Tag Archives: Filmmaking

The AFI FEST Interview: DIVINES Director Houda Benyamina

Disenchanted and unimpressed by the parameters of life in the slums of Paris, a fearless and ferocious teenager named Dounia unabashedly dreams of prosperity, not only for herself but also for her charismatic best friend and alcoholic mother. In her audacious pursuit of money, power and respect, she aligns herself with a ruthless gangster who uses her as a pawn to exact revenge on a rival drug lord. When their plan goes off the rails and escalates into violent territory, Dounia is forced to reconcile the allure of quietly escaping to the life of her dreams with the reality of the ramifications of her actions. Shot in a style that is at once melodic and discordant, DIVINES is a cinematic haiku of empowerment, youthful angst, racial inequality and the consequences of poverty.

Winner of the Camera d’Or prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, DIVINES is the feature film debut of director Houda Benyamina.

AFI: Oulaya Amamra gives an intense performance as the raw and uninhibited protagonist Dounia.  How did you develop that character?

Houda Benyamina: One year of physical training was necessary. Dounia is a fighter whoscreen-shot-2016-11-06-at-10-20-16-am develops an incredible lust for life and you had to feel it through Oulaya’s body. Her body had to embody this strength and this lust for surpassing herself; that is why Oulaya took boxing and parkour lessons. Apart from that, the character had to be in peak physical condition to keep up with the pace of the rehearsals and of the shooting. This was long and intense, and needed stamina.

Dounia has a cat-like side, she slides in and out of underpasses, passageways; she is at the same time deep down and high up. So Oulaya’s task was to watch documentaries on felines to grasp their way of being and moving. She also viewed a lot of gangster films and films in which the hero is transforming. We were looking for an organic transformation and this required an important identifying process. Oulaya suggested lots of ideas of clothing. During a whole year she wore Dounia’s clothes, she ate, slept and lived like Dounia. She even went sleeping in a gypsy camp because she had to understand her character’s rage due to a feeling of injustice, and to be able to find in herself Dounia’s anger for being ostracized.

AFI: What was your rehearsal process?

HB: During the shooting I developed a sort of safety line around the actors to protect them from any lapse in concentration. The camera, for instance, was on all the time so that the crew did not have to care about it and could keep focused on the actors. To me the film set is like a sanctuary, a holy place. I ask everybody to be extremely concentrated, full of solemnity toward the actors acting. And it is very important to me.

AFI: Questions of race and class inequality come up in the script. How did those themes shape the characters and plot?

HB: DIVINES is a film on spirituality and holiness. What was important to me was the apocalyptic ending. How does one rise from the ashes? How does one learn [that] there are so many things which shape us: family, social class, education, politics — but through these primary determinisms, I wanted to raise the question of free will and how it appeared in these characters looking for appreciation and dignity. Injustice is my driving force to creation. I feel close to my characters, who oscillate between darkness and light; I like exploring the two sides of human beings. Social inequality and the hunger to overcome are present for sure, but they are elements of the characters and not their essence. The essence centers on them and their inner lives.

Most important was to arouse emotion, because it makes us think and allows us to understand and question society. I intended to make a universal film with universal issues of love, friendship, the quest for recognition and dignity, and ambition.

AFI: You’re a celebrated short filmmaker. What made you want to make the transition to feature film?

HB: It was important to find someone who understands me and has the same artistic and human values, and I found him: my producer, Marc-Benoît Créancier. Once we had made my medium-length film SUR LA ROUTE DU PARADIS together, it was obvious to me to make a feature film. As a film director and a great believer I have lots of doubts and I ask myself lots of questions. My producer helps me overcome them; he encourages and guides me and he trusts me so much that making a feature film with him was a foregone conclusion.

AFI: In one sentence, what statement or question would like to linger with the audience following the screening?

HB: What do I really need to succeed?

DIVINES screens at AFI FEST 2016 on Saturday, November 12, and Monday, November 14, as part of the New Auteurs section of the festival.

