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.”

12th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto announces lineup

Lineup includes films from established and emerging directors including Joshua Oppenheimer, Wim Wenders, Patricio Henriquez and Hajooj Kuka

TIFF and Human Rights Watch co-present the 12th annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival in Toronto, with a powerful lineup of eight films that recount extraordinary stories of struggle, survival and hope. Showcasing cinema at the forefront of the human rights movement, the festival aims to draw attention to human rights violations worldwide through brave films from countries including Canada, Indonesia, Sudan, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Palestine, Guatemala, the United States and Hungary.

Running from March 24 to April 2 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, the festival kicks off with an opening night fundraising reception followed by the Canadian premiere of The One That Got Away, a documentary chronicling the strength and endurance of the human spirit, and closes with Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story, the inspiring story of an ex-Navy SEAL’s lifelong struggle to find her true identity. Additional highlights include the Toronto premiere of the Academy Award-nominated The Salt of the Earth, a stunning visual odyssey of the world as seen through the eyes of one of the greatest image-makers of the last century, and The Look of Silence, a morally complex, exquisitely crafted work that promises to provoke far-reaching ripples of dialogue. Complete film lineup listed below. All screenings are accompanied by introductions or discussions by filmmakers, Human Rights Watch researchers or film subject experts. Visit tiff.net/humanrightswatch for additional guest information leading up to the festival.

2014 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Feb 27–Mar 6

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival, a co-presentation between Human Rights Watch and TIFF, returns for its 11th year in Toronto with eight films that bravely bear witness to human rights violations in Canada and around the globe, and make an impassioned call for social change through their empowering stories of perseverance, resilience and hope.

Featuring selections from Cambodia, Tanzania, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, France, the United Kingdom and the USA, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival opens at TIFF Bell Lightbox on February 27 with The Square (2013), director Jehane Noujaim’s (Control Room) thrilling documentary chronicle of activism, unrest and revolution in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and closes on March 6 with the world premiere of Canadian director Matthew Smiley's hard-hitting documentary Highway of Tears (2013).

CFC presents An Evening Honouring Chris Tucker

CELEBRATING “BOLD, BLACK, RISK TAKERS”,
AN EVENING HONOURING ACTOR/COMEDIAN CHRIS TUCKER

Part of TD ‘Then & Now’ Series Presented by Clement Virgo Productions and CFC

In celebration of Black History Month, CFC (Canadian Film Centre), Clement Virgo Productions and TD are pleased to present a special evening honouring acclaimed actor/comedian Chris Tucker (Silver Linings Playbook, Rush Hour 1, 2 & 3, Jackie Brown, Fifth Element.)

Tucker is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series. A frequent stand up performer on the HBO series “Def Comedy Jam” in the 1990s, Tucker came to prominence in the 1995 film Friday alongside Ice Cube. He then co-starred and executive produced Money Talks with Charlie Sheen and appeared in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element before beginning work on the commercially successful Rush Hour films. In 2006 he negotiated an unprecedented $25 million salary to appear in Rush Hour 3, which at the time made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Tucker is also a humanitarian and spends much of his spare time traveling and working with his foundation. He most recently appeared in the Oscar nominated film Silver Linings Playbook and is currently on a stand-up comedy tour that has received rave reviews all over the world.

2013 Planet in Focus Film Festival, Nov 21-24

PLANET IN FOCUS ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL OPENS TOMORROW
John Walker’s visually evocative feature doc, Arctic Defenders opens the Festival

Wednesday, November 20, 2013: Planet in Focus (PIF), Canada’s largest environmentally themed film festival, is proud to announce its robust line-up of features and short films to be screened at the 14th annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival taking place in Toronto on November 21-24th, 2013.

John Walker’s Arctic Defenders is the Opening Night Film and provides a startling revelation that the Canadian government secretly moved Inuit communities into the High Arctic, without proper resources, in order to defend our sovereignty. Italian filmmaker Enrico Cerasuolo’s Last Call is the Closing Night Film and revisits the writers and the theories presented in the 1972 book “The Limits to Growth”, dubbed ‘one of the most important documents of our age’ by the New York Times, the book, explored the impact of over population, industrialization, pollution, food production and resource depletion.

Planet In Focus announces complete 2013 film festival programming

PLANET IN FOCUS ENVIRONMENTAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2013 FILM LINE-UP
John Walker’s visually evocative feature doc, Arctic Defenders opens the Festival

Tuesday, October 15, 2013: Planet in Focus (PIF), Canada’s largest environmentally themed film festival, is proud to announce its robust line-up of features and short films to be screened at the 14th annual Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival taking place in Toronto on November 21-24th, 2013.

