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Category: Hollywood

  • Eight city-based artists shortlisted for the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund

    Eight city-based artists shortlisted for the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund

    NEW DELHI: Eight projects have been selected by the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund with a total of $100,000 in grants to eight digital media artists’ projects from the city in amounts ranging from $3,500 to $19,000.

     

    Grants from the Chicago Digital Media Production Fund support independent film and video projects intended to raise awareness about current social issues. These projects are scheduled to be available for free online viewing by 15 May 2016. Now in their fourth year, the funding is done by Voqal Fund and Chicago Filmmakers.

     

    “The Production Fund allows us to support artists who are creating work with the intention of sparking meaningful conversations around social change,” said Brenda Webb, Chicago Filmmakers’ executive director.

     

    “The projects of the eight media artists receiving grants exhibit a range of compelling ideas. They include a narrative web series that tells unapologetically authentic stories through characters who are as diverse as they are genuine; a documentary web series that examines the historical to present day occurrences of police violence in Chicago; a four-part docu-series that explores the consequences of industrialization and urbanization on the environment and community of Wolf Lake, Illinois; an experimental documentary portrait piece highlighting real working women in Chicago and their ability to “make things move”; a video-based online instructional tool that helps sighted students gain a more nuanced understanding of people with visual impairments; a docu-series that asks key questions revolving around civil liberties in the United States; the second season of a previously funded cartoon web series that cleverly tackles issues like racism, gender, religion, feminism, and LGBTQ equality via humanoid food characters; and a narrative short that uses a non-linear style to tell the story of a young teen who will do anything to get his hands on the latest must-have pair of basketball shoes, despite dangerous, or even fatal, consequences.”

     

    The Chicago Digital Media Production Fund is a project of Voqal Fund and is administered by Chicago Filmmakers. The Production Fund is intended to support digital media works that encourage social change and requires that all works funded are available for free online viewing upon completion in order to reach the widest possible audience. The fund supports artists with varying levels of experience, both to recognize accomplished individuals, as well as to provide opportunities for young and emerging artists.

  • American film wins top award at Karlovy Vary, Czech actress Iva Janžurová gets special honour

    American film wins top award at Karlovy Vary, Czech actress Iva Janžurová gets special honour

    NEW DELHI: American feature film Bob and the Trees, where the main character, logger and rap fan Bob Tarasuk plays himself, was awarded with the Crystal Globe at the 50th anniversary Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

     

    Tarasuk accepted the Festival Grand Prix in person, together with director Diego Ongaro who said, “We had virtually no money to shoot the film so I had to invest my and my wife’s money.” He said he had still not found a distributor.

     

    Tarasuk added, “My grandmother was Czech and my grandfather Ukrainian so I dedicate this award to them.”

     

    Popular actress Iva Janžurová was awarded with The Festival President’s Award, an Honorary Mention for her fundamental contribution to the Czech cinematography. “I promise that this award will not mean the end of my acting career,” noted the actress. Czech actor Alena Mihulová received the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a dedicated nurse in Slávek Horák’s debut Home Care and her compatriot Kryštof Hádek received the Best Actor Award as the problematic younger brother in the drama The Snake Brothers directed by Jan Prušinovský.

     

    The Special Jury Prize was granted to Austrian director Peter Brunner for the film Those Who Fall Have Wings, a drama on coming to terms with the death of a loved one. Kosovan Visar Morina received the Best Director Award for his film Babai, a story about a small boy setting off on a journey to find his father. The jury also awarded two Special Mentions to animated biography The Magic Mountain directed by Anca Damian, and the drama Antonia, a tragic story of the Italian poet.

     

    The prize for the best film of the East of the West Competition was awarded to social drama The Wednesday Child by the Hungarian director Lili Horváth, a tale of a young girl who wants to secure better circumstances for her child. A Special Mention was awarded to Romanian film The World Is Mine.

     

    The Grand Prix for Best Documentary Film went toHelena Treštíková for her latest long-term documentary Mallory. The jury also awarded a Special Mention to Austrian film The Father Tapes. The prize for the best documentary film up to 30 minutes in length was awarded to White Death, a story of a Chilean military company trapped in the snow told using a variety of formats and animation techniques. The Special Mention in this category was granted to Women in Sink, a visit to an Israeli beauty salon. The Forum of Independents Award went to American transgender comedy Tangerine, shot by director Sean Baker on an iPhone 5.