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(Source: afi.blog.com)

FILM REVIEW: The Wind Rises (Miyazaki, 2013): Japan

Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. Viewed during AFI Filmfest 2013.

The Wind Rises, is a new animated, full-length, feature film from legendary Japanese animation director, Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki announced at this year’s Venice Film Festival this will be his last film. In 1997 his Princess Mononoke, was the highest revenue grossing film in the history of Japan at the time of its release and it also received the Japanese equivalent of an Academy Award for Best Film. Miyazaki is also well known for the films Spirited Away, (2001) and Howl’s Moving Castle, (2004) In 2003 Miyazaki received an Oscar for Best Animated Feature for the film Spirited Away.

His films have garnered international acclaim from critics and have provided Miyazaki public recognition within Japan. His films are known for compelling characters, engaging plots and eye-catching animation. Remarkable by today’s standards his films allow no more than 10% of the footage to come from computer animation.

In The Wind Rises, Miyazaki tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, a real-life aeronautical engineer who designed fighter aircraft in Japan during WWII. The film opens with the young Jiro fantasizing of his plane flying above his hometown. As I watched the scene unfold, a rather powerful ominous feeling surfaced as I was reminded of Leni Riefenstahl’s opening scene from the Nazi propaganda documentary, Triumph of the Will. Nevertheless the early moments of the film are very heartwarming as Miyazaki chooses to highlight Jiro’s youth as an older brother to a delightfully spirited younger sister in a single parented household run by their kind and caring mother.

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Jiro’s passion throughout the film is making good airplanes. Jiro’s daydreaming, which he does a few times during the story’s arc. Admittedly, several of my favorite moments are Jiro’s imaginings with Count Caproni, a larger-than-life mustachioed Italian airplane designer who mentors Jiro with playful and good-natured ribbing, that provide insight into  Jiro’s creative passion. Jiro finds his inspiration through such moments and Miyazaki makes space for them throughout the film.

The story is partially based on Tatsuo Hori’s 1938 novelette, “The Wind Has Risen.” Miyazaki’s animation provides beautiful plush scenery with Monet-like backdrops and landscapes providing striking visuals while creating a powerful nostalgia for a simpler time lightly brushing over the complications of war and economic depression. With such a breathtaking mise-en-scene it’s no wonder a young Jiro falls in love with the  young woman he saved during a traumatic, historic earthquake a few years before (the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake).

In direct juxtaposition to this frantic and rather manic scenario in the aftermath of the earthquake, young Jiro finds himself vacationing in a rural setting enjoying the greenery and the soft “rising” winds complete with majestic and billowing, flowery clouds when he coincidentally crosses paths with the beautiful girl he saved from the earthquake as she paints poetically on a hillside overlooking the spectacular countryside.

The Wind Rises, is a very light-hearted, entertaining film. The film focuses pretty much exclusively on the protagonist, Jiro, as an idealistic engineer whose primary purpose in life is to make planes. Granted, he falls in love and rubs elbows with German plane builders during WWII. Yet, WWII and the social unrest after the  Great Kanto Earthquake are left virtually untouched. Tellingly, Jiro’s concern at the end of the war was over the planes that didn’t come back. Nevertheless, I wholeheartedly recommend the film for children and for adults with a penchant for Monet-esque visuals.

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SBIFF The Showcase – Tampopo

NEW RESTORATION OF THE 1985 JAPANESE COMEDY MASTERPIECE!

Screening:
Sunday November 6 @ 2:00pm
Monday November 7 @ 7:30pm
Tuesday November 8 @ 5:00pm
Wednesday November 9 @ 7:30pm
at the Riviera Theatre
2044 Alameda Padre Serra

Juzo Itami’s rapturous “ramen western” returns to U.S. screens for the first time in decades, in a new 4K restoration. The tale of an enigmatic band of ramen ronin who guide the widow of a noodle shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, Tampopo serves up a savory broth of culinary adventure seasoned with offbeat comedy sketches and the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster. Sweet, sexy, surreal, and mouthwatering, Tampopo remains one of the most delectable examples of food on film.

