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Nantucket, Mass. — Adventure drama “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and Syria documentary “For Sama” emerged as the top winners at the 24th annual Nantucket Film Festival.

The festival, which concludes today, as ever put the emphasis on screenwriters and emerging talents. Director Paul Downs Colaizzo’s Sundance hit “Brittany Runs a Marathon” had a number of well-received screenings, as did Gavin Hood’s “Official Secrets.” Documentaries that played at the island getaway off the coast of Massachusetts included “It Started As a Joke,” “David Crosby: Remember My Name” and “We Are the Radical Monarchs.”

The festival’s annual screenwriter tributes went to female forces in the comedy realm. Leslie Dixon, the seasoned scribe behind “Mrs. Doubtfire” and the musical rendition of “Hairspray,” was recognized, as were five former and current women from the “Saturday Night Live” orbit: Jane Curtin, writer Anne Beatts, Heidi Gardner, Sudi Green and Sarah Schneider.

The...

The Quitter's low-key approach to its well-trodden redemption arc — an ex-ballplayer (Matthew Bonifacio) turns his life around by reuniting with his ex-girlfriend (Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio) and reconnecting with the daughter (Destiny Monet Cruz) he abandoned seven years ago — might seem like a welcome strategy.

But screenwriter Bill Gullo (working in a much different register than his sci-fi indie +1) and director-producer-star Bonifacio (Lbs., Amexicano) hedge their bets so far that the resultant movie is less pleasantly relaxed than it is simply lacking in drama. Many of the narrative details — Jonathan's (Bonifacio) failed career on the diamond; the specifics of why he left Georgie (Gelinas Bonifacio) alone with their child &md...

The past can come to bear on anyone unexpectedly, and that's the basis of Matthew Bonifacio's forthcoming indie dramedy "The Quitter." The film is headed to theaters next month, and we've got the exclusive trailer and poster. Starring Julianna Gelinas Bonifacio, Destiny Monet Cruz, Neil Jain, Deirdre O’Connell, Dan Grimaldi, Jack O’Connell, Erin Darke, Henry Vick, Joshua Rivera, with the director taking the lead role, and featuring a cameo by Natasha Lyonne, "The Quitter" tells the story of a former baseball player who is in for a surprise when his ex-girlfriend moves back to the neighborhood with their seven year-old daughter. And so begins his attempt to become the father he should've been all along, in a movie mixing comedy and drama in equal measure. "The Quitter" opens in New York on September 12th. Watch below.

The generously proportioned, so to speak, are having a moment in the autumnal sun, courtesy of the Toronto Film Festival, where the subject of fat people is kinda blowing up, in a medium that usually promotes the idea that eating is sinning, and that any worthwhile woman can be outweighed by her handbag. While men always have it easier, even the late James Gandolfini takes some heat about his tonnage in Nicole Holofcener’s “Enough Said” – his character Albert’s failure to lose weight has led to the breakup of his marriage to Marianne (Catherine Keener), and becomes an issue during his courtship of Eva (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and it feels odd but right that the issue is confronted so bluntly. But as forthright as Holofcener is, she’s got nothing on debuting writer-director Mark Phinney and “Fat,” which features a utterly ballsy performance by Mel Rodriguez, and is as frank...

For short films, the Tribeca Film Festival is a must. Winning the award for Narrative Short or Best Documentary Short automatically qualifies a film for the Academy Awards. Their track record isn’t too bad either. Shawn Christensen’s Curfew had its New York premiere at the Festival and went on to win the Academy Award.

This year, Tribeca will show 60 short films in eight categories, from a variety of new and returning directors (including Christensen with Grandma’s Not A Toaster), and featuring performances from a number of Hollywood stars. Elijah Wood plays a standup comic who attempts a daring set in Setup,...

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by founding sponsor American Express, today announced its lineup of 60 short films, 30 of which are world premieres a record number for the Festival and a special screening. The recipients of the Tribeca Film Festival?s Best Narrative Short award and Best Documentary Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the Annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. The 2012 Tff Narrative Short Winner Asad and competition short Curfew were nominated for best Live Action Short at this year’s Annual Academy Awards, with Curfew taking home the coveted honor. Curated from more than 2870 submissions, the 2013 roster represents 19 countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Hungary, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Palestine, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, the United States and the United Kingdom. The 2013 shorts program will be presented in 8 thematic programs — 5 narrative categories,...

