Posted by Larry Gleeson

WILDWORKS PR and the Platform Group represent four World Premieres that take OCD, social anxiety,
and cringe relationship issues to the extreme, a special L.A. screening of
Slamdance’s Grand Jury Prize winner, and the West Coast Premiere
of an audience-favorite documentary 

 

World Premiere
Sara Friedman’s OCD and social anxiety-riddled comedy
HEIGHTENED
Friday, June 23 at 7:15PM

HEIGHTENED SCREENING INFORMATION
Friday, June 23 at 7:15PM
World Premiere
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres

TICKETS
https://danceswithfilms.com/heightened/

SYNOPSIS
Following a mental breakdown, social anxiety and OCD-riddled Nora (Sara Friedman) returns to Maine to live with her emotionally distant parents (Sarah Clarke and Xander Berkeley). While she undergoes court-ordered psychiatric treatment, Nora’s world is further upended when she is assigned to volunteer at a local state park. Her awkward assignment actually shows promise when her anxiety subsides in the company of her new supervisor Dusty (Dave Register), who is dealing with crippling issues of his own. Maybe Nora and Dusty can help each other overcome the obstacles their socially complicated world presents to them.

Director/Writer:  Sara Friedman
Producer:    John Hermann
Executive Producers:   Matt Ratner, Sara Friedman
Editor:    Nick Wenger
Cinematographer:     Rose Fadem-Johnston               
Music:     Nick Sena
Cast:   Sara Friedman, Dave Register, Mike Mitchell,

Xander Berkeley, Sarah Clarke
Runtime:    98 min
Country:     USA

 

Linh Tran’s award-winning breakthrough drama
WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE
Wednesday, June 28 at 9:15PM

WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE SCREENING INFORMATION
Wednesday, June 28 at 9:15PM
TCL Chinese 6 Theaters

TRAILER:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf3L3dzs1ug&t=14s

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
Following its debut at the Heartland Film Festival, Linh Tran’s WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE took the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Film at Slamdance in January. It has since followed with Best of Show and Best Professional Narrative Feature at the George Lindsey UNA FF, and a celebrated screening at the Chicago Critics Film Festival.

SYNOPSIS
Best friends since high school, Kim and Amy haven’t seen each other since Amy moved to the west coast for grad school. Now the two are reunited as they join a group of friends for a trip to a lake house with Kim’s boyfriend, Jay. When Amy had left for the west coast, she was in love with Jay, though she never pursued it due to her insecurities thinking she was too fat and ugly. While she has changed physically, her feelings for Jay haven’t, and the reunion has brought them back to the surface. That maelstrom of emotions within her is poised to reveal itself at any moment as the group’s struggles to find something to do in the empty little beach town turns into an unsuccessful effort by all of them to sort through attractions to each other, as well as suppress old resentments, jealousies and desires before they leave.

Director:      Linh Tran
Writers:        Linh Tran, Jewells Santos, Delia Van Praag
Producers:    Jake Rotger, Sam Straley, Jewells Santos
Executive Producer:   James Choi
Editor:     Elijah Gray
Cinematographer:    David Foy                          
Cast:    Erik Barrientos, Qun Chi, Joyce Ha, Jin Park, Sam Straley
Runtime:      89 min
Country:       USA

 

World Premiere
Justin Geldzahler’s film about the horror of feeling stuck
GLUE TRAP
Thursday, June 29 at 9:30PM

GLUE TRAP SCREENING INFORMATION
Thursday, June 29 at 9:30PM
World Premiere
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres

TICKETS
https://danceswithfilms.com/gluetrap/

SYNOPSIS
KJ and Dan are struggling to communicate. A few years into a strained relationship, the couple takes a weekend trip to a friend’s cabin to recapture their romance… only to find a dying-but-not-quite-dead mouse stuck to a glue trap. They disagree about how to handle, KJ advocating for a swift death while Dan proposes making the mouse’s last moments as pleasant as possible. The couple compromises and moves on, slowly finding their way back to each other in this idyllic setting. Unfortunately, their serenity is broken by a small woman who can be charitably described as “eccentric” – she’s their friend’s sister and had no idea anyone was staying at the family cabin. No problem if she crashes, right? As the couple struggles to juggle this interloper on top of their already tense dynamic, KJ and Dan begin to worry this obnoxious third wheel may threaten more than their relationship…

Director/Writer:   Justin Geldzahler
Producer:    Christopher Fox, Justin Geldzahler, Norris Guncheon
Executive Producer:    Sara McFarlane
Editor:    Norris Guncheon
Cinematographer:    Christopher Fox                          
Music:    Erik Larsen

Music Supervisor:   Taylor Rowley
Cast:   Brittany Bradford, Isaac W. Jay, Gloria Bangiola,

Alex Warheit, Caroline Hertz, Kasey Marr
Runtime:     89 min
Country:      USA

 

West Coast Premiere
Alexander Jeffery’s award-winning documentary about a 
mother and family rallying around their autistic son and brother
YOU HAVE NO IDEA
Saturday, July 1 at 2:45PM

YOU HAVE NO IDEA SCREENING INFORMATION
Saturday, July 1 at 2:45PM
West Coast Premiere
TCL Chinese 6 Theatres

TICKETS
https://danceswithfilms.com/you-have-no-idea/

SYNOPSIS
When Beth’s son Evan James was diagnosed with Autism in the early 90s, treatment options were limited. Doctors offered no practical advice for daily living and advised Beth to limit his social interactions. Rejecting these notions, Beth sets out to provide her son with a life filled with purpose and friendship. This heartfelt film is a sweet testament to the power of love and community by profiling a determined mom advocating for her son.

Director/Writer:    Alexander Jeffery
Producers:     Paul Petersen, Alexander Jeffery
Executive Producers:    Paul Burns, Beth James Burns
Editors:      Alexander Jeffery, JC Doler, Paul Petersen
Cinematographer:     Alexander Jeffery                      
Music:     David von Kampen
Runtime:      86 min
Country:       USA

 

 

BIBI World Premieres at
Dances With Films

Christopher Beatty’s psychological thriller about what a parent will do to protect loved ones has its World Premiere
with an in-person screening at Dances With Films.

Bibi
Thursday, June 29 th at 7:15PM
World Coast Premiere
TCL Chinese Theatre

TICKETS

https://danceswithfilms.ticketspice.com/dwf26-bibi

SYNOPSIS
In this psychological thriller, Vivian Ashwood (Elizabeth Paige, Modern Love) is failing to cope after a tragic loss. Struggling to raise her daughter Bibi (Judith Ann DiMinni), she turns to prescription drugs and alcohol to soothe her anxieties and depression. Soon, the lines begin to blur between Vivian’s routine nightmare and her reality. A strange man begins stalking Vivian, causing her to unravel even further. Bibi, also devastated by the loss of her sister and upset at Vivian for not protecting them both, only makes Vivian more unsure of the truth. After continuous torment, Vivian searches for a way to protect herself and Bibi from the stalker by whatever means necessary.

Bibi Productions presents BIBI

Running Time 95 minutes;

Aspect Ratio: 2:39:1;

Dolby Stereo 

Writer/Director: Christopher Beatty

Producers: Christopher Beatty; Logan Hunter; Eddie Micallef; Glen Trotiner

Executive Producers: Jaime Badaan; Jack Doyle; Robert Stanton
Composer: John Paesano Cinematographer: John W Rutland
Editor: Benjamin J Murray Casting Director: Stephanie Holbrook

 

 KATIE’S MOM World Premieres at
Dances With Films

Tyrrell Shaffner’s feature film KATIE’S MOM is a “right-of-passage,” heartfelt comedy influenced by THE GRADUATE but told from the perspective of a protagonist inspired by Mrs. Robinson!