TAMPOPO
Written & Directed by Jûzô Itami
Starring Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Koji Yakusho, Ken Watanabe, Rikiya Yasuoka
Country of Origin: Japan
Running Time: 115 min
Subtitled

tampopo

Tampopo is right up there with Ratatouille and Big Night when it comes to peerless movies about food.”
Joe Morgenstern – Wall Street Journal

“It’s a funny story beautifully told.”
Gene Siskel – Chicago Tribune

“Charming and touching, with lots of sumptuous meals to inspire you to get cooking.”
David Parkinson – Empire

“The movie, which Itami calls a ‘Noodle Western,’ is a rambunctious mixture of the bawdy and the sublime.”
Hal Hinson – Washington Post

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(Source: sbiff.org/tampopo/)

Chattanooga-produced film ‘Hunter Gatherer’ lands national distribution deal

Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Sean Phipps

A film produced in Chattanooga will receive a national theatrical release following a distribution deal.

hunter-gatherer-posterHunter Gatherer starring Andre Royo (The Wire, Empire) debuted at the 2016 South by Southwest Film Conference and Festival to rave reviews. The film was written and directed by Josh Locy—a Bryan College grad—and Chattanooga’s Mama Bear Studios served as the executive producer, along with Unbundled Underground in association with Rough House Pictures.

National distributors The Orchard acquired digital rights for the film. Rough House Pictures will release the film in New York City and Los Angeles beginning Nov. 18, with a theatrical rollout to follow.

Hunter Gatherer follows Royo in his portrayal of Ashley Douglas, a man recently released from prison who finds out that everyone and everything has moved on without him. He attempts to win back his girlfriend, enlisting the aid of a fellow loner (George Sample III) as a business partner.

Royo garnered the Jury Award at SXSW for Best Actor.

Read a previous Nooga.com story on Hunter Gatherer here.

Isaiah Smallman, a producer of the film and co-founder of Chattanooga’s Mama Bear Studios, said a screening of the film in Chattanooga will take place near the beginning of 2017. In the meantime, he said the deal with The Orchard will open the door to new possibilities for the company.

“Since winning the award at SXSW, we’ve been playing lots of different festivals around the country, but we still didn’t know exactly what the next step was for distribution,” he said. “We had several small offers, but none of them were really all that enticing because you often end up sacrificing a huge percentage of the upside without much upfront money or hustle from the distributor to justify it.”

Smallman said he and the other producers—April Lamb, Sara Murphy, Michael Covino and Locy—thought about self-distributing the film, but that would take an enormous amount of time and relationship building to pull off.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled about landing distribution with an awesome company like The Orchard,” Smallman said. “They have all the right relationships with places like Netflix, Amazon, iTunes, cable VOD and all the other buyers that we will be targeting. And they know a lot about getting great small films like ours to the audiences who will love them.”

The film will be released on digital platforms in January. Hunter Gatherer is the first film produced by Mama Bear Studios from start to finish. Smallman said he hopes to continue championing Chattanooga as a film town.

“Cine-Rama and the Chattanooga Film Festival are doing an amazing job of creating a place for independent films to be screened, but we’re hoping in the next few years to make Chattanooga a destination for super-successful writers, directors and producers as well,” he said. “We’re constantly repping Chattanooga to people … and encouraging them to make their home base here, even if they might still have to produce their films elsewhere from time to time.”

Mama Bear Studios currently has 15 projects in various stages of completion, according to Smallman. Projects include two small indie drama films, a comedy TV pilot, two thriller features, two romantic comedies and more.

The studio previously released Low and Behold, a partnership with the Sundance Institute’s #ArtistServices program. The film follows the story of a young insurance claims adjuster in post-Katrina New Orleans who risks his job to help a local man find his dog.

Mama Bear Studios was founded by Smallman and his business partner, Drew Belz.

