John Wildman

Heather Young’s Murmur Takes Top Award as The 2020 Slamdance Film Festival caps a banner edition with HIGHER LOVE directed by Hasan Oswald

By John Wildman 6 years ago

“We congratulate the winners of Slamdance 2020 and we celebrate all of our new filmmakers who have shown us that the art of filmmaking is brilliantly alive,” said Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter. “This next generation collectively brings us art formed in risk taking, bravery and the unexpected. It’s not just their characters who are on an adventure. It’s the filmmakers as well and Slamdance will continue to be their companion.”

Wendy Eidson: Film Fest Director of San Luis Obispo International Film Festival 2020 announces robust competition

By John Wildman 6 years ago

“While our galas, special events and screenings, including Surf Nite, and the annual presentation of the King Vidor Award are always can’t miss affairs, the core of the film festival will always be our competition films. They represent the heart of the SLO Film Fest,” said San Luis Obispo Film Festival Director Wendy Eidson. “We look forward to presenting these films to movie lovers here in San Luis Obispo, and seeing which films and filmmakers take this year’s awards home.”

Allan Moyle’s PUMP UP THE VOLUME showcased at The 2020 Oxford Film Festival; film lineup with attention-grabbing special events

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Oxford Film Festival’s Executive Director, Melanie Addington, said, “We challenged ourselves this year to both achieve goals in line with our staunch support of female filmmakers, LGBTQIA+, and those with disabilities, We have embraced our role as leaders both in this city and the state in that regard knowing that the filmmaking community and the public look to our film lineup and our presentations to match our public positions. However, this year, we also wanted to deliver big signature events to enhance our film lineup so that Oxford film fans and Oxford Film Festival filmmakers can feel they have been part of something truly special at this year’s fest.”

Justina Walford with team: Dallas and North Texas Film Festival Directors and Programmers Name their Top Films of 2019

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The heads of prominent Dallas and North Texas Film Festivals announced their selections for the Top Ten Films of 2019 during WFAA’s Midday at 8 news broadcast today with Olivia Wilde’s BOOKSMART, Bong Joon Ho’s PARASITE, and Quentin Tarantino’s’ ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD taking the top three spots among films released in 2019.

Jim Brunzell and Rich Gill lead 2019 Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival adds a Filmmaker Photo Call for the first time in the fest’s 20 years

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival is a rarity in that its scope should far exceed the reach of its quartet of volunteer staff that manages to produce the film festival year-after-year. Of course, every single film festival self romanticizes the idea that they are a band of misfits and scrappy champions of film that are battling against all of the odds and the big boys each year to somehow manage to put on their event that is unlike any other around. I always love it when a film festival head earnestly tells me that they are unique in the film festival world because they “care about the filmmakers.” I mean, thank goodness there is that one film festival that does, right?!

Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould, Coleen Hennessy, and Shannon Hoon’s ALL I CAN SAY: Sound Unseen wraps up 20th Anniversary edition with Grand Jury Prize Winner

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The Sound Unseen Film + Music Festival concluded its 20th Anniversary edition of the film festival by giving its Grand Jury Prize for Best Film to Danny Clinch, Taryn Gould, Coleen Hennessy, and Shannon Hoon’s ALL I CAN SAY, and giving a Special Jury Prize for Cultural Significance to Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller’s OTHER MUSIC.

Gregory Kallenberg from Louisiana Film Prize Announces Call for Entries for 2020 Film Competition/Festival with largest grand prize for a short film in the world

By John Wildman 6 years ago

“There was so much excitement surrounding the competition in 2019 that we wanted to open registration immediately to capitalize on that energy,” said Gregory Kallenberg, founder and executive director of the Film Prize Foundation. “With finalists last year coming from across the country, as well as Australia and London, we also want to ensure that filmmakers have as much time as possible to complete their films.”

Elia Suleiman’s IT MUST BE HEAVEN leads CineCina Film Festival-THE ROAD Filmmaker Awards

By John Wildman 6 years ago

CineCina Film Festival Founder and Director Vina Sun, said, “Our first foray into celebrating world cinema with this film festival was incredibly rewarding in too many ways to count. Our ‘road’ theme was beyond appropriate because the journey to celebrate great cinema from all corners of the world in arguably the greatest city in the world, culturally, took us and our audiences to places we could only have imagined prior to the film festival’s screenings, panels, and events. Citing the wonderful work of these filmmakers is a wonderful way to complete that journey.”

The 2019 Naples International Film Festival has tropical red carpet featuring honoree Joey Pants

By John Wildman 6 years ago

However, NIFF has another secret weapon that makes it unique and a must stop for a filmmaker (if they can get accepted into the lineup) in the midst of their film festival tour: The Artis—Naples duo of CEO and President Kathleen van Bergen, and Executive Vice President, Artistic Operations David Filner. And let me add some context here: I worked for a number of years as the Senior Publicist for the Film Society of Lincoln Center (and all of heir film festivals and events like NYFF, New Directors, the Chaplin Gala, etc.). During the 5 years I was there, I think I saw the top guy at Lincoln Center once, possibly twice, and both were at – I kid you not – ribbon cutting ceremonies. That was it. There just wasn’t that kind of connection with the overarching ARTS umbrella organization.

Trista Suke’s FOXY leads awards at The first Billy the Kid Film Festival with a bang handing out ballistic sculptures and cash to winning filmmakers

By John Wildman 6 years ago

The Billy the Kid Film Festival announced the filmmaker award winners for the first edition of the film festival, prior to the Closing Night screening of David Blue Garcia’s TEJANO on Saturday, November 2 at Flacas. Canadian filmmaker Trista Suke’s FOXY received the Best Feature Film Award and a check for $200, with George Meyers’ NOT YOUR DAY, and Jay Pennington and Gerry Olert’s SMILE sharing the Audience Choice Award, with each filmmaker receiving a check for $100.