Cinema & Scenery at Middleburg Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 19 October 2016 17:33

Written by Brad Balfour

Likened to the English countryside, Middleburg is a slice of scenic beauty in Virginia. Home to rolling hills, colonial era buildings, lush forests, and also the Middleburg Film Festival. Running October 20 to 23 in various venues across Middleburg Virginia (about one hour outside of D.C.).

"We are thrilled to share some of the year's best films followed by thought provoking conversations with festival attendees," said Middleburg Film Festival Executive Director Susan Koch. "The 2016 program includes a mix of Oscar contenders, critically-acclaimed foreign language films and compelling documentaries."

One of the fest’s centerpieces is La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as an jaded jazz musician and an aspiring actress find their way through old Hollywood. American Pastoral, the directorial debut of actor Ewan McGregor is set in the turbulent 1960’s, a man’s life starts to fall apart after his daughter’s political consciousness threatens to destroy his family.

Disturbing the Peace follows former enemy combatants — Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters, many of whom served years in prison -- who have joined together to challenge the status quo of years of violence and war. The Salesman is an Iranian-French drama about a young couple who are rehearsing to be in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman when they’re unexpectedly forced to leave their apartment and head to a new home with a dark secret.

The fest also has several special events. There will be a keynote conversation with Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, on the topic of her role at the Academy, including recent and ongoing efforts to make Hollywood more inclusive for women and people of color.. One of the festival’s most popular and anticipated events is the Symphony Orchestra Concert and tribute to  Distinguished Film Composer awardee, Henry Jackman. The Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Jan Wagner, will perform the world premiere of suites from films scored by Jackman.

To learn more, go to: http://www.middleburgfilm.org/

Middleburg Film Festival
October 20 - 23, 2016

Various Locations

FEARnyc Fest Scares Up Some Cinematic Horror Fun

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 23 September 2016 16:43

Written by Renzo Adler

Ah, fall. The crisp air, the sound of leaves crunching beneath your feet, the proliferation of pumpkin spiced beverages and confections. Oh yes, and demons, monsters, mask murderers, and other things that go bump in the night inhabiting theaters. FEARnyc is returning to Cinema Village (22 East 12th St, New York). Running October 21 - 27, this fest features a whopping 65+ horror films, combining all time classics and new up-and-comers.

Films include:

• Night of the Living Dead
• Psycho
• Hocus Pocus
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Lost Boys
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
• Carnival of Souls
• Lost Creek
• Head
• The Dark Tapes

The festival also features special events screenings. FW Murnau’s 1926 silent classic, Faust, will be accompanied by live music from Ben Singer of Modern Robot. 1980’s camp-fest (and study on werewolf anatomy), Monster Squad, will be presented with a Q&A featuring cast members Duncan Regehr (Count Dracula) and Tom Noonan (Frankenstein's Monster) live and in person!

Dead Awake, the latest film from Final Destination writer Jeffrey Reddick, will premiere at the fest, along with the anticipated remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast, and new documentaries. Unearthed and Untold: The Path to Pet Sematary (a look back on the film based on the Stephen King novel) and Resurrecting Carrie (a look back at the musical, based on the movie, based on the Stephen King novel). 1978’s pea-soup-soaked-screamer, The Exorcist, will be opened by a live seance conducted by a “renowned psychic”, and a screening of Halloween will include a Halloween party with candy and games for the audience.

 So when you need some respite from a world of daily grinds and toxic elections, why not take a jaunt to FEARnyc and have a GOOD scare for a change?

To learn more, go to: http://www.fearnyc.com/

FEARnyc
October 21 - 27, 2016

Cinema Village
22 E 12th St.
New York, NY 10003

54th New York Film Fest at Lincoln Center

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Monday, 15 August 2016 15:56

Written by Brad Balfour

The 13th

Featuring work from around the world from new and legendary directors alike, the 54th New York Film Festival focuses on a theme of “internal landscapes” and “the urgency of self-realization.”

Running from September 30 to October 16 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the festival opens with The 13th, Selma director Ava DuVernay’s documentary on the loophole in the 13th Amendment that allowed for a progression from slavery to the horrors of mass incarceration and the prison industry.

20th Century Women is the Centerpiece film. Directed by Mike Mills, this World Premiere is warm, funny, and a work of passionate comedy.

James Gray’s Lost City of Z, starring Charlie Hunnam as a British explorer on a quixotic search for a lost city in the Amazon, closes the festival.

The 54th New York Film Festival’s main slate features a selection of 25 films from around the globe. Among the other main slate of films are:

• Certain Women
  Directed by Kelly Reichardt
  
  
• Elle
  Directed by Paul Verhoeven
  
  
• Graduation / Bacalaureat
  Directed by Cristian Mungiu
  
  
• I, Daniel Blake
  Directed by Ken Loach
  
  
• Julieta
  Directed by Pedro Almodóvar
  
  
• Manchester by the Sea
  Directed by Kenneth Lonergan
  
  
• Neruda
  Directed by Pablo Larraín
  
  
• Paterson
  Directed by Jim Jarmusch
  
  
• Personal Shopper
  Directed by Olivier Assayas
  
  
• Sieranevada
  Directed by Cristi Puiu

• Things to Come / L’Avenir
  Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve
  
  
• The Unknown Girl
  Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
  
  
• Yourself and Yours
  Directed by Hong Sangsoo

It wouldn’t be a festival without a slate of revivals too.

Kenji Mizoguchi’s classic ghost tale, Ugetsu Monogatari, is on display with a pristine new restoration. Marlon Brando’s sole shot at directing, One-Eyed Jacks, loosely based on the life of Billy the Kid, was the last film shot at Paramount using the VistaVision (an early form of widescreen) and has been restored under the supervision of Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.

Gillo Pontecorvo’s Battle of Algiers, a film that is woefully always relevant, follows Algeria’s brutal fight for independence from France, is being screened with a new 4K restoration.

The NYFF also features a section called Convergence, a slate of “non-traditional film experiences” that use virtual reality, augmented reality, and installations that explore themes of war, religion, domestic violence, and life in a hyper connected world.

To learn more, go to: http://www.filmlinc.org/nyff2016/

54th New York Film Festival
September 30 - October 16, 2016

Film Society of Lincoln Center
144 W 65th St.
New York, NY 10023