Film Festival News

Reporting on film festivals

Festival of Cinema NYC 2022 Announces Award Winners after audience-filled return to theaters

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Festival of Cinema NYC Founder and Executive Director Jayson Simba, said, “Our film festival, like all festivals, works hard to bring people back to theaters and recapture the excitement of going to the movies again. The fact that this year, attendees from across the five boroughs came out in large numbers to celebrate cinema with filmmakers who flew in from as far away as Iceland, Germany, Japan, and the UK, was incredibly exciting for all of us. That enthusiasm and support was evident – from the Forest Hills Community to the filmmakers all the way through the final award being announced. It became clear that friendships and relationships had been forged throughout the 10 days at our film festival.”

The Lake Travis Film Festival 2022 announces lineup for next month’s fest outside of Austin

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Lake Travis Film Festival Founder and Executive Director, Kat Albert, shares, “The third year brings an opportunity to hone into what we best…curating an overall cinematic experience. We do not sell individual tickets. The suburbs don’t have a traditional downtown, so we’ve worked to make our pop-up style festival work with three walkable hubs. Thursday and Friday are in the Oaks at Lakeway. Saturday is in the Hill Country Galleria and Sunday is Texas Film Industry Day at Star Hill Ranch. The festival is young but garnering a reputation as a unique experience for filmmakers, screenwriters, and the local community.”

Tallgrass Film Festival 2022 announces gala selections, special presentations, and an Ad Astra Award honoree

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Tallgrass FF program director Andre Seward, said, “The 20th anniversary of Tallgrass Film Festival will be a celebration of the best cinema from the past and today. These titles are just a taste of the incredible films that will be available during the festival. We have a truly great lineup for you this year. The Stubbornly Independent spirit is alive and well.”

Oxford Film Festival gets a big arts grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) for 2023

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Oxford Film Festival Executive Director Matt Wymer, said, “Everyone at OxFilm and the Oxford Film Festival have already been at work to build upon this year’s edition and bring our film fans the best audience pleasing, cinema-loving, party-rich film festival we possibly can to celebrate our 20th year. So, to once again, receive the support of the Mississippi Arts Commission for the second year in a row is a tremendous validation and incredibly encouraging for all of us as we continue our work.”

Aaron Hose’s ONE PINT AT A TIME leads the trophies haul as 2022 Deep in the Heart Film Festival hands out filmmaker awards

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Co-Founders and Co-Directors Louis Hunter and Samuel Thomas, said, “This year’s Deep in the Heart Film Festival was another reaffirmation of the reputation this film festival has built over the last couple of years. Forging that connection between our visiting filmmakers and the wonderful film-loving community in Waco has always been our aim and we are enjoying seeing that come to fruition in so many ways now.” Hunter and Thomas added, “Our award-winning films this year emphasized that connection and added the anticipation of more filmmakers returning to Waco to shoot their next films – and the thought of that energizes us to continue to grow in years to come.”

Festival of Cinema NYC 2022 announces film lineup including 19 world and North American premieres for Queens-based fest in August

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Festival of Cinema NYC Founder and Executive Director Jayson Simba, said, “This year’s edition of the film festival continues to build on the success and growth we experienced last year highlighted by our return to the Queens Library for free films, panels and talks. This year, we have also worked hard to find amazing films from all over the world to present to our FOC NYC film fans, while also celebrating our local filmmakers and the community we call home.”

Asian Film Festival of Dallas marks big return to theaters with Well Go USA hits and indie award winners

By John Wildman 4 years ago

New AFFD Executive Director Thomas Schubert, said, “Our board and staff are excited about the prospects of returning to our regular July time slot and we are taking advantage of this edition of the film festival to look at what we do through a different lens and a fresh approach. AFFD has always been a signature event for Dallas film lovers, introducing exciting films and cinema to DFW, and this year we hope to shake up the event aspect of the film festival in our return, as well.”

Waco’s Deep in the Heart Film Festival 2022 puts the focus on local filmmaking and celebrating shorts

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Deep in the Heart FF co-founders and directors Samuel Thomas and Louis Hunter, said, “We recognize the impact this film festival increasingly makes on the Waco filmmaking ecosystem, just as it solidifies its place each year as a key stop on the map for filmmakers attending regional film festivals on the national tour. Giving our filmmakers more opportunities beyond the wonderful interaction with our Waco audiences to help with their development as artists, and maybe encourage them to come back to town to shoot their next project here is a central focus for this film festival. Of course, the sense of fun and love of cinema that Deep in the Heart FF will be omnipresent once again as our ability to spread the gospel of our films and what we do has become stronger and made us quite a force to be reckoned with.”

Austin’s Cine Las Americas International Film Festival 2022 announces filmmaker awards after successful return to theaters

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Cine Las Americas Executive Director Gabriel Ornelas, said, “The platform we create for these films and filmmakers and the connection that is made to the audiences here in Austin are vital for both the filmmaker and the film lover. Our team worked hard to ensure we had great screenings, presentations and events focused on our films and attending filmmakers, and we could not have been more pleased with the result of those efforts. This year’s edition reaffirmed how much Cine Las Americas is an important part of the cultural fabric in a city that continues to be a central hub for filmmaking here in Texas and the Southwest.”

The Chimaera Project gets $20K from the NEA for TO.GET.HER female filmmaker film finishing funds

By John Wildman 4 years ago

“The Chimaera Project is thrilled to have the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. Our project amplifies the voices of women, non-binary, and Two Spirit filmmakers to change stereotypes and create equal opportunities in the film and media arts industries, said Cheryl Bookout, The Chimaera Project, Executive Director, and Co-Founder. “By giving visionaries the resources to create we give voice to critical storytelling and by placing women in directors’ chairs, a ripple effect is created for more diversity in hiring practices.”