Au Contraire Film Festival announces its 2015 program

THE LINEUP OF FILMS IS BEAUTIFUL, TOPICAL & UNFLINCHING WHILE STRIVING TO ERASE THE STIGMA OF MENTAL ILLNESS
MONTRÉAL MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, OCTOBER 27-30

Paradis Urbain is proud to present the 3^rd annual Au Contraire Film Festival (ACFF) program. The festival will showcase edgy and thought-provoking feature and short films and documentaries from around the world, to be followed by panel discussions on key topics on mental illness.

This year’s ACFF program was chosen from over 400 submissions, more than double the amount received for the 2014 edition, from all around the world” said Philip Silverberg, festival founder. Our roster will screen, in English and French, 3 feature and 8 short length jury selected films including 5 Canadian Premières. All of these films Challenge the Myths and Change the Perspectives surrounding mental illness.”

11th Montreal International Black Film Festival announces lineup

The Montreal International Black Film Festival celebrates History from Martin Luther King to Malcom X and of course Rosa Parks, with a bold, diverse and meaningful programming

Today, at the Former NFB Theatre, programming for the 11th edition of the Montreal International Black Film Festival (MIBFF) was announced. The MIBFF, created by the Fabienne Colas Foundation and presented by Global News Montreal, will take place from September 29 to October 4, 2015 with a variety of memorable events that will leave a mark in the Festival’s history.

Canada’s biggest black film festival, the Montreal International Black Film Festival, is returning with a rich and bold programming honouring Afro-American History. The programming includes the “Black Market”, exciting special events, the “Cinema Without Borders” professional development activities program for the youth from the South, tributes, attendance of international guests and much more. In addition, the MIBFF will debut an exhibition and after parties. Moviegoers will get the chance to watch uncut, quality films; feature-length, mid-length, shorts, documentaries and narrativefilms will all be presented, most making their Canadian debut! Festivalgoers will also get the chance to see actors and directors from all corners of the globe sharing their passions. And there's something for everyone!

Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal (RIDM) announces 12 films in this year’s festival

The 18th annual Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) will be held from November 12 to 22. As a sneak preview before the announcement of the full line-up, the festival is pleased to pre-announce 12 films from this year’s program.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
This year’s international competition will include The Other Side by director Roberto Minervini. Selected by both the Cannes Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year, the film follows the daily lives of marginal people living in Louisiana, taking us a modern American abyss.

Homeland by Abbas Fahdel, named best international feature at the Visions du Réel festival, is a chronicle of life in Iraq before and after the American invasion of 2003. An epic work of incalculable importance, Homeland is an unprecedented journey inside a country’s descent into the chaos of war.

2015 Festival des Films du Monde awards – winners

Jury

President: Dany Laferrière, writer (Canada)
Luis Urquiza, filmmaker (Mexico)
Gerardo Salcedo, festival programmer (Mexico)
Peter Rainer, writer & film critic (United States)
Ventura Pons, filmmaker, (Spain)
Tea Falco, actress (Italy)

Spike Lee, Debbie Reynolds & Gena Rowlands to receive Academy's 2015 Governors Awards

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted Tuesday night (August 25) to present Honorary Awards to Spike Lee and Gena Rowlands, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Debbie Reynolds. All three awards will be presented at the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards on Saturday, November 14, at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center®.

“The Board is proud to recognize our honorees’ remarkable contributions at this year’s Governors Awards,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We’ll be celebrating their achievements with the knowledge that the work they have accomplished – with passion, dedication and a desire to make a positive difference – will also enrich future generations.”

Lee, a champion of independent film and an inspiration to young filmmakers, made an auspicious debut with his NYU thesis film, Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, which won a Student Academy Award® in 1983. He proceeded to blaze a distinctive trail with such features as She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Do the Right Thing, which earned him a 1989 Oscar® nomination for Original Screenplay. His work as a director ranges from the Oscar-nominated documentary feature 4 Little Girls to such mainstream successes as Malcolm X and Inside Man. Lee’s other feature credits include Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, He Got Game, 25th Hour, Miracle at St. Anna and Red Hook Summer. He currently serves as the artistic director of the graduate film program at NYU.

Academy announces 2015 Student Academy Award winners

All winning films now eligible for Oscars

The Academy has voted fifteen students as winners of the 42nd Student Academy Awards competition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year — 1,686 films from 282 domestic and 93 international colleges and universities — which were voted upon by a record number of Academy members. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony.