The 2013 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by American Express®, is happy to announce its lineup of 60 short films, 30 of which are world premieres (a record number for the Festival), and a special screening. This year's program is curated from more than 2870 submissions and includes films from 19 countries. The 2013 shorts program will be presented in 8 thematic programs - 5 narrative categories, 2 documentary categories and 1 experimental category. One documentary section, 'History Lesson,' consists entirely of world premieres - a first for the Festival. The lineup features powerful performances by a range of emerging and established talent such as Lauren Ambrose, Kevin Corrigan, Elle Fanning, Nastassja Kinski, Julian Sands, and Elijah Wood. Shawn Christensen, Academy Award-winning director of Curfew, returns to Tff with Grandma's Not a Toaster. Besides Christensen, the 2013 shorts program is proud to welcome a number of returning filmmakers including Keir Burrows, Matthew Bonifacio, David Darg, ...

Old Boy

Nate Parker ("Arbitrage," "Red Hook Summer") is in talks to join Spike Lee's remake of Chan-wook Park's Korean revenge thriller "Oldboy." Parker is in talks to play a doctor who works with Elizabeth Olsen's character.

Josh Brolin stars as a man who is kidnapped and imprisoned for more than a decade for unknown reasons. Sharlto Copley and Samuel L. Jackson also star. [Source: Variety]

Nymphomaniac

Udo Kier recently confirmed that he’ll be re-teaming with Lars von Trier for the director’s next project, "Nymphomaniac".

Kier's role is unknown at this point. Kier worked with von Trier on last year's "Melancholia". [Source: Dread Central]

Crossing Lines

William Fichtner, Donald Sutherland, Marc Lavoine and Genevieve O’Reilly are amongst the names to sign on for Ed Bernero's new action/crime drama series "Crossing Lines". Shooting kicks off at the end of the month in France and the Czech Republic.

The story...

Tribeca: Tell us a little about Migraine. How do you describe the movie in your own words? Matthew Bonifacio: Migraine is about a Seattle shoe designer who is forced to confide in his hotel's concierge when he is struck with a serious migraine. He is sent on an adventure through the boroughs of New York City that will change his life. A friend of mine recently called it a Cinderella story. I thought that was pretty cool. Tribeca: As the writer/director, what inspired you to tell this story? Are your films triggered by personal experiences? Matthew Bonifacio: My producers, Michael O'Farrell, Julianna Gelinas, Joseph Barbara and I formed 6250 Productions. We actually have a feature film in development, and Michael proposed we do a short in the meantime. So one night Michael, Julianna, and I were all bouncing around possible ideas and sharing stories at the Sofitel Hotel New York.

2012 Tribeca Film Festival Announces Short Film Selections

The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by founding sponsor American Express, today announced its lineup of 60 short films, 26 of which are world premieres.

For the second year running, the recipient of the Tribeca Film Festival.s Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. The 2011 Tff Narrative Short Pentecost was nominated for Best Live Action Short at this year.s annual Academy Awards®, while last year.s award-winning Tff documentary short Incident in New Baghdad was nominated for Best Documentary Short.

Tff.s shorts programs chart a wide range of cultural perspectives and geographic coordinates. Drawn from more than 2,800 submissions, the 2012 roster represents 25 countries and territories, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan,...

HollywoodNews.com: The 2012 Tribeca Film Festival (Tff), presented by founding sponsor American Express, today announced its lineup of 60 short films, 26 of which are world premieres.

For the second year running, the recipient of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Narrative Short award will qualify for consideration in the Short Films category of the annual Academy Awards® without the standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules. The 2011 Tff Narrative Short Pentecost was nominated for Best Live Action Short at this year’s annual Academy Awards®, while last year?s award-winning Tff documentary short Incident in New Baghdad was nominated for Best Documentary Short.

Tff’s shorts programs chart a wide range of cultural perspectives and geographic coordinates. Drawn from more than 2,800 submissions, the 2012 roster represents 25 countries and territories, including Australia, Canada, Colombia, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Palestine, Puerto Rico,...

With all the "Black Swan" hoopla, am I the only one who thinks that the film, while well-made, is not deserving of all these hyper-crazed adulations? Portman was good, but I prefer Annette Bening's understated performance in "The Kids Are All Right." Or heck, Jennifer Lawrence's "Winter's Bone" performance could easily outdance Portman's delusional ballerina portrayal any day.

And "Winter's Bone," celebrating its true independent spirit, was virtually snubbed at last night's Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, the excellent supporting cast was honored with Dale Dickey winning Best Supporting Female and John Hawkes for Best Supporting Male, but the engaging and deeply haunting Debra Granik movie (with the most nominations totaling to seven nods) lost out to...you guessed it, Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan." (Check out my "Winter's Bone" movie review right here)

And yes, I do admire Aronofsky, I thought "The Wrestler" was one of his personal...

