The always-idiosyncratic Film Independent Spirit Awards juries are not in the awards-season business. While other entities may take pride in how their selections mirror Oscar nominations down the line, the Spirits have a different agenda. It gives credit where it thinks it’s due, and raises awareness for many low-budget independent titles. If that happens to help your Oscar game, so much the better.
Read More: Save the Dates: Here’s the 2017-2018 Awards Calendar
No need to worry about Spirit top dogs “Call Me By Your Name” (six nods, Sony Pictures Classics), “Get Out” (five nods, Blumhouse/Universal), and “Lady Bird” (four nods, A24) which are well on their way to Oscar recognition and dominated the Indie Spirit field with multiple nominations including the crucial Best Feature.
A24 blazed with an astounding 17 nominations over eight features: “Lady Bird” and “Good Time” took four including Feature, “The Florida Project” and...
Read More: Save the Dates: Here’s the 2017-2018 Awards Calendar
No need to worry about Spirit top dogs “Call Me By Your Name” (six nods, Sony Pictures Classics), “Get Out” (five nods, Blumhouse/Universal), and “Lady Bird” (four nods, A24) which are well on their way to Oscar recognition and dominated the Indie Spirit field with multiple nominations including the crucial Best Feature.
A24 blazed with an astounding 17 nominations over eight features: “Lady Bird” and “Good Time” took four including Feature, “The Florida Project” and...
- 11/21/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The always-idiosyncratic Film Independent Spirit Awards juries are not in the awards-season business. While other entities may take pride in how their selections mirror Oscar nominations down the line, the Spirits have a different agenda. It gives credit where it thinks it’s due, and raises awareness for many low-budget independent titles. If that happens to help your Oscar game, so much the better.
Read More: Save the Dates: Here’s the 2017-2018 Awards Calendar
No need to worry about Spirit top dogs “Call Me By Your Name” (six nods, Sony Pictures Classics), “Get Out” (five nods, Blumhouse/Universal), and “Lady Bird” (four nods, A24) which are well on their way to Oscar recognition and dominated the Indie Spirit field with multiple nominations including the crucial Best Feature.
A24 blazed with an astounding 17 nominations over eight features: “Lady Bird” and “Good Time” took four including Feature, “The Florida Project” and...
Read More: Save the Dates: Here’s the 2017-2018 Awards Calendar
No need to worry about Spirit top dogs “Call Me By Your Name” (six nods, Sony Pictures Classics), “Get Out” (five nods, Blumhouse/Universal), and “Lady Bird” (four nods, A24) which are well on their way to Oscar recognition and dominated the Indie Spirit field with multiple nominations including the crucial Best Feature.
A24 blazed with an astounding 17 nominations over eight features: “Lady Bird” and “Good Time” took four including Feature, “The Florida Project” and...
- 11/21/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Motherland (Bayang Ina Mo) Director: Ramona S. Diaz Cast: Lea Lumanog Lerma Coronel Aira Joy Jubilo, Dr. Ruben Flores, Dr Esmeralda T. Illem, Jhon Brayan Busalpa, Myriam Pelareja, Josephine Leybag, Elmer Bongo, Angel Jouy Carandang. Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 9/3/17 Opens: September 8, 2017 The rich have money and the poor have babies. It’s […]
The post Motherland Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Motherland Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 9/8/2017
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Mubi has acquired the U.S., U.K. and Ireland rights to Philippe Garrel’s “Lover for a Day” (“L’Amant d’un jour”), which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Sacd prize from the French Writers and Directors Guild, shared with Claire Denis’ “Let the Sunshine In.”...
– Mubi has acquired the U.S., U.K. and Ireland rights to Philippe Garrel’s “Lover for a Day” (“L’Amant d’un jour”), which premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Sacd prize from the French Writers and Directors Guild, shared with Claire Denis’ “Let the Sunshine In.”...
- 6/2/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Motherland premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and screened at the 2017 Berlinale.
Brooklyn-based film and TV distributor FilmRise has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to Ramona S. Diaz’s documentary Motherland from London-based sales and distribution company Dogwoof.
FilmRise plans a theatrical release for this summer via The Film Collaborative, while it will have its television premiere on PBS’s Pov series this autumn.
