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The Joe and Anthony Russo-backed production company Agbo has announced the return of the fourth consecutive “No Sleep ‘Till Film Fest.”

The two-day festival challenges participants to make films that are three minutes or less for a chance to win prizes and receive ongoing mentorship from the independent studio.

The top three winners receive a filmmaking prize package with essential resources and “best-in-class” equipment for future filmmaking opportunities. They will also join the Agbo Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of winners from other Agbo-sponsored festivals and fellowship programs such as the Russo Brothers Italian American Filmmaker Forum and the Slamdance Film Festival Fellowship — the same festival the Russos received their start at in 1997 as emerging filmmakers.

In the past three years of the festival, “No Sleep ’til Film Fest” received over 2000 submissions from over 60 countries. 2023 winners included “Time of Your Life” directed by Darren Hinchy (Canada), “Just a Sec!

While the theatrical experience may be struggling in many regards, the city of Norwalk, California has reason to rejoice as a brand new movie-house is set to open on August 2. Milagro Cinemas features 4K Laser projection, Dolby Atmos Sound, luxury recliner seats, and even motion seats for those “Twisters” fans out there. Moreover, the theater will be focused on centering first-run movies, indie films, and other content from Latino filmmakers.

Entertainment executive, community activist, and producer behind films like “Selena,” Moctesuma Esparza knows a thing or two about the importance of the cinema. Translated from Spanish to English, “Milagro” means miracle and that’s exactly what Esparza intends to deliver to the Latino community of Norwalk and beyond through this theater. During a recent interview with Kcal, he says he founded it in part because he knows Latinos “go to the movies more than anyone else.” However, he also shares...

M. Emmet Walsh, the wily character actor who became an audience favorite for his deliciously despicable performances in such films as Blood Simple, Blade Runner, Brubaker and The Jerk, has died. He was 88.

Walsh died Tuesday in St. Albans, Vermont, his longtime manager, Sandy Joseph, told The Hollywood Reporter. The cause was cardiac arrest.

With his distinctive lumbering form and droll delivery, Walsh was an ideal supporting player. A master of off-kilter comic delivery and dogged edginess, he excelled at roles that dwelled in the darker corners of humanity. No matter whom he played, he made a colorful impact.

“A consummate old pro of the second-banana business, Walsh has left his mark on 109 movies and counting, with the grin of that big bastard who stands between you and something else — and knows it,” Nicolas Rapold wrote in a 2011 profile of the actor for L.A. Weekly.

In the same piece, Walsh...

Screen legends Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s second and final screen pairing, in 1973’s The Sting, proved even more popular at the box office than their first, 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film — about a syndicate of confidence men planning cons in the Great Depression — was a dream shoot on the Universal backlot set, save for one persistent annoyance: Redford was always late.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of its seven Oscar wins, the team behind The Sting — producers Michael Phillips and Tony Bill (the third producer, Julia Phillips, ex-wife of Michael and author of You’ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again, died in 2002) and screenwriter David S. Ward — joined The Hollywood Reporter‘s It Happened in Hollywood podcast for a rollicking conversation about getting the film made.

“He always felt inadequate, and that he was hired for his blue eyes,” says Phillips of working with his hero,...

Mickey Gilbert, the fearless stunt performer who jumped off a cliff for Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and doubled for Gene Wilder in films including Blazing Saddles, Silver Streak and The Frisco Kid, has died. He was 87.

Gilbert died Monday of natural causes at his home in Camarillo, California, his oldest son, Tim Gilbert, also a stunt performer, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Early in his career, Gilbert was a horse wrangler in William Wyler’s Ben-Hur (1959) and a bank robber in Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch (1969). Years later, he took the lumps for Lee Majors’ Colt Seavers on the 1981-86 ABC action show The Fall Guy.

Though they weren’t friends at the time, Gilbert and Redford were in the same class at Van Nuys High School, graduating in 1954. They got together on George Roy Hill’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) when Redford...

On June 17, 1972, thieves acting on behalf of Richard Nixon's presidential campaign broke into the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, the location of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The group was looking for papers and secrets that would have given Nixon an unfair advantage in the election. Nixon was bafflingly still elected during this kerfuffle and served as president for two more years before enough details about the break-in emerged to warrant his infamous resignation from office. The many, many details of the Watergate scandal have been recorded in innumerable books, documentaries, and Hollywood dramas in the ensuing decades, and Watergate shows are being made to this day; the miniseries "Gaslit" aired in 2022 and "White House Plumbers" in 2023.

