"In his last few movies, from 'Breaking the Waves' to 'Dogville,' the Danish director Lars von Trier has made a specialty of depicting, and also perhaps engaging in, the sadistic abuse of defenseless, good-hearted women. 'The Five Obstructions,' which opens today at Film Forum, is both an antidote to these spectacles of abjection and a variation on their themes of cruelty and domination. A.O. Scott reports in the New York Times.

"Yuuya Yagira, winner of the best actor prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival, missed the awards ceremony because he had more pressing business: exams at his junior high school in Tokyo," the Associated Press reports.

"Mario Van Peebles (news) isn't afraid to show the bad along with the good in 'Baadasssss!', his loving, warts-and-all depiction of the struggles his father endured in making the seminal 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song,'" Christy Lemire writes for A.P.

Tickets are now available for FirstGlance 7, Philadelphia's independent and underground film festival. Over one-third of the Festival's 32 official selections are locally produced and over half are world or Philadelpia premieres. $20,000 will be awarded based on audience voting. More information can be found here.

Pacific Cinémathèque in Vancouver will host an 11-film retrospective of Jean Cocteau's films from June 5-16. All of his feature films will be screened including "The Blood of a Poet," his adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast," "Orphée," and "The Eagle With Two Heads." For more information and film summaries visit the Pacific Cinematheque website.

South by Southwest will host "A Conversation with Shane Carruth" on Saturday, June 5, at the Dallas Convention Center. Carruth is the winner of the 2004 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, for his feature film "Primer." The Dallas-based production was picked up for distribution by ThinkFilm and will be released in theaters in the fall. The panel will be part of the Southwest Arts, Film, and Television (SWAFT) Conference and Expo to be held June 4-6 in Dallas, Texas. For more information visit the SXSW site.

VisionFest 2004 has officially announced the partial line-up for its fourth annual film festival, which runs from June 23-27 at the Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Film Center on the NYU campus in Manhattan. The festival kicks off with the sci-fi epic "Able Edwards" executive-produced by Steven Soderbergh. Mark Wahlberg and Kathy Bates are amongst the executive producers of other festival entries. See the VF04 site for more information.

Screenplay submissions for the Cinequest Film Festival, held in San Jose, CA, from March 2-13, are now being accepted for the Cinequest 15 Screenwriting Competition. The deadline is October 1, 2004. Ten finalists will be announced on December 1, 2004. They will have 14 days to re-submit their screenplay with any corrections and improvements and then go onto the final round of competition. The top three winners will be announced and given cash prizes on opening night. For more information see their web site.

The Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers presents Filmmakers Journey, a two-part workshop intended to examine and understand how accomplished, narrative filmmakers have maintained their independence throughout the production process, and how they have been able to present their work to their intended audiences.

The Rhode Island International Film Festival is now accepting shorts, features, animated films and documentaries for its 2004 lineup. RIIFF is the largest films festival in New England and is a qualifier in the Short Films Award Category for the Oscars and also nominating best composer and musical score for the Grammys. Last year, the festival had 25 world premieres with films from 45 countries and 32 states. The festival will be held August 10-15. Deadline for submissions is June 1. More information can be found here.

NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness seeks entries for its third annual competition. In the first round, teams have two weeks to write, develop, and submit a short film from anywhere in the world. Twentyfour finalists will receive $1,000 and then come to New York City to compete in the final round held October 7-8. The grand prize winner will win $10,000. An early rate of $75 per team is available for entries received before July 2. All other entries are $100 per team and must be received by July 29. There is also a new screenplay competition this year. See their site for more information.

The Austin Film Society has increased funds awarded to Texas filmmakers through the Texas Filmmakers's Production Fund to $75,000 this year, an increase of $10,000 over 2003. Also, applicants may now apply for up to $15,000 cash (compared to the $5,000 max awarded in the past). Applications must be submitted no later than July 1, 2004. Winners are selected by a national panel of film professionals during a three-day panel session in August. Awards are announced and distributed in September. See the AFS site for more information.

The Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, the largest short film festival in the world, seeks submissions for shorts under 40 minutes and long shorts ranging from 40 - 60 minutes. Feature length works by directors who have previously completed a short film during their career are also being accepted. Works must have been completed after January 1, 2003. The final extended deadline is June 17. See their site for additional information.

The Montreal New Cinema New Media Festival is currently seeking features, documentaries, shorts, and new media works for its 33rd edition, which will be in Montreal, Canada from October 14 - 24. All formats and genres are accepted. The deadline for entries is June 15, 2004. See their site for regulations and an online entry form.

"Why has the daughter of two screen icons made a film about an obscure TV channel? Xan Cassavetes talks to Andrew Pulver." The Guardian reports.

"Thailand made its debut in the Cannes film festival competition Tuesday but the surreal jungle allegory 'Tropical Malady' left critics bemused," Paul Majendie reports in Reuters

The 40th Annual Chicago International Film Festival is now accepting submissions. Competitive categories include: Feature Film, Short Narrative, Experimental Short, Animated Short, Feature Length Documentary and Documentary Short. Additional student-based categories this year also include Student Narrative, Student Experimental, Student Animation and Student Documentary. Accepted films may be eligible for monetary awards and for the festival's highest honor, the Gold Hugo. Deadline for entries is July 30, 2004. More information can be found here.

HBO and the New York International Latino Film Festival are now accepting scripts and applications for their Latino Filmmaker Competition. Winner will receive $15,000 to produce and direct their original short film narrative. Film will premiere opening night this summer at the 2004 New York International Latino Film Festival in July. Submissions are due by May 31, 2004. More information can be found here.