Motherland takes place in one of the world’s largest and busiest maternity hospitals in the Philippines. Diaz follows three women as they navigate through the severe conditions of giving birth there, from jam-packed delivery rooms to overflowing corridors where babies are misplaced and then found.
The documentary had its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where Diaz won the world cinema documentary special jury award for commanding vision. The film went on to screen at the 2017 Berlinale in the specialty Forum section.
The film will also be available to stream...
Brooklyn-based film and TV distributor FilmRise has acquired exclusive North American distribution rights to Ramona S. Diaz’s documentary Motherland from London-based sales and distribution company Dogwoof.
FilmRise plans a theatrical release for this summer via The Film Collaborative, while it will have its television premiere on PBS’s Pov series this autumn.
Motherland takes place in one of the world’s largest and busiest maternity hospitals in the Philippines. Diaz follows three women as they navigate through the severe conditions of giving birth there, from jam-packed delivery rooms to overflowing corridors where babies are misplaced and then found.
The documentary had its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, where Diaz won the world cinema documentary special jury award for commanding vision. The film went on to screen at the 2017 Berlinale in the specialty Forum section.
The film will also be available to stream...
- 5/30/2017
- ScreenDaily
Motherland, the documentary that won the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival this year, has been acquired by FilmRise. The deal for North American distribution rights to Ramona S. Diaz's film will mean a summer theatrical release via The Film Collaborative ahead of its fall premiere on PBS’ Pov. Motherland is set at one of the world's largest and busiest maternity hospitals in the Philippines. Diaz follows three women as they navigate…...
- 5/30/2017
- Deadline
Although there’s no shortage of regional film festivals throughout the year, few — if any — are better curated than the Maryland Film Festival. With a slate organized by Director of Programming Eric Allen Hatch, the downtown Baltimore festival, which takes place from May 3-7, offers the finest in independent and international cinema of the past year, as well as some of our most-anticipated world premieres.
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
Now in its 19th year, we’re pleased to debut the full line-up for the 6-screen festival, and can exclusively reveal that Brett Haley‘s The Hero (one of our favorite films from Sundance) will be the Closing Night film. World premiering at the festival is Stephen Cone‘s Princess Cyd, his follow-up to one of last year’s finest films, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, along with Josh Crockett‘s Dr. Brinks & Dr. Brinks.
We can also exclusively reveal the Opening Night Shorts — 5 short...
- 4/21/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Sundance is over and the prizes are won. People have dispersed to their homes and the realities that await them there.
This was a Sundance like no other I can remember, and I have attended every single one since 1986! The cold was extreme; and the political engagement and disgust was extreme. Not only did we have the Inauguration the first day, but the Women’s March the second day had probably 6,000 people marching and on that day the first of many deplorable executive orders (this one against women of the world and their control over their own bodies) began flying off the desk of our current president, who has continued to issue at least one every day, each one more despicable than the previous. Politics and women took center stage.
Chelsea Handler leads the women’s march in Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The Sundance slant...
This was a Sundance like no other I can remember, and I have attended every single one since 1986! The cold was extreme; and the political engagement and disgust was extreme. Not only did we have the Inauguration the first day, but the Women’s March the second day had probably 6,000 people marching and on that day the first of many deplorable executive orders (this one against women of the world and their control over their own bodies) began flying off the desk of our current president, who has continued to issue at least one every day, each one more despicable than the previous. Politics and women took center stage.
Chelsea Handler leads the women’s march in Park City, Utah. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
The Sundance slant...
- 2/8/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Change may be coming slowly to the entertainment industry, but at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a desire for diversity and inclusion amongst female filmmakers went beyond buzzwords.
Thirty-four percent of all films that screened at Sundance this year were directed by women – in years past, the average has hovered around 25 percent – and female filmmakers were prominent across all sections, with women debuting films in not just the competition sections, but also the forward-thinking Next section, the wild Midnight category (which played home to the long-gestating anthology “Xx,” featuring four shorts directed by women) and even the starry Premieres docket.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
The rise of female-directed films was particularly felt at this year’s awards ceremony as two of the four juried competition directing awards went to women: “Beach Rats” helmer Eliza Hittman picked up the award in the U.