The Watergate scandal represented a loss of American innocence for many. It was positive proof that the Republican party was openly corrupt. The scandal was bad enough, but then Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon of all his recorded,...

John Nichols, who wrote more than a dozen novels including The Milagro Beanfield War and The Sterile Cuckoo — both of which were turned into films by top directors — died Wednesday in Taos, Nm. He was 83.

Nichols, whose works often told stories of small-town New Mexico and social injustice, also co-wrote the screenplay for Milagro Beanfield War. Focused on a battle between mostly Latino farmers and local politicians and real estate developers, it became a 1988 film produced and directed by Robert Redford. The pic starring Ruben Blades, Richard Bradford and Sonia Braga won an Oscar for Dave Grusin’s jazzy score. Watch a trailer below.

Nichols’ 1965 debut novel The Sterile Cuckoo was adapted four years later into a film by Alan J. Pakula. It starred Liza Minnelli in her Oscar-nominated role as Pookie, a zany but honest woman who falls for a young man (Wendell Burton) just before he leaves for college.

Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro has nominated 27 Latino-driven films for inclusion in the National Film Registry. Among the suggestions are films that brought Oscar nominations to Latino actors and artists, including Salma Hayek, as Mexican artist Frida Kahlo in “Frida” (2002); Catalina Sandino Moreno, who portrayed a desperate undocumented pregnant immigrant in “Maria Full of Grace” (2004) and Demián Bichir, who played an undocumented worker in Los Angeles in “A Better Life” (2011). All were nominated for lead acting Oscars.

Other notable titles nominated by the congressman are Peter Sollett’s coming-of-age indie “Raising Victor Vargas,” Alfonso Arau’s romantic drama “Like Water for Chocolate (1992) and Darnell Martin’s “I Like It Like That” (1994), a story of a Puerto Rican family in the Bronx.

“Given the film industry’s continued exclusion of Latinos, we must make a special effort to ensure that Latino Americans’ contributions to American filmmaking are appropriately celebrated and included in the National Film Registry,...

Daniel Stern has been cast in Season 4 of “For All Mankind” at Apple, Variety has learned.

The news comes about a month after “For All Mankind” was renewed for Season 4. Production on the new season is underway.

“For All Mankind” is an alternative history series that explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended. The series presents an world where NASA astronauts, engineers and their families find themselves in the center of extraordinary events seen through the prism of an alternate history timeline — a world in which the Ussr beats the US to the moon.

Stern joins the series as series regular as Eli Hobson, the new administrator at NASA. A former Auto Industry CEO, he’s been tasked with bringing the agency into the 21st century, a challenge much bigger than he anticipated.

Stern is best known for his roles in films like “Diner,...

Basil Hoffman, whose long career in film and television is best remembered for his portrayal of Ed Greenglass on Hill Street Blues, died Sept. 17. No details on where or cause of death were given by his manager, Brad Lemack.

Hoffman appeared in more than 200 roles in TV and films. The veteran character actor was a recurring player in several series, including Hill Street Blues, Santa Barbara, Square Pegs and Courage, New Hampshire.

Born in Houston, Hoffman graduated Tulane University with an economics degree, then headed to New York. He studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, and scored several commercials and bit parts before heading to Hollywood.

His acting resume includes roles in the Academy Award-winning films Ordinary People and The Artist, as well as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Hail Caesar!, All the President’s Men, Comes a Horseman, The Milagro Beanfield War and Down With Love,...

Character actor Basil Hoffman, who had more than 100 roles in television shows and movies, died Sept. 17, according to his manager Brad Lemack. He was 83.

He had recurring roles on several series, playing Ed Greenglass on “Hill Street Blues,” Joshua Friendly on “Santa Barbara,” Principal Dingleman on “Square Pegs,” and Simeon Trapp in “Courage, New Hampshire.”

Hoffman was born and raised in Houston, and started his acting career after graduating Tulane U. with a degree in economics. He trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, then began working in commercials and small roles before moving to Hollywood.

