THE FESTIVAL BEAT MAKER SINCE 1995! SHARING MOTION AND EMOTION
WHAT A BUSY WEEK ON THE CIRCUIT! FEEL THE BEAT? DO NOT MISS A BIT !
Welcome to the N°936 release of our weekly newsletter View in your browser
Featuring news from:
MIPCOM, Berlin, EFM, AFM, BFI London, Oscar, Cesar, Locarno, Newport Beach, Julien Dubuque, Zurich, Sundance, and many more great events which could become your next festival destination.
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> PEOPLE ON OUR RADAR
OLIVER GOETZL --- interview for “LOST KING OF BIOKO”

Newport Beach Film Festival's Virtual Panel Discussions this weekend!

Sundance Institute Names 12 Fellows for Reimagined Episodic Lab: Pilot to Series

BFI LFF complete programme of Screen Talks and events

Youtube BFI LFF screentalk with George Clooney about his career as well as his latest feature THE MIDNIGHT SKY

Nadia Dresti appointed interim head of artistic direction of the Locarno Film Festival

Historical Study on Berlinale confirms Founding Director Alfred Bauer's position in the Nazi film bureaucracy

Missing Michael Lonsdale, our friend and festival president of Sacred Beauty Fest in Cannes


> FILMS IN FOCUS ...
Star lineup assembles for Chasing the Present Oct 10-12

MISS MARX by Susanna Nicchiarelli is the opening film of the 58th Viennale.

EFM welcomes Italy as “Country in Focus” in 2022

Another great review for Finding Manny
Finding Manny voted Audience Choice Award for the film's Word Premiere at Albuquerque AFMX

ADDAMS FAMILY 2 nabs Bill Hader, Javon “Wanna” Walton to voice starry two-peat & here’s your casting chance

Jessica Chastain needs no help rocking THE 355 out of the box for 2021

F11 AND BE THERE is Burk Uzzle becoming one with the camera, Oct. 9

"23 Walks" - Film Review

Trump has COVID, but does he know Alex Gibney has it TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL?


> FESTIVALS IN FOCUS
The Overlook Film Festival NIGHTSTREAM Starts Tomorrow, Tix on Sale, New Social Hub!

NatureTrack Film Festival kicks off for 10 days of terrific nature docs & animation

8TH Edition of Ugu Film Festival returns bigger and better with a virtual integrated programme of workshops and film screenings

The 13th Annual Bushwick Film Festival Reveals Details for Virtual Movie Industry Conference
Cucalorus 26 Film Lineup Announced!

17th exground youth day at exground filmfest 33 I 13–22 November 2020 I Wiesbaden

30th FilmFestival Cottbus FFC – Feature Film Competition revealed

39th Istanbul Film Festival's Hybrid Edition Kicks Off

A friendly salute to the Inaugural Windrush Caribbean Film Festival

Conferences & Events - MIPCOM 2020 online program with Ted Sarandos keynote this monday

Karlovy Vary IFF 54 ½ getting ready

21st Annual Ojai Film Festival Goes Virtual

The Female Gaze on Reunification at the International Women's Film Festival Dortmund:Koeln

World Class event at Mostra 2020 from Better World Forum

The 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival will debut online this time, you're invited


> AWARDS WATCH
IFFMH - International Film Festival Mannheim Heidelberg New Awards

The first edition of SoundTrack_Zurich (STZ) wrapped

Zurich Film Festival Wrapped

The International EMMY® KIDS awards ceremony is online this year

5 winners of the 2020 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competition