  • Mel Gibson hops on as art director on World War II movie

    Mel Gibson hops on as art director on World War II movie

    MUMBAI: Actor and filmmaker Mel Gibson has joined the crew of 3D war movie The Bombing.Speaking at a press conference at the movie’s Xiangshan production base, Gibson announced his new role as art director of the $65 million star-studded movie, which features more than 30 renowned actors and actresses including Bruce Willis.

     

    Known to Chinese audiences for his role in Braveheart, Oscar-winning director and actor Gibson was invited to join the production of The Bombing by Chinese producer and director Dr. Shi Jianxiang, who is also the founder and CEO of Shanghai Kuailu Investment Group.

     

    “Mel is interested in what happened during that period of time, and provided relevant suggestions on how to make the movie. He is very insightful.” said Dr. Shi.

     

    It has been twenty years since Gibson’s last visit to China, and he spoke highly of the project at hand. “I have seen so many changes in China. The Bombing has an excellent world-class team with outstanding producers, directors, cast and crew. Our crew is marvelous, modest but enthusiastic. It has been a very interesting experience filming this movie. We share similar objectives no matter who we are, actors or directors. So I am grateful to have such opportunities to express my thought no matter how much I have contributed to the movie.”

     

    The Bombing is based on the bombing of Chongqing by the Japanese air force in World War, and portrays the hardship suffered by Chinese people at that time. Of all the major air raids throughout WWII, the bombing of Chongqing is the only one that has not been featured on screen.

     

    Dr. Shi stated that his reason for making the film is to demonstrate China’s national spirit against fascism, saying, “I hope audiences around the world can appreciate the cruelty of war and our courage, determination and capability to fight against it. China needs such movies that deliver hope and spirit.”

     

    Dr. Shi further explained that he invested the movie to mark the 70th anniversary of the Allied victory over fascism in memory of that miserable period of time in Chinese history. “We cannot forget what happened in the past. History made us what we are today,” he emphasized.

     

    His thoughts are echoed by director Xiao Feng’s expectations. “We chose a charismatic cast and crew in order to encourage more youngsters to remember history,” he said.

     

    Therefore despite the tremendous cast including Bruce Willis and Liu Ye, behind-the-scenes productions have been a focus as well. Oscar-winners Vilmos Zsigmond and Ronald Bass were invited to join the production as photography consultant and screenplay consultant respectively. Also, sound effects and 3D special effects will be produced by multiple top teams.

     

    Dr. Shi was optimistic about box office ratings of The Bombing and believes the movie can attract international audiences for its good quality. He also suggested that he has had other co-production movies ongoing currently and hopes that the cooperation between Hollywood and the Chinese movie industry could bring a brighter future to the domain.

  • Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to have own museum in Los Angeles

    Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to have own museum in Los Angeles

    NEW DELHI: Plans for the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles have been approved unanimously by the City Council.

     

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which has been giving away the Oscar Awards since 1929 announced that construction will begin this summer, and ceremonial groundbreaking festivities will occur this fall.

     

    “I am thrilled that Los Angeles is gaining another architectural and cultural icon,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti. “My office of economic development has worked directly with the museum’s development team to ensure that the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will create jobs, support tourism, and pay homage to the industry that helped define our identity as the creative capital of the world.”

     

    “We are grateful to our incredible community of supporters who have helped make this museum a reality,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “Building this museum has been an Academy goal for many years and we wouldn’t be here today without our neighbors on Museum Row, our Board of Governors, our current and past Academy Presidents, members, and of course, our generous donors.”

     

    “I could not think of a better home for the Academy Museum than Museum Row. The museum will be an iconic addition to our city and will inspire generations to come,” said Council member Tom LaBonge, during the final days of his 14 years representing Council District 4, which includes the Academy Museum site on the Miracle Mile.

     

    Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, the Academy Museum will restore and revitalize the historic Wilshire May Company building at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.

     

    The Academy Museum will feature six floors of exhibition spaces, a movie theatre, education studios, special event spaces, conservation areas, and a café and store. A new spherical addition will connect to the May Company building with glass bridges and will feature a state-of-the-art 1,000-seat theater and a rooftop terrace.

     

    “Renzo’s design embodies the museum’s mission: Just as it links the past and present by connecting the May Company building with the new sphere, our exhibitions and programmes will explore the history and future of cinema,” said Kerry Brougher, the Academy Museum’s director. “Our museum will, for the first time, open up the western edge of the campus to the surrounding community, inviting our neighbors onto an open public piazza. Renzo’s sensitivity to location and urbanism will transform this site and make it a gathering place in Los Angeles.”

