, taped interviews with community members who had experienced circumstances similar to those outlined in our work proved useful.

However, American Violet is not a documentary. It is a narrative feature film that is, as it says, based on true events. Some scenes and characters have been fictionalized for dramatic effect and have no relationship to the historical record. Names have been changed to protect the innocent and also to protect this film."Movie description>>"Based on true events during the 2000 election, AMERICAN VIOLET tells the astonishing story of Dee... more

ninthstate
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10 responses

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3 months ago

International Student Film Festival Hollywood 2009 Call for Entries

The International Student Film Festival Hollywood (ISFFH) is now accepting submissions for its 7th annual Film and Video Competition. The Festival will be held in the NoHo Arts District of North Hollywood, CA November 6 – 8, 2009. The competition is open to students of all ages and academic backgrounds. Students compete with their own peers. Submission deadline is August 31, 2009. More information and entry forms are available on the festival website www.isffhollywood.org.

Art is and always has been our universal language and the ISFFH has been successfully reaching out to student filmmakers all over the world for more than 6 years. It is this generation of story tellers that will be influencing the following generations. The ISFFH gives them a platform to be seen, offering students the unique opportunity to gain the recognition of film industry leaders and create career development opportunities.

Each year the ISFFH has had the privilege of receiving more than 250 film submissions. Awards are presented to winners after their films are judged by a panel of professional filmmakers, writers, directors, producers, actors, distributors, agents, film critics and professors that comprise the jury. Films go through an initial screening, are separated into genres, go before a panel of preliminary judges, then on to the blue ribbon judges.

Visitors to the Festival each year have ranged from 2500 guests to over 3000. The ISFFH has brought student filmmakers and their families from 5 of the worlds 7 continents, including following countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Korea, Colombia, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Turkey, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Sweden, India, Iceland, Hungary, Russia, Georgia, Belarus, China, Austria, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Argentina, Finland, and from states throughout the USA. We have screened over 800 student films and the Festival has helped to place more than 20 graduate film students into production and post-production job positions.

Through the years the ISFFH has had the honor of having celebrities participate and share their experiences with the student filmmakers. Participants have included Director George Hickenlooper, Writer/Director Alan Jacobs, Writer/Director Jennifer Lynch, Actress Lainie Kazan, Producer Bonnie Bruckheimer, and Producer A.C. Lyles. In 2007, filmmakers and guests were honored with a surprise visit by Famed Director/Producer/Writer, Garry Marshall and Award–Winning Actor, Hector Elizondo; who graciously shared stories and took questions from the filmmakers.

Last year, Mike Medavoy, Chairman & Co-Founder of Phoenix Pictures received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in the success of some of America’s best films over the past 25 years. From agenting to studio chief, he has been involved with over 300 feature films. After the festival, Mr. Medavoy said that he too, gets “inspired by seeing all these younger people’s work.”

The ISFFH is a non-profit organization that relies on the generosity of others. Please visit www.isffhollywood.org for donation and sponsorship opportunities.

The ISFFH is sponsored by American Building Supply, Wells Fargo, CRA/LA, CISCorp, Saban Enterprises, Marilyn Bradbury, Rotary Club of Studio City and Sherman Oaks, Gloria and Lou Weintraub, Creative Handbook, A Matter of Pixels, Production Hub, Discmakers, Turkla.com, Fun Little Movies, NoHoArtsDistrict.com and LAGrip.com.The International Student Film Festival Hollywood (ISFFH) is now accepting submissions for its 7th annual Film and Video... more