Actors and Directors Monica Bellucci, Iciar Bollaín, Gavin Hood, Deepa Mehta and Raphael to Headline 33rd Edition of Miami Dade College’s Acclaimed Miami International Film Festival

Running March 4–13, 2016, Filmmakers from 40 Countries Will Exhibit 129 Feature, Documentary, and Short Films

Monica Bellucci, Iciar Bollaín, Gavin Hood and Deepa Mehta will all receive tributes in a new Marquee Series to be presented at the 33rd edition of Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival scheduled for March 4 – 13, 2016. The 10-day annual event takes place at the Festival’s traditional home, the historic Olympia Theater in Downtown Miami, plus six additional cinemas scattered across the Miami; and includes a plethora of screenings, stylish parties, thoughtful panel discussions, spirited film competitions, awards ceremonies and immersive cultural exchange opportunities for filmmakers attending from across the globe.

Official Poster of the 33rd annual Miami Dade College’s Miami International Film Festival

Additionally, director Andrew Currie‘s comedy The Steps, starring James Brolin, will receive its US Premiere at the Festival as the Closing Night selection. The Festival is the only major film festival worldwide produced by a college or university.

The new announcements join Alex de la Iglesia‘s My Big Night, previously announced as the Opening Night Selection, as the Festival’s major touchstones. The pop comedy My Big Night stars Spanish recording legend Raphael, who will open the Festival with a personal appearance at the March 4th screening.

Celebrating its 33rd annual edition, the MIAMI DADE COLLEGE’S MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is considered the preeminent film festival for showcasing Ibero-American cinema in the U.S., and a major launch pad for all international and documentary cinema. The annual Festival entertains more than 60,000 audience members and over 400 filmmakers, producers, talent and industry professionals. In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres. The MIAMI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL‘s special focus on Ibero-American cinema has made the Festival a natural gateway for the discovery of new talent from this diverse territory. The Festival also offers unparalleled educational opportunities to film students and the community at large. Major sponsors of the 2016 Festival include THE KNIGHT FOUNDATION, LEXUS and MIAMI-DADE COUNTY. (For more information, visit www.miamifilmfestival.com or call 305-237-FILM(3456.)

“This year’s lineup is like a prism that invites Miami to see the world with an illumination that only the cinema, and the artists that create the work, can provide,” says theFestival’s Executive Director and Director of Programming, Jaie Laplante. “The programmers have populated the program with films and events that are essential to the complex, dynamic, ever-changing Miami of the now.“

This year’s Festival showcases 129 films, including 100 feature films and documentaries and 29 short films produced and directed by both renowned and emerging talent from 40 countries. Forty-six are directed or co-directed by women.The Festival is pleased to announce numerous important premieres: 12 World, 1 International, 16 North American and 13 US premieres, debuting in Miami.

The Festival’s new MARQUEE SERIES category, dedicated to on-stage conversations with major film personalities of the moment, sharing a major new work, includes:

• Monica Bellucci in Conversation with Guy Edoin (Tuesday, March 8th). The Italian fashion beauty and screen star will discuss her career up to and including her brilliant new starring role in Edoin’s Ville-Marie, which will screen after the Conversation.
• Conversation with Iciar Bollaín (Sunday, March 6th). The double Goya Award-winning Spanish actress-director will speak about her career and her latest film, The Olive Tree, which will receive its World Premiere in Miami after the Conversation.
• Conversation with Gavin Hood (Saturday, March 5th). The Academy Award-winning South African filmmaker of Tsotsi will speak about his career and screen his new film, Eye In The Sky, starring Dame Helen Mirren and the late Alan Rickman.
• Conversation with Deepa Mehta (Wednesday, March 9th). The Academy Award-nominated Indo-Canadian filmmaker of Water will speak about her career in the context of the screening of her new film, Beeba Boys, described as “a desiScarface”.

Additional films include:

CINEDWNTWN OPENING NIGHT FILM Presented By Miami Downtown Development Authority and the OPENING NIGHT PARTY presented by The Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building and Tilia Events on Friday, March 4, 2016

As previously announced, Álex de la Iglesia‘s My Big Night (Spain), starring Spanish pop icon Raphael and an ensemble cast of many of the biggest stars in the Spanish film industry, opens the Festival. In a special treat for Miami audiences, Raphael will appear in person at the screening to officially inaugurate this year’s Festival. (http://2016.miamifilmfestival.com/films/my-big-night/)

This riotous pop masterpiece from de la Iglesia (Think Broadway’s Noises Off!) chronicles the accidents, romances, conspiracies and backstage shenanigans that beset the taping of an unusually fraught New Year’s Eve variety show. The agitated extravaganza is headlined by pompous singing icon Alphonso (played with self-satirizing brio by real-life singer Raphael) being stalked by a tunesmith with a murderous grudge. Alphonse’s younger beefcake counterpart Adán (Mario Casas) is sought by a groupie looking to snatch a sample of the legendary Lothario’s semen.

Out in the house a runaway crane takes out an extra, who is promptly replaced by endearing nebbish José (Pepón Nieto)—though José too may be doomed to some grievous bodily harm if he continues to pursue his comely colleague Paloma (Blanca Suárez), a woman with a history of unintentionally maiming every man she fancies. The hosts hate each other, the director can’t contain the chaos, and riot police are called in to quell the violent demonstration erupting right outside the studio doors.

My Big Night starts where most films climax and grows steadily more manic from there. The laughs possess an edgy uneasiness enhanced by the cast’s go-for-broke performances. A master orchestrator of mischief, de la Iglesia keeps us oriented as this audacious ensemble comedy spins wildly out of control. Get ready for a great time. My Big Night is more than a film—it’s a party!

My Big Night turns into “My Big Party” after the film with an outstanding Opening Night party at the Historic Alfred I. Dupont Building. The party promises to ring in the new Festival with glitz and cheer, boasting rocking music, cuisine, cocktails, and dancing, all in the spirit of a glittering New Year’s Eve bash. The events kick off the Festival’s CINEDWNTWN series, sponsored by Miami’s Downtown Development Authority.

CINEDWNTWN AWARDS NIGHT FILM presented by Miami Downtown Development Authority and Pyrat Rum Awards Night Party sponsored by The Related Group on Saturday, March 12, 2016

Following the presentation of the juried Awards, the US premiere of Andrew Currie’s The Steps (Canada) will close the Festival’s official premieres. Featuring a brilliant ensemble cast led by James Brolin and Oscar-winner Christine Lahti, this riotous comedy is about what happens when two already fraught families are forced to merge into one big dysfunctional clan. 

As The Steps opens, we meet failed investment banker Jeff (Jason Ritter) and his party-animal sister Marla (Emmanuelle Chriqui), New Yorkers who’ve been invited by their publishing-magnate father, Ed (James Brolin), to visit his cottage in Northern Ontario. They’re infuriated, terrified and appalled — to them, Canada is even a bigger wasteland than Wyoming. Since their father married Sherry (Christine Lahti), a woman with a chequered past and children by three different men, they’ve been worried they may never see any of their father’s fortune.

Jeff and Marla head for Georgian Bay and find that things are worse than anticipated. Sherry’s crew of offspring would have to step up their game seriously just to reach the “motley” level. Keith (Steven McCarthy) is an unemployed musician who was kicked out of the emerging band he was in; Samir (Vinay Virmani) is a pot dealer and full-time stoner; and though eldest son David (Benjamin Arthur) may have the second-largest paintball field in all of Ontario, he also seems to have fairly serious rage issues. And now Sherry and Ed are planning on a few changes to their family that may leave Jeff and Marla out in the cold.

Mocking peculiar obsessions and peccadilloes on both sides of the border, Currie (who made the memorable zombie comedy Fido, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006) and his fine cast have an enormous amount of fun skewering everything from Americans’ less appealing dietary habits to Canada’s love of Nickelback. Brolin and Lahti have an enormous amount of fun as love-struck newlyweds, as do Ritter and Chriqui as Ed’s snotty and entitled kids, and the supporting cast attacks their roles with gusto (especially Arthur as always-angry Canadian nationalist David). As lingering bitterness and current disappointments wreak havoc in the cottage and disaster looms, threatening even Ed and Sherry’s idyllic happiness, these strangers slowly, and hilariously, figure out how to become a family.

After the screening, the evening continues by walking up “the steps” to the beautiful outdoor plaza at The Related Group‘s latest addition to the swanky Miami skyline, the newly-announced One Brickell property just “steps” away from Olympia Theater on the banks of the Miami River at 444 Brickell Ave. Feel what it means to project light in the Magic City through an imaginative collection of installations and entertainers, all courtesy of Pyrat Rum and Stella Artois.

CINEDWNTWN SCREENINGS PRESENTED BY MIAMI DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY: Red carpet events featuring the year’s most compelling works be top-tier directors showcased at the historic Olympia Theater in Downtown Miami. New titles announced for major screenings in the Festival’s historic home for all 33 of its years:

• Queen of Thursdays (USA, directed by Orlando Rojas) *World Premiere. A documentary about Rosario Suarez, Cuba’s famed, exiled prima ballerina now living in Miami.
• I’ve Never Not Been from Miami (USA, directed by Andrew Hevia, Joey Daoud, Jonathan David Kane, MonicaPeña, Tabatha Mudra, Keisha Rae Witherspoon, Kenny Riches, Jacob Katel, Kareem Tabsch and Tina Francisco). Ten short films all directed by local filmmakers, about local artists. A Soiree Film paired with Behind the Curtain Onstage Party at Olympia Theater.
• “Who Is Lou Gehrig?” (USA, directed by Gil Green). A documentary short mixing illusion and reality about local basketball coach Jeff Fogel and his brave fight to stay positive. Featuring Miami Heat’s Udonis Haslem.

THESE FILMS JOIN THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED CINEDWNTWN GALAS:

• Palm Trees in The Snow (Spain, directed by Fernando González Molina)
• The Rebound (USA, directed by Shaina Allen) World Premiere – A Soiree Film paired with “Who Is Lou Gehrig?” (USA, directed by Gil Green) – Screenings paired with a Backlot Bash at Toejam Backlot (150 NW 21st St., Miami)
• Spanish Affair 2 (Ocho apellidos catalanes) (Spain, directed by Emilio Martinez Lazaro)

FESTIVAL COMPETITION CATEGORIES:

KNIGHT COMPETITION PRESENTED BY THE JOHN S. & JAMES L. KNIGHT FOUNDATION: A mesmerizing variety of powerful works from around the world, directed by filmmakers who have directed at least one previous Official Selection (feature) of the Festival. Films are eligible for Achievement awards totaling $40,000 in cash. The 28 films (*indicates the title was previously announced) selected for this Competition are:

• *The Apostate (Spain, Uruguay, France, directed by Federico Veiroj)
• Argentina (Argentina, directed by Carlos Saura)
• Chronic (Mexico, France, directed by Michel Franco)
• The Companion (Cuba, Colombia, France, Panama, Venezuela, directed by Pavel Giroud)
• Dheepan (France, directed by Jacques Audiard)
• Eye in The Sky (UK, directed by Gavin Hood)
• *Happy 140 (Spain, directed by Gracia Querejeta)
• *Hearts of Palm (USA, directed by MonicaPeña) *World Premiere
• I Promise You Anarchy (Mexico, Germany, directed by Julio Hernández Cordón)
• Incident Light (Argentina, France, Uruguay, directed by Ariel Rotter)
• *An Italian Name (Italy, directed by Francesca Archibugi)
• The Lobster (Ireland, UK, Greece, France, Netherlands, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos)
• The Memory of Water (Chile, Spain, Argentina, Germany, directed by Matias Bize)
• A Monster with A Thousand Heads (Mexico, directed by Rodrigo Plá)
• Mountains May Depart (China, France, Japan, directed by Zhang-ke Jia)
• Much Ado About Nothing (Chile, directed by Alejandro Fernandez-Almendras)
• The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (USA, directed by Morgan Neville)
• *My Big Night (Spain, directed by Álex de la Iglesia)
• *Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper (USA, directed by Liz Garbus)
• The Olive Tree (Spain, Germany, directed by Iciar Bollaín)*World Premiere
• One Breath (Germany, Greece, directed by Christian Zübert)
• Paulina (Argentina, Brazil, France, directed by Santiago Mitre)
• *Spanish Affair 2 (Spain, directed by Emilio Martinez Lazaro)
• *Spy Time (Spain, directed by Javier Ruiz Caldera)
• Sunset Song (UK, Luxembourg, directed by Terence Davies)
• Tale of Tales (Italy, France, UK, directed by Mateo Garrone)
• *Trapped (USA, directed by Dawn Porter)
• *Truman (Spain, Argentina, directed by Cesc Gay)

Celebrate Black History Month at the Smithsonian Museums

The Smithsonian invites the public to celebrate Black History Month in February through a series of vibrant performances, lectures, family activities and exhibitions at various museums around the Institution. All programs are free unless otherwise indicated.

Feature Event

March!, the Smithsonian’s kickoff celebration of Black History Month, will be a Family Day hosted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Saturday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to take part in a series of guided family activities focused on the history of the civil rights movement in the National Museum of American History. Between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Shane Evans will discuss and give a musical performance based on his children’s book We March. Congressman John Lewis will discuss his award-winning graphic novel trilogy March, based on his experiences as a young leader of the movement from 2–4:30 p.m. in the museum’s Warner Bros. Theater. Although free, registration for the discussion is strongly encouraged, though walk-ins will be welcome. Visit www.NMAAHC.si.edu for more details.

Lectures

The Anacostia Community Museum will host discussions with Patsy Fletcher, author of Historically African American Leisure Destinations, Saturday, Feb. 6, at 2 p.m., and with Keith Clark, author of The Radical Fiction of Ann Petry, Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m., Information and registration are available at www.anacostia.si.edu or 202-633-4844.

Daniel Black will sit down with Gregory Carr, professor of African American studies at Howard University, to discuss Black’s third novel, The Coming, in the National Museum of the American Indian’s Ramuson Theater, Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. Books will be available for signing. The lecture is free, but registration is strongly encouraged. For more details, visit www.NMAAHC.si.edu.

Films

The National Museum of African American History and Culture will present a special screening of Ashes and Embers, by acclaimed film director Haile Gerima at the National Museum of Natural History’s Baird Auditorium, Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m. The film follows an African American Vietnam veteran as he grapples with his turbulent past and as he tries to make a future for himself. The film played at the Berlin International Festival in 1983, where Gerima won the Fispresci Prize for new cinema. On the occasion of its restoration and re-release, the director is joined for a screening and discussion with Academy Award-nominated director Ava DuVernay. The program is free, but reservations are strongly suggested. Visit www.NMAAHC.si.edu for registration details.

