Sam Rockwell and Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Photo by Merrick Morton)
With five prizes, the gritty crime drama “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” emerged as the biggest winner of the 71st Annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards. The ceremony took place on February 18, 2018, at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Joanna Lumley hosted the show. “Three Billboards” won the awards for Best Film, Outstanding British Film (The film’s producers are British), Best Original Screenplay (for Martin McDonagh, who also directed the film), Best Actress (for Frances McDormand) and Best Supporting Actor (for Sam Rockwell).
“The Shape of Water” went into the ceremony with 12 BAFTA nominations and ended up winning two: Best Director (for Guillermo del Toro) and Best Production Design.
Just like at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards, attendees at the 2018 BAFTAs were asked to wear black in Support of the Times Up and #MeToo movements, which were mentioned on stage several times throughout the ceremony.
Sir Ridley Scott was awarded the ceremony’ highest honor: the BAFTA Fellowship Award.
Here is the complete list of winners and nominations for the 2018 BAFTA Film Awards:
*=winner
Best Film
Call Me by Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Outstanding British Film
Darkest Hour
The Death of Stalin
God’s Own Country
Lady Macbeth
Paddington 2 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
The Ghoul – Gareth Tunley (writer/director/producer), Jack Healy Guttman & Tom Meeten (producers)
I Am Not a Witch – Rungano Nyoni (writer/director), Emily Morgan (Producer)*
Jawbone – Johnny Harris (writer/producer), Thomas Napper (director)
Kingdom of Us – Lucy Cohen (director)
Lady Macbeth – Alice Birch (writer), William Oldroyd (director), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (producer)
Best Film Not in the English Language
Elle
First They Killed My Father The Handmaiden*
Loveless
The Salesman
Best Documentary
City of Ghosts I Am Not Your Negro*
Icarus
An Inconvenient Sequel
Jane
Best Animated Film
Coco*
Loving Vincent
My Life as a Courgette
Best Director
Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049
Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water*
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Original Screenplay
Get Out
I, Tonya
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Best Adapted Screenplay
Call Me by Your Name*
The Death of Stalin
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Molly’s Game
Paddington 2
Best Actress
Annette Bening, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour*
Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name
Best Supporting Actress
Allison Janney, I, Tonya*
Kristin Scott Thomas, Darkest Hour
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Hugh Grant, Paddington 2 Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri*
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Original Music
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread The Shape of Water*
Best Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049*
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Editing
Baby Driver*
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Best Production Design
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk The Shape of Water*
Best Costume Design
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
I, Tonya Phantom Thread*
The Shape of Water
Best Make-up and Hair
Blade Runner 2049 Darkest Hour*
I, Tonya
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder
Best Sound
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049 Dunkirk*
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Best Special Visual Effects
Blade Runner 2049*
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes
Best British Short Animation
Have Heart
Mamoon Poles Apart*
Best British Short Film
Aamir Cowboy Dave*
A Drowning Man
Work
Wren Boys
EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Daniel Kaluuya*
Florence Pugh
Josh O’Connor
Tessa Thompson
Timothée Chalamet
Mahershala Ali, Emma Stone and Viola Davis at the 89th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 26, 2017. (Photo by Tyler Golden/ABC)
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Casey Affleck, who won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 2017 ceremony, will not be a presenter at the 2018 ceremony. Even though it is a tradition for the actors and actress who won Oscars the previous year to present the actor/actress awards in the current ceremony, Affleck reportedly agreed to the Academy’s request to not attend the ceremony because of the controversy surrounding two sexual-harassment lawsuits that he settled in 2011. Numerous people signed petitions and threatened the Academy with boycotts and protests if Affleck was going to attend the ceremony.]
The following is a press release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd announced the first slate of presenters for the 90th Oscars® telecast. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live Sunday, March 4, on the ABC Television Network.
The presenters, including past Oscar® winners and nominees, are Mahershala Ali, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis, Laura Dern, Jennifer Garner, Greta Gerwig, Tiffany Haddish, Tom Holland, Kumail Nanjiani, Margot Robbie, Emma Stone and Daniela Vega.
“Whether returning to the Oscars stage, or gracing it for the first time, each of these artists bring their own distinguishing and energetic appeal,” said De Luca and Todd. “Their contributions will make for an unforgettable evening.”
Ali won an Oscar for Actor in a Supporting Role for “Moonlight” (2016). His credits also include the Oscar-nominated film “Hidden Figures” (2016), “Free State of Jones” (2016), “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2” (2015) and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” (2014). Ali will next appear in “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Green Book” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”
Boseman starred in the Oscar-nominated film “Marshall” (2017) and currently stars as the title character in “Black Panther” (2018). His credits also include “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), “Message from the King” (2016), “Get on Up” (2014) and “42” (2013). Boseman will next appear in “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Davis won an Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role for “Fences” (2016). Additionally, she garnered an Actress in a Leading Role nomination for “The Help” (2011) and an Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for “Doubt” (2008). Her other credits include the Oscar-winning films “Suicide Squad” (2016), “Syriana” (2005) and “Traffic” (2000) as well as the Oscar-nominated “Prisoners” (2013), “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (2011) and “Far from Heaven” (2002). Davis will next appear in “Widows.”
Dern was Oscar-nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role for “Wild” (2014) and Actress in a Leading Role for “Rambling Rose” (1991). Currently, she appears in the Oscar-nominated “Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi” (2017). Additionally, Dern’s credits include “Downsizing” (2017), “Wilson” (2017), “The Founder” (2016), “99 Homes” (2014), “The Fault in Our Stars” (2014) and “The Master” (2012).
Garner’s credits include the Oscar-winning films “Dallas Buyers Club” (2013) and “Juno” (2007) as well as the Oscar-nominated “Catch Me If You Can” (2002). Her feature credits also include “Miracles from Heaven” (2016), “Men, Women & Children” (2014) and “13 Going on 30” (2004). She will next appear in “Love, Simon” and “Peppermint.”
Gerwig is Oscar-nominated for Achievement in Directing and Original Screenplay for “Lady Bird” (2017). As an actor, she appeared in the Oscar-nominated films “20th Century Women” (2016) and “Jackie” (2016).
Haddish currently stars in “Girls Trip” (2017). Recent film credits also include “Keanu” (2016). She will next appear in “Night School” and “The Oath.”
Holland’s recent credits include the title role in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017). Additionally, he appeared in “The Current War” (2017), “Captain America: Civil War” (2016) and “The Lost City of Z” (2016). Holland will next appear in “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Chaos Walking.”
Nanjiani is Oscar-nominated for Original Screenplay (shared with Emily V. Gordon) for “The Big Sick” (2017). Nanjiani also starred in the film. His additional feature acting credits include “Fist Fight” (2017), “The Late Bloomer” (2016) and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” (2016) as well as lending his voice to “The Lego Ninjago Movie” (2017).
Robbie is Oscar-nominated for Actress in a Leading Role for “I, Tonya” (2017), for which she also served as a producer. Additionally, she appeared in the Oscar-winning film “Suicide Squad” (2016) and the Oscar-nominated “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). Robbie’s credits also include “The Legend of Tarzan” (2016) and “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” (2016). She will next appear in “Mary Queen of Scots.”
Stone won an Oscar for Actress in a Leading Role for “La La Land” (2016). Additionally, she garnered an Actress in a Supporting Role nomination for “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” (2014). Stone’s credits also include the Oscar-winning film “The Help” (2011) and the Oscar-nominated animated feature “The Croods” (2013). She has also appeared in “Battle of the Sexes” (2017), “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” (2014), “Gangster Squad” (2013), “The Amazing Spider-Man” (2012), “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” (2011), “Easy A” (2010) and “Zombieland” (2009). She will next appear in “The Favourite.”
Vega stars in the Oscar-nominated film “A Fantastic Woman” (2017). She is an opera singer and stage actress in Chile.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be broadcast live on the ABC Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The Oscars, produced by De Luca and Todd and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, also will be televised in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide. Additionally, “The Oscars: All Access” live stream from the red carpet and backstage will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT on Oscar.com.
Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)
The Marvel Studios film “Black Panther” is set to have the largest-ever opening weekend for a Marvel superhero movie so far, and probably the biggest opening weekend of all time for a February release . According to Fandango and several media outlets, “Black Panther” (which opens on February 16, 2018) is projected to have an opening weekend of at least $150 million at the U.S. box office alone.* (“Avengers: Infinity War,” which is scheduled for release on May 4, 2018, could break that record.)**
“Black Panther” is Marvel’s first superhero movie with a black character as the headliner. (Let’s not forget that 1997’s “Spawn” starring Michael Jai White and 1998’s “Blade” starring Wesley Snipes were groundbreaking when it comes to black superheroes headlining their own movies.)
In “Black Panther,” Chadwick Boseman stars as the title character, an African prince named T’Challa, who leads a technologically advanced nation named Wakanda. The cast also includes several highly respected black actors, including Angela Bassett, Michael B. Jordan, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Sterling K. Brown, Letitia Wright and Oscar winners Forest Whitaker and Lupita Nyong’o. White actors in the cast include Andy Serkis and Martin Freeman.
Here are five ways “Black Panther” is a game changer in the entertainment industry:
Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)
1. “Black Panther” proves that a movie with black people in the majority of the prominent roles can be a major blockbuster without being a comedy.
Before “Black Panther,” the conventional wisdom in Hollywood was that any movie with mostly blacks in starring roles had to be a comedy if it had a shot of making more than $100 million at the box office. (For example, 2017’s “Girls Trip.”) Although black or multiracial actors such as Kevin Hart, Dwayne Johnson and Zoe Saldana have made great strides in having starring roles in big hit movies, these movies usually have casts of multiple races in the most of the prominent roles. “Black Panther” shatters the stereotype that hit movies with mostly black stars have to be low-budget and/or a comedy.
Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya and Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)
2. “Black Panther” proves that a movie with a mostly black cast can get outstanding positive reviews—and it’s not a heavy drama about racism or the oppression of poor black people.
Let’s face it. A lot of movies with mostly black casts are saddled with the negative stereotype of having substandard filmmaking or appealing to a limited audience. It’s why movies that star Tyler Perry, Gabrielle Union, Sanaa Lathan or anyone from the Wayans family tend to get reviews that are mixed but usually negative. “Black Panther” has been getting rave reviews from those who have seen it before the movie’s theatrical release. The Internet has made it much easier for people to share information and commentary about movies, so the advance positive buzz has only helped drive ticket sales.
On the flip side, critically acclaimed dramas with mostly black actors tend to be statement-heavy period films about racial or social oppression, such as “Twelve Years a Slave,” “Selma,” “Fences” and “Hidden Figures.” “Black Panther” is an entertaining thrill ride, first and foremost, and is not meant to be a history lesson on the black experience. Far from being poor and/or oppressed (which is often the case with most black protagonists in black-centric movie dramas) , the black protagonists in “Black Panther” are respected leaders, innovators and royalty.
Members of the “Black Panther” team at 2017 Comic-Con International in San Diego. Pictured from left to right:. Andy Serkis, Ryan Coogler, Forest Whitaker, Michael B. Jordan, Winston Duke, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Iamges)
3. Black Panther” proves that blockbuster superhero movies can and should have talented people of color working behind the scenes in high-ranking positions.