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(Source: http://www.nooga.com)

National Geographic’s ‘Before The Flood’s Numbers Are Rising

National Geographic’s Before The Flood has reached over 30 million unique viewers world wide in its streaming, digital. linear and social platforms making it the most watched documentary since An Inconvenient Truth.

With an unprecedented distribution rollout, the film premiered in Los Angeles, New York and London before hitting the National Geographic channel airways in over 170 countries, and in 45 languages on October 30th. In keeping with its commitment to cover climate change, National Geographic has made the film available for free until November 6th on various streaming and digital platforms including NatGeoTv.com, YouTube, Google Play, Amazon and Vudu as well as NatGeo Tv apps for iPhones, Androids, XBox One and 360 .

Courteney Monroe, CEO, National Geographic Global Networks proudly asserts,

women2013courteneymonroe“At National Geographic, we believe in the power of storytelling to change the world, and with our unparalleled reach and history-making distribution of BEFORE THE FLOOD, we have already accomplished 100 percent of what we set out to do — to get this important and exceptional film in front of the widest audience possible, delivering it to viewers in every way they consume media. I am beyond proud that we have been able to bring the issue of climate change to the forefront of the global conversation — especially in the U.S. ahead of the elections — and hopefully inspire viewers to take action in their own way.”

 

Before the Flood, presents a riveting account of the dramatic changes occurring now around the world due to climate change as well as the actions we as individuals and as a society need to take to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. Serving as a warning ahead of the U.S. elections this fall to vote for leaders who prioritize climate change policies, the film also explains real, practical solutions to help save the planet. As a United Nations Messenger of Peace, actor Leonardo DiCaprio interviews individuals from every facet of society in both developing and developed nations who provide unique, impassioned and pragmatic views on what must be done today and in the future to transition our economic and political systems into environmentally friendly institutions.

Interviews in the film include President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Kerry, U.N. Secretary-General Ki-Moon and Pope Francis as well as top NASA researchers, forest conservationists, revered scientists, community leaders and fervent activists working to save the world.

(Excerpt from BusinessWire.com)

 

AFI FEST 2016 Presented By Audi Announces Conversation and Presentations Lineup

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, LOS ANGELES, CA, NOVEMBER 4, 2016 — The American Film
Institute (AFI) today announced the Conversations and Presentations lineup for AFI FEST
2016 presented by Audi.

Highlights include an AFI Master Class on CITIZEN KANE with Peter Bogdanovich following a 75th anniversary screening of the film; Academy Award® nominee David O. Russell discussing the 20th anniversary of his sophomore feature FLIRTING WITH DISASTER; a panel on THE LOST CITY OF CECIL B. DEMILLE; director Barry Jenkins discussing his groundbreaking MOONLIGHT with cast members of the film; a roundtable of documentary filmmakers including Werner Herzog and Barbara Kopple, presented by the Los Angeles Times; The Hollywood Reporter Indie Contenders Roundtable with nine standout artists; and more. Click here to see the entire lineup release: afi-fest-2016-conversations-and-presentations-final

Free Tickets Available at AFI.com

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Holocaust comedy snares grand prize at 29th Tokyo International Film Festival

Posted by Larry Gleeson

By Philip Brasor, Special To The Japan Times

Philippine trans people, Scandinavian reindeer herders and a romantic comedy about the Holocaust dominated the closing ceremony of the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival on Thursday.

The ceremony at Ex Theater Roppongi opened appropriately enough with awards to individuals who furthered domestic cinema this year, including Godzilla, who appeared on stage to accept an award for the year’s big hit, Shin Godzilla, on the 62nd anniversary of the first Godzilla film released in 1954.

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Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike, decked out in a matching black pantsuit and fedora, awarded the Grand Prix to The Bloom of Yesterday, a provocative comedy about two Holocaust researchers — one German, the other French — who battle over history while falling in love.