The Anacostia Community Museum will screen Black Panthers, a documentary that tells the story of the Black Panther Party, Wednesday, Feb. 17, at noon. A discussion with a museum educator will follow the screening. Information and registration are available at www.anacostia.si.edu or call 202-633-4844.

WNET Launches First Theatrical Imprint, American Masters Pictures

Documentaries Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Richard Linklater – Dream is Destiny and Maya Angelou: Still I Rise World Premiere at 2016 Sundance Film Festival

At the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, WNET, parent company of New York’s public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, announced the launch of its first theatrical imprint, American Masters Pictures, for documentaries co-produced by the American Masters series, executive produced by Michael Kantor.

WNET, parent company of New York’s public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, announced the launch of its first theatrical imprint, American Masters Pictures, for documentaries co-produced by the American Masters series, executive produced by Michael Kantor. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

The first three films under the banner have their world premieres at Sundance: Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady‘s Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (Day One), Louis Black and Karen Bernstein‘s Richard Linklater – Dream is Destiny (January 26) and Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack’s Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise (January 26). The three documentaries will have their exclusive U.S. broadcast premieres on PBS as part of the American Masters series with Lear and Angelou slated for fall 2016 (check local listings). Cinetic Media negotiated the deal on behalf of the Linklater filmmakers. Non-broadcast rights for all films are still available.

Additional American Masters Pictures documentaries currently making the festival circuit rounds or in limited theatrical release include Nancy Buirski’s By Sidney Lumet and Amy Berg‘s Janis: Little Girl Blue. Films in production include Hedy: The Untold Story of Actress & Inventor Hedy Lamarr (w.t.) directed by Alexandra Dean and Sammy Davis, Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me directed by Sam Pollard.

“When Michael approached me with the idea for American Masters Pictures, I thought it was a natural progression for the series, which has always worked with independent filmmakers,” said Stephen Segaller, vice president of programming at WNET. “Our commitment to the independent film community is real and we want it to continue to thrive.“

WNET is New York’s flagship PBS station. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

“I’m thrilled to launch American Masters Pictures at Sundance Film Festival, the premier festival for indie films. There is a huge appetite for documentary films now, and we want to reach as many people as possible,” said Kantor. “Our goal is to support filmmakers and their films every step of the way. We can help them tailor their distribution strategies from film festivals to limited theatrical release, broadcast, online, DVD, VOD, OTT and everywhere viewers can see our incredible films.“

Launched in 1986, American Masters has earned 28 Emmy Awards — including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special — 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors. The series’ 30^th anniversary season on PBS begins January 29 with Elaine May‘s Mike Nichols: American Masters and continues with Jon Brewer‘s B.B. King: The Life of Riley (February 12), George Scott’s Carole King: Natural Woman (February 19), Joe Lauro‘s Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll (February 26), Yap Films‘ Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl (March 4), Berg’s Janis: Little Girl Blue (May 3) and Jim Brown‘s The Highwaymen: Friends Till the End (w.t.) (May 27). To further explore the lives and works of masters past and present, the American Masters website (http://pbs.org/americanmasters) offers streaming video of select films, outtakes, filmmaker interviews, photos, educational resources and more. The series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and is also seen on the WORLD channel.

Websites: http://pbs.org/americanmasters, http://facebook.com/americanmasters, @PBSAmerMasters, http://pbsamericanmasters.tumblr.com, http://youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS, http://instagram.com/pbsamericanmasters, #AmericanMasters

THIRTEEN’s Nature Exposes the Sly Tricks of Natural Born Hustlers

When it comes to the most important goals in the animal kingdom, learning how to survive and raising the next generation are right at the top of the list. This may seem clear cut, but the lengths to which some animals go to achieve these objectives can often be downright devious. To illustrate the point, we see a shady squirrel, double-crossing cuttlefish, a conniving orchid mantis and a deceitful bird called a drongo use mimicry, disguise, and trickery to get what they want. Throughout the episodes, scientists studying animal con artists pull back the curtain on their deceptions, using their latest research to demonstrate how each of them hustles their mark.

Picture Shows: Mmamoriri the Bearded Lioness. Scientists believe because Mmamoriri the bearded lioness mimics a male, that other rivals believe there are more lions in the pride, than there actually are. © BBC/Chadden Hunter

This three-part series reveals the modus operandi of some of nature’s greatest animal con artists as they outwit predators, line up their next meal, and get the girl. Natural Born Hustlers airs Wednesday, January 13, 20 & 27, 2016 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). After each broadcast, the episode will be available for online streaming at www.pbs.org/nature.

Picture Shows: Cuttlefish ingeniously transform their entire bodies to match their surroundings, nature’s answer to an invisibility cloak. © Richard Whitcomb/Shutterstock

The first episode, Staying Alive, offers stories about unusual survival techniques. Cuttlefish, for example, elude their many predators with a kind of invisibility cloak. They completely transform themselves to match the colors and patterns of their surroundings. But what is truly remarkable is that they do this despite being color-blind. The secret to how they do it is hidden in their skin, which can sense and possibly even “see” color using a protein usually found only in eyes. And these great illusionists have another trick that no other animal can do. Their skin can also morph from a flat surface to a three dimensional one in order to complete the camouflage. Other ruses revealed include: why burrowing owls, who live underground, mimic the sounds of rattlesnakes; how imitation may not just be the sincerest form of flattery, it can also save your life; and what deception the regal horned lizard employs as a last resort to keep a menacing coachwhip snake at bay.

Picture Shows: Drongo. The Drongo is the ultimate animal hustler, tricking many different animals with confidence tricks to cheat them out of a meal. © BBC/Victoria Buckley

The duplicitous ways in which animals try to secure their next meal is the subject of the second episode, The Hunger Hustle. Singled out is the devious drongo, a South African bird. In winter, he has to rely on grubs and insects that live underground, but other animals are far better equipped to dig them up, so the drongo devises a con. He serves as lookout while vulnerable social weaver birds are on the ground digging up food. If a predator is spotted, he sends out an alarm call and the weavers head for safety until they get an all clear call from him. But the drongo also issues fake alarm calls, allowing him to eat food the weavers have dug up before issuing an all clear to return.

Looking just like a flower, orchid mantises use aggressive mimicry to lure in their prey; in fact, they are even more attractive to insects than flowers themselves. © Sebastian Janicki/Shutterstock

Among other segments: the orchid mantis, which attracts insects by mimicking a flower and why it is even more successful than the real thing; how killer whales use sound to manipulate the behavior of herring to their advantage; and how and why gray squirrels practice sleight of hand to protect the nuts they’ve gathered to get them through the winter.

THIRTEEN’s Nature, Raising the Dinosaur Giant, Hosted by Sir David Attenborough, Unearths a New Species in Patagonia, Wednesday, February 17, 2016, on PBS

Paleontologists Believe They Have Discovered The Largest Known Dinosaur And Reconstruct Its Skeleton Model

A few years ago in the Argentinean desert, a shepherd was searching for one of his lost sheep when he spotted the tip of a gigantic fossil bone sticking out of a rock. When the news reached paleontologists at the MEF Museum in Trelew, Argentina, they set up camp at the discovery site to examine it and look for more bones. By the end of the dig, they had uncovered more than 200 other huge bones. As the program reveals, these fossils came from seven dinosaurs, all belonging to a new species of giant plant-eating titanosaur whose name will be announced soon.

Sir David Attenborough with a new giant titanosaur find – a thigh bone (femur) fossil. Paleontology Museum, Trelew, Argentina February 2015. © Robin Cox

“When we learned that early signs at the dig site suggested this new species was the largest land animal ever known and experts were discovering such valuable information about the life of such giants millions of years ago, we were keenly interested,” says Fred Kaufman, executive producer of Nature.

Nature pioneered a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry. Throughout its history, Nature has brought the natural world to millions of viewers and has been consistently among the most-watched primetime series on public television.

Dig site of a new giant titanosaur find at La Fletcha Farm. Dig team from the Paleontology Museum in Trelew, Chubut Province, Argentina. Over 200 fossil bones found. April 2015. © William Hicklin

Sir David Attenborough, the film’s host and narrator, takes us through the twists and turns of the forensic investigation to find out more about this new animal. He talks to paleontologists studying the fossils, along with comparative anatomy experts, and with the help of 3D scanning, CGI visuals and animation, looks at what the bones reveal about the lives of these dinosaurs. He’s on location at the dig site and in the MEF Museum labs in Trelew, and present when a life-size skeleton of the dinosaur, built by a Canadian and Argentinean team of model makers, is completed. Raising the Dinosaur Giant airs Wednesday, February 17, 2016, at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). After the broadcast, the episode will be available for online streaming at pbs.org/nature.

A new giant titanosaur find – a whole reconstructed skeleton. Paleontology Museum, Trelew, Argentina February 2015. © Robin Cox

As Attenborough explains, dinosaurs roamed what is now the rocky desert of Patagonia during the Cretaceous Period, around 145 to 66 million years ago. The largest of these were plant-eaters known as titanosaurs. Among the fossils unearthed during the two-year excavation were bones from the giant’s front and back legs, which are vital in determining its body mass or weight, and those from its spine, which helped establish its identity. Dr. Diego Pol, chief paleontologist on the project, was pleased that the femur (or thigh bone), found by the shepherd, was well-preserved because it was of great value to the scientific study. At 2.6 yards in length, it also turned out to be the largest dinosaur bone ever discovered. To protect the fossils, weighing more than half a ton or so, on their journey to the museum lab, the team had to apply plaster casts on each limb. A road was even built to transport them.

Sir David Attenborough with a new giant titanosaur find – a thigh bone (femur) fossil. Paleontology Museum, Trelew, Argentina February 2015. © Robin Cox

According to Attenborough, scientists dated these fossils to precisely 101.6 million years old by examining the ash deposits in the rock layers surrounding them. He shares the team’s discoveries gleaned from meticulous forensic work and makes comparisons to the biology of living creatures. Among some early findings are that the giants are thought to have eaten plants such as fern, cycads and conifers without chewing them; it’s estimated that its heart weighed just over 500 pounds to pump blood around its massive body and is thought to have had four chambers; and this largest titanosaur measured 121 feet from head to tail and weighed just over 77 tons.

The film also follows Attenborough as he visits the largest known dinosaur nesting ground 500 miles north of the Patagonian dig site, where the remains of their eggshells can be seen scattered for miles. He discloses that hundreds of buried titanosaur eggs, originally laid on an old river plain, have also been found intact. The unhatched ones were preserved in mud when the river flooded, providing clues to what a baby titanosaur may have looked like.

Dr. Jose Luis Carballido (right) and Dr. Diego Pol (left) measure the femur bone of a new giant titanosaur find at the dig site on La Fletcha Farm near Trelew, Chubut Province, Argentina, April 2015. © William Hicklin

“Like so many people, young and old, I am fascinated by dinosaurs,” says Attenborough. The subsequent confirmation from Dr. Pol that they believe they had discovered the largest dinosaur ever known was like icing on the cake. But the research continues as the fossils contain many secrets yet to be revealed.

88TH Oscars® Nominations Announced

It’s a Nearly All-White Nominees’ List — Again***

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee announced the 88th Academy Awards® nominations today (January 14). The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Del Toro and Lee announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. PT, followed by Boone Isaacs and Krasinski for the remaining 13 categories at 5:38 a.m. PT, at the live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives.

Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members on Saturday, January 23, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Screenings also will be held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all 24 categories.

The Academy also launced the 2016 Oscar campaign, designed to illustrate the emotional power of movies and their ability to inspire all of us to achieve our dreams. The campaign includes posters, videos and other promotion materials.

https://youtu.be/Sc1LojoEfo0

https://youtu.be/8bL2Hqex-7M

“The Dream campaign embodies what people love about the Oscars—the range of emotions and excitement that comes with those unforgettable moments in a live show,” said Christina Kounelias, Academy CMO. “Fans also look for the comedy and the unexpected, and that’s what they’ll get with our host, Chris Rock. His comedic perspective will be a great complement to the more dramatic moments.”

And the Nominees are:

BEST PICTURE

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

COSTUME DESIGN

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

DIRECTING

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

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THIRTEEN’s American Masters Tells the Story of Legendary Bluesman B.B. King During Black History Month on PBS

B.B. King: The Life of Riley Premieres Nationally Friday, February 12 at 9 p.m. (check local listings)

Features interviews with Bono, Eric Clapton, Aaron Neville, John Mayer, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr, and more

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was one of the most influential and celebrated blues musicians of all time. From his roots as a sharecropper’s son, working in the cotton fields of Mississippi, he rose to become a living legend — the most renowned blues singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer of the past 40 years — earning the moniker ‘King of the Blues‘. King’s story of struggle and triumph is chronicled in American Masters: B.B. King: The Life of Riley, premiering nationwide during Black History Month on Friday, February 12 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listing). Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman narrates and appears in the film.

B.B. King performing on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. Photo: Kevin Nixon

Made with the full cooperation of The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi, B.B. King: The Life of Riley was filmed in locations across America, as well as the United Kingdom. Award-winning Producer/Director Jon Brewer worked on the film with King for two years. Filming was completed shortly before King passed on May 14, 2015.

The bio-doc explores King’s challenging life and career through candid interviews with the man himself, his family, longtime friends, and fellow music contemporaries such as Bono, George Benson, Eric Clapton, Aaron Neville, John Mayer, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr, Johnny Winter, and more.

Born September 16, 1925 on a plantation in Itta Bena, Mississippi, near Indianola, King was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr in nearby Kilmichael. After she died, his father brought him to live in Lexington. There, for the first time, King experienced segregation. A mob hung a black boy and dragged him behind a car to the courthouse in Lexington. King witnessed the boy being dragged; it was an image he would never forget. Like so many blacks of his generation, King was subjected to bigotry, racism, hatred and denial. But he never allowed it to destroy his spirit or his music.

King candidly reminisces about memorable people in his life such as preacher Archie Fair, the first person he heard play an electric guitar; cousin Bukka White, who taught him about being a blues singer; the musical influence of bluesman T-Bone Walker and French jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt; his stint as a disc jockey where his radio names (Beale Street Blues Boy and Blues Boy King) were eventually shortened to B.B. King; and how and why he came to name his guitars Lucille. A bittersweet moment in the film is King’s reflection on marriage. King had two wives, Martha Lee Denton, and then Sue Carol Hall. The failures of each marriage were attributed to King’s relentless touring schedule.