 KATIE’S MOM
Sunday, July 2 at 2:45PM
World Coast Premiere
TCL Chinese Theatre

TICKETS

https://danceswithfilms.ticketspice.com/dwf26-katies-mom

SYNOPSIS
KATIE’S MOM is a heartfelt comedy influenced by THE GRADUATE but told from the perspective of a protagonist inspired by Mrs. Robinson. Set in modern-day Pasadena, California, KATIE’S MOM Mom” is about Nancy Rosenfeld (Dina Meyer (DETECTIVE KNIGHT; STARSHIP TROOPERS, SAW)), a nurturing mom and recent divorcée, whose beloved Jewish/Christmas mashup holiday celebration with her adult children is derailed when she falls for Alex Rojas (Aaron Dominguez (Only Murders in the Building)), her daughter’s charming new boyfriend. Their electrifying affair upends her status quo and sets her on a path to becoming the woman she was meant to be.

Ex Files Productions presents KATIE’S MOM

Running Time 111 minutes;

Aspect Ratio: 2:39:1;

Dolby Stereo

Director: Tyrrell Shaffner

Writers: Meryl Branch-McTiernan and Tyrrell Shaffner
Producers: Tyrrell Shaffner; Meryl Branch-McTiernan; Corey Moss

Executive Producers: Sandy Cleary; Dina Meyer; Kristin T. Higgins; Jimmy V; Milan Chakraborty; Sanjay Sharma
Editor: Daniel Martins Production Design: David Dreyer

Composer: Alex Shenkman Cinematographer: Aakash Raj

Casting: Kara Sullivan, C.S.A. Costumes by Cocoa Rigal

 

Stay tuned for more on these exciting films premiering at the upcoming Dances With Films!

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Opening Night of the 14th annual TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off with a screening of Rio Bravo (1959) in celebration of Warner Bros.’ 100th anniversary, featuring a conversation with WBD CEO David Zaslav and The Film Foundation Board members Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson about the mission of The Film Foundation as well as Rio Bravo star Angie Dickinson.

Even with a slight drizzle the red carpet was abuzz at the historic Chinese Theatre in the heart of Hollywood.

Posted by Larry Gleeson

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s (SBIFF’s) French Wave is BACK! 11 new films will play from July 14 – 20 at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre.

The program has not been announced yet. However, passes are available now by clicking here: SBIFF 2023 FRENCH WAVE PASSES

Patron Pass ~ $250

• Reserved Seating
• Access to ALL Film Screenings
• 10% Discount on Popcorn and Soda
• Recognition on screen before each film
• $160 tax deductible

Cinephile Pass ~ $90
• Access to one screening of each film

 

Let’s take this cinematic journey to France together – you’ll be glad you did!

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Matthew Mishory’s Documentary Who Are the Marcuses?

About Unlikely Philanthropists Whose $500 Million Gift Seeks

Peace and Climate Action Through Water Technology

Screens at Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 13 and 15

Who Are the Marcuses?, a feature documentary about a mysterious Long Island couple whose half a billion-dollar gift to Ben-Gurion University in Israel inspires peace and climate action through water tech, will screen at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival next month.

UC Santa Barbara alumnus Matthew Mishory (the upcoming Fioretta; Artur Schnabel: No Place of Exile) directed the film. Producers are Rubber Ring’s and Stone Canyon’s Bradford Schlei (Swingers, Spun) and Alvaro Fernandez along with executive producers Rob Levine (Law & Order, Columbo), Marc Bennett (Shared Legacies) and Rhino Films’ Stephen Nemeth (Dogtown and the Z Boys, Climate Refugees, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

“Our film has powerful messages about climate change, water technology, the environment, and philanthropy that can change our world,” Mishory says. “But films are also about storytelling, and this one tells a story so unbelievable and inspiring, it can only be true. Screening at Santa Barbara is a homecoming for me and a dream come true for the production team. The region is both a growing eco-technology hub and fragile coastal ecosystem.”

Who Are the Marcuses? reconstructs the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus, an unassuming couple from Great Neck, New York, who retired to a modest two-bedroom apartment in San Diego, California. Former dentist Howard passed away in 2014 at age 104, and Lottie died less than two years later. In 2016, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev announced that the Marcuses had given them over half a billion dollars: the largest single charitable donation to the State of Israel in its history. The film simultaneously traces the development of Israel’s vital water technology from pre-state to the present; how the Marcuses’ endowment has ensured continued leading-edge development in water science for not only the Israeli people, but the world as a whole; sets the family’s gift in geopolitical context; and explores both its impact and implications for regional peace through technology exchange. It features an original score by legendary musician and peace activist David Broza.

Who were these virtually unknown philanthropists who had never publicly revealed their wealth or intentions? How did they accumulate millions by getting in on the early days of the greatest financial services empire ever built? What compelled them and their daughter Ellen to give it all away? And why were the Marcuses so captivated by the issue of water scarcity and a little-known but innovative university in the Israeli desert?

 

 

 

Who are the Marcuses? features Warren Buffett; Israeli President Isaac Herzog; historian Daniel Gordis; best-selling philosopher Micah Goodman; E. Randol Schoenberg; author and activist Seth M. Siegel, and many others. The film was shot on location in Israel and the USA throughout 2021.

 

The film will screen twice at the Festival:

Monday, February 13^th, 2023 8:30AM PST

Metropolitan Metro 4 Theatre, Screen 4, 618 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Wednesday, February 15^th, 2023 3PM PST (Reception to Follow)

Metropolitan Metro 4 Theatre, Screen 4, 618 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Ticketing options available here: https://sbiff.org

Posted by Larry Gleeson

Hybrid Filmocracy Fest III Concludes and Award Winners Announced

Tentpole ‘Film Market’ Elevates Networking and Sales

 

Posted by Larry Gleeson

 

Filmocracy, LA’s hybrid boutique festival, returns for its third edition with in-person screenings July 14-17 at Lumiere Cinema at the Music Hall in Beverly Hills, with its full complement of twenty-six films available online to stream nationwide via the Filmocracy digital platform.

 

 

Filmocracy Fest got its start during the pandemic, when former AFI Fest programmer and Slamdance co-founder Jon Fitzgerald was working with Filmocracy, then a 3-D digital film festival engine and nascent streamer. “I had been doing some work with Filmocracy, supporting their various divisions, including their virtual festival initiative,” Fitzgerald recalls. “Paul Jun the Filmocracy CEO and I talked about creating our own Festival, as a showcase for the innovative programs the team had continued to develop.”

After Filmocracy Fest II this past December, Fest co-founder Fitzgerald and his partners opted to move the film exhibition portion of the Festival into summer. The Festival incorporates an Impact Expo, networking, and the second iteration of its digital Film Market, with filmmakers vying to get their projects in front of 45 acquisitions executives from Disney+, Myriad Pictures, and XYZ Films, among others. They will keep their Film Festival Summit in December, which will incorporate a new Film Festival Awards Program.

The Festival will screen eight narrative and documentary titles in person. There will also be two in-person short programs of five films each. However, Filmocracy is committed to the hybrid model. Fitzgerald believes “filmmakers will always want to see their movies on the big screen, engage with audiences, and participate in Q&As, but they cannot always make it to every festival. We’ve seen ticket sales double by allowing audiences who can’t make it to Sundance or Los Angeles, for example, the opportunity to see and appreciate these emerging talents in their home theaters.” He predicts “hybrid is going to be the way of most fests, with a few exceptions from traditionalists. It will be up to filmmakers to know their goals, understand what each fest can do for them, and carve out the path that works for them and their project.”