     

    The main lobby level of the museum will feature public areas including a free introductory gallery. The lobby will connect to the outdoor public piazza and a new pedestrian walkway. The museum also will have a main entrance on Wilshire Boulevard, facilitating easy access for pedestrians and mass transit riders.

     

    “The museum will be the year-round public face of the Academy,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “We will draw on the immense talents of our members to tell the story of motion pictures from a global perspective, for a global audience.”

     

    The Academy Museum’s architectural team comprises Renzo Piano Building Workshop, design architect, in collaboration with Gensler as executive architect. Morley Builders and Taslimi Construction Company are the general contractors, and the building developer is Paratus Group. The museum is scheduled to open in late 2017.

     

    The Academy Museum will feature a core historical exhibition and rotating temporary exhibitions, complemented by special projects, publications, digital initiatives and a slate of public programs that will include screenings, premieres, panel discussions, gallery talks and K–12 education initiatives. The Museum’s exhibitions and programs will convey the magic of cinema and offer a glimpse behind the screen, illuminating the creative, collaborative process of filmmaking.

     

    The Academy launched the Museum’s $300 million capital campaign in 2012, chaired by Bob Iger and co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks. The Academy has already secured more than $250 million in pledges from more than 1,300 individual donors globally. 

  • Film Federation of India invites entries for Oscar 2016

    Film Federation of India invites entries for Oscar 2016

    NEW DELHI: The Film Federation of India today invited entries for shortlisting India’s entry to the Oscars 2016.

     

    In a press release issued in Mumbai, the FFI said it had once again been entrusted with the responsibility of selecting India’s representative film in the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category at the Academy Awards.

     

    Two of the important criterions are that the film should be commercially released in a theatre within the eligibility period of 1 October 2014 and 30 September 2015 and that it should have a minimum run of seven consecutive days.

     

    Thus, films up for release till 25 September (the last Friday) will be eligible.

     

    Interested production houses are requested to contact FFI on filmfed52@gmail.com or call on 022-23515531 for related submission details. 

  • Horror thriller ‘Vatican Tapes’ to release in India on 31 July

    Horror thriller ‘Vatican Tapes’ to release in India on 31 July

    MUMBAI: Horror-thriller flick, The Vatican Tapes is all set to hit theaters across India on 31 July, 2015. The film is being released in India by Multivision Multimedia. The movie features Djimon Hounsou (Blood Diamond fame), Dougray Scott (Mission Impossible 2 and American Hustle) and Michael Pena (Fury, American Hustle). Kathleen Robertson, established television actress in the US will be seen as the leading lady in Vatican Tapes.

     

    The Vatican Tapes is about the ultimate battle between good and evil- God versus Satan. When a priest (Michael Pe?a) is called upon to exorcize a powerful satanic force he meets with an evil much more powerful than ever imagined. He enters a battle not only for a woman’s soul, but also the fate of the world. The film is an edge of the seat thriller that promises chill down the spine. 

     

    Hollywood horror films have left an imprint on the Indian box office for a very long time. The genre has matured and evolved over time. This year, two of the biggest horror films from Hollywood that made it to Indian screens were Insidious: Chapter 3, currently running to full houses and Poltergeist that grossed over $2 million in the first three days of release in India.

     

    Some other films such as Conjuring and Anabella have also fared extremely well in India, keeping up to its international success. Alongside action and franchise driven cinema, horror is the third strongest contender from Hollywood in India.

     

    Multivision Multimedia distribution head Sunil Udhani said, “Horror has always been a favourite among Indian audiences. While the trend is on the upswing here in Bollywood, the market for movies like Vatican Tapes is ever expanding. We have already seen a couple of success stories from the genre with this year. Horror is a unique genre in Hollywood that is not star dependent on stars; on top of that Vatican Tapes boasts of an illustrious star cast such as Djimon Hounsou and Dougray Scott. We are sure The Vatican Tapes will continue in the tradition of box office success.”

  • Pakistani film ‘Bin Roye’ to release in close to 100 screens in India

    Pakistani film ‘Bin Roye’ to release in close to 100 screens in India

    MUMBAI: Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees heroine, Mahira Khan is ready to take on the box office this Eid.

     

    One of the most anticipated Pakistani feature film Bin Roye is all set to release in India on 17 July in approximately 75- 100 screens. It is being distributed by B4U.