Rare archival footage is interspersed throughout the film, including his 1968 performance at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West where he was billed with some of the hottest rock stars, who idolized him and helped to introduce him to a young white audience.

Among the highlights from the film is footage of King’s collaboration with Bono, where King reveals that he “does not do chords,” and the story behind King and Eric Clapton‘s recording of Riding with the King. Though he made an exception for Clapton, King admits he doesn’t like to play acoustic guitar.

The ‘King of Blues,’ who delighted audiences around the world with such classic R&B hits as Three O’ Clock Blues, Paying The Cost To Be The Boss, Every Day I Have The Blues, and of course his most popular cross over hit, The Thrill Is Gone, died at age 89. The city of Memphis, where he had performed so many times, held a funeral procession for him down Beale Street, with a brass band marching in front of the hearse, playing When the Saints Go Marching In.

“Play the best that I can. Reach as many people as you can, as many countries,” says King. “In other words, I’d like the whole world to be able to hear B.B. King sing and play the blues.“

“B.B. King became America’s most recognizable and influential blues musician,” says Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Masters. “The thrill isn’t really gone yet – I think anyone who sees this film will be thrilled and inspired by this legendary artist.”

“American Masters,” THIRTEEN’s award-winning biography series, explores the lives and creative journeys of America’s most enduring artistic and cultural giants. With insight and originality, the series illuminates the extraordinary mosaic of our nation’s landscape, heritage and traditions. Watch full episodes and more at http://pbs.org/americanmasters. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

THIRTEEN’s ‘American Masters’ Presents the World Premiere of the New Documentary ‘Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl’ March 4 on PBS

Bio-Doc Features Never-Before-Seen Performances And New Interviews With Lynn, Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Sissy Spacek and Others

“You either have to be first, best or different.“ – Loretta Lynn

Inducted into more music Halls of Fame than any female recording artist to date, Loretta Lynn (b. April 14, 1932) has earned four Grammy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and sold more than 45 million records worldwide. Still going strong after more than 50 years, “The Queen of Country Music” is now the subject of the new documentary American Masters – Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl, premiering Friday, March 4 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) during Women’s History Month as part of the 30^th anniversary season of THIRTEEN‘s American Masters series. The world premiere broadcast is the same day as the release of Lynn’s first new studio album in over 10 years, Full Circle (Legacy Recordings).

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“You couldn’t make up a better example of the American Dream than Loretta Lynn’s astonishing rags-to-riches story. Her 48-year marriage to Doo and their rare partnership is also one of the great love stories of our times,” said executive producer Elliott Halpern of Yap Films Inc.

With unprecedented access to Lynn, her family and archives, Still a Mountain Girl features never-before-seen home movies, performances and photos, as well as insightful interviews with her friends and fellow musicians, including Jack White (producer of Lynn’s Grammy-winning album Van Lear Rose), Sheryl Crow, Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Bill Anderson. The documentary also features never-before-seen footage of Lynn in the studio with producer John Carter Cash, as she records Full Circle and other new songs at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tenn. Filming with Lynn, her family and business team also took place at her ranch and other locations in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., the community she formed as a re-creation of her Appalachia birthplace, Butcher Hollow, Ky., where she was raised in poverty. Other interviews include Sissy Spacek, who starred as Lynn in the Oscar-winning biographical film of her life, Coal Miner’s Daughter (based on Lynn’s 1976 autobiography), and its director Michael Apted.

Legacy Recordings will release FULL CIRCLE, the first new studio album in over ten years from American music icon Loretta Lynn, on March 4, 2016. (PRNewsFoto/Legacy Recordings)

“She’s written anti-war anthems, songs about birth control, pregnancy and divorce, all with a sincerity and honesty that transcends music genres, politics and gender,” said executive producer Elizabeth Trojian of Yap Films Inc.

American Masters – Loretta Lynn: Still a Mountain Girl explores Lynn’s hard-fought road to stardom, her struggles to balance her marriage to Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn and six children with her music career, her friendships and collaborations with Spacek, Patsy Cline, Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash and music producer Owen Bradley, along with her life on the road, her Nashville and Hurricane Mills communities, her songwriting inspirations and her music’s lasting impact on her peers and fans.

“You don’t have to know country music to love Loretta Lynn,” said Michael Kantor, executive producer of American Masters. “Somehow the Lynn family makes you feel like there is a little country in all of us.“

Guillermo Del Toro, John Krasinski, Ang Lee Join Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs To Announce Oscars® Nominations

Global Live Stream Available At Oscars.Org/Live

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, director, writer and producer Guillermo del Toro, actor John Krasinski and Academy-Award-winnng director Ang Lee will announce the 88th Academy Awards® nominations in all 24 Oscar® categories at a special two-part live news conference on Thursday, January 14, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. (The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.)

del Toro may be best known for “The Devil’s Backbone,” the “Hellboy” films, “Pan’s Labyrinth,” which earned him an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay, and “Crimson Peak.” He also is the creator of the television series “The Strain.”

Krasinski’s role in the Emmy®-winning series “The Office” catapulted him into the public eye in 2005. His feature credits include Paramount’s “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” and “Promised Land,” which he also co-wrote and produced. He directed and stars in “The Hollars,” premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival later this month.

Lee, a two-time Oscar winner, directed and produced the 2000 Best Foreign Language Film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and earned Directing Oscars for “Brokeback Mountain” and “Life of Pi.” His latest film, “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” is currently in post-production.

At 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time, del Toro and Lee will announce the nominees in the following categories: Animated Feature Film, Cinematography, Costume Design, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Song, Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing.

At 5:38 a.m. PT, Krasinski and Boone Isaacs will take the stage to unveil the nominations for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Directing, Film Editing, Foreign Language Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Production Design, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay and Original Screenplay.

The Nominations Announcement is a live news conference where more than 400 media representatives from around the world will be gathered. The event will be broadcast and streamed live on www.oscars.org/live.

The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Sundance Institute Announces Films In Competition And Next For 2016 Sundance Film Festival

Offering a first look at the year ahead in independent film, culture and new ideas, The Sundance Institute announced the 65 films selected for the U.S. Competition, World Competition and out-of-competition NEXT category set to premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Films that have premiered in these sections include Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station,Whiplash, Blackfish, The September Issue, The Cove, An Education, Animal Kingdom, Precious, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Obvious Child, Tangerine and Escape from Tomorrow.

Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “From diverse backgrounds, places and perspectives, these independent artists are united by the power of their stories and vision. Their films will soon launch onto the global stage, beginning their journeys through our culture. A new year in independent film will start right here—on the mountain—in January.”

For the 2016 Festival, 120 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 48 first-time filmmakers, including 28 in competition. These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 feature-length films and 8,712 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 1,972 were from the U.S. and 2,109 were international. 98 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres. The Midnight films have been announced and more films will be announced soon; watch www.sundance.org/festival.

Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, The Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute’s signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling.

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “At a time when big-budget blockbusters and free online content are ubiquitous, independent filmmakers continue to be extraordinarily creative, artful and inventive. Our mission remains to amplify these voices from outside the mainstream at the Festival and, through our year-round filmmaker Labs, programs and events, to celebrate their truly independent passion and spirit.”

The Sundance Film Festival® has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Boyhood, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Life Itself, The Cove, The End of the Tour, Blackfish, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Super Size Me, Dope, Little Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious and Napoleon Dynamite. The New Frontier Initiative, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2016, has showcased groundbreaking media works by artists and creative technologists including Chris Milk, Doug Aitken, Palmer Luckey, Klip Collective and Nonny de la Peña. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®.

The Festival is the centerpiece of the year-round public programs for the Institute, which also hosts 24 residency Labs for independent artists in theatre, film, new media and episodic content and grants more than $2.5 million to independent artists each year.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “Fueled by wild creativity, fresh perspectives and a deep understanding of the craft of storytelling, independent film is evolving. Our Festival continues to show that film has the power to inspire, challenge and surprise audiences in new ways.”

U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION

Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

As You Are Director, Miles Joris Peyrafitte )Photo Credit: YouthFX)

As You Are: Credit: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla Stenberg (Photo Credit: Caleb Heymann)

As You Are / U.S.A. (Director: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Screenwriters: Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, Madison Harrison) — As You Are is the telling and retelling of a relationship between three teenagers as it traces the course of their friendship through a construction of disparate memories prompted by a police investigation. Cast: Owen Campbell, Charlie Heaton, Amandla Stenberg, John Scurti, Scott Cohen, Mary Stuart Masterson. World Premiere

The Birth of a Nation / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nate Parker) — Set against the antebellum South, this story follows Nat Turner, a literate slave and preacher whose financially strained owner, Samuel Turner, accepts an offer to use Nat’s preaching to subdue unruly slaves. After witnessing countless atrocities against fellow slaves, Nat devises a plan to lead his people to freedom. Cast: Nate Parker, Armie Hammer, Aja Naomi King, Jackie Earle Haley, Gabrielle Union, Mark Boone Jr. World Premiere

Christine / U.S.A. (Director: Antonio Campos, Screenwriter: Craig Shilowich) — In 1974, a female TV news reporter aims for high standards in life and love in Sarasota, Florida. Missing her mark is not an option. This story is based on true events. Cast: Rebecca Hall, Michael C. Hall, Maria Dizzia, Tracy Letts, J. Smith-Cameron. World Premiere

Equity / U.S.A. (Director: Meera Menon, Screenwriter: Amy Fox) — A female investment banker, fighting to get a promotion at her competitive Wall Street firm, leads a controversial tech IPO in the post-financial-crisis world, where regulations are tight but pressure to bring in big money remains high. Cast: Anna Gunn, James Purefoy, Sarah Megan Thomas, Alysia Reiner. World Premiere

The Free World / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jason Lew) — Following his release from a brutal stretch in prison for crimes he didn’t commit, Mo is struggling to adapt to life on the outside. When his world collides with Doris, a mysterious woman with a violent past, he decides to risk his newfound freedom to keep her in his life. Cast: Boyd Holbrook, Elisabeth Moss, Octavia Spencer, Sung Kang, Waleed Zuaiter. World Premiere

Goat / U.S.A. (Director: Andrew Neel, Screenwriters: David Gordon Green, Andrew Neel, Michael Roberts) — Reeling from a terrifying assault, a 19-year-old boy pledges his brother’s fraternity in an attempt to prove his manhood. What happens there, in the name of “brotherhood,” tests both the boys and their relationship in brutal ways. Cast: Nick Jonas, Ben Schnetzer, Virginia Gardner, Danny Flaherty, Austin Lyon. World Premiere

The Intervention / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Clea DuVall) — A weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the couples discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on their marriage. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Alia Shawkat, Clea DuVall, Natasha Lyonne, Ben Schwartz. World Premiere

Joshy / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Jeff Baena) — Josh treats what would have been his bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends. Cast: Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate. World Premiere

Lovesong / U.S.A. (Director: So Yong Kim, Screenwriters: So Yong Kim, Bradley Rust Gray) — Neglected by her husband, Sarah embarks on an impromptu road trip with her young daughter and her best friend, Mindy. Along the way, the dynamic between the two friends intensifies before circumstances force them apart. Years later, Sarah attempts to rebuild their intimate connection in the days before Mindy’s wedding. Cast: Jena Malone, Riley Keough, Brooklyn Decker, Amy Seimetz, Ryan Eggold, Rosanna Arquette. World Premiere

Morris from America / U.S.A., Germany (Director and screenwriter: Chad Hartigan) — Thirteen-year-old Morris, a hip-hop loving American, moves to Heidelberg, Germany, with his father. In this completely foreign land, he falls in love with a local girl, befriends his German tutor-turned-confidant, and attempts to navigate the unique trials and tribulations of adolescence. Cast: Markees Christmas, Craig Robinson, Carla Juri, Lina Keller, Jakub Gierszał, Levin Henning. World Premiere

Other People / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chris Kelly) — A struggling comedy writer, fresh from breaking up with his boyfriend, moves to Sacramento to help his sick mother. Living with his conservative father and younger sisters, David feels like a stranger in his childhood home. As his mother worsens, he tries to convince everyone (including himself) he’s “doing okay.” Cast: Jesse Plemons, Molly Shannon, Bradley Whitford, Maude Apatow, Zach Woods, June Squibb. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM ****

Southside With You / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Richard Tanne) — Southside With You is a chronicle of the summer afternoon in 1989 when the future president of the United States of America, Barack Obama, wooed his future First Lady on an epic first date across Chicago’s South Side. Cast: Tika Sumpter, Parker Sawyers, Vanessa Bell Calloway. World Premiere

Spa Night / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Ahn) — A young Korean-American man works to reconcile his obligations to his struggling immigrant family with his burgeoning sexual desires in the underground world of gay hookups at Korean spas in Los Angeles. Cast: Joe Seo, Haerry Kim, Youn Ho Cho, Tae Song, Ho Young Chung, Linda Han. World Premiere****

Swiss Army Man / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan) — Hank, a hopeless man stranded in the wild, discovers a mysterious dead body. Together the two embark on an epic journey to get home. As Hank realizes the body is the key to his survival, this once-suicidal man is forced to convince a dead body that life is worth living. Cast: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. World Premiere

THIRTEEN’s ‘American Masters’ Premieres New Documentary ‘Carole King: Natural Woman’ February 19 on PBS

Documentary Also Honors the 45th Anniversary of Her Landmark Album ‘Tapestry’

The career of singer-songwriter Carole King (b. February 9, 1942) is unparalleled. She is a four-time Grammy Award-winner, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a 2015 Kennedy Center Honoree and the first woman to be awarded The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. To date, more than 400 of her compositions have been recorded by more than 1,000 artists, resulting in 100 hit singles, including songs co-written with Gerry Goffin: “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” (The Shirelles), “Up on the Roof” (The Drifters) and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” (Aretha Franklin).

“American Masters,” THIRTEEN’s award-winning biography series, explores the lives and creative journeys of America’s most enduring artistic and cultural giants. With insight and originality, the series illuminates the extraordinary mosaic of our nation’s landscape, heritage and traditions. Watch full episodes and more at http://pbs.org/americanmasters. (PRNewsFoto/WNET)

Now, King tells her own story in the new documentary American Masters – Carole King: Natural Woman, premiering nationwide Friday, February 19 at 9 pm. on PBS (check local listings) as part of the 30^th anniversary season of THIRTEEN’s American Masters series. This year also marks the 45^th anniversary of King’s landmark solo album Tapestry, which was released February 10, 1971, and spawned the hits “It’s Too Late,” “I Feel the Earth Move,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “So Far Away.”