He appeared in Academy Award-winning films “Ordinary People” and “The Artist,” and had small roles in films including “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Hail Caesar!,” “All the President’s Men,” “Comes a Horseman,” “The Milagro Beanfield War” and “Down With Love.” His other film roles included “My Favorite Year,” “The Electric Horseman,...

Chick Vennera, a voice actor in numerous Warner Bros. animated projects like “Animaniacs” and “Batman: the Animated Series,” and actor in “Thank God It’s Friday” and “The Golden Girls,” died Wednesday in Burbank, Calif. He was 74.

His daughter Nicky Vennera told several media outlets he died of lung cancer.

Former castmate John Mariano posted the news on Facebook, writing, “We worked together on ‘Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs.’ We were ”The Goodfeathers.’ He’s an amazing talent, but more so, an amazing person. I can go on, but I think you all get what I’m trying to say. Gentle rest grant unto thee, Chick.”

Following a series of small roles on television, Vennera landed the part of Marv Gomez in 1978’s “Thank God It’s Friday” where he performed a now iconic scene in which he danced atop cars outside a disco. He went on to work in over 50 films, including “Milagro Beanfield War” and “Yanks.

Chick Vennera, a prolific voice actor perhaps most recognizable for his scene-stealing disco dance performance atop a parked car in the 1978 hit comedy Thank God It’s Friday, died from cancer yesterday at his home in Burbank.

Vennera, who voiced characters for Animaniacs and Batman Beyond, among many other series, and appeared during the late 1980s in the recurring role of Enrique on the NBC sitcom The Golden Girls, was 74. His death was confirmed by his daughter Nicky Vennera.

Born Francis Vennera in Herkimer, New York, the actor known professionally as Chick Vennera moved to California after high school, studying at the Pasadena Playhouse where he would later teach acting. After a stint in the Army, Vennera returned to the West Coast to perform musically in nightclubs and, for two years, as a singer and dancer in the Disney on Parade tour. He also toured in the national company of Grease...

Chick Vennera, who portrayed a bean farmer for Robert Redford in The Milagro Beanfield War and danced atop parked cars outside an L.A. discotheque while wearing leather from head to toe in Thank God It’s Friday, has died. He was 74.

Vennera died Wednesday at his home in Burbank after a battle with lung cancer, his daughter, Nicky Vennera, told The Hollywood Reporter.

Vennera also was a busy voice actor who worked on such animated shows as Animaniacs — he created the characters of Pesto and The God Pigeon — Foofur, Capitol Critters, Darkwing Duck, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, Cow and Chicken and Batman Beyond.

Famed casting ...

Update: Transformers star Josh Duhamel is officially boarding the Lionsgate Jennifer Lopez movie Shotgun Wedding. Jennifer Coolidge and Sonia Braga are also joining to respectively play the moms of Duhamel and Lopez’s characters.

The announcement was made by Erin Westerman, president of production for the Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group.

“We couldn’t be happier for our bride and groom of this Shotgun Wedding,” said Westerman, confirming the casting of Duhamel. “We know Josh and Jennifer will make a compelling and sexy on-screen couple and they will be fun sparring partners as their dream destination wedding erupts into a memorable nightmare. We are also thrilled to bring Jennifer and Sonia on to our cast as Mothers of the Bride and Groom. Their acting and comedic talents will add another fun layer to this already-rich action-comedy.”

Logline: Darcy (Lopez) and Tom (Duhamel) gather their lovable but very opinionated families for the...

Oscar-winning composer, Grammy-winning arranger, jazz pianist and bandleader, pioneer in the digital recording world: Dave Grusin could retire on his laurels. But at 86, he’s itching to get back on the road and perform again.

“Oh, if they ever let us,” he tells Variety from his Montana ranch. “Not to have anything to do, it’s disconcerting to say the least.” Adds Grusin’s longtime bandmate, guitarist Lee Ritenour: “He’s gotten used to it, traveling the world and being appreciated. I think he enjoys that.”

And yet, if the pandemic continues to torture artists throughout 2021, there are still all those Grusin soundtracks to appreciate: the fragile beauty of “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” (1968), the atmospheric colors of “Three Days of the Condor” (1975), the hymn-like simplicity of “On Golden Pond” (1981), the delightfully upbeat “Tootsie” (1982), the Mexican folk influences of “The Milagro Beanfield War” (1987), the late-night jazz of “The Fabulous Baker Boys...