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2015 Discovery, TIFF Kids, In Conversation With..., Festival Street programmes

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL UNVEILS DISCOVERY PROGRAMME FEATURING 30 FILMS BY EXCITING NEW FILMMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE

The Toronto International Film Festival® announced today its Discovery programme showcasing 30 outstanding and absorbing feature films, including 16 World Premieres, by first and second time directors from Canada and across the globe.

“Discovery is the place where Festival audiences will find the future of filmmaking,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “You can expect to uncover thrilling new voices, inspiring storytellers and hidden gems among this fantastic showcase of work from some of the most exciting new directors from around the world.”

The diverse Discovery lineup includes Desde Allá, an intense social drama from Venezuelan newcomer Lorenzo Vigas; Tom and Sam McKeith’s Manila-set thriller Beast; German filmmaker Sebastian Ko’s riveting suspense We Monsters; Michael Lennox’s A Patch of Fog which chronicles a British anti-bromance; Very Big Shot, the debut from Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, delving into a darkly comedic world of coke smuggling in Lebanon; Maris Curran’s intimate drama Five Nights in Maine; Irish director Simon Fitzmaurice’s feature debut, the coming-of-age story My Name is Emily; and Mexico’s Alejandra Márquez Abellas’ debut, the poignant drama Semana Santa.

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2015 guest list, fact sheet

THE TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET FOR A STAR-STUDDED SEPTEMBER WITH FILMMAKERS AND TALENT FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

The 40th Toronto International Film Festival® welcomes an unparalleled guest list of celebrated film talent from around the globe during the 11-day event, which runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Ridley Scott, David Gordon Green, Barbara Kopple, Jonás Cuarón, Stephen Frears, Leanne Pooley, Ben Wheatley, Baltasar Kormákur, Meghna Gulzar, Jason Bateman, Álex de la Iglesia, Eva Husson, Nicolás Pereda, Alan Zweig, He Ping and Michael Moore.

Call for submissions: Reel Asian's So You Think You Can Pitch?

The Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival has announced a call for submissions for its 2015 edition of So You Think You Can Pitch?, a pitch competition for filmmakers. Winners receive up to $18,000 in production services and cash towards making the project based on their winning pitch.

They accept pitches for any film idea, be it dramatic, documentary, musical or experimental, up to 24 minutes in length, as long as you feature an Asian member in a key creative role, either in front or behind the camera. Applications will be accepted until September 28 at 5pm.

Selected finalists teams will participate in an intensive boot camp at the Reel Asian Pitch Clinic, where finalists gain in-depth professional advice on pitching like a pro in front of a live audience. Finalists will compete at a live Pitch Competition Finale during the 2015 Reel Asian Festival this November 5-15th. Finalists will also be awarded with a 2015 Festival Pass, with access to festival screenings and Industry Series sessions, where you can gain insightful knowledge from industry professionals and access the many networking opportunities throughout the festival.

TIFF announces 200 Influential speakers over 7 days at 2015 TIFF Industry Conference

WENDY CALHOUN, NURI BILGE CEYLAN, YU DONG, STEPHEN FREARS AND NIIJA KUYKENDALL AMONG 200 INFLUENTIAL SPEAKERS OVER 7 DAYS AT TIFF INDUSTRY CONFERENCE

The TIFF Industry Conference offers delegates invaluable access to the wisdom and experience of creative and business leaders during the 40th Toronto International Film Festival.

“TIFF Industry is excited to present a lineup of cinematic masters, creative innovators and business visionaries to equip delegates with meaningful tools for success,” said Kathleen Drumm, Director, TIFF Industry Office. “With a diverse range of topics from story development to sales and distribution, we offer an incomparable professional development opportunity for industry members at all levels of experience.”

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2015 Contemporary World Cinema, City to City, Wavelengths programmes

CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA PROGRAMME PRESENTS 60 OUTSTANDING FILMS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE
Films from countries including Ethiopia, New Zealand, Peru, Israel, Indonesia, Germany, Australia, Spain, China, France, Japan, Iceland and Morocco in Festival spotlight

A diverse and fascinating selection of 60 films from countries across the globe were announced today in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Contemporary World Cinema programme. Spotlighting work from some of the world’s finest international filmmakers, the lineup delivers an array of compelling films for Festival audiences to savour, journeying through unique and universal stories told on film.

