News

The Sundance Institute is including a touch of Cannes this week as the likes of Pippa Bianco (her short Share was the 2015 winner of Cannes Cinefondation), Alistair Banks Griffin (Two Gates of Sleep premiered in Directors’ Fortnight in 2010), and the Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza tandem (from Critics’ Week Grand Prize in 2013 for Salvo) are among the dozen selected projects for the 2016 January Screenwriters Lab. The immersive, five-day writers’ workshop takes place just prior to the festival at the Sundance Resort in Utah, January 15-20. Look for several of these projects to one day break into not only Sundance, but other major film fests. Here are the selected people & projects:

The projects and fellows selected for the 2016 January Screenwriters Lab are:

Bull (U.S.A.) / Annie Silverstein (Co-writer/Director) and Johnny McAllister (Co-writer)

In a near-abandoned subdivision west of Houston, a wayward teen runs headlong into her equally willful and unforgiving neighbor,...

Announced earlier this evening, Sffs/Krf Filmmaking Grants have been awarded to potential 2015 Sundancers in the likes of Kris Swanberg, Chloé Zhao, Jonas Carpignano and the team of Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck (they all receive major post-production coin), while Elena Greenlee and Annie Silverstein will get to concentrate on crafting their individual screenplays having received some grin-worthy dollar contributions. Along with cool initiatives from Sundance and Cinereach folks, this twice yearly Sffs/Krf program has funded more than 50 projects since its inception, helping out the likes of Fruitvale Station back when it was now as Fruitvale. Here are the descriptions of the projects, with the size of each grant, supplied by the Sffs are below:

Dark Forest – Elena Greenlee, writer/director – $35,000 for screenwriting

A hipster millennial—equally versed in neuroscience and party drugs—steps out of her depth into the complex world of Amazonian shamanism. She finds herself in...

The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) in partnership with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) has announced the latest round of $300,000 in funding.

The six team recipients of the Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are:

Dark Forest – Elena Greenlee, writer-director.

$35,000 for screenwriting.

God Bless The Child – Robert Machoian, writer-co-director; Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, co-director; Robert Thomas, producer; Laura Heberton, producer.

$60,000 for post-production.

Mediterranea – Jonas Carpignano, writer-director – $60,000 for post-production.

Skunk – Annie Silverstein, writer/director – $35,000 for screenwriting

Songs My Brother Taught Me – Chloé Zhao, writer-director-producer.

$60,000 for post-production.

Unexpected – Kris Swanberg, writer-director.

$50,000 for post-production.

Chicago – The 50th Chicago International Film Festival announced its award winners in a ceremony at the city’s Sofitel Chicago Water Tower on October 17th. The Gold Hugo for “Best Film” went to “The President,” a dark satire from Georgia, France, UK, and Germany. This year’s jury members for the international feature film competition included Oscar-nominated actress Kathleen Turner and renowned German director Margarethe von Trotta.

This festival also marked the introduction of its “Roger Ebert Award,” a celebration of rising new directors, which went to director Jorge Pérez Solano for his film “La Tirisia.”

Honored films include Niels Arden Oplev’s coming-of-age story “Speed Walking,” Abderrahmane Sissako’s luminous film “Timbuktu,” William H. Macy’s directorial debut “Rudderless,” Chicagoan Marie Ullrich’s “The Alley Cat,” and more.

International Feature Film Competition

’The President’

Photo Credit: © Chicago International Film Festival

Gold Hugo for Best Film: “The President” (Georgia, France,...

The San Francisco Film Society (Sffs) and Kenneth Rainin Foundation (Krf) have selected 14 finallists for the latest round of Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants.

Organisers said at least $300,000 will be awarded to one or more narrative feature projects at various stages of production.

Winners of the fall 2014 Sffs / Krf Grants will be announced in late November.

Sffs / Krf Filmmaking Grants are awarded twice annually to narrative films that will have significant economic or professional impact on the Bay Area filmmaking community.

The finallists are:

Absence – Cherien Dabis (pictured);

Dark Forest – Elena Greenlee;

Everything Else (Todo Lo Demás) – Natalia Almada;

Fairyland – Andrew Durham;

Five Nights in Maine – Maris Curran, Carly Hugo;

The Future – Fabio Mollo;

God Bless the Child – Robert Machoian, Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck, Robert Thomas, Laura Heberton;

Mediterranea – Jonas Carpignano;

The Messenger – Marilia Hughes, Cláudio Marques;

Morris From America – Chad Hartigan, Sara Murphy;

Radio Dreams – Babak Jalali, Marjaneh Moghimi;

Skunk – Annie Silverstein;

Songs My Brother Taught Me – Chloe Zaho; and...

Here's the latest Austin film news (and a very funny video at the end, so keep reading).