Else Blangsted, a Holocaust survivor who went on to a 35-year career as a film music editor who worked with some of the industry’s most successful directors, producers and composers – Robert Redford, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones, Dave Grusin, Sydney Pollack, among others – died Friday, May 1, from natural causes at her home in Los Angeles. She was 99.

Blangsted’s death, which occurred just three weeks short of her 100th birthday, was confirmed by her cousin, the Oscar–winning filmmaker and producer Deborah Oppenheimer.

Though she occasionally worked in TV throughout the years – Hazel, Dennis the Menace, Apple’s Way and the 1976 miniseries Helter Skelter, among others – it was in film that Blangsted left her most indelible professional mark. A partial roster of her film credits, spanning 1955’s Picnic to 1990’s The Bonfire of the Vanities, includes On Golden Pond, The Great Santini, Ordinary People, The Color Purple, The Goonies, In Cold Blood,...

Robert Redford will receive a career tribute at the 18th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival.

The Marrakech fest will take place Nov. 29 to Dec. 7. As previously announced, Tilda Swinton will preside over the jury.

Redford, one of the leading figures of contemporary cinema, said it was “a great honor to be invited to Marrakech,

to meet creators and artists who will share with each other their unique voices and points of view….

“I extend my thanks to the Marrakech International Film Festival for this generous invitation,” he said in a statement.

The tribute will pay homage to Redford’s career as a director, producer, actor, activist and founder of the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Festival, the world’s first festival to be entirely dedicated to independent cinema.

Redford initially rose to fame as an actor. He landed his first starring role on Broadway in “Sunday in New York,...

The title of the just-completed documentary “Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time” reflects the subject’s lament that there aren’t enough hours in the day or days in the year for all the music that needs to be made. That desire to stretch the clock might seem hyperbolic coming from other musicians, but not for someone whose hats have included film and TV scorer, concert performer, producer and jazz label mogul, often all at once.

At a post-screening Q&A in Santa Monica this week, the great jazz bassist Marcus Miller spoke about being a youthful protege and watching Grusin casually change hats mid-day… and assuming that was normal.

“I started playing with Dave Grusin when I was 17, 18 — I don’t know how old, but I know I had braces,” Marcus laughed. “To see him run a session, and then know that he’s going to score a movie that night after the session…...

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.

This week’s question: In honor of “The Old Man & the Gun” and its leading man’s supposed retirement from acting, what is Robert Redford’s greatest screen performance?

Matthew Zoller Seitz (@MattZollerSeitz), RogerEbert.com



“All is Lost” is in some ways the perfect Redford performance, because he’s the only character, and that means he never has to share the screen with anyone for any reason. I know that sounds ungenerous, but as much as I’ve enjoyed a lot of the movies Redford has done over the years, it’s always bugged me that he often seemed more concerned with looking great and being in control and always getting the upper hand than in plumbing the depths of his psyche, and stretching his talent, as so many comparably famous ’70s leading men did.

On Oct. 9, 1992, A River Runs Through It was released in theaters. Directed by Robert Redford, the drama about two preacher's sons growing up in rural Montana starred a young Brad Pitt in his first lead role in a major studio film. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Following on the directorial heels of his Oscar-winning Ordinary People and the ambitious The Milagro Beanfield War, Robert Redford has crafted his most focused behind-the-camera effort yet with A River Runs Through It.

A lyrical, poignant drama that uses the angler’s art of fly fishing as a subtle ...

On Oct. 9, 1992, A River Runs Through It was released in theaters. Directed by Robert Redford, the drama about two preacher's sons growing up in rural Montana starred a young Brad Pitt in his first lead role in a major studio film. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Following on the directorial heels of his Oscar-winning Ordinary People and the ambitious The Milagro Beanfield War, Robert Redford has crafted his most focused behind-the-camera effort yet with A River Runs Through It.

A lyrical, poignant drama that uses the angler’s art of fly fishing as a subtle ...

