Film Festival News

Reporting on film festivals

Dusty Bias’ THE IMMORTAL JELLYFISH leads Sidewalk Film Festival filmmaker awards; successful All Drive-in 2020 edition

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Sidewalk Film Festival Creative Director and Lead Programmer, Rachel Morgan, said “I’m super proud of Sidewalk and all of our amazing festival-goers for successfully and safely pulling off a 100% Drive-In festival during this very strange and complicated 2020 festival season. We were able to deliver a little of the magic of Sidewalk despite the odds not being in our favor and that alone is success.

Margaret Cho Highlights Atlanta’s Out on Film; Cho to receive Icon Award, Kevin Williamson and Del Shores to talk film to top line 33rd edition of LGBTQIA+ fest

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Out on Film Festival Director, Jim Farmer, said, “2020 has been a challenging journey thus far for all of us, so along with the films that we have found from world cinema titles to award-winners, and films that have been popular thus far at other film festivals, the theme of the journey struck us for our special events with Margaret Cho and Kevin Williamson. She is a certified LGBTQIA+ icon (thus the award we will present to her) and he shaped pop culture in a major way during a heady period writing for film and television. Both have had a fascinating journey leading up to the peak of their cultural influence and beyond. As one of the longest running LGBTQIA+ film festivals, we embrace connecting those dots through our history as well as celebrating and presenting the best of the new films and filmmakers today.”

Lanie Zipoy’s THE SUBJECT Opens Harlem International Film Festival lineup for 15th edition features undiscovered international titles and films from The HUB

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Harlem International Film Festival’s Program Director, Nasri Zacharia, said. “Like many film festivals, we have made the decision to present our slate of essential cinema virtually this year, but that decision has only intensified our desire to cull great world cinema that might have been otherwise overlooked, and deserves a spotlight, as well as to continue our efforts to truly showcase the filmmakers and the setting of our beloved home neighborhoods of Harlem, Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, which we call the HUB”.

Rachel Morgan, Creative Director of Sidewalk Film Festival announces complete film lineup for all-in all Drive-in 22nd edition of film festival

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Sidewalk Film Festival Creative Director and Lead Programmer, Rachel Morgan, said, “While we would much prefer to be running from film to film in unique and beautiful spaces in downtown Birmingham this late August, I’m super proud and excited that we’ve moved to a drive-in festival despite the many challenges brought about by the current era.

LINGUA FRANCA, THE DONUT KING, and FAREWELL lead 2020 Bentonville Film Festival’s Filmmaker Awards

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Isabel Sandoval’s LINGUA FRANCA took home the top prize winning the jury award for Best Narrative Feature. Alice Gu’s THE DONUT KING was awarded Best Documentary, Rachel Harrison Gordon’s BROKEN BIRD was selected for Best Short Film Narrative and Rachel Fleit’s AVA & BIANCA won for Short Film Documentary. Taylor Lee Nagel’s Lady Liberty and Miguel Angel Duran’s Immigrant Voices of America took the honors in Episodic.

FAR EAST DEEP SOUTH, TAHARA, A WHORE LIKE ME lead Women Texas Film Festival’s Filmmaker Awards for 2020’s Virtual Edition

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Women Texas Film Festival Founder and Festival Director Justina Walford said, “The virtual presentation somehow added to the immediacy of the moment with our screenings and Q&As and it was thrilling to not just experience each film without distractions but to also hear from so many filmmakers and actors and documentary subjects from all around the world right in our living rooms. And the films that our jury selected for these awards all shared the fact that they touched and inspired our judges to such an extent that they needed to be honored.”

Patricia Velásquez Guzmán’s APEGO Leads Cine Las Americas Awards from CLA2020 Virtual Showcase

By John Wildman 6 years ago

CLA Executive Director Jean Anne Lauer said, “It was vitally important to all of us associated with Cine Las Americas that we find a way to give these films and the filmmakers who created them a dedicated platform, even in the midst of shut downs, stay-at-home orders, and of course, every adjustment we all needed to make concerning our health and those around us. What resulted was a special event and coming together of our filmmakers, audiences, staff, and community. Regardless of it being in a virtual space, we made those connections Cine Las Americas is famous for.”

Oge Egbounu’s (In)visible Portraits Opens Bentonville Film Festival’s 6th edition debuts with a virtual/drive-in hybrid approach

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Wendy Guerrero , President of Programming of Bentonville Film Festival said: “ Our team has worked hard over the past few months to rethink and rebuild our Festival for 2020, always drawing on our mission to champion underrepresented voices, which has grown even more urgent as we continue these challenging circumstances. Our 2020 program is a celebration of art and diversity, perseverance, and talent. The films in this year’s lineup showcase what we’ve known all along: representation in media, means better content for all.

Olivia Peace’s TAHARA Opens Women Texas Film Festival announces slate of films for virtual fest August 13-16 with an emphasis on LGBTQIA+ and provocative docs

By John Wildman 6 years ago

Walford added, “We love being part of the international movement to showcase female filmmakers and we know we must continue our efforts with even more force so that we change the filmmaking industry in hiring an equitable gender ratio. Our goal has always been to show the range of the female storyteller, and the depths to which women can take us via their work in film- whether it be emotional, visual, introspective, startling, shocking, and horrific.