Filmmaker Magazine has released its 2014 edition of "25 new Faces of Independent Film." The list includes Austin filmmaker Annie Silverstein, whose short Skunk won the Cannes Cinefondation award this year, and former Houstonite/filmmaker Darius Clark Monroe, whose documentary Evolution of a Criminal played SXSW and Dallas Iff.The Central Texas-shot horror movie Found Footage 3D wrapped shooting recently, and Austin Chronicle contributor Richard Whittaker wrote about his visit to the indie film's set. This will be the feature-film debut for writer/director Steven DeGennaro. Producers include Kim Henkel, who wrote The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and film critic/former Austinite Scott Weinberg.Austin comedy Love & Air Sex (formerly The Bounceback) is trying something different to boost online sales. If you go to BitTorrent, you can download -- no, not the whole film illegally,...

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

Filmmaker Annie Silverstein's student short movie Skunk won the top prize at this year's Cinefondation section of the Cannes Film Festival, according to The Wrap. Along with winning 15,000 Euros, Skunk -- one of 16 films that screened, out of 1,631 student movies submitted worldwide -- gives Silverstein guaranteed entry to the festival for her first feature. She ran a successful crowdfunding campaign last year to finish Skunk, which was her master's thesis movie at The University of Texas at Austin. The movie stars local actress Heather Kafka.Native Texan writer-director Matt Muir's Austin-lensed movie Thank You a Lot, which premiered at this year's SXSW, will have its digital/cable VOD release on June 3. The movie will also screen that night at the Angelika in Dallas (through Tugg) to celebrate its digital release. Thank You a Lot tells the story of a struggling...

Winter Sleep won the Palme d’Or

The Jury of this 67th Festival de Cannes, presided over by Jane Campion, awarded the Palme d’Or to Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

The Best Director Award went to Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher.

The Camera d’Or went to Party Girl directed by Marie Amachoukeli, Claire Burger and Samuel Theis presented in the Un Certain Regard Selection.

Full list of awards: (including Critics’ Week and Directors’ Fortnight)

Feature Films

Palme d’Or

Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Grand Prix

Le Meraviglie (The Wonders) by Alice Rohrwacher

Best Director Award

Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher

Jury Prize ex-aequo

Mommy by Xavier Dolan

Adieu Au Langage (Goodbye to language) by Jean-Luc Godard

Best Screenplay Award

Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin for Leviathan

Best Actress Award

Julianne Moore in Maps To The Stars by David Cronenberg

Best Actor Award

Timothy Spall in Mr. Turner...

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's 196-minute epic Winter Sleep won the Palme d'Or for best film at the Cannes Film Festival.

The saga of a former actor who runs a small hotel in central Anatolia with his young wife, with whom he has a stormy relationship, and his recently-divorced sister, it was described by some critics as a challenge for audiences with a minimal narrative driven by political and intellectual debates.

The director dedicated the award to the . young people of Turkey and to those who lost their lives during the year..

David Gulpilil took the best actor prize for Rolf de Heer.s Charlie.s Country in the Un Certain Regard section.

Italian-German director Alice Rohrwacher's The Wonders, the tender story of a young woman struggling against her alienating environment, won the grand jury prize.

Bennett Miller was named best director for Foxcatcher, which stars Channing Tatum...

The Jury of this 67th Festival de Cannes, presided over by Jane Campion, revealed the names of the prize winners this evening during the Awards Ceremony. Lambert Wilson hosted Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino on the stage of the Grand Théâtre Lumière to award the Palme d’or to the best of the 18 films in Competition. Sergio Leone’s Per un pugno di dollari (A Fistful of Dollars) presented by Quentin Tarantino, was screened at the end of the ceremony. An the winners are: Feature Films Palme d’or Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan Grand Prix Le Meraviglie (The Wonders) by Alice Rohrwacher Best Director Award Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher Jury Prize ex-aequo Mommy by Xavier Dolan Adieu Au Langage (Goodbye to language) by Jean-Luc Godard Best Screenplay Award Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin for Leviathan Best Actress Award Julianne Moore in Maps To The Stars by David Cronenberg...

Abbas Kiarostami and the Jury announce the winners of this year’s selection.

Annie Silverstein’s Skunk has won first prize (€15,000) at this year’s Cinéfondation Selection.

Abbas Kiarostami and the jury, including Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Noémie Lvovsky, Daniela Thomas and Joachim Trier, announced the winners during a ceremony at the Buñuel Theatre which was followed by the screening of the winning films.

Silverstein is now guaranteed that her first feature film will be presented at Cannes.

Second prize went to Atsuko Hirayanagi’s Oh Lucy! (€11,250), while third prize (€7,500) was shared between Fulvio Risuleo’s Lievito Madre and Daisy Jacobs’ The Bigger Picture.

The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 16 student films, chosen out of 1,631 entries coming from 457 film schools around the world.

Winners

First Prize:

Skunk directed by Annie Silverstein

the University of Texas at Austin, USA

Second Prize:

Oh Lucy! directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi

Nyu Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Singapore

Joint...

Abbas Kiarostami and the Jury announce the winners of this year’s selection.

Annie Silverstein’s Skunk has won first prize (€15,000) at this year’s Cinéfondation Selection.

Abbas Kiarostami and the jury, including Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Noémie Lvovsky, Daniela Thomas and Joachim Trier, announced the winners during a ceremony at the Buñuel Theatre which was followed by the screening of the winning films.