On Oct. 9, 1992, A River Runs Through It was released in theaters. Directed by Robert Redford, the drama about two preacher's sons growing up in rural Montana starred a young Brad Pitt in his first lead role in a major studio film. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

Following on the directorial heels of his Oscar-winning Ordinary People and the ambitious The Milagro Beanfield War, Robert Redford has crafted his most focused behind-the-camera effort yet with A River Runs Through It.

A lyrical, poignant drama that uses the angler’s art of fly fishing as a subtle metaphor for life’s...

For a very brief period in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Brazilian actress Sonia Braga looked poised to become a major Hollywood star. Her significant supporting role in Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985), a Brazilian-American co-production that won William Hurt the Oscar for Best Actor and was nominated for Best Picture, got studio suits’ attention; a few years later, she appeared in Robert Redford’s The Milagro Beanfield War and Paul Mazursky’s Moon Over Parador (both of which, oddly, are set in fictional locations, with Milagro somewhere in New Mexico and Parador an entirely invented South American country). Neither film was a hit, and the same tepid box-office fate met her last big Hollywood showcase, The Rookie (1990), in which she played one of the criminals (alongside Raul Juliá again) being pursued by cops Clint Eastwood and Charlie Sheen. While she would later be nominated for an ...

Yesterday afternoon, the ranks of Oscar voters grew substantially, with some welcome diversity added in for good measure. Yes, the Academy sent out invitations for new membership about 24 hours ago, with 683 names getting the coveted tap on the proverbial shoulder. Again, what made it so interesting to note is that AMPAS seemed to actively seek out women, minorities, and younger artists, hoping to make the demographics of the Academy slightly less centered on older white males. It won’t suddenly change the makeup of the Oscar nominations or upend how the Academy Awards go down next year, but it’s a slow step in the right direction, and that’s worth applauding for sure. As you can see below, in addition to basically all of last year’s Oscar winners, the new members are a diverse slate. Among the names you’ll see in the acting branch now are John Boyega,...

A look at some of the most notable stars and filmmakers invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. Academy Academy Academy Mahershala Ali – “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (Parts 1 and 2),” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” Anthony Anderson – “The Departed,” “Hustle & Flow” Adam Beach – “Suicide Squad,” “Flags of Our Fathers” Kate Beckinsale – “Love & Friendship,” “The Aviator” Chadwick Boseman – “Captain America: Civil War,” “Get on Up” John Boyega – “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Attack the Block” Betty Buckley – “Wyatt Earp,” “Carrie” Rose Byrne – “X-Men: First Class,” “Bridesmaids” Julie Carmen – “The Milagro Beanfield War,” “Gloria” Enrique...

In honor of the 25th anniversary of “Home Alone” this week, TheWrap tracked down Daniel Stern to reminisce about the film, which has become a TV staple around the holidays each year. Stern has had a charmed career ever since his first film, “Breaking Away,” won an Oscar for best original screenplay. In the ’80s, he worked with Woody Allen on “Stardust Memories” and “Hannah and Her Sisters,” Barry Levinson on “Diner” and Robert Redford on “The Milagro Beanfield War.” Not only did Stern go on to star in two family-friendly franchises with “Home Alone” and “City Slickers,” but he also.

Tony Genaro, a veteran character actor who is perhaps best known for playing the cattle rancher Miguel in the Kevin Bacon cult classic Tremors and its second sequel, has died. He was 72. Genaro died May 7 of natural causes at his Hollywood home, his daughter Zhanara told The Hollywood Reporter. A native of Gallup, N.M., Genaro’s first big break came with a role as store owner Nick Rael in Robert Redford’s American Southwest-set The Milagro Beanfield War (1988). In the supernatural teen film The Craft (1996), Genaro played the bus driver who drops off the four girls

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Winners have been announced! See below.

The First Edition of the Platinum Awards, a gala presentation in Panama April 5th, sponsored by Egeda and Fipca was an idea born two years ago in Panama at the Festival'sl Forum with Iberoamerican filmmakers and the Iberoamerican Producers Association (Fipca). Panama's Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce offered to pay for the first edition which is being held now. Jose Pacheco, the Deputy Minister and also the President of the Panama Film Commission, along with Arianne Marie Benedetti, then had to convince their government that the investment in the awards, along with the investment in cinema would further the country's extraordinary influx of capital and would help establish the Premios Platinos as the most important global event promoting and supporting the Iberoamerican film industry. Everyone here for the 4th Annual Panama Film Festival was quite excited and it was an extraordinary affair. Twenty-two Spanish speaking countries in the Americas as well as Brazil, Portugal and Spain gathered along with world press (John Hopewell of Variety and I myself of SydneysBuzz/ LatinoBuzz and Indiewire were the only gringo press around) and producers, directors, actors, cinematographers and writers to pay homage to the great talent arising out of the Iberoamerican countries whose potential audience exceeds that of the United States.