> PARTNERS FESTIVAL AND MARKET NEWS
Julien Dubuque International Film Festival April 18 – 25, 2021
October 10, 2020 Earlybird Deadline
We are now accepting submissions for the 2021 Julien Dubuque Film Festival and awarding over $25,000! You can submit your film via filmfreeway, or contact us for more information.
Known for it's quaint location, friendly staff/volunteers, inquisitive audience, consistent communication, multiple screening opportunities, workshops, panels and other amazing networking opportunities and parties; it's no wonder JDIFF was voted one of the coolest film festivals and one of the top 50 worth the submission fee by MovieMaker Magazine multiple times. JDIFF also ranks as one of the top 100 reviewed festivals by FilmFreeway. JDIFF is ALL about the independent filmmaker!
Email I 467 Bluff Street Dubuque, IA 52001 United States I Website I Profile on filmfestivals.com I Facebook I Twitter I SUBMIT
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16th Myrtle Beach International Film Festival (April 20-24, 2021) calling for entry

The MBIFF is a World Class Event.
Submissions end December 31st, 20éà, submit through filmfreeway.com, or through the festivals website, myrtlebeachfilmfestival.com
Selected by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the top 25 film festivals worth the submission, one of the top festivals in the world by Film international and touted by many as one of the most important independent film festivals in the circuit. We are passionate about film and it shows!
The MBIFF screens projects in a multi-million dollar theater, housing state of the art technology.
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New York City Independent Film Festival (NYCIndieFF)
August 31, 2020 Earlybird Deadline
The New York City Independent Film Festival (a.k.a. NYC Independent Film Festival, NYCIndieFF) is an annual film festival held in New York City. It was founded in 2009 by Dennis Cieri and Bonnie Rush. The festival has screened over 1,800 movies from 81 different countries since it began in 2010.
The Festival is focused on low budget and emerging, yet overlooked filmmakers, bringing their talent to culturally enrich the NYC community. The Festival aims to create the largest gathering of true indie filmmakers.
NYCIndieFF honors the Best in Category which includes Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary, Best Short Documentary, Best Short Narrative, Best Super Short, as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay.
With a new section: the Covid-19 Diaries: tell us your story of hope and survival during the Corona lockdown. Short under 10 minutes
NYCIndieFF provides a showcase for the best in independent cinema, including short films, feature films, music videos, and animated works. With panels, parties and a week-long gathering of fellow indie filmmakers NYCIndieFF is the place to be May 16 - May 23, 2021.
Website I Profile on filmfestivals.com I Facebook I Twitter I Email contact I
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Your Script Produced competition
Season 2
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October 31, 2020 Late Deadline
Introducing Season 2 / 2020 of “Your Script Produced!” International Film / Tv / Short Film Screenwriting Competition sponsored by Doval Bacall Films. The sponsor will fully finance, develop, package and produce the Grand Prize Winning Feature Script for $250,000.00.
We've raised the stakes! Season 2 will accept Features, Tv Scripts, AND SHORT FILM SCRIPTS! Winners will be promoted in the Variety Magazine and THR!
Open to writers of all levels. 18 years old or older. Anyone 16 or 17 years of age can submit, must have a parental consent form.
WE DON’T SET YOU UP WITH MEETING AFTER MEETING. WE DON’T SELL YOU DREAMS. WE DON’T SELL YOU HOPE.
WE PRODUCE YOUR SCRIPT!
PERIOD.
SUBMIT: FEATURE FILM SCREENPLAY I TV SCRIPT I WEBSITE I CONTACT BY EMAIL
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54th WorldFest Houston
April 16-25, 2021
Early bird entry by November 15
WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival offers international competition in Ten Major Competition Categories! Features, Shorts, Docs/Business Films, Student, Experimental, Screenplays, New Media, TV Production, TV Commercials, & Music Videos! More than 200 sub-categories for fair competition. Only at WorldFest-Houston are you selected as a Remi Award Winner on the basis of your numerical score from the juries, which greatly increases your chance to win a Remi, unlike other festivals that only give out one Gold, one Silver and one Bronze! Only 10%-15% of entries actually win the coveted Remi Award!