Silverstein is now guaranteed that her first feature film will be presented at Cannes.

Second prize went to Atsuko Hirayanagi’s Oh Lucy! (€11,250), while third prize (€7,500) was shared between Fulvio Risuleo’s Lievito Madre and Daisy Jacobs’ The Bigger Picture.

The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 16 student films, chosen out of 1,631 entries coming from 457 film schools around the world.

At the Cannes Film Festival winds down, the 17th Cinefondation Selection winners were announced May 22, with the top prize going to Skunk, by University of Texas, Austin student Annie Silverstein.

  The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury, headed by Abbas Kiarostami and including Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Noémie Lvovsky, Daniela Thomas and Joachim Trier, has awarded the 2014 Cinéfondation Prizes during a ceremony held in the Bunuel Theatre, followed by the screening of the winning films.

The Cinéfondation Selection was comprised of 16 student films, chosen out of 1,

read more...

The Cinéfondation and Short Films Jury headed by Abbas Kiarostami and including Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, Noémie Lvovsky, Daniela Thomas and Joachim Trier, has awarded the 2014 Cinéfondation Prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. Read More: The 2014 Indiewire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During Run of Festival The Cinéfondation Selection consisted of 16 student films, chosen out of 1,631 entries coming from 457 film schools around the world. The prizes were presented during a ceremony held in the Buñuel Theatre and followed by the screening of the winning films, which were: First Prize: "Skunk,"directed by Annie Silverstein from the University of Texas at Austin, USA. Second Prize: "Oh Lucy!" directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi from Nyu Tisch School of the Arts Asia, Singapore. Joint Third Prize: "Lievito Madre,"  directed by Fulvio Risuleo from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, Italy. Joint...

Films from students at the University of Texas at Austin, Nyu Asia and schools in Italy and the U.K. have won the top prizes in the Cinefondation competition at the Cannes Film Festival, a jury headed by director Abbas Kiarostami announced on Thursday. The competition consisted of 16 student films chosen from a field of 1,631 entries. Also read: Xavier Dolan's ‘Mommy’ Brings a Wild, Lusty Coming of Age to Cannes “Skunk,” by Annie Silverstein from Ut Austin, won the first prize, which carries with it an award of 15,000 Euro. Second prize, which brings 11,250 Euro, went to “Oh Lucy!” from.

Here's the latest Austin and Texas film news.

Filmmaker Annie Silverstein has had her student short film Skunk accepted in the Cinefondation section of Cannes Film Festival. It is one of 16 films that will screen, out of 1,631 student movies submitted worldwide. She ran a successful crowdfunding campaign last year to finish Skunk, which was her master's thesis film at The University of Texas at Austin. The film stars local actress Heather Kafka.Texas native Tommy Lee Jones's western drama The Homesman, about a duo who escort three insane women across states, will compete for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, according to CNN. The Austin Film Festival and Travis County Sheriff's Office invite area high-chool students to create a commercial or short movie to raise awareness of issues facing teenagers. Winning entries will be published to the event's YouTube channel and screened during Aff's Student Filmmaking Expo, among other prizes.

When a film widely seen as a dead cert to make the Cannes lineup doesn't ultimately appear, there can be any number of routine explanations, from shooting and editing overruns to inter-festival politics to the aesthetic whims of the selection panel – but it's unusual for a filmmaker to withdraw his own work for “personal reasons.” That's what's happened, however, with German-Turkish auteur Fatih Akin, whose first narrative feature in five years, “The Cut,” was on most Competition prediction lists. Akin has offered no further explanation for his decision to pull the film, which stars Tahar Rahim and is the belated final instalment in Akin's “Love, Death and the Devil” trilogy, with started with 2004's “Head-On” (a Berlinale Golden Bear winner) and continued with 2007's “The Edge of Heaven.” The latter premiered at Cannes and won the Best Screenplay award, so Akin has a history with the festival; two years ago,...

Abbas Kiarostami to head the Cinéfondation and Short Films jury.

With the Official Selection of features for the 67th Cannes Film Festival set to be revealed tomorrow (April 17), the line-up of Short Films has been unveiled in advance.

This year the Selection Committee received 3,450 short films, representing 128 production countries.

Ten films will compete in 2014 for the Short Film Palme d’or, to be awarded by Abbas Kiarostami, president of the Cinéfondation and Short Films jury, at the festival’s awards ceremony on May 24.

For the first time, an Azerbaijani and a Georgian film will take part in the Short Films Competition.

Short Films

Manhole

dir: Giovanni Aloi (Italy)

The Administration Of Glory

dir: Ran Huang (China)

Invisible Spaces

dir: Dea Kulumbegashvili (Georgia)

Happo-En

dirs: Sato Masiko, Ohara Takayoshi, Seki Yutaro, Toyota Masayuki, Hirase Kentaro (Japan)

Leidi

dir: Simón Mesa Soto (Colombia/UK)

The Last One

dir: Sergey Pikalov (Azerbaijan)

The Execution

dir: Petra Szocs (Hungary/Romania)

Aïssa...