DISFLUENCY

Waco’s Deep in the Heart FF 2023 announces filmmaker award winners and a new indie name going forward

By John Wildman 3 years ago

Regarding the festival’s name change, Co-Founders and Co-Directors Louis Hunter and Samuel Thomas, said, “For seven years, this film festival, our filmmakers, and this city exemplify the spirit of independence by every definition of the word. Calling ourselves, The Waco Independent Film Festival simply puts an emphatic stamp on what we are, what we celebrate, and how our filmmakers approach making their films.” Hunter and Thomas added, “Our award-winning films this year could not have been better examples of that spirit, that energy, and the specific exuberant joy that comes from creating and making film independently, then sharing it with an audience that fully appreciates it.”

Festival of Cinema NYC 2023 announces films, events, and a home-grown honoree for August fest

By John Wildman 3 years ago

Festival of Cinema NYC returns to the Regal UA Midway and the Queens Library at Forest Hills for its 7th year, August 3 – August 13. The festival opens with Christina Kallas’ indie NYC favorite Paris in Harlem and closes with Anna Baumgarten’s multiple award-winning drama Disfluency. Dito Montiel will be honored with FOC NYC’s inaugural Achievement in Filmmaking Award in conjunction with a special screening of his film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, and Greg Brownderville and Bart Weiss’ groundbreaking Southern Gothic multi-media project Fire Bones will be presented live in New York City for the first time.

Waco’s Deep in the Heart FF 2023 grows, expands indie features lineup for this month’s fest

By John Wildman 3 years ago

The Deep in the Heart Film Festival announced the film and events lineup for its 7th edition, which will combine in-theater screenings July 20-23, followed by an online encore July 24-30. Deep in the Heart FF will kick things off with an Opening Night presentation of Dawn Mikkelson and Keri Pickett’s film festival sensation Finding Her Beat, and Anna Baumgarten’s decorated drama Disfluency will be the Closing Night selection. The festival will also present a special multi-media screening and performance of Greg Brownderville and Bart Weiss’ critically acclaimed Southern Gothic shaggy dog story Fire Bones, and a Friday Night Spotlight screening of Thaddeus D. Matula’s inspiring documentary Into the Spotlight.

Naples International Film Festival 2022 announces filmmaker awards after “hurricane recovery” fest

By John Wildman 3 years ago

The 2022 Naples International Film Festival announced the filmmaker award winners during the Closing Night Awards Ceremony on Sunday, October 30. The jury prize for Best Narrative Feature (and a cash prize of $2,500) went to Alex Lehmann’s Acidman, and the jury prize for Best Documentary Feature (and $2,500) was given to Amy Bandlien Storkel and Bryan Storkel’s The Pez Outlaw. Audience Awards went to Balbinka Korzeniowska’s Playing Through (Best Narrative Feature), Eric Bendick’s Path of the Panther (Best Documentary Feature) and Diane Moore’s Conducting Life (Best Short Film). Both feature films received cash prizes of $1,000 and the short film winner received a cash prize of $500.

Coronado Island Film Festival opens this week with awards hopefuls, indie films, and honorees

By John Wildman 3 years ago

The Coronado Island Film Festival (November 10-13) opens this week with an impressive lineup of films with awards-aspirations, as well as the honorees for the 2022 Leonard Maltin Industry Awards Gala. Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light is the Opening Night selection, Elegance Bratton’s The Inspection is the Centerpiece selection, and Maria Schrader’s She Said taking the Closing Night spot, along with CIFF’s traditional screening of Billy Wilder’s classic Some Like it Hot.

Anna Baumgarten’s Disfluency: Oxford Film Festival 2022 announces award winners with THE FIRST STEP, and THE FEARLESS 11 taking top prizes

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Anna Baumgarten’s Disfluency was named Best Narrative Feature, which included a $15,000 camera rental package from Panavision, and Brandon Kramer’s The First Step won Best Documentary Feature. The Best Documentary Feature prize also included a $15,000 camera rental package from Panavision. Ashley E. Gibson’s The Fearless 11 won Best Mississippi Feature. Her prize came with a one-year membership and free equipment rentals from OxFilm Society. Later, it was announced that Alysia Nahmias’ Krimes was the Barton Segal Audience Award winner.

Hugo Sobelman’s Soul Kids opens the 2022 Oxford Film Festival — film lineup with galas, honorees, world premieres, and more

By John Wildman 4 years ago

Interim Executive Director Jim Brunzell, said, “We are excited to present this year’s films and special events to our local film fans here in Oxford, the state of Mississippi, and nearby in Memphis, as well. We have diligently built a program that include discovery titles, award winners, festival favorites from Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Berlin and SXSW film festivals, enlightening, innovative, and entertaining features and shorts that should inspire everyone to immerse themselves in the Oxford Film Festival world once again.”

Anna Baumgarten’s DISFLUENCY has more to say than just the words that come out — Austin Film Festival review

By Luke Y. Thompson 4 years ago

In the film festival program blurb, one of the film’s topics is described as “the never-ending process of healing.” That’s true of trauma, addiction, what-have-you…but it’s a phrase that can also apply to life. We can – and must – always heal, always figure out what ails us and rebound better. Even the most educated of intellectuals sometimes utter a disfluency, as even the best of us encounter their metaphorical equivalent in life.