Included in the lineup is the latest from directors Christian Zübert, Nabil Ayouch, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Alexandra-Therese Keining, Grímur Hákonarson, Erik Matti, Oliver Hermanus, Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche, Federico Veiroj, Eric Khoo, Sion Sono, Danielle Arbid, Emin Alper, and Jeremy Sims.

Toronto International Film Festival announces 2015 International Shorts programme, additional films

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S SHORT CUTS PROGRAMME OFFERS A VARIETY OF WORLD-CLASS SHORT FILMS

The Toronto International Film Festival® is pleased to announce the lineup for the Short Cuts programme. Thirty-eight international shorts join the previously announced Canadian shorts, which will screen in 11 curated programmes. The compelling lineup encompasses works from filmmakers representing an impressive 35 countries. From provocative narratives to compelling animation, from insightful dramas to profoundly moving documentaries, the works in Short Cuts showcase unique, yet universal, stories about the human condition, in short form.

Short Cuts is programmed by: Shane Smith, Director of Special Projects, TIFF; as well as Jason Anderson, Danis Goulet and Kathleen McInnis, Short Cuts Programmers.

The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

39th Festival des films du monde / Montreal World Film Festival announces Closing Film

BELGIAN RHAPSODY BY VINCENT BAL WILL CLOSE THE 39TH MWFF

Belgian Rhapsody the MWFF closing film will be North-American Premiered (Out of Competition) it was announced. Produced by Peter Bouckaert for Eyeworks (Ben X, The Verdict, Marina presented and awarded at the MWFF) this comedy stars Amaryllis Ouitterlinden, Arthur Dupont, Jos Verbist, Marc Weiss, Koen Van Impe, Philippe Résimont.

Two Belgian brass bands, the Flemish “Sint Cecilia” and the Walloon “En Avant”, have both been selected for the great European final. The Walloons are blown into the final by Hugues, their exceptionally talented and handsome trumpet player. When Sint Cecilia’s soloist drops dead on stage, Elke, daughter of the band’s conductor Joseph, has the solution: let’s buy that Walloon super talent out. BELGIAN RHAPSODY is a musical comedy about Belgium where anything goes when the two dominant communities compete: double-crossing, schmaltzy songs and even love.

39th Festival des films du monde / Montreal World Film Festival announces World Greats selection

THE WORLD GREATS SECTION OF THE MWFF PRESENTS NEW FILMS BY NOTED DIRECTORS

Twenty-four features from a score of countries are being shown in the World Greats (out of competition) section of the MWFF. “ Dedicated to experienced filmmakers, this selection offers the latest works by some of the best known directors from around the world, ” said Serge Losique.

Notable among the cineastes included are Majid Majidi whose Muhammad will be getting its world premiere, Jean-Jacques Annaud, who will be showing the North-American premiere of his latest film, Wolf Totem, Cristina Commencini (Latin Lover), Ventura Pons (The Virus of Fear), Ermanno Olmi (Greenery Will Bloom Again), Vincent Bal (Belgian Rhapsody), Ken Kwapis (A Walk in the Woods, with Robert Redford) and Sergio Castellitto (You Can`t Save Yourself Alone), among others.

Toronto International Film Festival announces lineup for inaugural Primetime programme

TELEVISION GETS THE SILVER SCREEN TREATMENT IN TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL’S NEW PRIMETIME PROGRAMME
International lineup features shows from the minds of Baltasar Kormákur, Jason Reitman, Morgan Neville, Fabrice Gobert, Lucía Puenzo and Tim Kring

Six high-quality television programs from around the globe comprise the inaugural lineup for Primetime, a new programme launching at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival®. The section presents the best in international television on the big screen, channeling the powerful, small-screen serial storytelling coming from broadcasters, streaming services and independent filmmakers. The lineup features programs from France, Iceland, Argentina and the United States, created by directors Baltasar Kormákur, Jason Reitman, Morgan Neville, Fabrice Gobert, Lucía Puenzo and Nicolás Puenzo, and creator/executive producer Tim Kring.

“The growing convergence and artistic equality between television and cinema has ushered in a new era of high-quality, small-screen programming,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “Primetime aims to spotlight the cross-pollination of these two moving image cultures, showcasing the bold and impressive work that’s being produced on an international scale.”