However, the top award didn’t arouse as much audience excitement as Koike’s announcement that next year’s TIFF budget would be even larger than this year’s, thanks to additional government expenditure for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Another festival winner was “Die Beautiful,” a Philippine film about a transgender woman who dies while being crowned for a beauty pageant. In addition to winning the Audience Award, the film’s leading man, Paolo Ballesteros, won the festival’s best actor award, although presenter Mabel Chung made the point that Ballesteros could have easily won either the “best actor or best actress” prize.

The best actress award went to Lene Cecilia Sparrok, the teen star of the Swedish-Danish-Norwegian co-production, Sami Blood, which examines the discrimination that the indigenous Sami people of northern Scandinavia suffered, and which also won the second place Jury Prize. Sparrok, a reindeer herder in real life, was so overwhelmed that she lost her English-language capability and conveyed her gratitude in Sami.

The best artistic contribution prize went to Mr. No Problem, a gorgeously shot and staged comedy of manners, financed and produced by the Beijing Film Academy, about a Chinese farm and its impossibly agreeable manager that takes place in 1943, when Japan and China were at war.

During his Grand Prix speech, jury head Jean-Jacques Beineix stressed that what unified the films he and his colleagues judged this year was their rejection of a “globalist mindset.” All of the films “accepted our differences” and proved that “a universal cinema does not exist.”

The fact that there were no Japanese winners in the main competition categories wasn’t lost on local reporters. During the post-ceremony news conference, one Japanese journalist asked Beineix how he “discussed” the two Japanese entries with his colleagues.

“As you know, our discussions have to be kept secret,” Beineix replied, evincing a wave of laughter. In any case, Poolsideman, which depicts the lonely life of a Tokyo pool lifeguard, won the Japan Splash prize for domestic indie films, and director Hirobumi Watanabe openly wept on stage while accepting the award.

(Source:www.japantimes.co.jp)

 

La La Land ‘Dreamers’ trailer released

If there’s only one movie you can see this year make it La La Land. With an early limited release scheduled for December 9th in Los Angeles and New York followed up by a nation-wide roll-out, put on your seat belts for this emotional roller-coaster.

Brilliantly conceptualized from the Damien Chazelle team, La La Land tells the story of two young Los Angeleans, Mia and Sebastian seeking fulfillment through the entertainment industry. Mia is an aspiring actress and Sebastian is a classical jazz pianist who doesn’t believe in compromising his convictions for anyone or anything. Mia, on the other hand, can’t seem to finish an audition without being interrupted. It’s only when their paths cross and the stars align do these two traverse the path of fulfillment.

As performances go, Emma Stone as Mia delivers an all-encompassing performance delicately balancing the drama of her personal life with an expressiveness she’s honed over the last twelve years as an actress in Hollywood.  Ryan Gosling as Sebastian delivers an understated performance that matches his character. Together, the two have made cinematic magic in the spirit and image of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair, Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.

La La Land is a film for the ages. Exceptional camera work, ardent choreography, exquisite production design, catchy, melodic musical score, strong direction and over-the-top performances catapult La La Land to the top of the year’s best films. La La Land is the stuff dreams are made of.

 

Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens to Be Honored With the Hollywood Documentary Award

James Corden Will Host Special Anniversary Ceremony on Sunday, November 6, 2016 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel

HOLLYWOOD, CA–(Marketwired – November 02, 2016) – dick clark productions announced today that Academy Award-winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Stevens will be honored with the “Hollywood Documentary Award” for National Geographic’s “Before the Flood” at the 20th Annual “Hollywood Film Awards® Presented by Virginia Black.” In the film, director and producer Stevens follows DiCaprio, who also executive produces, as he travels to five continents and the Arctic to gain a deeper understanding of the dramatic changes now occurring around the world due to climate change.

The awards ceremony, celebrating its 20th anniversary as the official launch of the awards season®, will be hosted by actor and comedian James Corden, and will take place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, on November 6, 2016. The Hollywood Film Awards honors some of the most acclaimed films and actors, as well as previews highly anticipated films and talent for the upcoming year. Additional artists are also honored in the categories of Cinematography, Visual Effects, Film Composing, Costume Design, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Makeup & Hairstyling. Its honorees over the past 20 years have included the world’s biggest stars and more than 110 have gone on to garner Oscar nominations and/or wins.

