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#AFI, #AFIDOCS, AFIDocs, Documentary, Featured

The AFI DOCS Interview: MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE Directors Bob Hercules & Rita Coburn Whack

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The AFI DOCS Interview: MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE Directors Bob Hercules & Rita Coburn Whack

May 16, 2016

Co-directors Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack present a lovingly crafted and stunningly comprehensive portrait of the esteemed Dr. Maya Angelou with MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE. The incredible story is told by Angelou herself, along with a remarkable cast of contemporaries from her careers as actress, writer, poet and activist. In chronicling Angelou’s life from her youth in the Depression-era South through her rise to international prominence, the film is a vital document about the importance of grace, dignity and the quest for the peace.

See the full article with the interview here.

 

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(Source: American Film Magazine)

#AFIDOCS, Uncategorized

#AFI DOCS 2016 ANNOUNCES OPENING AND CLOSING NIGHT FILMS

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – APRIL 25, 2016, WASHINGTON, DC – Today, AFI DOCS, the American Film Institute’s annual documentary celebration held June 22–26, 2016, in the nation’s capital, announced the festival’s Opening and Closing Night films. Opening AFI DOCS 2016 is the North American premiere of Magnolia Pictures’ ZERO DAYS, directed by Alex Gibney. Closing the festival is Music Box Films’ NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. Both Gala screenings will be held at the Newseum, which has joined the festival this year as the Official Gala Screening Partner. Located on historic Pennsylvania Avenue, the Newseum is a champion for free expression around the world and features seven levels of interactive exhibits including 15 galleries and 15 theaters.

AFI DOCS is proud to announce the return of AT&T as Presenting Sponsor.

“With AT&T’s continued support, we are thrilled to kick off and close AFI DOCS 2016 with two remarkable films that remind us why documentaries are essential viewing for all who love film. To have this trio of filmmakers — Alex Gibney, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady — bookend the festival is a true honor,” said Michael Lumpkin, Director of AFI DOCS.

The Opening Night Gala of the North American premiere of ZERO DAYS will be held on June 22 at the Newseum and will feature a Q&A with Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney after the screening. ZERO DAYS explores Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer worm discovered in 2010 that was commissioned by the U.S. and Israeli governments to sabotage Iran’s nuclear program. Gibney’s work has been celebrated at AFI DOCS in the past: he was honored at the AFI DOCS Charles Guggenheim Symposium in 2014 and he presented his film STEVE JOBS: THE MAN IN THE MACHINE in 2015.

The Closing Night Gala screening of NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU will be held on June 26 at the Newseum and will feature a post-screening discussion with film subject Norman Lear and Academy Award®-nominated directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady. The film chronicles the life and work of Lear, a television icon known for his keen writing and producing talents. His legendary TV shows, which include ALL IN THE FAMILY, THE JEFFERSONS and MAUDE, boldly addressed the topics of race, class and feminism in the 1970s and ’80s. Ewing and Grady previously brought their Oscar®-nominated film JESUS CAMP to AFI DOCS in 2006.

Tickets to AFI DOCS, including Opening Night and Closing Night screenings, will be available early to AFI members exclusively from May 9–17, and to the public on May 18. Passes for AFI DOCS 2016 are now on sale at AFI.com/afidocs. More information about AFI DOCS screenings and other special events will be announced in the coming weeks.

About the Newseum
The Newseum is dedicated to free expression and the five freedoms of the First Amendment: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition. Headquartered on historic Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., the Newseum’s compelling, dynamic and engaging exhibits, programs and education initiatives help ensure that these fundamental freedoms remain strong and protected both today and for future generations. The Newseum Institute promotes the study, exploration and education of the challenges confronting freedom through its First Amendment Center and the Religious Freedom Center. The Newseum is a 501(c)(3) public charity funded by generous individuals, corporations and foundations, including the Freedom Forum. For more information, visit newseum.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, mobile, high speed Internet and voice services. We’re the world’s largest provider of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. We offer the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider*. And we help businesses worldwide serve their customers better with our mobility and highly secure cloud solutions.

Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at http://about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/att.

© 2016 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

*Global coverage claim based on offering discounted voice and data roaming; LTE roaming; voice roaming; and world-capable smartphone and tablets in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier. International service required.  Coverage not available in all areas. Coverage may vary per country and be limited/restricted in some countries.