Carole King. Photo Credit: Elissa Kline

Weaving previously unseen and rare performances and home movies with a new, exclusive interview with King, American Masters – Carole King: Natural Woman delves into her life and career. New interviews with friends and colleagues, including fellow songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Tapestry producer Lou Adler, drummer Russ Kunkel, guitarist Danny “Kootch” Kortchmar, daughter and manager Sherry Goffin Kondor, lyricists Toni Stern and Carole Bayer Sager, and former manager Peter Asher, complete the biographical tapestry.

Oscar-Winning Filmmaker Alex Gibney Curates Collection For SundanceNow Doc Club

Doc Club Also Recently Became the Exclusive Digital Home to Gibney’s 2008 Academy Award-Winner Taxi to the Dark Side

SundanceNow Doc Club, the advertising-free boutique SVOD service dedicated solely to documentaries, announced today that Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney is curating a collection of 12 documentaries for Doc Club. The collection is available to stream now. Gibney won the 2008 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for Taxi To The Dark Side, which recently became available online for the first time, exclusively at SundanceNow Doc Club. In addition, Gibney’s most recent film Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief was just selected for the Academy Award’s shortlist to compete for this year’s Best Documentary Feature.

On Alex Gibney’s importance to the documentary world, Doc Club resident curator Thom Powers stated, “Alex Gibney is a consistently ground-breaking filmmaker who imbues his subjects with clarity and insight and brings them into the social consciousness. We are thrilled to have him join SundanceNow Doc Club as our latest guest curator and shed light on the documentaries that have both influenced and impressed him.”

The films featured in the collection, alongside Gibney’s personal comments on each film, are:

THE ATOMIC CAFÉ (1982)

A dark comedy in the truest sense, Kevin & Pierce Rafferty‘s The Atomic Café is a timeless classic that took the nation by storm when it first debuted in 1982. The film recounts a defining period of 20th century history and serves as a chilling and often hilarious reminder of cold-war era paranoia in the United States–artfully presented through a collage of newsreel footage, government archives, military training films, and fifties music. The film was regarded by critics as “A nuclear Reefer Madness” and likened to Stanley Kubrick‘s Dr. Strangelove.

“Hilarious and inventive.”

DEEP WATER (2006)

Louise Osmond & Jerry Rothwell‘s Deep Water is the stunning true story of the first solo, non-stop, round-the-world boat race, and the psychological toll it took on its competitors. Battling treacherous seas and his own demons, amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst almost immediately comes apart as he faces the isolation of nine months on the high seas. Part adventure yarn and part metaphysical mystery, DEEP WATER is an unforgettable journey into one man’s heart of darkness.

“A fantastic film about lying, cheating and self-deception. This is a gem that somehow disappeared beneath the surface charm of so many less worthy films. Put on your wet suit and take a dive into the mind of Donald Crowhurst.”

FELA KUTI: MUSIC IS THE WEAPON (2013)

Jean Jacque Flori & Stephane Tchal-Gadjieff’s Fela Kuti is to African music what Bob Marley is to reggae: its prophet. All contemporary forms of black music, from funk to electronic, owe something to the irresistible groove of the Afrobeat sound that he created. Shot in Lagos at the peak of his career in 1982, this documentary contains interviews with Fela detailing his thoughts on politics, Pan-Africanism, music and religion, alongside unpublished versions of songs like ITT, Army Arrangement and Power Show.

“Sometimes it’s a miracle that documentarians are in the right place at the right time with cameras willing to shoot. Such was the case with Laura Poitras in Hong Kong and such was the case with Stéphane Tchalgadjieff in Lagos, Nigeria. He arrived there in 1982, with a camera, a nagra and some 16mm film intending to do a short profile on a musician named Fela Kuti. He ended up staying for weeks and weeks, filming Fela and his 27 wives in Fela’s club, The Shrine, and in his ganja-filled commune, called The Kalakuta Republic, as if it were a separate country. Stéphane went broke shooting but we are the beneficiaries of the riches he captured: a portrait of one of the 20th century’s great musicians and bandleaders as well as a revolutionary political artist. I used outtakes and clips from this film in ‘Finding Fela!'”

FIVE BROKEN CAMERAS (2012)

Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary, Emad Burnat & Guy Davidi‘s critically-acclaimed 5 Broken Cameras is a deeply personal, first-hand account of life and non-violent resistance in Bil’in, a West Bank village surrounded by Israeli settlements. As the years pass in front of the camera of a Palestinian farmer, we witness his son grow from a newborn baby into a young boy who observes the world unfolding around him with the astute powers of perception that only children possess.

“The most important thing about this film is the poignant way it shows the unjust and cruel occupation of Palestine by Israeli forces. It’s also an inspiration for impecunious filmmakers looking to make an impact. The filmmaker couldn’t afford fancy graphics packages or the latest 4K camera. Instead, he used five “point-and-shoot” consumer cameras – each one smashed by Israeli forces.”

GUERRILLA – THE TAKING OF PATTY HEARST (2004)

Robert Stone‘s unprecedented account of the Symbionese Liberation Army, arguably the most notorious and flamboyant domestic terrorist group in American history. Dedicated to the rights of black prisoners and the working class, the S.L.A. set forth in 1973 to incite the violent overthrow of the U.S. government, brilliantly manipulating the mass media to advance their message. Their audacious kidnapping of teenage newspaper heiress Patty Hearst inspired what might be described as the first true media “frenzy,” one that only exploded further when Patty transformed into “Tania” and joined the ranks of the S.L.A. Every detail of their descent into the surreal outer limits of political extremism was played out in public, a spectacle foreshadowing some of the worst excesses of modern TV journalism.

“Fantastic archival film with attitude.”

HELL & BACK AGAIN (2011)

From his embed with US Marines Echo Company in Afghanistan, photojournalist and filmmaker Danfung Dennis reveals the devastating impact a Taliban machine-gun bullet has on the life of 25-year-old Sergeant Nathan Harris. The film seamlessly transitions from stunning war reportage to an intimate, visceral portrait of one man’s personal struggle at home in North Carolina, where Harris confronts the physical and emotional difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life with the love and support of his wife, Ashley. Masterfully contrasting the intensity of the frontline with the unsettling normalcy of home, Hell And Back Again lays bare the true cost of war.

“Great first person cinema in a war zone.”

Nominations Announced For The 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

Nominees for the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® for outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances in film and television of 2015, as well as the nominees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood.

SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris introduced Anna Faris (Mom, The House Bunny) and Anthony Mackie (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Hurt Locker),who announced the nominees for this year’s Actors® live on TNT, TBS, truTV, sagawards.tntdrama.com and truTV.com Prior to that, SAG Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams and Committee Member Jason George announced the stunt ensemble nominees during a live webcast on sagawards.tntdrama.com. A replay of both announcements is available for viewing on sagawards.tntdrama.com.

And the Nominees are:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Beasts Of No Nation

The Big Short

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Trumbo

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Bryan Cranston, Dalton Trumbo, Trumbo

Johnny Depp, James “Whitey” Bulger, Black Mass

Leonardo Dicaprio, Hugh Glass, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, Einar Wegener/Lili Elbe, The Danish Girl

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett, Carol Aird, Carol

Brie Larson, Ma, Room

Helen Mirren, Maria Altmann, Woman In Gold

Saoirse Ronan, Eilis, Brooklyn

Sarah Silverman, Laney Brooks, I Smile Back

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Supporting Role

Christian Bale, Michael Burry, The Big Short

Idris Elba, Commandant, Beasts Of No Nation

Mark Rylance, Abel Rudolph, Bridge Of Spies

Michael Shannon, Rick Carver, 99 Homes

Jacob Tremblay, Jack, Room

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Supporting Role

Rooney Mara, Therese Belivet, Carol

Rachel Mcadams, Sacha Pfeiffer, Spotlight

Helen Mirren, Hedda Hopper, Trumbo

Alicia Vikander, Gerda Wegener, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs

TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Downton Abbey

Game Of Thrones

Homeland

House Of Cards

Mad Men

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory

Key & Peele

Modern Family

Orange Is The New Black

Transparent

Veep

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Dinklage, Tyrion Lannister, Game Of Thrones

Jon Hamm, Don Draper, Mad Men

Rami Malek, Elliot, Mr. Robot

Bob Odenkirk, Jimmy Mcgill, Better Call Saul

Kevin Spacey, Francis Underwood, House Of Cards

Winners Announced For The 2015 MOËT BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

Ex Machina wins four, including Best British Independent Film; Saoirse Ronan, Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman and Brendan Gleeson all win. Room named Best International Independent Film

The Moët British Independent Film Awards highlight and reward the best, most innovative and creative independent filmmaking and filmmakers in the UK, identify and encourage emerging talent, support and celebrate the independent film community and promote British film and talent to the public.

Now in its 18th year, the Awards were founded by Elliot Grove and Suzanne Ballantyne in 1998, who also founded the Raindance Film Festival in 1993. Previous winners of the prestigious Best British Independent Film Award include Pride, Metro Manila, Tyrannosaur, The King’s Speech, Moon, Control, Slumdog Millionaire, The Constant Gardener and This Is England. (For more about the Moët BIFAs, visit www.bifa.film)

Laurence Green, chairman of the BIFA Board, said, “As part of our mission to build the widest audience we can for British independent film, it is BIFA’s great honour to celebrate the cream of the crop once a year at the Moët British Independent Film Awards. This year’s winners speak volumes, not just for their excellence but also for the undimmed ambition and beautiful diversity of the stories they tell.”

Ex Machina*** was the big winner at the Moët British Independent Film Awards. The film won four awards: Best British Independent Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay for Alex Garland and Outstanding Achievement in Craft for its Visual Effects, by Andrew Whitehurst. The 18th BIFA ceremony, which was hosted by Richard Ayoade, was held at Old Billingsgate in London and live streamed on www.bifa.film. Highlights are available on that website.

(*** – The film will be screened in 74 cinemas across the country on Sunday 13 December as part of a landmark BIFA screening series supported by the BFI. Tickets can be booked at www.discover.bifa.film. )

Performance awards were spread across the board: Saoirse Ronan picked up Best Actress for Brooklyn and Tom Hardy won Best Actor for his dual role as Ronnie and Reggie Kray in Legend.

Olivia Colman won her third BIFA for her Best Supporting Actress performance in The Lobster. Brendan Gleeson made it two years in a row, winning Best Supporting Actor for Suffragette this year after taking away Best Actor for Calvary last year.

Colin Farrell presented the Most Promising Newcomer award to Abigail Hardingham for her breakthrough performance in Nina Forever. The Special Jury Prize was presented to Chris Collins, the BFI executive who died late last year. Director of the BFI Lottery Film Fund Ben Roberts said, “This is a really wonderful tribute to Chris. He is greatly missed, but his contribution to so many films and filmmakers continues to burn brightly. A heartfelt thanks to the BIFA jury.”

In the closely-fought Best Documentary category, Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance won out over Amy, How to Change the World, Palio and A Syrian Love Story. Room was named Best International Independent Film and Jacob Tremblay, the young star of the film, collected the award with the team.

The team behind Kajaki: The True Story took home Producer of the Year and Stephen Fingleton was named Best Debut Director for The Survivalist. The award is presented in honor of director Douglas Hickox. Edmond won Best Short and The Discovery Award went to Orion: The Man Who Would Be King.

As previously announced, the VARIETY AWARD, which recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK, was presented to Kate Winslet. The Richard Harris Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Actor to British Film was presented to Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Proud patrons of the British Independent Film Awards include Mike Figgis, Tom Hollander, Adrian Lester, Ken Loach, Ewan McGregor, Helen Mirren, Samantha Morton, James Nesbitt, Michael Sheen, Trudie Styler, Tilda Swinton, Meera Syal, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone and Michael Winterbottom.

AWARD PARTNERS: Moët & Chandon, 3 Mills Studios, BBC Films, The London EDITION, MAC, Movado, Swarovski, Variety. INDUSTRY PARTNERS: All City, RSM, Intermission, Soho House, Wiggin. Created by Raindance

2015 MOËT BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS WINNERS

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM SPONSORED BY MOËT & CHANDON

EX MACHINA Andrew Macdonald, Allon Reich, Alex Garland

BEST DIRECTOR

EX MACHINA Alex Garland

BEST SCREENPLAY SPONSORED BY BBC FILMS

EX MACHINA Alex Garland

BEST ACTRESS SPONSORED BY MAC

SAOIRSE RONAN Brooklyn

BEST ACTOR SPONSORED BY MOVADO

TOM HARDY Legend

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

OLIVIA COLMAN The Lobster

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

BRENDAN GLEESON Suffragette

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER SPONSORED BY THE LONDON EDITION

ABIGAIL HARDINGHAM Nina Forever

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR) SPONSORED BY 3 MILLS STUDIOS

THE SURVIVALIST Stephen Fingleton

THE DISCOVERY AWARD SPONSORED BY RAINDANCE

ORION: THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING Jeanie Finlay

BEST DOCUMENTARY

DARK HORSE: THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF DREAM ALLIANCE Judith Dawson, Louise Osmond

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR

PAUL KATIS, ANDREW DE LOTBINIERE Kajaki: The True Story

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CRAFT

ANDREW WHITEHURST Visual Effects, Ex Machina

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM

EDMOND Emilie Jouffroy, Nina Gantz

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM

ROOM Ed Guiney, David Gross, Emma Donoghue, Lenny Abrahamson

15 Documentary Features Advance In 2015 Oscar® Race

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards®. One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

“Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music, http://www.amy-movie.com/

“Best of Enemies,” Sandbar

“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group, www.cartellandmovie.com/ available on iTunes

“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions, http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/going-clear

“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room, http://www.henamedmemalalamovie.com/

“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications, www.heartofadogfilm.com/

“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures, http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com/

“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures, http://www.listentomemarlon.com/

“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real, http://thelookofsilence.com/, available on digital platforms December 1^st

“Meru,” Little Monster Films, http://www.musicboxfilms.com/meru-movies-123.php

“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, Actual

Films, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha BRITDOC

“We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films, http://www.wecomeasfriends.com/us/

“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia and Moxie Firecracker

“Where to Invade Next,” Dog Eat Dog Productions, http://www.wheretoinvadenext.com/

“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” Pray for Ukraine Productions

 

The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles. The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 pm. ET/4 pm. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

 

The 2016 Movie Awards Season Begins: The Annual (25th Annual) IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards To Crown Winners Tonight

The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers, will announce the winners of the 25th Annual IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards tonight at Cipriani Wall Street. The Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and signals the kick-off to the film awards season. For 2015, the eight competitive film awards include Best Feature, Best Documentary, Best Actor, Best Actress (presenting sponsor euphoria Calvin Klein), Breakthrough Actor, Best Screenplay, the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award, and the Gotham Audience Award. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actors Helen Mirren and Robert Redford, director Todd Haynes, and Industry Tribute recipient producer Steve Golin.

