Reporting on film festivals
Call for Entries open May 1, 2018, for the 2019 Oxford Film Festival, taking place in Oxford, Mississippi, February 6-9, 2019. The 16th edition of the festival will include the return of OFF’s screenplay competition with cash prizes, as well as a reduced submission fee incentive for female filmmakers.
The 2018 Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) today announced official selections for the 13th (or XIII) edition of the film festival taking place on May 3-6 at the Magic Johnson Theatre (2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd.). With a festival-wide theme of “Harlem International Presents XIIIgent films for Exigent Times!”, the Opening Night selection will feature the return of award-winning alum Christina Kallas, with her film festival hit, THE RAINBOW EXPERIMENT. Iconic British director John Irvin’s MANDELA’S GUN will make its world premiere as the Closing Night selection. The four-day film festival will showcase more than 80 films, music videos, and VR projects featuring world cinema, narrative, documentaries, animation, VR, and more, representing 25 countries.
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) founded by Walmart and Presented by Coca-Cola, announced a notable array of musical acts set to perform at the Coca-Cola Sound Stage at The Meteor, which includes Lauren Alaina, Carly Pearce, and Song Suffragettes. Headliner Martina McBride, will put an exclamation point on the six-day fest at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony, sponsored by P&G, and hosted by The Real’s Loni Love, where actor Natalie Morales will receive the inaugural See It Be It award.
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), founded by Walmart and Presented by Coca-Cola, announced today the lineup of official feature film selections for the festival’s fourth edition, May 1-6, 2018. The inclusive lineup includes an impressive slate of films – more than half from underrepresented creators – including 42 Competition Films, 13 episodic content presentations, notable showcase screenings of top festival films, critical favorites, anniversary screenings of classics, a presentation of family focused and animated greats on their Sony/Orville Redenbacher’s Outdoor Theater at Lawrence Park, and every film to date from the Marvel Cinema Universe in a special free-to-the-public presentation for BFF’s film fans.
The 2018 Dallas Comedy Festival once again kept growing as they had more acts, added another performance stage and location, and even expanded the length of their red carpet.from last year. The Dallas Comedy House has become the epicenter for comedy and the development of improv and sketch comedy troupes in the state of Texas, and the Dallas Comedy Festival has become a “cross the dates off the calendar” event not just for the state but in comedy circles throughout the rest of the country, and the fun and enthusiasm on the red carpet Friday, March 30 gave some evidence as to why that is the case.
The filmmaker and film industry panels will feature attending actors, producers and directors, along with some of the leaders and brightest minds from forward-thinking companies and organizations, discussing issues and ideas focused on diversity, inclusion practices, and innovative and authentic perspectives that influence and shape our continually shifting world.
Studio Movie Grill (“SMG”) made a surprise announcement this past week that Big Thought’s Lisa Schmidt would be the recipient of their 2018 Opening Hearts & Minds Award on June 14. The news was revealed following one of Big Thought’s special screenings of A WRINKLE IN TIME facilitated by Schmidt for underserved schools, hosted and sponsored by Studio Movie Grlll.
The Bentonville Film Festival (BFF) returns to Bentonville, Arkansas May 1-6, 2018, and has announced two featured titles: its Opening Night Selection is the world premiere of Elissa Down’s THE HONOR LIST, from Lionsgate’s Studio L, and the festival will present a Centerpiece Screening of Lea Thompson’s THE YEAR OF SPECTACULAR MEN. BFF will team with the founding sponsor for the World Premiere of Tracey Aivaz’s short film THE BOX, commissioned by Walmart to celebrate the art of storytelling.
The 2018 San Luis Obispo Film Festival announced the winners of their jury and audience awards during closing night events held over consecutive evenings, Saturday, March 17, and Sunday, March 18, at San Luis Obispo’s legendary Fremont Theatre. Leading the way for the jury awards were Harris Doran’s BEAUTY MARK (Best Narrative Feature) and Moon Chang-Yong and Jeon Jin’s BECOMING WHO I WAS (Best Documentary Feature). Audience Award winners were topped by Peter Luisi’s STREAKER (Flitzer), chosen as Best Narrative Feature, Julie Simone’s FIDDLIN’ winning audience favor as Best Documentary Feature, and Mark Hayes’s documentary SKID ROW MARATHON taking the Best of Fest award.
EarthxFilm presented by EarthX (formerly Earth Day Texas) today announced the full slate of films and VR presentations for the environmentally focused film festival’s 2nd edition at Fair Park and theaters throughout Dallas, Texas on April 13-22. Following a “Kick-Off” week of special screenings and events from April 13-18, Louie Psyihoyos’s THE GAME CHANGERS will be the official Opening Night selection for a Gala Presentation on Thursday, April 19, at the Wyly Theatre in the Dallas Arts District.