Thirty-four percent of all films that screened at Sundance this year were directed by women – in years past, the average has hovered around 25 percent – and female filmmakers were prominent across all sections, with women debuting films in not just the competition sections, but also the forward-thinking Next section, the wild Midnight category (which played home to the long-gestating anthology “Xx,” featuring four shorts directed by women) and even the starry Premieres docket.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
The rise of female-directed films was particularly felt at this year’s awards ceremony as two of the four juried competition directing awards went to women: “Beach Rats” helmer Eliza Hittman picked up the award in the U.
- 1/30/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Relationships between documentary filmmakers and their subjects must balance access and editorial control, which leaves them walking a line between establishing trust and respecting boundaries. It’s a tricky business.
IndieWire recently asked nonfiction filmmakers behind this year’s Sundance documentary features about the understandings they established with their subjects before they started shooting, and if they considered their stars to be collaborators.
Read More: Fox Searchlight Buys Documentary ‘Step’ For More Than $4 Million — Sundance 2017
Amanda Lipitz “Step” The process started with discussing the idea with the families, especially the mothers of the young women on the step team. We set up a meeting after school one day and all the parents/guardians were invited to attend. I explained my vision of the story, with the emphasis on wanting to tell a positive story about Baltimore, these young women, and what they were trying to accomplish. I absolutely consider them collaborators.
IndieWire recently asked nonfiction filmmakers behind this year’s Sundance documentary features about the understandings they established with their subjects before they started shooting, and if they considered their stars to be collaborators.
Read More: Fox Searchlight Buys Documentary ‘Step’ For More Than $4 Million — Sundance 2017
Amanda Lipitz “Step” The process started with discussing the idea with the families, especially the mothers of the young women on the step team. We set up a meeting after school one day and all the parents/guardians were invited to attend. I explained my vision of the story, with the emphasis on wanting to tell a positive story about Baltimore, these young women, and what they were trying to accomplish. I absolutely consider them collaborators.
- 1/28/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers behind the feature-length narrative and documentary films premiering this week to find out what cameras they used and why they chose them. Here are their responses.
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
Dramatic Competition & Next
Cory Finley, “Thoroughbred”
Arri Alexa Mini. Panavision G-Series lenses.
The Dp, Lyle Vincent, was very particular about getting a hold of both. They gave us flexibility in shooting and helped create the very precise, high-contrast, and slightly dreamy look we were going for.
Gillian Robespierre, “Landline”
Arri Alexa with some vintage lenses
“Landline” takes place in 1990’s Manhattan. My Dp Chris Teague and I talked a lot about what shooting a period movie from a recent period would look and feel like. Unfortunately, we were not able to shoot on film, and added a texture of LiveGrain during color...
- 1/25/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
IndieWire’s Kate Erbland is taking her Girl Talk to Park City to sit down with three female cinematographers behind some of the most visually interesting films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Joining the conversation are DPs Catherine Goldschmidt (“Abstract: The Art of Design and White Riot: London”), Nadia Hallgren (“Motherland”) and Quyen Tran (“Deidra & Laney Rob a Train and The Little Hours”).
Topics that will be covered are breaking into the business, how the the industry is changing for women and how each cinematographer developed her own unique style and put it to work in their Sundance films.
Click here to stream the live discussion at 3:30pm Et (1:30 Mountain Time).
Editor’s Note: This event is part of the Indiewire and Canon U.S.A. partnership at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where we celebrate cinematography at the Canon Creative Studio on Main Street.
Topics that will be covered are breaking into the business, how the the industry is changing for women and how each cinematographer developed her own unique style and put it to work in their Sundance films.
Click here to stream the live discussion at 3:30pm Et (1:30 Mountain Time).
Editor’s Note: This event is part of the Indiewire and Canon U.S.A. partnership at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, where we celebrate cinematography at the Canon Creative Studio on Main Street.
- 1/23/2017
- by Chris O'Falt and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
An immersive, firsthand introduction to the hospital reputed to have the world’s highest birth rate, Motherland not only provides an expressively etched account of specialized medical care, but also a telling perspective on dominant social trends and healthcare policy issues in the Philippines.
Through conversations and interactions among medical staff, patients and family members at Manila’s Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Ramona S. Diaz’s documentary highlights several major issues subjecting many disadvantaged women to a repetitive cycle of pregnancy and childbirth. Prominent among them appear to be endemic poverty, a pervasive cultural bias favoring large families and a lack of...