Tune in to IFC tonight at 10:00 p.m. Et/Pt to catch all the action at the 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards, with actor and comedian Joel McHale hosting.

Highlights include: Joel getting caught in a 127 Hours situation with only Dale Dickey, “Banksy” and John Waters to help him out; See how this year’s best feature nominees stack up against porn and the big studios; Catch the Spirit Awards’ version of a dead people montage; and more! The show was produced by Film Independent in association with Dick Clark productions, Inc.

The Spirit Awards was the first event to exclusively honor independent film, and over the past 26 years, has become the premier awards show for the independent film community, celebrating films made by filmmakers who embody independence and originality.

The following is a complete list of the winners:

Winners List

Best Feature: 'Black Swan'

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky,...

Premiering way back at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, Matthew Bonifacio's "Lbs." was finally released theatrically this year. Following a 315-pound man who decides to kick his food addiction by moving to the country, the film is finding a happy ending to its rather extraordinarily lengthy delay in release. This weekend, over seven years after "Lbs." debuted at Sundance, the film will compete at the Film Independent's Spirit Awards in ...

Premiering way back at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, Matthew Bonifacio's "Lbs." was finally released theatrically this year. Following a 315-pound man who decides to kick his food addiction by moving to the country, the film is finding a happy ending to its rather extraordinarily lengthy delay in release. This weekend, over seven years after "Lbs." debuted at Sundance, the film will compete at the Film Independent's Spirit Awards in ...

As a way of celebrating this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards in the weeks leading up to the ceremony, we reached out to as many as we could in an effort to better understand what went into their films, what they've gotten out of the experience, and where they've found their inspiration, both in regards to their work and other works of art that might've inspired them from the past year. Their answers will be published on a daily basis throughout February.

Underdog tales don't come any more tailor-made for a happy ending than Matthew Bonifacio's first feature that's nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at this year's Spirit Awards. In the case of "Lbs.," this is as true behind the scenes as it is in the story about Neil, an overweight man (Carmine Famiglietti) who aims to curb his addiction to meatball hoagies and fried chicken by...

So last week was admittedly a slog of subversive family drama. Thankfully this week offered some truly intriguing indie efforts.

First I was introduced to the marvelous and miniature world of Marwencol, next subjected to the dreary worldview of Everything Stranger and New, then exposed to the heart-filled weight loss journey of Lbs., and finally watched a truly enchanting tale of young love unfold in Kisses.

———-

Marwencol ~ Directed by Jeff Malmberg

This carefully crafted doc unfolds the story of Mark Hogancamp, a drunk whose life changed dramatically after he was beaten within an inch of his life outside a local bar. His attackers “kicked every memory of [his] head,” leaving Hogancamp to relearn basic motor skills and grappling to rediscover himself. His method of self-made therapy: constructing a model town named Marwencol that he peoples with miniature doppelgangers of his loved ones. With these figures he enacts winding wishful narratives,...

Best Documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop" It's hard to know whether street artist Banksy's feature documentary is what it claims to be—a doc about an obsessive man who falls in love with the world of street art (where artists place their work in public, risking arrest for vandalism), fashioning himself as the most financially successful street artist in history—or is Banksy's best prank to date. The film follows the life of buffoonish French expatriate Thierry Guetta, a happy-go-lucky proprietor of an overpriced hipster-wear store in West Hollywood with the curious habit of videotaping everything that happens to him. Guetta persuades his cousin, a street artist known as Space Invader, to become the subject of a "documentary," which leads Guetta to other street artists like Obama icon-maker Shepard Fairey and ultimately to the white whale of street artists: the ultra-secretive Banksy (interviewed in silhouette, of course...

The nominations of 2011 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced on Tuesday, November 30 in Los Angeles by Jeremy Renner and Eva Mendes. And some movies which have received Oscar buzz such as "127 Hours" and "Black Swan" are touted for Best Feature at the upcoming Spirit Awards.

For this title, the two movies will fight against "Greenberg", "The Kids Are All Right" and "Winter's Bone". The latest mentioned flick, which is fresh from grabbing two kudos at Gotham Independent Film Awards, has a chance to be a big winner at Spirits Awards since it takes the most nods.

The drama leads Debra Granik to be a contender for Best Director prize. She will face a tight competition with Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle in addition to Lisa Cholodenko and John Cameron Mitchell for this title.

