Thompson on Hollywood

SXSW 2013 Announces Shorts and Midnight Program, Including 'Lords of Salem,' 'V/H/S/2,' 'Cheap Thrills,' 'Haunter' and "Kiss of the Damned'

Festivals

SXSW announces the lineup for its Midnight and Shorts sections, including Rob Zombie's "Lords of Salem," "V/H/S/2," E. L. Katz's "Cheap Thrills," Vincenzo Natali's "Haunter" and Xan Cassavetes' "Kiss of the Damned." The festival runs March 8-16 in Austin, Texas. The rest of the announced lineup is here. The Midnight section celebrates genre film: dark, sexy, funny and weird. SXSW's Jarod Neece states:

By Sophia Savage
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February 6, 2013 2:58 PM
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Santa Barbara Film Fest: Ten Takeaways from Movers and Shakers Producers Panel, Award Winners

Festivals

As the 28th Santa Barbara International Film festival wrapped 11 days of screenings, panels and awards events on Sunday, SBIFF executive director Roger Durling and programming director Michael Albright announced the fest awards winners at an invitation-only brunch ceremony.

By Justin Lowe
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February 3, 2013 10:44 PM
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Sundance: 'It Felt Like Love' Review and Roundup

Festivals

One of the much-vaunted Sundance slate of movies directed by women, "It Felt Like Love" marks yet another micro-budget hand-held look at an adolescent's coming of age. This one is well-shot in HD by director Eliza Hittman, a Cal Arts grad making her feature debut after screening her short "Untitled" at Sundance, with help from D.P. Sean Porter and rookie teen actress Gina Piersanti, who has a future.

By Anne Thompson
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January 31, 2013 3:47 PM
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Berlinale Announces Retrospective Lineup, Includes Restorations of 'On the Waterfront,' 'Tokyo Story,' 'Dial M for Murder'

Festivals

The Berlin International Film Festival (February 7-17) has announced the titles in its expanded retrospective lineup, Berlinale Classics. The five films on the slate are all restorations, and include Elia Kazan's "On the Waterfront," Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story" and Alfred Hitchcock's 3-D "Dial M for Murder." Full list below.

By Beth Hanna
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January 31, 2013 12:17 PM
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Cinedigm Takes 'Narco Cultura,' Sundance Documentary on Drug Cartels

News

Cinedigm has picked up North America distribution rights to Israeli photographer and filmmaker Shaul Schwarz' documentary "Narco Cultura," which premiered last week at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. The film looks at the influence of drug cartels on pop culture on both sides of the Mexican-American border, through the eyes of an L.A. narcocorrido singer and a Juarez crime scene investigator.

By Beth Hanna
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January 31, 2013 11:35 AM
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Doc Fixer Monroe Explains Writing Three Sundance Films: 'Summit,' 'Sound City,' 'Who is Dayani Cristal?'

Interviews

Mark Monroe came to this year's Sundance Film Festival as the writer of three distinctly different documentaries--"Sound City," "Who is Dayani Cristal?" and "The Summit." The writer of Oscar-winning "The Cove" and this year's Oscar-shortlisted "Chasing Ice" is proving to be a valuable asset.

By Anne Thompson
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January 30, 2013 4:21 PM
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Sundance: 'Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes' Review and Interview (VIDEO)

Reviews

Unfortunately, the characters in Francesca Gregorini's handsome but uninvolving "Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes" don't talk or behave like real people.

By Nora Chute
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January 30, 2013 12:14 PM
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Miami Film Fest Announces Lineup for 30th Edition, Bookended by Docs 'Twenty Feet from Stardom' and 'Venus and Serena'

Festivals

The lineup for the 30th Miami International Film Festival, running March 1-10, has been announced. Presented by Miami Dade College, the festival will feature 117 features and 12 shorts from some 41 countries. "Twenty Feet From Stardom," which recently opened the Sundance Film Festival...

By Sophia Savage
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January 29, 2013 4:09 PM
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San Francisco Film Society Boasts Four Award-Winning Films at Sundance 2013

Festivals

The San Francisco Film Society had a good year at the Sundance Film Festival. Four of the films that received significant funding from the society's Filmmaker360 program went on to win awards at the fest, including Dramatic Grand Jury prize winner "Fruitvale" by Ryan Coogler.

By Beth Hanna
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January 29, 2013 12:05 PM
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'Jobs' Sundance Review Round-Up: Ashton Kutcher Nearly Pulls Off Steve Jobs Impersonation (VIDEO)

Reviews

"jOBs", directed by Joshua Michael Stern, is a straight-forward biopic, following the visionary's journey from hippie college dropout to ruthless technology czar. The movie, which closed the Sundance Festival on Friday, features Ashton Kutcher as the Apple genius - a role he acknowledged was a big risk for him. At the premiere, Kutcher said: “I knew I was throwing myself into a gauntlet of criticism, and this became the most terrifying thing I have done in my life.” Many critics think that he deserves lampooning, but others praise the natural physicality he brings to the role.