Through conversations and interactions among medical staff, patients and family members at Manila’s Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Ramona S. Diaz’s documentary highlights several major issues subjecting many disadvantaged women to a repetitive cycle of pregnancy and childbirth. Prominent among them appear to be endemic poverty, a pervasive cultural bias favoring large families and a lack of...
- 1/22/2017
- by Justin Lowe
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nadia Hallgren’s career in documentary film began as a camera operator on Fahrenheit 9/11, still the highest grossing doc in America. In the 13 years since she has served as a camera operator on such films as Searching for Sugarman and as a Dp on Citizen Koch and last year’s Trapped. Her latest feature as Dp, Motherland, is a vérité portrait inside a maternity ward in the Philippines. The film, directed by Ramona Diaz, will premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Below, Hallgren talks about the emotional bond she formed with the women in the film, shooting in the summer heat of the […]...
- 1/21/2017
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
The stars of Sundance are joining IndieWire for a series of intimate discussions during the next few days in Park City. IndieWire partnered with Chase Sapphire to host conversations at Chase Sapphire on Main, located at 573 Main Street, and with Canon to host panel discussions at the Canon Creative Studio at 592 Main Street.
IndieWire in Conversation at Chase Sapphire on Main will feature “The Little Hours” filmmaker Jeff Baena, “Ingrid Goes West” filmmaker Matt Spicer, “Mudbound” filmmaker Dee Rees, “Golden Exits” filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and “Marjorie Prime” filmmaker Michael Almereyda. Members of the casts of each film will also be in attendance.
Filmmakers participating in the panels at Canon’s Creative Studio include Academy Award-nominees Matt Heineman and Rory Kennedy. Heineman’s “City of Ghosts” is playing in Sundance’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, while Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton” is playing in the Documentary Premieres section.
IndieWire in Conversation at Chase Sapphire on Main will feature “The Little Hours” filmmaker Jeff Baena, “Ingrid Goes West” filmmaker Matt Spicer, “Mudbound” filmmaker Dee Rees, “Golden Exits” filmmaker Alex Ross Perry and “Marjorie Prime” filmmaker Michael Almereyda. Members of the casts of each film will also be in attendance.
Filmmakers participating in the panels at Canon’s Creative Studio include Academy Award-nominees Matt Heineman and Rory Kennedy. Heineman’s “City of Ghosts” is playing in Sundance’s U.S. Documentary Competition section, while Kennedy’s “Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton” is playing in the Documentary Premieres section.
- 1/20/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The journey to Sundance is an all-consuming endeavor and most filmmakers don’t lift their heads until they land in Park City with their Dcp in hand.
For some filmmakers, this year was different. The election of Donald Trump, which snapped so many into a new reality they hadn’t imagined, came just two weeks before most Sundance directors received their golden ticket to the festival. So we asked this year’s directors: Did the election change how you thought about your film, and your career as a filmmaker?
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
John Trengove, “The Wound:” The Us election was a big reason why we chose to premiere in Sundance. With race and Lgbt rights being such heated issues in the Us, we thought it would be meaningful to bring a queer film from South Africa, together...
For some filmmakers, this year was different. The election of Donald Trump, which snapped so many into a new reality they hadn’t imagined, came just two weeks before most Sundance directors received their golden ticket to the festival. So we asked this year’s directors: Did the election change how you thought about your film, and your career as a filmmaker?
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Sundance Bible – Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
John Trengove, “The Wound:” The Us election was a big reason why we chose to premiere in Sundance. With race and Lgbt rights being such heated issues in the Us, we thought it would be meaningful to bring a queer film from South Africa, together...
- 1/20/2017
- by Annakeara Stinson and Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
World premieres include Barrage, starring Isabelle Huppert and her daughter Lolita Chammah.Scroll down for full list
This year’s Forum programme at the Berlin Film Festival (Feb 9-19), which highlights avant garde and experimental works, will feature 47 films, including 29 world premieres.
These include the premiere of Laura Schroeder’s Barrage, which stars Isabelle Huppert alongside her daughter Lolita Chammah in the story of a young woman who returns to Luxembourg after a 10-year absence to spend time with her estranged child. Huppert plays the grandmother, who has fostered the young girl during that absence.