Independent Lens is looking for submissions of completed films for their October 2005-June 2006 season. Independent Lens is a television series, curated by PBS and the Independent Television Service, featuring independent films and documentaries ranging from history to drama to animation to shorts to social-issue subjects. Deadline for submission is September 10th, 2004. Further information and a downloadable submissions form can be obtained here.

The American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, New York is having a preview screening of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's documentary "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" on Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 for museum members and $18 for the general public. Go to their site for more information.

The Tinkering Film Series runs from July 3 to August 22 at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. The films document everything from a french fry collection to the demise of an old red truck. Go to their site for more information.

The 2nd Annual Global Peace Film Festival in Orlando, Florida (November 16 - 21) is seeking narrative feature films, feature length documentaries, and short films (narrative and documentary) on the issues of: global peace; conflict resolution; peace activism; environmental peace; providing safe environments for children and families; community mediation; and socio-economic peace. The festival will also present a special section for films by young filmmakers, under 21 years of age. Submissions must be postmarked by August 9, 2004. See their site for more information.

The 6th Annual Waterfront Film Festival will be held June 10-13 in Saugatuck, Michigan. This year’s program includes nine feature films from the Sundance Film Festival, along with midwest premieres of sixteen more films. Stacy Peralta's surfing doc "Riding Giants" and pro-bowling documentary "A League of Ordinary Gentleman" are among the many offerings. A full schedule of films will be available on the festival website after May 14.

The final deadline for the 8th annual RESFEST is May 14, 2004. The festival will kick off in New York this fall and will tour worldwide to over 20 cities across six continents. RESFEST showcases work in all genres and visual forms, shot or created in any format. For more information on the festival and submission guidelines please visit their site.

The third annual NYC Midnight Movie Making Madness, a 24-hour film festival, will take place October 6-10 in New York City. A qualifying round will be held from July 31-August 14, in which contestants have two weeks to develop a film in a location of their choice. For the filmmaking competition, a special early rate of $75 per team is available for entries received before July 2. All other entries are $100 per team and must be received by July 29. Visit their site for more information.

CineWomen NY presents "The Hero's Journey: Screenwriting Basics," a two-evening workshop with story editor and creative consultant Maureen A. Nolan. The workshop is co-sponsored by AIVF (Association of Independent Video & Filmmakers) and will be held May 24th and 25th from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at their Manhattan location. Participants in the two-evening workshop will learn the basics of screenwriting - character, plot, structure, the dynamics of dramatic action, etc. - using the "protagonist's journey" pattern as a guide. Early registration (by May 17) is $70 for CWNY/AIVF/NYWIFT members and $115 for the general public. See the CineWomen site for more information.

The new deadline for the 14th Cinevue International Film Competition is May 30th. Send your entry on VHS or DVD, a check for $30 for the entry fee made out to Cinevue, and a very short synopsis to: Cinevue, 108 Carraway St., Palatka, Florida, 32177-1150. For more information check out their site.

Jim McKay's "Everyday People" (2004) will be screened for free at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Rose Cinemas on May 31st at 6:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. The first screening will be followed by a Q&A with writer and director Jim McKay and executive producer Nelson George in the BAM café. See their website for more information.

The eighth year of the Rooftop Films 2004 Summer Series in New York begins with a screening of several short films on June 18th and runs every Friday night until the end of the summer. Half of the screenings will be at the Old American Can Factory in Gowanus, Brooklyn, and other shows will be at the River Project at Pier 26 on the Hudson River in Manhattan. See the full schedule and location list at their website.

Perspectives 2004: An International Film Festival and Forum Promoting Understanding and Inclusion of People with Developmental Disabilities will take place June 4 - 6 at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. The festival is sponsored by the American Film Institute and Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center and will showcase feature films and documentaries that depict the lives of people with developmental disabilities. "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962) and "Slingblade" (1996) will be run, as well as more recent films, like "AfterLife" (2003), winner of the Audience Award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Go to the AFI site for more information.

Thirteen works from four countries, which represent and interpret the vibrant nuances of spring, will be featured at Microcinema's Independent Exposure's May Flowers 2004 Edition in San Francisco on Monday, May 24th at 8 p.m. and Friday, May 27th at 8 p.m. The series of short films will also be shown in Houston, TX, Portland, OR, and Colorado Springs, CO, during the month of May. Visit the Microcinema site for more information.

Inside Out, the 14th Annual Toronto Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival, runs from May 20 - 30 in Toronto. 273 films and videos, 85 programs featuring shorts, documentaries and feature films, 114 Canadian works, and films from 31 countries are among the diverse offerings. Go to their site for more information.

Applications are now available for entry in the 2004 Telluride Film Festival, Labor Day Weekend, Friday September 3 through Monday September 6. Entry in the Festival is open to professional and nonprofessional filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines; documentary, narrative, animation, experimental, etc. Features and shorts, of all styles and lengths are eligible for consideration, provided that they are new works and will remain unseen by the public until the current Labor Day weekend. Selected short films will play either with a feature or as part of three specially selected programs of “Student Prints,” “Great Expectations,” and “Calling Cards” featuring works by emerging artists. Go to their site for more details

The Brooklyn Academy of Music presents "Living in Dreams: Films of Wong Kar-Wai," a series featuring 10 films of the praised director, writer, and producer. The series runs from May 14 - 23. "Buenos Aires Zero Degrees" (1999), a documentary of the shooting of Kar-Wai's film "Happy Together" (1997), will have its New York premiere on the 20th. Visit the BAM site for more information.