The cast including Jennifer Lawrence, Dale Dickey and John Hawkes are additionally up for Best Female Lead,...

Natalie Portman is going to get a stiff competition from Jennifer Lawrence at 2011 Independent Spirit Awards. The nominees for the annual awards dedicated to independent filmmakers have been announced on Tuesday, November 30, and both actresses were unraveled to be among those up for Best Female Lead.

29-year-old Natalie received the nomination for her portrayal of a ballet dancer in "Black Swan", while 20-year-old Jennifer got her nod for her role as a teen on a desperate search to find her missing father in "Winter's Bone". Both of them were nominated along with Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Nicole Kidman and Michelle Williams.

In addition to Natalie's acting nom, her psychological thriller "Black Swan" has nabbed three other nods. It is vying for Best Feature along with "Winter's Bone", "127 Hours", "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right". Additionally, it also collected nomination for its director Darren Aronofsky and cinematographer Matthew Libatique.

Jennifer's "Winter's Bone", in the meantime,...

I'm so glad that "Winter's Bone" has been receiving all the accolades. I love this film when it was shown in limited release last summer. The backwoods drama won big at the Gothams Awards winning Best Feature and Best Ensemble, and now, it dominated the Independent Spirit Awards with seven nominations including Best Feature, Director for Debra Granik, Screenplay for Granik and Anne Rosellini, Female Lead for Jennifer Lawrence, Supporting Female for Dale Dickey, Supporting Male for John Hawkes, and Cinematography for Michael McDonough. ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)

"Winter's Bone" will compete against "127 Hours," "Black Swan," "Greenberg" and "The Kids Are All Right" for best picture.

Related Links:

"127 Hours" interviews with James Franco, Danny Boyle, and Simon Beaufoy

"Greenberg" Movie Review and Interviews with Ben Stiller, Greta Gerwig, and Rhys Ifans

"The Kids Are All Right" Movie Review and Interviews with Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, and...

Historically the Spirit Awards tend to honor a few of the major Oscar players each year but a win at the Spirits can sometimesLe be the last hurrah, a consolation prize as some would say, if the work is too "edgy" for lack of a less exhaustively employed word. Last year's big winner was Precious (refresh your memory?) It took home Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress and Adapted Screenplay. There were only three crossover winners from Spirits to Oscars last year : Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Mo'Nique (Precious) and the screenplay for Precious. (The Hurt Locker was considered a 2008 film.)

So what fared well this year? Black Swan got four nods including Best Actress for "sweet girl" Natalie Portman. But it could peak at the right time. Full list after the jump with Winter's Bone (7) and The Kids Are All Right (5) leading the pack.

Eva Mendes and Jeremy Renner announced the nominees.

Trailer and poster for Lbs. directed by Matthew Bonifacio from a story by Carmine Famiglietti have been released.

He is a 315-pound man obsessed with food. He lives a boring life with his parents in Brooklyn, and seems like nothing can move him.

Are you interested to hear more about the movie they already called “a very human story of self-realization” as well as “disarmingly natural, sincere and funny”? Ok, then, we’re presenting you Lbs!

Neil Perota (Carmine Famiglietti) is seriously overweight. At twenty-seven years old, he weighs over 300 pounds, and his life has no big sense but food and family. He even works for his father driving a school bus. That doesn’t sound funny at all, especially for a man of his age.

But soon, life is going to change for him. When he suffers a heart attack two days before his sister’s wedding, he is...

NEW YORK -- Matt Dillon and Naomi Watts presented the first Tropfest@Tribeca short film award to Matthew Bonifacio's drama The Watering Hole on Friday. The program, created by the Tribeca Film Festival and director John Polson's popular Australian shorts fest Tropfest, gave Bonifacio $2,500 and Apple Final Cut Pro filmmaking software. Five thousand viewers at the Tribeca Drive In viewed the eight competing shorts created especially for the event, hosted by Ed Helms of The Daily Show, along with eight shorts selected from the Aussie fest. "The turnout tonight at the first Tropfest@Tribeca exceeded my expectations," said Polson. "I think everyone had a fantastic time watching the work of these eight filmmakers with the Hudson River in the background. It couldn't have been any better." The award jury also included Darren Aronofsky, Caroline Baron, Famke Janssen, Anthony LaPaglia and Charles Randolph.

New York-based indie production and distribution company CAVU Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to the feature film Lbs. for an undisclosed figure. Lbs., which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, stars Carmine Famiglietti, who also co-wrote the film along with director Matthew Bonifacio. The dramedy centers on one man's battle to beat his addiction to overeating.