You are welcome to enter Online via our online entry platform - www.worldfest.org, or via FilmFreeway.com - we now accept entries via Vimeo & YouTube, in addition to DVD/BR Entries, & USB/Jump Drives. Screenplay entries must be bound. We will confirm when we receive your entry and we provide personal Jury Results, and festival details when you are selected for screening at the 53rd WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival!
WorldFest Houston's blog I Website: http://www.worldfest.org I Submit I Facebook I Twitter I Contact Hunter Todd
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Fantasporto 41
February 26 - March 6
Deadline December 1st, 2020 (Feature films)
November 1st (Fantasy short films)
Fantasporto enjoys incredible loyalty and support from the large film-appreciating community all over the World. In the last edition, Fantasporto was attended by over 25,000 enthusiastic genre film fans and over 200 members of the film press and industry.
Considered in 2015 as the first of the independent film festivals in the world by TRIPPER, Fantasporto is among the top film festivals for the discovery of new talent, having revealed countless of now famous directors, producers and actors.
The World Heritage City by UNESCO of Porto, twice considered Europe’s Best Touristic Destination, is another factor adding interest . Founded in 1981, the 40th edition has the support of the Portuguese State and the Townhall.
Fantasporto's blog I Website I Submit I Facebook I Twitter I Contact Mario Dorminsky I Entry Form
> "THE BEST FOR FESTS : ONES TO WATCH FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION
Safeguard: An Electoral College Story Documentary by Matthew Taylor
USA September 2020 77minutes
How do United States' presidential elections really work? And what would happen if we changed the rules? In Safeguard: An Electoral College Story, award-winning filmmaker M.A. Taylor answers those questions.
Website I Profile on filmfestivals.com I Ask for a screener I Trailer I EPK I Save our States I Facebook I
IRIS by Diana Rodriguez
USA - Fantastic drama thriller: 104 minutes - first feature film
Alice Kremelberg (Orange Is The New Black) stars as the eponymous Iris, and gives an outstanding lead performance as this tortured soul dreadfully awaiting the death of her Aunt Adelaide, played by Mary Looram (Like Father, Braid). As Aunt Adelaide slowly withers away in hospice, Iris continues her day to day routines of working in an antique shop, and scrolling online for connections through an online dating app. However, Iris has an ulterior motive behind her digital search for suitors, and it’s not love. Iris has a hunger, and she needs to feed. On every date she goes on, she sizes her match up and determines their strength of character on a criteria of what she considers basic human decency. And if any of her dates fail to meet her standards, then that’s the end of them. They’re dinner. That’s just how Iris operates.
But complications arise when Iris meets Tom, played by Grant MacDermott (Hustlers, Mr. Robot), at a support group meeting for people dealing with the lingering effects of grief. Tom is a good hearted man coping with crippling trauma. As their chaste relationship develops, Iris is confounded by a debilitating emotional dilemma. She yearns for the love she once lost, but recognizes the potential in having a strong bond with Tom. Unfortunately, her primal nature exposes itself in the heat of lust, causing her deep seated vampirism to emerge and overtake her instincts. So she can never truly express her true feelings to Tom without it resulting in his death. What’s a timeless girl to do in the big city?
Sales by Porter Pictures I IMDB I filmfestivals.com profile I Instagram I request a screener
ANGIE: LOST GIRLS by Julia Verdin
USA, 107 minutes, June 2020
One girl’s nightmare. A nationwide reality.
After escaping from a sex trafficking ring, one teenage girl struggles to reconnect with herself and her family after her ordeal. Ultimately, in order to find herself and rescue her helpless friends, she must confront her own fears and help lead the police to her traffickers - no matter the cost.
Synopsis
Sixteen-year-old Angie Morgan feels like her parents don’t understand her. After she is befriended by the charming and handsome Mario, everything seems to change for the better. He understands her desire to be a musician and promises to help her fulfill her dreams. However, her innocent, suburban life is upended when Mario lures her away to sell her to a local sex trafficking ring.