John Walker’s Arctic Defenders is the Opening Night Film and provides a startling revelation that the Canadian government secretly moved Inuit communities into the High Arctic, without proper resources, in order to defend our sovereignty. Italian filmmaker Enrico Cerasuolo’s Last Call is the Closing Night Film and revisits the writers and the theories presented in the 1972 book “The Limits to Growth”, dubbed ‘one of the most important documents of our age’ by the New York Times, the book, explored the impact of over population, industrialization, pollution, food production and resource depletion.

GLAAD Media Awards 2013 – winners pt 3

GLAAD honored California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, Grammy-nominated singer Adam Lambert, and the best in entertainment and journalism on Saturday night at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco. Mel B, Guillermo Diaz, Tamala Jones, Jinkx Monsoon, Rex Lee and Laverne Cox were among the special guests.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues that build support for equality.

At the ceremony, filmmaker Jennifer Siebel Newsom presented GLAAD's Golden Gate Award to her husband, Gavin Newsom. In accepting the award, Newsom said, "There's one fundamental that defines the best of this city, and the best of this organization, and that is we don’t tolerate our diversity, we truly celebrate our diversity. We highlight all those wonderful and interesting differences, but at the end of the day we unite around our common humanity. As Dr. King so eloquently said, 'We are all bound together by a web of mutuality.' We're all in this together."

GLAAD Media Awards 2013 – winners pt 2

GLAAD Media Award recipients were announced in 10 of this year's 33 media categories at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, presented at the JW Marriott in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The winner for Outstanding Film – Wide Release was Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The Outstanding Comedy Series award went to The New Normal. Former President Bill Clinton and entertainment lawyer Steve Warren were presented with special awards.

Following is a complete list of GLAAD Media Awards presented on stage, and the individuals that accepted the awards.

2013 Genesis Awards – winners

The Humane Society of the United States held its 27th Annual Genesis Awards last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The awards are given in honour of news and entertainment media “for their role in raising awareness of animal issues.”

Big Miracle by Ken Kwapis was named winner for the Feature Film award. The drama starring John Krasinski and Drew Barrymore is about a reporter who gets help from his ex-girlfriend to save a family of trapped whales. It won against competition from Darling Companion, Delhi Safari and To the Arctic.

Television winners included the series Harry's Law, Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, and the Discovery Channel's Ivory Wars.

Water Docs International Film Festival, Mar 21-24

Ecologos presents the 2nd annual Water Docs International Film Festival
March 21 – 24, 2013
Jackman Hall (AGO – 317 Dundas St. W.)

Water. We send probes to other planets seeking that telltale marker of life. Meanwhile, the fate of our water here on Earth looms as our greatest threat.

The 2nd annual Water Docs International Film Festival is a unique event weaving the leading voices of water awareness with the expressive power of great filmmaking. Produced by the water issues group Ecologos, Water Docs this year will present 17 films, accompanied with director and guest speaker Q&As. All screenings will take place at Jackman Hall at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), 317 Dundas St. W., from March 21 – 24, 2013.

GLAAD Media Awards 2013 – winners pt 1

Madonna presented the Vito Russo Award to advocate, award-winning journalist, author and talk show host Anderson Cooper tonight at the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka and Wells Fargo and presented locally by Delta Air Lines. The Vito Russo Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.

Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons presented the Ally Award to Hollywood director Brett Ratner. Ratner and GLAAD, in partnership with Comcast, launched the "Coming Out for Equality" PSA campaign at the show and attendees were treated to special screenings of the videos produced and directed by Ratner. The GLAAD "Coming Out for Equality" PSA Series features a diverse group of straight celebrities and athletes "coming out of the closet" as supporters of equality and calling for other Americans to speak out.

Free screening tonight of Chasing Ice

Chasing Ice Environmental Documentary FREE Screening + Discussion Event

From the producer of the Academy Award-winning Documentary "The Cove", Chasing Ice is the story of National Geographic's award-winning photographer James Balong's mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of climate change.

Using time-lapse cameras, his videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate.

2013 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Feb 26-Mar 7

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival returns for its 10th year in Toronto with a 10-film lineup of politically charged, inspiring and empowering stories covering themes of oppression, struggle and resilience. The Festival opens on February 26, 2013 at TIFF Bell Lightbox with Lise Birk Pedersen’s Putin’s Kiss (2012), a documentary/coming-of-age story about life in contemporary Russia as experienced by Masha Drokova, a middle-class youth activist and member of the anti-fascist group Nashi. The Human Rights Watch Film Festival is a co-presentation between Human Rights Watch and TIFF, and runs until March 7.

The Festival features selections from a range of global territories, including the Middle East, Russia, North Korea, Africa, Indonesia and South America. One of the films particularly relevant to Canadians is legendary Canadian filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin’s The People of the Kattawapiskak River (2012), a documentary that takes viewers to Northern Ontario's Attawapiskat First Nation, where crushing poverty and a housing crisis have made international headlines.

