By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

AFI FEST 2014 ANNOUNCES JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARD-WINNING FILMS

Posted Thursday, November 13th, 2014 - Comments Off on AFI FEST 2014 ANNOUNCES JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARD-WINNING FILMS
Be Sociable, Share!
Encore Screenings of Selected Award-Winning Films
at the Chinese 6 Theatres Today

LOS ANGELES, CA, November 13, 2014 – AFI FEST 2014 presented by Audi today announced this year’s Jury and Audience Awards for features and short films included in the festivals New Auteur and Shorts programs. The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors and the Shorts selections represent diverse and varied international perspectives. Grand Jury Awards were presented to SELF MADE (BOREG), which received the New Auteurs Critics’ Award, and to THE TRIBE (PLEMYA), which received the VIZIO Visionary Special Jury Award. BUFFALO JUGGALOS by Scott Cummings received the Live Action Short Award, and YEARBOOK by Bernardo Britto received the Animated Short Award. Special Jury Award winners went to GÜEROS and VIOLET. RED ARMY, GÜEROS, 10,000 KM and THE MIDNIGHT SWIM received Audience Awards.

Select award-winning films will screen again today at the Chinese 6 Theatres. Admission is available to AFI FEST 2014 pass holders and the general public via the rush line, which begins forming one hour before each film’s scheduled screening start time. For screening times visit AFI.com/AFIFEST.

“The films in competition have screened at other festivals throughout the year and AFI FEST is the place where they are presented together in the context of showcasing bold, original and audacious auteur work from new filmmakers,” said Jacqueline Lyanga, Director of AFI FEST. “We hope the recognition from our jury of film critics will lead audiences to discover these films.”

NEW AUTEURS CRITICS’ AWARD

The New Auteurs section highlights first and second-time feature film directors from around the world. This year’s New Auteurs jury featured Alonso Duralde (The Wrap), Tim Grierson (Screen International), Eric Kohn (IndieWire) and Anne Thompson (Thompson on Hollywood).

New Auteurs Critics’ Award: SELF MADE (BOREG). DIR Shira Geffen. Israel

VIZIO Visionary Special Jury Award
Presented in recognition of the extraordinary visual storytelling in their film. The winner will receive the all-new VIZIO P-Series Ultra HD Smart TV and Sound Bar System.
THE TRIBE (PLEMYA). DIR Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy. Ukraine

“What a fantastic way to end the festival. We are thrilled that our audiences responded so strongly to the film line up,” said Lane Kneedler, Associate Director of Programming of AFI FEST. “I am also especially thrilled that our jury gravitated towards such bold and visionary filmmakers.”

GRAND JURY AWARDS, LIVE ACTION AND ANIMATED SHORT

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST Grand Jury Award winners in the Live Action and Animated Shorts categories as qualifiers for the annual Academy Awards® Short Film category. The Shorts jury featured Kahlil Joseph (filmmaker), Sara Murphy (producer), Mike Ott (filmmaker), Matthew Takata (Sundance Institute) and Brian Udovich (producer) (AFI class of 2004).

Grand Jury Award for Live Action Short: BUFFALO JUGGALOS. DIR Scott Cummings. USA

Grand Jury Award for Animated Short: YEARBOOK DIR Bernardo Britto. USA

AUDIENCE AWARDS

World Cinema Audience Award: RED ARMY. DIR Gabe Polsky. USA, Russia

New Auteurs Audience Award: GÜEROS. DIR Alonso Ruizpalacios. Mexico

American Independents Audience Award: 10,000 KM. DIR Carlos Marques-Marcet. Spain, USA. (award accompanied by a $60,000 Panavision grant)

Breakthrough Audience Award (award accompanied by a $5,000 cash prize):
THE MIDNIGHT SWIM. DIR Sarah Adina Smith. USA.

The complete list of award-winners, including special awards, is attached at the end of this press release.

The complete AFI FEST 2014 program included 120 films (75 features, 45 shorts), representing 39 countries. The Opening Night Gala was the World Premiere of J.C. Chandor’s A MOST VIOLENT YEAR. The Closing Night Gala is Bennett Miller’s FOXCATCHER, which screens tonight at the Dolby Theatre®.