Past honorees of the “Hollywood Documentary Award” include Asif Kapadia for “Amy” in 2015 and Mike Myers for “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon” in 2014.

“Before The Flood” hit theatres October 21st (NY & LA) and aired globally (in 171 countries and 45 languages) on National Geographic on October 30th. From October 30 through November 6th “Before The Flood” will be available for free (commercial free) via a record number of digital and streaming platforms around the world. Visit www.beforetheflood.com/ for more information.

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Fisher Stevens and Academy Award-winning actor, environmental activist and U.N. Messenger of Peace Leonardo DiCaprio, “Before the Flood” presents a riveting account of the dramatic changes now occurring around the world due to climate change, as well as the actions we as individuals and as a society can take to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. The film follows DiCaprio as he travels to five continents and the Arctic speaking to scientists, world leaders, activists and local residents to gain a deeper understanding of this complex issue and investigate concrete solutions to the most pressing environmental challenge of our time. It premieres on National Geographic on October 30th.

LEONARD DiCAPRIO (Producer) is an Academy Award® award-winning actor (and five-time nominee), who has been recognized for his work as an actor, producer and activist. DiCaprio most recently starred in The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, for which he received the Academy Award® (2016) for Best Actor in a Leading Role, as well as the Golden Globe® for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama; Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role; and Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Actor.

Previously, he worked with Netflix to release Virunga, an Oscar-nominated documentary that examines gorilla preservation in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Virunga National Park. He produced and starred in The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese, for which he received the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, as well as Academy Award nominations for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Picture from his role as a producer. Prior to The Wolf of Wall Street, he starred in blockbuster hit The Great Gatsby as well as Django Unchained, and received a Golden Globe nomination for his work. As the title role in J. Edgar, under the direction of Clint Eastwood, he received Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations for his work in the film. Additionally, he starred in Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster Inception, and the dramatic thriller Shutter Island, which marked his fourth collaboration with director Martin Scorsese.

Before earning two Academy Award nominations for The Wolf of Wall Street, DiCaprio earned an Oscar nod in 2007 for his performance in Edward Zwick’s drama Blood Diamond. He also received Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations for his work in the film. That same year, he garnered Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, Critics’ Choice Award and SAG Award nominations for his role in the Oscar-winning Best Picture The Departed, directed by Scorsese. He also shared in a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance as a member of the ensemble cast of The Departed.

He previously earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Scorsese’s acclaimed 2004 biopic The Aviator. DiCaprio’s portrayal of Howard Hughes in that film also brought him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama, as well as Critics’ Choice and BAFTA Award nominations. He was also honored with two SAG Award nominations, one for Best Actor and another for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance as part of the Aviator cast. In addition to his acting work, DiCaprio launched his own production company, Appian Way. Under the Appian Way banner, he wrote, produced and narrated the acclaimed environmentally themed documentary The 11th Hour. Among Appian Way’s other productions are the aforementioned Shutter Island and The Aviator, as well as The Ides of March, Red Riding Hood, Orphan, Public Enemies, Out of the Furnace, starring Christian Bale and Woody Harrelson, and Runner, Runner, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck. Their upcoming production slates includes Otto Bathurst’s Robin Hood: Origins, a feature adaptation of the Japanese manga “Akira” and three projects written by Billy Ray: The Twilight Zone, an Untitled Richard Jewell. Dennis Lehane’s critically acclaimed novel Live By Night, written, directed by, and starring Ben Affleck will bow December 2016.

Born in Hollywood, California, DiCaprio started acting at the age of 14. His breakthrough feature film role came in Michael Caton-Jones’ 1993 screen adaptation of Tobias Wolff’s autobiographical drama This Boy’s Life. That same year, he co-starred in Lasse Hallström’s What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, earning his first Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as a mentally handicapped young man. In addition, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award for his work in the film.