Filmocracy Fest continues to focus on socially relevant storytellers, which comprise most movies selected for the 2022 slate. “One of our four key pillars is discovery,” Fitzgerald says. “We really like to support emerging artists, particularly those with visual style. The narrative filmmakers all take chances, and we have a number of social impact stories—shorts and features, narratives and documentaries—covering topics from police brutality to diabetes diagnosis, all with subjects that celebrate the human spirit.” As with the 2021 edition, these films will be connected to related causes via the Impact Expo, providing in-person and virtual audiences with the opportunity to learn more about the issues and take action.

 

Filmocracy’s parent company Liquid Media Group returns as the festival’s presenting sponsor, joined by founding sponsor iGEMS and partners Digital Cinema United, iNDIEFLIX, and Projektor.

“Last year’s film MY DEAD DAD, which sold to HBOMax on the heels of its sold-out Filmocracy Fest premiere, is a great example of what can happen when filmmakers are met with the support to get their stories in front of audiences,” concludes Liquid Media Group’s Chairman Josh Jackson, who delivered closing remarks to kick off the awards program during the December Festival. “Liquid is proud to stand alongside Filmocracy Fest in support of solving the current and future needs of filmmakers.”

 

Feature Narrative selections include:

ALCHEMY OF THE SPIRIT directed by Steve Balderson. Midway through its festival journey, veteran director Steve Balderson (FIRECRACKER, BECOMING ED) deftly and beautifully blurs the lines between character study, magical realism, and horror. In the film, renowned artist Oliver Black (Xander Berkeley: The Walking Dead, TERMINATOR 2, AIR FORCE ONE) wakes to discover his wife Evelyn (Sarah Clarke: 24, TWILIGHT) has died in their bed overnight. Disoriented and grief-stricken, Oliver tells no one and attempts to preserve her body. Meanwhile, Oliver’s agent (Mink Stole: SERIAL MOM, HAIRSPRAY) calls with a big commission – a new sculpture for a leading museum. Oliver passionately and poetically creates the sculpture as a replica of Evelyn’s face—a death mask. As he works, Evelyn’s senses wake up one after the other until she appears fully present. But is it really her? Or is Oliver hallucinating? Balderson is also world-premiering tantric sex short from YouTuber Davey Wavey at Outfest right after Filmocracy.

 

 

BUCK ALAMO directed by Ben Epstein. Unloading its existential chamber like a Texas folk song, this Austin and Calgary Film Festival veteran is a dreamlike portrait of a modern-day musical outlaw as he duels with Death. The film stars Sonny Carl Davis, Lorelei Linklater, Chase Joliet, Kriston Woodreaux, Lee Eddy, C.K. McFarland, James Epstein, George Ensle, and Bruce Dern.

 

DEATH OF A LADIES’ MAN directed by Matthew Bissonnette. This film, starring Gabriel Byrne (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, MILLER’S CROSSING, HEREDITARY), follows a carousing college professor’s life as it takes a series of unimaginable turns. All the old stories are given a new twist when he begins to have surreal hallucinations and learns he may not be long for this world.

 

 

1-800-HOT-NITE  directed by Nick Richey. This sophomore feature from award-winning writer/director Nick Richey (LOW, LOW) stars Dallas Young (Cobra Kai, THE ROYAL, Mixed-ish), Gerrison Machado (The Power), Mylen Bradford (Abbott Elementary), and Ali Richey (LOW, LOW). From the moment the police break down Tommy’s (Young) door and arrest his father, his world is turned upside down. Faced with a parentless future, Tommy escapes child protective services’ custody with his best friends Steve (Bradford) and O’Neill (Machado) into LA’s streets—packed with men trying to rob them, cops chasing them, a python, a fist fight, a first kiss, and phone sex. Throughout it all, Tommy keeps calling an 800 number, as he feels the woman on the line (Ali Richey) is the only adult he can confide in. By the end of the night, the boys’ brotherhood breaks down as they cross the threshold into adulthood. Quiver Distribution snatched the film up after playing at Dances with Films last month, and will release the film on November 8.