About AFI DOCS
AFI DOCS is the American Film Institute’s annual documentary festival in the Washington, DC area. Presenting the year’s best documentaries, AFI DOCS is the only festival in the U.S. dedicated to screenings and events that connect audiences, filmmakers and policy leaders in the seat of our nation’s government. The AFI DOCS advisory board includes Ken Burns, Davis Guggenheim, Chris Hegedus, Werner Herzog, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Errol Morris, Stanley Nelson, D A Pennebaker, Agnès Varda and Frederick Wiseman. The AFI DOCS advisory board includes Ken Burns, Davis Guggenheim, Chris Hegedus, Werner Herzog, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Errol Morris, Stanley Nelson, D A Pennebaker and Frederick Wiseman. Now in its 14th year, the festival will be held June 22–26, 2016 in landmark Washington, DC venues and the historic AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, MD. Visit AFI.com/afidocs and connect on twitter.com/afidocs, facebook.com/afidocs and youtube.com/AFI.

CONTACT:
Gabrielle Flamand, AFI DOCS PR, 202.339.9598 or gabrielle@prcollaborative.com
Liza Ameen, American Film Institute, 323.856.7885 or LAmeen@AFI.com

#AFIDOCS

2016 @AFIDOCS Announces Full Slate of Films

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From June 22–26, the 14th edition of AFI DOCS showcases 94 films representing 30 countries. Screenings will take place in Washington, DC, at the Newseum and the Landmark E Street Cinema, and in Silver Spring, MD, at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

See the full AFI DOCS 2016 slate of films here.

Newly announced films from notable documentarians include COMMAND AND CONTROL (DIR Robert Kenner), the world premiere of DOC & DARRYL (DIRS Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio) and MISS SHARON JONES! (DIR Barbara Kopple) — and many more titles.

As previously announced, the Newseum will host the Opening Night Gala and North American premiere of ZERO DAYS (DIR Alex Gibney) and the Closing Night Gala screening of NORMAN LEAR: JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU (DIRS Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady). Also previously announced, AFI will recognize Werner Herzog at AFI DOCS as the Charles Guggenheim Symposium honoree on June 24. The Symposium will include a conversation, moderated by Ramin Bahrani, followed by the East Coast premiere of Herzog’s latest film LO AND BEHOLD, REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD.

AFI DOCS will offer additional programs for festival filmmakers as a way to connect with film industry and policy leaders. The festival will also include a Filmmaker Forum open to the documentary filmmaking community.

Tickets to AFI DOCS 2016, including Galas and Spotlight Screenings, will be available to AFI members exclusively from May 9–17, and to the public on May 18. Passes for AFI DOCS 2016 are now on sale.

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(Source: Press release from @AFIDOCS)

#AFI, AFIDocs

#AFI DOCS Announces Lineup

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Ninety-four films. 30 countries. The best of documentary cinema today. This year’s lineup includes new films from Judd Apatow, Alex Gibney, Werner Herzog, Barbara Kopple and many more. Explore all of the the films you want to see at AFI DOCS 2016 right now.

Tickets to the festival are now available for AFI members exclusively through May 17, and will open to the public on May 18. Passes for the festival are now on sale. Take advantage of the early ticketing window and discounted pass prices by becoming an AFI member today.

AFI DOCS 2016 Program

Hope to see you there!

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(Source: AFI Docs)

#TIFF, Cannes

The 29th #TIFF will join the Cannes Film Festival 2016

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Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) and its affiliated business market TIFFCOM will participate in the 69th Cannes Film Festival to promote the TIFF to industry people from around the world.
The 29th TIFF will be held from October 25 to November 3, 2016 for 10 days in Tokyo, Japan.

Contact:
For meeting request in Cannes or any inquiries about the 29th TIFF, please contact Ms.Azusa KENJO at azusa.kenjo@tiff-jp.net

■ Japan Booth (Organized by UNIJAPAN/JETRO)
Opening date & time;　May 11th – 20th, 9:00am-6:00pm
Venue; Palais Stand number; Palais 01 –Booth 23.01
-Participants from UNIJAPAN
Yuko YAMADA (Ms.), Kenta FUDESAKA (Mr.) E-mail: inquiry@tiffcom.jp

■　4 Japanese films are invited to the 69th Cannes  Film Festival!
– Un Certain Regard

After The Storm by KORE-EDA Hirokazu


©2016 FUJI TELEVISION NETWORK/ BANDAI VISUAL/ AOI Pro. Inc./ GAGA CORPORATION All rights reserved.