As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention. This year the Gotham Awards will also be presenting two new awards for serialized television and web content.

Twenty-five films received nominations this year. In addition, the nominating committee for the Best Actor and Best Actress categories category voted to award a Special Jury Award jointly to cast members Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, John Slattery, Stanley Tucci and Brian d’Arcy James for their ensemble work in Spotlight. Beyond these individual actors, the committee cited the Spotlight cast as “an outstanding ensemble in which every performance, in every role, of every size, is beautifully realized.” In recognition of the strong work by female actors this year, the jury also chose to include six nominees for Best Actress.

“We congratulate this year’s nominated independent storytellers, who represent a richly diverse range of cinematic achievements that are bold, risk-taking, and beautifully crafted, ” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center.

Nominees are selected by committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in making films will determine the final Gotham Award recipients.

The Gotham Audience Award nominees are comprised of the 14 films nominated for Best Feature, Best Documentary, and the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award. The winner will be selected by online voting of IFP members. Voting for that award began November 18th at 12:01 AM EST.

THE 2015 IFP GOTHAM INDEPENDENT FILM AWARD NOMINATIONS ARE:

Best Feature

Carol – Todd Haynes, director; Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley, producers (The Weinstein Company)

The Diary of a Teenage Girl – Marielle Heller, director; Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit, Miranda Bailey, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)

Heaven Knows What – Josh and Benny Safdie, directors; Oscar Boyson, Sebastian Bear-McClard, producers (RADiUS)

Spotlight – Tom McCarthy, director; Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Blye Pagan Faust, producers (Open Road Films)

Tangerine – Sean Baker, director; Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou, Marcus Cox & Karrie Cox, producers (Magnolia Pictures)

Best Documentary

Approaching the Elephant – Amanda Rose Wilder, director; Jay Craven, Robert Greene, Amanda Rose Wilder, producers (Kingdom County Productions)

Cartel Land – Matthew Heineman, director; Matthew Heineman, Tom Yellin, producers (The Orchard and A&E IndieFilms)

Heart of a Dog – Laurie Anderson, director; Dan Janvey, Laurie Anderson, producers (Abramorama and HBO Documentary Films)

Listen to Me Marlon – Stevan Riley, director; John Battsek, RJ Cutler, George Chignell, producers (Showtime Documentary Films)

The Look of Silence – Joshua Oppenheimer, director; Signe Byrge Sørensen, producer (Drafthouse Films)

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award

Desiree Akhavan for Appropriate Behavior (Gravitas Ventures)

Jonas Carpignano for Mediterranea (Sundance Selects)

Marielle Heller for The Diary of a Teenage Girl (Sony Pictures Classics)

John Magary for The Mend (Cinelicious Pics)

Josh Mond for James White (The Film Arcade)

Best Screenplay

Carol, Phyllis Nagy (The Weinstein Company)

The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Marielle Heller (Sony Pictures Classics)

Love & Mercy, Oren Moverman and Michael Alan Lerner (Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate, and River Road Entertainment)

Spotlight, Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Open Road Films)

While We’re Young, Noah Baumbach (A24)

By The Numbers: 31st FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS NOMINATIONS

The 2016 Awards Season Has Begun!: 31st Annual Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced

$75,000 In Grants To Be Awarded To Filmmakers

“Carol” Leads With Six Nominations, Followed by “Spotlight” with Five and “Tangerine” with Four

Spirit Awards To Be Broadcast Live Exclusively On IFC, Saturday, February 27, 2016 2:00 Pm Pt / 5:00 Pm ET

Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the LA Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2016 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at W Hollywood, with actors John Boyega and Elizabeth Olsen presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Anomalisa, Beasts of No Nation, Carol, Spotlight and Tangerine.

“This year’s nominees are a testament to the strength, vitality and diversity of independent, artist-driven filmmaking,” said Welsh. “It’s an astonishingly strong group of films and performances this year and we look forward to celebrating them all at the Spirit Awards.”

Now in its 31st year, the Film Independent Spirit Awards is an annual celebration honoring artist-driven films made with an economy of means by filmmakers whose films embody independence and originality. The Spirit Awards recognizes the achievements of American independent filmmakers and promotes the finest independent films of the year to a wider audience.

The winners of the Spirit Awards are voted upon by Film Independent and IFP Members. Awards are given in the following categories: Best Feature, Best First Feature, Best First Screenplay, Best Director, Best Screenplay, John Cassavetes Award (given to the best feature made for a budget under $500,000), Best Male Lead, Best Female Lead, Best Supporting Male, Best Supporting Female, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best International Film, Best Documentary and the Robert Altman Award. The Filmmaker Grants include the Piaget Producers Award, the Kiehl’s Someone to Watch Award and the Truer Than Fiction Award.

Spotlight was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

“Spotlight is a remarkable film that excels on every level, but the Nominating Committee thought it was especially deserving of the Robert Altman Award,” said Welsh. “The film is beautifully cast with every member of the ensemble working together to tell the story of the Boston Globe investigating allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church.”

BEST FEMALE LEAD

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Rooney Mara, Carol

Bel Powley, The Diary of a Teenage Girl

Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine

BEST MALE LEAD

Christopher Abbott, James White

Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation

Ben Mendelsohn, Mississippi Grind

Jason Segel, The End of the Tour

Koudous Seihon, Mediterranea

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE

Robin Bartlett, H.

Marin Ireland, Glass Chin

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anomalisa

Cynthia Nixon, James White

Mya Taylor, Tangerine

BEST SUPPORTING MALE

Kevin Corrigan, Results

Paul Dano, Love & Mercy

Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation

Richard Jenkins, Bone Tomahawk

Michael Shannon, 99 Homes

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)

Anomalisa: Producers: Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, Rosa Tran

Beasts of No Nation: Producers: Daniel Crown, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Daniela Taplin Lundberg, Riva Marker

Carol: Producers: Elizabeth Karlsen, Christine Vachon, Stephen Woolley

Spotlight: Producers: Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, Michael Sugar

Tangerine: Producers: Sean Baker, Karrie Cox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou

BEST FIRST FEATURE – Award given to the director and producer.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Director: Marielle Heller. Producers: Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, Madeline Samit

James White, Director: Josh Mond. Producers: Max Born, Antonio Campos, Sean Durkin, Melody Roscher, Eric Schultz

Manos Sucias, Director: Josef Kubota Wladyka. Producers: Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes

Mediterranea, Director: Jonas Carpignano. Producers: Jason Michael Berman, Chris Columbus, Jon Coplon, Christoph Daniel, Andrew Kortschak, John Lesher, Ryan Lough, Justin Nappi, Alain Peyrollaz, Gwyn Sannia, Marc Schmidheiny, Victor Shapiro, Ryan Zacarias

Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Director/Producer: Chloé Zhao. Producers: Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD – Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Announces “Shakespeare 400 Chicago,” The Largest Global Celebration Of Playwright’s 400-Year Legacy In 2016

Celebration Will Engage Top Chicago Cultural Institutions in Yearlong International Festival

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel was joined by Chicago Shakespeare Theater Artistic Director Barbara Gaines, Executive Director Criss Henderson, and leaders of the City’s cultural institutions today to announce Shakespeare 400 Chicago, a yearlong international arts festival in 2016 celebrating the vibrancy, relevance and reach of Shakespeare. As the world commemorates the four hundred years since Shakespeare’s death in 1616, Shakespeare 400 Chicago brings together the city’s resident world-class institutions across disciplines, and welcomes leading artists from around the globe to make Chicago their stage. Anticipated to be the world’s largest and most comprehensive celebration of Shakespeare’s enduring legacy, Shakespeare 400 Chicago is making “no small plans.”

“Chicago will take center stage in 2016, as more than 1,000 local and international artists will create a global celebration of Shakespeare like no other in the world,” said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “During this landmark year, Shakespeare will be alive on our stages, in our schools and across our neighborhoods. The power of our world-class cultural institutions uniting behind one theme serves to amplify Chicago’s role as a global destination for cultural tourism.”

Spearheaded by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, this yearlong Quadricentennial festival will engage more than 500,000 Chicagoans and visitors to the City through 850 events exploring how Shakespeare’s words continue to live in Chicago and throughout the world’s great theater, dance, literature, music, cuisine and spectacle.

Shanghai Peking Opera’s The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan based on Hamlet, featured at the Harris Theater of Music and Dance as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago in 2016. Photo by EFE/Leopoldo Smith Murillo.

With leading support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a diverse array of work across artistic disciplines will highlight Shakespeare’s timeless inspiration of playwrights, painters and poets, composers and choreographers. Among the more than 60 Chicago institutions joining Chicago Shakespeare in offering performances, events and exhibitions are: the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, Chicago Mariachi Project, Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Libraries, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Harris Theater for Music and Dance, Illinois Humanities, Joffrey Ballet, Logan Center for the Arts, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art, Negaunee Music Institute, Newberry Library and WTTW.

Jonathan Pryce as Shylock in Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre’s production of The Merchant of Venice, featured at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago in 2016. Photo by Manuel Harlan.

Highlights from Chicago partners include: Lyric Opera of Chicago presents Charles Gounod‘s soaring Romeo and Juliet; Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro Riccardo Muti culminates his cycle of Verdi‘s Shakespeare operas with Falstaff; Art Institute of Chicago highlights Shakespeare-inspired visual art in a special exhibition; Chicago chefs and restaurateurs, including Rick Bayless, Alpana Singh and Ryan McCaskey, will create a culinary “Complete Works” in restaurants across the city; and Newberry Library’s “Creating Shakespeare” exhibition will bring together treasures from the British Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library alongside the Newberry’s own renowned Shakespeare collection.

Back from L to R: Jackson Doran (Cassio), GQ (Iago), JQ (Loco Vito) and Postell Pringle (Othello) in Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Othello: The Remix, featured as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago in 2016. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Chicago Shakespeare‘s centerpiece of the celebration is Barbara Gaines’ electrifying six-play history cycle, Tug of War, including Edward III, Henry V, Henry VI, Parts 1, 2 and 3, and Richard III. Two action-packed dramas in the spring and fall of 2016 trace the rise and fall of kings—and the uncommon courage of common men.

Belarus Free Theatre’s King Lear, featured at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago. Photo by Nicolai Khalezin.

The company of the Company Theatre of Mumbai’s Piya Behrupiya, a Hindi version of Twelfth Night, featured at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago. Photo courtesy of Company Theatre.

“Chicago Shakespeare has been honored to serve as a cultural ambassador for our city—importing astonishing work from around the world and exporting our work to leading international festivals,” reflected CST Executive Director Criss Henderson. “Shakespeare 400 Chicago deepens our role as a global theater reflective of our global city—and demonstrates how Shakespeare’s timeless words continue to inspire artists across disciplines and across cultures.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Maestro Riccardo Muti culminates his cycle of Verdi’s Shakespeare operas with Falstaff. featured at Chicago Shakespeare Theater as part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago.

International artists participating in Shakespeare 400 Chicago will hail from Australia, Belarus, Belgium, China, Germany, India, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and beyond. International highlights include: Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre‘s The Merchant of Venice, starring Jonathan Pryce at Chicago Shakespeare; Shanghai Peking Opera‘s The Revenge of Prince Zi Dan (based on Hamlet) and the Hamburg Ballet‘s Othello at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance; (In)Complete Works: Table Top Shakespeare from Forced Entertainment at the Museum of Contemporary Art; Also, the Cheek by Jowl/Pushkin Theatre of Moscow production of Declan Donnellan‘s Measure for Measure; Belarus Free Theatre‘s King Lear; National Theatre Studio‘s Sancho: An Act of Remembrance, written by and starring Paterson Joseph; The Company Theatre of Mumbai‘s Hindi translation of Twelfth Night—Piya Behrupiya; Songs of Lear from Poland’s Song of the Goat; and Filter and the Royal Shakespeare Company‘s music-infused Twelfth Night—all at Chicago Shakespeare.

Eco Watch: Palau Passes Legislation to Protect 80 Percent of Its Waters

Protected Area Is Larger than State of California

All Images Courtesy of National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala/The National Geographic Society

National Geographic Pristine Seas: Palau. Photo by Manu San Felix

The Palau Congress today passed legislation to fully protect 80 percent of the Pacific island nation’s waters, an area known as one of the Seven Underwater Wonders of the World. As a result, 193,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers), an expanse larger than the state of California, will exclude all types of fishing. With this vote, Palau now protects the largest percentage of marine territory of any nation in the world.

National Geographic Pristine Seas: Palau. Photo by Manu San Felix

National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

National Geographic Pristine Seas. STAGHORN CORAL: SIGNS OF RESILlENCE Palau’s pristine reefs, such as these in the Ulong Channel, have come back strong even after being damaged by warming events in the 1990s and a big typhoon in 2012. Photo by Enric Sala/National Geographic

National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence Enric Sala, head of the Society’s Pristine Seas project, led an expedition to Palau in September 2014 to assess the potential for a marine protected area there. Sala commended today’s action to protect what he calls a “pristine paradise,” stating: “President Remengesau and the Palau government have a bold vision that protects this vital resource for Palauans, builds economic revenue through sustainable ecotourism and benefits local fisheries. It is an incredible step forward for this island nation and for the world.”

National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

In 2009, Palau was the first country to create a shark sanctuary encompassing the entire country. In the years that followed, the Palau government, the Palau International Coral Reef Center and the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas project conducted scientific studies to determine what other protections might be necessary to preserve the unique, pristine waters there. This area is also the subject of a National Geographic documentary entitled “Return to Paradise,” which debuted in Palau on April 22 — Earth Day 2015.

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

PRISTINE SEAS: PALAU
National Geographic Pristine Seas. Photos by Enric Sala/National Geographic

In June of this year, the Palau government ramped up its efforts to deter illegal fishing, destroying a number of Vietnamese fishing boats that were poaching sea cucumbers and reef fish off Palau’s coasts without permission.