Angie is shocked and scared at her new found situations but clings to the belief that Mario loves her and that they will eventually both escape. When it becomes clear to her that this will never happen, Angie is so overcome with shame and remorse for the life she is now trapped in and all seems hopeless.
When her closest friend and fellow victim, Zoe, finds out that Angie is about to be sold and shipped off to Miami, Zoe finds a way for them to escape. They make a desperate run for it. Angie escapes, but Zoe is not so lucky. Alone and heartbroken for her friend still imprisoned by their traffickers, Angie returns home to find that “normal” life is now anything but normal.
Burdened by her severe PTSD and guilt, Angie shies away from both her family and the police. She is terrified that her traffickers will return for her (or worse, her little sister) if she provides any information to the police.
Luckily, Angie meets Rachel, a sex trafficking survivor turned caseworker, who is desperately searching for the girl who was in her care but taken back by her traffickers: Zoe. As Rachel lends her strength, Angie begins to consider standing up to the traffickers, and after witnessing brutal murders and mutilations of other girls at hands of the traffickers, Angie considers standing up to the traffickers.
Will Angie’s fear hold her back? Or will she persevere to protect her family and help rescue Zoe and the others?
EPK I Poster I Synopsis I Cast & Crew Credits I Trailer I Julia Verdin's Bio I Interview with Julia I IMDB I Cinando I Lost Girls short (2016) I filmfestivals.com profile
FINDING MANNY by Kacey Cox
Canada, 56 minutes documentary, june 2020
Synopsis I Cast & Crew I Trailer I IMDB I Cinando I Filmfestivals.com I Website I Festival placement I Sales
BLUE MOTEL Award winning script by Ted Campbell
Feature film in production by Doval Bacall Films
Grand Winner Your Script Produced season 1 Platinum Remi Award WorldFest Houston
When his bank robber father injured in a recent heist seeks refuge at the desolate motel where he works, a motel clerk is forced to confront the truth behind a botched heist from his past.
Originally from Boston, Mass, Ted Campbell is a screenwriter and director who specializes in thoughtful, character driven thrillers. Ted will direct his heist thriller "Underground" with producer Ellen Wander of Film Bridge International. His contained, crime thriller “Blue Motel” won the Grand Prize in Your Script Produced screenplay competition. Ted will direct “Blue Motel” with Doval Bacall Films producing. Ted is a member of ISA’s Development Program. And was named to ISA’s Top 25 Screenwriters To Watch list.
Ted finds inspiration in the works of the great noir writers Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and Ross MacDonald as well as his screenwriting idols Scott Frank, Shane Black, Tony Gilroy and Richard Wenk.
Ask for Ted Campbell’s script
SAVING NORTH - A RUSSIAN AMERICAN ODYSSEY by J Mitchell Johnson
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Russia USA Feature documentary April 2020 Director's cut: 79 minutes
What happened, what can happen to the centuries old amazing wooden churches in north of Russia. Photographer Richard Davies trips to Russia and USA tell stories on human soul, hope and russian american…cooperation in restoring beauty.
Saving North is the story of a struggle for human and cultural survival in the mysterious and insular world of the Russian North. An outsider from England, photographer Richard Davies, enters this mysterious and vast region of the world with the hope of documenting both the glory and the tragic demise of its rapidly disappearing Wooden Churches. As Davies meets and becomes friends with the some of his Russian photo subjects, he finds himself getting emotionally involved with their struggle. He decides to put down his camera and get involved with church restoration.
Early on in our story Davies befriends the famed Russian architect Alexander Popov who is deeply involved in working to preserve and share with the world the beauty and value of these ancient structures. Popov has uniquely discovered and reinvigorated both the tools and processes that restore life back to the North. But it’s an uphill battle against strong and powerful forces.
Together, Davies and Popov uncover the circumstances that led to the demise of the churches, and then join a small but growing group of passionate Russian citizens and outsiders from all walks of life who join the cause of Saving North.