This was pointed out with great enthusiasm by Javier Camára, the actor nominated for Best Male Actor for his role in David Trueba's Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados). He plays a high-school English/ Latin teacher in 1966 Spain who drives to Almeria in hopes of meeting his hero, John Lennon. Along the way, he picks up two runaways. The movie title, Living is Easy With Eyes Closed, comes from a line in Lennon's song Strawberry Fields Forever which he wrote while filming How I Won the War in Almeria. (Camára is also a fan of Real Madrid.)

In this first edition 701 films have participated. Of these, each of the countries made a pre-selection of their candidates through their representatives Fipca and national film academies. Subsequently, a jury of prominent industry professionals has selected the winners just announced at the gala on April 5 in Panama. The Directors of the event are Adrian Solar Lozier for Fipca and one of Chili's most recognized producers and Enrique Cerezo Torres, one of the founders of Egeda twenty-five years ago, its chief executive for the past seventeen years, President of the Madrid Film Commission and President of the Madrid School of Cinema. (He is also the President of the Athletic Football Club of Madrid.)

Mexican singer and actress, Alessandra Rosaldo, and Colombian journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas whose TV show on film is featured on CNN Latino, co-hosted the televised event. Canal Plus of Spain and others representing television across the Americas were present.

The winners in each of the eight categories were named to a huge audience of the most important Latin American cinema talent who sat on pins and needles waiting to hear the winners.

Accepting the Platinum Award of Honor, Sonia Braga, known to U.S. audiences from the 1976 breakout Brazilian film, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, and again in 1985 and 1988 with Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Milagro Beanfield War respectively, was elegant and eloquent in her acceptance.

The most nominated films were The German Doctor: Wakolda, Gloria and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed. The surprise was that Living is Easy did not win a single award. Already the winner of 11 Awards and nominated for 5 other awards, David Trueba definitely can not hide behind the loser category. The Spanish film Living is Easy with Eyes Closed won six Goya Awards including Best Director.

And The Winners are:

Best Iberoamerican Fiction Film: Gloria (Chile). Nominated were The German Doctor: Wakolda (Argentina), Heli (Mexico), Witching and Bitching (Spain), La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) (Mexico), Roa (Colombia) and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed Spain) compete for the title of Best Latin American Film of the Year.

Best Female Performance: Paulina García (Gloria). Nominated were Karen Martínez (The Golden Cage), Laura De la Uz (Ana's Film), Marian Álvarez (Wounded), Nashla Bogaert (Who's the Boss?), Natalia Oreiro (Wakolda). You can read Gloria's review and interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulna Garcia here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulina Garcia by Sydney Levine. You can soon read more about upcoming Dominican Republic's Nashla Bogaert whom I met and interviewed in Panama. She is my choice of the one to keep an eye on.

Best Male Performance: Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included). The equivalent of the Platinos, our own Academy Award usually steers clear of comedy in the best actor category, as if comedy were not as difficult as drama. But this was well deserved in terms of popularity as this film's huge success in both U.S. and Mexico shows. U.S.$44 million in U.S. and U.S.$ 41 million in Mexico are not to be ignored. This major hit hit a major nerve in U.S. and Mexico. Also nominated were Antonio de la Torre (Cannibal), , Javier Cámara (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed), Ricardo Darín (Thesis on a Homicide) and Víctor Prada (The Cleaner).

Platinum Award For Best Director: Amat Escalante (Heli). Nominated were Sebastian Lelio (Gloria), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor: Wakolda). You can read Heli's Review by Carlos Aguilar and the Interview with Amat Escalante by Carlos Aguilar.