Read: ‘Barrage’, starring Isabelle Huppert and daughter Lolita, finds sales home
Having its international premiere at Forum this year will be Golden Exits, the new feature from American filmmaker Alex Ross Perry. His previous credits include Queen Of Earth, which premiered at Berlin in 2015. His latest tells the story of a young Australian woman who comes to New York for a few months...
This year’s Forum programme at the Berlin Film Festival (Feb 9-19), which highlights avant garde and experimental works, will feature 47 films, including 29 world premieres.
These include the premiere of Laura Schroeder’s Barrage, which stars Isabelle Huppert alongside her daughter Lolita Chammah in the story of a young woman who returns to Luxembourg after a 10-year absence to spend time with her estranged child. Huppert plays the grandmother, who has fostered the young girl during that absence.
Read: ‘Barrage’, starring Isabelle Huppert and daughter Lolita, finds sales home
Having its international premiere at Forum this year will be Golden Exits, the new feature from American filmmaker Alex Ross Perry. His previous credits include Queen Of Earth, which premiered at Berlin in 2015. His latest tells the story of a young Australian woman who comes to New York for a few months...
- 1/19/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
The 67th Berlin International Film Festival announced 43 additions to its 2017 roster today, including Alex Ross Perry’s “Golden Exits,” Joshua Z. Weinstein’s “Menashe,” and Amman Abbasi’s “Dayveon,” and rounding out much of the festival’s main line-up.
Read More: Berlinale 2017 Will Premiere ‘Logan,’ ‘Trainspotting: T2,’ and Hong Sangsoo’s Latest
Known for its robust variety of programming, the festival previously announced new films from Aki Kaurismaki, Oren Moverman, Sally Potter, Agnieszka Holland, and Sebastian Lelio. More commercial fare includes the international premiere of Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” sequel, and the world premiere of James Mangold’s addition to the Wolverine franchise, “Logan.”
Read More: 5 Exciting Films in the 2017 Berlin Film Festival Competition Lineup
The films of the 47th Forum are:
2 + 2 = 22 [The Alphabet] by Heinz Emigholz, Germany – Wp
Adiós entusiasmo (So Long Enthusiasm) of Vladimir Durán, Argentina / Colombia – Wp
At Elske Pia (Pia Loving) by Daniel Joseph Borgmann, Denmark – Wp...
Read More: Berlinale 2017 Will Premiere ‘Logan,’ ‘Trainspotting: T2,’ and Hong Sangsoo’s Latest
Known for its robust variety of programming, the festival previously announced new films from Aki Kaurismaki, Oren Moverman, Sally Potter, Agnieszka Holland, and Sebastian Lelio. More commercial fare includes the international premiere of Danny Boyle’s “Trainspotting” sequel, and the world premiere of James Mangold’s addition to the Wolverine franchise, “Logan.”
Read More: 5 Exciting Films in the 2017 Berlin Film Festival Competition Lineup
The films of the 47th Forum are:
2 + 2 = 22 [The Alphabet] by Heinz Emigholz, Germany – Wp
Adiós entusiasmo (So Long Enthusiasm) of Vladimir Durán, Argentina / Colombia – Wp
At Elske Pia (Pia Loving) by Daniel Joseph Borgmann, Denmark – Wp...
- 1/18/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 19 through 29 in Park City, Utah and will feature plenty of premieres from acclaimed directors like Michael Almereyda (“Experimenter”), Alex Ross Perry (“Listen Up Philip”), Marti Noxon (“UnREAL”) and more. However, the festival will also premiere plenty of documentaries from around the globe, including Ramona S. Diaz’s latest film “Motherland,” a vérité portrait of the world’s busiest maternity hospital in the Philippines. Throughout the film, we see hectic birthing rooms, pass through overcrowded hallways bursting with life and witness the circle of life. But despite the harsh circumstances, a supportive community of women makes this world thrive and provide expecting mothers with the necessary strength to soldier on. Watch an exclusive trailer for the film below.
Read More: 10 Surprises and Hidden Gems from the 2017 Sundance Lineup
Diaz is an award-winning Asian American filmmaker best known for directing the films “Spirits Rising,” “Imelda,...
Read More: 10 Surprises and Hidden Gems from the 2017 Sundance Lineup
Diaz is an award-winning Asian American filmmaker best known for directing the films “Spirits Rising,” “Imelda,...
- 1/17/2017
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
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