Temp edit director s cut (music is not final) I Trailer I Profile on filmfestivals.com I Cast I Crew I IMDB
SEKURITAS written and directed by Carmen Stadler
Romantic dark comedy 117 minutes 2019 Switzerland
Starring Kathrin Veith, Duraid Abbas Ghaieb, Jeanne Devos, Daniel Kasztura, Vilmar Bieri, This Maag
First feature film by Swiss director Carmen Stadler, produced by Claudia Wick for Abrakadabra Films AG
An office complex wishes for a love story before demolition. It chooses the lonely misfits for this story; those who go through security rounds at night, scrub toilets, experiment with recipes or rehearse their final speech. A poetic and twisted kaleidoscope that centers around desire, security and melodious noises which move through the entire fabric of the building.
Synopsis I Cast I Crew I IMDB I Cinando I Filmfestivals.com I Instagram I Website I Festival placement I
Marcel Duchamp: The Art of the Possible written and directed by Matthew Taylor
USA 2019 Documentary 89 minutes
THE MYSTERY OF A BURYAT LAMA, directed by Elena Demidova
Synopsis I Trailer I Stills I Elena Demidova Director's filmography I Team I Request a screener I Festivals in Russia I EPK
THE CREEPY LINE a film by M.A.Taylor 2018
"A film that Google does not want you to see - filmfestivals.com Best for Fest"
An eye-opening documentary, The Creepy Line reveals the stunning degree to which society is manipulated by Google and Facebook and blows the lid off the remarkably subtle – hence powerful – manner in which they do it.
The Creepy Line is a title culled from the words of former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, when during a 2010 interview he explained Google’s code of conduct: “The Google policy on a lot of things is to get right up to the creepy line and not cross it.”
However, as Dr. Robert Epstein explains in the film, “Google crosses the creepy line every day”.
Offering first-hand accounts, scientific experiments and detailed analysis, The Creepy Line examines what is at risk when these two tech titans have free reign to utilize the public’s most private and personal data to manipulate society.
There is no question that the “creepy line” is getting ever-creepier, and that the tech giants have crossed it.
Sharkwater: Extinction by Rob Stewart Documentary Canada 2018
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Rob Stewart “Conservation is the preservation of human life on earth. And that, above all else, is worth fighting for” Watch Rob Stewart doing what he loved most of all, swimming with sharks, in exclusive footage from his third film, Sharkwater: Extinction.
Sharkwater: Extinction is a follow up to his first two award-winning films, Sharkwater and Revolution. Sharkwater exposed the devastating issue of shark finning, while Revolution brought the destructive effects of Ocean Acidification to light.
Rob taught the world to not fear sharks, through his iconic images of hugging these majestic creatures and free diving with them.
www.Sharkwater.com www.TheRevolutionMovie.com
Revolution by Rob Stewart
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over 40 festival wins so far
Eco Documentary feature film by Rob Stewart April 2015, 82 minutes (Sharkwater)
Revolution is a film about changing the world. The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed SHARKWATER (36 festival wins) documentary continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger -- it's humanity itself.
Website I Epk on filmfestivals.com I Trailer I Email us for a screener
> NEWS IN FRENCH
Des partenariats forts avec les plus grands festivals et marchés
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Véronique Cayla et Éric Toledano élus à la Présidence et Vice-Présidence de l’Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma

Les élus de la nouvelle gouvernance des Cesar

Un Festival C’est Trop Court ! Le 20e festival européen du court métrage de Nice (9-16 octobre) est lançé


VIDEO: Le Meilleur du 35ème FIFF 2020 et son palmarès

Le Palmarès complet du FIFF Namur

Prix Jean Vigo 2020 : le Vigo d'Honneur sera remis à Arnaud et Jean-Marie Larrieu

Promoting Movies that Matter / des films qui font grandir...
With contributions from Abbé Jean-Luc Maroy, Alex Deleon, Bruno Chatelin
Les raisins de la colère (The Grapes of Wrath) de John Ford (USA, 1940)

La Source (Jungfrukällan) d’Ingmar Bergman (Suède, 1960)
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Bruno Chatelin raconte l'histoire du lancement du film Boyz'n The Hood à Cannes