Fifth Annual Napa Valley Film Festival Announces Film Line-Up, Special Events and Celebrity Tribute Honorees

The fifth annual Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is pleased to announce its program line–up, Opening Night & Gala screenings, special events and honorees for its Celebrity Tributes. The NVFF, along with this year’s presenting sponsor Lexus – the Official Automotive Luxury Sponsor, returns in full force with a five-day festival showcasing the year’s best new independent films in 12 unique screening venues in the four postcard- perfect towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, November 11–15. Organizers also showcase Napa Valley’s finest food and wine at all special events, VIP receptions and Vintners Circle dinners, and are featuring a lively series of chef presentations and demonstrations on the Ferguson Culinary Stage presented by Traditional Home.

The Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF) is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization headquartered in Napa, California. The mission of the Napa Valley Film Festival is to celebrate the cinematic arts and enrich the community by presenting an annual world-class festival and year-round education and outreach programs. The ultimate celebration of film, food and wine, NVFF lights up the picturesque towns of Napa, Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga at the most colorful time of year. NVFF features over100 new independent films and red carpet sneak previews screening in 12 beautiful venues throughout the four walkable villages, as 400 visiting filmmakers interact with audiences at screenings and intimate events. Attendees enjoy film panels & culinary demonstrations, wine tasting pavilions, the spectacular Festival Gala, Celebrity Tributes, Awards Ceremony, an array of parties, VIP receptions, winemaker dinners and more.

NVFF Chappellet VIP Dinner (Credit: Gustavo Fernandez)

NVFF Stella Artois

NVFF Winemaker Filmmaker Dinners (Credit Bob McClenahan)

NVFF14 Mercedes-Benz, Photo by Bob McClenahan

“We’re looking forward to sharing our incredible line-up of new independent discoveries and awards season contenders with our enthusiastic and appreciative audiences,” said NVFF Co– Founder and Executive & Artistic Director Marc Lhormer. “Between screenings, Q&As with all the visiting filmmakers, industry panels, culinary demos, parties, and of course, all of the food and wine-related tastings and events, each day will be jam packed with unforgettable experiences. There will indeed be something for everyone.”

_{CELEBRITY TRIBUTES}

Napa Valley Film Festival Co–Founders/Directors Brenda and Marc Lhormer are excited to announce this year’s Celebrity Tributes that will salute the highest level of cinematic achievement. They will bestow the Legendary Actor Tribute, presented by Freemark Abbey, on Bruce Dern. Actress and model Lydia Hearst and actors Evan Peters and Finn Wittrock will receive the Rising Star Tribute presented by Domaine Chandon. Multi-talented comic actor Keegan–Michael Key will receive a Trailblazer Tribute. Renowned actor John Travolta will receive the festival’s Career Achievement Tribute. The Celebrity Tributes will take place on Friday, November 13 at the Lincoln Theater in Yountville and will include video highlight reels and intimate on-stage conversations with Access Hollywood’s Billy Bush.

_{OPENING NIGHT, GALA & CLOSING NIGHT}

The Festival kicks off Opening Night, Wednesday, November 11, with a Red Carpet screening and world premiere of Somm: Into the Bottle, the highly anticipated sequel to the wildly successful film Somm. Expect Master Sommelier sightings and other celebrity guests on the red carpet. Following the screening, NVFF Patron Circle Members, VIP guests and a limited amount of ticket holders will enjoy an Opening Night Party at the Riverfront Promenade at the Napa River Inn.

On Thursday, November 12, the extravagant Red Carpet Festival Gala will follow an awards season screening of Spotlight, starring Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber, Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Billy Crudup and Bryan D’Arcy James. NVFF Patron Circle Members, Pass Plus and Gala ticket holders will mingle with filmmakers and celebrities at the most glamorous and energized party of the year. Guests will enjoy cuisine from more than 30 of the Valley’s local culinary stars and wines from more than 50 of Napa Valley’s esteemed vintners and wineries.

The festival will conclude on Sunday, November 15 at the Award Ceremony taking place at the Uptown Theatre in Napa. Attendees will be able to join in the excitement and anticipation as the festival reveals the winners of its Juried and Audience Awards. Each winner will be presented a large format collectible bottle of fabulous wine from one of the festival’s generous Vintner Circle members. The winners of the Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary Feature will each receive a $10,000 check courtesy of Meadowood Napa Valley.

As part of the ceremony, new this year, the NVFF’s partnership with Lexus ignites with the announcement of the four winners of the 2015 Lexus Short Films series – a collaboration between Lexus and The Weinstein Company to support a new generation of emerging filmmakers. The four up-and-coming filmmakers will be on hand to share in the excitement surrounding the announcement. They will then embark on the production of four new short films on the theme of “anticipation” in partnership with The Weinstein Company. The four completed films will be shown together for the first time at a special event during the 2016 Napa Valley Film Festival.

_{OTHER FILM AND EVENT HIGHLIGHTS}

Landfillharmonic

• Landfillharmonic – Film screening followed by a performance by 24 members of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical youth group of kids that play instruments made out of recycled products from one of South America’s largest landfills. (November 11, 1:30pm, Lincoln Theater)

• Carol – Red Carpet Screening. Set in the 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman. Director Todd Haynes, and producer Christine Vachon are expected to attend. (November 12, 1:30pm, Uptown Theatre; encore screening November 15, 5:00pm, Cameo Cinema)

• Life on the Line – World Premiere Screening. A crew of men who do the high-wire work of fixing the electrical grid are hit by a sudden deadly storm. Cast member John Travolta expected to attend. (November 14, 5:00pm, Lincoln Theater)

Screen shot from Youth

• Youth – Fred, an acclaimed composer, and Mick, a famous film director, are old friends staying at an Alpine Lodge, along with Fred’s daughter Leda and Mick’s team of screenwriters working on what he imagines as his last and most important film. Meanwhile, Fred has no interest in continuing his career. (November 13, 10:00am, Cameo Cinema; November 14, 5:00pm, Cameo Cinema)

SundanceNow Doc Club Presents “The Anthony Bourdain Collection”

SundanceNow Doc Club, the advertising-free boutique SVOD service dedicated solely to documentaries, announced that famed chef and world traveller Anthony Bourdain – whose series “Parts Unknown” returns for its 6th season on September 27 – has guest curated a collection for Doc Club entitled “The Anthony Bourdain Collection.” The collection is available to stream now, only at DocClub.com.

The eight films featured in the collection are:

JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi is a quiet yet enthralling documentary from David Gelb that chronicles the life of Jiro Ono, the most famous sushi chef in Tokyo. For most of his 85 years, Jiro has been perfecting the art of making sushi. He works from sunrise to well beyond sunset to taste every piece of fish; meticulously train his employees; and carefully mold and finesse the impeccable presentation of each sushi creation. Although his restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro only seats ten diners, it is a phenomenon in Tokyo that has won the prestigious 3-Star Michelin review, making him the oldest Michelin chef alive. Jiro Dreams Of Sushi chronicles Jiro’s life as both an unparalleled success in the culinary world, and as a loving yet complicated father of two.

LE CIRQUE: A TABLE IN HEAVEN (2007)

In 2005, New York’s famed restaurateur, Sirio Maccioni, closed Le Cirque, destination dining for the rich, famous and powerful. During 2006, Maccioni and his three sons decide to open a new Le Cirque, but they take four months longer and spend $4 million more than planned. Andrew Rossi’s film follows this process, the new restaurant’s opening, and the emotional impact of two New York Times reviews on Maccioni and his sons. Can they reclaim their throne? Prepare yourself for a culinary roller coaster ride.

MATTER OF TASTE: SERVING UP PAUL LIEBRANDT

Paul Liebrandt is one of the most talented and controversial chefs in the food world, who at 24 became the youngest chef to receive three stars from The New York Times. Sally Rowe‘s Emmy-nominated documentary reveals the creative process, the extreme hard work, long hours, and dedication it takes to be a culinary artist and achieve success in the cutthroat world of haute cuisine. Featuring appearances by famed restaurateurs including Drew Nieporent, Daniel Bouloud, and more.

NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF OZPLOITATION! (2008)

Not Quite Hollywood is Mark Hartley‘s wild, wonderful, untold story of “Ozploitation” films. It irreverently documents an era when Australian cinema got its gear off and showed the world a full-frontal explosion of sex, violence, horror and foot-to-the-floor, full bore action!

PAGE ONE: INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES (2011)

Through the years, the fly-on-the-wall documentary has taken us on the presidential campaign trail, into the foxholes of war and behind the curtain with performers. In the spirit of that tradition, Andrew Rossi’s Page One goes inside the newsroom at The New York Times during one of the most tumultuous eras for journalism since the printing press was invented to reveal a disarmingly candid portrait of the paper of record. Over the course of a year when WikiLeaks and Twitter emerged as household names and publications like the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Washington Post either folded or significantly reduced their operations, director Andrew Rossi gains unprecedented access to the country’s preeminent news factory. Can the foot soldiers of this bastion of old media keep up with the fire hose of information that is the world wide web?

STOP MAKING SENSE (1999)

Stop Making Sense was the first feature-length documentary effort of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. The director’s subject is The Talking Heads, a new-wave/pop-rock group comprised of David Byrne, Chris Franz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. The film was made during a three-day concert gig at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. What emerges on screen says as much about director Demme’s taste and sensitivity as it does about the group and its visionary leader Byrne. The group’s energy is such that it virtually explodes from the screen.

THE TRAILS OF HENRY KISSINGER (2002)

Featuring previously unseen footage, de-classified documents, and revealing interviews with Kissinger supporters (Alexander Haig, Brent Scowcroft, and William Safire) as well as his detractors (Seymour Hersh, William Shawcross, and Christopher Hitchens), Eugene Jarecki’s The Trials Of Henry Kissinger explores how a young boy who fled Nazi Germany grew up to become one of the most powerful and controversial figures in U.S. history.

WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS: A MAN WITHIN (2010)

William Burroughs was one of the first to cross the dangerous boundaries of queer and drug culture in the 1950s, and write about his experiences. Eventually he was hailed the godfather of the beat generation and influenced artists for generations to come. However, his friends were left wondering, did William ever find happiness? This extremely personal documentary from Leyser Yony breaks the surface of the troubled and brilliant world of one of the greatest authors of all time.

SundanceNow Doc Club is the only member-based, advertising-free streaming video service dedicated solely to documentaries. Doc Club takes the experience of the independent video store digital, providing a destination for consumers who are overwhelmed by content and are looking for a more tailored approach to streaming video. Overseen by resident curator Thom Powers (DOC NYC, Toronto International Film Festival), Doc Club films are handpicked by experts (including programmers from the Sundance Institute) and guest curators like Ira Glass, Susan Sarandon and Dan Savage.

Doc Club satisfies all types of documentary enthusiasts, providing access to classics and hard-to-find documentaries as well as many of the most exciting documentaries of the last decade. Membership benefits include special screenings, free movie tickets, events with filmmakers and behind-the-scenes looks at film festivals. Recent releases include the exclusive digital premiere of the Sundance hit A Gay Girl In Damascus: The Amina Profile, the seminal true crime docuseries The Staircase and a collection of favorites guest curated by the minds behind Documentary Now! Fred Armisen, Seth Meyers and Bill Hader.

Memberships for SundanceNow Doc Club begin at the low monthly price of $4.99 for an annual subscription or $6.99 per month for a month-to-month subscription, and a new gift subscription option is now available. Viewers can watch via web, iPhone, iPad, Android, Roku, Chromecast and Apple TV (via Airplay). SundanceNow Doc Club is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

2015 Toronto International Film Festival Official Selection: Women He’s Undressed, A Film By Gillian Armstrong

The Extraordinary Hollywood Story Of Australia’s Orry-Kelly…The Designer Whose Costumes Created Some Of The Most Magical Moments In Cinema History.

Orry-Kelly was a Hollywood legend, his costume designs adored by cinema’s greatest leading ladies – but in his home country of Australia his achievements remained unknown. Now acclaimed director Gillian Armstrong is bringing the legend home and celebrating the life of this extraordinary Aussie in her new film, WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED. (Australia, 1110 minutes, International Premiere)

The creative ORRY-KELLY adjusts his costume for his muse Kay Francis in a scene from WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED – A FILM BY GILLIAN ARMSTRONG

Women He’s Dressed Poster

During the boom years of Hollywood, he was costume designer on an astonishing 282 motion pictures. He designed for the stars like Marilyn Munroe, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Rosalind Russell, Errol Flynn and many more of the immortals. His films included Some Like It Hot, Casablanca, An American in Paris and Now, Voyager.

Orry was as big a legend behind the scenes as the on-screen legends he adoringly dressed. He was talented, daring, brash, bold, the toast of Hollywood yet the thorn in the side of many a studio head and the first Australian to win three Academy Awards. But who was Orry-Kelly and how could he be so unknown in his homeland?

He was outrageous, witty, outspoken and uncompromising and he survived partially protected by his friendship with Jack and Ann Warner and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, and ultimately by his extraordinary talent.

Natalie Wood starred in the classic GYPSY in a costume designed by ORRY-KELLY in a scene from the film WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED – A FILM BY GILLIAN ARMSTRONG

Oscar® winner ORRY-KELLY designed these amazing costumes for the film LES GIRLS – as featured in the new documentary WOMEN HE’S UNDRESSED – A FILM BY GILLIAN ARMSTRONG

Women He Undressed

In Women He’s Undressed, filmmaker Gillian Armstrong delves into Kelly’s untold stories with an approach that’s as bold and playful as he was. She casts the Australian stage actor Darren Gilshenan to portray Kelly, who speaks directly to the camera.

Armstrong reunites with her Unfolding Florence co-conspirator, writer Katherine Thompson in crafting a revealing behind the scenes look at the extraordinary life of Orry-Kelly. Featuring interviews with screen and fashion icons Jane Fonda, Angela Lansbury, June Dally-Watkins, costume designers Catherine Martin (the only Australian to exceed Kelly in Academy Award wins), Ann Roth, Kym Barrett, Michael Wilkinson, Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Hollywood identities and historians including director/producer Eric Sherman, Hollywood fixer Scotty Bowers, Leonard Maltin, David Chierichetti, Marc Eliot, William J Mann, Jean Mathison, Larry McQueen and Barbara Warner Howard (daughter of Ann & Jack Warner). Topping it off, we’re treated to a vast array of film clips showcasing Kelly’s costumes in Gold Diggers of 1933, Casablanca, Irma la Douce, and other classics.

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER: http://www.tiff.net/festivals/festival15/tiffdocs/women-hes-undressed

Five of the World’s Leading Ballet Companies Present Second Edition of World Ballet Day LIVE on October 1

Five Leading International Ballet Companies Will Stream 23 Hours Of Live, Behind-The-Scenes Footage On October 1, As Part Of The Second World Ballet Day Live.

