Before you stamp your large Hobbit feet or pound your Dwarvish axe on the ground, perhaps wait until you’ve seen the series. Have they dissuaded all of this particular Tolkien fan’s fears? No. Have they set up a show that could be wildly successful and well received by even the most critical hardcore Tolkien enthusiast? Definitely
“…And to the LGBTQ community of Oxford and beyond, I hope that I might have had a small part in helping you feel seen. Cinema absolutely has the power to do that.”
LSFF is Texan at heart and loves the locals, so cowboys, Texas cities, oilmen and the open prairie were featured prominently with dry humor and earnest heart front and center.
There are many in the industry still clinging onto the theatrical experience, from filmmakers like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino, to companies like IMAX and Moviepass, but you still can’t really beat the experience of watching a movie, which some people have never even heard of, at a film festival. Hands down some of the best screenings I’ve ever attended have been at film festivals. In some cases, I’ve never had another chance to see those movies with an audience.
Years ago, many of us who were assaulted stayed quiet because we thought we all stayed quiet. We didn’t know there was another way. I’m sure you cringed when Weinstein said it was a different time and sex was different. I do more than cringe at that. Not because it’s a lie. Because it’s true.
Dudes, I’m calling you out. It’s time. It’s not brave for you to step forward and join us in talking about what’s actually going on. If anyone tells you you’re “brave” or thanks you, tells you how “amazing” you are for standing up, that’s straight up bullshit. You should have always been doing this. You just finally smelled what The Rock was cooking, ok? No back pats, no OMG YOU’RE SO AWESOME!
as a final attempt to sway you to make a film or, in the least, come to Shreveport in October, please know why this competition was created. It was created for you, the filmmaker. I deeply wanted to give you a reason to practice your art and your passion. I wanted to give you a goal to strive for and for that goal to yield the creation of a film you would be proud of. To me, there are fewer and fewer places that celebrate your work in a way you deserve, and, to me, there is no better place — dare I say it? — on the planet to do this besides the Film Prize!
The Chinese title is called Lao Shi, which is the character’s name, and actually, the literal meaning of that is Old Stone, but there’s a double meaning to that also. It’s what you call somebody who is too honest, too naïve. It’s almost like saying, “Oh, that guy is way too honest. He’s easy to cheat.”
As I grew up in Los Angeles and San Diego, I don’t say this lightly, but Oxford has a ton of opportunities and activities for what appears on paper to be such a small town. And if you visit you see the Old School charm of the Historic Square (downtown) and the rapidly growing outskirts being annexed as the city expands. Yes, it does have a history that is thorny, including the integration of James Meredith in 1962 and the riots that ensued and the fact that the Governor fought against the federal government during that entire process. The town and school has fought hard to banish old ways of thinking with ongoing fights to get rid of monuments to a past riddled with hate.
Academy Award-winning A SEPARATION Director Asghar Farhadi on The Challenges of Making THE SALESMAN In