 

HARMONIUM by FUKADA Koji


©2016 FUCHI NI TATSU FLIM PARTNERS & COMME DES CINEMAS

– Cannes Classics
Momotarô, Umi no shinpei (Momotaro, Sacred Sailors) by SEO Mitsuyo
Ugetsu monogatari (Ugetsu) by MIZOGUCHI Kenji


Submit Your Film to the 29th TIFF!

We are now accepting entries to the 29th TIFF Competition. Applications for submitting films are now being accepted on the official TIFF website (Deadline: July 8, 2016). For a summary of the regulations for the Competition 2016, please visit the TIFF website; www.tiff-jp.net, or contact us by e-mail at competition2016@tiff-jp.net. TIFF looks forward to a larger number of submissions from around the world.

(Source: TIFF Public Relations Division)

 

 

#TCM, #TCMFF

#TCM Classic Film Festival 2016 Day 2 Update

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Turner Classic Movies continues its 7th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on Friday, April 29 with the special screenings and appearances by Francis Ford Coppola, John Singleton and Angela Lansbury to name a few.  Please enjoy highlights of Day #2 at the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival.

(Source: TCM Press Room

#TCM

#TCMFF Opening Night Screening

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Turner Classic Movies kicks off its 7th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood on Thursday, April 28 with the opening night screening of All The President’s Men at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX. Carl Bernstein, investigative journalist and author of the book “All The President’s Men,” joined Spotlight director Tom McCarthy and Spotlight screenwriter Josh Singer for a conversation with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz highlighting journalism in film. Actor Alec Baldwin joined Ben Mankiewicz to open the evening’s events.

TCM Classic Film Festival 2016 - Opening Night
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 28: (L-R) Head of Turner Network Sales Coleman Breland, General Manager at TCM Jennifer Dorian, Managing Director at TCM Genevieve McGillicuddy attends ‘All The President’s Premiere’ during the TCM Classic Film Festival 2016 Opening Night on April 28, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Turner)

 

TCM Classic Film Festival 2016 - Opening Night
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 28: (L-R) Head of Turner Network Sales Coleman Breland, Managing Director at TCM Genevieve McGillicuddy, General Manager at TCM Jennifer Dorian, and actor attends ‘All The President’s Premiere’ during the TCM Classic Film Festival 2016 Opening Night on April 28, 2016 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for Turner)

(Press release provided by TCM Press Room)

#NBFF, Documentary

FILM REVIEW: La Tradition #nbff

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Viewed by Larry Gleeson during the 2016 Newport Beach Film Festival.

La Tradition, a documentary film written and directed by Jeff Fliegler under the GrubTribe umbrella, charts the evolution of culinary chef and restaurateur Pascal Olhats’ and his influence on the fine dining scene in Southern California. The title of the film is the name of Olhats’ first restaurant in Newport Beach. For the last 30 years in the OC (Orange County, Calif.), Olhats has imbibed and shared his culinary, his kitchen techniques and etiquette on cooking shows, in culinary classes and through his restaurants and catering businesses. Making extensive use of the interview, Fliegler captures the essence of the Frenchman while revealing his culinary creations, his devoted proteges and Olhats’ dedication to bringing the finest dining and culinary experiences to his customers and clients alike.

GrubTribe, a culinary focused media site, got the idea to bring cameras into Olhats’ work space to get close to the food and its preparation. Olhats went along with the idea quipping that “people will do anything to get close to my food.” According to Fliegler it was more than that, ““Pascal is one of my personal heroes, and it was such a great experience to tell his story. For the past year, we’ve been following Pascal and all the chefs he’s mentored to get the footage for the film.”