In 1995 DiCaprio had starring roles in three very different films, beginning with Sam Raimi’s Western, The Quick and the Dead. He also garnered praise for his performance as drug addict Jim Carroll in the harrowing drama The Basketball Diaries, and for his portrayal of disturbed pansexual poet Arthur Rimbaud in Agnieszka Holland’s Total Eclipse. The following year, DiCaprio starred in Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary screen adaptation of Romeo + Juliet, for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. He also joined an all-star ensemble cast in Marvin’s Room, sharing in a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast Performance.

In 1997 DiCaprio starred opposite Kate Winslet in the blockbuster Titanic, for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. The film shattered every box-office record on its way to winning 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. His subsequent film work includes dual roles in The Man in the Iron Mask; The Beach; Woody Allen’s Celebrity; Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can (receiving a Golden Globe nomination); Gangs of New York (his first film for director Martin

Scorsese); Ridley Scott’s Body of Lies; and Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road, which reunited DiCaprio with Winslet and brought him his seventh Golden Globe nomination.

DiCaprio is well known for his dedication to the environment on a global scale, producing creative projects such as the documentary 11th Hour, spearheading numerous public awareness campaigns, and launching The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. He and Appian Way are currently in partnership with Netflix to produce two environmentally themed documentaries titled Catching the Sun and How to Change the World, both currently in post-production and slated for release in 2016. DiCaprio also serves on the boards of World Wildlife Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, and International Fund for Animal Welfare.

In September 2014 DiCaprio was designated as a United Nations Messenger of Peace for his longstanding commitment to environmental activism. That same month, DiCaprio was honored with the Clinton Global Citizen Award, participated in history’s largest climate march in New York City and powerfully addressed the UN Summit. In January 2016 DiCaprio was awarded a Crystal Award by the World Economic Forum for his work to bring global attention to the urgent need to address climate change.

Fisher Stevens has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. His versatility is evidenced by his credits, which range from acting to producing to directing and from film to television to theater, as well as working with the United Nations. Most recently he had recurring arcs on the HBO productions “The Night Of,” the acclaimed miniseries starring John Turturro, and “Vice Principals,” a comedy series with Danny McBride and Walton Goggins. His newest project, Before the Flood, is his third environmental film, following the Academy Award-winning The Cove and Racing Extinction. The documentary follows Academy Award-winning actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio as he travels to five continents to gain a deeper understanding of climate change and its impact on the world. Additionally, he directed the upcoming HBO documentary Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, about the Hollywood family and produced the upcoming Netflix documentary Sky Ladder, about celebrated Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

Previously announced honorees for this year’s show include: “Hollywood Career Achievement Award,” Eddie Murphy; “Hollywood Actor Award,” Tom Hanks; “Hollywood Supporting Actor Award,” Hugh Grant; “Hollywood Actress Award,” Natalie Portman; “Hollywood Supporting Actress Award,” Nicole Kidman; “Hollywood Comedy Awards,” Robert De Niro; “Hollywood Breakout Actress Award,” Naomie Harris; “New Hollywood Award,” Lily Collins; “Spotlight Award,” Janelle Monáe; “Hollywood Ensemble Award,” “Gold;” “Hollywood Song Award,” Justin Timberlake; “Hollywood Blockbuster Award,” “The Jungle Book”; “Hollywood Animation Award,” “Zootopia”; “Hollywood Director Award,” Mel Gibson; “Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award,” Tom Ford; “Hollywood Producer Award,” Marc Platt; “Hollywood Screenwriter Award,” Kenneth Lonergan; “Hollywood Cinematography Award,” Linus Sandgren; “Hollywood Film Composer Award,” Mychael Danna; “Hollywood Editor Award,” John Gilbert; “Hollywood Visual Effects Award,” Stephane Ceretti and Richard Bluff; “Hollywood Sound Award,” Christopher Boyes and Frank Eulner; “Hollywood Costume Design Award,” Albert Wolsky; “Hollywood Make Up & Hair Styling Award,” Shane Thomas, Angela Conte, Bec Taylor and Noriko Waztanabe; and “Hollywood Production Design Award,” Wynn Thomas.