Following last year’s unprecedented collaboration for the first World Ballet Day LIVE, five of the world’s leading ballet companies will once again stream 23 hours of live, behind-the-scenes footage on Thursday, October 1. The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet have partnered to provide viewers around the world with an inside look at professional ballet companies in the studio, on tour, and in performance.

Schedule:
(Times are indicated in Pacific Daylight Time.)
7:00pm-12:00am – The Australian Ballet
12:00-3:00am – Bolshoi Ballet
3:00-8:00am – The Royal Ballet
8:00am-1:00pm – The National Ballet of Canada
1:00-6:00pm – San Francisco Ballet

The first World Ballet Day LIVE was held on October 1, 2014. The live broadcast attracted a total of 502,823 views from dance lovers around the world who watched for an average of 27 minutes. Allowing unparalleled, behind-the-scenes access, the streaming project revealed each company’s approach to company class and rehearsals, illustrating the unique personalities that characterize five world-class companies. As the first event of its kind, the 20-hour streaming project garnered critical and viewer acclaim with the New York Times declaring it an “unprecedented bout of internationalism” and the Toronto Star calling it a “milestone event.” World Ballet Day LIVE was inspired by Royal Ballet Live in 2012, a nine-hour live streaming via YouTube and The Guardian website.

Each company will introduce viewers to a variety of experiences from technique classes and rehearsals to backstage preparations. World Ballet Day LIVE will be a celebration of dance and an opportunity for audiences to see what it takes to be one of the world’s top companies and get an inside look at the athleticism and dedication required for a life in ballet.

This year, World Ballet Day LIVE will include pre-recorded footage from a wide range of regional dance organizations geographically close to the five participating companies. Confirmed companies as of this press date include Bangarra Dance Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Boston Ballet, English National Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Houston Ballet, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, National Ballet of China, Nederlands Dans Theater, Northern Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Scottish Ballet.

The Australian Ballet once again kicks off World Ballet Day LIVE from its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. This presentation includes a day in the life of the company, from the universal ritual of daily class, to rehearsals of Artistic Director David McAllister’s brand new production of The Sleeping Beauty and four other productions that will tour to China later that month. In addition, viewers will go behind the scenes to learn about The Australian Ballet School, the company’s audience engagement programs, ballet philanthropy, the magical wardrobe department, and a sneak preview of a new ballet for children. Joining The Australian Ballet for guest spots throughout the program will be esteemed fellow dance companies Bangarra Dance Theatre, the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and the National Ballet of China.

The Australian Ballet is one of the world’s leading ballet companies and has been delivering extraordinary performances for over 50 years. A commitment to excellence, a spirited attack, and a willingness to take risks have defined the company from its earliest days, both onstage and off. In addition to 70 acclaimed dancers, the company employs leaders in injury prevention, marketing, music, digital, and education to present upwards of 250 shows and 1,000 audience engagement events each year. A network of elite artisans work tirelessly behind the scenes to create the splendor seen on stage; the costumes are made with the care given to couture. Moving effortlessly between the great classical ballets and new contemporary commissions, the company has a unique Australian beauty, powered by athleticism. As it embarks on a new five-year strategic plan, The Australian Ballet is poised to reach more audiences than ever before, both at home and overseas.

The Bolshoi Ballet is about to open its 240th season. One of the oldest and largest ballet companies in the world, the Bolshoi combines its great classical tradition with a fresh approach. The Bolshoi Ballet is renowned for its unique style characterized by true virtuosity and incredible stage presence, and it celebrates an illustrious history with legends such as Galina Ulanova, Vladimir Vassiliev, Maya Plisetskaya, and Ekaterina Maximova. The Bolshoi Ballet was also the first company to stage Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Minkus’ Don Quixote. Much of the Bolshoi’s legacy can be attributed to Yuri Grigorovitch who was the artistic director for more than 30 years. Now in the 21st century, the Bolshoi constantly expands its repertoire with new works such as The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, and Hero of Our Time. Today’s Bolshoi artists Svetlana Zakharova, Maria Alexandrova, Ekaterina Krysanova, Vladislav Lantratov, Artem Ovcharenko, Semion Tchudin, Denis Rod’kin, and others—coached by Liudmila Semeniaka, Marina Kondratieva, Svetlana Adyrchayeva, Nikolai Fadeechev, Boris Akimov, Alexandr Vetrov, and more—ensure that the Bolshoi’s standards are held as high as ever.

The Bolshoi Ballet will present the company in their daily routine with highlights of their 240th season. The day will begin with a live stream of morning class, followed by a report on two world premieres from last season—Radu Poklitaru’s Hamlet and Yuri Possokhov’s Hero of Our Time—as well as special projects which were announced during the first World Ballet Day LIVE last year. The Bolshoi’s program will also take viewers into the studio for live rehearsals and a comprehensive overview of the upcoming 240th season featuring world premieres, revivals, special projects, festivals, international tours, guest company presentations on the Bolshoi Theatre stages, and a gala dedicated to the memory of Maya Plisetskaya. Through interviews with Vladimir Urin, Sergei Filin, Yuri Possokhov, Boris Akimov, Brigitte Lefevre, Azarii Plisetski, and more, this programming will underscore the Bolshoi Theatre’s position as the nucleus of all things dance.

Based at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, The Royal Ballet is Great Britain’s most prestigious ballet company and one of the great classical ballet companies of the world. Led by Director Kevin O’Hare, the Company has a wide-ranging repertory that showcases the great 19th-century classics alongside heritage works including those of its two great 20th-century choreographers Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan. In addition, The Royal Ballet performs new works by Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor and Artistic Associate Christopher Wheeldon, two of the foremost international choreographers of today. The Royal Ballet continues to create and encourage new choreography and appointed Liam Scarlett as Artist in Residence in 2012.

The Royal Ballet will air exclusive backstage footage from across the Covent Garden building. As well as showing segments of morning class live, filming will follow the preparation and off-stage action from a matinee performance of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet featuring Federico Bonelli and Lauren Cuthbertson. Rehearsals for the world premiere of Carlos Acosta’s Carmen which opens in October will be broadcast alongside exclusive footage of Royal Ballet Principals preparing for highlights from the 2015-2016 Season. A portion of the program will be dedicated to a discussion of the future of ballet in the U.K., with Royal Ballet Director Kevin O’Hare and Directors from Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, and Scottish Ballet.

The Orchard and HBO Join Participant Media and The Silk Road Project Documentary on Music Legend Yo-Yo Ma

In advance of the film’s world premiere this week at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), rights to the new documentary film The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble have been acquired by The Orchard and HBO. The Orchard has acquired all worldwide rights of the Tremolo Production with the exception of U.S. domestic television rights, which HBO has acquired from Participant Media and The Silk Road Project. The Orchard is planning a theatrical release in the spring of 2016 with an HBO premiere to follow.

Celebrated international Cellist Yo-Yo Ma in the new documentary film The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. The Silk Road Project is an internationally minded nonprofit founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, with a mission to promote innovation and learning through the arts.

From Morgan Neville, the director of the Oscar^®-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom and the critically-acclaimed Best of Enemies, the new film The Music of Strangers:  Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble tells the extraordinary story of an international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The film follows this group of diverse instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they explore the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope.

The Silk Road Project is an internationally minded nonprofit founded by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, with a mission to promote innovation and learning through the arts. Taking inspiration from the historical Silk Road trading routes, the Project explores the intersections of cultures, art forms and disciplines. Under the leadership of Mr. Ma and CEO and Executive Director Laura Freid, the Silk Road Project unites the performing arts, education and business, encouraging collaboration among artists and musicians, educators and entrepreneurs. Hyosung is the Corporate Sponsor of The Silk Road Project.

“The Music of Strangers represents an exciting opportunity for us to work closely with who we consider to be the triple-threat of Documentary powerhouses – Morgan, Participant and HBO,” said The Orchard’s SVP of Film and TV, Paul Davidson. “Morgan’s film is an inspiring and soulful experience we are proud to be a part of.”

The Orchard is a pioneering film, TV, and music distribution company operating in more than 25 global markets. With a holistic approach to sales and marketing combined with industry-leading technology and operations, The Orchard amplifies reach and revenue across hundreds of digital, physical and mobile outlets around the world. The Orchard streamlines content owners’ business complexity with an intuitive client dashboard, comprehensive rights management and tailored client support. Founded in 1997, The Orchard empowers businesses and creators in the entertainment industry. The Orchard most recently released THE OVERNIGHT, CARTEL LAND, and DIGGING FOR FIRE in theaters. Upcoming releases include FINDERS KEEPERS, NASTY BABY, and LOUDER THAN BOMBS.

The Music of Strangers:Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble was directed by Neville and produced by Neville and Caitrin Rogers of Tremolo Productions, in association with Participant Media and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Pershing Square Foundation and the Ford Foundation JustFilms. The film’s executive producers include Participant Media’s Jeff Skoll and Diane Weyermann, HBO’s Sheila Nevins, Motto Pictures’ Julie Goldman, as well as The Silk Road Project’s Laura Freid and co-executive producer Cristin Canterbury Bagnall.

“What could be better than being involved in a film that erases differences in the name of music,” commented Nevins, President, HBO Documentary Films.

“Music of Strangers is a film about the many ways music brings people together. We are thrilled that HBO and The Orchard are joining us to share this story with the world,” said Neville, Tremolo Productions.

Tremolo Productions is a documentary production company founded by Morgan Neville, specializing in cultural storytelling. Films include the 2014 Grammy and Academy Award-winning 20 Feet from Stardom, this year’s hit Best of Enemies, Troubadours, Beauty is Embarrassing and others. Tremolo has been nominated for three other Grammys for the music films: Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story, Muddy Waters Can’t Be Satisfied and Johnny Cash’s America.  

“Morgan Neville traveled across three continents to tell the amazing stories of Yo-Yo Ma and these talented ensemble members. We are grateful that his remarkable storytelling so powerfully portrays the ways music, art and culture can connect us to the unfamiliar and create positive change. We can’t wait to share this with audiences near and far,” said Laura Freid, CEO of Silkroad.

“Participant is delighted to have such an incredible team on board to deliver Morgan Neville’s outstanding film to audiences in theaters and at home: The Orchard—who we are excited to collaborate with for the first time, and HBO—who we’ve successfully teamed with on 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, as well as this year’s Oscar-winner CITIZENFOUR,” said Diane Weyermann, Participant’s EVP, Documentary Films.

Participant Media is a leading media company founded in 2004 and combines the power of a good story well told with opportunities for viewers to get involved. Participant’s more than 60 films include Lincoln, Contagion, The Help, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Food, Inc. , Waiting For ‘Superman,’ CITIZENFOUR and An Inconvenient Truth. Participant has also launched more than a dozen original series, including “Please Like Me,” “Hit Record On TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt,” and “Fortitude,” for its television network, Pivot. Participant’s digital hub, TakePart, serves millions of socially conscious consumers each month with daily articles, videos and opportunities to take action.

The deal was negotiated by Danielle DiGiacomo for The Orchard, Gabe Brakin for Participant Media and Josh Braun of Submarine, who also negotiated the deal with HBO.

THIRTEEN’s American Masters Series Presents Filmmaker/Photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ New Documentary, The Women’s List

Premiering Nationwide Friday, September 25 on PBS

All Images by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and provided by American Masters

Meet 15 women who have created and defined contemporary American culture in American Masters: The Women’s List, premiering nationwide Friday, September 25, 9-10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and available the same day on DVD via Perfect Day Films Inc.

The newest chapter of filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’ List documentary series (American Masters: The Boomer List, The Black List, The Latino List, The Out List) features intimate interviews with Madeleine Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, 1997-2001; Gloria Allred, lawyer; Laurie Anderson, artist; Sara Blakely, entrepreneur; Margaret Cho, comedian; Edie Falco, actor; Elizabeth Holmes, scientist and entrepreneur; Betsey Johnson, fashion designer; Alicia Keys, singer-songwriter; Aimee Mullins, athlete and fashion model; Nancy Pelosi, politician; Rosie Perez, actor; Shonda Rhimes, writer-producer; Wendy Williams, talk show host and Nia Wordlaw, pilot.

American Masters: The Women’s List focuses on these individuals’ exceptional achievements, struggles and identities. All trailblazers in their respective fields, these women share their experiences struggling against discrimination and overcoming challenges to make their voices heard and their influence felt. Toni Morrison opens the film with a reading of an introduction she wrote specifically for The Women’s List.

Madeleine Albright. Credit: © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Madeleine Albright, U.S. Secretary of State, 1997-2001: “Leaders are made by the situations they are involved in. I think that some rise to the occasion and some do not.”***

Madeleine Albright was the first woman to serve as the United States’ Secretary of State. Born in Czechoslovakia, Albright and her family emigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island when she was 11 years old. Albright served, under President Clinton, as Secretary of State from 1997 – 2001. At the time of her appointment, she became the highest-ranking woman to have served in the U.S. government.

Gloria Allred and “American Masters: The Women’s List” filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders on the set of “American Masters: The Women’s List.” Credit: ©Greenfield-Sanders Studio

Gloria Allred, Lawyer: “A feminist is simply a person who believes in legal, social, political and economic equality for women with men.”***

Gloria Allred is a leading women’s rights lawyer. Her firm handles more women’s rights cases than any other private firm in the nation and has won hundreds of millions of dollars for victims.

Laurie Anderson, Artist: “I am a New Yorker, one; I’m an artist, two; I’m a woman, three.”***

Laurie Anderson is an experimental performance artist, composer and musician. Anderson is a pioneer in electronic music and has invented several devices that she has used in her recordings and performance art shows.

Sara Blakely, Entrepreneur: “Spanx really came from my own butt. I did not like the way it looked in pants.”***

Sara Blakely is an American businessperson and founder of Spanx, a hosiery company based in Atlanta, Georgia. In 2012, Blakely was named in Time magazine’s annual “Time 100” list of the 100 most influential people in the world. As of 2014, she is listed as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.

Margaret Cho on the set of “American Masters: The Women’s List.” Credit: ©Greenfield-Sanders Studio

Margaret Cho, Comedian: “When I was 14, I told my mother I was going to drop out of high school and go do stand-up comedy. All she said was ‘Oh maybe it’s better if you just die,’ because it was killing her that I was doing this.”***

Margaret Cho is an American comedian, fashion designer, actress, author and singer-songwriter. Cho is best known for her stand-up routines, through which she critiques social and political problems, especially those pertaining to race and sexuality.