Platinum Best Screenplay Award: Sebastian Lelio, Gonzalo Maza (Gloria). Also nominated were Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Great Spanish Family), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor-Wakolda)

Platinum Award For Best Original Score: Emilio Kauderer for Foosball (Football). Also nominated were Karin Zielinski for El Limpiador (The Cleaner) -- you can read its Review by Carlos Aguilar , Joan Valent (Zugarramurdi Witches)

Platinum Award For Best Animated Film: Foosball (Football). Nominated were Anina -- you can read Anina's Review by Carlos Aguilar , The Secret Of Jade Medallion, Justin And The Sword Of Value, Uma History Of Love And Fury

Platinum Award For Best Documentary: Con la Pata Quebrada (With a Broken Leg). Nominated were: Cuates de Australia (Friends from Australia), Eternal Night Of The Twelve Moons, The Day That Lasted 21 Years from Brazil about the U.S. instigated coup d’etat in 1964, Still Being.

Camilo Vives (recently deceased, head of production for Icaic) Platinum Award for Best Iberoamerican co-production, in memory of his Presidency of Fipca for over 10 years and co-chair of the Forum Egeda / Fipca was The German Doctor Wakolda which beat out Anina, Esclavo de Dios and La jaula de oro. Read more on The German Doctor Wakolda here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Case Study by Sydney Levine.

See more on the Platinum Award website: www.premiosplatino.com.

Alessandra Rosaldo stated: "These Awards will be the most valuable Iberoamerican Film Excellence Awards, something this industry needs and demands to reward the creativity and talent of our film industry.

Juan Carlos Arciniegas said: "The Platinum Awards are pioneers, transcend borders and put our countries in a fair competition that will highlight the diversity of the region cinematically. These awards will write the history of the participating films."

Eugenio Derbez, Blanca Guerra, Victoria Abril and Patricia Velasquez were some of the presenters.

Feature Aliya Whiteley 14 May 2013 - 05:59

A true Hollywood star, Robert Redford is at his best in smaller, more personal films. Aliya picks three great films about alienation...

Robert Redford was the number one box office star of the early 70s, appearing in huge hits such as The Sting, The Way We Were, and Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. None of those three films show him at his best as an actor, or address the kind of issues he felt passionately about.

His easy camaraderie with Paul Newman and his status as a sex symbol belied the political angle that influenced his decisions in filmmaking and acting. Once he had amassed enough power in Hollywood to call the shots, the roles he took changed; for me, his most interesting performances began once he believed in the message of the film he was making.

He remains a serious and passionate actor,...

Plot: The body of an anonymous migrant worker- who was trying to make it over the U.S border is discovered in the Arizona desert. The only clue as to his identity is a tattoo on his chest reading .Dayani Cristal.. Review: Who Is Dayani Cristal is a low-key but effective choice to kick off Sundance 2013. Long a festival concerned with social justice, with founder Robert Redford himself having explored the subject of migrant workers in The Milagro Beanfield War, Dayani Cristal turns a...

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Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s independent film ‘Falling Awake‘ is available on SundanceNOW where you can buy, rent, or stream the film online!

Here’s what the drama is all about…

“‘Falling Awake‘ is the powerful story of Jay (Andrew Cisneros), a young man struggling to find his identity in The Bronx in a house crowded with family members and a neighborhood filled with loyal friends and dangerous enemies. A gifted musician, Jay hopes to leave it all and pursue his dream of composing and performing music. Once he meets Alessandra (Jenna Dewan-Tatum), a beautiful young woman who lives in Brooklyn, his determination to defy the expectations of his frustrated, angry father become even stronger. Jay is tied to his home through loyalty to his friends and to his brother, who has returned unexpectedly from service in the Marines. As he reaches toward a wider world, he is pulled back over...

American character actor known for his tough-guy roles in westerns and on television

With a voice that sounded as if it were strained through gravel chipped from his craggy face, James Gammon, who has died of cancer aged 70, had a memorable presence as a character actor in crime films, rural dramas and especially westerns, from A Man Called Horse (1970) to Urban Cowboy (1980), Silverado (1985), Wyatt Earp (1994), Wild Bill (1995) and Appaloosa (2008). Ed Harris, who directed and starred in Appaloosa, said of Gammon: "If he'd been born 20 years earlier he'd have been in every other western ever made."