     

    Mahira Khan has already made a mark in the audience’s heart after the ground breaking success of her drama serial Humsafar in India.

     

    The movie also stars Armeena Rana Khan and the evergreen Humayun Saeed in lead roles. Bin Roye, a Shahzad Kashmiri and Momina Duraid directorial, is a saga of obsession in love that develops jealousy and rivalry between two girls for one perfect match. It is a story that can be best described as a tragic beauty.

     

    Bin Roye was already shot in Pakistan before Mahira bagged her role for Raees.

  • Dev Patel joins Oscar as new member

    Dev Patel joins Oscar as new member

    MUMBAI: After adding 271 people last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent out invitations to more than 300 people this year to be their new members, including actors Eddie Redmayne, Emma Stone and Dev Patel. The new invitees were from Oscar winners, nominees, and other notable names in the industry.

     

    Eddie Redmayne’s role as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything not only won him the best actor award, but also saved him a member’s place in the Academy. Others include Emma Stone, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her performance in Birdman; rapper Common who grabbed best original song for his Selma soundtrack; and Dev Patel, whose film Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars in 2009.

     

    In the music category, the All Of Me singer, John Legend who collaborated with Common in the Selma theme song Glory has also made it to the list of invitees. Another new member in the music branch is Nine Inch Nails’ vocalist Trent Reznor who scored David Fincher’s Gone Girl.

     

    Other actors in the new list include Elizabeth Banks, Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Tom Hardy, Kevin Hart, Felicity Jones, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Chris Pine, Daniel Radcliffe, Jason Segel and JK Simmons.

     

    The new directors who join this year’s invitees are James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), Justin Lin (Fast and Furious 6), Edgar Wright (The World’s End), and Joe Wright (Anna Karenina).

  • Rod Stewart’s ‘Another Country’ to launch in October

    Rod Stewart’s ‘Another Country’ to launch in October

    MUMBAI: Rod Stewart’s much anticipated new album, Another Country, which is scheduled for release on 23 October via Capitol Records, will continue a prolific new chapter in Stewart’s storied career as one of rock’s most gifted storytellers.

    With his singular voice, narrative songwriting and passionate live performances, Stewart has amassed sales of more than 200 million albums and singles worldwide. Throughout his career, he has bagged 18 Grammy nominations, and in 2007 was bestowed Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of England.

     “I’ve found that the only way to write songs is to be as personal and honest as possible,” said Stewart.

     “When my last album was so well-received it gave me the confidence to keep on writing, and to examine and write about different things. It also gave me the freedom to experiment with different sounds – like reggae, ska and Celtic melodies,” the artist added.

     

    Fans who pre-order the 12-song standard or 17-song deluxe album from digital retailers will instantly receive a download of Stewart’s first single “Love is”, along with an instant download of “In A Broken Dream,” the infamous 1968 Python Lee Jackson song featuring the vocals of a yet unknown Stewart.  The video for “Love is” has been released on 30 June on Vevo and features Stewart and his band jamming on the roof of the iconic Capitol Records building in Hollywood, CA.       

     

    . “It seems like I’ve spent years of my life in a recording studio so being able to record this album at home, where most of the songs were written, felt so much more intimate and inspiring,” said Stewart on his collaboration Kevin Savigar, who co-produced the album and on his tryst with technology. 

  • ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ to release in Indian theatres on 3 July

    ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ to release in Indian theatres on 3 July

    MUMBAI: Anna Kendrick and the rest of the Barden Bellas are back for another musical ride in Pitch Perfect 2. However, one person who didn’t return for the sequel is director Jason Moore with actor Elizabeth Banks deciding to take over the reigns and make her directorial debut with the sequel Pitch Perfect 2.

     

    Banks, who not only acted but also produced the 2012 sleeper hit Pitch Perfect left the lead actress, Academy award nominee Anna Kendrick quite perplexed.

     

    Talking about working with Banks, Kendrick stated, “She’s certainly got better legs than Jason Moore! When I found out Jason wasn’t doing it, I was a little upset because he had created the first movie and helped me create Beca. So for the first couple weeks on Pitch Perfect 2, I kept forgetting he wasn’t there. Since Banks only produced the first one, I would sometimes get confused when she would be directing a scene. It was an adjustment, but I think she did a fantastic job.”

     

    The movie releases in Indian theaters on 3 July, 2015.