Edie Falco, Actor: “There is no question that sobriety has made me a better actor, made me a better person.”***

Edie Falco is an Emmy®-winning actress who won acclaim for her roles on the television series The Sopranos and Nurse Jackie. A mother of two children, Falco has appeared on Broadway, in feature films and on television throughout her career.

Elizabeth Holmes, Scientist and Entrepreneur: “I believe in the unlimited power of women in the context of science and engineering.”***

Elizabeth Holmes is an American entrepreneur. She is the CEO of Theranos, a blood test company, which she founded in 2003 at age 19 while she was a chemical engineering major at Stanford University. She is the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire to date.

Betsey Johnson. Credit: © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Betsey Johnson, Fashion Designer: “[In the 1960s]…you could take LSD but you couldn’t wear a pantsuit.”***

Betsey Johnson is an award-winning fashion designer known for her whimsical and feminine designs. Johnson started her career in New York City in the 60s and was part of Andy Warhol’s underground scene that included the Velvet Underground, Edie Sedgwick and Lou Reed. In 2012, Johnson celebrated 40 years of her namesake brand.

Alicia Keys, Singer-Songwriter: “I’m definitely a nerd. I’m a cool-ass nerd, but I am definitely a nerd.”***

Alicia Keys is a 15-time Grammy® Award-winning singer/songwriter/producer, an accomplished actress, a New York Times best-selling author, an entrepreneur and a powerful force in the world of philanthropy and in the global fight against HIV and AIDS.

Aimee Mullins, Athlete and Fashion Model: “It’s an objective fact that I am a double amputee, but it’s very subjective opinion as to whether that makes me disabled.”***

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, actress and fashion model, who first became famous for her athletic accomplishments. She was born with a medical condition that resulted in the amputation of both of her lower legs and has become one of the most prominent thinkers on the topic of prosthetic innovation.

Nancy Pelosi on the set of “American Masters: The Women’s List.” Credit: ©Greenfield-Sanders Studio

Nancy Pelosi, Politician: “When I was growing up in the 50s it wasn’t quite the same. Fathers were more protective and now they see all of the possibilities for their daughters.”***

Nancy Pelosi is the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives and served as the 60th Speaker of the House from 2007 to 2011. She is the only woman to have served as the House Speaker and to date is the highest-ranking female politician in American history.

Rosie Perez. Credit: © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Rosie Perez, Actor: “Women of color: if you’re over 40 and you get fat, you will work. But if you’re hot and over 40 and a woman of color, they don’t know what to do with you.”***

Rosie Perez is an Oscar-nominated actress who starred in such films as White Men Can’t Jump, Fearless and Do the Right Thing. Perez started her performance career as a dancer and went on to choreograph music videos and the television series In Living Color. An activist who raises awareness for many causes, Perez has acted on stage, on television and in feature films.

Shonda Rhimes, Writer-Producer: “Nobody ever asks a man how he gets stuff done. Nobody asks a man how he finds balance.”***

Shonda Rhimes is a screenwriter, director and producer. Rhimes is best known as the creator, head writer, executive producer and showrunner of the medical drama television series Grey’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice and political thriller series Scandal. Rhimes also serves as executive producer for legal series How to Get Away with Murder. In May 2007, Rhimes was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 people who help shape the world.

Wendy Williams, Talk Show Host: “Being tall and big was probably more painful than being black.”***

Wendy Williams is a media personality, actress, comedian, author and a daytime talk show host. She hosts the nationally syndicated television talk show The Wendy Williams Show.

Nia Wordlaw and “American Masters: The Women’s List” filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders on the set of “American Masters: The Women’s List.” Credit: ©Greenfield-Sanders Studio

Nia Wordlaw, Pilot: “I am probably 1 of 25 women that fly for a major airline.”***

Nia Wordlaw is an African-American airline pilot and one of the few women flying for a major airline in the U.S. today.

“As a lifelong feminist, I’m proud to have made The Women’s List and excited to have another one of my films join the American Masters library,” said Greenfield-Sanders.

Filmmaker/photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is director and producer of “American Masters: The Women’s List.” Photo Credit: ©Timothy Greenfield-Sanders

Photographer/filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders is known for his strikingly intimate portraits of world leaders and major cultural figures. From presidents to porn stars, artists to Oscar winners, Greenfield-Sanders’ work defines a certain cultural photographic canon of our time.

His portraits can be found in numerous museum collections, including The Museum of Modern Art, The Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. In 2012, he exhibited all 50 portraits from The Black List series at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Greenfield-Sanders has produced and directed 10 feature documentaries to date. He won a Grammy Award for his 1998 film American Masters — Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart and a NAACP Spirit Award in 2009 for The Black List: Volume 1.

His recent films include American Masters: The Boomer List, which premiered on PBS in 2014, The Out List, which premiered on HBO in 2013 and About Face: Supermodels Then and Now, which premiered at Sundance and aired on HBO in 2012. His portraits of The Boomer List’s subjects were on display at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., from September 26, 2014-July 5, 2015.

Greenfield-Sanders has published numerous books, including The Boomer List (Luxury), The Black List (Atria), The Latino List (LPC), The Out List (LPC), Movie Stars (Skira), Face To Face (Skira), Look (Powerhouse), XXX: 30 Porn-Star Portraits (Bulfinch), Timothy Greenfield-Sanders (ACS) and Art World (Fotofolio). He received his B.A. from Columbia University and his M.F.A. from The American Film Institute.

Steve Carell, Halle Berry and James Taylor to appear at USC Shoah Foundation’s Annual Ambassadors for Humanity Gala

Founder Steven Spielberg to Honor William Clay Ford Jr. with The 2015 Ambassador for Humanity Award

On Sept. 10, 2015, Steven Spielberg will present William Clay Ford Jr., executive chairman of Ford Motor Company, with USC Shoah Foundation‘s highest honor — the Ambassador for Humanity Award — at the organization’s annual gala. Ford will be recognized for his leadership and corporate citizenry around education and community.

USC Shoah Foundation logo. (PRNewsFoto/USC Shoah Foundation Institute)

Golden Globe-winning, Emmy and Academy Award nominated actor Steve Carell will serve as host, with Emmy and Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry joining the evening’s program as special guest. Grammy Award winner James Taylor will provide a special musical performance.

William Clay Ford, Jr. (Photo Credit: media.ford.com)

USC Shoah Foundation — The Institute for Visual History and Education is dedicated to making audiovisual interviews with survivors and other witnesses of the Holocaust and other genocides, a compelling voice for education and action. The Institute’s current collection of over 53,000 eyewitness testimonies preserves history as told by the people who lived it, and lived through it. Housed at the University of Southern California, within the Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Institute works with partners around the world to advance scholarship and research, to provide resources and online tools for educators, and to disseminate the testimonies for educational purposes.
“It is an honor to have the support of these three iconic artists, each role models in their own right, to help us pay tribute to Bill Ford,” said Spielberg, founder of the organization and chair of the annual gala. “Their participation will help bring attention to the Institute’s mission and our joint educational work in Detroit with Ford Motor Company.”

The gala will highlight the Institute’s partnership with Ford Motor Company to expand its IWitness educational platform in the metro Detroit area. Over the next two years IWitness Detroit will provide teacher education, programming for students, and key academic resources to enable students to engage with eyewitness testimony. A portion of the proceeds raised at the gala will support the program.

USC Shoah Foundation has had a long history in Michigan. The Ford Motor Company was the sole sponsor of the 1997 NBC broadcast of the Academy Award® winning “Schindler’s List,” the film that inspired the establishment of the Institute. The Institute’s Visual History Archive is also available at University of Michigan campuses of Ann Arbor and Flint. In addition, Mickey Shapiro, one of Michigan’s top real estate developers and longstanding member of the Institute’s Board of Councilors, is co-chairman of the 2015 Ambassadors for Humanity Gala.

For more information about the gala call the Event Office at 248-593-9743, the USC Shoah Foundation Benefit at 818-777-7876 or email ambassadorsgala2015@usc.edu. Donations are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by law.

New Exhibition to Showcase National Geographic’s Pristine Seas Project

National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project searches for the last truly wild places in the ocean, remote areas untouched by human activity. Led by National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Dr. Enric Sala, the team explores, conducts scientific research and makes powerful films to motivate world leaders to protect these last pristine places. An exhibition at the National Geographic Museum, “Pristine Seas: The Ocean’s Last Wild Places,” will showcase the work that the Pristine Seas team is doing to protect these remote and thriving regions. The free exhibition opens in the Museum’s M Street gallery on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

“Pristine Seas” features more than 60 images from the project’s expeditions, many captured by Sala himself. The exhibition is organized into four categories: Reefs, Oceanic Islands, the Arctic and Coastal Africa. The exhibition also features a section focused on the planning that goes into these expeditions as well as an area looking at the future of the Pristine Seas project and the team’s upcoming expeditions.

Traveling from the Arctic to tropical seas and coastal environments, the Pristine Seas team has completed more than a dozen expeditions since the project’s inception in 2008. Six of the sites the team has studied are now fully protected marine reserves totaling over 2.2 million square kilometers (around 850,000 square miles). The exhibition will feature maps, images of stunning wildlife and videos of healthy marine life from a selection of these expeditions and the conservation efforts in place to keep the protected areas safe.

“The Pristine Seas project is a great example of the impact National Geographic can have on conservation,” said Kathryn Keane, vice president of National Geographic Exhibitions. “This project not only provides a baseline of data for science, but it also records some of the most pristine places in the ocean and inspires people around the world to get involved in preserving these places.”

Sala will share behind-the-scenes adventures from his Pristine Seas expeditions with National Geographic Live audiences in New York on Oct. 20, Los Angeles on Oct. 29 and Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19. After each talk, he will sign copies of his new National Geographic book, PRISTINE SEAS: Journeys to the Ocean’s Last Wild Places. Tickets to the Nat Geo Live events start at $25 and can be purchased at nglive.org.

Also open in the Museum’s 17^th Street galleries are “Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants,” which will run until Oct. 12, 2015, and “Indiana Jones™ and the Adventure of Archaeology,” which will be open through Jan. 3, 2016.

The National Geographic Museum (1145 17^th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C.), is open every day (except Dec. 25) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the 17^th Street galleries is $15 for adults; $12 for National Geographic members, military, students and seniors; $10 for children 5-12; and free for local school, student and youth groups (18 and under; advance reservation required). Tickets may be purchased online at www.ngmuseum.org; via telephone at (202) 857-7700; or in person at the Museum between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. For more information on group sales, call (202) 857-7281.

David Hill And Reginald Hudlin Tapped To Produce 88th Oscars®

Emmy®-winning live television producer David Hill and Oscar®-nominated producer-director Reginald Hudlin will produce the 88th Oscars telecast, Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced today. It will be their first involvement with the Academy Awards®. The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

“We’re delighted to have this talented team on board,” said Boone Isaacs. “David is a true innovator with a dynamic personality. His vast experience as a live events producer, coupled with Reggie’s energy, creativity and talent as a filmmaker, is sure to make this year’s Oscar telecast a memorable one.”

“What a great and exciting honor! The quest is to honor the year in film, honor the art, and above all, make it fun,” said Hill.

An executive with the Fox group of companies for more than 25 years, Hill most recently served as the senior executive vice president of 21st Century Fox, overseeing programming, digital

David Hill (left) And Reginald Hudlin (right)

initiatives, and other opportunities on five continents. He was previously the chairman and CEO of Fox Sports Media Group, during which time he spearheaded the integration of new technologies and multi-platform programming services across the U.S. Hill began his career with parent company News Corporation in Great Britain, where he helped launch Sky Television, introduced the multilingual sports channel Eurosport, and created the hugely popular subscription channel Sky Sports. While he has contributed to hundreds of Emmy nominations and awards for the network, Hill received an individual Emmy for Outstanding Live Sports Special as an executive producer of the 2011 World Series broadcast. He also served as an executive producer on the last two seasons of “American Idol.” He recently left Fox to start his own production company, Hilly, focusing on live and reality television.

“I’m looking forward to working with the Academy again,” said Hudlin. “I love every kind of film and this year’s awards will be a celebration of the total range of cinema.”

A writer, director, producer and executive, Hudlin received a 2012 Best Picture Oscar nomination as a producer of “Django Unchained.” Hudlin’s film credits include “Boomerang,” “The Great White Hype” and the award-winning comedy “House Party,” which he also wrote. He executive produced the hit television series “The Boondocks” and “The Black Panther”; and has directed for “Modern Family,” “Murder in The First,” “New Girl” and “The Office.” Last year, Hudlin produced the Academy’s 6th Annual Governors Awards Ceremony and has been the executive producer of the NAACP Image Awards since 2012. Hudlin was the first President of Entertainment for BET Networks from 2005 to 2009, where he oversaw programming and developed some of the network’s highest rated shows during his tenure. He is a partner in Milestone Media, a multi-ethnic comic book company distributed by DC Comics, as well as New Nation Networks, a premium content provider in partnership with Google. Hudlin is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild. He serves on the executive board of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, and Wasatch.

“We’re excited to work with David and Reggie,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “With their enthusiasm and breadth of experience, they will bring a fresh perspective to the Oscar show.”

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Reveals 2015 Student Academy Award® Winners

All Winning Films Now Eligible For Oscars®

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted fifteen students as winners of the 42^nd Student Academy Awards competition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year — 1,686 films from 282 domestic and 93 international colleges and universities — which were voted upon by a record number of Academy members. The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work. First-time honors go to Chapman University in the Alternative category and Filmakademie Wien in the Foreign Film competition. Academy members voted the winners from a field of 33 finalists, announced last month.

Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative
“Chiaroscuro,” Daniel Drummond, Chapman University, California
“Zoe,” ChiHyun Lee, The School of Visual Arts, New York

Animation
“An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, California Institute of the Arts
“Soar,” Alyce Tzue, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
“Taking the Plunge,” Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, The School of Visual Arts

Documentary
“Boxeadora,” Meg Smaker, Stanford University
“I Married My Family’s Killer,” Emily Kassie, Brown University
“Looking at the Stars,” Alexandre Peralta, University of Southern California

Narrative
“Day One,” Henry Hughes, American Film Institute, California
“Stealth,” Bennett Lasseter, American Film Institute
“This Way Up,” Jeremy Cloe, American Film Institute

Foreign Film
“Everything Will Be Okay…,” Patrick Vollrath, Filmakademie Wien, Austria
“Fidelity,” Ilker Catak, Hamburg Media School, Germany
“The Last Will,” Dustin Loose, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on Thursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony.

The 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony on September 17 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at oscars.org today. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.