“Black Panther” is directed by Ryan Coogler, the critically acclaimed African-American filmmaker who previously helmed the 2015 boxing movie “Creed” (a spinoff of the “Rocky movies”) and the 2013 indie drama “Fruitvale Station.” Coogler co-wrote the “Black Panther” screenplay with Joe Robert Cole, an African-American whose previous screen credits were the 2011 independent film “Amber Lake” and two episodes of the 2016 miniseries “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
Other African-Americans who have prominent behind-the-scenes roles on “Black Panther” include executive producer Nate Moore, production designer Hannah Beachler and costume designer Ruth E. Carter. In addition, several of the hair and makeup artists for “Black Panther” are African-American.
And just like “Wonder Woman” (directed by Patty Jenkins) proved in 2017, the biggest superhero movie of the year does not have to be directed by a white male. The type of inclusion shown for the “Black Panther” crew is a step in the right direction for blockbuster movies to have more diverse, qualified team members who work behind the camera. “Black Panther” is the type of movie that appeals to a diverse audience, and the people who make these kinds of movies should also be a reflection of that diversity.
Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)
4. “Black Panther” proves that a major blockbuster movie with a mostly black cast is not a “fluke” or a “fad.”
This is not a one-hit wonder. This not a passing trend. You don’t have to be a genius to know that “Black Panther” will spawn many sequels, prequels and/or spinoffs for years to come—not to mention all the money from merchandising, home video sales and other business revenue. “Black Panther” could also pave the way for more non-Caucasian superheroes to get their own headlining films.
Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o , Angela Bassett and Martin Freeman in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)
5. “Black Panther” proves that a superhero movie with black actors in the most prominent roles can have massive international appeal.
Movies with a mostly black cast are often mischaracterized as appealing mainly to African-American audiences and hard to sell to countries outside of North America. The unquestionable global success of “Black Panther” blows away that stereotype. Movie audiences have spoken in their choices of what tickets to buy, and the message is loud and clear: They are hungry for more variety—and if it’s high-quality, that’s even better.
*February 20, 2018 UPDATE: According to Box Office Mojo, “Black Panther” had $202 million in ticket sales at the U.S. box office from February 16 to February 18, 2018, and $242 million at the U.S. box office from February 16 to 19, 2018 (counting the Presidents Day holiday). This breaks the opening-weekend box-office records for movies that opened in February; superhero movies headlined by a solo character; movies that opened on a holiday weekend; movies that opened on a four-day weekend; and non-sequel movies.
**March 1, 2018 UPDATE: Marvel has changed the release date for “Avengers: Infinity War” from May 4 to April 27, 2018.
The following is a press release from the Songwriters Hall of Fame:
Musical titans Bill Anderson, Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor P/K/A “Kool & The Gang,” Steve Dorff, Jermaine Dupri, Alan Jackson, John Mellencamp and Allee Willis will become the latest inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame at the organization’s 49th Annual Induction and Awards Dinner. These legendary songwriters wrote mega-hits such as, “Mama Sang a Song,” “Celebration,” “Through The Years,” “Always Be My Baby,” “Chattahoochee,” “Jack And Diane,” and “I’ll Be There For You.” The star-studded induction event is slated for Thursday, June 14, 2018, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City. Additional special award honorees will be announced soon.
“The 2018 roster of Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees is a prodigious representation of creators of cross-genre hits, certain to resonate with everyone,” said SHOF co-chairs Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff and president/CEO Linda Moran. “Each year, the slate of songwriters we induct is more diverse and illustrative of the history and contributions that we strive to acknowledge and honor. We could not be more excited to preside over this year’s event and to give these songwriters their due respect.”
Established in 1969, the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) serves as a vital bridge between music’s past and future. In the Hall, musical pioneers are enshrined and celebrated, while the organization’s outreach to the music community grooms the next generation of troubadours. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs.
Bill Anderson
Bill Anderson (Photo courtesy of Bill Anderson)
Bill Anderson is the rare songwriter whose first major label cut went to No. 1 on the charts, was named Song of The Year, and sparked a writing career that is currently in its seventh decade. The song, “City Lights,” was written when Anderson was a 19-year old Georgia disc jockey and became a career-defining hit for Ray Price in 1958. The song opened doors for him in Nashville, leading him to signing with BMI and Tree Publishing.
Anderson was far from a one-hit wonder. He followed “City Lights” with country standards like “Tips Of My Fingers,” the GRAMMY-nominated “Once A Day,” “Saginaw, Michigan,” “That’s What It’s Like To Be Lonesome,” “I Missed Me,” “Cold Hard Facts Of Life,” which earned him another GRAMMY nomination, “Mama Sang A Song,” the crossover smash, “Still,” and countless others. He was voted country Songwriter Of The Year six times during his first decade in Music City.
His success continued into the seventies with award-winning hits like “Slippin’ Away,” “The Lord Knows I’m Drinking,” “I May Never Get To Heaven,” and the disco-flavored, “I Can’t Wait Any Longer.” The eighties saw Anderson’s chart-topping career take a hiatus as he became a TV network game show host, spokesman for a national restaurant chain, and a nonstop touring Grand Ole Opry performer. In the nineties he came roaring back with a vengeance, however, as he seriously turned to co-writing for the first time.
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001, his collaborations with the newer generation of Nashville tunesmiths resulted in hits like “Wish You Were Here,” the GRAMMY-nominated “Two Teardrops,” “A Lot Of Things Different,” for Kenny Chesney, “Which Bridge To Cross (Which Bridge To Burn),” for Vince Gill and two Song Of The Year awards for “Whiskey Lullaby,” with Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss and George Straight’s “Give It Away,” in 2005 and 2007 respectfully. He continues to write today with songs like Brad Paisley’s “Dying To See Her.”
Robert “Kool” Bell, Ronald Bell, George Brown & James “JT” Taylor P/K/A “Kool & The Gang”
Pictured left to right: Ronald Bell, George Brown, Robert Bell
James “JT” Taylor (Photo by Keith Major)
In 1964, Robert “Kool” Bell and his brother, Ronald Bell joined George Brown and other Jersey City neighborhood friends to create a unique musical blend of jazz, soul and funk. After performing for five years under various monikers, Kool & The Gang officially launched in 1969 with the release of their self-titled debut album, which was an introduction to their signature sound.
The band’s stellar reputation grew with each album, but 1973’s gold disc “Wild & Peaceful” took Kool & The Gang to another level, spurred by the immortal party anthems “Funky Stuff,” “Hollywood Swinging” and the platinum smash “Jungle Boogie.” The 1970’s brought hits like “Higher Plane,” the classic “Summer Madness” (featured on the GRAMMY-winning movie soundtrack Rocky) and “Open Sesame,” which was featured on the top-selling movie soundtrack of all-time, Saturday Night Fever, earned the group a GRAMMY.
In 1978, James “JT” Taylor, joined Kool & The Gang. His distinctive voice was discovered at age seven, leading him to start a band and perform at the Apollo Theater by age thirteen. As a songwriter and lead vocalist, his appreciation for all music led him to numerous bands and, ultimately, the group as lead vocalist/songwriter. JT’s contributions made an instant impact. In 1979, the group unveiled a smooth new sound with Ladies Night, their first platinum album, produced by the legendary pop/jazz musician and mentor Eumir Deodato, which heralded an unprecedented decade of mainstream domination, creativity, and innovation.
In 1989, JT pursued a solo career. His first release, the Diane Warren-penned duet with Regina Belle, “All I Want Is Forever,” was featured in the film, Tap. JT’s uninhibited 1st album, Master of the Game, steered him towards industry giants like Teddy Riley, Jeff Lorber, Barry Eastman, Whitney Houston, and George Benson. His next endeavors included projects, such as “The Promised Land” for Ghostbusters II with Bobby Caldwell and Jeff Porcaro, the Simon Law-co-produced Feel the Need album featuring “Long Hot Summer Night,” as well as “Baby I’m Back,” and “A Brand New Me”. Today, JT continues to develop projects, always reaching for new horizons.
Kool & The Gangs iconic songs, including “Celebration,” which was inducted into the GRAMMY Hall of Fame and remains de rigueur at joyous occasions worldwide, have earned two GRAMMY Awards, 25 Top Ten R & B hits, nine Top Ten Pop hits, 31 gold and platinum awards, 5 American Music Awards, and numerous Grammy nominations. Marking their 50th anniversary this year, they were honored with a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award and a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame and continue to tour the world.
Steve Dorff
Steve Dorff’s career as a songwriter spans five decades and includes more than forty BMI awards, twenty Top 10 hits, twelve No. 1 hits, and an American Music Award. The GRAMMY- and Emmy-nominated songwriter and composer has had songs recorded by more than four hundred artists from all genres of music, as well as twenty-eight movie scores and numerous theme songs and placements on TV series.
Dorff’s songs have been recorded by iconic artists such as Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Dusty Springfield and countless others. A few chart hits include Rogers’ “Through the Years,” Murray’s “I Just Fall in Love Again,” Strait’s “I Cross My Heart,” and Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose”—the title track from Clint Eastwood’s 1978 film.
Dorff has composed TV music for shows such as Murphy Brown, Growing Pains, Murder She Wrote, Columbo, Reba, Spenser: For Hire, Just the Ten of Us, and The Singing Bee. His film contributions include songs and scores for Pure Country, Bronco Billy, Rocky IV, Tin Cup and Honky Tonk Man. Branching into stage productions, he wrote the music for the theatre production, Josephine. Dorff published the 2017 memoir, I Wrote That One Too…A Life in Songwriting from Willie to Whitney, and he enjoys performing his best-loved songs at venues across the country.
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri (Photo by Mark Hill)
Jermaine Dupri wrote his first song “Single” at the young age of 15, then his first platinum selling single a mere four years later with the mega hit “Jump” (Kriss Kross) and he hasn’t stopped writing hits since.
Dupri’s songwriting accomplishments have continued for over two decades with over 30 number one hits including “My Boo” (Usher featuring Alicia Keyes) “Nice & Slow” (Usher), “Don’t Forget About Us” (Mariah Carey), “Grillz” ( Nelly featuring Paul Wall), “Confessions Part II” (Usher), “Burn” (Usher), “You Got It Bad” (Usher), “The First Night” (Monica), “Jump” (Kriss Kross) and “We Belong Together” (Mariah Carey). His songwriting transcends across all genres of music, with hits “Shake It Off” (Mariah Carey) and “Money Aint A Thang” (Jermaine Dupri feat Jay Z), “Give it 2 U” (Da Brat),“Just Kicking It” (Xscape) and “Where The Party At” (Jagged Edge).
The most iconic singers/rappers of the past quarter-century have recorded his songs: Usher, Aretha Franklin, The Notorious B.I.G., Ludacris, Bow Wow, Aaliyah, 3LW, Destiny’s Child, 112, Anthony Hamilton, Nelly, Fabulous, Lil John, Alicia Keyes, Master P, Da Brat, Jagged Edge, Xscape, Run DMC, Isley Brothers, Mase, TLC, New Edition, Tamia, Monica, Janet Jackson, and Mariah Carey amongst others.
Now in his third decade of writing and producing songs, GRAMMY award-winning Jermaine Dupri shows no signs of slowing down as he continue to pen his way to the top.
Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson (Photo by Russell Harrington)
Recently inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Alan Jackson’s membership among country music’s all-time greats is the latest in a long line of career-defining accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, more than 25 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry, a 2016 Billboard ranking as one of the Top 10 Country Artists of All-Time, induction to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Heritage Award as the most-performed country songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years.
Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He is in the elite company of Paul McCartney and John Lennon among songwriters who’ve written more than 20 songs that they’ve recorded and taken to the top of the charts. Beginning with his first hit, “Here in the Real World,” Jackson’s pen has given us some of country music’s most-memorable songs of the past 30 years –the immediately-recognized “Chattahoochee,” the haunting “Midnight in Montgomery,” the touching “Remember When,” the autobiographical “Livin’ On Love,” “Drive,” and “Chasin’ That Neon Rainbow” and the inspired “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).” Jackson is one of the best-selling artists since the inception of SoundScan, ranking alongside the likes of Eminem and Metallica. He’s also the man behind one of Nashville’s most-popular new tourist stops, AJ’s Good Time Bar, a four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown (along a stretch of Broadway known as the “Honky Tonk Highway”) featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City.
The man from rural Newnan, GA has sold nearly 60-million albums worldwide and ranks as one of the 10 best-selling male vocalists of all-time in all genres. He has released more than 60 singles – registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard chart-toppers). He has earned more than 150 music industry awards – including 18 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of GRAMMY’s and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards.
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp (Photo by Marc Hauser)
John Mellencamp’s career in music, spanning more than 35 years, has seen him transition from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer/songwriters of a generation. He is an authentic voice of American music and master storyteller with a commitment to creating traditional rock & roll, bittersweet songs of happiness and melancholia, inequality and fervent political dissent. With dozens of hits to his credit, the singer has taken on the plight of the family farmer, issues with authority figures and, of course, his own musings on relationships. Throughout his prolific career, John Mellencamp has written more than twenty Top 40 hits, Hits like “Jack and Diane,” “Small Town,” “Crumblin Down,” “The Authority Song,” “Rain On The Scarecrow,” “Lonely Ol Night,” “”R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.,” “Paper In Fire,” “Check It Out,” “Pink Houses,” “Pop Singer,” and “Jackie Brown.” These iconic American songs have played an important role in defining Midwestern music and developing the rock genre.
Mellencamp is incredibly acclaimed; he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a GRAMMY® winner, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He is also one of the most successful live concert performers in the world. The social activism reflected in his songs helped catalyze Farm Aid, the concert series and organization that has addressed the struggle of American family farmers for more than 25 years.
His latest song, “Easy Target” offers a raspy diagnosis of America’s current political ailments. John wrote the title song for the 2017 film, The Yellow Birds, an American war film directed by Alexandre Moors and based on the novel The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers. The film debuted at Tribeca Film Festival and aired on the Nat Geo Channel.
John continues to focus on another facet of his artistic expression: painting. His style has progressed over the years as evidenced by several museum shows and published portfolios, and in recent years, he has increased his output by completing over 100 new works. He was also involved with an extraordinary collaboration for The Ghost Brothers of Darkland County, a musical with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto by author Stephen King and production by T Bone Burnett.
Allee Willis
Allee Willis (Photo by Dina Duarte)
Allee Willis is a one-woman creative musical think-tank – a multi-disciplinary artist and visionary thinker whose range of imagination and productivity knows no bounds and whose songs integrate into all fields she works in. The GRAMMY ®, Emmy, and Tony award-winning and nominated songwriter’s hits include the seemingly ubiquitous “September,” “I’ll Be There For You (the Friends theme), “Boogie Wonderland,” “Neutron Dance,” “What Have I Done To Deserve This,” “Lead Me On,” “Stir It Up,“ “In The Stone,” and “You’re The Best”. Willis also co-authored the Oprah Winfrey-produced Tony and GRAMMY-winning musical The Color Purple.
Willis, who writes both music and lyrics, has written for artists across many genres, including Earth, Wind & Fire, The Pointer Sisters, Pet Shop Boys, Justin Timberlake, Patti LaBelle, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmy Cliff, Debbie Harry, DMC, Bette Midler, Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper, Herbie Hancock, Toto, Bryan Adams, Diana Ross, Chaka Kahn, Jennifer Hudson, Ray Charles, Weather Report, Dusty Springfield, Fantasia, Kirk Franklin, Tina Turner, Taylor Dane, The Emotions, Boy George, Cher, Ashford & Simpson, Thomas Dolby, Dionne Warwick, Herb Alpert, Gladys Knight, and more.
Willis began writing songs in 1972 when she worked at Columbia/ Epic Records writing ads, radio commercials, and liner notes for the artists including, Laura Nyro, Barbra Streisand, Santana, Simon & Garfunkle, and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Willis’s first song was recorded in 1974 by Bonnie Raitt. But her big break came in 1978 when Patti LaBelle started regularly recording her songs. LaBelle placed Willis with Herbie Hancock, who she wrote three songs with. A few months later she began collaborating with Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire who introduced her to his brother Maurice, founder and lead singer of the band. Within five minutes of meeting they started writing “September”.
In 1997, representing 3 million BMI songwriters, Willis became the first pop artist to address Congress on artist rights in cyberspace. Throughout the 90’s she consulted with tech and media companies including Microsoft, Intel, AOL, Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. on their music and entertainment web strategies.
Willis most recently completed writing, recording producing, directing, and animating “The D,” a song for her hometown of Detroit. It features 5000 vocalists, more people in history than have ever been on a record before. Willis also started performing a series of sold-out one-woman shows, combining her songs with her comedy, art, videos and technology.
About The Songwriters Hall of Fame:
The Songwriters Hall of Fame celebrates songwriters, educates the public with regard to their achievements, and produces a spectrum of professional programs devoted to the development of new songwriting talent through workshops, showcases and scholarships. West Coast educational activities are held at The GRAMMY Museum, which hosts the permanent Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery, and at the University of Southern California. Out of the tens of thousands of songwriters of our era, there are approximately 400 inductees who make up the impressive roster enshrined in the Hall of Fame. To qualify for induction, a songwriter must be a published writer for a minimum of 20 years with a notable catalog of hit songs. The list of inductees include Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier & Brian Holland, Smokey Robinson, Paul Williams, Hal David & Burt Bacharach, Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly, Bob Dylan, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi & Richie Sambora, Elton John & Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Don Schlitz, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Loretta Lynn, Jimmy Webb, Van Morrison, Kris Kristofferson, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Diane Warren, Paul Anka, Stevie Wonder, Steven Tyler & Joe Perry, Mac Davis, Leonard Cohen, Ray Davies, Donovan, Cyndi Lauper, Desmond Child, Mick Jones & Lou Gramm, Chip Taylor, Elvis Costello, Marvin Gaye, Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond, Jay Z, Tom Petty, Toby Keith, Max Martin, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Berry Gordy, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds and Robert Lamm & James Pankow among many others.
Full biographies and a complete list of inductees are available on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website at https://www.songhall.org. Joining online is quick and easy: https://www.songhall.org/join.
Ticket Information:
Tickets for the Songwriters Hall of Fame event begin at $1,500 each, and are available through Buckley Hall Events, 914-579-1000. Net proceeds from the event will go toward the Songwriters Hall of Fame programs. Songwriters Hall of Fame is a 501(c)3 organization. The non-deductible portion of each ticket is $170. Contributions, for which no goods or services are received in exchange, are fully tax-deductible as provided by law.
Gilda Radner in “Love, Gilda” (Photo courtesy of the Estate of Gilda Radner)
The following is a press release from the Tribeca Film Festival:
The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, will open its 17th edition with the world premiere of LOVE, GILDA on Wednesday, April 18, 2018. CNN Films presents the feature length documentary – produced by 3 Faces Films in association with Motto Pictures – which opens a window into the world of celebrated Emmy® and Grammy® award-winning comedian Gilda Radner who became a cultural icon the moment audiences first laughed with her on Saturday Night Live’s debut episode. A trailblazer for female comedians, her impact on the entertainment industry has endured almost four decades. The film will premiere opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, the city she called home when she catapulted to fame. Tickets for Opening Night go on sale on March 20 at www.tribecafilm.com/festival. The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival runs April 18-29.
LOVE, GILDA is directed and produced by Lisa D’Apolito with the support of the Gilda Radner estate. The film is a true autobiography of a pioneering woman, told in her own words and in her own voice. It weaves together audiotapes, rare home movies, diary entries, and interviews with her friends and those inspired by her including: Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Cecily Strong; SNL original cast members Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, and Paul Shaffer; as well as Lorne Michaels (SNL creator and producer), Alan Zweibel (SNL writer), Stephen Schwartz (Broadway composer); Andrew Alexander (CEO of Second City), and long-time friend and actor Martin Short.
Gilda Radner captivated millions of television viewers as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live from 1975-1980. The popularity of her now classic comedic characters Roseanne Roseannadanna, Emily Litella, and Lisa Loopner fueled the young talent to meteoric fame in television, movies, and on Broadway. After finding happiness in love with Gene Wilder she received the cruelest joke of all, cancer. Her fight against the disease served as an inspiration to people impacted by the illness to stay positive and to keep laughing no matter what challenges life brings you.
Gilda Radner and Gene Wilder in “Love, Gilda” (Photo courtesy of the Estate of Gilda Radner)
“As a Festival that has always supported women’s voices and is largely run by women we are incredibly proud to celebrate the inimitable voice of Gilda during the opening night of our Festival,” said Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder and CEO of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Gilda Radner was a powerful comedic force of nature who opened doors and thrilled audiences while becoming one of the most prolific comedians of a generation. Her cutting edge humor was only second to her dedicated leadership in cancer care with her eponymous Gilda’s Club.”
“LOVE, GILDA is the right film at the right time and the perfect way to open our Festival,” said Paula Weinstein, EVP of Tribeca Enterprises. “Gilda is a woman for the ages, an extraordinary talent in film, television, and theater who overcame her personal struggles to make us laugh, to make us cry. She understood the healing power of laughter not simply for her audience but in her own life as she struggled with cancer and lead the way for all of us to make the world a better place.”
First time feature filmmaker Lisa D’Apolito commented, “I fell in love with Gilda Radner while doing pro bono work at Gilda’s Club, the cancer support organization Gene Wilder founded in honor of Gilda, in Greenwich Village where I grew up. This started my journey to discover who Gilda was as a person and as a performer. Gilda inspired me and many other women with her remarkable spirit and unique talent that changed the world of comedy. I’m grateful and honored to share the extraordinary legacy of Gilda Radner at the Tribeca Film Festival.”
Gilda Radner in “Love, Gilda” (Photo courtesy of the Estate of Gilda Radner)
LOVE, GILDA brings audiences into the honest and whimsical world of a beloved performer, whose greatest role was sharing her story. The film is produced by Bronwyn Berry, Meryl Goldsmith, and James Tumminia, with Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements, Carolyn Hepburn (Motto Pictures), Alan and Robin Zweibel, Amy Entelis and Courtney Sexton (CNN Films) serving as executive producers.
Submarine is handling sales for the film.
The 2018 Tribeca Film Festival will announce its feature film slate on March 7.
Hashtag: #Tribeca2018
Twitter: @Tribeca
Instagram: @tribeca
Facebook: facebook.com/Tribeca
Snapchat: TribecaFilmFest About Tribeca Film Festival past opening nights:
Since its inception 17 years ago, Tribeca Film Festival has opened with a range of films, both narrative and documentary, that celebrate cinema and storytelling: 2017 – Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives (Documentary); 2016 – First Monday in May (Documentary); 2015 – Live from New York! (Documentary) with live performance from Ludacris; 2014 – Nas: Time is Ill-matic (Documentary) with live performance from Nas; 2013 – Mistaken for Strangers (Documentary) with live performance from The National ; 2012 – The Five-Year Engagement (Narrative); 2011 – The Union (Documentary) with live Elton John performance; 2010 – Shrek Forever After (Narrative); 2009 – Whatever Works (Narrative); 2008 – Baby Mama (Narrative); 2007 – SOS (Shorts program); 2006 – United 93 (Narrative); 2005 – The Interpreter (Narrative); 2004 – Raising Helen (Narrative); 2003 – Down with Love (Narrative); 2002 – About a Boy (Narrative) About the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is the leading cultural event that brings visionaries and diverse audiences together to celebrate storytelling in all its forms, including film, TV, VR, gaming, music, and online work. With strong roots in independent film, Tribeca is a platform for creative expression and immersive entertainment. The Festival champions emerging and established voices; discovers award-winning filmmakers and creators; curates innovative experiences; and introduces new technology and ideas through premieres, exhibitions, talks, and live performances.
The Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now in its 17th year, the Festival has evolved into a destination for creativity that reimagines the cinematic experience and explores how art can unite communities. www.tribecafilm.com/festival
About the 2018 Sponsor
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, while expanding opportunities to diverse creators around the globe. AT&T helps millions connect to their passions – no matter where they are. This year, AT&T and Tribeca will once again collaborate to give the world access to stories from underrepresented filmmakers that deserve to be seen. AT&T Presents Untold Stories. An Inclusive Film Program in Collaboration with Tribeca, is a multi-year, multi-tier alliance between AT&T and Tribeca along with the year-round nonprofit Tribeca Film Institute.
The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its 2018 Signature Partners: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies’, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), BVLGARI, CHANEL, CHLOE WINE COLLECTION, ESPN, HEINEKEN, IBM, IWC Schaffhausen, National CineMedia (NCM), New York Magazine, Nutella, NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, Spring Studios New York, and TUMI.
The Oscar Nominees Luncheon for nominees of the 90th Annual Academy Awards took place on February 5, 2018, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this annual luncheon has changed slightly over the past few years. In more recent years, several of the nominated actors and actresses have not attended the ceremony. There could be several reasons for these notable absences (for example, scheduling conflicts), but it seems the main reason could be avoiding the media or not wanting to campaign for the awards.
In 2018, several high–profile Oscar nominees chose not to attend the luncheon, including actors and actresses Denzel Washington (“Roman J. Israel, Esq.”), Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Woody Harrelson (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Daniel Day-Lewis (“Phantom Thread”), Lesley Manville (“Phantom Thread”) and Christopher Plummer (“All the Money in the World”) . McDormand and Day-Lewis famously do not campaign for awards, so it’s not too surprising that they were not there. In the behind-the-scenes categories, some notable no-shows included screenwriter/producer Martin McDonagh (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), cinematographer Roger Deakins (“Blade Runner 2049”), screenwriter James Ivory (“Call Me by Your Name”), songwriter Sufjan Stevens (“Call Me By Your Name”), composer Hans Zimmer (“Dunkirk”), composer Jonny Greenwood (“Phantom Thread”) and composer John Williams (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi”).
The Oscar Nominees Luncheon used to have short press conferences for each of the nominees in the biggest categories. Over the years, due to the rise in celebrity tabloid coverage, the questions at these press conferences were getting increasingly vapid and annoying. Each press conference for each nominee would be about five to eight minutes long, so there would be time to only answer only two to five questions .
The female actor nominees would almost inevitably be asked questions that their male counterparts were never asked, such as if they had their Oscar outfit picked out yet, what’s their beauty routine for awards shows, or how they might balance parenthood and a career. You could see the frustration on many of these actresses’ faces in being asked these borderline sexist questions instead of being asked about the movie that got them their Oscar nomination or anything to do with the art of acting, which are the kinds of questions male actors typically get asked at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon. Eventually, less actors and actresses were attending these press conferences. And in 2017, the Oscar Nominees Luncheon stopped having these press conferences. (The nominees can still do one-on-one interviews and pose for photos at the Oscar Nominees Luncheon.)
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” co-star Laura Dern (who is an Oscar nominee and a member of the Academy’s board of governors) acted as emcee for the 2018 Oscar Nominees Luncheon class photo.
The 90th Annual Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 4, 2018. ABC will have the live U.S. telecast of the ceremony.
*Caption for the top photo:
Front Row Left to Right: Mike Meinardus, Evelyn O’Neill, Glen Gauthier, Ziad Doueiri, Katja Benrath, Lou Sheppard, Marco Morabito, Brad Zoern, Scott Neustadter, Laura Checkoway, Kobe Bryant, Ildikó Enyedi, Raphael Saadiq, Paul Denham Austerberry, Josh Lawson, Michael Green, Vanessa Taylor, James Mangold, Richard King and Reed Van Dyk
Second Row: Thomas Lennon, Peter Spears, Sidney Wolinsky, Jakob Schuh, Scott Frank, Jan Lachauer, Scott Benza , Darla K. Anderson, Alex Gibson, Gary Rizzo, Daniel Phillips, Laurie Metcalf, Nora Twomey, David Malinowski, Luis Sequeira, Christopher Townsend, Daniel Barrett, Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Mark Bridges, Tobias Rosen, Joel Whist, Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani.
Third Row: Ru Kuwahata, Jonathan Amos, Douglas Urbanski, Dana Murray, Justin Paul, Richard R. Hoover, Carter Burwell, Matthew Wood, David Heilbroner, Feras Fayyad, Kate Davis, Eli Bush, Paul Machliss, Eric Fellner, Megan Ellison, Richard Jenkins, Ren Klyce, Timothée Chalamet, Ruben Östlund, Shane Vieau, Dan Laustsen, Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon, Dave Mullins, Rachel Shenton, Mark Mangini, Anthony Leo and Mark Weingarten.
Fourth Row: Michael Semanick, Mike Mulholland, Gabriel Grapperon, Lisa Bruce, Kazahiro Tsuji, Julie Goldman, Nathan Robitaille, Bruno Delbonnel, Victor Caire, Sally Hawkins, Diane Warren, Bryan Fogel, Lee Smith, Kevin Wilson Jr., Arjen Tuiten, Daniel Lupi, Saoirse Ronan, JoAnne Sellar, Nelson Ferreira, Ivan Mactaggart, Emilie Georges, Doug Hemphill, Katie Spencer, Daniel Kaluuya, Dennis Gassner, Lucy Sibbick, Gregg Landaker, Christian Cooke, Graham Broadbent, Max Porter, and Stuart Wilson.
Fifth Row: Virgil Williams, Mark Mitten, Frank Stiefel, Lori Forte, Chris Overton, Tom McGrath, Glen Keane, Chris Corbould, John Nelson, Dee Rees, Lee Unkrich, Margot Robbie, Dan Cogan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Hugh Welchman, Gary Oldman, Dan Lemmon, J. Miles Dale, Taura Stinson, Jacqueline Durran, Yance Ford, Willem Dafoe, Allison Janney, Sebastián Lelio, Rachel Morrison, Jordan Peele, Kristen Anderson Lopez, Robert Lopez, Michael H. Weber, Joslyn Barnes, Sean McKittrick, Thomas Lee Wright, Benj Pasek, Dan Sudick and David Parker.
Sixth Row: Alexandre Desplat, Mary J Blige, Amy Pascal, Gary Fettis, Octavia Spencer, Guillermo del Toro, Ben Morris, Aaron Sorkin, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Jeff Melvin, Hoyt van Hoytema, Andrey Zvyagintsev, Sarah Greenwood, Jason Blum, Chris Nolan, Sam Rockwell, Emma Thomas, Steve James, Joe Letteri, Carlos Saldanha, Meryl Streep, Greta Gerwig, Agnès Varda (cutout), JR, Tatiana S.Riegel, Steven Spielberg, Luca Guadagnino, Ramsey Naito, Julian Slater, Lonnie Lynn, Ron Bartlett, Pete Czernin, and Theo Green.
The following is a press release from Animal Planet:
PUPPY BOWL, the cutest competition in sports history, returned to Animal Planet on February 4, 2018, for an epic matchup between adoptable puppy players from #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff who go paw to paw and nose to nose to win the CHEWY.COM “Lombarky” PUPPY BOWL XIV trophy. PUPPY BOWL XIV aired simultaneously on both coasts, featuring two hours of fuzzy faces, sloppy kisses, incredible interceptions, puppy penalties and hard-won touchdowns. After the pup-tastic game of ear pulls and tail tugs is over, all the PUPPY BOWL puppy players end up as winners when they find their forever homes.
PUPPY BOWL XIV was played at the all-new bone-shaped GEICO® stadium which features more than a dozen cameras, including those embedded in the end zone pylons, to help get audiences closer to the PUPPY BOWL action than ever before. The game kicked off with Jokgu the piano playing chicken from Season 12 of America’s Got Talent pecking out “The Star-Spangled Banner” on the keyboard as an adorable blended bunch of baby barnyard cheerleaders, including ducklings, piglets and baby bunnies, help excite fans on the sidelines throughout the game.
For PUPPY BOWL XIV, Animal Planet worked with 48 different animal shelters and rescue organizations from 25 U.S. states and territories, to fill the rosters of #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff with 90 adoptable players for this puppy pile-up – the most puppies and shelters in PUPPY BOWL history. With the help of DNA testing conducted by WISDOM PANEL™, these puppy athletes go beyond fur-deep to find out what they’re really made of and use it to their advantage.
PUPPY BOWL XIV features pups rescued from areas that were devastated by natural disasters in 2017, including Houston, Puerto Rico and Florida. A Pit Bull puppy player from Villalobos Rescue Center, the largest Pit Bull rescue in the U.S., is also featured in PUPPY BOWL XIV with Marcel from Pit Bulls & Parolees. Other special needs puppy players this year include, among other players, Ryder (a sight-impaired Husky), Chance (a deaf Dalmatian), Moonshine (a sight-impaired and deaf Border Collie) and Luna (a Pomeranian mix with a cleft palate), who won’t let anything stop them from trying to score the winning touchdown and a loving forever home.
Animal Planet audiences can learn more about the shelters, rescues and organizations that participated in PUPPY BOWL XIV by visiting https://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/puppy-bowl/.
Grammy-winning singer Justin Timberlake is the headliner for Super Bowl LII’s halftime show, which is set to take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on February 4, 2018. NBC will have the U.S. telecast.
This is Timberlake’s third time performing at a Super Bowl halftime show. In 2001, he first performed a medley with his former group *NSYNC, Britney Spears and Aerosmith at Super Bowl XXXV. In 2004 (in what has become an infamous performance), he took the stage at Super Bowl XXXVII with Janet Jackson, who had a “wardrobe malfunction” when Timberlake ripped off part of her top, leaving her breast exposed. This led to a lot of controversy, FCC fines and apologies from Timberlake and Jackson. (At a press conference on February 1, 2018, Timberlake emphatically said that there will be not be a *NSYNC reunion at his Super Bowl LII performance. Jackson is also not expected to be there.)
Here are videos related to Timberlake’s Super Bowl LII halftime performance:
Veteran music executive Charlie Walk has been dropped from Fox’s singing competition “The Four: Battle for Stardom” after two women who used to work with him have come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, according to a Deadline report published on January 31, 2018. In addition, Walk has also been placed on leave by the Republic Group, where he served as president. He joined the company in 2013 as executive vice president of Republic Records. Universal Music Group, the owner and distributor of Republic, issued a statement that it is investigating the allegations and will make a decision about Walk’s employment status when the investigation is completed. Walk, who is married with children, has denied all the allegations.
Walk was one of four judges on “The Four,” a talent contest in which the winner gets a record deal with Republic. Sean “Diddy” Combs, Meghan Trainor and DJ Khaled are the show’s other judges. Former Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie is the show’s host.
“The Four” (which is produced by ITV Entertainment and Armoza Formats) premiered on January 4, 2018. Walk already taped the episode that airs on February 1, 2018, but sources told Deadline that Walk will not be on the show’s season finale that airs on February 8, 2018. “The Four” has had bad reviews and mediocre ratings, averaging a little more than 3 million U.S. viewers per episode.
Pictured from left to right: “The Four” host Fergie with “The Four” judges DJ Khaled, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Meghan Trainor and Charlie Walk. (Photo by Brian Bowen Smith/Fox)
One of Walk’s accusers is Life Lab founder Tristan Coopersmith, who went on the Internet on January 29, 2018, to describe Walk as a “scumbag” boss who repeatedly harassed her with lewd comments, unwanted groping and sexually inappropriate text messages. In a lengthy open letter to Walk, she also described an incident in which a drunken Walk allegedly forced her onto a bed at his home with his unknowing wife in the next room. Coopersmith said she rejected Walk’s sexual advances but his alleged harassment left her traumatized. In her letter, Coopersmith did not give specific dates on when these incidents allegedly occurred, but she said that she worked for Walk for a year in the early 2000s, starting when she was 27, while he was an executive at Sony Music’s Columbia Records. She also said that she reported the harassment at the time to a senior executive at the company, who allegedly told her that there was nothing she could do about it. She later accepted a payment to leave the company. Coopersmith has not worked in the music industry since 2010, and she says that Walk was one of the main reasons why she left the industry.
The second woman accusing Walk of harassment has chosen to remain anonymous, but she has been described in reports as a former Republic employee who is currently working in the music industry as a marketing executive. She also told similar stories of Walk making lewd comments to her, sending her sexually inappropriate texts and videos, and trying to lure her into having a sexual tryst with him. After she was laid off from the company, she tried to keep in touch with Walk because she considered him to be an powerful person who could still help her career, but she cut off contact with him after he continued to make sexual advances toward her. The anonymous accuser says she rejected Walk’s advances.
At Republic, Walk had been instrumental in shaping the music careers of DNCE, Hailee Steinfeld, Julia Michaels, The Weeknd, Lorde and Ariana Grande. He also led promotion partnerships for Big Machine Label Group (Taylor Swift), Cash Money Records (Drake, Nicki Minaj) and Island Records (Shawn Mendes, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas).
Before joining Republic, Walk was co-founder of the marketing company RJW Collective, later known as JWALK, from 2009 to 2014. He was previously president of Sony Music’s Epic Records from 2005 to 2009. At Epic, he worked with such artists as Shakira, Sean Kingston, The Fray and Sara Bareilles.. From 1990 to 2005, Walk was a marketing and promotion executive at Sony’s Columbia Records, where he helped shape the careers of artists such as Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, John Mayer, New Kids on the Block, the Fugees and John Legend.
February 8, 2018 UPDATE: “The Four” has been renewed for a second season, which will air in the summer of 2018 on dates to be announced , according to a press release issued by Fox. Evvie McKinney was the winner of the show’s first season. Fox has announced that for Season 2 of “The Four,” Combs, DJ Khaled and Trainor will continue their roles as judges, while Fergie will continue to host the show. It has not yet been announced who will replace Walk.
March 28, 2018 UPDATE: Republic Records has announced that it has reached a mutual agreement with Charlie Walk to leave the company, effective immediately. Republic said it would have no further comment on the matter. The announcement came one month after Rolling Stone published a report in which several other women came forward to tell stories about Walk harassing them while he was their boss or work colleague.
April 16, 2018 UPDATE: Fox has announced that the second season of “The Four” will premiere on June 7, 2018. Combs, DJ Khaled and Trainor are the show’s only judges for Season 2. Walk will not be replaced on the judges’ panel.
The complete lineup of films has been announced for the 25th Annual South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals, which will take place in Austin, Texas, from March 9 to March 18, 2018. Some of the more high-profile films having their SXSW premieres include the apocalyptic thriller “A Quiet Place,” directed and co-written by John Krasinski and starring real-life spouses Krasisnki and Emily Blunt; “Boundaries,” written and directed by Shana Feste and starring Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer; “Paradox’, written and directed by Daryl Hannah and starring Neil Young;; and “Final Portrait,” directed by Stanley Tucci and starring Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer. “A Quiet Place” will be the opening-night film for the 2018 SXSW Film Festival.
In addition, the festival has announced Melinda Gates as the keynote speaker. She is the co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and recently launched Pivotal Ventures.
Other keynote speakers at the event include Darren Aronofsky (Film Keynote), Ta-Nehisi Coates (Convergence Keynote), Lyor Cohen (Music Keynote), Barry Jenkins (Film Keynote), Sadiq Khan (Convergence Keynote), Esther Perel (Interactive Keynote), and whurley (Convergence Keynote).
SXSW 2018’s featured speakers include filmmaker Olivier Assayas, Dell Technologies founder/CEO Michael Dell,; “Elvis Presley: The Searcger” executive producer Priscilla Presley and director Thom Zimny; Oscar-nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater; futurist Ray Kurzweil; former U.S. Chief Technology Officer and shift7 founder Megan Smith;”Westworld” showrunners Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, fashion entrepreneur Rachel Zoe.
SXSW Conference programming is organized into 24 Tracks divided between Interactive, Film, Music, and Convergence, presented in a variety of session formats. Continuing last year’s initiative, SXSW is offering expanded access to events for all registrants. Attendees will receive primary access to programming associated with their badge type but now also enjoy secondary entry to most other SXSW events.
NARRATIVE FEATURE COMPETITION
Kate McKinnon and Taylor Schilling in “Family”
Family
Director/Screenwriter: Laura Steinel
When an emotionally stunted 30-year-old woman is tasked with watching her awkward and bullied 12-year-old niece for the week, she finds her life unfurling when the girl runs away to be a juggalo. Cast: Taylor Schilling, Bryn Vale, Brian Tyree Henry, Jessie Ennis, Blair Beeken, Matt Walsh, Allison Tolman, Eric Edelstein, Kate McKinnon, Fabrizio Guido (World Premiere)
First Match
Director/Screenwriter: Olivia Newman
Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father. Cast: Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo, Jharrel Jerome, Jared Kemp (World Premiere)
Jinn
Director/Screenwriter: Nijla Mu’min
A shape-shifting, pepperoni-loving, black teenage Instagram celebrity explores her identity and sexuality in the midst of her mother’s conversion to Islam. Cast: Zoe Renee, Simone Missick, Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Hisham Tawfiq, Kelly Jenrette, Dorian Missick, Ashlei Foushee, Maya Morales, Damien D. Smith (World Premiere)
The New Romantic (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Carly Stone
Frustrated with the lack of chivalrous guys her own age, a college senior gives up on dating for love to date an older man in exchange for gifts instead. Cast: Jessica Barden, Hayley Law, Brett Dier, Timm Sharp, Avan Jogia, Camila Mendes (World Premiere)
Sadie
Director/Screenwriter: Megan Griffiths
While her father is away serving in the military, Sadie battles to preserve his place on the home front when her mother takes an interest in a new man. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Sophia Mitri Schloss, John Gallagher Jr., Danielle Brooks, Tony Hale, Keith Williams, Tee Dennard (World Premiere)
Shotgun
Directors/Screenwriters: Hannah Marks, Joey Power
A young couple’s relationship develops quickly when one of them is diagnosed with a life-changing illness. Cast: Maika Monroe, Jeremy Allen White, DeRon Horton, Marisa Tomei, Sasha Lane, Joe Keery, Gina Gershon, Dean Winters, Olivia Luccardi (World Premiere)
Summer ’03
Director/Screenwriter: Becca Gleason
On her deathbed, Jamie’s grandmother leaves her with two pieces of information: one involves a baptism, the other a blowjob. This sets Jamie and her family on an emotional roller coaster ride while she falls for the wrong guy at the wrong time. Cast: Joey King, Andrea Savage, Paul Scheer, Jack Kilmer, Erin Darke, Stephen Ruffin, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Logan Medina, June Squibb (World Premiere)
Thunder Road
Director/Screenwriter: Jim Cummings
Officer Arnaud loved his Mom. Cast: Kendal Farr, Jim Cummings, Nican Robinson, Jocelyn DeBoer, Macon Blair, Bill Wise, Jordan Fox, Chelsea Edmondson (World Premiere)
The Unicorn
Director: Robert Schwartzman, Screenwriters: Nick Rutherford, Kirk C. Johnson, Will Elliott
Facing the fourth year of their engagement, an indecisive couple is thrust into the most uncomfortable night of their lives by intentionally and unintentionally involving a third party in their relationship. Cast: Lauren Lapkus, Nick Rutherford, Lucy Hale, Beck Bennett, Dree Hemingway, Beverly D’Angelo, John Kapelos, Maya Kazan, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Kyle Mooney (World Premiere)
Write When You Get Work
Director/Screenwriter: Stacy Cochran
Write When You Get Work is a comedy of money and access, a NY love story set in the Bronx and at a pricey school for girls on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Years after they’ve parted ways, Jonny Collins pursues Ruth Duffy for love — and profit. Cast: Emily Mortimer, Finn Wittrock, Rachel Keller, Scott Cohen, Jessica Hecht, James Ransone, Andrew Schulz, Tess Frazer, Afton Williamson, Zarif Kabier (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
“Chi-Town” (Photo by Keifer Sykes)
Chi-Town
Director: Nick Budabin
An underdog basketball player from Chicago goes on a meteoric rise to become one of the best college point guards in the nation. But while he pursues dreams of the NBA, his success contrasts with the effects of gun violence on his friends back home. (World Premiere)
Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable
Director: Sasha Waters
Freyer Artist. Iconoclast. Man of his time. All Things are Photographable is a revealing documentary portrait of the life and work of acclaimed photographer Garry Winogrand – the epic storyteller in pictures of America across three turbulent decades. (World Premiere)
The Gospel of Eureka
Directors: Michael Palmieri, Donal Mosher, Screenwriter: Donal Mosher
Faith, love and civil rights collide on voting day in a small Southern town that hosts a famous performance of the last days of Christ and an infamous gospel drag show. The new documentary by the award winning directors of October Country. (World Premiere)
¡Las Sandinistas! (Nicaragua, United States)
Director: Jenny Murray
¡Las Sandinistas! uncovers the disappearing stories of women who shattered barriers to lead combat and social reform during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution, and who continue to lead Nicaragua’s current struggle for democracy and equality. (World Premiere)
People’s Republic of Desire (China)
Director: Hao Wu
In China’s popular live-streaming showrooms, three millennials – a karaoke singer, a migrant worker and a rags-to-riches comedian – seek fame, fortune and human connection, ultimately finding the same promises and perils online as in their real lives. (World Premiere)
Social Animals
Director: Jonathan Green, Screenwriters: Carol Martori, Jonathan Green, Peter Garriott
A daredevil photographer, an aspiring swimsuit model, and a midwest girl next door are all looking for the same things from their Instagram accounts––a little love, acceptance and, of course, fame––and they’ll do just about anything to get it. (World Premiere)
This One’s For The Ladies
Director: Gene Graham
This One’s For The Ladies explores the sexual and social identity of contemporary black America through intimate, eye opening and often hilarious accounts from women and men who find love and community in the underground world of exotic dancing. (World Premiere)
TransMilitary
Directors: Gabriel Silverman, Fiona Dawson, Screenwriters: Jamie Coughlin, Gabriel Silverman
At a time when transgender people are banned from serving in the U.S. military, four of the thousands of transgender troops risking discharge fight to attain the freedom they so fiercely protect. (World Premiere)
Weed The People
Director: Abby Epstein
Weed the People captures the uplifting and heart-wrenching struggles of families who treat their cancer-stricken children with marijuana, some with astonishing results. (World Premiere)
The World Before Your Feet
Director: Jeremy Workman
For over 6 years, Matt Green, 37, has been walking every street in New York City – a total of more than 8000 miles. The World Before Your Feet tells the
story of one man’s unusual quest and the journey of discovery, humanity, and wonder that ensues. (World Premiere)
HEADLINERS
John Krasinski and Noah Jupe in “A Quiet Place” (Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures).
A Quiet Place
Director: John Krasinski, Screenwriters: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, and John Krasinski, Producers: Platinum Dunes
If they can’t hear you, they can’t hunt you. Cast: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds (World Premiere)
Blockers
Director: Kay Cannon, Screenwriters: Brian Kehoe, Jim Kehoe, Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, Eben Russell
When three parents discover their daughters’ pact to lose their virginity at prom, they launch a covert one-night operation to stop the teens from sealing the deal. Cast: Leslie Mann, Ike Barinholtz, John Cena, Kathryn Newton, Geraldine Indira Viswanathan, Gideon Adlon (World Premiere)
Boundaries
Director/Screenwriter: Shana Feste
Laura and her troubled son Henry are forced to drive her estranged, pot-dealing, carefree father Jack across country after being kicked out of a nursing home. Cast: Vera Farmiga, Christopher Plummer, Lewis MacDougall, Bobby Cannavale, Kristen Schaal, Dolly Wells, Yahya Abdul-Mateen, Christopher Lloyd, Peter Fonda (World Premiere)
Paradox
Director/Screenwriter: Daryl Hannah
A loud Poem. A whimsical western tale of music and love. Cast: Neil Young, Lukas Nelson, Micah Nelson, Corey McCormick, Anthony LoGerfo, Tato Melgar, Willie Nelson, Charris Ford, Dulcie Clarkson Ford (World Premiere)
Final Portrait (United Kingdom, United States)
Director/Screenwriter: Stanley Tucci
Final Portrait is the story of the touching and offbeat friendship between world renowned artist Alberto Giacometti and American writer and art-lover James Lord, based on Lord’s memoir. Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer, Clémence Poésy, Tony Shalhoub, Sylvie Testud (North American Premiere)
NARRATIVE SPOTLIGHT
Abbi Jacobson in “6 Balloons” (Photo courtesy of Netflix)
6 Balloons
Director/Screenwriter: Marja Lewis Ryan
Over the course of one night, a woman drives across LA with her heroin addict brother in search of a detox center, with his two year old daughter in tow. Cast: Abbi Jacobson, Dave Franco, Charlotte Carel, Madison Carel, Jane Kaczmarek, Dewan Owens, Tim Matheson, Jen Tullock, Maya Erskine, Heidi Sulzman (World Premiere)
All Square
Director: John Hyams, Screenwriter: Timothy Brady
A down-on-his-luck bookie befriends an ex-girlfriend’s son and gets the bright idea to take bets on his youth league baseball games; only to realize he’s killed what’s pure about the sport as the games turn ugly when money is on the line. Cast: Michael Kelly, Josh Lucas, Pamela Adlon, Tom Everett Scott, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Harris Yulin, Yeardley Smith, Jesse Ray Sheps, Jay Larson, Craig Walker (World Premiere)
Anchor and Hope (Spain)
Director/Screenwriter: Carlos Marques-Marcet
When the best friend of a bohemian lesbian couple agrees to be their surrogate, the three friends set out on an unconventional journey to start a family. Cast: Natalia Tena, Oona Chaplin, David Verdaguer, Geraldine Chaplin (North American Premiere)
A Bluebird in My Heart (Belgium, France)
Director/Screenwriter: Jérémie Guez
Attempting to lead a quiet reformed life, an ex-con finds refuge in a motel run by a single mother and her daughter Clara. The peace and freedom he has found in this safe haven disappears when Clara is assaulted, forcing him to face his old demons. Cast: Roland Moller, Veerle Baetens, Lola Le Lann, Lubna Azabal (World Premiere)
The Breaker Upperers (New Zealand)
Directors/Screenwriters: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami
Two women run a business breaking up couples for cash but when one develops a conscience their friendship unravels. Cast: Jackie van Beek, Madeleine Sami, Celia Pacquola, James Rolleston, Ana Scotney
(World Premiere)
Fast Color
Director: Julia Hart, Screenwriters: Julia Hart, Jordan Horowitz
In this genre-bending supernatural drama, a woman is forced to go on the run when her extraordinary abilities are discovered. Years after having abandoned her family, the only place she has left to hide is home. Cast: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Lorraine Toussaint, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Denham, David Strathairn (World Premiere)
First Light (Canada)
Director/Screenwriter: Jason Stone
A close encounter with mysterious lights sends two teens on the run after one discovers she has extraordinary but dangerous powers. Cast: Stefanie Scott, Theodore Pelerine, Said Taghmaoui
(World Premiere)
The Legacy of the Whitetail Deer Hunter
Director: Jody Hill
The great hunter Buck Ferguson and his trusted cameraman Don set out for an epic weekend adventure to reconnect with Buck’s young son. Cast: Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Scoot McNairy, Montana Jordan (World Premiere)
Neurotic Quest for Serenity (Brazil)
Directors/Screenwriters: Paulinho Caruso, Teodoro Poppovic
Kika is going through a lot. She’s a famous actress. She has millions of fans. She’s about to star in a post apocalyptic soap opera. And she has obsessive compulsive disorder. Cast: Tatá Werneck, Vera Holtz, Bruno Gagliasso, Daniel Furlan (North American Premiere)
Outside In
Director: Lynn Shelton, Screenwriters: Lynn Shelton, Jay Duplass
An ex-con struggling to readjust to life in his small town forms an intense bond with his former high-school teacher. Cast: Jay Duplass, Edie Falco, Kaitlyn Dever, Ben Schwartz
(U.S. Premiere)
Support The Girls
Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski
The general manager at a highway-side ‘breastaurant’ has her incurable optimism and faith–in her girls, her customers, and herself–tested over the course of a long, strange day. Cast: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHale, James LeGros, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka, Brooklyn Decker, Lea DeLaria, Jana Kramer, John Elvis (World Premiere)
Unlovable
Director: Suzi Yoonessi, Screenwriters: Mark Duplass, Sarah Adina Smith, Charlene deGuzman
A sex- and love-addicted woman learns what real intimacy is when she starts making music with a reclusive man. Cast: Charlene deGuzman, John Hawkes, Melissa Leo, Paul James, Ellen Geer, Gigette Reyes (World Premiere)
A Vigilante
Director/Screenwriter: Sarah Daggar Nickson
A once abused woman, Sadie (Olivia Wilde), devotes herself to ridding victims of their domestic abusers while hunting down the husband she must kill to truly be free. Cast: Olivia Wilde, Morgan Spector, Kyle Catlett, CJ Wilson, Tonye Patano, Chuck Cooper, Betsy Aidem, Jusy Marte (World Premiere)
Who We Are Now
Director/Screenwriter: Matthew Newton
Beth, recently released from prison, tries to get custody of her son again and find her way back into the outside world, along the way realizing who she is isn’t about where she’s been, it’s about where she’s going. Cast: Julianne Nicholson, Emma Roberts, Zachary Quinto, Jess Weixler, Jimmy Smits, Jason Biggs, Lea Thompson, Scott Cohen, Octavia Chavez-Richmond, J. Mallory McCree (U.S. Premiere)
Wild Nights With Emily
Director/Screenwriter: Madeleine Olnek
Molly Shannon plays Emily Dickinson in Wild Nights With Emily, a humorous drama. This independent film explores her vivacious, irreverent side that was covered up for years — most notably Emily’s lifelong romantic relationship with another woman. Cast: Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz, Susan Ziegler, Brett Gelman, Jackie Monahan, Kevin Seal, Dana Melanie, Sasha Frolova, Lisa Haas, Al Sutton (World Premiere)
Wildling
Director: Fritz Bohm, Screenwriters: Fritz Bohm, Florian Eder
A blossoming teenager uncovers the dark secret behind her traumatic childhood. Cast: Bel Powley, Brad Dourif, Liv Tyler, Collin Kelly-Sordelet, James Le Gros, Troy Ruptash, Arlo Mertz, Aviva Winick (World Premiere)
You Can Choose Your Family
Director: Miranda Bailey, Screenwriter: Glen Lakin
A seventeen-year-old boy blackmails his father after discovering his secret second family. Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Logan Miller, Anna Gunn, Samantha Mathis, Alex Karpovsky, Hayes MacArthur, Michelle Hurd (World Premiere)
DOCUMENTARY SPOTLIGHT
“Agave: Spirit of a Nation” (Photo by Nate Pesce)
Agave: The Spirit of a Nation (Mexico, United States)
Directors: Nicholas Kovacic, Matthew Riggieri, Screenwriter: Chantal Martineau
In Mexico, families have passed down the tradition of distilling agave for generations and now, this once obscure Mexican drink is everywhere. Discover, how one delicate plant has carried the weight of a nation and the people trying to protect it. (World Premiere)
Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes
Director: Robert Bader, Screenwriters: Robert S. Bader, Dick Cavett
The life and times of Muhammed Ali shown through the lens of his numerous appearances on The Dick Cavett Show. The film features new interviews with Dick Cavett, Rev. Al Sharpton, and Larry Merchant, as well as archival material from the Cavett Show. (World Premiere)
Alt-Right: Age of Rage
Director/Screenwriter: Adam Bhala Lough
In the first year of Trump’s Presidency, Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an Antifa activist, combats the rise of the Alt-Right movement, while Richard Spencer, an Alt-Right leader, fights to gain ground, culminating in a tragic showdown in Charlottesville. (World Premiere)
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From A Mythical Man
Director: Tommy Avallone, Screenwriters: Tommy Avallone, Max Paolucci
One man’s journey to find meaning in Bill Murray’s many unexpected adventures with everyday people, rare and never-before seen footage of the comedic icon participating in stories previously presumed to be urban legend. (World Premiere)
Brewmaster
Director/Screenwriter: Douglas Tirola
Brewmaster follows a young ambitious New York lawyer who struggles to chase his American dream of becoming a brewmaster and a Milwaukee-based professional beer educator, as he attempts to become a Master Cicerone. (World Premiere)
Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
Director: Dana Adam Shapiro
Daughters of the Sexual Revolution is the never-before-told story of Suzanne Mitchell, the fiercely-loyal den mother of the original Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. (World Premiere)
The Dawn Wall (Austria, United States)
Directors: Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer
Legendary free climber Tommy Caldwell tries to get over heartbreak by scaling 3000ft of an impossible rock face: the Dawn Wall of El Capitan. (North American Premiere)
From All Corners (Japan)
Director: Ryusuke Okajima
Fuyuki Shimazu, the cardboard picker and artist, creates wallets made from used cardboard which he picks up from 25 countries. His wallets travel around the world to advocate the concept of “upcycling” which is the mind beyond recycling or re-use. (World Premiere)
Getting Over
Director/Screenwriter: Jason Charnick
A man discovers a box of interviews with his father, a lifelong heroin addict who died of AIDS in 1997. What he finds will uncover generations of family secrets, forcing him to redefine his own past, doubt his present, and question his future. (World Premiere)
Nossa Chape (Brazil, Colombia, United States)
Directors/Screenwriters: Jeff Zimbalist, Michael Zimbalist
Nossa Chape tracks the rebuilding of the Chapecoense football club in Brazil after an airplane carrying the team crashed on November 28th, 2016, and left all but three of the players dead. (World Premiere)
Operation Odessa
Director: Tiller Russell
The stranger-than-fiction true story of a Russian mobster, a Miami playboy, and a Cuban spy who teamed up in the early 90’s to sell a Soviet submarine to the Cali Carte. (World Premiere)
Take Your Pills
Director: Alison Klayman
Every era gets the drug it deserves. In America today, where competition is ceaseless from school to the workforce and everyone wants a performance edge, Adderall and other prescription stimulants are the defining drugs of this generation. (World Premiere)
Time Trial (United Kingdom)
Director: Finlay Pretsell
Time Trial takes us into the final races of cyclist David Millar’s career, leading to his last encounter with the Tour de France. The film reveals how the human spirit is driven by forces deeper than success and glory. (North American Premiere)
VISIONS
Cory Michael Smith in “1985” (Photo by Dutch Rall)
1985
Director/Screenwriter: Yen Tan
A young man goes home for the holidays and struggles to reveal a distressing secret to his loved ones. Cast: Cory Michael Smith, Virginia Madsen, Michael Chiklis, Jamie Chung, Aidan Langford, Ryan Piers Williams (World Premiere)
Don’t Leave Home
Director/Screenwriter: Michael Tully
An American artist’s obsession with a disturbing urban legend leads her to an investigation of the story’s origins at the crumbling estate of a reclusive painter in Ireland. Cast: Anna Margaret Hollyman, Lalor Roddy, Helena Bereen, David McSavage, Karrie Cox (World Premiere)
Elizabeth Harvest (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Sebastian Gutierrez
Elizabeth Harvest is a science fiction reimagining of the French folktale of Bluebeard, in which a violent nobleman in the habit of murdering his wives is confronted by a new wife trying to avoid the fate of her predecessors. Cast: Abbey Lee, Ciaran Hinds, Carla Gugino, Matthew Beard, Dylan Baker (World Premiere)
Friday’s Child
Director/Screenwriter: A.J. Edwards
Fresh out of foster care at age 18, a young drifter turns to petty crime to survive, and discovers an impossible love in an unlikely friend. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Imogen Poots, Jeffrey Wright, Caleb Landry Jones (World Premiere)
Meow Wolf: Origin Story
Directors: Morgan Capps, Jilann Spitzmiller, Screenwriters: Jilann Spitzmiller, Morgan Capps, Christina Procter
A group of artists, punks, and weirdos create a subversive DIY collective to disrupt the art establishment in Santa Fe, NM, which in the face of internal turmoil evolves into a cultural phenomenon on the path to becoming a global creative empire. (World Premiere)
More Human Than Human (Netherlands, United States)
Directors: Tommy Pallotta, Femke Wolting
More Human Than Human explores what it means to live in the age of intelligent machines. During this quest, the filmmaker finds out how much of his creativity and human values are at stake as he builds his own robot to replace himself as a filmmaker. (World Premiere)
Perfect
Director: Eddie Alcazar, Screenwriter: Ted Kupper
A young man with a violent past enters a mysterious clinic where the patients wildly transform their bodies and minds using genetic engineering. Cast: Garrett Wareing, Courtney Eaton, Tao Okamoto, Maurice Compte, Abbie Cornish, Martin Sensmeier, Sarah McDaniel, Chris Santos, Leonardo Nam, Regan ‘Busdriver’ Farquhar (World Premiere)
Pet Names
Director: Carol Brandt, Screenwriter: Meredith Johnston
When her ill mother urges her to take a vacation from her caretaking, grad-school-dropout Leigh invites her ex along on the camping trip. The two soon find that confronting old wounds during a weekend in the woods is anything but restful. Cast: Meredith Johnston, Rene Cruz, Stacy Parish, Chelsea Norment, Jake Bradley, Lilliana Winkworth, Christina Seo (World Premiere)
Profile
Director: Timur Bekmambetov, Screenwriters: Britt Poulton, Timur Bekmambetov, Olga Kharina
Looking to investigate recruitment techniques of ISIS to lure women into Syria, Amy Whitaker, a journalist, creates a Facebook profile of a Muslim convert. When an ISIS recruiter contacts her online character, she experiences the process first hand. Cast: Valene Kane, Shazad Latif, Christine Adams, Morgan Watkins, Amir Rahimzadeh (North American Premiere)
Prospect (Canada, United States)
Directors/Screenwriters: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell
A teenage girl and her father travel to a remote moon on the hunt for elusive riches. But there are others roving the moon’s toxic forest and the job quickly devolves into a desperate fight to escape. Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Pedro Pascal, Jay Duplass, Andre Royo, Sheila Vand, Anwan Glover (World Premiere)
Relaxer (Netherlands, United States)
Director/Screenwriter: Joel Potrykus
Y2K is approaching fast, but Abbie can’t get off the couch until he beats an unbeatable level on Pac-Man. Cast List: Joshua Burge, David Dastmalchian, Andre Hyland, Adina Howard, Amari Cheatom (World Premiere)
Rukus
Director: Brett Hanover, Screenwriters: Brett Hanover, Alanna Stewart, Rukus
A hybrid of documentary and fiction, Rukus is a queer coming-of-age story set in the liminal spaces of furry conventions, southern punk houses, and virtual worlds.
Thy Kingdom Come
Director: Eugene Richards
A cancer patient mad at God; a Klansman seeking redemption; a mother blamed for her baby’s death; an elderly woman never not in love; a priest who doesn’t pass judgment, who listens: Interwoven, unscripted stories of life in a small mid-America town. Cast: Javier Bardem, Callie Eldred, Tasia Moore, Joshua Collins, Adam Watters, Samantha Jo Chism Watters, Melvin Kemp, Melvin Cook, Kathryn Von Glahn, Eric Eudy (World Premiere)
Wild Honey Pie! (United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Jamie Adams
Gillian and Oliver have reached the Seven Year Itch moment in their Marriage, being of the melodramatic persuasion they itch till their relationship bleeds! Cast: Jemima Kirke, Alice Lowe, Sarah Solemani, Brett Goldstein, Joanna Scanlon, Richard Elis, Dan Clark, William Thomas (World Premiere)
Wobble Palace
Director: Eugene Kotlyarenko, Screenwriters: Story by Dasha Nekrasova, Eugene Kotlyarenko
A week before the 2016 election, a couple on the verge of a nervous break-up decide to split their home over the weekend and test the waters of independence. Cast: Dasha Nekrasova, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Jack Kilmer, Paige Elkington, Caroline Hebert, Casey Jane Ellison, Vishwam Velandy, Janiva Ellis, Kim Ye, Elisha Drons (World Premiere)
EPISODIC
Henry Winkler and Bill Hader in “Barry” (Photo by John P. Johnson/HBO)
Barry
Director: Bill Hader, Screenwriters: Alec Berg, Bill Hader
Barry features Bill Hader as a low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life he begrudgingly travels to Los Angeles to kill someone and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the LA theater scene. Cast: Bill Hader, Henry Winkler, Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Glenn Fleshler, Anthony Carrigan (World Premiere)
Condor
Directors: Lawrence Trilling, Andrew McCarthy, Screenwriters: Jason Smilovic, Todd Katzberg
Inspired by Paramount’s Sydney Pollack 1975 political thriller Three Days of the Condor. Condor follows Joe Turner (Max Irons), a young CIA analyst whose idealism is tested when he stumbles onto a terrible plan that threatens millions of lives. Cast: Max Irons, William Hurt, Leem Lubany, Mira Sorvino, Brendan Fraser, Bob Balaban, Angel Bonnani, Katherine Cunningham, Christina Moses, Kristen Hager
(World Premiere)
Krypton
Directors: Colm McCarthy, Ciaran Donnelly, Screenwriters: Cameron Welsh, Damian Kindler and David S. Goyer, Story by David S. Goyer, Ian Goldberg
What if Superman had never existed? Seg-El, Superman’s grandfather, is faced with a conflict: Save Krypton? Or let it be destroyed in order to secure the future of his grandson-to-be?
Cast: Cameron Cuffe, Georgina Campbell, Elliot Cowan, Ann Ogbomo, Aaron Pierre, Rasmus Hardiker, Wallis Day, Blake Ritson, Ian McElhinney, Shaun Sipos, Colin Salmon (World Premiere)
The Last O.G.
Director: Jordan Peele, Screenwriters: Jordan Peele, John Carcieri
The Last O.G. is a show about humanity, second chances and redemption. Morgan plays Tray an ex-con who is shocked to see just how much the world has changed when he returns to the free world after 15 years in prison. Cast: Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Allen Maldonado, Tiffany Haddish, Joel Marsh Garland, Gino Vento, Natalie Carter, Taylor Mosby, Ryan Gaul (World Premiere)
Vida
Directors: Alonso Ruizpalacios, So Yong Kim
Vida is about two estranged Mexican-American sisters from the Eastside of Los Angeles who couldn’t be more different. Circumstances force them to return home where they are confronted by the past and surprising truth about their mother’s identity. Cast: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Maria Elena Laas (World Premiere)
Warriors of Liberty City
Directors: Evan Rosenfeld, Andrew Cohn
Warriors of Liberty City from showrunner Evan Rosenfeld follows a season with the Liberty City Warriors, a youth football program founded by an unlikely mentor: Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke from 2 Live Crew. Cast: Luther “Uncle Luke” Campbell, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Lavalrick Lucas, Jr., Lavalrick “Dread” Lucas, Sr. , George Harris, Jr. , George Harris, Sr., Barry Jenkins, Herbert Ritchie, Chatarius “Tutu” Atwell, Jr., Robert “Lamont” Beneby, Jr. (World Premiere)
24 BEATS PER SECOND
Benjamin Dickey and Alia Shawkat in “BLAZE” (Photo by Steve Cosens)
BLAZE
Director: Ethan Hawke, Screenwriters: Ethan Hawke, Sybil Rosen
The story of an unsung country music legend who gave up paradise for the sake of a song.
Cast: Benjamin Dickey, Alia Shawkat, Charlie Sexton, Josh Hamilton, Wyatt Russell, Jenn Lyon, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Rockwell, Steve Zahn, Richard Linklater
Elvis Presley The Searcher (Film 1 and 2)
Director: Thom Zimny
The documentary focuses on Elvis Presley as a musical artist. It explores how he accumulated his influences, deconstructs why his sound and his style were so revolutionary and examines the creative and personal struggles that preceded his death. (World Premiere)
Heavy Trip (Finland)
Directors: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio, Screenwriters: Jukka Vidgren, Juuso Laatio, Aleksi Puranen, Jari Olavi Rantala
A young man is trying to overcome his fears by leading the most unknown heavy metal band in to the hottest metal festival of Norway. The journey includes heavy metal, grave robbing, Viking heaven and an armed conflict between Finland and Norway. Cast: Johannes Holopainen, Minka Kuustonen, Max Ovaska, Antti Heikkinen, Samuli Jaskio, Chike Ohanwe, Ville Tiihonen (World Premiere)
If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd
Director: Stephen Kijak
The story of Lynyrd Skynyrd; The Greatest American Rock Band Ever. We fly beyond Free Bird to celebrate the life & times of leader Ronnie Van Zant, from boogie-woogie beginnings in Jacksonville’s Shantytown to a tragic end in a Mississippi swamp. (World Premiere)
Making the Grade (Ireland)
Director: Ken Wardrop
A feel-good musical journey of piano playing from absolute beginner through to accomplished pianist. (North American Premiere)
Milford Graves Full Mantis
Directors: Jake Meginsky, Neil Young (Co-Director)
Milford Graves Full Mantis weaves blistering performance footage from Europe, Japan, and the U.S. with a sublimely restrained, intimate glimpse into a world-renowned jazz percussionist’s singular voice and complex cosmology. (World Premiere)
The Potential of Noise – Conny Plank (Germany)
Directors: Stephan Plank, Reto Caduff, Screenwriters: Stephan Plank, Reto Caduff, Zisak Riemann
Movie about Conny Plank, the famous German music producer. (North American Premiere)
Rapture
Directors: Sacha Jenkins, Ben Selkow, Geeta Gandbhir, Steven Caple Jr., Marcus A. Clarke, Gabriel Noble
Rapture showcases the definitive impact of hip hop on global culture. Over 8 episodes featuring Nas, Dave East, T.I., Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 2 Chainz and Just Blaze. (World Premiere)
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name (Panama)
Director/Screenwriter: Abner Benaim
Ruben Blades Is Not My Name portrays one of Latin America´s most beloved singer-songwriters in a journey across his 50-year career. In an intimate way, the film gives us a chance to get to know the artist, his music, and the stories behind them. (World Premiere)
A Tuba To Cuba
Directors: T.G Herrington, Danny Clinch, Screenwriter: T.G Herrington
A son seeking to fulfill his late father’s dream takes his band from the storied city of New Orleans to the shores of Cuba; Where, through the universal language of music, dark and ancient connections between our people will be reveal the roots of jazz. (World Premiere)
GLOBAL
Hopakuli in “A Little Wisdom”
A Little Wisdom (Nepal)
Director: Yuqi Kang
See he world through the eyes of five-year-old Tibetan novice monk Hopakuli and share in his joys and sorrows as he endures the rigors of monastic life. A Little Wisdom endeavors to tell a story of children who find happiness through religious life. (North American Premiere)
Martyr (Lebanon)
Director/Screenwriter: Mazen Khaled
A young man’s tragic death at Beirut’s seaside causes his friends to grapple with loss and to partake in his community’s rites and ceremonies, exposing the city’s schisms and its society’s fault lines. Cast: Carol Abboud, Hamza Mekdad, Mostafa Fahs, Hady Bou Ayash, Rachad Nassereddine, Rabih el Zaher, Raneem Mourad (North American Premiere)
Number 37 (South Africa)
Director/Screenwriter: Nosioho Dumisa
Number 37 is the story of Randall, wheelchair bound, playing a cat and mouse game blackmailing a powerful criminal whilst evading a sadistic loan shark who will kill him and his girlfriend if his loan is not paid back by the end of the week. Cast: Irshaad Ally, Monique Rockman, Ephraim Gordon, David Manuel, Sandy Schultz, Deon Lotz, Danny Ross, Amrain Essop, Elton Landrew, Jeff Moss (World Premiere)
Rush Hour (Mexico, Turkey, United States)
Director: Luciana Kaplan
Rush Hour is an intimate approach to personal stories of three commuters who spend hours of their lives going from home to work and back, reflection a common reality shared by billions of people. (U.S. Premiere)
Team Hurricane (Denmark)
Director/Screenwriter: Annika Berg
Team Hurricane – Radical Girls in an Ordinary World is a punk chick flick that mixes documentary material with highly stylized fiction. Cast: Eja Penelope Roepstorff, Ida Glitre, Ira Rønnenfelt, Maja Leth Bang, Mathilde Linnea Daugaard Jensen, Mia My Elise Pedersen, Sara Morling, Zara Munch Bjarnum (U.S. Premiere)
Theatre of War (Argentina)
Director/Screenwriter: Lola Arias
Theatre of War is an essay on how to represent war, performed by former enemies. British and Argentinian veterans of the Falklands war come together to discuss, rehearse and re-enact their memories 35 years after the conflict. (U.S. Premiere)
Virus Tropical (Colombia)
Director: Santiago Caicedo
Born in a not-so-conventional family, Paola grows up between Ecuador and Colombia and finds herself unable to fit in any mold. With a unique feminine vision of the world, she will have to fight against prejudice and struggle for her independence. Cast: María Cecilia Sánchez, Alejandra Borrero, Diego León Hoyos, Martina Toro, Mara Gutiérrez, Camila Valenzuela, María Parada
FESTIVAL FAVORITES
“American Animals” (Photo courtesy of The Orchard)
American Animals (United States, United Kingdom)
Director/Screenwriter: Bart Layton
The unbelievable but true story of four young men who mistake their lives for a movie and attempt one of the most audacious art heists in US history. Cast: Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd, Udo Kier
Chef Flynn
Director: Cameron Yates
Chef Flynn captures the coming of age of a prodigy chef, as he navigates a sea of sudden fame, bullying, and his mother’s camera.
Constructing Albert (Estonia)
Directors: Laura Collado, Jim Loomis, Screenwriter: Laura Collado
In the world of haute cuisine, the name Adrià is synonymous with creativity. Constructing Albert is a portrait of the younger brother Albert as he strives to establish his own reputation in the world of international haute cuisine after elBulli.
Damsel
Directors/Screenwriters: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
An affluent pioneer ventures deep into the wilderness of the American West to join his fiancée. Cast: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, Robert Forster, Joe Billingiere
Eighth Grade
Director/Screenwriter: Bo Burnham
Thirteen-year-old Kayla endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school—the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year—before she begins high school. Cast: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton, Emily Robinson, Jake Ryan
First Reformed
Director/Screenwriter: Paul Schrader
The pastor of a small New England church (Ethan Hawke) spirals out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife (Amanda Seyfried) in this taut, chilling thriller. Cast: Ethan Hawke, Amanda Seyfried, Cedric Kyles, Michael Gaston, Philip Ettinger, Victoria Hill
Generation Wealth
Director/Screenwriter: Lauren Greenfield
Simultaneously personal journey and historical essay, Lauren Greenfield’s latest documentary bears witness to the global boom–bust economy, the corrupted American Dream, and the human costs of late stage capitalism, narcissism, and greed.
Half the Picture
Director/Screenwriter: Amy Adrion
Half the Picture is a feature length documentary about the dismal number of women directors working in Hollywood, featuring top female directors sharing their experiences in the industry.
Lean on Pete
Director/Screenwriter: Andrew Haigh
From acclaimed filmmaker Andrew Haigh (Weekend; 45 Years), and based on the beloved novel by Willy Vlautin, comes Lean on Pete—a deeply moving story about love, loneliness, family, and friendship, told through the unique prism of one boy’s connection to a very special racehorse. Cast: Charlie Plummer, Chloë Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Travis Fimmel
Narcissister Organ Player
Director/Screenwriter: Narcissister
This hybrid performance/documentary film explores how the artist’s complex family history, in particular her relationship with her mother, compelled her to create the masked, erotic performance character Narcissister.
Never Goin’ Back
Director/Screenwriter: Augustine Frizzell
Jessie and Angela, high school dropouts, are taking a week off to chill at the beach. Too bad their house got robbed, rent’s due, they’re about to get fired and they’re broke. Now to avoid eviction and get to the beach, no matter what! Cast: Maia Mitchell, Cami Morrone, Kyle Mooney, Joel Allen, Kendal Smith, Matthew Holcomb, Atheena Frizzell, Spencer Rayshon, Marcus Mauldin, Liz Cardenas
On Her Shoulders
Director: Alexandria Bombach
Nadia Murad is a 23-year-old Yazidi survivor of genocide and sexual slavery by ISIS. Repeating her horrific story to politicians, the media, and the United Nations, she must navigate bureaucracy, politics and sudden fame to get the world to listen.
Pass Over
Director: Spike Lee, Screenwriter: Antoinette Nwandu
Academy Award nominee and Honorary Oscar winner Spike Lee captures the poetry, humor and humanity of this urgent and timely play about two young black men talking trash, passing the time, and dreaming of the promised land. A provocative riff on Waiting for Godot, Pass Over is written by newcomer Antoinette Nwandu. Cast: Jon Michael Hill, Julian Parker, Ryan Hallahan, Blake DeLong
The Rider
Director/Screenwriter: Chloé Zhao
After a tragic riding accident, a young cowboy, once a rising star of the rodeo circuit, is warned that his competition days are over. Back home, he struggles to find himself when he can no longer do what what gives him a sense of purpose. Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau, Lane Scott, Cat Clifford
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Director: Morgan Neville
Won’t You Be My Neighbor? looks at children’s television host Mr. Rogers’ hard-fought campaign to influence generations of kids and adults in the ways of kindness.
SPECIAL EVENTS
“The Atomic Café” (Photo by Pierce Rafferty, Kevin Rafferty and Jayne Loader in Rolling Stone, 6/10/82)
The Atomic Café
Director: Kevin Rafferty, Jayne Loader, Pierce Rafferty
The Atomic Cafe is a cult classic documentary from 1982. This is the 4K digital restoration. (World Premiere)
This Is Us
Director: Various
Everyone has a family. And every family has a story. This grounded, life-affirming dramedy reveals how the tiniest events in our lives impact who we become, and how the connections we share with each other can transcend time, distance and even death. Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Chrissy Metz, Sterling K. Brown, Justin Hartley (World Premiere)