The 20th Annual Hollywood Film Awards are presented by Virginia Black. Virginia Black. Rich. Decadent. Smooth. Whiskey redefined.

CHEAT TWEET: .@LeoDiCaprio and Fisher Stevens will be honored with the Hollywood Documentary Award at the @HollywoodAwards: hfas.news/holly9927 #HFAs

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The Hollywood Film Awards®, founded in 1997, were created to celebrate Hollywood and launch the awards season. The recipients of the awards are selected by an Advisory Team for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released during the calendar year. For additional information, visit www.hollywoodawards.com.

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FILM REVIEW: Charlie Victor Romeo (Berger, Daniels, Michelson, 2013): USA

Reviewed by Larry Gleeson. Viewed during the AFI Filmfest 2013.

Interestingly, the film Charlie Victor Romeo, evolved from an award-winning play created in 1999 by Daniels, Berger and Gregory. The play captured two Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Unique Theatrical Experience and Outstanding Sound Design and received recognition from Time Magazine in 2004 as Best Theatre Top Ten plays. The 1999 theatre version eventually was videotaped and the Smithsonian Aviation Museum reviewed it. Shortly thereafter, the aviation community picked it up and incorporated it into its repetoire of training tools for its pilots’ Crew Resource Management. After its 1999 opening at Collective:Unconscious in New York City, the played toured internationally and nationally until 2008.

The film version of  Charlie Victor Romeo, is a collaborative effort between Collective:Unconscious and 3LD Art & Technology Center. The production was filmed at 3LD Art & Technology Center as part of its new 3LD/3D+ program, a cross-platform for distribution and production of experimental work and made its West Coast premiere on Saturday, November 9th, at the AFI Filmfest 2013. Following the second viewing at the Filmfest on November 11th, the cast of Patrick Daniels, Irving Gregory, Noel Dinneen, Sam Zuckerman, Debbie Troche and Nora Woolley hosted a Q & A. Producer Catarina Bartha was also in the house to support her cast.

Berger, when asked what was the motivation behind the project, conveyed that it wasn’t anything political that it was simply trying to make something of interest to an audience.

In its most basic sense, Charlie Victor Romeo, dramatizes the human intensity that surfaces during the distressed descents of six airline crashes culled from dialogs taken from the surviving black box transcripts. In introducing the affected flights overlay schematics display the failed mechanical parts of the air crafts.

The team of screenwriters, Berger, Daniels and Gregory, scoured the typed transcripts of scores of airline emergencies and crashes, finally settling on the six presented. The criteria used in choosing which emergencies to dramatize the team wanted scenarios with enough emotional intensity that they could perform the scenes dramatically. They also wanted situations that illuminated the aviation perspective. And, finally, they wanted material that allowed their performances to create a bridge for the audience between professional aviation and their art in portraying  the human aspect of handling an aviation emergency while in inflight when things go horribly wrong. All the flights selected had issues due to mechanical failures.

Charlie Victor Romeo, creates a spell-binding, psychologically thrilling techno experience within a tension-filled cockpit as the flight crews provide testament to the ability to live life to the very last second while deftly providing insight into who the people are that we entrust our lives to during airline flights and what they do when things go horribly wrong. Furthermore, the conscious decision to use 3D technology enabled the troupe to help bring the reality of being in the cockpit directly to the audience consciousness during the catastrophic experience as the pilots fight to save their passengers and themselves from an impending disaster.

In my opinion, Charlie Victor Romeo, pushes boundaries proving stereoscopic lensing is no longer the exclusive d0main of the epic major studios productions. But more than that, Charlie Victor Romeo, takes real-life aviation emergencies and brings them into the mainstream consciousness in a very humanistic way. Recommended