La Tradition opens with an eye-pleasing, Hollywood-style frame of Olhats and quickly moves into how he got his start as a chef. Not missing a beat, Olhats passes the credit to his mother who mentored him at the tender age of seven on his first creation, mayonnaisse! Often credited with bringing real continental cuisine to the Newport Beach culinary scene, Olhats colorfully expands the concept playfully posing the question “in what context?” and “what is continental cuisine? From what continent?” with a hearty laugh that the audience mirrored. Olhats stated simply that he attempted to share his culinary background in classical cuisine with a lighter approach utilizing flour and herbs with reduction to create a more refreshing cuisine to the heavy, butter and creamy foods of the more traditionally thought of French cuisine. The result has culminated in Olhats being called the Ambassador of Orange County Cuisine.

Throughout La Tradition, Fliegler creates an excellent portrait of Olhats with broad, yet intimate strokes. Apparently, in an effort to organize his footage, Fliegler added categories to the film and displays each with large, block-lettered overlays. The categories included: (1) If you can’t take the heat get out of his kitchen; (2) Julia Childs, the Ambassador of French Cuisine; (3) Kick Ass Sea Bass; (4) Life On The Farm; (5) The Legacy. Each category comes complete with Olhats and his proteges providing ample documentation on an extraordinary culinary career and lifestyle. Comments on Olhats such as “first in the kitchen in the morning and last to leave at night,” “First class guy, my cooking mentor who also taught me the business side,” “Best representative of French cuisine in the United States,” and “French brother from another mother,” serve the viewer and the chef quite well in delineating a man, his passion and his dedication and sense of duty to the fine art of culinary and its French tradition.

I found La Tradition to be a very enjoyable film to watch. To hear the chef’s proteges recount the day-to-day triumphs and tribulations experienced and endured to get to where they are today coupled with Olhats own colorful commentary made for a very heartwarming and a very heartfelt story. Warmly recommended.

#TCM

#TCM Classic Film Festival Interview

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Turner Classic Movies (TCM) today announced that screen icon Faye Dunaway is set to attend the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival, taking place in Hollywood April 28 – May 1, to participate in a sit-down interview about her life and celebrated career in front of a live audience of festival passholders at the The Ricardo Montalbán Theatre. In addition to the interview, Dunaway will be on-hand to introduce a screening of Network (1976), for which she won the Oscar® for Best Actress.

“Faye Dunaway has had an extraordinarily successful career spanning nearly six decades, including winning the Academy Award® for Network and working alongside some of the best in the industry such as Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Robert Redford,” said TCM Host Robert Osborne. “She is one of the great beauties and magical leading ladies of film. It’s going to be a great treat for our fans to hear from her first hand about her extraordinary life and career.”

 

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Dunaway joins an already exciting roster at this year’s festival, including previously announced appearances by director John Singleton for the 25th anniversary screening of his coming-of-age classic Boyz N The Hood (1991), Carl Reiner with an extended conversation and screening of Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) Elliott Gould with screenings of his Golden Globe nominated performance in M*A*S*H (1970), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Eva Marie Saint who will be on hand to introduce a screening of the political comedy The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966).  Actor Stacy Keach will be discussing John Huston’s gritty look at the world of small-time boxing in Fat City (1972) and French actress Anna Karina will be introducing Band of Outsiders (1964), Jean-Luc Godard’s riff on gangster films.

 

About Faye Dunaway

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Faye Dunaway began her career onstage before moving to the big screen and starring in the pioneering film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), for which she received an Oscar® nomination. She’s appeared in several iconic films throughout her career, including The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) and Chinatown (1974). She won an Academy Award® in 1976 for her role in Network.

 

Born in Bascom, Florida in 1941, she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1962 from Boston University. Six days after graduation, Dunaway won the role of Paul Scofield’s daughter in Broadway’s production of A Man for All Seasons. Three years later, she found off-Broadway success with a critically acclaimed role in William Alfred’s Hogan’s Goat and was immediately pursued by producers to do five films in a row.

 

Dunaway’s third film was Bonnie and Clyde as the iconic Bonnie Parker opposite Warren Beatty, launching her into Hollywood stardom. In her next film, she starred alongside Steve McQueen as a high-fashion “take-no-prisoners” insurance investigator in The Thomas Crown Affair. She continued her career throughout the 1970s, with such films as Little Big Man (1970), The Three Musketeers (1973), The Towering Inferno (1974), Eyes of Laura Mars (1978) and The Champ (1979).