 

 

Documentary selections include:

THE HUMAN TRIAL directed by Lisa Hepner. In 2011, Lisa Hepner and her husband Guy Mossman heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes, a disease that shockingly kills more than five million people each year. Driven by a desire to cure Lisa of her own type 1 diabetes (T1D), the filmmakers were given unprecedented, real-time access to a clinical trial—only the sixth-ever embryonic stem cell trial in the world. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who put themselves on the line to be first.

 

 

KAEPERNICK & AMERICA directed by Tommy Walker and Ross Hockrow. Ever since he started to oppose police brutality, civil rights activist and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin  Kaepernick’s actions have reverberated worldwide, as shown in this documentary. The Hollywood Reporter reviewed the film out of Tribeca, saying “If we take a step back, we can see the faint outlines of another, more urgent, narrative thread in Kaepernick & America—one that encourages an all too rare kind of integrity and commitment to creating a more just world.”

 

ART & ART KRIMES BY KRIMES directed by Alysa Nahmias. While locked up for six years in federal prison, artist Jesse Krimes secretly creates monumental works of art—including an astonishing 30-foot mural made with prison bed sheets, hair gel, and newspaper. He smuggles out each panel piece-by-piece with the help of fellow artists, only seeing the mural in totality upon coming home. As Jesse’s work captures the art world’s attention, he struggles to adjust to life outside, living with the threat that any misstep will trigger a life sentence.

 

 

ONE PINT AT A TIME directed by Aaron Hose. Craft beer generates tens of billions of dollars annually for the US economy. Despite beer’s Egyptian and African heritage, these traditions have been mostly forgotten and are rarely found in American brewing culture. Today, Black-owned breweries make up less than 1% of the nearly 9,000 breweries in operation in the United States. Eager to shift the historical perception of who makes and drinks beer, Black brewers, brand owners, and influencers across the country are reshaping the craft beer industry and the future of America’s favorite adult beverage. Thrillist said, ONE PINT AT A TIME was “…an invaluable and visually captivating spotlight on the adversities of Black Americans realizing their dreams to own a brewery.”

 

 

Fitzgerald is wistful as he looks back at history and ahead to the future of Filmocracy. “It has been bittersweet, in that the creativity of the Filmocracy team continues to develop exciting new elements that can be integrated into the virtual piece, anchored by the “Filmocracyland” virtual map,” the 3-D map of festivals Filmocracy builds for online festivalgoers to navigate. “Yet, one of the key components of a successful film fest is creating in-person experiences for audiences, filmmakers, and industry professionals.  This, of course, was not possible during Covid.  We went from virtual to hybrid, and 2022 will be more of a boutique hybrid we’re looking forward to sharing with Los Angeles and the world.”

Visit Filmocracy Fest to learn more about each film featured and to purchase tickets.

Posted by Larry Gleeson

SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced the 2023 film festival will take place in Santa Barbara, CA from February 8 through February 18.

“SBIFF has long been a place to celebrate and showcase the enduring power of cinema. As we have been confronted with difficult times, film and festivals have continued to be a place for reflection and inspiration. It is with that in mind that we excitedly prepare the 38th SBIFF edition and look forward to bringing the year’s best cinema and talent to our devoted patrons” says Roger Durling, SBIFF’s Executive Director.

The 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival presented by UGG® will be happening LIVE from February 8 – February 18, 2023. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre.

Last year, SBIFF returned to in-person screenings, panels, and events. The festival had 48 world premieres, 95 U.S. premieres, with honorary awards feted on Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Penélope Cruz, Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Alana Haim, Ciarán Hinds, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Simon Rex, Saniyya Sidney, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, and Steven Spielberg. The film festival’s final lineup and schedule will be announced in January 2023.

Passes for the 2023 Festival are on sale now for 25% off. For additional information or to buy passes, visit sbiff.org.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 37 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through many free educational programs and events. In 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s new state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning.

(Press release provided by Emily Lu Aldrich)