Gammon had a perpetual squint that could be interpreted as crazy or wise – or both. His best-known role was as the unflappable baseball manager Lou Brown in the comedy Major League (1989). On television, he played Don Johnson's father in the series Nash Bridges from 1996 to 2001. Gammon's ability to reveal an essential weakness, and the...

James Gammon, the character actor who was a staple on TV, film and theater, has died. He was 70 years old. Gammon famously portrayed Lou Brown, manager of the Cleveland Indians in the 1989 comedy "Major League" and its 1994 sequel. He appeared in many films including "Urban Cowboy," "The Milagro Beanfield War," "Leaving Normal," "Ironweed" and "Cold Mountain." Gammon was a notable player on the smallscreen and played the father on "Nash Bridges" from 1996 to 2001. He appeared on "The Waltons," and the 1995 miniseries "Streets of Laredo" and guest appearances ranging from "Gunsmoke" and other westerns in the 1960s to "Grey's Anatomy" in 2007. Gammon was also a co-founder of the Met Theatre, and was a...

I just wanted to remind everyone that Jenna Dewan-Tatum's independent film 'Falling Awake' just had a nationwide release via IFC and Mega Films on Video On Demand Today and will have a limited theatrical release on January 29, 2010.

Jenna attended the premiere for the film last night in New York City. Below, you can check out personal behind-the-scenes pics that she tweeted out before the event and paparazzi photos of Jen with co-star Andy Cisneros at the premiere.

I love the personal photos, because she tweeted a pic from the plane thousands of feet in the air in route to New York, from Chan and Jen's favorite NY restaurant (Habana Cafe), and from the makeup chair as she was getting ready for the event. We also get a glimpse of a very special 'Falling Awake' tequila bottle with Jen's likeness and see Jen featured on Instyle's...

Thanks to my friend Casper at the film site Latino Film Chatter we now have the official release dates for Jenna Dewan-Tatum's independent film 'Falling Awake'.

The movie will be available from IFC Films via a nationwide Video On Demand release on January 20, 2010 and a limited theatrical release on January 29, 2010. Here are all the current release dates...

In Theaters

Miami: Jan. 29th, 2010

New York: Feb. 5th, 2010

Cable On Demand Beginning 1/20/10 Through These Providers:

Bright House: Movies On Demand – IFC In Theaters

Cablevision: Movies On Demand Independent Films & IFC In Theaters

Charter: Channel 1 Or Channel 99 & Movies & Indie & Intl Films

Comcast: Channel 1 Movies & Events & Same Day As Theaters & IFC In Theaters

Cox: Channel 1 Movies On Demand & IFC In Theaters

Insight: Movies On Demand & IFC In Theaters

Time Warner: Movies On Demand (Channel 1000 In Most Markets) & IFC In Theaters

Here's what the film's all about...

"'Falling Awake' is...

After making the film festival rounds, Jenna Dewan's independent film 'Falling Awake' was scheduled to have a limited released in select theaters in New York City, Miami and Puerto Rico on September 18, 2009. I was excited to learn today that the film has now been picked up by the Independent Film Channel (aka IFC). The movie will release on a later date, but I and many other fans that may or may not live in the above-mentioned cities will now be able to watch 'Falling Awake' when it hits the small screen.

Here's what the film's all about...

"'Falling Awake' is the powerful story of Jay (Andrew Cisneros), a young man struggling to find his identity in The Bronx in a house crowded with family members and a neighborhood filled with loyal friends and dangerous enemies. A gifted musician, Jay hopes to leave it...

I'm just learning that Jenna Dewan's new dramatic film 'Falling Awake', which was previously called 'Shine On', screened at the Boston International Film Festival on April 24th, the same day that Channing Tatum's film 'Fighting' hit theaters.

Even though fans may have missed that screening, you'll have another opportunity to see the film at the 2009 Brooklyn International Film Festival this weekend and in limited release in theaters later this year.

Here's the synopsis for the film...

"'Falling Awake' is the powerful story of Jay (Andrew Cisneros), a young man struggling to find his identity in The Bronx in a house crowded with family members and a neighborhood filled with loyal friends and dangerous enemies. A gifted musician, Jay hopes to leave it all and pursue his dream of composing and performing music. Once he meets Alessandra (Jenna Dewan), a beautiful...