The many highlights of the festival included a special Tribute to Sophia Loren with a presentation of MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE (MATRINONIO ALL’ITALIANA); a Surprise Screening of AMERICAN SNIPER from director Clint Eastwood; a first look at SELMA featuring a conversation with producers Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner; director Ava DuVernay and actor David Oyelowo following a standing room only screening of the film in its entirety; The Hollywood Reporter’s Indie Contenders Roundtable moderated by columnist and blogger Scott Feinberg featuring panelists director/writer J.C. Chandor (A MOST VIOLENT YEAR); director/writer Damien Chazelle (WHIPLASH); actress Marion Cotillard (TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT); actor Jake Gyllenhaal (NIGHTCRAWLER); actor Bill Hader (THE SKELETON TWINS); actress Michelle Monaghan (FORT BLISS); actress Kristen Stewart (STILL ALICE); and actress Tilda Swinton (SNOWPIERCER); an engaging conversation On Acting with actors Michael Keaton and Edward Norton co-stars in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s current release, BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE); a Conversation on Cinematography with Roger Deakins (UNBROKEN, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, SKYFALL) legendary cinematographer and 11-time Oscar® nominee, Deakins shared his wisdom and expertise in a discussion about the art of cinematography; a special presentation by Paul Thomas Anderson of the underground cult classic documentary MONDO HOLLYWOOD which was listed by the critically acclaimed director as a chief inspiration and influence on his latest film, INHERENT VICE, an AFI FEST Gala presentation; and the Los Angeles Times’ Young Hollywood Roundtable featuring Joey King (FARGO, TV Series), Logan Lerman (THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER), Jena Malone (THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY) and Jenny Slate (OBVIOUS CHILD) participated in a lively discussion with the Times’ Amy Kaufman on life in the industry and being thrust into the limelight.

Several international filmmakers and cast members were in attendance, including Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, the directors of Belgium’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (DEUX JOURS, UNE NUIT) with star Marion Cotillard; Xavier Dolan, the director of MOMMY, Canada’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission; Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, the directors of THE SALT OF THE EARTH; Bertrand Bonello, the director of France’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission SAINT LAURENT with star Gaspard Ulliel; Paolo Virzì, the director of HUMAN CAPITAL (IL CAPITALE UMANO); Italy’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission; Shlomi Elkabetz, the director of GETT, THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM, Israel’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission; Ukrainian director Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, director of The Tribe (Pleyma), along with the film’s star Yana Novikova; director Shim Sung-bo, the director of Korea’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission HAEMOO, Andrey Zvyagintsev, the director of Russia’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission; Damián Szifrón, director of Argentina’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission WILD TALES; Viggo Mortensen, the star of JAUJA; Timothy Spall, who won the Best Actor award at Cannes for his performance in MR. TURNER; French director Mia Hansen-Løve with EDEN, along with cast member Félix De Givry, Abderrahmane Sissako, the director of TIMBUKTU, Mauritania’s official Foreign Language Film Oscar® submission, Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS; Marc Zinga, star of Toronto’s Discovery Prize winner MAY ALLAH BLESS FRANCE! (QU’ALLAH BENISSE LA FRANCE!); and Karidja Touré, the star of GIRLHOOD (BANDE DE FILLES).

For the sixth consecutive year, AFI FEST offered free tickets to all screenings. Tickets for today’s screenings are available in-person at the AFI FEST AT&T Box Office at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

Film stills are available for press use only and can be downloaded at: http://afifestpress.afi.com

For the 11th year, Audi is the festival’s presenting sponsor. Additional top sponsors include AT&T, Coca-Cola, VIZIO, American Airlines (the official airline of AFI), Dunkin’ Donuts, Netflix and Stella Artois. The festival’s venue sponsors include the Dolby Theatre, the TCL Chinese Theatres, the Hollywood & Highland Center, the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and the Egyptian Theatre.

About the American Film Institute
AFI is America’s promise to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers.  AFI programs include the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and AFI Archive, which preserve film heritage for future generations; the AFI Life Achievement Award, the highest honor for a career in film; AFI Awards, honoring the most outstanding motion pictures and television programs of the year; AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies television events and movie reference lists, which have introduced and reintroduced classic American movies to millions of film lovers; year-round and special event exhibition through AFI FEST presented by Audi, AFI DOCS and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center; and educating the next generation of storytellers at the world-renowned AFI Conservatory. For more information about AFI, visit AFI.com or connect with AFI at twitter.com/AmericanFilm, facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute and youtube.com/AFI.

About AFI FEST presented by Audi
A program of the American Film Institute, AFI FEST presented by Audi is a celebration of global cinema and today’s Hollywood – a showcase for the best festival films of the year and an opportunity for master filmmakers and emerging artists to come together with audiences in the movie capital of the world. AFI FEST is the only festival of its stature that is free to the public. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for both Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®. This year’s edition takes place November 6-13, 2014. Additional information about AFI FEST is available at AFI.com/AFIFEST. Connect with AFI FEST at facebook.com/AFIFEST, twitter.com/AFIFEST and youtube.com/AFIFEST.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. Audi was a top-performing luxury brand in Europe during 2012, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Through 2016, AUDI AG will invest about $17 billion on new products and technologies. Visit audiusa.com or audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.
Be Sociable, Share!

Posted in Movie City News, Press Releases | Comments Off on AFI FEST 2014 ANNOUNCES JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARD-WINNING FILMS

Comments are closed.

Quote Unquotesee all »

It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon