News

Shudder has found success with the horror series The Creep Tapes. Serving as a spinoff of the Creep movie series, the show has earned a series renewal for more episodes at Shudder.

Per Deadline,The Creep Tapes is officially set to return for a second season on Shudder. Season 2 will consist of six episodes, as was the case with Season 1. The news follows The Creep Tapes setting a record with its premiere, becoming the most-watched Shudder show ever streamed on AMC+. It also marked the strongest November release in the history of Shudder, playing a big part in the horror-based streaming platform seeing a record growth in subscribers and social media engagement. With all of this in mind, it's obvious why The Creep Tapes was renewed.

RelatedThe Black Phone 2 Director Teases New Plot Details for Horror Sequel

Scott Derrickson reveals the current status of the upcoming horror sequel, which...

Editor Alan Baumgarten’s work on Aaron Sorkin’s drama “The Trial of the Chicago 7″ topped the American Cinema Editors Awards in a virtual ceremony.

Baumgarten beat out competition from “Sound of Metal,” “Mank,” “Minari” and “Nomadland.”

In other categories, Pixar’s “Soul” continued to collect awards, winning best edited animated feature, while “Palm Springs” won best edited feature film comedy. The Oscar-nominated documentary “My Octopus Teacher” won best edited documentary feature.

Director Spike Lee was honored with the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year Award, recognizing a filmmaker who exemplifies distinguished achievement in the art and business of film. Editors and co-stars who had collaborated with Lee over the years including Barry Alexander Brown, Ace; Adam Gough, Ace; Nancy Novak, Ace, Jodie Foster, Riz Ahmed and Sam Pollard all celebrated Lee in a tribute video.

Double Oscar nominee Leslie Odom Jr. shared: “When I was a little boy,...

Updated with full list of winners: Netflix’s Aaron Sorkin drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 won the marquee Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) honor Saturday to cap the American Cinema Editors’ 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards.

Alan Baumgarten, Ace, edited the pic, about the unrest around the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It puts him and the film in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, where it is competing against fellow Ace nominees Nomadland and Sound of Metal along with Promising Young Woman and The Father.

Baumgarten in his virtual acceptance speech thanked Sorkin for his “enthusiasm for editing — it was a pleasure to collaborate with you.” He also thanks his wife, with a nod to the pandemic: “I think myself, and as everybody understands, I brought the work home literally — thank you for your patience and understanding.”

Chicago 7 is up for six Oscars this year including Best Picture.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Palm Springs” have been named the best-edited films of 2020 by the American Cinema Editors, whose 71st annual Ace Eddie Awards took place in a virtual ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

“Chicago 7,” which is nominated for the film-editing Oscar along with “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Sound of Metal,” won in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category. “Palm Springs” won in the comedy category.

Since 2000, when Ace splits its film award into separate drama and comedy categories, one of its winners has gone on to win the Oscar for Best Film Editing 15 times in 21 years. All but one of those wins have come in the drama category.

“Soul” won the award for animated film, while “My Octopus Teacher” took the prize in the documentary category.

In the television categories, winners included “Schitt’s Creek,” “Ted Lasso,” “Better Call Saul,” “Ozark” and “The Queen’s Gambit.

Concordia Studio adds three new docuseries, covering a range of topics, to its nonfiction slate. The company announced Thursday that it has expanded its nonfiction lineup with the addition of Phantastica, The Happenings and an Untitled Navajo Police Project, which are all currently in development.

“We are thrilled to add these three exceptional titles to our slate and to collaborate with these filmmakers who each have their own uniquely bold vision for what nonfiction stories can accomplish,” Concordia’s Nicole Stott and Jonathan Silberberg said in a statement. “Their creative intentions, paired with their unprecedented access to elements in telling three vastly different stories make us incredibly excited to support them in bringing their work to audiences.”

The first of Concordia’s new projects in development is the psychedelic docuseries Phantastica.

Filmmakers Amir Bar-Lev and Ken Dornstein, who previously worked together for the Oscar shortlisted Long Strange Trip and a number of other projects,...

Pincus is writer/director David Fenster's first feature since his debut in 2004 with Trona. Having  made a series of shorts and documentaries, Fenster uses a mock-documentary style for this partially autobiographical big screen return.  

Pincus (David Nordstrom) acts as a live-in carer for his dad, Paul (Paul Fenster), who is battling Parkinson's disease while trying to take-over his father's building and decorating business. Seeing his father refuse meds and put himself in potentially dangerous situations, Pincus reluctantly contemplates nursing homes.  

Director/Writer: David Fenster

Release Date: April 14 2013

Country: USA

Running Time: 78 mins

Certificate:15

Starring: David Nordstrom, Paul Fenster, Dietmar Franusch, Christi Idavoy...

This Weekend is the first annual Chicago Critics Film Festival, a special opportunity for moviegoers to catch early views at unreleased favorites from festivals like Cannes, Sundance, and SXSW.

Update: Thank you for entering a chance to win Free Passes. We have closed the comment section, and are now contacting the winners to confirm.

The festival begins Friday night (April 12) with a screening of Stories We Tell by Take This Waltz writer/director Sarah Polley. Continuing through Sunday night, the Ccff will feature screenings of numerous critic favorites, as presented in the Muvico Rosemont 18 theater, located right by Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. (Tickets for the festival can be purchased Here.)

Of many great films to be shown at the festival, (a full schedule can be found Here) I am pleased to say that I will be leading a post-screening Q&A with writer/director Adele Romanski for her movie...

Title: Pincus Director: David Fenster Starring: David Nordstrom, Paul Fenster, Christi Idavoy, Dietmar Franosch A narrative competition world premiere at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival, “Pincus” is a delicately shot curio about the meanderings of an emotionally adrift man-child, laced with autobiographical elements from writer-director David Fenster’s life. Picture a more melancholic, down-tempo “Greenberg,” vacuumed free of its pin-prick wit and sardonicism, and one begins to approximate the bobbing-cork-in-an-ocean qualities of “Pincus,” which exhibits a slight hold but eventually comes across as a series of posed moments in search of a clarifying signifier. David Nordstrom sits in for the filmmaker, starring as Pincus Finster, a directionless Miami thirtysomething who lives with and cares for [ Read More ]...

“They were nice,” says Erin (Megan Boone) of some passersby, to the boyfriend with whom she has recently reconciled with after a year-long hiatus, as they trek though the woods on a camping holiday. “Everyone’s nice when they’re on vacation.” Cal (David Nordstrom) replies drily, before promptly going on to prove that that’s simply not the case. Screening at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Adele Romanski’s partially Kickstarter-funded debut film is minutely small in scope, taking place over a few days in a national park, with two other campers and an unseen bear the only notable players aside from the lead pair. Its narrowness of focus is both a strength and a weakness -- Romanski is impressively insightful and surefooted on this limited canvas, but so much so that one kind of wishes she had set herself a broader remit, even if the result might...

One of the best things about film festivals is that they provide an opportunity for smaller, perhaps lesser-known movies to be shown to a considerable audience and to receive a certain amount of buzz from publicists, press, and fans. Sometimes, festival planning committees choose these independent films because they are quite experimental and thus bring new talent onto the film industry’s radar. Whether testing unconventional narrative formats, employing unusual filming techniques, or using unknowns or non-actors, typical festival fare is anything but what we’ve come to expect at the multiplex. This may mean we need to adjust our expectations, but it shouldn’t require us to lower our standards: while the films may not be blockbusters, or feature the tabloids’ newest sex symbols, or wrap everything up tidily at the end, they should still be well-made and entertaining. David Fenster’s “Pincus,” for all its attempts to be edgy,...

Earlier this week, we got a look at David Fenster‘s Pincus in the form of a funny and insightful little trailer, and now we get a chance to see lead actor David Nordstrom in costume as the eponymous Pincus. Well, “costume” in the sense that he’s not wearing a shirt and has decided to accessorize with a weirdly shiny cowboy hat and one heck of an axe. Wait, Pincus isn’t a Deliverance remake…is it? No, no, it’s not! Fenster’s film blends together narrative and documentary styles to tell the tale of two Pincus men – Nordstrom’s lovable loser David and his ailing father (played by Fenster’s own dad, Paul Fenster). It’s an emotional and personal story, but hey, it’s also one that involves an axe and questionable head apparel, so we’re likely in for some chuckles, too. Check out our exclusive still after the break, along...

With the Los Angeles Film Festival kicking off this Thursday, we've got a peek at a film that will be hoping to earn some attention from those making their way to the fest. Today, we have an exclusive clip from the new film "Pincus" directed by David Fenster, which is having its world premiere at Laff. The film concerns a man dealing with life while also taking care of his Parkinson's disease-stricken father. The film stars David Nordstrom (who starred in SXSW '12 film "Leave Me Like You Found Me") and as his father, director Fenster's own father, Paul Fenster, who has lived with Parkinson's for 13 years.

It looks to be an atmospheric, lyrical piece, with a touch of quirky humor; an exploration of the human condition with a focus on naturalistic cinematography. The film's official synopsis says "seamlessly combining naturalistic storytelling with documentary elements and hints of metaphysic mystery,...

Independent cinema is not lacking for stories about lovable losers who still live at home, but David Fenster‘s Pincus is an indie slacker story of a very different color. The film stars David Nordstrom (who eagle-eyed indie lovers might recognize from a SXSW favorite of mine, Leave Me Like You Found Me) as the eponymous Pincus, who may or may not be Fenster in a fictional form. Pincus has returned home not because he’s some kind of drop-out, but to assist his father Paul, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease and slowly wasting away. Of course, that all sounds a bit heavy, but Fenster sweetens the Pincus pot with a filmmaking technique that straddles narrative and documentary, a cast of supporting characters to ease both Pincus and Paul, and what can only be described as a lingering sense of mystery that transcends earthly problems. The film is also a true labor of love for...

SXSW 2012 film review

complete coverage of SXSW Film 2012

Leave Me Like You Found Me

Director & Screenwriter: Adele Romanski

Big trees, broken hearts. The story of a lovesick couple’s breakup & makeup while camping in the wilds of California.

Cast: Megan Boone, David Nordstrom

(World Premiere)

Film Synopsis (from SXSW.com)

Who’S It For?: Fans of slow films that pay off in time. This is definitely not a date movie, nor the ideal movie to watch when binging on post break up self-loathing and/or ice cream.

Overall

Though it wasn’t given any awards recognition by SXSW this year, Adele Romanski’s Leave Me Like You Found Me is the winner of my unofficial annual “Blue Valentine Award,” for the way in which it uses conversations from my life’s (and yours, probably) script, and then beautifully realizes these moments with two raw performances. This powerful story...

Set in the Sequoia National Forest during a last-ditch attempt at romance-saving by way of camping trip, Adele Romanski‘s Leave Me Like You Found Me imagines that relationship rehab amongst the trees can be both cathartic and catastrophic. Erin (Megan Boone) and Cal (David Nordstrom) have been apart for a year, and while we don’t ever learn just who made the first move and who conceived of the trip, we do know who left in the first place. Cal walked out on Erin, and it’s easy to see why he might have felt compelled to do so – she’s woefully insecure about herself and their relationship, yet she’s also convinced that she’s the better catch of the two. The camping trip is both a bonding exercise and a try-out period to see if the two have overcome their problems and differences and are now able to participate in a healthy and loving...

The debut feature from Adele Romanski, "Leave Me Like You Found Me," centers on a couple, recently reunited after a year apart, on a romantic camping trip. Cal and Erin are still feeling each other out, careful and tender. This doesn't stop them from declaring their love for each other, but love just isn't that simple, now is it? Their interactions devolve into passive-aggressive bickering and fighting, set against a gorgeous woodland backdrop, but if you wanted to watch couples fight, why head to the movie theater?

Anyone who's been through breakups and makeups will relate to this film. You will remember that you have had those very same conversations, practically word for word. Unfortunately, you will not want to relive those conversations through other people for 90 minutes. The performances are intimate and real, and Megan Boone and David Nordstrom are convincing in their portrayals of a couple walking on eggshells around each other.

As a producer of "The Myth of the American Sleepover" and "The Freebie," Adele Romanski has helped shepherd two of the more insightful American indies about the travails of young adulthood. Stepping behind the camera for her directorial debut, "Leave Me Like You Found Me," Romanski shows herself equally capable of depicting nuanced relationships with this low-key character study. The movie nails the endless rollercoaster of uncertain romantic pursuits. The set-up is so minimalist it's essentially theatrical. Ex-lovers Erin (Megan Boone) and Cal (David Nordstrom) reunite for a camping trip in Sequoia National Park that doubles as couples therapy. Once convinced they belonged apart, a year of separation has made them eager to share a bed -- or, in this case, a tent -- once again. Initially, it appears time has served them well; gazing into each other's eyes and exchanging affectionate pleasantries, they're either meant for each other or.

Producer Adele Romanski has built quite a filmography in a very short time. Last year, she opened David Robert Mitchell’s nostalgia-laced sleeper-hit Myth of the American Sleepover. And less than two months ago, she made a splash at Sundance with Katie Aselton’s Black Rock (which sold to Ld Entertainment). Throw in a stint as a Sundance Producer’s Lab Fellow, plus several projects in development (including Mitchell’s Sleepover followup Ella Walks the Beach and Adam Bowers’ We’re A Wasteland) and it should become obvious that Romanski has been, to say the least, busy.

So when did she find time to direct her first feature? Leave Me Like You Found Me follows a recently reunited couple (played by Megan Boone and David Nordstrom) on an excursion to Sequoia National Park. As the two lovers reconnect, old tensions start to surface. Filmed on location with a small group of friends,...

Sound On Sight will once again be covering the SXSW Film Festival this year, making it our second time attending. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas fest taking place March 9-17, including 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. As previously announced, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon’s The Cabin in the Woods will have the honours of opening the festival, and now they have released the full list of films – and it’s looking pretty amazing. Enjoy!

Narrative Feature Competition

This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin

When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.

Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail (World Premiere)

Eden

Director: Megan Griffiths,...

The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year's Festival, March 9 - 17, 2012 in Austin, Texas. We are also pleased to reveal the world premiere of Emmett Malloy's documentary Big Easy Express as our Closing Night Film, which follows a train ride unlike any other with Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Old Crow Medicine Show. Big Easy Express will screen on Saturday, March 17. The program will also include the world premiere of Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures' 21 Jump Street, screening in the Centerpiece slot on Monday, March 12. The 2012 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of celebrating ambitious experimentation with risk takers both in front of and behind the camera, and a deep immersion into cultural touchstones. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 8.

"SXSW has long been a haven for bold...

Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, shot by Bob Gruen in 1977

Rock 'N' Roll Exposed: The Photography of Bob Gruen

screens as part of 24 Beats per Second

SXSW Film has just announced its features lineup for the 2012 edition, running March 9 through 17. We already knew that the Opening Night Film would be Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods. For its Closing Night Film, the festival will host the world premiere of of Emmett Malloy’s documentary Big Easy Express (more below). The lineup, with descriptions from the festival:

Narrative Feature Competition

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin. When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted. Cast: Nico Stone, Adam DuPaul, Seymour Cassel, Kristin Dougherty, Brian McGrail. (World Premiere)

Eden

Director: Megan Griffiths, Screenwriters: Richard B. Phillips, Megan Griffiths, Story by: Richard B. Phillips & Chong Kim.

With Sundance 2012 Film Festival over, the next big one on the horizon is South by Southwest, which we’ll be heavily covering. The biggest chunk of the line-up has been announced today, which has some great premieres including 21 Jump Street, Tiff and Sundance hit The Raid, Will Ferrell‘s Casa de mi Padre, the documentary Girl Model (which we liked at Tiff), as well as the next from Broken Lizard, The Babymakers. There are many other promising titles included and you can see them all below. Check back for our coverage for the fest, kicking off March 9th.

Narrative Feature Competition

This year’s 8 films were selected from 1,112 submissions. Each film is a World Premiere. Films screening in Narrative Feature Competition are:

Booster

Director/Screenwriter: Matt Ruskin

When Simon’s brother is arrested for armed robbery, he is asked to commit a string of similar crimes in an attempt to get his brother acquitted.

Attendees of South by Southwest 2012 are in for a treat. 130 feature films will screen at the Austin, Texas festival taking place March 9-17. Among them are 65 World Premieres, 17 North American Premieres and 10 U.S. Premieres. The organization already announced [1] Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon's The Cabin in the Woods would open the festival (the movie is phenomenal [2]) and today the majority of the remaining line up has been revealed. One of the highlights is the unbelievably smart and hilarious 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. Both of those are World Premieres. Other highlights include The Hunter, Killer Joe, The Babymakers, frankie goes boom, God Bless America, The Imposter, The Raid, Bernie and Casa de mi Padre just to name a few. After the jump, read descriptions of all the films that have been announced so far. Before I copy and paste the rest of the list, a few minor notes.

Writer: David Nordstrom Director: David Nordstrom Starring: David Nordstrom, Carl McLaughlin, Lee Lynch Sometimes it’s what’s not said that’s more important than the words that are spoken, especially if those words come tentatively even with the aid of large quantities of booze. Sawdust City, written and directed by David Nordstrom, takes place over Thanksgiving weekend in the snow covered city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin (Nordstrom’s hometown). Bob (Nordstrom) sits at home sipping beer with his pregnant wife in the kitchen when he gets a phone call from his younger brother Pete (Carl McLaughlin). Pete wants to find their father much to Bob’s dismay. Also to his surprise, Pete is in town having just graduated from Navy basic training, or so we’re led to believe. Bob insists on meeting his brother and eagerly leaves his turkey dinner behind in favor of one of many local dive bars.

Forum panelist Mike Ott

Film Independent Forum panelists span a broad spectrum of filmmaker categories, from major Hollywood screenwriters, independent producers, crowd-funding experts, studio execs, and the list goes on. They’re coming together the weekend of October 21 to engage in meaningful conversations regarding the state of the indusry, the challenges we are overcoming and to talk about what we all love: film. One of the panelists participating this year is Mike Ott, Spirit Award grant winner for his film LiTTLEROCK, the story of two Japanese siblings deserted in the small Californian town of Littlerock and the characters they come across. Mike is also a professor at USC, and writer/director of his latest film, Teenage Wasteland. I sat down with Mike to cover a range of topics, from his quirky and oft-used leading actor, filmmaking influences, and finding a community among his peers.

On LiTTLEROCK and Working with First...

By Sean O’Connell

Hollywoodnews.com: A handful of stellar titles with Oscar aspirations have been programmed into this year’s Austin Film Festival schedule, which begins on Oct. 20 with an as-yet-unnamed Opening Night selection.

In between, Aff audiences will get their first looks at Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants,” Steve McQueen’s “Shame,” Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs” and Sean Durkin’s “Martha Marcy May Marlene” – all films with awards hopes that will screen as part of the festival’s Marquee category.

“We’re proud to be taking our program in some exciting new directions while maintaining our focus on strong writing and engaging stories,” said new Film Programmers Stephen Jannise and Stephen Belyeu.

In addition, the fest has set up special screenings of “Toy Story” (presented by John Lasseter), an “Edward Scissorhands” screening, and a tribute to Polly Platt...

Reviewed by Annlee Ellingson

(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: David Nordstrom

Starring: David Nordstrom, Carl McLaughlin, Lee Lynch and Becca Barr

For his feature-film debut, writer-director-star David Nordstrom returned to his hometown of Eau Claire, Wis., shooting in local bars among local barflies. It’s set in wintertime, and there’s nothing particularly innovative or remarkable about the camerawork by James Laxton, so the picture takes on a dreary cast. But Nordstrom adeptly paces his straightforward story with just enough mystery to keep viewers interested and ambiguity to imbue it with melancholic gravitas.

On Thanksgiving morning, instead of spending the day at home with his pregnant wife, Bob (Nordstrom) meets up with his younger brother Pete (Carl McLaughlin), whom he hasn’t seen in years, at a nearby dive bar. Pete’s just out of basic training with the Navy, on leave for the day before...

Reviewed by Annlee Ellingson

(from the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: David Nordstrom

Starring: David Nordstrom, Carl McLaughlin, Lee Lynch and Becca Barr

For his feature-film debut, writer-director-star David Nordstrom returned to his hometown of Eau Claire, Wis., shooting in local bars among local barflies. It’s set in wintertime, and there’s nothing particularly innovative or remarkable about the camerawork by James Laxton, so the picture takes on a dreary cast. But Nordstrom adeptly paces his straightforward story with just enough mystery to keep viewers interested and ambiguity to imbue it with melancholic gravitas.

On Thanksgiving morning, instead of spending the day at home with his pregnant wife, Bob (Nordstrom) meets up with his younger brother Pete (Carl McLaughlin), whom he hasn’t seen in years, at a nearby dive bar. Pete’s just out of basic training with the Navy, on leave for the day before...

Displaying a genuine feeling for his characters and their distinctly Midwestern surroundings, writer/director David Nordstrom makes his feature debut with Sawdust City, set in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On a snowcapped Thanksgiving, while most families are comfortably settled around the dinner table, Pete and Bob, two brothers who haven't seen each other for years, are searching the town's bars for their estranged father. Over the course of the ...

Displaying a genuine feeling for his characters and their distinctly Midwestern surroundings, writer/director David Nordstrom makes his feature debut with Sawdust City, set in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On a snowcapped Thanksgiving, while most families are comfortably settled around the dinner table, Pete and Bob, two brothers who haven't seen each other for years, are searching the town's bars for their estranged father. Over the course of the ...

Displaying a genuine feeling for his characters and their distinctly Midwestern surroundings, writer/director David Nordstrom makes his feature debut with Sawdust City, set in his hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. On a snowcapped Thanksgiving, while most families are comfortably settled around the dinner table, Pete and Bob, two brothers who haven't seen each other for years, are searching the town's bars for their estranged father. Over the course of the ...

The Los Angeles Film Festival has announced the world premiere of Richard Linklater's Bernie as the opening night film for the 2011 festival.

The film will kick off the festival on June 16 at Regal Cinemas Stadium 14 at L.A. Live. It is written by Skip Hollandsworth and director Linklater and stars Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, and Matthew McConaughey.

The film follows a beloved mortician (Black) from a small Texas town, even winning over the town's richest, meanest widow (MacLaine). Even after Bernie commits a horrible crime, people still will not utter a bad word against him.

"We're thrilled to be opening the Festival with the world premiere of this delicious black comedy - a treat from one of the most original and exciting voices in independent film, Richard Linklater," said Festival director Rebecca Yeldham. "With its fabulous all-star cast, Bernie is a perfect stage setter for the incredible line-up of...

Holding court downtown from June 16-26, 2011, the Los Angeles Film Festival comprehensively curates the cinematic landscape across a variety of media. Produced by Film Independent, the festival has continued to grow in recent years, and now boasts many of the best independent films of the year.

With the departure of the organization’s CEO, Dawn Hudson, to run the Academy, it will be interesting to see whether the festival’s director Rebecca Yeldham will stay on board past 2011. In the meantime, they’ve announced their line-up for the 2011 festival, and it includes some much buzzed about Sundance and SxSW titles (“Project Nim,” “The Future,” “Crime After Crime,” “The Salesman,” “Terri,” “Another Earth,” “The Guard,” “Natural Selection,” “Tyrannosaur,” “Where Soldiers Come From” and “Higher Ground,” to name a few), as well as 27 world, North American and U.S. premieres.

For the official list of competition and other films, as well as...

Holding court downtown from June 16-26, 2011, the Los Angeles Film Festival comprehensively curates the cinematic landscape across a variety of media. Produced by Film Independent, the festival has continued to grow in recent years, and now boasts many of the best independent films of the year.

With the departure of the organization’s CEO, Dawn Hudson, to run the Academy, it will be interesting to see whether the festival’s director Rebecca Yeldham will stay on board past 2011. In the meantime, they’ve announced their line-up for the 2011 festival, and it includes some much buzzed about Sundance and SxSW titles (“Project Nim,” “The Future,” “Crime After Crime,” “The Salesman,” “Terri,” “Another Earth,” “The Guard,” “Natural Selection,” “Tyrannosaur,” “Where Soldiers Come From” and “Higher Ground,” to name a few), as well as 27 world, North American and U.S. premieres.

For the official list of competition and other films, as well as...

Film Independent Announces First Round Of Us & International

Film Selections For 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival,

Presented By The Los Angeles Times - 19 Films Chosen for Narrative & Documentary Competition - - International Spotlight to Focus on Cuba -

Los Angeles (May 3, 2011) . Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times, announced the first round of official Us and international selections. The 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival is produced by Film Independent . the non-profit arts organization that also produces the Spirit Awards . and will screen over 200 feature films, shorts, and music videos, representing more than 30 countries. Opening and Closing Night films, Galas, Conversations, Artists in Residence, Lafca.s Films That Got Away, along with additional special guests and programming for the Festival Talks will be announced at later dates.

Returning to downtown Los Angeles, with its central hub at L.A. Live, the Festival will run from Thursday, June 16 to Sunday,...

Jan. 15

8:00 p.m.

Chicago Filmmakers

5243 N. Clark

Chicago, Il

Hosted by: The Film Culture

The Windy City is in for a real tasty treat when Mike Plante’s legendary Lunchfilm short film series screens at Chicago Filmmakers. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept, the recap:

Writer/curator/festival programmer Plante buys a filmmaker lunch. The filmmaker must then make a short film that costs the same amount of the lunch and include a few topics discussed during the meal. Plante has curated around 50 short films, but this screening will only include a selection of them.

Personally, I’ve seen two separate Lunchfilm screenings — one at the Echo Park Film Center and one at the AFI Film Festival — and I can say this is an event not to be missed. Below is the list of filmmakers whose work will be included at this particular screening,...