Film Festival News

Reporting on film festivals

John Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT Opens Oxford Film Festival announces their competition selections as they kick off the 2019 regional film festival year

By John Wildman 7 years ago

The 2019 Oxford Film Festival (February 6-10), the first major stop on the year’s regional film festival circuit has announced John Stimpson’s GHOST LIGHT as the Opening Night Gala selection, with Jacqueline Olive’s ALWAYS IN SEASON tabbed as the fest’s Closing Night Gala selection immediately following its debut at Sundance. Another choice hot off of Sundance will be Jon Strong’s documentary, LONG TIME COMING, presented as a Special Screening. Oxford Film Festival favorite Malcolm Ingram will present his latest documentary, SOUTHERN PRIDE as a Special Screening as well. Also announced were the competition lineups for this year.

David Blue Garcia’s thriller TEJANO Opens Dallas and North Texas’s Best of Fests will be first film festival featuring all of a single city’s prominent fests joining forces for one big event fest

By John Wildman 7 years ago

The film festival community in Dallas, Fort Worth and North Texas has long been an unsung hero for film lovers locally, bringing films to audiences that they likely would never have had an opportunity to see on a big screen or even be aware of, otherwise.

Jamie Patterson’s TUCKED leads awards at The 2018 Naples International Film Festival wraps things up with their Filmmaker Awards and Steve Martin and Martin Short

By John Wildman 7 years ago

The Naples International Film Festival announced the filmmaker award winners for the film festival’s 10th edition during a Closing Night Awards ceremony presented by Richard Lublin on Sunday, October 28 at Hayes Hall (5833 Pelican Bay Blvd.) on Sunday, October 20. The Jury Prize for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $3,000) went to Jamie Patterson’s TUCKED, and the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature (and $3,000) was given to Dava Whisenant’s BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY. Among the other awards, Dermot Murphy received the Rising Star Award for his performance in Nick Kelly’s THE DRUMMER AND THE KEEPER.

Pablo Solarz’s THE LAST SUIT leads awards at Tallgrass Film Festival announces Golden Strands Awards as they wrap this year’s fest

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The 16th Annual Tallgrass Film Festival presented by Consolidated Equities Trust (October 17-21) announced their filmmaker awards on Sunday, October 21 at the Orpheum Theater in Wichita, Kansas, prior to their Closing Night screening of Theo Love’s WHITE TIDE: THE LEGEND OF CULEBRA. Leading the pack of filmmakers receiving awards, were Pablo Solarz’s THE LAST SUIT, which received the Golden Strands Outstanding Narrative Feature Award, and Quinn Costello, Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer’s RODENTS OF UNUSUAL SIZE, which received the Golden Strands Outstanding Documentary Feature Award.

Amélie Van Elmbt’s THE ELEPHANT AND THE BUTTERFLY leads awards at Heartland Film Festival 2018 Announces Filmmaker Awards with more than $80K in cash prizes

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $25,000) went to Amélie Van Elmbt’s THE ELEPHANT AND THE BUTTERFLY, produced by the Dardenne Brothers and executive produced by Martin Scorsese, and the Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature (and a cash prize of $25,000) was given to Alexandria Bombach’s ON HER SHOULDERS. Among the other awards, Kendall Goldberg’s WHEN JEFF TRIED TO SAVE THE WORLD was presented with Heartland’s first FIPRESCI Best Directorial Debut for USA Narrative Film nod and Dava Whisenant’s BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY received the festival’s Humor and Humanity Award.

Greg Carey and Wade Jackson’s WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY Opens Sound Unseen previews 19th edition of Minneapolis-based music doc fest with some of this year’s film fest faves

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The Sound Unseen Film/Music/Art Festival (November 14-18) previewed this year’s 19th edition of the film festival today with an announcement of 7 initial selections. Led by the Midwest premiere of Greg Carey and Wade Jackson’s WAITING: THE VAN DUREN STORY, the list includes the return of a Sound Unseen favorite and a handful of films that will be screening for Minneapolis audiences for the first time after seeing much success on the film festival circuit.

Jonnie Stapleton ‘s FUNKY BUTT wines big! Louisiana Film Prize 2018 presents $50,000 check to winner of this year’s competition

By John Wildman 8 years ago

“This was, by far, our most exciting year – more films entered in the competition, continued growth in the overall quality of filmmaking, and with a majority of female filmmakers among the 20 finalists,” said Gregory Kallenberg, Founder and Executive Director of the Film Prize Foundation. “It was also a year with our largest audience and our closest vote, so Jonnie Stapleton and his cast and crew from ‘Funky Butt’ should be very, very proud of this win.”

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Martin Starr named First Soaring Talent; Tallgrass International Film Festival Announces Recipient and Official Short Film Selections

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The 16th Annual Tallgrass International Film Festival presented by Consolidated Equities Trust (October 17-21) announced that Martin Starr (Silicon Valley, Party Down, Freaks and Geeks) will be the recipient of the film festival’s inaugural Soaring Talent Award. Tallgrass also announced the official short film selections for this year’s edition of the film festival.

FILM FESTIVAL NEWS: Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK added at Heartland International Film Festival Dives Into Awards Season by Adding High Profile Titles and Best Foreign Film Contenders

By John Wildman 8 years ago

The Heartland International Film Festival announced at last week’s VIPS & SIPS event, held at Daniel’s Vineyard, three high profile feature films that have been added to this year’s lineup. Those films – each on awards prognosticators “watch” lists – include Joel Edgerton’s BOY ERASED, Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK, and Paul Dano’s WILDLIFE. It has also been confirmed that local luminary, WCW-WWE pro-wrestler/actor Bishop Stevens, would be in attendance this year.