Breaking Film Industry News — Awards, Acquisitions, Festival Buzz, Grants, and More
April 9
– EXCLUSIVE: Organizers have today announced plans for the first annual Northwoods Film Festival, to be hosted on August 16 and 17, 2019 at the Lakeland Cinema 6 in Woodruff, Wisconsin. Over the course of two days, the non-for-profit festival will bring groundbreaking and dynamic programming to local audiences, aiming to create conversation and appreciation for film in Northern Wisconsin. The lineup for the festival, which will be announced in the coming months, will bring independent films showcasing thoughtful topics and engaging stories not normally available to audiences in the area.
Related stories
Breaking Film Industry News -- Awards, Acquisitions, Festival Buzz, Grants, and More
'Clemency': Sundance Grand Jury Prize Winner Goes to Neon for U.S. Release
Terry Gilliam's Long-Delayed 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' Set for 2019 Release
Through its programming, “the festival aims to attract audiences from the local community of varying ages, backgrounds, and a mix of local residents and seasonal guests. The festival will showcase the warmth and hospitality of the Northern Wisconsin area to bring audiences together in a shared space to enjoy independent film.”
“We are thrilled to channel our passion for the arts and cinema into creating the first-ever annual Northwoods Film Festival,” said Bess Donoghue, Executive Director of Northwoods Film Festival, in an official statement. “Film has a special, unique role in communities and we are so excited to introduce local audiences to independent titles that might not normally play in the Northern Wisconsin region.”
Additional announcements including the lineup and tickets sales will be shared in coming months. As it begins an exciting journey, the festival is pleased to have the support of many local organizations and public figures including Suick Theaters, the Minocqua Chamber of Commerce, and the Town of Woodruff. Local audiences and organizations are encouraged to participate in the festival to help create an event that is for the community, and can be sustained for additional years to come. Additional information on how to support the festival including sponsorship opportunities can be found on the festival’s website.
– The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, will continue its tradition of celebrating activism in the arts with the inaugural Tribeca Celebrates Pride, a day-long event on Saturday, May 4 at the Tribeca Festival Hub at Spring Studios.
The day will honor the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, including one-on-one interviews with LGBTQ+ luminaries including Neil Patrick Harris, John Cameron Mitchell, Larry Kramer and guest speaker Asia Kate Dillon. The program will reflect on the impact of this seminal moment for the LGBTQ+ community and include conversations with Raul Castillo, Patti Harrison, Angelica Ross, and more. Find out more information, including the full program and how to purchased tickets, right here.
– Cinema Guild has picked up U.S. distribution rights to “I Was at Home, But…,” written and directed by Angela Schanelec. The film won Schanelec the Silver Bear for Best Director when it premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. It will open in U.S. theaters in early 2020.
Schanelec’s eighth feature film as director, “I Was at Home, But…” will mark the first time one of her films has received a theatrical release in the U.S. Cinema Guild has played a significant role in introducing U.S. audiences to Schanelec’s Berlin School peers Christian Petzold, Maren Ade, and Valeska Grisebach.
The film “tells the story of Astrid (Maren Eggert), a forty-something mother of two, struggling to regain her balance in the wake of her husband’s death. Her adolescent son Phillip (Jakob Lassalle) disappeared for a week and now that he has returned, he faces disciplinary action at school and his toe requires amputation. As new questions confront Astrid from every angle, even simple activities like buying a bicycle or engaging with a work of art, are fraught with unexpected challenges.”
– John Waters will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor award during the 72nd edition of the Locarno Film Festival. The U.S. director, screenwriter, and actor will be in Piazza Grande on Friday, August 16. His guest appearance will be followed by one of the new “Crazy Midnight” screenings which, as of this year, will lend a distinctive and highly individual atmosphere to the second part of the evening in Piazza Grande, featuring his film “Cecil B. DeMented.”
A selection of titles from John Waters’ career will accompany the tribute. Waters himself will be in attendance at the screenings of “A Dirty Shame” and “Female Trouble,” while “Polyester” will be shown in ODORAMA, reprising one of the first experiments in olfactory cinema, as performed at its original theatrical release in 1981: audience members will be given numbered scratch-n-sniff cards, to be used as and when indicated on screen in order to experience the appropriate odors.
– IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Michael Tyburski’s debut feature “The Sound of Silence,” co-written by Ben Nabors and Michael Tyburski, starring Peter Sarsgaard, Rashida Jones, Tony Revolori, and Austin Pendleton. The film is produced by Ben Nabors, Michael Prall, Anonymous Content’s Tariq Merhab and Charlie Scully, and Keshet Films’ Mandy Tagger Brockey and Adi Ezroni.
The film, which was based on Tyburski’s short film “Palimpset,” which received a Special Jury Award at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, returned to Sundance in 2019 for its World Premiere in the U.S. Dramatic competition. The film will be released theatrically in 2019.
Per its official synopsis, the film “follows a self-taught scientist, Peter (Sarsgaard), working in New York City as a ‘house tuner’ — a unique, highly specialized profession he’s invented. His clients approach him with troubles like depression, anxiety, or fatigue. After extensive analysis of their homes’ acoustic characteristics, he identifies some sonic combination that’s altering their mood — a radiator mixed with a kitchen appliance, for instance — and is able to calibrate it. But following a routine house call where he meets Ellen (Jones), who is experiencing exhaustion, Peter obsessively searches for the fault in his practice after his initial conclusion proves incorrect.”
Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