2013 Genesis Awards – nominations

Big Miracle, Darling Companion, Delhi Safari and To the Arctic have been nominated for the Humane Society of the United States’ 27th Annual Genesis Awards. The Genesis Awards honor news and entertainment media “for their role in raising awareness of animal issues.”

“For 27 years, the Genesis Awards have celebrated the power of the media to shed light onanimal protection issues,” stated Beverly Kaskey, senior director of HSUS’ Hollywood Outreach and executive producer of The Genesis Awards Benefit Gala announcing this year’s nominees. “This year one nominee, Big Miracle, reflects the Genesis credo with its true account of how one TV reporter’s story triggers a worldwide effort to save a family of imperiled whales, proving that the media can and does make a difference.”

Call for submissions: 2013 Planet In Focus Environmental Film Festival

The Planet In Focus Environmental Film Festival has put out a call for submissions for the 14th edition of the annual festival.

Planet in Focus is Canada’s leading environmental film organization showcasing and promoting outstanding environmental films and videos in all genres (documentaries, dramatic, experimental, short films, features and animation) by Canadian and international filmmakers. Film and video submissions include stories and explorations of urban and rural spaces; wildlife; social, cultural and political environments; farming; Aboriginal perspectives; health and environment; climate change; human displacement; war; globalization; water; farming; forests, food security and more.

Call for submissions: Lindalee Tracey Award 2013

The Lindalee Tracey Award 2013 is now open for submissions.

For Emerging Canadian Filmmakers Working in the Spirit of Lindalee Tracey, whose films reflected:

- a passionate point of view
- a strong sense of social justice
- a joie de vivre

We are now welcoming submissions for this year’s award!

Call for submisisons: Crankyfest

Crankytown, an interactive site about periods that features videos, stories and poems from artists such as Feist, Emma Thompson, Jessica Paré and Karine Vanasse, has expanded to include Crankyfest – an online contest for videos about periods. The project was created by Canadian actors Liane Balaban and Vanessa Matsui, and costume designer Jenna Wright, who have partnered with iThentic, Playback’s Digital Company of the Year. The contest launches on January 17th with a submission deadline of March 1, 2013.

2013 GLAAD Media Awards – nominees

GLAAD, the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, announced today the nominees for its 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. By recognizing and honoring media for outstanding images of the LGBT community, the GLAAD Media Awards serve as a benchmark for the media industry and complement GLAAD's work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans.

Among the nominees: The Perks of Being a Wallflower, starring Ezra Miller, Logan Lerman and Emma Watson; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Maggie Smith, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson; Cloud Atlas, starring Ben Whishaw and James D'Arcy; NBC's new hit shows The New Normal and Smash; Glee, Modern Family; the documentary How to Survive a Plague; The Amazing Race with the Fabulous Beekman Boys; an interview with Bishop Gene Robinson on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; Oprah's hour-long visit with Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka; CNN's Anderson Cooper 360; MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry; and Frank Ocean for his Channel Orange album. The list also includes GLAAD's first nomination for a PG-rated animated film, ParaNorman, which also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

Call for submissions: Cinema Politica's Divine Interventions

Cinema Politica, the Montreal-based Canada-wide screening series for politically and socially conscious documentary, is launching a new project and have announced a call for submissions.

Divine Interventions: Documentary, Spirituality and Social Justice is a special screening project that examines the intersection of spirituality and social justice. It "explores the role spirituality, religion and secularism play in fostering or inhibiting a plurality of perspectives, understanding across cultural, religious, and ethnic borders, and participation in social causes. This screening initiative starts in inclusive spaces where audiences, artists and activists interrogate the intersection of spirituality and social justice, and subsequently moves on to a sustained online conversation with the aim of fostering engaged communities across geographic barriers."

Reel Awareness Film Festival 2012, Nov 15-18

Amnesty International Toronto begins presenting the 7th Annual Reel Awareness Film Festival starting tonight with an opening night reception and a screening of A Whisper to a Roar. The film looks at democracy activists in Egypt, Malaysia, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe. After the screening, the director Ben Moses will participate in a Q & A via Skype.

The closing night film on Sunday night will be Big Boys Gone Bananas! It chronicles the filmmaker Fredrick Gertten's ordeal of being bullied by the company Dole when he began screening his earlier documentary Bananas!

The screenings also include the still relevant You Don't Like the Truth - Four Days Inside Guantanamo, which looks at the imprisonment and torture of Omar Khadr. It raises many questions and throws his confession into doubt because of the torture and the very real threat that he'd spend the rest of his life in those conditions otherwise.