 

As her career progressed, Dunaway took on more complex roles, including the troubled wife Evelyn Mulwray in Roman Polanski’s 1974 film Chinatown; and a civilian who is abducted by a CIA researcher in Three Days of the Condor, a 1975 film directed by Sydney Pollack.  Dunaway won the Academy Award® for Best Actress in 1976 for her groundbreaking role as a pioneering television executive in Network. In 1988, she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Barfly (1987), alongside Mickey Rourke.

 

The 1990s saw Dunaway perform in several films, including The Handmaid’s Tale (1991); Arizona Dream (1992);  Don Juan DeMarco (1994); The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999); The Yards (2000), a crime-thriller; and The Rules of Attraction (2002), a dark comedy. One of Dunaway’s most acclaimed performances of the decade came in 1993, with her guest role as Laura Staton in the TV series Columbo for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.  She also won a Golden Globe for her work in the telefilm Gia (1998).

 

Additionally, from 1996 to 1997, Dunaway received universal acclaim starring as opera diva Maria Callas in the American tour of Terrence McNally’s Master Class. Since then, she has made several TV appearances, including on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2006, Grey’s Anatomy in 2009 and has a recurring role on the upcoming second season of the Amazon drama series Hand of God.

(Source: TCM Press room)

#TCM

2016 #TCM Classic Film Festival Adds Film Legends To Lineup

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Turner Classic Movies (TCM) continues to add screen icons and intriguing panels to its star-studded festival lineup during the 7th Annual 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival, set to take place April 28 – May 1 in Hollywood.  

Beloved Oscar® and Golden Globe® winner Angela Lansbury joins the festival with a screening and conversation of The Manchurian Candidate (1962), the combination satire and political thriller.

Oscar winning actress and singer Rita Moreno will introduce a 60th anniversary screening of the cherished musical The King and I (1956).

Emmy nominee Billy Dee Williams will present a screening of Brian’s Song (1971), the true story of friendship between Chicago Bears’ player Gale Sayers (Williams) and Brian Piccolo (James Caan).

Investigative journalist Carl Bernstein, Oscar winning director/ screenwriter Tom McCarthy (Spotlight), along with Oscar Winning screenwriter Josh Singer (Spotlight), join the festivities for opening night’s 40th Anniversary screening of the political thriller All The President’s Men (1976).

Club TCM, the central gathering point for festival passholders located in the lobby of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, will feature a remarkable slate that includes:

 

  • “Man’s Best Friend: Dogs in Film.” Movie icons are stars that evoke an immediate emotional response, and Rin Tin Tin, Lassie, Old Yeller, Benji and Beethoven are right up there with the best of the two-legged variety.  Join Randy Haberkamp of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as he shares stills and clips from the Academy’s collections of dogs in movie history, and then interviews three of Canine Cinema’s biggest stars during a rare public appearance. Meet Clyde of Marley & Me (2008), Brigitte, the original Stella from Modern Family and the latest Lassie.

 

  • “From Headlines to Ticket Lines” a panel discussion with director James Vanderbilt (Truth), Oscar winning writer Josh Singer (Spotlight), broadcast news producer and author Mary Mapes and print journalist/editor Ben Bradlee, Jr. about the challenges of dramatizing the work of journalists for the screen.

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Previously announced events and appearances for the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival include a handprint-footprint ceremony to honor acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. John Singleton for the 25th anniversary screening of his coming-of-age classic Boyz N The Hood (1991), Carl Reiner with an extended conversation and screening of Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982) Elliott Gould with screenings of his Golden Globe nominated performance in M*A*S*H (1970), The Long Goodbye (1973) and Eva Marie Saint who will be on hand to introduce a screening of the political comedy The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming (1966).  Actor Stacy Keach will be discussing John Huston’s gritty look at the world of small-time boxing in Fat City (1972) and French actress Anna Karina will be introducing Band of Outsiders (1964), Jean-Luc Godard’s riff on gangster films.

 

Complete bios for each of the artists appearing at the 2016 TCM Classic Film Festival can be found at the festival’s website: filmfestival.tcm.com

(Press release courtesy of TCM Pressroom)